We were lucky enough to be in the vibrant city of Doha, Qatar with the purpose of competing proudly with the maple leaf on our chest. Of course we were there to get down to business and race with the best in the world... and that is exactly what we did:) but in our little off time this is what we saw..
The heat was a
huge adjustment for athletes as seen here with coolers of ice, water, and cold towels. We were so thankful for our Canadian Team for prepping us to be hydrated and ready.
This is the Qatar National Museum. French architect Jean Nouvel designed this building to look like a desert rose which is a crystal formation that occurs in arid sandy environments. We learned about Qatar's rich history of living in the desert, pearl diving, and current oil empire.
Doha's intricate details and flashy colors added to its vibrancy as a city. Below is a restaurant called the Yasmin Palace and to the left is the Katara Mosque which got some inspiration from the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.
To the left is a dish called Machboos which is a lovely fragrant and spiced rice with chicken made in the middle east. We were taught how to cook Machboos in a local Qatari woman's kitchen and the photo to the left was our result! Amazing dip platter below:)
Last but not least, on the final day in Qatar before I flew home to California, my mum and I got to go into the desert. Standing here looking out over the vastness of the dunes and the wind ripple the sand I couldn't help but feel small. That smallness wasn't a bad feeling, it was one that brought me peace in knowing that the beauty of the world is endless and beyond our wildest imagination. It felt like a dream. My mum and I shared a few tears standing here... joyful tears that jeeeez..I had just competed at the World Championships across the freaking world, sad tears because we wished dad was here to see it (knowing how excited and proud he would be), and more joyful tears because we couldn't be more grateful for each other (my strong Price girls), and finally some hopeful tears because we know our future will be nothing short of unbelievable.
Also we got to go dune bashing (here is a youtube video of what that looked like). It was wild!
Doha, Qatar embodied the dichotomy between empty desert and the flashiest buildings I had ever seen. It is growing its infrastructure and pouring money into architecture, sports, and art. The World Cup is being held there in 2022! While many of their labor practices and certain cultural aspects felt tough to understand as a westerner, it was important to prioritize learning in such a foreign place. I left feeling proud of the way we competed on the track; we know there is more work to be done and are focusing on the day by day as we set our sights on Tokyo 2020. I also left with an enriched cultural understanding which I couldn't be more grateful for.
Thanks for checking out this photo journey! I look forward to doing more photo journeys like this in the future of my travels with track, family, and more!