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.
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.
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