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.

Working From Home

So, today I'm working from home. Why? Because we have no power in our building. We had a call from the electric company on Monday that they would be shutting power in our building from 7am to 2pm. Isn't there a way to do these works during the night? or on the weekend? Sooner or later, when living here, you learn not to ask these questions.

So, it's not just our business - I work in a 30-story office tower. So, everyone is home today from all these businesses. And I just wonder how that would go down in the US if the electric company just started announcing power outages during business hours.

It's the same with the telephone company, too. We recently experienced several issues with the telephone lines running to one of our offices. We worked for MONTHS (yes, months) to get the telephone company to help us understand what the problem was. It was unbelievable. And then, when we finally decided that we needed to run a new line - they would only schedule the works during the day. There working hours are 8 to 3 (yep, 3pm). Nevermind that this was our Customer Service hub and that all our customers would be unable to contact us for a day.

And speaking of services. I'm on my third try to get the repairmen to come here and fix the A/C in Lyra's room. Saturday - no show. Frustrating thing is when you call them they say, "Oh yeah, we couldn't come." No hint of an idea that maybe they could have called you. Sunday I came home early from work - again, no show. So today when working from home I will hopefully have success. I called yesterday and asked them to come. They told me, call us tomorrow and see if we can come. Aggghhh, can't you just schedule me in for tomorrow? I'm calling you now - I don't want to call tomorrow.

If you remember last year's stresses with the refrigerator repair - I think this year I'm more prepared. I know not to fight it. You only end up getting yourself all tied up into knots and it doesn't change anything. Believe me, I've tried. I've called the supervisor. I've called the manager. I've called the Director. Nothing changes.

One HOT Mama

So, after our dust storms, I was getting used to the reduced heat in the city. The dust was doing its job to keep us all a bit cooler (like closer to 105 than 115). But today, walking at lunch time, it's back to hot and sweltering. In fact, hot would be the wrong term. Hot is a summer day in Milwaukee. This is roasting or sizzling. Definitely hot would be an understatement.

Although my walk was only 200m, I was peeling off my blazer when I got back to the office - aaaah the chill of air conditioning. Why was I wearing my blazer? Because I have on a sleeveless shirt and I'm a bit sensitive to showing my arms here. I'm always torn between being culturally sensitive or being comfortable. Actually, the blazer helps a bit - keeps some of the sun off and in a way helps keep me cool - but once I heat up, then it's really roasting.

One more month of sizzling heat. Then come September we'll start seeing things get back to just plain ol' hot.

It's Dusty

No need to adjust your screens. This photo - although the quality is poor - is trying to show you how dusty it is. We've had dust storms since last Wednesday. Ugh.

I can hear down the corridors and halls everyone coughing in the office. I haven't bothered to cover my mouth outside - only because I'm barely outside. Best just to stay in and wait till it clears. Only good thing is that the temps have dropped quite a bit. Most days, temps are barely up to 100. And I saw that we may actually get overnight lows in to the 80s tonight.

I was glancing down at the constructions sites to see if any of the workmen are wearing face masks. Many of them have rigged up a bandana around their face, but most are working without one. This certainly has to be taking years off their life.

Oh, by the way, that long white building that you see closest to you is a new hall being added to our convention center. Supposedly there is a royal wedding booked for October in that building. I'll believe it when I see it.

Getting the Car Washed

People here are fanatical about a clean car. Most in the office will have their cars washed every day. A car wash guy or the house maid will clean the car in the morning before they leave for work. If you don't have a car wash guy, then all of the shopping centers have guys that patrol the parking lots and will wash your car while you shop. Given the dustiness of this place - definitely a regular car wash is needed. We get ours done weekly - and sometimes by the end of the week my car can look like an abandoned vehicle at the DMV.

Just after we moved in a man came by the house and offered to wash our cars. We knew he needed the money and it was a way to help him with a little cash. At first he was coming by on Friday morning - very early before the heat of the day. He'd was our two cars and the neighbors'. He was a real sweet guy. For two years he always came. Very reliable and charged a reasonable price.

One Thursday evening in June, he was washing the cars and he disappeared. He left behind his bicycle (a precious possession) and all the car wash gear was left out. None of us saw what happened. Juliette, our neighbor, stored his bicycle in their garage and we waited for his return. Unfortunately, he's never come back. We speculate that maybe the police stopped and he was detained for not having the right visa. I'm pretty sure we'll never know. We never did know his name. He'll forever be Car Wash Guy to us.

So, the entire time that we were back in the states, the cars remained unwashed. Believe me, they accumulated a lot of dust in those 4 weeks. So, last weekend, I brought out the hose and readied myself to wash the cars. Really - you would not believe what a fuss I raised with the house men nearby. It was more than they could bear - and also an opportunity for a little extra cash. So while I was washing, the house man from across the road came over to offer to wash the car. I told him he could come once a week. But I don't think he understood.

On Wednesday, Linda told me that he had been coming by each day to wash the car - but I had forgotten to tell her that I'd made this arrangement. She had been sending him away, but finally she relented and let him was the car yesterday. This morning, the doorbell rang at 6am. When I mumbled through the intercom, "Madam - wash car" was the response. When I got downstairs, I tried to communicate that he only needed to come 1 time per week - but he wasn't really understanding. So, he called his brother to come over who spoke much better English. I tried to negotiate the same rate that we had with our previous Car Wash Guy - but no deal. He wanted 200 Dhs.

Well, I've come into the office since and consulted with the guys on my team. They tell me that 200 Dhs is too much - unless he's doing it every day. But rather than re-negotiate myself, I'm going to wait until Russell gets back and have him do it. They'll listen to him better then me. One of my team members is from Pakistan and I told him I may call him and have him speak to them in Urdu. I'm sure to get a better deal this way.

In the meantime, our cars are clean. At least for now.

Summer Ghost Town

It's normal for Dubai to feel empty in the summer. There's nothing to do here. The days are too hot and sunny. The kids go mad with boredom. You can only visit a mall so many times before you're stir crazy. So, most families will pack up and head home for a few weeks (or months).

This year, with the economic downturn, the streets are empty. Traffic jams that used to cause me 30 to 40 minutes of queing are now free-flowing without any back up. Hmmm. Partly this is because it's summer. But also, I think a lot of people are just gone. Everyone here is waiting to see what happens after Ramadan (which ends around Sept 20 this year). Will people be back?

I think it will be years until we see the peak levels that occurred sometime around Sept/Oct last year. But even to see things back to pre-summer levels would be encouraging.

Part of the reason so many people have gone is because if you lose your job here - then you lose your visa. They've extended the rules to give people about 6 months to find another job, but if you remain unemployed after that, then you have to leave. Also, if you find that you can't pay your bills while your unemployed - you go to jail. Yep - go to jail. So, people get scared if they think that they're going to miss a car payment or bounce a rent check and they just scram.

Seems a bit counterproductive to put someone in jail for bouncing a check. Doesn't really seem to help them stay on their feet for a while until they can sort something out. But that's the way it is. And I'm pretty sure once those folks leave they better stay away because they're on some sort of police list or something. I know I wouldn't chance it.

Anyway - now I've sold you on the idea of coming here. Don't worry - you're a tourist. Actually, because of the slow summer - there are great bargains everywhere. I was just reviewing this website (http://www.timeoutdubai.com/hotels/features/9569-best-summer-hotel-deals-in-dubai) for hotel deals in the city. If you've ever wanted a super luxurious holiday - now's the time to come to Dubai. We've actually taken advantage of one of these deals and we're going to the Palm Atlantis at the end of August for a last splash (literally) before school starts. About $225/night gets us a hotel room AND free entrance to their water park. Meals are not included - and I'm sure they'll try to make up for the freebies with high prices on the dinners. I'm sure we'll find a way to have some snacks/drinks in the room to help defer those costs.

Which Way Do I Go?

Only in Dubai.

I'm Back

Oh what a trip it was. As usual, a blast to be back home to see friends and family. Makes it difficult to come back here. Russell & Lyra will be back in mid-August and then school starts on August 30.



Our trip to the US started with a visit to good friends Pam & Jerry in Michigan. Their daughter, Ellia, and Lyra have been mates since they were tiny babies in China. One day, we ditched the girls and summer camp, rented scooters and headed off to tour the beautiful area around their home city, St. Joseph, MI. Russell and I both enjoyed seeing Lake Michigan on the other side. Lot of great family things to do over there if you're looking for a quick getaway.




The beaches were beautiful and the water temps great for splashing. Of course the girls got in and had a blast jumping into the waves and playing in the sand.




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Lyra enjoyed holding this lizard on her lap and Ellia bravely stood nearby.

Random Photos

Isn't this cool? I can't remember what it it's called. A leaf something. We saw it at the aqaurium in the Dubai Mall a couple of monts ago. I was totally fascinated watching it float around.

Updated: A leaf seahorse. Thanks, Mimi :-)




Here's Lyra with Mrs. Nasser, her KG2 (which is 5-year old KG) teacher. We liked Mrs. Nasser.




I like the timing of these two shots (see the one below). The three of them must be looking at the same thing.






Cutie patootie.
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Here's the Burj Dubai. Now that the window are on, it looks beautiful in the sunshine. Supposedly there will be an opening on September 9. But they're still putting on windows - so that "opening" won't really mean the building is done.

Note: That "small" building to the right is a 50-story hotel called The Address.

Food Chains

If there's one way that America is spreading it's culture, it's through food chains. Of course everyone expects McDonald's, Burger King, and Starbucks. No doubt - they're here. But I was surprised to see how common Baskin & Robins (called B&R here), KFC and Dunkin Donuts is outside of the US. If anything, these restaurants are MORE prevalent than back home. You cannot go anywhere in Dubai without having a B&R nearby.

TGI Fridays is also everywhere. And Chili's, Pizza Hut, Applebees. I've never been to any of them here. Nothing against them, just feel a bit like I should be focusing on local food rather than stuff I can get at home.

The ones that really surprise me however are the chains that barely exist back home. Fudruckers, Gloria Jeans Coffee, and Tony Roma's for example. They must be focusing more on their international expansion. And Caribou Coffee - it's huge here and back home I just think of it as a Minnesota chain.

And where are the Taco Bells (one just opened) - they have definitely missed out on an expansion opportunity. Too busy selling the Beef-a-quita-rito to the masses in America, I guess.

Last week I was in Qatar. Across the road from my hotel was an Arby's, TCBY and Dairy Queen. That's the first I've seen any of those.

It's not all American chains - there are lots of local places, too. But Americans feel right at home here when it comes to junk food.

Cultural Differences

Moving here - there were obvious cultural differences that we expected to encounter. We had some minimal cultural education - and read a lot about arab and muslim cultures. No matter how much education there was, there are some surprising differences that I just wasn't expecting. Like:

1. How to "nod" your head. In India, they have a little head "bobble". Kind of side to side. At first, I interpreted this to mean "whatever" or "if you insist" - instead it means "Yes." I still find this a little confusing in a conversation and have to remind myself that it means "yes."


2. What to do with toilet paper. In many of the older buildings with traditional plumbing - you are expected to throw your used toilet paper in a bin and not into the toilet. There are no signs instructing you to do this - it is just expected that you will. If you forget - you run the risk of serious plumbing clog. New buildings and plumbing are now built to handle toilet paper - but if in doubt, best to not flush.

3. Using a toothpick without covering your mouth is considered extremely rude and disgusting. You might as well be cleaning the toe jam from between your toes as far as people here are concerned.

4. Honking your car horn is a subtle message that means, "Hey, just to let you know I'm here." Even though I know it's not meant to be rude I still cannot stop myself from responding with ire. "YES - can you not wait 10 seconds for me to get out of my taxi?!?"

5. When we moved to England, I discovered that Baked Beans was a common pizza topping. For that matter, so was sweet corn. Hmmm - just had never really considered ordering a baked bean pizza. Here, pizza toppings are limited to non-pork options (for obvious reason). So, really difficult to order Pepperoni or Sausage - and if you do it's some sort of beef pepperoni or sausage which just doesn't have the same flavor.

6. You would think that answering the telephone and saying good-bye would be the same around the world. I mean, you can pick up your phone and call anyone in the world, so why don't we have the same telephone curtesies. In the UK, at the end of a telephone conversation, I never figured out what I was doing wrong, but it always felt like I'd say good-bye and then they'd say good-bye, and then rather than hang up - they'd hang on the line. Finally, I learned to say "Cheers, bye" at the end of the call - and that seemed to work, they'd hang up. Here, when people answer the telephone they always say, "Tell me, Julie". If they can see me on caller ID, that's how they answer the telephone - not even Hello. Or if after they say hello and I identify myself, then they will say "Tell me, Julie".

7. Tassels on men's dress shoes is 100% American. I cannot think of one single culture where the men have tassels on their dress shoes. If you see a man anywhere in the world with tassels on his dress shoes, you don't even have to ask - he's an American.



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Lyra's First Piano Recital

Lyra's piano teacher, Miss Elena, is from the Ukraine. She is one of the most soft spoken people. But I noticed at the recital that all of her students had been taught how to come in and bow before taking their seat (I missed that in Lyra's entry) and then to bow again when leaving.

She has infinite patience with Lyra. Every lesson, she reviews the positioning of the fingers, keeping her knuckles soft, positiong her hands as if they were holding a tennis ball. Every lesson.

For the recital, this was the first time Lyra had played a grand piano. Up until now, she has been practicing on our Yamaha Clavinova (and the Clavinova they have in her practice cubicle at the music school).

Miss Elena came up to me afterward and said, "I jahst lahve Lyra. She is so beautiful wiss her white dress and zee blahck piano."

Going to Get Beer

You can drink alcohol in the UAE, but you need a drinking license. In Dubai, if you have a resident permit, you need a license to purchase or consume alcohol. Visitors and vacationers can drink alcohol, but only on hotel properties. Technically, if you're staying with friends at their home, you're not allowed to drink on their property unless you have a license.

There are liquor stores in Dubai, but they charge about 30% duty on everything. So, usually we purchase our alcohol when we go through duty free or we go to Umm al Quwain, a nearby emirate. In UAQ, there's a store called the Baracuda where you can get booze without a liquor license and without paying duty. So, every few months or so, we head over there. It's about an hour drive.

It is hilarious to see people coming out of the shop with their shopping trolleys FULL - as they can barely steer the thing to their car. BIG smiles are on everyone's face. This time, we didn't need too much. Picked up some wine for the neighbors and also stocked up for Ramadan (which comes around August 22 this year). And since Russell & Lyra will just be getting back from the US the weekend before that, this way we don't have to rush over there - as they close for the entire month of Ramadan.

On the way, there is a stretch of road with free-range camels. Almost every time we see some on the road. So, I had my camera out and ready for some photos.

Praying

In Islam, followers are required to pray 5 times a day. The praying times are based upon the sun rising and setting. First prayer is before sunrise and the last prayer is after sunset - and the rest are spaced pretty evenly throughout the day.

As a result, prayer is a common part of life here. In the US, where we're used to religion and praying being mostly a private thing - we can get uncomfortable with people expressing their religion in public. Especially praying - for the most part we view that as a very private moment.

Most commonly, people here will pray at mosques or prayer rooms. Almost all public buildings and offices will offer a prayer room. But if they don't, it's not unusual to see someone in the corner of a room praying, or in their office, or in the case of my photo below - on the roadside.

Hello, President Obama

Welcome to my neck of the woods.



There's lots of buzz around having Obama here in the Arab world. People are excited that he's here and are looking forward to hearing what he has to say. Today, Obama is in Saudi and tomorrow he travels to Egypt.

There's a bit of controversy around the choice of Egypt for his "speech to the Muslim world". Many Egyptians are upset that it seems to validate Mubarek's dictatorship. Ah well, you can't please everyone.

I would have like to see Obama come here to Dubai - if only to compare the security to last year's totalitarian lock-down during Bush's visit.

Booking a Taxi

On the back of every taxi in Dubai it says: Call Center 800 90 90 90.

You might think that if you'd like to book a taxi you should call this number. Nope. Don't ask me what they do - maybe they take complaints about the fact that the number on taxis is not the number used for booking taxis.

No, it is a totally different number that you call to book taxis. And the only way I know to find out that number for booking taxis is to call the above number, pretend to try and book a taxi, and then have them give you the other number you need to call. I deliberately say "pretend to try and book a taxi". Because if you call them and try to explain that you know they're not the booking number, but would like to get the booking number - you'll just confuse them and maybe they'll transfer you to another department which also can't book a taxi for you. So, better to just play dumb.

This is SO Dubai.

Obviously, I've now got the booking number stored in my Blackberry.

Igor (eee-gor)

Lyra rented this movie yesterday. It's another one of those animation films with famous actors doing the voice-over. I'd never heard of it. When I got home last night - she was about 30 minutes from the end of the movie. I sat with her to watch the last bit - but mostly I was concentrating on eating my soup while sitting on the stairs and not spilling it on my work clothes.

When she was getting ready for bed, I asked her what the movie was about. Here's her synopsis:

Well a monster makes another monster. She's really really big and she doesn't know how to say anything. She talks like she's a baby. And another monster tells all the monsters that they need to be evil and that it should be dark all the time. But he was wrong. And so the big monster is trying to destroy everything, but the other monster - the one who made her - tells her that she doesn't need to be evil. And so, she was destroying every thing and then she stopped. It wasn't magic or anything, she just stopped. I don't really know how that happened.

I'm always fascinated by the details that she picks up on. Sometimes she will ask me, "Remember that movie where the dog was wearing the red collar?" - or something equally obscure. If I ask for more details, she'll sometimes be able to give a better clue. But often it will be something like, "You know, the one where the red collar was shiny and the dog was wearing it." If I'm still stumped, she pulls out the pre-teen angst - "You JUST DON'T GET IT!"

The other day - I overheard a similar dialogue with Russell and he responded with, "Don't get sassy with me - I'm trying to understand what you're saying." Tears ensued.

Lyra's especially emotional when she's going through a growth spurt. She ate three bowls of last night's soup and then a large breakfast this morning. Let this be a warning to us. Eggshell alert.

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.