Muslim Prayer

We live next to two mosques. Each morning before sunrise, the mosques broadcast the call to prayer into the neighborhood. One of the Muadhin's has a beautiful lilting voice and the other has a rough gravelly voice. But in stereo each morning, we hear their calls to the Muslims in our neighborhood to wake up for prayer. The calls and the prayers are chanted and sung similar to a Gregorian chant. So, it's quite a soothing and restful sound that drifts over the neighborhood in the darkness of early morning. (click here http://muslim-canada.org/athan_mp3.mp3) A few of our neighbors have roosters and each morning the roosters crowing accompanies the call. Forever, these two sounds will be linked together in my mind.

Muslim men are required to pray 5 times a day. For women it is optional. The exact timing, I'm not sure of because it changes slightly each day due to the sun position. And there are different interpretations given the branch of Islam that you follow. But approximately, the timings are sunrise, noon, afternoon, sunset, and after dark. At this time of the year, the sunrise prayer is happening around 6am and each morning is getting a little later each day. There is a short call to wake people up approximately 15 minutes before this. The Muadhin says, "Prayer is more sweet than sleep." Right now, this is all timed just after my alarm goes off, so as I'm getting dressed and brushing my teeth I'm being serenaded by the Muadhin's and roosters. As I'm going to work in the taxi, I see many men in the neighborhood walking or driving to the Mosque for their prayer.

Each of the 5 prayers of the day is different from one another. They are all recited in Arabic; even in non-Arabic speaking countries (kind of like Latin mass was for the Catholics). When we were in Turkey, the mosques there were sending out the call to prayer in Arabic, too. Each prayer has its own sequence of prayers, bowing, kneeling, and bowing prostrate. (click here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/galleries/salah/) This specific sequence is conducted in Arabic. At the end of the prayer, the worshipper looks to their right and then their left shoulder to bless the angels recording their good and bad deeds. The worshipper may also choose to make his/her own personal prayer and this can be done in their local language.

On the radio, there are several Muslim stations that broadcast the prayers, sermons and the reading of the Quran. These broadcasts are all day long (All Muslim - All the Time). Today, in the taxi on the way to work, I was riding right during the time of the sunrise prayer. Most of the taxi drivers are Pakistani (and Muslim). My driver was listening to the broadcast of the prayer - and a rooster was crowing in the background. Took me a second to even realize that the rooster was on the radio. Guess I'm not the only one for whom these sounds will be forever intermingled.

More information:
http://muslim-canada.org/salaat.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_prayer
http://www.islam-usa.com/pray1.html
http://www.sunna.info/prayer/TheBasicsoftheMuslimsPrayer.php

I Seeee Yoooou

Lyra Had a Meltdown

I wasn't there - see previous post about Turkey.

Her meltdown's these days are so few and far between, we don't really get frustrated with her. Sometimes, she just needs to let off steam. Russell sent me a text message while I was in Turkey, so I asked her about it yesterday when I got back home.

Me: So, I hear you had a meltdown.
Lyra: I was very angry. I was screaming and yelling and kicking.
Me: Where were you?
Lyra: I was in my room.
Russell (in the background): I sent her to her room.
Lyra: I was hitting the door and kicking the door. I was yelling at Baba.
Me: Why?
Lyra: I didn't want to clean up the table. I wanted another story.
Me: I can appreciate that reading a story is more fun, but sometimes we have to help - even if it's not as fun. Baba does a lot of things and he needs your help.
Lyra: Because a family helps each other.
Me: Yes.

On the Road

The Dubai airport is BUSY all day, every day. I know this because recently I have been at the airport at the oddest hours.

On Thursday, I traveled to Turkey for 2 days of meetings. My flight left Dubai at 3:45am. I called the taxi at 1:30 and when I arrived, the place was heaving! Upon getting out of the taxi, there was a Canadian man standing there talking with another taxi driver. Apparently, he had just left his passport in the back of a taxi and was trying to find out how he could get the taxi driver to come back. He used my phone to call the central help desk (I could have told him this would be an exercise in frustration). Eventually, I needed to go to my flight for check in and last I knew he was heading down to the Taxi Office at the airport to hopefully get more assistance.

The queue for my the check in area was huge - extending down the concourse. Apparently, there was also a flight going to Africa because my queue was full of Africans with HUGE piles of purchases and bags on their luggage trolleys. I was starting to get a bit worried because the line wasn't moving at all - and with this many people ahead of me I didn't know how I was going to get checked in in time. While standing there, I noticed a few impatient people jumping the queue to the beginning and I was starting to get a bit peeved. After the 3rd or 4th person, I wandered up toward the front of the line, too. Good thing I did. Turns out I wasn't in line. The long queue of people I was standing with were very early and couldn't even check in for their flight. They were just "pre-forming" their line for when it was their turn.

After two days of meetings, I returned to Dubai on a flight that arrived at 5am. Once again, the place was so busy. Things never stop there. Unlike at home, there seem to be no noise reduction hours or anything like that. We should know, we live under one of the flight paths. Especially in the evening, we seem to have quite a few flights overhead. Just this morning I heard a flight coming around 4:55am - probably the flight from Istanbul.

Christmas in Dubai

Yes, they have Christmas in Dubai. Just like at home, the malls are decked in their Christmas finery and the Christmas tunes are being piped in for your shopping pleasure. Of course, it isn't quite as pervasive as back home. We're not seeing the houses lit up driving down the street. But our next door neighbors have put up a wreath. The garden centers are advertising their live Christmas trees - and not too expensive either. But with our upcoming trip to Egypt and being gone for 10 days, we have decided that the tree would become too much of a tinder box in the house. We have hung the stockings for St. Nick's arrival last Saturday (a couple days too late, I know).

For those reading from the upper midwest, I've heard about the arrival of snow. Hopefully, it will be a white Christmas (would be the first time in many years). I just checked Yahoo and I see we have the same temperature (25C here and 25F at home). Well, I had to say it, sorry. As much as I was pining away for autumn, I can say I'm not feeling the same way about winter. Definitely this is the time of year when desert living has its rewards.

When looking for options on a Christmas trip we had originally considered going to Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic to visit the Christmas markets - but the thought of tramping about in snow without having brought our snow boots to Dubai - my toes started to ache from frostbite just thinking about it. So, instead we will be seeing Santa in Hurghada (on the Red Sea in Egypt). I figured - well, we've come here to experience the Middle East so why would we go up to the snowy north? So, sun and beach are in our Christmas plan.

nancyj said... I'm wondering what you will do with your pets for the 10 days you are gone? Will Basil go with or isn't he allowed to travel between countries now that he's planted in the UAE?
I guess if we wanted we could take him to Egypt, but he's not going with us. We have found a good vet who offers kenneling services. Basil has already been their 2 times (once when we were in Turkey and again for our trip to Oman). This time, the cats are going, too. We found out that the neighbors - who we thought might look in on the cats from day to day - are also going back to the UK.

Kathie said...
But on TV are they playing over and over and over again ....A Christmas Carol-various versions, Its a Wonderful Life (love it), don't forget A Charlie Brown Christmas (would not be Christmas without it), Miracle on 34th St., How the Grinch Stole Christmas, White Christmas, and don't forget Home Alone, and last but not least A Christmas Story-gotta get one of those lamps!
I don't know - I guess so. But we don't have a television here. My sister brought some Christmas videos. So, we now have the Grinch, Year w/o Santa Claus, some others, and I've always had Charlie Brown

We Made It

After a near-miss at the Immigration office for want of two 2x2 photos of Lyra and Russell, I did eventually get both of their passports. It was close going for a while! And now they both have official resident status in the UAE.

So, finally at around noon we were on our way to Oman. We had heard that the border crossing can be quite jammed and can take several hours to get through, but luckily we didn't run into that. I think that by leaving on Thursday (the day before the weekend) we avoided much of the rush. However, we did find out when trying to enter Oman that we neglected to get exit stamps on our passports from the UAE, so had to retrack about 5Km to the UAE border patrol to get these stamps.

Most of our time in Oman was spent exploring by car. We had a marathon set of days to get to all the places we planned to go. Our main destination was Turtle Beach where there are several breeds of sea turtles that come to lay their eggs on the beach. The peak season to see the turtles is in June-August, but the guide books had told us that turtles come up to the beach most every day of the year. We were lucky enough to see a turtle laying her eggs. We waited in the dark on the beach for nearly 30 minutes. If the turtles are spooked or disturbed, they will return to the sea. But once they start laying their eggs, then they will keep laying until they are done. The poor girl was a bit disoriented from all the attention. I was amazed at her size.

The next morning, we returned to the beach to see in the light what we had struggled to see in the dark. The whole beach is covered with holes about 5 feet across and 2 feet deep that the turtles dig. We could see several tracks from the previous night where a turtle had dragged herself to the beach. Probably about 7-8 turtles had visisted the beach the previous night.

If we return again, we know to bring lots of mosquito repellent and mosquito netting for our beds. I am still scratching the bites on my feet, legs and arms. Lyra had over 9 bites on one cheek.

Oman is definitely worth a return visit. Lots of hiking and exploring still to do.

Oman or not Oman

Well, we thought we were going to Oman tomorrow for a weekend break. That is until Russell & Lyra's passports ended up at the Ministry of Finance - and we can't get them back until Russell passes his health check. After near heart attack, Russell rushed to the health clinic only to wait and wait for his paperwork to show up. Then he had to go get Lyra from school so he had to leave before the healthcheck could be done. Then he had to take her for a nap. Then he had to drop off Mary & Amy & Lyra for their Desert Safari. Then he made his way through mounds of traffice to the medical clinic only to find out that he needed to be there before 4pm in order to get his passport back today. No one bothered to mention that.

So, now we wait. And cross our fingers. And try not to think about it too much. And hope that it gets processed tomorrow. And try not to think about the pre-paid hotels that we may not be able to use. And try not to think about how I TOLD THEM on Sunday that I needed the passport back TODAY. And hope that it gets processed tomorrow. And try not to think about it too much. And cross our fingers. So, now we wait.

Om - Shanti, Shanti, Shanti (not working!)

Smooch

moar funny pictures

Sorry, but this had me giggling for the whole day. I had to throw it in.
[Typo came with picture.]

Pictures of the House

So many of you asked what the house looks like with furniture. My sister did you the favor of running round to take some photos.

Mamacita said...
Are those golf clubs in the bathroom?
Yes, we haven't used them, yet. Very expensive to golf here and they just closed one of the more affordable courses. Golf is a very popular outing for the tourists. Tiger Woods has just announced he will be designing a golf course here.

You got the yellow FJ. We have Black Cherry. DH just finished with the lift kit, new 33" tires and now he wants tail light covers. I see where this is going!
Tell me - sister! Russell is investigating the underbody panel, side rails, and luggage rack. May throw in a winch, too. Also need to get an air compressor so that when we let the air out of the tires in the desert, we don't have to queue up with everyone at the petrol station to refill our tires. Haven't gone out big-time, yet. But we're itching to do so.

and Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men

Lyra hasn't decided what she's going to ask for from Santa. She's told me she wants some blue Crocs, but I think that is what she wants from Russell & I, not from Santa.

About 2 weeks ago, I asked her what she was going to ask for from Santa and she said Easter Joy. I was stumped by that. I asked her, "What's Easter Joy?" thinking I had misunderstood her. She said, "I don't know, what's Easter Joy?"

A day or so later, I was thinking and had an "Ahaa" moment. She loves the song Peter Cottontail and there's a line that goes, "Bringing every girl and boy baskets full of Easter Joy." She probably had no idea what that was, but thought she wanted some. So, now she's changed her mind about asking for Easter Joy, but I'm trying to convince her it would be a good thing to ask for. It would probably stump ol' Father Christmas too.

She better make up her mind soon! Santa doesn't have much time until things need to be delivered.

Dubai Winter is Just Like Summer

As the weather cools, I'm struck by how much the Dubai winter is just like summer back home.

1. The flowers are in bloom and the public flower beds along the streets are bursting with color.
2. Crickets are chirping in the garage
3. Children are playing and riding their bikes up and down the street.
4. Every weekend is overflowing with choices and options of things to do.
5. Evenings outside on the back patio are a pleasant way to unwind from the day.
6. The mozzies (mosquitos) come biting.
7. It's beach weather and sunburn season.
8. The fruit and veg stands are full of fresh options.
9. People have the roofs down on their convertibles.
10. Russell is busy in the garden (this time with desert plants)
11. If it weren't for the flies, you could leave the doors and windows open to let in some fresh air.
12. The birds are building their nests
13. Parks are busy with families having BBQs and picnics.
14. Peter is meowing to go out, and to come back in, then to go back out, and to come back in.
15. T-shirts and sandals are a good choice for what to wear (wait - that's our summer weather, too).

Happy Thanksgiving!

To everyone back home, I hope that you have a great gathering and feasting today.

My sister, Amy, and Aunt Mary arrive this evening. They're scheduled to land around 7pm. I said to Russell this morning as I was leaving for work at 6am (they should be on the plane by now). Uhhgg - it is a long flight.

But we're so excited to see them. Having visitors is so much fun (hint, hint - for anyone wondering if you'd be welcome to stay with us - you would!! We have room for an army!) Tomorrow, we're heading down to Deira Creek where they will have the Flutag. This is a competition where teams make flying machines that are powered solely by human power. They will launch them from a ramp built out over the Creek and the winner will be the team that flies the farthest. They will also have prizes for creativity, too. Hope to have some good pictures to post here from that.

Turkey Day will probably be on Sunday for us. We have a busy weekend planned and so Sunday seems to be a good day to roast the bird. Russell bought our Turkey a couple of days ago - a Butterball. He's looking forward to brining a turkey for the first time. I need to check out the Cook's Illustrated website to remind myself how to do that. All other traditional sides will be available: mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, dressing, green beans, cranberry sauce (my sister is trying to bring fresh cranberries in with her luggage, we'll see if she makes it), and pumpkin pie for dessert. Yum!

Enjoy the snow - for those in the northland!

Sooeee

When was the last time you played Pig Mania? Do you remember what a Leaning Jowler is? Do you know the points scored for a Double Razor Back? Who typically was the grunt in your house?

Last night we got out the Pig Mania game. At dinner I had mentioned how many nights of fun we had growing up playing that game. Russell wondered if the game we own was mine from growing up or one we had acquired along the way. I was pretty sure it was the one I had growing up. Sure enough, when we got the game out, "RAGLAND" was written on the box in my dad's block letters.** He had been careful enough to write it on both the lid and the bottom. It was interesting to see some of the old scorecards stuffed at the bottom of the box. Ron or Amy - any idea who Koz or Stood is?

After a quick review of the instructions, we had a friendly game - more ferocious competition is to come, I'm sure. I started out as the Grunt (scorekeeper), but Lyra thought that looked like too much fun, so we soon switched. Here's our scores.


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** When growing up, my dad labeled everything we owned with indelible marker. One time, he even labeled ski poles my mom had borrowed from the neighbors. They always said, "Well at least everyone knows not to steal them."

My Country

This week's theme at Lyra's school is My Country.

"Which country is that?" I asked Russell.

"The UAE (suppressing "duh-uh"), he said.

I don't know why it struck me that the My Country topic is the UAE. A moment when I realized how different Lyra's education will be while we're here.

One of the things they are doing is looking at different monuments or landmarks that represent different countries. In Dubai, we are not short of landmarks! Here, every building is designed to be an icon; a landmark. This is - if man-made land marks count. If it has to be natural, then I guess sand is our landmark. Does sand count?

While at parent-teacher conference this morning, as part of their My Country topic the children made a board in the classroom where they all indicated what country they come from.

The flags are: Syria, USA, India, UAE, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon. (I had to ask with several of them.)

Basil - the P*SSER

For some reason, since we moved into the new place, Basil thinks it is perfectly fine to pee in the house. At first we thought it was his way to lay claim to the place. He's always had a nasty habit of peeing anytime he goes into a new house. But, after nearly 3 months, I don't think we can use that reasoning anymore. Luckily our entire house is tiled and we haven't purchased any rugs.

We first tried making sure that he got frequent and regular walks. When we moved into the house in September, we were still in the midst of massively hot days. Poor Basil could hardly walk on the pavement to find a suitable place to go. We'd dart from shade to shade trying to give his paws relief from the sizzling pavement. Even 5 minutes outside was a marathon.

Now, however, the weather is pleasant. Our house is surrounded by sand lots with beautiful cool, silky sand. We don't mind taking long walks through the neighborhood to explore and meet the neighbors. He has ample opportunity.

But still he continues to pee indoors. So, this week we decided that he is now relegated to the back patio by the pool when we leave the house. This way, when he pees, we can just hose the patio down. Why we didn't do this earlier? We were a little worried he might fall in the pool and not be able to get out. But he rarely goes anywhere near the pool - and when he has been in (only when we put him in never voluntarily), he's found the ladders to climb out. The entire patio is shaded all day, he has his bed, a bowl of water, and plenty of space to stretch his legs. Temps these days are in the upper 80F/low 30C. And guess what - he NEVER pees on the patio!

Weird dog.

George says:"I'd check the PH of the pool"!
Good point.

A Bit of a Rant

The one thing that consistently gets me riled up on a daily basis are the taxis in this city. I said to Russell last night, "I think I'm going to blog about taxis tomorrow. Probably I'll need 3 entries to fully get it off my chest." Poor Russell gets the brunt of my frustrations when I get home each evening.

Right now, we are operating with only one car. So, I'm taking a taxi to and from work each day. In the morning, the system is working very well. I call the booking system from my mobile phone. The automated system recognizes my phone number and by punching a few numbers on the keypad I have a taxi reserved for the following morning at 6am. Typically, the drivers are very prompt and show up at least 10 minutes before the scheduled time.

In the evening, however, it's a different story. Something is definitely wrong with the taxi system in this city. Even if I call to book a taxi, one doesn't show up at the scheduled time. So, I stand on the street to flag a taxi - they go by all the time, but never stop. In one night, I can have 10 empty taxis (with their in-service lights lit on the top of the car) speed past me. Usually, they try to avoid my eyes. But sometimes, the traffic forces them to stop near me. Then they give me this little wave off with their hands - I have no idea what this means. Believe me, I've tried asking many a taxi driver why they drive by and don't pick up passengers when their in-service light is on. They give me this smile and some gobbled answer. My guess is that the in-car computer would register if they took themselves out of service and they have a minimum number of hours to complete each day and they are near the end of their shift and just want to go home. Really, I don't know. At night it usually takes at least 20-30 min to flag a cab (I've stood on corners with people who have been standing there for over an hour). Personally, at that point I would walk to a nearby hotel and stand in their taxi queue (which these queues are usually 30 minutes long in the evening).

BUT - the one thing that really gets my goat is taxi drivers who don't know where they are going (or perhaps they do know, but think I don't). Once in a taxi, I cannot let my guard down for one minute. If I'm not careful, they will head down a road that either: a) is knarled with traffic - adding 30 minutes to my ride; b) is heading toward some circuitous route home that yes, will eventually get us there, but will add $5 to my ride; c) is on the toll system - adding $1 to my ride; or d) all of the above. All along the way home there are several points where the taxi driver could head off on an unknown route. Sometimes, the wrong turns are shocking - I think that we're home free, I start to relax in the back of the cab, and then woosh, we're in the wrong lane heading to the wrong area of town. Since I take the same taxis going to the same place day after day, I know exactly how much my ride should cost. It just gets me so riled when I know that I could have arrived home for $2 or $5 less. Argggh.

I'm always sending Russell SMS messages filled with my anger and frustration on the way home. What was a perfectly fine day can get ruined at the end by this frustrating set of events. I keep telling myself just to relax and let go - it is a control issue for me (I know). But I can't let go - even by chanting my yoga mantra (Om - shanti, shanti, shanti) I CANNOT LET GO!!!

Although it is actually much more economical for me to take taxis (about $125/week) rather than have a second car, the aggrevation is too much. Especially waiting 30 minutes to get a taxi for another 30 min ride home - I'm rarely home before 7. For this reason alone, I am insisting that we get another car.

amygirl said...
you could get a bike or something.

Ohh - that would truly be taking my life into my own hands! The driving is very aggressive and eratic here. Plus, I'm only aware of being able to take busy highways home. There are some who refuse to be on the roads in a small car for fear of being killed - let alone a bike. For sure, I'd be the unique one on the road if I did!

Iranian Pickles . . . mmmmm

I have discovered the best pickles - so good they are worth a blog entry.

Crispy, crunchy, and tart with vinegar; salty, garlicky, tarragon-y (no, not dill) and a touch of chili to add heat at the end. Mmmmmm-I wonder if I can get Outpost to stock these for me?

Do the Iranian trade restrictions extend to pickles?

Ladies' Salons

All the Ladies Salons here are sheilded from public view. At first, I found it hard to even find them in the mall. Unlike back home where there are large plate-glass windows with the salon chairs in full view, most of the salons here are a single closed frosted-glass door. The rest of the shopfront would be a wall or else more frosted glass. The salons are also placed in out of the way corners of the mall (little side hallways or far corners).

The reason, of course, is so that women can go in to have services without having to be seen by the public.

The first few times I went in, I almost felt like I was creeping into an inner secret sanctuary. I would tentatively open the door, not even certain it was open. Once inside, however, the place is completely like any salon or spa back home. Usually, the covered women will take off their head scarf (shayla) while in the salon and drape it over their shoulders. I'm sure it is much more cool and comfortable. Occassionally, depending upon the service they are getting, they will actually take off the body covering (abaya).

A large percentage (maybe 30-40%) of women choose to wear the traditional dress under their abaya (I wish I remembered what the dress is called). The dress is a long floor-length and made with very very colorful material. The dress is fitted in the body area, and then flows loosely to the floor. Depending upon the quality of the dress, there are usually jewels and embroidery at the neck, sleeves, and hem. Each dress is beautiful and completely unique. Another large percentage of women will wear western dress; jeans, sandals (usually jeweled - the Arabs LOVE them some bling), and shirt (usually a beautiful silk or jeweled shirt). I think that the division is also a reflection of age - the younger women and teens definitely tend toward western dress.

Most of the abayas in Dubai will completely cover the woman's clothes, from head to toe. Although, there are some women who will choose an abaya that just has about 3 buttons at the neck and then opens up - so you can see her clothes as she walks. Also, most of the women will completely cover their hair with a shayla or hijab. There are about 20% of women who will also cover their entire face (some even cover their eyes with a veil).

We saw a woman in line at the grocery store on Friday who had a black veil covering her face. It was the first time Lyra asked me why some women dress like that. Up until now, she seemed to take it very matter of factly - many of the mothers at her school dress that way and even her friends at school have mothers and fathers who dress in the abaya and dishdash. Anyway, what seemed to prompt her questions was this veil. Lyra asked me, "Can she see with that?" It was a pretty sheer veil, I could see the sun shining through and the woman's profile. I told her that yes, she could see. And then she asked, "Why do some women dress that way?" Honestly, I wish I knew more about why - I told her it was for modesty (which she then wanted to know what modesty was). While this was going on, the woman running the cash register (also in abaya and hair covered) and the veiled woman in front were smiling - I was trying very hard to be respectful in my answers, but it is hard sometimes to explain the faith of others.

Last night, I was having a manicure & pedicure and I realized how "normal" the salon set up now seems to me. I go to a spa where both women and men are served. The reception desk is in a common area and then women and men both go into their private areas for pedicures, foot massage, or body massage (of course that is in a private room). While in the ladies area, I was the only non-muslim in there. All the other ladies had taken off their abayas and shaylas for their foot treatmens (massage & pedicure). It struck me how, normal it felt - no sense of awareness that I was in a "different" world until I started to remember how odd my first trips to the salons had felt when I arrived.

That is definitely one thing that has changed for me. The vast array of arab and muslim dress is hardly noticeable now. I hadn't even noticed the veiled woman until Lyra asked her question. It has become normal - which is how it should be everywhere. I can now sympathize with how awful it must feel to Muslims and Arabs to be dicriminated and shunned based on their dress. For us in the West - it is very difficult to get beyond the emotions that seeing people dressed this way creates. We've been trained to feel a sense of anxiety. Living in the Middle East, I am glad that I'm learning how "normal" this place really is.

Halloween Party

Last Friday, we hosted a little Halloween party at the house. Invited a couple of friends from Lyra's school and the neighbor kids. None of the children had ever lived in a place where Halloween was celebrated. We had games, treats, and craft activities planned. But I think the kids would have been just as happy playing upstairs in Lyra's room.

Here's Lyra as Droplet, a butterfly. She came up with that name. She said that butterflies like the rain and rain comes in little droplets. She's been very into naming her toys and things lately. Also, she has several persona now: Cat - Chantreurse, Camel - hmmm, can't remember name, Horse - Blackie (I think), Butterfly - Droplet. Reminds me of Anya Jing.

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Here are the kids. Everyone came up with great costumes for the day. From right to left (because that is how they give the names in Arabic) they are:

Jack - from next door

Majid - from school (his sister is Lyra's friend)

Steffie - villa behind us

Inaya - from school

Grace - from next door

Rose - from next door (and twin to Jack)

Russell - wish I had a better picture, his make up was great

Lyra

Meera - from school (Majid's sister)

Rats & Mice

Yesterday, I took the wrong turn - AGAIN.

I'm in the wrong lane (just one lane off), and before you know it, I'm making a u-turn, and now I'm in heavy traffic heading the wrong way. FRITS & FRATS

I'm separated by one little barrier from where I want to be. But not even my heavy duty cool SUV can plow over a 2-foot high barrier. Hmmmm.

OK, I guess I will have to drive all the way up the street and over the highway (in heavy traffic with many stop lights to wait for) to the next u-turn opportunity. Grrrrrr.

Ohh-wait, what's this? Illegal u-turn opportunity? Go ahead blare your horns at me you other drivers who are forced to slow down. heh, heh!

Heading back to where I want to go, in the right lane this time. Ahhhh.

Quickly, check all mirros to make sure no police saw my manuever. Whew!

I am once again a law abiding driver. (hee, hee).

Everyday Mundane Dubai

For expats, there are 2 Dubais (well probably more, but I'll talk about two); one for the westerners and one for the non-westerners.

Westerners shop at shopping malls, non-westerners shop in little locally owned shops up and down the street.
Westerners go to grocery stores where they can get stuff from home (like US$6 Special K), non-westerners go to grocery stores where they find locally made and grown items (like $0.75/Kilo cucumbers and $1 Labnah - when you come to visit you can try labnah).
Westerners go to places that have a constant cleaning crew coming through to dust, mop and polish, non-westerners will wander through an area with food on the street and grime from 25 years without rain.
Westerners go to a plush restaurant at a hotel (where they can get booze) and are served in intimately lit surroundings, non-westerners eat at a place with flourescent lighting and stools pulled up to a formica table.
Westerners buy clothes made in China (but sold through fancy retailers), non-westerners buy clothes made in India (and sold from a pile on a table).
Westerners pull into a parking lot and park between two lines clearly delineating a space, non-westerners pull onto the curb/kerb, cross the sidewalk, and park in a dusty space left by the construction crews.
Westerners walk 0.5 Km down the street to the pedestrian cross-walk, non-westerners dart across the middle of 12 lanes of traffic.
Westerners buy their spices in small bottles sold on the shelf, non-westerners buy their spices from the souk sold out of a burlap bag.
Westerners spray on designer perfumes purchased at the duty free in the airport, non-westerners have their own private scent mixed at the perfume souk and poured into jeweled perfume oil bottles.
Westerners live in huge homes with spare bedrooms for guests and private quarters for the maid (that'd be us), non-westerners live in 2-bedroom apartments and have the maid sleep in the living room (however, they still have a maid).
Westerners have no idea how to bargain (because in the end they probably need the money more than I do) and anyway the shopkeeper will quote a price 3 times what he really wants, non-westerners know how to say to the guy, "You must be joking" in Hindi and anyway the shopkeeper starts at 25% more than what he wants.
Westerners call Dubai Municipality and the guy shows up at 7:30am the next day, non-westerners call Dubai Municipality and the guy shows up 13 months later (true).
Westerners know where to go to get a great manicure, non-westerners know where to go to get a great curry.
Westerners take a taxi, non-westerners take the bus.
Westerners spend too much money, non-westerners send money home.
Westerners complain about the heat, non-westerners complain about the heat, too.

Kathie said... So where do you fit in, what about Russ, are you the same?
I guess we're trying to learn how to discover more about being here that is more like the non-westerners. We appreciate the different things and are happy to step outside our comfort zone. Of course, Russell is much more happy to step further out of the comfort zone than I am - isn't he always?

View from the 134th Floor

Note: If you're afraid of heights, don't read this entry.

As I have mentioned before, the tallest building in the world, The Burj Dubai, is being built here. Just down the road from me in fact. I can poke my head around my desk to look out the window and see it. A friend of mine had some visitors last week and somehow they were able to get a tour to the 134th floor (it is currently somewhere around 150 floors I think). Here's what they saw.

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.Our building is along this stretch of road (Sheikh Zayed Road) in the far distance on the opposite side of the road.

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.The green area to the left is the personal golf course of His Royal Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai (This is how he is always referred to on the television and in the press the first time he is mentioned in a story or article. After that he is just plain ol' Sheikh Mohammad.) On the right is Ras al Khor, a salt marsh and bird sanctuary where you can go to see flamingos.

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This green area is Safa Park - open to the pubic. A very nice park with tennis courts, a little train that runs through the park, BBQ and picnic areas, and (thankfully) Ladies private areas. Actually, it's nice that Safa Park is open to men all the time. Some parks, in order to solve the problem of Ladies needing their private place will actually close the gates to men for certain hours of the day. Hmmm, what are dads supposed to do when the kids want to swing?

.Here's a good picture looking toward the old center of Dubai. You can see the Palm Deira being built in the background. This is one of 5 islands being built off the coast of Dubai (they call it land reclamation). When finished, this island will add the equivalent of Paris, France to Dubai. What you see is "trunk" of the palm. It is about 1/3 of the total length that the island will extend out to the sea. The first palm island, the Palm Jumeirah, now has homes and buildings being built on it.

Looking straight down from the tower toward Sheikh Zayed Road, a 12 lane highway going through town. The little yellow thing is actuall a huge crane that is assembling the overpass of the light rail train being built here. See the little cars (smaller than ants) zooming up and down the freeway. Wow, makes me catch my breath even though it's just a photo.

Booze in Dubai

First of all, the good news is you can drink here! Technically, it's only for non-muslims, but I've seen plenty of muslims in the bars here and at the liquor store.

Bars and licensed restaurants are only allowed in the hotels. So, all the nice restaurants in town are located within hotels. And most of the hotels have a large selection of restaurants wtihin their grounds. Anywhere else in town, the restaurants are unlicensed - and you can't BYOB. Since the hotels know that they have this monopoly, the booze and food is quite expensive. A glass of wine will be US$ 10-15, a pint of beer is $8-10, a martini is $12-15 (or more depending upon the vodka ordered). Also, food in these restaurants is usually quite expensive too. It would be difficult for us to leave a restaurant like this without spending at least $100 for the 3 of us.

However, if you go to an unlicensed place, you can find a cheap and delicious meal for $5-10/each. So, when we decide that we'd like to go out to eat, we always have the conversation about whether we want to go licensed or unlicensed. For every day eating out, we tend to try an unlicensed place, but it is hard to have an Indian curry without a Kingfisher beer!

Outside of hotels, you are allowed to drink if you obtain a drinking license. The drinking license is about AED 50 (I think) - about US$14. Only non-muslims are allowed to get a drinking license. Don't ask me how they know if you are muslim or non-muslim. I suppose they ask for some signature declaring your religion - I don't know. Without a drinking license it is illegal to drink outside of a hotel (even in the privacy of your own home).

If you have a drinking license, you can shop in the liquor stores here in Dubai. The duty on alcohol is 30%. Without the duty, the alcohol (beer, wine, and spirits) are pretty much the same price as what you would pay at home. However, the 30% duty makes it quite a bit more expensive.

However, we have found a liquor store in a nearby Emirate that is duty free and does not require the presentation of a drinking license. It is about 1 hour drive north from here. We went there about 2 months ago to stock up before Ramadan (they are closed for the month of Ramadan) and now Russell is saying that we need to go back to re-stock. Since it is duty free, the prices there are very comparable to what we'd find at home. The selection is pretty similar, too - except there is no Korbel brandy and the wines are from different wineries than we're used to (they emphasize European wines, not American). Since they don't require the presentation of a drinking license, many muslims go to this shop. It's quite funny to be standing in line next to a man in a dishdash with a shopping trolley full of booze.

Also, I travel quite a bit and am frequently coming through the airport where we can pick up duty free alcohol. Technically, the limit is 2 liters, but everyone at work says that they have never been limited in what they would like to buy (within reason). So, if I need to, I can stop at duty free on the way home and pick up something if we need it.

Both Turkey and Egypt (both Muslim countries) allow drinking in any restaurant. So, I do wonder if Dubai would soon be more free in granting licenses to restaurant. But probably the hotel owners here (many of whom are Emirati nationals) like their monopoly, so they would probably lobby to keep it this way.

Istanbul Pix

Hey, this is cool! I figured out how to get a slideshow of our Istanbul pictures here.

Istanbul Pics

You can see all our pics on http://www.fototime.com/. Email me for the guest ID. It takes so friggin' long to upload from here. So, only a slection will be posted.

Our hotel was near a district that had lots of restaurants and bars. The narrow roads hosted the cafe dining. At night, musicians would come around to entertain the dining customers. As you can see, we were bundled up for the cool weather (what a welcome change!)

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Russell and Lyra are enjoying a cup of Cay (pronounced Chai) in one of the little places we found in the Grand Bazar area. Soon after this photo, she bumped her head a there were many tears. However, for most of the trip Lyra had a great time exploring and wanderint with us!

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Our hotel was built for the arrival of the Orient Express. As you can see, the decor has remained untouched for decades. On our last day, the lobby was turned into a movie/television set. Evidently, it is used for this quite often. We felt very welcome there. We met a nice couple of guys from Scotland. They were also in Istanbul for the first time and loving their visit.

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Here's a peek out one of the windows of the Aya Sofia (a church built in a 5-year period in the late 500s and then converted to a mosque in the 1400s). During Justinian's reign in the Roman Empire, Istanbul (then known as Costantinople) was established as the seat of the church. The Aya Sofia was built to demonstrate the power of the church and the Roman's. It is an engineering miracle. The mosque next to it, built nearly 1200 years later, still doesn't replicate the feat of engineering. Ever since converting this church to a mosque, the mosques in the Ottoman Empire took on this unique domed architecture. Their domes can be seen on the tops of every hill in Istanbul.

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Here are some folks fishing of the Galata Bridge. Every day, the fishermen would cluster along the railing to fish for sardines and sea bass. In the background is Yeni Camii (which means New Mosque). It is "only" 400 years old.

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One day, we took a ferry ride up the Bosphorus toward the Black Sea. At the far end, the ferry stops for 3 hours. We took a hike up a hill to a castle/fortress that was established to protect Istanbul from raiding parties coming in off the Black Sea. At the top, you can see the Black Sea in the distance.

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Our last day, we wandered into a very old historic area for lunch. The streets wandered back and forth and even with a map we got lost a couple of times. Finally, we found a great fish restaurant to sit and linger over a late lunch before heading to the airport. We were completely entranced with the street scenes around us.

A Visit to the US Consulate

Deep breath. Whew!

In order to get into the US Consulate, here are your procedures.

1. Arriving by car, navigate through the barriers, stop at the gate (guarded by a heavily armored UAE Army truck and 4 UAE Army men). Tell them your business.

2. Enter the lobby and pass through secured building entrance guarded by 3 UAE Army men. Put handbag on x-ray machine, walk through metal detectors. Get directions to US Consulate (the consulate is in a tall business tower.)

3. Enter US Consulate area, show passport for identity.

4. Taken to back room to put handbag on x-ray machine and go behind curtain for swipe with metal detection wand by UAE Army woman (she was wearing an olive greeen scarf to cover her head, a uniform jacket, and a long skirt down to her boots). Inquiries as to phone, digital camera, keys, and umbrella in my purse. Told to turn off phone.

4. Go to hand baggage check. Show passport for identity. Turn over handbag (after taking out wallet and all other paperwork needed for my consulate visit).

5. Walk through metal detector.

6. Take lift operated by security guard to 21st floor. Outside of lift, show passport for identity.

7. I'm in! Surprisingly swift service for my requests after that.

Turkey and Iraq

To answer Kathy's questions.



First, our flight to Istanbul took about 4 1/2 hours. Istanbul is on the far west side of Turkey and we are on the far east side of the Saudi peninsula. Also, we're quite a bit south of Turkey at the south end of the Saudi peninsula. So, our flight path from here took us north up the Saudi peninsula and then west across Jordan, Lebanon, area and finally west across to Istanbul. For obvious reasons, we fly around Iraq so that also adds a little time to the flight.



While we were in Turkey, I picked up a book called "Turkey, Iraq, and the US". The intent of the book is to outline why Turkey took the positions that they did in the latest war in Iraq. If you remember, up to the last minute, Bush thought that the US would be able to station US troops in Turkey to invade Iraq from the north. But up until the last minute the Turkish parliament didn't ratify to approve, so US troops needed to fly in from Europe and from carriers stationed in the Persian Gulf. Anyway, this book has been very insightful for me - and the timing is perfect with the recent conflicts between Turkey and the PKK (Kurdish Rebels) in northern Iraq.



What I learned was that up until WWI, the northern part of Iraq (the Kurdish area) was actually a part of the Turkish Ottoman Empire. After WWI, the Kurdish area was split and part of it was put into northern Iraq and part into eastern Turkey. There was a long time that Turkey tried to re-establish their borders to include the northern part of Iraq. What is interesting is that the two Kurdish areas formed into different groups and they really are not supporters of one another. And between Iraq and Turkey it actually became advantageous to keep the Kurds separated from one another (sort of a divide and conquer approach). The PKK is actully the TURKISH kurds, not the Iraqi. In the 60's and 70's they went across the border to hide in Iraq and they have launched attacks on Turkey from there and then retreated across the border. Up until the latest Iraq war, both Turkey and Iraq had an gentleman's agreement that they could both cross each others borders (up to about 30 km) to chase the rebels that were attacking them. Then, when the Iraq war started, the Kurds in Iraq objected to the Americans and to NATO about these incursions. Since the Iraqi Kurds are such strong allies of the US in this war, the US agreed to pressure Turkey to stop these invasions. Since then the PKK has been able to launch attacks into Turkey and then retreat into Iraq knowing that they will not be followed. So, these latest attacks by Turkey onto the PKK are actually a resurrection of actions that were ok up until 2003. If you read the papers, Turkey was working with the Iraqi Kurds and asking them to intervene with the PKK hiding out in northern Iraq. But this was ineffective and they finally decided to stop waiting and took matters into their own hands.



As for how the war is reported here. I have never seen any outright condemnation of the war or pieces saying "We told you so". Mind you, I can only tell you how the English papers & news stations report it. I don't know if you get a different perspective on Arabic news. For the most part there is very little in the way of opinion pieces in papers. If there are, the writer is often Westerner, so what you're getting in the opinion pages is largely the same as what you would get at home. But that isn't a reflection of Emirati opinion.



You really have to read between the lines and draw some conclusions to get an idea of what they are thinking because the news that they report is very superficial. First of all, it's pretty clear that the UAE views itself as a liaison between the West and the Middle East. More than any other country in this region, the UAE has a very positive relationship to the US and the West. Islamic fanaticism is not tolerated here and there are HUGE pressures (economic, political, military) to make the UAE a safe place. However, as arabs, the UAE leadership also has strong ties and relationships to many of the countries in this region.



So, you will read in the paper that Dick Cheney, Condolezza Rice, and most recently Laura Bush are here. After Dick Cheney's visit, the president of Iran (Mahmoud Ahmadinejad) came one week later. And then right after that the US and Iran announce they have come to agreement on something. So, it can't be a mistake really that they were both here in the two weeks leading up to that.


All in all, I think opinion here is that the war has been an unfortunate mistake. There was no one in the region who wanted this war to happen, and now that it has, they are just working like crazy to make sure the whole region doesn't destabilize - and the UAE (along with most of the countries in this region) is trying to play an influential role in that work. However, although they have friendly relations with many countries like Syria and Iran that the US doesn't officially talk to, they still have limited influence many times. I think they are able to temper some of the emotions, but cannot fully influence other countries to go one way or another.



If you'd like to see how things are reported here, go to: http://www.gulfnews.com/home/

In Cairo, It's the Driving.

Every city has its story. In Milwaukee, it's the weather. In London, it's the trains. In Detroit, it's the economy. In New York, it's the crime.

In Cairo, it's the driving. Everyone talks about the driving.

They have this odd way of just driving their car where they want it to go, irrespective of other cars or traffic signals, and by some force of will they are able to merge, turn, change lanes, pass, etc. It is weird really - almost like they are using an invisible force field around their cars. But everyone seems to have this force field. They just all drive their cars where they want them to go and the force field opens a space for them. Or they turn when they want to turn and the force field slows oncoming traffic for them.

I was told a story while I was in Cairo.

A man is in a car with a taxi driver. As they approach a traffic signal, the light turns red and the driver speeds up to go through the intersection. After catching his breath, the man asks the driver, "Why did you speed up for a red light?" The driver responds, "You have to go fast in order to make it through."A little further on, they approach another traffic signal and the light turns green. The taxi driver slows down. The man asks, "Why are you slowing for a green light?" and the driver responds, "In case someone is speeding through from the other direction."

And that is how traffic works in Cairo.

I was only there for two days and didn't even see the Nile or the pyramids. So, no pictures to share with you. I'm sure I'll be back.

Send in Your Questions

Anything that you'd like to ask, something I haven't covered. Send me your requests and I'll try to get to them in between my own posts.

Autumn Leaves!

What a surprise. On my desk today was a package from Wauwatosa.

Inside . . . beautiful red, orange, & brown autumn leaves!

Perfect! Thank you, Kathy. It DID make me laugh.

Tomorrow night, we carve our jack o'lantern (have to wait until the day before Halloween because they quickly go bad here). I have all the fixin's for chewy Ginger cookies. We're cutting out bat shapes from black construction paper to decorate the house. We're hosting a Halloween party on Friday for Lyra and some of her friends.

We're also planning a bonfire night this weekend. In England, this is an autumn tradition. We can at least imagine what it would be like to wrap a scarf around our neck, have a constant drizzle hanging in the air and huddle next to the fire while we sip hot toddys.

Slowly, the autumn spirit is arriving (even though we're still in shorts & sandals).

No Dull Shoes in Our House

Last week, Lyra's school discussed professions and each of the kids spoke about what they would like to do. Lyra declared that she would like to be . . . a shoe polisher.

Never let it be said that we're pressuring our kid into being an over achiever!

Actually, the reason she said this is that when we were in Istanbul there were lots of men giving shoe polishings on the street. They had these cute little boxes with carvings and paintings on the outside. To give a shoe polish, the box opened up and was placed on the ground. There were two perches where the customer would rest their feet. The little drawers contained the brushes, polishes, and rags. Every time we went past one of these men, Lyra was fascinatedwith the box. What 4-year old wouldn't think that box was theBEST? Now I wish we had a photo of one of those men.

When I spoke to her later that night, I misunderstood that they were discussing the uniforms that each profession wears and I asked her, "What kind of costume will you wear as a shoe polisher?" (I used the word uniform first, but she didn't understand it). She said, "No, Mom, I don't want to *pretend* I'm a shoe polisher, I want to be one FOR REAL." Evidently, other kids chose the more traditional professions (doctor, dentist, teacher).

Russell told her that when she is old, then she can be a shoe polisher. I'm sure she has interpreted that to mean when she is 12.

Sometimes I wonder what that school thinks of us. Lyra goes to a school where most of the kids are extremely wealthy. Not only do they have live in maids, they probably have a maid/nanny for each child. Each child comes into the school spotless, neatly pressed, & in expensive clothes (Burberry, Gucci) and Lyra is wearing $2 shoes from the local hyper market with her hair pulled into higgledy-piggledy pony tails by her loving Baba. Luckily, there is a school uniform, so you can only tell a child's wealth by the shoes, socks, hairpieces that the kids wear. Then she tells them she wants to be a shoe polisher (FOR REAL).

LOL, ROFLOL.

She cracks me up!

Peeps - Another Food for Non-Muslims

I knew they wouldn't be vegetarian. It must be pork geletin.

If you'd like to try a fun web site, go to http://www.peepresearch.org/

Lyra's into Surrealist Humor

Lyra: Mama, why did the goose cross the road when he was in a bottle of water riding on a cow? How did he get so small to get into the hole for the bottle of water?

Me: (I know better than to say "I don't know") Hmmm . . . because he was thirsty?

Lyra: Nooooo, silly. It was magic that made him small enough to get into the bottle of water and he said to himself, "hmmm, I wonder what will happen when I get in here" and he didn't know that he was going to fit, but the magic made him fit and that's how he got in there. . .hee, hee . . . isn't that funny? Now you tell one.

Me: I'm sorry, I can't.

Istanbul - Love It!

Love it, love it, love it. Lyra said in our trip, "I love visiting new places. It's interesting." And it was.

Love - twisting turning little streets that go up and down the myriad of hills in the city
Love - European city vibe crossed with being in a Muslim country
Love - the friendly shop keepers who were always out in front of their shops greeting the people walking by
Love - people walking, walking, everywhere
Love - great food; meze (little salads served before every meal); grilled fish; honey soaked cakes for dessert
Love - ancient and rich history as the one-time center of the Roman and Ottoman empires
Love - the Bosphorus; a beautiful straight that divides the European from the Asian side of the city
Love - the beautiful domed mosques with their spires that top the hills in every direction
Love - cats, cats, cats (and kittens) around every corner, in shop windows, sunning on sidewalk corners
Love - the rainy, damp weather we had our first days as we strolled the city with our umbrellas and leapt across rivulets running down the sidewalks
Love - lokum; gooey sweet lovely Turkish Delight with hazelnuts and pistachios
Love - Grand Hotel Londra; our lovely 'back in time' hotel built for the arrival of the passengers from the Orient Express - a lobby straight from an Agatha Christie novel
Love - the English bookstore we found on our last night - I could have browsed for days "That's OK, Baba. Books are more interesting than television," said Lyra.
Love - Simits; little round sesame coated bread (kind of like a round pretzel)
Love - Beer and wine available at every little cafe or restaurant (like it should be) instead of isolated to the high-priced hotels.
Love - wearing my jacket and wrapping a scarf around my neck to keep warm
Love - the hundreds of people fishing off the sides of bridges and piers for sardines and sea bass
Love - the sea of jelly fish we saw from our ferry as we neared the Black Sea
Love - Turkish coffee; sweet, smooth, a bit earthy, and strong
Love - cheese, olives, tomatoes, and cucumbers with crusty bread for breakfast.


What didn't I love?
Getting up at 2am to catch our flight, a touch of Ataturks revenge from what I think must have been a bad piece of chicken, the confusion/fascination/disorientation of the Turkish people wondering why Lyra looked 'Japanese' (they were totally smitten with her) it was sometimes too much attention, not having packed enough long pants (after months of heat & sunshine I couldn't get my brain to believe I'd want to actually wear long plants & sleeves), staying up until 5:30am on our flight home.

It was good to get away for a few days. Pics are coming.

Huge Piles of Rubbish

When we left for Turkey, the rubbish tip/dumpster across from our house was once again overflowing. To the point that that entire empty lot across the street was heaped with trimmings from the palm trees, rubbish from construction, car tires, you name it! When we got back, they city collectors had been by, but yet again our neighbors had carried out an amazing array of things to the tip (two single beds, bed frames, and bedding; more gardening branches and palm fronds; empty boxes; and general trash).

Who should stop by yesterday but the same fellow from Dubai Municipality who had stopped when I emailed a few weeks ago. He wanted to let me know that as recently as Thursday all the rubbish had been collected and that this was new. The special collection unit (with a claw on the front that they use to pick up all the trash) would be by in another 10 days to 2 weeks. He just wanted to be sure I knew that he was keeping an eye on it and that the pace of rubbish being thrown out was exceeding the pace of collection.

Now, if only we could figure out who in the neighborhood needs to dump so much stuff!

Eid al Fitr

Well, I woundered how we would know if the moon sightings had determined the end of Ramadan. I was told to look at the newspaper and if the Arabic date was 1 Shawwal, then that would be a sure sign.

We are withing hearing distance of two mosques in our neighborhood. Prior to Ramadan, their call to prayer was a calming chanting that we heard now and again for 5 minutes throughout the day and night. Then during Ramadan, the volume was turned up and not only was the call to prayer broadcast to the neighborhood but the whole prayer and sermon for about 20 minutes. This was because there was a large crowd outside praying (the mosque was so full). I was reminded of the Christmas mass crush. What was a calming and soothing low chant was now much more loud and disruptive. The 4:30am prayers woke me each morning of Ramadan.

I needn't have worried about how I would know Eid had started. On Friday, at daybreak, both the Imams at the mosques start calling and praying and calling - it went on for over an hour. Even without understanding what they were saying I could hear the sound of celebration in their voices. For Eid al Fitr, the families go to mosque at daybreak for the prayers of thanksgiving that they have been able to observe the fast and then the entire congregation breaks the fast together and they head home for festivities, feasts, and celebration.

And now we are back to our lovely call to prayers each day (at a lower volume). This morning, I didn't even wake up until my alarm went off.

Eid Mubarak

The sandstorms are gone, the dust is settling, the winds have blown all the polution and haze out of the air, and today we woke up to a beautiful morning. In addition to the palpable sense of excitement about the coming shift in the weather, the city is also anticipating the end of Ramadan with a celebration called Eid al Fitr (the Festival to Break the Fast). The last day of Ramadan will be determined by the sightings of the new moon. In this part of the world, the end of Ramadan and the sightings of the moon are determined by a committee in Saudi Arabia. So, tonight, they will look at the moon to determine if tomorrow (Friday) will be the last day of Ramadan. We'll have reportings in the news to tell us what the committee has seen. If so, the Eid celebration will be on Saturday and Sunday. In our office, Saturday is already a weekend day (it is not in all companies), so we'll have an extra day off on Sunday. It is possible the committee will say that Ramadan will last one more day and that means the Eid celebrations start on Sunday and Monday (so, two extra days off in the office). For those who aren't fasting, they're hoping for the extra day. But for those observing the practices of fasting, this has been a long month and I'm sure they are ready for the festivities and breaking the fast.

Honestly, the fasting period is a great endurance and test. Many people in the office look very tired. I could see that after a week or so your body gets used to only having food in the early morning and after sunset. But I think that having nothing to drink (especially in our heat) is especially draining and a challenge to the body. I just can't see, even if you drink gallons of water after sunset, that you could replenish your body with enough fluids.

Either way, if Eid starts on Saturday or Sunday, I've taken the week off from work (it is mid-term week for Lyra) and we're going to Istanbul, Turkey. I had posted earlier how much I liked that city. So, we're headed back. I'm looking forward to the autumnal weather and being in the vibe of a cosmopolitan city.

More information on Eid al Fitr

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eid_ul-Fitr

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/holydays/eidulfitr.shtml
http://holidays.net/ramadan/eid.htm

Sandstorm Today

I'm told that this is a sign of a change in the weather. I think someone told me that last month, too. But I'm willing to try and believe them. The last two days have been hot and muggy. The kind of muggy where the laundry doesn't dry for two days, where your hands are instantly sticky as you walk outside, where your car windows have condensation on the OUTSIDE from the air conditioning. Then today the hot winds kicked in - it is a blustery day today (hope Russell brought the patio umbrella down). The picture from my office doesn't do much justice. Actually, it was worse earlier (seems to ebb and flow). Sand gets everywhere during a sandstorm. Even your eyeballs feel dusty. When I get home tonight, there'll be little sand drifts at the bottom of the pool. The front door, steps, car, bikes, windows, you name it, will be coated in a fine dusting of sand powder. Luckily Sanjay comes tomorrow to clean.

I've also included a photo of the sunset over the Persian Gulf taken from our office. It is hard to get a clear day during the summer. Lots of sand in the air creating a haze. This photo was taken about a week ago. The windows need a cleaning (that's the haze you see in the foreground). The office is overlooking an area of the city called Satwa and Jumeirah. Older areas, mostly residential and some commercial. Jumeirah is a very desireable place to live - too rich for our pockets.

Give Way Whenever Possible

People here are always in such a rush!!

At the traffic lights when the light turns green, even if you're the 10th car in the queue of traffice, the guy behind you will start to honk his horn to get you to go. Actually, they'll start honking before the light turns green sometime.

On the roads, if you're backing out from a parking space, no car will stop to let you out. You just need to keep backing and backing until someone is forced to stop or hit you. Of course, they'll honk their horns at you because of it.

As you're driving, be careful about getting into the left lane. Speeding cars will zoom up on your backside flashing their lights and honking to get you out of the way. I've even seen cars maneuver between the lanes to get between cars.

On the lifts, there is always someone who is pressing the "Close Door" button on each floor. So, if your elevator arrives and you're not standing directly in front of the door ready to dash on - the doors will instantly close (or you find yourself smashed between the doors).

People are so surprised and happy when you show the simple courtesy of holding the elevator door, letting them out of their parking space (in fact, they can't believe it and still will not back out of their space until you flash your lights at them), allowing them to merge in front of you.

Back in the UK, when Russell & I studied for our Driving Licenses, the training manual introduction started out saying the number one rule of driving was to "Give way whenever possible." We giggled a bit about it at the time - such a British outlook, but it is TRUE. A good rule to live by.

How Do We Get There?

I've learned that if you can plan a car trip making only right turns things are much better. The road system here is largely made up of broad streets with boulevards separating the different directions of traffic. As you approach a road (especially from a side street) you need to expect that you will only be able to turn right. Hopefully there is a U-turn opportunity soon - but frequently, the u-turns are presented quite a way down the road (1KM or more).

So, often we will plan a trip so that we over-shoot where we need to be so that when we get to our road, we turn right (instead of left). This requires that you also know what side of the road your destination is on, too. Because if you don't, you will find yourself shooting down the road - seeing your destination on the other side - no left turn opportunities to go there - hoping that a u-turn comes up soon.

I don't know why they have designed the roads this way. It is very unforgiving. We often find ouselves saying, "There it is!" and pointing in desparation resigning ourselves to the now inevitable trips around the block, or seeking a u-turn, or desparately hoping a second chance might appear (it rarely does).

Gradually, as we figure out more and more of the city, we're getting better at this. But it can make for some interesting map studies as we plot our way to the shops.

I Love Autumn

Cool crisp blue skies
Fresh honeycrisp apples
Pumpkins and gourds
My friend Cathe's Pesto Party
Back to school
Harvest bonanza at the Farmers' Market
Leaves turning
Halloween decorations
Planning Halloween costume
Thoughts of Thanksgiving menu
Football season
Baseball World Series

Here, it's still summer. Yesterday's high 40 F/105 C. BIG Sigh. However, ever since September, we have had lovely evenings. My favorite time of day is spending the evening on the patio in my deck chair. Believe it or not, it's starting to be a bit too cool to use the pool. I think if we get a cover, that will help - but right now the water is very brisk! Especially when you come up out of the water into the dry arid air. Brrrrrrr.

I have an inkling that you start to feel about autumn here the same way you feel about spring back home. You long for the change in the weather; if you have a warm autumn day - it's as depressing as a snowy spring day; days start to get busy (I've noticed all sorts of community events that have started now that October is here); plants start to come back to life (smelled mown lawn a few days ago for the first time). There is definitely an anticipation of the lovely weather to come.

But I miss autumn.

A Message from Half the Sky

I'm posting a message from the founder of Half the Sky. Half the Sky is a charity created in order to enrich the lives and enhance the prospects for orphaned children in China. They establish and operate infant nurture and preschool programs, provide personalized learning for older children and establish loving permanent family care and guidance for children with disabilities. It is their goal to ensure that every orphaned child has a caring adult in her life and a chance at a bright future.

Hello all...

Our volunteers in Wuhan had a great idea.

It may be possible for some of our Half the Sky children to carry the Olympic torch next year. I've entered a contest sponsored by the China Daily Newspaper and, if I can get enough votes from 'netizens' all over the world, I may be able to have that honor. If it happens, I will run with 8 children from 8 orphanages in China. Believe me, I am no runner. But I would dearly love to give the children a place at the party.

Please take a moment and vote for me right now. This link will takeyou straight to my vote screen:

http://pub1.chinadaily.com.cn/olympics/torch/members.shtml?mid=212

We need a LOT of votes. Please pass this on to your friends and family.

Thanks and love,

Jenny
Jenny Bowen
Executive Director
Half the Sky Foundation
www.halfthesky.org <http://www.halfthesky.org/>

A Trip in the Desert . . . Actually Two

A couple of weeks ago, we had an off-site meeting for the management team in the Middle East. We went to a resort in a city called Al Ain. Al Ain is at the foot of the "mountians" in Dubai. For all you from the Rockies or Alps area - they are really just high hills, but to use they are mountains. The resort is at the top of the mountain. Here is a day time photo. I tried to get some night time shots, but the were too blurry. If you look into the distance, you can see the city of Al Ain below. The evening temps were around 25 C (80 F) and dinner was served on the terrace overlooking the city below - it was beautiful.

Here's a shot heading up the winding road to the resort. For some reason, the city of Al Ain has found it necessary to irrigate and water the lower levels of the foothills leading into the mountains. Actually, the whole city is green - it's a bit off-putting after being in brown scenery for so many weeks.

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This past weekend, we were itching to get our car out into the desert. So, we took a trip to a popular nearby oasis called Hatta Pools. They say the route is passable in 2-wheel drive, but I would never want to take a normal car on these roads. Certainly the ground clearance is more than a regular car would handle - and the roads are pretty steep in many areas. Boy! did we have some fun - mostly me because I got to drive. Russell had yet to get his UAE drivers licenses, so he wasn't legal with the new car. But he got it today! Nothing like a having to let your wife have all the driving fun to get you motivated for the new license!

Here are a few shots of the scenery.

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You'll have to click to enlarge this picture, but it is a mosque tower sticking up in the middle of this beautiful oasis.

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Here's a picture of what the "roads" looked like that we were driving on. Actually, at this time we were driving along a wadi (arroyo or dry river bed) which is pretty flat. There are also some areas where the road runs up and down some hills and that is really fun!

On the way to Hatta, we passed a sand dune area called Big Red. They were renting quad bikes to run up and down this huge sand dune. This is also where you can go for sand boarding.

Our new car

Well, we've decided that as long as we live in a desert climate, we might as well enjoy it. Many people have told us of the fun to be had off-roading in the desert. There are clubs that go out each weekend and books that will tell you the GPS coordinates for making your turns. It seems that with the heat of summer abating, the desert is the place to be.

So, we decided to go for it and got ourselves a nice off-roading vehicle. The Toyota FJ Cruiser. We just picked it up yesterday. Boy! Do I feel like I'm towering over the road! Technically, it is classified as a small SUV - but it feels big to me.

We got our off-road books last week and have been plotting our first adventure. After the run-in with the sand in our neighborhood, we're smart enough to know we should be going with a group. Our General Manager in the Middle East is a big enthusiast, so I'm expecting an outing with him soon.

Our shipment from the US arrived, and now we have our camping equipment. I'm looking forward to cool nights under the stars!

Lyra Sayings

A few comments from Lyra.

"What a pain in the butt," she said at dinner the other night. "What's a pain in the butt?" I asked. "My fish died. And it hurts me to think about it." (this was 6 months ago) "Yes, I know you miss Man."

"What a RUSH," after taking a big gulp of milk. (I think she thinks it means something like - that was fast.)

"I don't respect that" - which I think she actually means to say "I didn't expect that".

"I prefer blue. Mama, you prefer red." She has discovered that her favorite color is blue and now everything blue is lov-er-ly.

"Mama, you have to drink your water in the car. It's Ramadan and even if we don't believe it we don't eat or drink outside because it's not respectful." Thank you for the reminder Lyra, I guess our explanations have made sense to her.

Big SOB and CRYING, "I can't hold it together. I'm too tired."