The Park Rotana Crew

When embarking on this trip I was concerned about finding people that I could connect with and become friends with for the duration of this trip. I don't know why I ever had this irrational fear, but it was there. However, before even making it out of the US, this fear began to dissipate as friends were made in the airport and on the plane --- mostly while we all waited in line for the bathroom. ; )

After being here for a little over two weeks, I now have a collection of friends scattered across Abu Dhabi. Stuck in a hotel with no transportation of our own and no clue how to get anywhere if we did, people made connections to stave off cabin fever, and save a little money on the taxis.

Sadly, many of my adventures were to the various malls around town. Some more western than others. For connivence the malls were the best place to shop. We didn't know any of he good local places to go, so left to our devices we went with the safe bet. It is a little sad that I spent more time in Carrefour (a foreign version of Walmart) than exploring the culture around me. I have been to the mall more times since arriving in Abu Dhabi than I have in the past living in the US. However, I did get out to a few places that were not malls.

One adventure that I did not have to travel very far for was camel riding. Behind our hotel was a Bedouin campsite with three camels. Habebee was the one that I road, briefly. She went in a circle that was all of ten steps, but it was a start. At least now I know to be prepared when they get back down that I will fall forward. I plan to take a real camel ride at some point while I am here, maybe as part of Safari tour.

Our hotel may have been secluded from the city, but we were right next to Khalifa Park. It is a large park that has numerous water fountains, a small aquarium, and an amphitheater like area. A group of us walked around there one night as part of a small birthday celebration. It was a very beautiful park, but the humidity was thick. By the time we left the park, our clothes were stuck to us with sweat. I was glad to have gone and seen it though. I am not sure I would have gone if they had not suggested it.

Eventually our stay at the Park Rotana had to end. We all couldn't stay in Abu Dhabi to teach and needed to move to our permanent locations. Tony, Amy, and a few others did stay in Abu Dhabi City. Plans to visit in the future are in the works. A large number of people went to Al Ain, Brenda, Alison, Amanda, Larry, and others. I hope to get a chance to visit them at their homes as well. Of course, not everyone was left behind or sent off somewhere else. I do have some friends here with me and as we adjust to life in the desert we continue to laugh and have fun just as we did at the Park Rotana.