They're Moving the Road

They're moving the street outside my office 6 feet to the left. It's hard to may be see it in the picture. It's a one-way frontage road along one of the main arteries of Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road. On the right of the red & white barriers is where the current street runs. On the left is where the new road will go.

Why? All is a mystery.

Surrounded by Poverty

An ironic thing about living in Dubai (and anywhere in the Middle East) is the amount of poverty that surronds you. Especially in Dubai - where the mad pursuit of luxury is the key them around here - it was a surprise to me to see the levels of poverty all around me.

The majority of the immigrant population here are laborers. Laborers are here by the millions - and queues continually forming for more to come. They work in the massive construction sites, are factory workers, are housemaids or nannies, take care of the gardens, work the fast food restaurants, deliver your dinner. Pretty much the same list of jobs you'd take as a high school or university summer job. Labor immigrants come primarily from the Sub-Continent (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh) or the South Pacific (Phillipines or Indonesia).

In both of these areas, the standard of living is like nothing we live with in the US. It is quite normal for a family of 10 or more (parents, grandparents, and children) to live in small one-room homes. During the night, sleep rolls are spread out as bedding for everyone. People sleep with arms and legs twined about each other through the night. Come morning, the beds are rolled up and the room becomes kitchen/sitting room for the rest of the day. And this is the working class not the poor. Usually people aren't starving (unless some natural disaster has occurred). But meals are simple (rice, fish or veg) and do not vary much from day to day.

For those laborers that come to Dubai, they come for the opportunity to send money back home to help take care of the grandparents and children. There is no minimum wage in Dubai, but there are laws about what an employer must provide for someone coming here to work for them. According to the law, employers must provide housing, transportation, clean water, food, and medical care - in addition to their salary. Their salary is anywhere from $200 - $500/month - depending upon job.

For many laborers, they are provided with a communal room/apartment. The room usually has 3 to 5 bunkbeds (depending upon size). Often there is a little cooker/kitchen area, a shower and bath room on each floor, and sometimes a TV or social room. Of course there is story after story of how this is not the case, it is true that people can be treated inhumanely. But these employers are breaking the law and as with everything there are horror stories. And when you consider what many of these people came from - we might find it overcrowded and lacking privacy whereas they may find it to be comfortable.

If the laborer is working in a household, they often will have their own small room with private bathroom located in the house (or just outside the front or back door). When you see these little small rooms for the first time, you wonder how could anyone live in these rooms. Our maid's quarters would qualify as a bedroom in the US. You can comfortably fit a single bed in there, but a double bed would fill the room. There is a private bath with shower off to the side. Up until now, it has been our basement/gararge storage area. And although it's perhaps more spacious, I wonder if it's a bit lonely.

And when you're surronded by this - and you hear what are the circumstances of people back home, it feels like you can do just a little bit to help them by "hiring" chores done. From the beginning, we've had someone coming over to clean the house. At first it was a couple days a week - and then we went to daily. We pay her about $220/month for a few hours cleaning each day. She nearly doubles her salary - and then we find out that she has to give this to her employer to re-imburse him. Although I wonder if he keeps only part of it - otherwise why would she do this? And when she works for us on Friday (her off day) - she gets to keep the money. We also have a man who comes by on Thursdays to wash the cars (and boy do they get dusty in one week). He washes both of ours and the neighbor's next door, too. We each pay him about $40/month. Really, he's a poor car washer, but we can't stand to fire him because we know he needs the money - and it's a way for us to help. And we have pool service come by twice per week, but I don't know what he's paid since we pay a fee to the pool company (but probably he earns $200 -$300/month).

Recently our housekeeper approached us about an alternative situation. She had a neighboring friend who was losing her place to live (the family were headed back to Lebanon). And her friend really wants to stay - since she has to support her son back home. And would we be willing to take on this woman as our maid to live in our maid's quarters? And with all the families moving out - she really worried about finding a new place. And even though we like Myla, she is unpredictable and can go for several days or weeks without showing up if something is going on at her own house. So, we said yes. And now we're getting a live in maid.

It feels odd. But I do feel I have a different perspective on live-in help than I might have had when we first moved here. It feels a bit like we have the means to help - and she needs to work - so we should.

Carry Me Back to Old Virginny

A Ride on a Pirates' Ship

Last Thursday, Lyra and I went out to eat while Russell had Guys' Night Out. We sat outside at the marina and watche a parade of pedestrians on the sidewalk. It was a pleasant evening to be out. As it got darker, we noticed the lights of an amusement area that was set up on the other side of the marina.

Lyra wondered how far away it was. Is it 20 meters? No. 20 Blocks? No, somewhere in between there - maybe 2 blocks. I could tell it was her way of hinting that maybe we could head over there after dinner. I told her we could and asked her what ride she'd like to go on if we went.

"The Boat," she answered without hesitation. I could tell this was a ride I could probably stomach - so agreed that we could go on after dinner. "If it makes your stomach upset, I could go by myself," she volunteered. As we continued to watch in the distance Lyra queried, "I wonder if I could scream as loud as they can." I assured her she could - but to please not try it now.

When we wandered over to the amusements, we checked with the ride monitor if he'd allow Lyra on. He nodded and we went to go get our tokens. I'm sure you've seen these rides at the carnival before. They look like a boat with about 5 or 6 rows of seats on each end facing toward the center. When the ride gets going it rocks back and forth - like a big swing. If you're lucky to be positioned on the far outer seats, you end up looking straight down during the upswing of your end. Our boat was a pirates' ship complete with crows nest.

Lyra and I were the only ones to get tokens, so we had full choice of where to sit. We positioned ourselves toward the middle. I was feeling a bit nervous that the full-on downward tilt from the end seats would be overly scary. But she seemed in a wild mood and was ready for the thrill. As the boat started swinging - I got nervous all of a sudden that Lyra would be flying out of the ride - so I grabbed her around the shoulders. And then she started screaming - and she was just as loud as the others.

Gradually, we picked up height and Lyra yelled, "I feel like I'm going to pee my pants. Every time I look down, it feels like I need to pee. Do you feel like you need to pee?" The next few swings were hilarious as she screamed each time, "Oh no, I'm going to pee my pants." Then she told me, "Just don't look. Close your eyes. It's much better that way." But of course, she couldn't keep her eyes closed and continued screaming and having a ball.

As we got off, we both were laughing and looking for another thrill ride. She wanted to go on the swings which are on a chain and then spin around in a circle, but I was too nervous that she'd slip out. We checked on a few other rides, but the other monitors wouldn't let her on. So, in the end, she went on a kiddie roller coaster. She looked at it and wistfully said, "I just wish it was going a bit faster." Yes! Another coaster rider in the family.

Things I Like

OK, so not to be a total crumudeon. Here are things I like. Let's see if I surprise Russell with any of these.

1. Curling up in bed with Lyra when she can't fall asleep.
2. Peanut Butter
3. Russell waking up early to visit with me before I leave for work.
4. Drivers who give a friendly wave when I've just let them merge in front of me.
5. Discovering a book that just makes me want to read and read and read until I'm done.
6. A really great salad (cottage cheese, blue cheese sprinkles, a little ham, some pickled beets, chick peas, and a sprinkle of chow mein noodles).
7. My little red sports car.
8. Finding a parking space right by the door.
9. Kids with good manners.
10. The ring of the bell during yoga meditation.
11. Basil's cute little pink tongue sticking out while he sleeps.
12. Sticky, gooey cinnamon rolls.
13. Changing into lounging clothes after a day at work.
14. The trumpet (or trombone) flourish to signify All Things Considered is on.
15. Laying on the couch at Dad & Susie's with nothing to do.
16. Brandy Manhattan at DiMarini's on a dark winter Friday evening.
17. Scoring a baseball game.
18. Having a housekeeper.
19. Thunderstorms with lots of big giant cracks of thunder.
20. Watching Lyra and Russell when they don't know I'm there.

Things I Don't Like

Want to pull my chain? I admit I'm probably arming all of you with dangerous information.

I Don't Like:
1. Dishes put away so that the big item is teetering on top of the smaller one(s).
2. Same dish falling out of the cupboard onto my head or foot.
3. Getting downstairs and realizing that I left something in my bedroom (up on the 3rd floor).
4. People who won't hold the lift when they can hear you walking toward the open door.
5. The same people who hit the "close door" button as you are getting off so that the doors slam onto you as you exit.
6. Drivers who "dash around" in rush hour traffic just to get ahead of one car.
7. Someone who's willing to do a half-assed job and let down the members of their team.
8. People who stir up hate and fear.
9. Mint/Menthol lip balm.
10. Cars that don't allow you to adjust the shoulder belt height (cutting across my neck).
11. When someone believes that others are beneath them or less deserving than them.
12. Cough drops.
13. Waking up before my alarm and not getting back to sleep.
14. Even worse, falling back to sleep and oversleeping my alarm.
15. Filling my car with gas.
16. Putting folded laundry away.
17. Answering the phone.
18. Clutter.
19. Saying good-bye to visitors.
20. Watching medical dramas.

Flamingos

The UAE sits in the migratory path of flamingos as they are traveling from Iran & Iraq toward East Africa. Prior to the massive expansion seen in Dubai, there used to be a bird sanctuary (Ras al Khor) that sat on the outskirts of town. Now, the sanctuary is still there, but it's no longer on the outskirts of town. It's in the middle of town.

On a clear day (which today is NOT) I can see from my office over to the sactuary that is on the horizon. Today, the horizon is a beigey haze of dust (have I ever mentioned how dusty this place gets?) As Dubai has expanded, the limits of the sanctuary have been redrawn (smaller of course). Now they're planning some housing development called Flamingos. And wouldn't you know it will border right onto the water. But still - a fairly generous plot of mud and salt flats have been set aside for them.

We regularly travel past the bird sanctuary. There are a few byways where you can pull off to stop and then go out to these "hides" that have been built out into the mud flats. We've always said, "next time we'll need to stop and see." And finally - a few weeks ago - we did! It was lovely. We were able to get quite close to the birds as they were standing there eating. Every once in a while a small group would head off and with their long spindly legs it looked very much like they were marching in unison. A few would take off or soar by our hide and then land nearby. The feathers on their underwings have really stunning colors.

The hides that were built use a traditional Arabic building style called wind tunnels. In the days before A/C, these were built to help cool the houses and buildings. They look like super fat chimneys sticking up above the rooftop levels. As winds go by, they have cross-walls that catch the breeze and direct it down into the building. We were amazed to find how effective they were at keeping the bird observation buildings a super comfortable temperature on a hot day. We're anxious to go back now that the super sweltering days of summer have set in to see what it's like on a 40 degree day.

Turkey

Our first day in Turkey. I forgot the charger to my camera so was only able to get a few shots from the first day.

We were surprised to see this sticker on the wall of the first place we stopped for lunch.


Sultanahmet Mosque


Tradition states that if you put your thumb into the hole of this column - if it comes out wet then you will be healed.
Old stones and columns used to build the underground cistern that stored water for the city. The rumor is that this stone was a piece of rubbish that was used. It is the face of Medusa and it was installed on its side to indicate that the new Christians in the city did not believe in her anymore.
On the ferry to Prince's Island where we took a phaeton ride and stopped for yummy fish.

Easter

For Easter, we had a couple of friend over for egg dying and easter hunt the next morning. The girls had fun coloring eggs, the moms had fun hiding them, and the dads jumped in the pool (sorry any neighbors who may have been woken at midnight).

Russell grilled racks of lamb - his new speciality! Yum. Coming to a cook out near you - that will be an oft-repeated dish.

Liz showed the girls how to color on their eggs with crayons and leave decorations on the eggs after they were dipped in dye.

Plenty of eggs for each of the girls to dye. Lyra was a bit worried that the Easter Bunny would hide her eggs and then the other girls would find them. So, we had to make sure that she put her name on the 3 or 4 that she'd like to make sure she kept.
Peter always enjoys being part of the action. Here he is curled up near the step up into the dining room area.
Jim & Liza
Kyle & Liz
And us! Unfortunately, no pictures of the egg hunt. At 6am, I was woefully unprepared for pictures. Needless to say the girls were running everywhere in search of their goodies.

Later, when everyone went home, I know that some didn't take their fair share of the eggs. We made two batches of egg salad plus several mornings and lunches with boiled eggs. I'm sure we had at least 2 dozen eggs from the morning.