Thanksgiving Abroad

The holiday season has officially started and I have to say that it is a little sad being away from home. I am used to being with family during Thanksgiving and Christmas and that isn't going to happen this year. I am having fun and I have new friends that are like a family to me over here . . . but it isn't the same. Plus, I almost feel guilty for not missing them more. I know that sounds weird, but sometimes things are so good and I am content that guilt creeps in. Comes with the being raised Catholic thing I guess.

Anyway, we decided that we needed to have a Thanksgiving celebration among the western teachers out here in Liwa. You see being out of the city at times like this can cause problems. Nothing big, but it still requires some advance planning. Luckily, we had three loving people who were willing to do the hard part of shopping in Abu Dhabi for necessary supplies. Funny thing is, the none of the three are Americans. They did really good though. They got everything we needed and what we couldn't find, we improvised.

I was in charge of the sweet potatoes. I thought it is my mom's speciality ever year so maybe I wouldn't screw it up. At the least I could channel her and hopefully come up with something good. Well, it worked. The only weird part was the color of the potatoes. We all know yams. They are bright orange and taste delicious. Well,  sweet potatoes here--at least the only ones that we could find--are white inside. It was a little strange. In the end, they tasted really good and there was nothing left for the next day so that is really good sign. I am happy things turned out well. I do have to thank Mom for the directions and good vibes that she sent this way.

I have to say that the Liwa crew can cook. Forget going to the hotels for buffets and fancy dinners. We are setting up potlucks from now on. Everything we had was good from the dinner to the dessert. We had all the traditional fixings of course. Even my chocolate mousse. Overall, it was a great day to spend with some new friends. Life can never stay the same forever and I think that is something that I am trying to remember when adjusting to holidays away from home. Though we all love to be with our families during the holidays, sometimes a Skype call is all you can manage and you look forward to the day when you will get to spend time together and enjoy that time when it comes.

Before I get too sappy and cliche (too late really) I am going to cut this blog short. Until my next adventure . . .

Vacation Fun-The Last Days

I have never been a huge fan of fishing nor was I any good at it, but when Abdula offered to take us out on the Arabian Gulf, I was more than happy to go.

When we got home from Dubai on Thursday, he wanted us to come that night for barbecue and drinking. Tired from the trip we told him we would see him in the morning. Originally the group of us (Ryan, Eric, Yang, Jen, Zizi, and myself) were going to leave at 6 in the morning. Thankfully, that got pushed back. We left about 8:45. We were worried about being late, or at least I was, but in reality . . . we woke them up.

It is about an hour and half drive to Al Mirfa. That is the town in the western region that sits on the coast. It isn't very big, but like the rest of the western region there are plans for growth. Since we weren't sure where Abdula's house was, we planned to meet at the Mirfa Hotel. We were traveling in two groups and the group I was driving got to the hotel with plenty of time to spare. We tried to get in contact with Mahmoud and Abdula, but no answer. Since we had some time we explored the grounds of the hotel. I had to stick my feet in the water to see what it was like. It was a little colder than I expected, but still very comfortable. I collected some shells that I am going to find a place for as decoration in my apartment. They aren't really that different from shells that I collected over the years except for a few of the colors. A few also seemed bleached, they were very white. After that, we still had not gotten in touch with Abdula or Mahmoud, so we wandered some more. We ended up finding a large chess set with plastic playing pieces. The board was big enough that you could walk on it to play. Ryan and I decided to play a game. Despite the fact that I was teaching him, he managed to beat me. Sad, I know. At that point we were hoping that we had wasted enough time and would be able to get ahold of someone. Our plan worked and we met up with the other car to head out to the house.

When giving directions, typically you give them in pieces, but you give the whole trip at once. Mahmoud has a different method. Partly because I think we still woke him up, but who knows. He told us drive here, take a left and call me when you have gotten that far. It was a bit strange, but it got us where we needed to go.

When pulling into Abdula's place, I knew it was going to beautiful, but I didn't quite expect the ostrich pen to the side. Though in reality he has so many animals that I should not have been surprised. He is actually planning to build a zoo in Madinat Zayed, I don't know if I have mentioned that before. That is another time and another place, back to the beach. He has a beautiful house that is right on the beach. You have a walk a little bit to get to water that is deep enough to swim in, but the view is amazing. I think I am a little bias because I love the beach so much, but it is a really nice area. You can look out and see all the different shades of the Arabian Gulf. Since we had woken them up, we sat outside enjoying the sea breeze and relaxed for a while before heading out to the boat.

It was perfect weather for fishing, though a little windy. Abdula keeps his boat docked at a friends house nearby. His friend built a channel to take boats in and out and is now in a bit of trouble because of it. It made it nice for us though. We easily were able to board and head out.  As soon as we were out of the channel I could feel my soul smile. I know that sounds cheesy, but I just knew that time on the water was exactly what I needed. I had been feeling  a bit blue about the holidays coming up and being away from home. The boat and fishing were good therapy. I am still going to miss my family, but I am not as down and out as I was before.

After a quick stop for gas, we headed out to sea. He has a fish finder and an area on his GPS that he knows is good for fishing. He was right. The minute we started fishing we were catching them left and right. Well, I should say that Ryan and Mahmoud were catching them quickly. The rest of us took a little while. Now, when I say fishing most people think of the pole and you toss it out. Not here. It was a roll of fishing line that had a couple of hooks on it and weight at the bottom. You dropped the line in the water and let it sink to the bottom. After that, you pulled on it every so often to attract the fish. Sounds simple right. Well, it must have been because even I caught three good sized fish. My luck ran out shortly after that, but I was surprised and pleased to even have caught one. I do have to thank Ryan for showing me the trick to get in done though. I wasn't getting much of anything until he helped me out.

Since nothing was biting, I handed my reigns over to someone else and decided to go for a swim. Not many people brought a bathing suit, strangely, but I found one other person willing to jump in with me. Off the side of the boat we went. It was only after we were in the water we realized that there was not ladder to get back in. I wanted to stay in the water longer, but with a strong current and no ladder . . . I knew getting back in I would need all my strength. With a little help from people on the boat and some contorting of my legs, I was able to get up into the boat. Needless to say, I knew that I would be checking on things like that before jumping in, in the future.

No one was having any luck getting the fish to bite, so we decided to pack it up and head back in. The sun was on its way down at that point and it would have gotten cold anyway. Once getting back to the house, we all cleaned up and just hung out for a while. Abdula has a pool table and so some of us played a few rounds of pool, others watched Arabic Soap Opera- like shows with Iesha, and the rest tried to relax. We ate lunch, fish of course, just not the fish we just caught and then later on snacked while drinking and talking some more. It was just like the night at the farm with different scenery.

In the end, I had to drive back. I didn't have change of clothes and really wanted to be in my own bed. Looking back on the whole thing, I am glad to have made this connection with local people. It gives me a chance to be a part of the culture and go and do things that I am not sure I would have the opportunity to do otherwise. At least not as easily. I feel very blessed to be able to have had all the experiences that I have thus far since being here in the UAE.

Unfortunately, it is back to work tomorrow. Work isn't bad, but it is always tough to go back after a nice break. I can always look forward to national day in about a week, that should keep my motivated. ; )

Vacation Fun-Part Two

No road trip is complete unless the roads are crowded, there are people who cannot drive, and you have a do a few u-turns before you start heading in the right direction. Considering what could have happened, I was happy that getting lost was our only trouble getting to Dubai. Eric, Yang, Ryan, Judy, of course Hannah, and myself were looking to not spend too much money this Eid holiday, but we needed to get out. Our solution was staying in Dubai for a few days.

We stayed at the the Hotel California--enter short song refrain here-- and boy was it a unique hotel, but I will come back to that later. The best part of Dubai is that you can walk around and explore the city. There are so many interesting buildings and shops to see. Because of Eid Al Adha most of the stores were closed the first night we got there. That led the girls to go to the salon while the men went of to explore more.

Thank God Yang was with us, because I am not sure what would have happened if she was not there. We found a good salon where the people were really nice and not that expensive. She communicated with them in Chinese and then translated for Judy and I. Yang and I got a haircut, but Judy decided to wait. Mine is really cute, but it was stressful to get it. Allowing someone in a foreign country to cut my hair, who I know nothing about, have no reference to judge them from . . . I was tense up until that first cut. After that I figured I couldn't go back now so might as well just wait and see what happens. It isn't anything drastic, but just enough change to make me feel fresh again. We also got pedicures and learned a valuable lesson. When you get a good pedicure--wait until the end of the trip. Our feet were fresh and baby soft . . . for half a day. The next day we walked around the city and ended up with blisters and rough spots. Overall, my feet are better than they were, but it was a lesson learned and I will be getting the pedicure at the end of the trip not the beginning next time.

Enough on that, back to the hotel. It has six floors. Only three have rooms. The other floors have restaurants and most intriguing-- nightclubs. Not western style nightclubs, but almost any eastern nationality that you can think of. There was a Filipino, Indian, Pakistani, etc. All of them you are able to drink, smoke, and listen to loud music while "women" dance. That is where the similarities to a western nightclub end. In these clubs are men and the dancers. Yang, Judy, and I were the only females in the place that were not working. Given those details I will let you fill in most of the blanks, but I do want to give you a few reminders. As liberal as Dubai is, it is still in the United Arab Emirates and therefore a predominately Muslim culture. Though the Filipino girls were a little scantily dressed, this was not the case in most of the other clubs including the Pakistani. They were in full sarees and shalwars. They would dance on a small stage with a table bordering it. The men would sit and watch and that was all. No emotion, not grabbing, occasional present giving, but otherwise they drank, smoked, and watched. Not what I was expecting, but I guess they are a private culture so it makes sense. Needless to say, it took us a little while to really understand what was happening and once we finished our drinks, we were happy to leave. I was glad to not be able to understand the language because it gave me the ability to observe from an outsider's perspective. I'm not sure it would have been very comfortable had I been able to truly understand everything that was going on. I was more than happy just observing.

The next day was really nice. It wasn't too hot, unless you stayed in the sun too long. We got up early or at least that was the plan. It turns out the one person who wanted to sleep in was the first one up and ready. Who was that? Me. I know shocking, but they said seven so I was ready. Seven thirty rolls around and I am waking them up. Breakfast was good, nothing grand, but we are not staying at hotels on ADEC's dime anymore so the five stars are out. We went walking with the intention of finding the gold souk, but ended up getting side tracked along the way. After seeing the girls dance, we had commented on how pretty and comfortable the outfits seemed. With long sleeves they would be good for work as well. About a block from the hotel, we found a shop where would could get them. He had some ready made available, but my broad shoulders were not fitting these shirts. Instead, I ordered two to be made and we picked them up the next morning. It is weird having two custom things now. My couch and shalwars. I haven't had custom before. Not that I didn't have nice things at home, I did. I was very blessed in being able to have all that I had growing up and now. I was just thinking that it is hard to figure out what tense to write in when talking about home and here. Yes, I currently live in Abu Dhabi, but I am not foreseeing it being something permanent. Then again, I never saw it happening in the first place so who knows. That said, what I have now I will not necessarily have later, and at the same time what I had at home I still have, sort of. Now that I have gone completely off topic, back to the shalwars.

I would have made my father proud had he seen my in that shop. Coming to this country I knew that a lot of the stores I would be able to negotiate to get cheaper prices. However, that did not mean that I was that skilled or comfortable with trying to haggle. In the shop I was a whole new person. I brought my total down 70 dirhams. I know it doesn't really sound like all that much, but it was a big deal for me. After finally getting done with the fabric choices and measurement, we left to continue on to the souk.

What we didn't realize when starting out was how long the walk was going to be. We had to stop to make sure we were heading in the right direction, but we finally made it. I'm not sure what I was expecting to find when we got there, but for some odd reason it was different. Not sure how, but just not what was in my head. There was more gold than I have ever seen in one place. It almost made me want some yellow gold of my own, almost. It was good that it was late in the year. It would not have been so pleasant to wander if it was not winter. The only bad part was all the people trying to sell us things. I got asked if I wanted a handbag, t-shirt, drink so many times. Other than that I found myself wishing I had more money because I found a few items that I think my family would have loved, but unfortunately, I am not rolling in the dough. At least not yet. After the souk we were hungry for lunch, but had no idea where to go. Solution--wander until we found something.

That is one of the nice things about Dubai. If you wander long enough you will find what you want. We lucked out and ate at this Iranian place. I had some really good chicken and, of course, rice. One thing I have noticed about the "local" restaurants here is though they may called it Iranian, Egyptian, etc. in the end the basic flavors are the same. It is all really good, but the same brand under a different name. I sometimes wish I could truly try new things more often, oh well, I will settle for good food for now.

I will now skip ahead past boring details of us walking some more and such and skip to the boat tour. We had ordered the shalwars to be made, but at 2 we needed to check the fit. This almost ended up becoming a problem for us. We arrived and only some were ready to try on. We waited and tried them on, fixed fitting issues . . . then it got to be 3:15. The boat tour was at 3:30. Not a big issue if we were nearby, but we needed to go across the creek. The sweet shop owner helped us by calling a taxi. Well, at least we thought he was calling a taxi. Turns out he called a friend who had a SUV. We were nice a comfy in the backseat with four people, but we got there and on-time. The boat did not leave until after 4 in true arabic fashion and one particular lady on the boat was not happy about that. I had to start laughing because it was obvious to me that she had not been in this country very long. The majority of people did not seem phased by the late start of the tour, but this one woman apparently had a schedule to keep. The ride up and down the creek was beautiful. The sun got in our eyes every once in a while, but overall it was good weather and pretty views. We all agreed that next time we should try and do a dinner ride up the creek. I got a lot of pretty pictures, even some that were less touristy and more artistic. Not that there is anything wrong with the tourist picture, but I like to get more artistic with my pictures every once in a while. It was nice to be by water. That is the only problem with Liwa. I am always happier on the water or near the water and it is impossible to do that where I live. Though I am not complaining because where I live is beautiful in its own way and the people are fantastic.

It was a bit difficult to get a taxi after the boat tour, but we managed to figure something out and head to mall for dinner and maybe a bit of shopping. We were also hoping to see a fountain show that was supposed to be really nice, but things didn't work out that way. Dubai Mall, what do I say . . . HOLY COW. I really started feeling like I wanted to be back in Liwa after spending sometime in the mall. I thought that Marina Mall in Abu Dhabi was bad . . . it has nothing on this place. It is twice as big and way too many people. I am sure it didn't help that it was Eid so more  people were probably out and about, but I was all to happy to get out of there when the time came. However, that took a little while. The taxi queue was ridiculous. It went out the door and wrapped around in circles. I think it took at least a half an hour to finally get through the taxi line. The good thing was they seemed to be used to that sort of thing. It was very efficient the way that they managed the large lines, but it was just so many people.

Our last day in Dubai was spent picking up our shalwars. It took longer than expected, but when we finally got on the road. I was happy and sad at the same time. As much fun as Dubai was and there were still plenty more places to go . . . I was ready to come home. I needed a nice rest in my own bed before a day of fishing on Friday.

Vacation Fun- Part One

This past Thursday was the start of ten whole days off from school. A much needed vacation. Things are going well at school, but everyone needs a break from the daily routine every once in a while.

Thursday night was quiet, along with most of Friday. Friday at sunset, the fun began. Some friends and I learned that cardboard does not work so well for sand surfing. We did improvise with supplies from the car, but we are still trying to form a truly workable idea. It was not that easy to carry two things of cardboard, the mat from the trunk, and sun shade, up the hill each time. Setting it up so that it worked was not much fun either. Though the brief ride down the hill, did make me want to find something that worked even better.

Later that night, we head out to Abdula's farm. Abdula and Mahmoud are two locals that some of the teachers met while we were staying at the Tilal Liwa. I did not go to the farm the first time, but after hearing about their adventure, I knew I could not miss out the second time.

Abdula is an Emirati who owns a farm here in Liwa. He lives in Abu Dhabi, but comes out to the farm to escape from the city. His close friend Mahmoud comes with him when he comes to Liwa. They travel a lot of places together. They are not your typical Muslims. They have a less rigid view of their religion, but they are still very religious people. They pray as they should five times a day, and keep to the other Muslim traditions as well. We got to experience Muslim hospitality first hand.

Drinks, food, tobacco . . . whatever we might have wanted, they would provide. It was a feast for at least ten people. Lamb, humus, quail, and fresh vegetables from his farm. Every time it seemed like there couldn't possibly be more food, more was brought out, or taken off the grill. We stayed up talking and drinking until 5AM. I am not sure I stayed up that late in college. We built a fire and laid back to watch the stars in early morning hours. It was one of those nights that I will never forget. We talked politics, religion, and a myriad of other random topics. The desert is strangely peaceful in the early hours, but I was happy to go home and get in bed.

We returned the next day and had a chance to go out to his camel farm. It is on the way to the Moreeb dune. He has camels from Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and the UAE. Along with camels, he has sheep and goats. One lonely pony is kept there as well. It is solely for children to ride, he does have twelve of his own after all. While we were there, we had the chance to try camel milk. It is supposed to be really good for you. It was sweet and fresh from the camel. I am betting that it would have been extra delicious cold. He once again fed us on Sunday. This time it was fresh cooked fish. It was delicious. He had a variety of types. Fried, steamed, stewed--the only one I didn't have was the fried. The rest were very good. As with all things we had rice and vegetables as well.

I think that I ate more food in the those two days than I have in a long time. All of it was good food though, so I guess the consequences can be worked off with careful eating and good exercise. The whole experience was my first true glimpse into the culture I call home for now and I cannot be more thrilled. Experiencing the culture is one of the key reasons that I came. I just hope that their will be more opportunities like these. I know I have at least one more when we go fishing this weekend. Seems like I am doing a lot of new things I wouldn't normally do  since being here. It is all just part of the bigger adventure.

Holidays

I cannot lie. I miss the holiday spirit that will be starting to infect the students, shops, radio, etc. in the states. Though it typically drives me nuts that Christmas memorabilia is out in stores by Halloween. . . not seeing any is a little sad. All that aside though, I am enjoying my time here in the UAE. It is a new experience for me each an everyday. It is actually "holiday" season here now as well. Sort of.

The upcoming holiday is Eid Al Adha-- "Festival of Sacrifice" or "Greater Eid". It is celebrated on the 10th day of the 12th month in the Islamic calendar. During this month the Hajj-- the pilgrimage to Mecca-- also occurs. The whole month is spent in honoring this holiday and Ibrihims' sacrifice to Allah. It becomes a very important time to spend with friends and family. Although presents are given, the focus becomes more about charity work and sacrifice to Allah. All this does not mean somberness, but rather religious celebration. I personally am looking forward to watching the Hajj on TV to see what it is all about.

They don't have the same energy and spirit that holidays back home can get. Sure the students get excited about traveling to other parts of the emirate, but when you live in the desert, getting out of Liwa is a big deal, holiday or not. Teachers and student alike are happy about not having to work for a full week, but the pizzaz that accompanies the holiday season is missing. Rather it is not missing, but I think that I am not feeling as connected and therefore in touch with the spirit of the holiday. It could also possibly be due to the fact that their holidays here have not become completely overrun by the commercial industry. Though I am given warm wishes from students and colleagues and a sign may be posted around the city, it is not thrown in your face at every turn. It is national and yet very intimate at the same time.

I am using this time to travel with some of my new friends. We aren't going very far, but I am still excited. We are heading to Dubai. I am interested to see what the differences and similarities are between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. I would love to swim with the dolphins in Dolphin Bay, but I am trying to save up for my winter trip to Egypt. There is plenty else to do, so I know that I will not get bored. Other than the few days in Dubai I plan to relax. Catch up on sleep, my workouts, and just enjoying being able to sit around a little. Maybe I will go dune bashing and do a safari, but we will wait and see. Whatever happens, happens. I am happy to get a break and time to explore. Anything else, just adds more to the mix.

Weather Stories

As the saying goes, " expect the unexpected." This morning I woke to a light rain. It would not have been so interesting if I were anywhere else, but in a climate that gets rain maybe once a year or every two year if they are lucky . . . I was surprised. Later at work, I come to find out that it wasn't just a light rain, but overnight there was a large storm--lightening and all. I, of course, slept right through the whole thing. As I contemplate this incident of weird weather, I am reminded of my sophomore year in high school.

I took a trip with my band to London that year. We were traveling there to perform in their New Year's Day parade. Kind of cool when you are 15, but not relevant to the topic at hand. You see, London gets rain . . . a lot of rain. In the winter that rain turns to ice, but not often snow. At least that is what we were told. However, we were circling for quite sometime in order to allow the airport to clear the falling snow from the runway. Hence, the strange coincidence.

I cannot help but find it strange that I have traveled to two different places and had unique weather experiences. Maybe I have some channel to mother earth that kicks in when the weather is getting too boring . . . I am probably seeing more in this day of rain than there really is---it's not like it is snowing or anything. Now that would be a truly extraordinary day.

Things I Miss and Things I Don't

As I pass the two month mark here is Abu Dhabi, I am realizing that there are things that I miss. The given is family and friends, but sadly other than that it is food. Sure I have access to anything I want and I can eat foods that I have never eaten before---I ate octopus, raw---but that still doesn't mean it is easy to to get bacon. REAL bacon. If you want that you have to make trip into the heart of Abu Dhabi, and in my case, that is not that simple. Luckily, I found sliced turkey. That was another thing I was missing. I know weird, but you all know I have always been a little weird. I think it is not so much the food that I miss though. We all know I love to eat, but I really miss the fact that it was easily there. I have come to realize that there are a lot of things in life that we take for granted. We expect them to be there, and so we don't appreciate them. Yes, I am talking about appreciating food, as shallow as that may be. I think there are some people in America who don't realize how lucky we are. Of course, I am also extending this to the larger idea of being thankful for what you have, but hopefully you caught on to that already. Being in a new culture really puts things in perspective. It makes you appreciate what you have and what you don't. Some times lacking something is better than having it, like TV and skimpy clothes. I love the fact that I don't have to see boobs or butt when the girls walk around here. Modesty, it is another virtue that I think we have forgotten in America and need to remember.

Okay, I think I will get off the soapbox now. I am starting to sound like a middle aged prude, but those of you who know me, know how to read between the lines and get at the heart of what I am trying to say.

School is going well. The students need me less and less each day or at least are getting more comfortable with the idea of not being perfect all the time. I am actually glad that I do not have access to a lot of resources and technology. It has broadened my teaching abilities and forced me to come up with new and creative ways to approach teaching. I am not saying that given the opportunity to use the technology and get more books I wouldn't jump at it, but it is nice to get back to the basics sometimes.

The joke here is that if you survive this job, you can teach anywhere. Now, I know that makes it sound like a horror story and for some it may be, however, that has not been my experience. Things are not perfect, but I do not feel like I am struggling each day to survive the next. I am very thankful for that. Though the language barrier can be frustrating and lonely at times, when I see and hear my students getting better in English, none of it seems to matter. I have been forced to let go, to relinquish a lot of control over things that in reality I never had control over in the first place. I am not completely there yet, but I will get there. In this quick to change society, flexibility is a must.

To end, I want to talk a little bit more about the things that I miss. It is November. To me this means the leaves changing, jackets being pulled out of storage, and days getting shorter. However, the only one that applies here . . . shorter days. I find myself forgetting that it is November, that Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner. It is still in the eighties here with sunny and cloudless or nearly cloudless days. The sun often makes it seem much warmer and it is hard to put this together in my mind with the month November. I do not miss fall per say, but it is definitely one of those times that I realize how far away from home I really am.

Nothing is ever perfect and you have to take the good with the bad. I cannot wait to see what happens next as I continue on this journey of growth, learning, and adventure.