Posted on Oct. 20, 2022

Every summer in Qatar, no one finds an escape from the heat in the Arabian Sea.

But for consecutive weekends this summer, I ventured out with my iced coffee and protein bar, which melted as I walked from my car to the beach.

After placing my towel over a lawn chair and setting my pink beach bag beneath an umbrella, I ran barefoot—careful not to scald my feet—until I reached the ocean, a bathtub of warm water.

The salt burned my eyes as I dipped underwater. When I came up for air, the sun beat down on my already-pink cheeks.

Despite my discomfort, I swam out to the buoys to see the clusters of tiny crabs.

The desert sun is relentless. I never knew what “heat” was until I moved to Qatar.

The intense summer season is now over.

At the close of September, the harsh humid heat was replaced with gentle sunshine and kind breezes.

On the first day of October, I went swimming in my apartment pool.

I expected the water to still be warm at 6 o’clock in the evening.

The cold water caught me by surprise—but I felt refreshed for the first time in months.

Floating on my back, I watched the golden lights of the hotel shine against the blue sky. Rarely was the sky this clear.

As I climbed out of the pool to wrap myself in a towel, the air was still warm and settled over my chilled skin like a blanket.