Happy Belated New Year! By now, most of our members are back in Doha after being abroad for the holidays. It’s always fun to catch up and hear about our friend’s travels and get new ideas for places to go next. Can you believe that January is over? It seemed to go by in a flash, but February offers lots things to celebrate – Superbowl, Valentine’s Day, Mardi Gras, Chinese New Year, President’s Day, just to name a few. And, don’t forget to check out all the festivities that AmCham Qatar has lined up during their inaugural “Discover America – USA Week Qatar”, including our very own 2015 AWAQ Bazaar!
Our club has kicked off 2015 with great enthusiasm – we have had some great events already and have more being planned. If you haven’t been to an event in a while, take a look at our online Events Calendar and see what’s there! If you have any suggestions for an event or outing, please let us know by sending an email to events@awaqatar.com. This month we are also kicking off the “Girls’ Night Out” monthly after work meet up on February 4th. Check out the calendar for more details, and remember it’s not just for working women – if you want to hang out with members you don’t get to see during the day, come join us!
In February we return to the Al Mirqab Boutique Hotel in Souq Waqif and have an impressive young woman, Julia Goldsby, as our speaker. Julia will be sharing her recent experiences as she travels the world in her role as the FAWCO Youth Ambassador. Our club will be hosting Julia for two weeks while she interacts with local youth in Qatar and gives them some insight into what her journey has been like, and what community service and volunteering looks like in other parts of the world.
Speaking of volunteering, I just spent four days at the Qatar Masters and was thrilled to see so many AWAQ members working at the event. It’s always more fun to volunteer with your friends and there are so many opportunities here . And, in the spirit of giving to others – February is American Heart Month – consider donating blood since Hamad Hospital is currently advertising an urgent need for all blood types.
Finally, I know it seems early, but this month we will be seeking volunteers for the Nominations Committee. Can you believe it’s already time to begin working on the upcoming Board Member elections to be held in May? If you are interested in being on the committee, please contact Susan Hoffman.
As always, if you have any questions or suggestions, please send me an email or give me a call. I look forward to seeing you on Feb. 9th!
Angela