I Can't Hear You

Lately, I can't hear the morning call to prayer and I wonder why. It's particularly odd since the timing right now is about 10 minutes before my alarm goes off. And usually, I'm in a semi-alert state by then anyway. This morning - I could hear a faint sound if I strained my ears. What's up with that?

I wonder if I've just become "immune" to it. You know, like living with a cuckcoo clock - after a while you just don't hear the sound any more. But I would have thought that if I was actively straining to hear the call that I would be able to. And this morning I could barely hear them.

Maybe it's the A/C fan that is on in the room. It's still hot enough here for the A/C to be running 24 hours a day - and even at 5:20am it's running. It is pretty loud - enough to mask most sounds. But when we first moved in (almost exactly 2 years ago) I could hear the call as plain as day each morning. And we had the A/C running non-stop then, too.

The only other thing I can think of is that the mosque-guys have turned down the volume. I'd be surprised by that - really. The whole purpose of the call is to wake up the neighborhood. Turning down the volume seems counter productive to that objective.

So, it's a mystery.

What to Wear?

Amygirl asked "do you find yourself buying and wearing different styles than you would have in the past?" (thanks for the question).

Actually, I think my clothing changes are due more to climate differences than because of accommodations for the culture here.

These days, flip flops are standard daily attire. I throw them on when heading out for yoga, slip them on to walk the dog, or wear them at the grocery store. There's hardly a day that goes by that I don't wear flip flops. And at work, I never wear socks or nylons anymore. The thought of encasing my feet and legs in warm fabric is seems suffocating. Back in the US, I was pretty conservative about my work dress and there's rarely a day that I didn't weare socks or tights - especially with heels. So, I guess my footwear has changed pretty dramatically.

I do try and keep my shoulders and thighs covered if I'm out. I try not to wear sleeveless tops or shorts. But I think my shift away from shorts has more to do with being in my mid-40s than with being here. I don't like the spider veins on my legs - and I was already getting a bit uncomfortable in shorts that didn't cover most of my thighs. And with the sleeveless tops - I'm probably about 50-60% of the time. Just yesterday I was out with a tank top on. But I was at our Mirdif mall where a lot of westerners go - so I don't feel awkward. But if I were down in the older part of town near the souks, I'd definitely have my shoulders covered.

A few weeks ago, I was going through my closet trying to clear out a few things. I usually have a rule that if I haven't worn it in a year then it should go out. But it was harder to apply this rule with so many of my cold weather clothes. There are suits and trousers here that I've never worn. And I think that I'll wear them again when we're back in cooler climate. But sometimes I wonder if they'll look dated by then. So, I did toss quite a few things - but still kept a lot. It's hard when the outside temps are near 110C to really look at lined wool trousers and feel like you'll ever want to put them on (ugh).

So that's it really. I don't need to cover my head or wear an abaya in Dubai. I have that for visits to Saudi - where it's only necessary for me to wear the abaya. We have a friend who just recently moved to Yemen - and she wears both a head cover and an abaya - but she still looks like a "brazen westerner" since she allows some of her hair to be seen and she doesn't cover her entire face (which most Yemeni women are fully covered except the eyes).

Home for 3 Hours

I just got in from my business trip to Brussels and now we're packed and heading out the door for a short break to Thailand. About 10 years ago, Russell and I had a trip to Thailand nearly booked. We were on our way to make the reservations and then something came up at work - I can't even remember now what it was. But so, Thailand has been in the back of our minds for a while.

Ramadan should be finished on Sunday. And we'll have a 2-day break. Lyra is off all week. And with our time here coming to an end, we feel like we have to take every opportunity to head out and do something. Amazingly, Thailand is a 6 hour flight away (closer than Brussels!) and only 3 hours time difference. So, with some recent price incentives to get tourists back there it felt like the right thing to do.

We're only there for 4 days, so we've decided to spend all our time on Phuket - an island on the southern end of Thailand. Russell will go scuba diving. Lyra is really excited to try and snorkle. So, hopefully she and I can tag along with the scuba boat and see some exciting fish and coral. Other than a few boat trips, I'll be hitting the sun beds and lounging by the pool/beach. I can't wait.

If you're looking for me, I'll be here.

Sorry, I'm Swamped

I can feel you all looking at me - whoever's left browsing this blog. You come and check for something and there's nothing updated.

I'm sorry. My work life has been crazy and I'm just feeling totally uncreative when I get home.

But, I think of you often. And I wonder what I should be telling you. And the longer I let my writer's break go, the more I felt that my first post should be fantastic - and the more intimidated I felt.

So, here's my first post after a long break. It says nothing, but at least maybe now I'll get myself back into the blogging grove again.

During my break, in my desperate attempt to find something stellar to say, I've realized how difficult it is to see things in Dubai with a fresh set of eyes. So much is familiar to me - I forget to notice it anymore. And then I'm not reminded to blog it. Do you have any questions? Anything to help me get started?

Lyra started school about 3 weeks ago. After her first day at school she told me, "I think I'm too little for first grade." When I queried a bit she commented that there aren't any toys in the classroom. Ahhh, yes - well those playing days are behind you. My friend Karen was telling me how amazing first grade was for her daughter; that the transformation is incredible.

Already, in 3 short weeks, Lyra has gone from struggling her way to reading word lists - to now checking out chapter books in the library. Somewhere along the line, she's learned to read. Russell and I have been working a bit with her, but certainly it hasn't been a huge focus. Now and again, we'd quiz her on a word here or there - or pull out her assignments from K5 and see if she remembered her words. And it seemed like she was maintaining over the summer, but no huge gains. And then school started and it's like BANG, she can read.

The other morning, she was sitting on the steps waiting for Russell and I. She had her book from the library and was reading it. Seemed like such a grown up thing for her to be doing. I'm glad. Reading is such a joy for me. So, I'm glad to see her on the way to immersing herself in books.

Next week is a vacation (already) for the end of Ramadan. We'll be going to Thailand. Can't wait to sample the great curries.