settling

It sounds like I'm not going to be able to post as frequently considering the already stressful environment i walked into upon meeting my house mates - they are a bit overwhelmed by the workload and it sounds like I am going to be right there with them. We are still waiting for the company to come through with our cars (apparently we are each getting a Toyota Yaris, which is great here since smaller cars are much better for parking and navigating crazy Arab drivers), so for now we are sharing one car (an old school Peugeot) that gets us to work around 8:30 and keeps us there until around 7 or so.

I have had a great time so far. I had no problems adjusting to the jet lag and was up early with the group before they left for work on Monday morning. I spent some time unpacking and getting things in order and Hassan, our house manager, took me to Mirdif - Mirdif is a town not too far from where we live with a mall and a really great grocery store. It even has a Caribou Coffee, an Aldo shoe store, and a nice fitness center where we will apparently be joining as members. One of my house mates spent Tuesday and Wednesday with me and we spent most of our time at a beach just next to the Burj Al Arab. We stopped at the Jumeirah beach hotel and enjoyed pina coladas and draught beers before heading to the Irish Village for happy hour. We drove around town and took a peek at Sheikh Zayed Road, which is budding like a weed garden with concrete edifices and shiny aqua-colored glass. Our journey today took us to the Madinat Jumeirah, known for its camel colored stucco exterior, great bars, restaurants, and views of the Burj and Jumeira Beach hotel. The food here is great, as I learned from checking out a few whole in the wall places, including lunch today at "the Chalet" near the Burj - they had everything on the menu from Arabic food to Asian cuisine for the tourists that frequent the area. Strangely, the place was run by Indians and the cooks were Lebanese. It's pretty common to find random ethnicities being represented around here simply because of the fact that Dubai is a convenient 3 hour flight from 3.1 billion people in this part of the world.

Anyway, I have so much more to share but i must tend to my sun burn...

Safe and Sound

26 hours later and here I am. The trip in was a bit of a journey, but well worth the wait! The weekend was full of surprises, starting with an impromptu visit from Daniela, who arrived on Friday morning in the midst of my last minute errands and packing. We had a fantastic evening with my parents, including a stellar bottle of '99 Lan Rioja (reserva) that I had been saving for a special occasion and some home videos that we cozied up and watched on my parents' bed. Daniela helped me pack the last of my things and I was ready to go for my flight on Saturday. Who should I see at the airport immediately after deplaning in Chicago? none other than Alexa, who somehow managed to talk her way through security and spend the 2 1/2 hour layover with me over margaritas and lots of laughter. I am still in disbelief that she was able to get through, but she is probably the only person I would ever have predicted could pull it off. The best leg of my trip was from London to Dubai - the British Airways crew was unbelievably friendly and their flights encourage consumption of alcohol, which I rightly needed with the little sleep I got on the flight to London. I was knocked out for a while and awoke to the Dubai skyline, with its unbelievable Las Vegas-lit glow and hazy cloud overhead from the humidity and heat that would slap us in the face once on the ground. Passport control took an hour, with HUNDREDS of people in line from all over the world. They say Dubai attracts 25,000 new residents a month, and I can understand why after my experience upon arriving.

Alane, the company's liaison, was there to greet me with our driver and we took a pleasant drive through the desert with the windows down to the villa. I arrived home around 2 am and we pulled through the cast iron gates into the compound. The house is charming, with a courtyard and a spacious living room upon entering. Connected to the living room off to the right is the kitchen, with wrap around counter space, granite counter tops, and lots of light. Through a second set of sliding doors are the bedrooms- during our orientation period we are sharing rooms, which I don't mind. We each have queen size beds and lots of room to move around. Each room is attached to its own bathroom, complete with a bidet and large shower. The apartment has IKEA style furniture, including the bookshelves and entertainment center in our living room. We are taken care of by a Turkish man named Hassan who serves as our cook and house keeper - he is around 30, great disposition, and very friendly. Today he is going to take me to the beach once I recover from my jet lag. It looks like this living arrangement is temporary until we are a bit more tenured with the company - by the spring we will likely have our own apartments and we should be getting our own cars soon as well. I will be sure to post pictures once I am settled. Hopefully no later than this evening..

New Links

While looking for the latest on Halloween festivities, I stumbled upon this blog. It's probably the best one I've found so far, with great links to hotels and restaurants and pretty extensive coverage of what's happening socially and economically. I should have thought to check earlier, but I was also unaware that a TimeOutDubai existed. I'll be using both resources to plan the next few weekends of my life...

My last weekend in Cleveland...

It's taken me a while to post footage from that last weekend in Cleveland... Here we are just after leaving my place in Ohio City.

6 days

I can't believe it's my last Sunday in America for quite a while. What's crazy is that Sunday nights are always so dreadful since they lead to Mondays when we all go to work... from here on out Saturday nights will be my evening to prep for the work week since many countries in the Middle East, including Israel, start their work week on Sunday and work through Thursday. This is based on the religions encompassing the region, but I will have to do a little more research before providing a good explanation as to the background story. The only thing that comes to mind is the Shabbat celebrated through Judaism, which in the book of Genesis is symbolized as the seventh day, after six days of creation. It's observed from sundown on Friday through Saturday evening, which would make sense to start the work week on Sunday.

An email from a future colleague of mine eluded to 11 hour days, 6 days a week (at least to start). Ouch! not looking forward to the schedule. Hopefully things pan out so that we can enjoy our time over there. This past week I've dealt with a nasty cold of sorts, which I assume is a combination of travel/fun/incessant spreading of germs on the subway in NYC. I have made numerous lists, none of which I have started to sort through. The airline has a 50 pound limit per bag - I am allowed to check 2, so deciding which 100 pounds of my possessions are essential has been rather difficult. Let's not forget that each suitcase probably weighs in around 10 pounds, so we're talking 80 pounds of clothes, shoes, pictures, and as many packs of Trident Splash and other random life essentials my side zipper pockets will allow.

I am flying American Airlines/British Airways to get there. Here's the itin:

12/27
Depart Rochester: 4:35 pm Arrive Chicago, O'Hare: 5:30 pm
Depart Chicago: 8:15 PM

12/28
Arrive London, Heathrow: 9:00 am
Depart London: 12:35 pm
Arrive Dubai: 11:20 pm

2 CONNECTIONS! I am a bit overwhelmed by the itinerary since I will have to go through Customs in London and claim my bags, then recheck them to get back into security and wait for my flight to the UAE where I will have to go through Customs AGAIN! Delta has direct flights to the UAE through Atlanta, which I am definitely going to mention to my employer when I get there.

Random things to consider when moving to the UAE.
Will I need an electric converter? Apparently, yes.
What's the postal system like?
Exchange rate
Weather
Dept of State advisories
History/Facts

The list goes on, but this is a start. And for the record, the culture is very liberal relative to other parts of the region. I will NOT have to wear a berka OR a hejab. Perhaps I should not speak too soon though. My curls may look a bit frightening once we hit 110 degree weather with 100% humidity. Perhaps it would be better to keep them tamed down for the summer months...

Dubai Salsa Festival

Salsa dancing in Dubai. Rest assured that my fire engine red heels are coming with me.

Under the Sea

I had heard a lot about this so-called underwater hotel, but had not actually read up on it until now. Check it out here! It's pretty incredible and is estimated to be completed by the end of this year, just in time for visitors.

Japan pictures are here!

Enjoy!



If you want to go at your own pace and look at the slide show in Picasa, click on the album below.

Japan

diamond in the rough

New York's been a bit of a whirlwind! I am awake this morning on 5 hours of sleep or so and will most likely start my morning with a run through central park since I'm on my own until lunch time. I have plenty of pictures from the weekend, which I will be posting when I get back to Rochester. In the meantime, several friends and family gave me a heads up about a 60 Minutes story on Dubai that I didn't get a chance to see last night. Fortunately, the wonderful world of online video streaming afforded me the opportunity to catch a peek this morning. The story covers two aspects of the city - its growth and its reluctance to take a more active approach in putting an end to human sex trafficking and the inhumane treatment of migrant laborers. With that said, rest assured that the city is very safe and I should have no problems holding my own as a woman in the workplace or when out and about on the town. I will obviously have a better idea once I arrive, but I know I have a lot to look forward to.

shrine hopping

The early to bed decision we made was a wise one since we had lots of things to see on Tuesday. The hotel started us out with a traditional Japanese breakfast - we arrived in our robes and slippers and had a table to ourselves waiting with steamed rice, miso soup, squid sushi, and an array of some other interesting, unknown nibblets. We visited several shrines, including the Nijo Castle that housed the Tokugawa Shogun and Kinkakuji, which is a pavilion covered in real gold!We had a chance to peruse the tourist district and take in some incredible views. The sky was a bit cloudy, but the silver blanket overhead made for some beautiful pictures. Mike and I took in some traditional tastes, including green tea ice cream and traditional tea time at the golden palace. The tea tasted a bit like water and grass frothed together in a blender, but it's apparently an ancient art form influenced by Zen Buddhism - it was described to me as the female Japanese art form wherein knowledge of calligraphy, flower arranging, and the kimono are also required. Male Japanese art forms are more common to us and come in the form of Karate and Sumo Wrestling, amongst others. The tea was served with sweet desserts filled with bean paste, which tastes rather sweet - it was really interesting but got me excited for a piece of dark chocolate and a glass of red wine upon my return home.
The weather was surprisingly warm considering the time of the year. We returned to Nagoya that evening and were pretty beat. Nonetheless, some edemame and yellowtail kept us up until about 4am. With about 4 hours of sleep under my belt, I was escorted to the airport and returned on my 1:05 flight home with a bag full of treats for friends and family back home, as well as some Pocky sticks for munching on the flight (my favorite). The trip lasted about 12 hours and I unfortunately did not manage to sleep at all. Regardless, it gave me a lot of time to reflect on my week, which was incredible. I wish we'd had more time, but my month is obviously going to fly by with November looming just a few weeks away. I think I watched about 4 movies on the flight and finished the Kite Runner, not without a gorgeous peek at the sun rising up ahead as we made our way over Alaska. The sky was incredible and I had to get out of my seat to take a picture from the crew's emergency exit window to capture something that so many others were sleeping through! All in all, this was a decision I'm glad I made! I can't believe how quickly the time flew by between the day I gave my notice at McMaster and now, but experiencing Japan was something I will never regret.

It's off to NYC for me tomorrow...

Kyoto

Monday morning led us to the train station and we hopped a ride to Kyoto which took about 3 hours. Kyoto gleamed with brilliant shopping centers, pachinko arcades, and shrines dating back several thousand years. My favorite district was in Gion, the former Geisha district prior to WWII. The streets were clean and dimly lit with lanterns that reflected off dark wooden buildings that today serve as home to Japanese style restaurants and shops.We decided to stay in a traditional Japanese style hotel. A beautiful, old woman in a Kimono led us to our room where we removed our shoes and stepped onto a bamboo mat-lined surface. A low table lay before us along with two silk red cushions where we sat indian style and sipped on green tea poured for us by our host. Sun hit the rice paper sliding door that led into a separate sitting room where we could share dinner or relax. We opted to hit up the hot springs instead that are common throughout Japan. Before doing so, we had to change into some fancy robes, which I found to be quite comfy and stylish...Now, Japanese hot springs are completely natural - no chlorine. So it's important to enter the bath as clean as possible. The baths are split up into men's and women's - when you enter the bath room, you get completely naked and sit on a little chair equipped with a faucet, pail, and soap/shampoo/face wash. So - yeah, I thought that would be awkward. You know, sitting on a small stool scrubbin' down with other women around, but I was alone and eventually slipped into the hot spring, a nice way to wind down after our long week of traveling.

Mike toured me around the city, which he knew pretty well.
We explored the shopping district and filled up on Shabu Shabu, a traditional Japanese-style meal. We took our shoes off at the door and relaxed on bamboo mats while we cooked our dinner in a large pot filled with boiling water that was served by a charming lady in a Kimono.

After dinner, we got to check out a Japanese video game arcade and took some shots in a Japanese photo booth. Pachinko is HUGE over there, but we were terrible at it! It literally felt like we were in one of those cages at the circus that house extreme motorcyclists who ride upside down. Just roaring loud - neon lights and the sound of pinballs EVERYWHERE!! We could not take the excitement any more and cabbed it home for a full night of sleep.

japeople watching

3 hours of sleep maybe? We checked out of the lovely Villa Fontaine and settled for a night at the Grand Hyatt. I hate to make another Lost in Translation reference, but this was seriously over the top. Every single person who saw us was all smiles, black suits, and lots of bows. lots and lots of bows. They are all so very appreciative and polite, often repeating the phrase "sank youberymuch, sankyoubery much..." Perhaps they are not as appreciative as they are simply unaware of the proper way to greet English speakers! Regardless, I was charmed and humored by our interactions. The hotel was glorious inside, with marble floors and looming chandeliers overhead. We basically hit a wall and didn't want to waste 1/2 a day looking for a place to stay, so we said.. why not? It was perfect.

A few subway rides and we were in the heart of Tokyo. We visited the Meiji Shrine, which was immense and spiritually moving. I felt a sense of calm and tranquility there - regardless of the hoards of tourists, there was an unspoken understanding to remain silent during our walk through.



Our exit from the shrine led us to Yoyogi park. If I could compare this place to anywhere in the world, I'd say it reminded me of San Francisco's golden gate park during Bay to Breakers. The best part is that it's a consistent party with freaks and musicians everywhere. Rockabillies, Harajuku girls, starving artists, and lots of toy dogs. We had a beer outside and people watched from a park bench.



We dragged our feet to the Tokyo Tower, which looks just like the Eiffel Tower - not very original, but bright and beautiful nonetheless. The scores of people in line sent us straight to our hotel where we got ready for another night out. We got a few shots of Shabuya square and hit up a night club where some cuervo and gin were consumed. We spent our time there dancing, and trying to figure out whether the DJ was in drag or whether it was simply a very tall woman with a masculine bone structure... Let's just say I fell asleep in the cab on the way home...

tokyo go go

Tokyo was exactly how I imagined it. Insane! I can't compare the energy I felt just from riding in, bright eyed and jaw dropped to thousands of neon lights and sounds. The stereotype that goes against every Japanese tourist I will rightly defend after having been there. Everything is so radically different that I found myself taking pictures of toilets, hand driers, grocery stores, sick people (they wear face masks if they have the flu to be courteous to their fellow healthy citizens!)... it's understandable why they make their once in a lifetime pilgrimage to Times Square, heads up, cameras out. I always hate on Times Square, but I basically went to a few major intersections in Tokyo just to experience the bright lights, thousands of people, and smells that you would crave after a film like Lost in Translation and the rush you get when you remember that you're on a completely different part of the world.

We trekked to our hotel which was a painful ¥5200 ($52) cab ride from our ideal night spots. After a long day of travel, Mike jumped on his bed only to make a loud thud noise from the thin futon that lay upon a hard surface of sorts. I followed suit, only to find that my pillow was a combination of thin cotton stuffing and beads! It was like sleeping on a bean bag. literally.

anyway, the sleep part didn't really happen that night since we went out on the town. We took the red line to SHIBUYA and found ourselves here



We were famished from the long day and stumbled upon a melt in your mouth standing sushi bar. The fish was fresh, chilled, and literally melted into our taste buds. We had three adorable sushi chefs waiting tentatively for anything on display that we pointed to. We washed everything down with a couple Kirins and trotted out on the town. Entertainment in Tokyo is out of this world, and it's common to see signs for bars and clubs stacked on top of one another - you eyeball a sign on floor 8, for example, and have to take an elevator that opens right into your destination. We mistakenly got off on the wrong floor while we were there and were ushered to the bar where we ended up having a drink anyway. Saturday evening was charming though, as we sat at the bar of a highrise bar, looking out over Shabuya square. We sipped on a couple glasses of Suntori and Makers Mark whiskeys and taught the bartender, Fumi, how to make an "Ireeesh cah bom".
We even invited him to do it with us, an offer he couldn't refuse. Even better, Fumi was a break dancer on the side and gave us some good tips on where to party in the area. The evening ended with some dancing and a long cab ride back to our hotel (Villa Fontaine).

real world dubai

I just got an email from the director of our program that was addressed to the group of people starting with me. FINALLY! I had been hoping for names and information about the people I am going to be living with, but they were a bit reluctant to provide me with anything until now. Everyone seems pretty normal and I was able to learn a bit more about them on facebook. What's great is that we all share a passion for international studies and business as well as a deep interest in the region. Of the 6 of us, 4 are women - 1 woman is Canadian and the rest of the group is American. We arrive at different points during October. It sounds like I'm going to be last to arrive, but I'll at least have some time to party with the group before starting my new job. I'm planning to take lots of pictures and video footage in case MTV is looking for a cast.

finally. sleep.

I had some time to myself yesterday morning and spent it surfing the red and purple subway lines until I found the orchid gardens located south of the Sakae stop downtown. The women working the welcome desk were all smiles when I walked in since my reaction to the entrance display of foliage was priceless. A sweet and rich aroma hit me and I glowed at the sight of the thousands of orchids lining the entryway. The lobby opened up into a temperature controlled green house that housed over 250 species of orchids. Japanese lanterns dangled from the ceilings and sun beamed in from the glass skylights overhead. I made my way outside to find fountains and ponds blanketed with lily pads and an array of exotic trees and plants from all over the world. The grounds are so beautiful that people often come here to get their wedding pictures taken - I had a chance to sneak a peak of a couple brides and their wedding parties.

After a while I ventured out to find an ATM and meet up with Mike for lunch. We met at the Gosiko stop near his school and he took me to an adorable little place run by two old Japanese women. His Japanese has been priceless since it's afforded us the opportunity to pop into various different holes in the wall and speak with the locals. We enjoyed a rice bowl with a stir fry of sorts and some miso soup before heading back to school. I had a chance to see him in action with his kids and participate in a lesson. The facilities here are top notch, but I could not get over the odd tradition of taking your shoes off before entering the actual building. I literally had to take off my "outdoor shoes" and walk around barefoot! Kids have indoor shoes, but I obviously didnt.. even to the bathroom.

I got a chance to party in downtown Nagoya and we ended up meeting a bunch of Americans on our way to the bars. Mike took me to the equivalent of a Japanese BW3 where we sipped on sake and filled up on edemame and genuine teriyaki chicken wings, which they're famous for here. We stopped at a couple night clubs that were swarming with Americans and played lots of music from Rhianna to Jay-Z. The new Kanye has not penetrated the club scene yet, but I was told by one of the DJs that it would be here soon. We danced until what felt like 3 am and I of course drank enough to try teaching a Japanese woman how to salsa dance. She was actually the girlfriend of a former NBA basketball player who lives and works as an assistant coach to a Nagoya team here. I cant remember his name, but he seemed to have a big following when we were out.I finally slept a full evening, which felt amazing. I'm still a bit tired from the fun last night, but I'll have a chance to sleep on the train to Tokyo. I think it takes a couple hours from Nagoya. We'll be there a couple days and then we're headed to Kyoto on Monday. The weather is gorgeous again today, so it should make for a fun weekend.

'san' day!

day numero san (three in Japanese). I honestly could fly back today and be a happy woman. I have had the time of my life so far. I walked miles and explored the subways and streets of Nagoya yesterday. Started off with a trek to the castle, which was breath taking. The original castle was destroyed during WWII, but the replicated version preserved the mystique and beauty of the spot. A tangle of exotic plants lined the gardens that were shaded by neatly trimmed bonsai trees and weeping willows. I ventured to the downtown area, where I was glared at like a celebrity with my cowboy boots, big curls, and unusually tall height! Apparently there is a large Brazilian population in Japan because many of them work with Toyota - that said, I was asked by a shop owner if I was from Brazil at which point I stumbled and blurted out something in English finished with a "konichiwa, origato" which means, "hello, thank you". That's all I know how to say, or at least that's all my mind will allow me to remember when expected to say something.

I did learn how to say something new last night. "Please try hard!"- this is what they shout consistently at their baseball games. Mike got home from school to find me awakening from a cat nap. I'm still not over the jet lag, but my excitement wakes me up early in the morning and keeps me up at night. I slipped into my Paul O'Neill tshirt and we were off to the subway to meet his friends. Apparently you can't get in trouble here for drinking in public, so we sipped on some grapefruit wine coolers that tasted a bit like Fresca while we waited for the train. As we grew closer to the stadium, fans poured into our car until we were pressed up against one another, grasping onto the plastic white rings overhead. The energy was incredible and the walk through the subway stop to the stadium was just as I had expected - shiny action shots of each player and snapshots of victories and team unity. As we reached the Dragon's dome, we were hit with a wave of smells and sounds. Everything from Chinese food to trumpets, techno music, and a pulse fueled by drums and trumpets that would not subside until the game was over. The fans are relentless and on queue consistently with each cheer. There is no swearing, no peanuts, no mess, no belligerence, no silence during pitches. Just consistent energy and innocent positivism from the crowd. At one point, we accidentally spilled a beer where we were sitting. Moments later we were approached by two women in white uniforms holding rolls of toilet paper- they diligently got on their hands and knees and started scrubbing and drying up the mess. People around us were so irritated by the spill that they even got up and moved to different seats! I kept thinking how appalled a Japanese baseball fan would be at a sox/yanks game and missed home for a fleeting second. Rather than shouting the encouraging obscenities we so often here in American sports, Japanese fans simply yell "please try hard, _____ <-- (players's name)". adorable.

The Dragons won in the 12th inning and we stumbled out of the park into a cab who eventually refused to take us anywhere because our destination was apparently too close and he wanted to make more money. The cab doors here open and close automatically, by the way! It's amazing. I went to reach for the door handle and it swung open and shut as I got in and out of the car. We eventually found someone who would take us to a Karaoke bar where we had our own private room and thousands of songs to choose from. Mike and I sang for about an hour and filled the room with harmonic duos echoing the lyrics of sir-mix-a-lot, Journey, Toto, and Juanes.
I'm off on my own again this morning. I found an orchid garden in my travel book that I am looking forward to checking out. I also need to find an ATM, which I have had no luck doing thus far. I'm meeting up with Mike for lunch and some fun at his school. Not sure what's in store, but it will be cool to meet his kids and see what the education system is like here. Tomorrow we leave for Tokyo...

ohayo

One of my earliest memories of wanting to come to Japan stems from a Sesame Street movie about big bird in Japan. He was amused that everyone here was from Ohio, when really they were just saying good morning (ohayo), as was confirmed today when I awoke to a smiling friend that I just traveled a long way to see.

I got in safe last night on a flight direct from Detroit to Nagoya. I'm not sure what channeled my desire to come here, but I figured that if I was going to do anything fun with my life while I had no work to do whatsoever, I might as well do a trip somewhere I'd probably never venture to again on my own. Japan seemed like a logical step! I have no itinerary whatsoever but to have fun. Today Mike set me up with a map, a metro card, and kindly lent me his phone so that I can do some exploring. I'm going to visit the Nagoya Castle and do some people watching on the subway. I am really excited to check out some local grocery stores too. I went to a Circle K drug store last night after I arrived and was amused by just about everything from the cleanliness of the bathroom to the kobe beef jerky on display. I also hit up a hole in the wall reggae bar where I found a super chill Japanese man with a slow, broken "engrish" accent working the tiny bar that was peppered with locals in dread locks and festive hair weaves and piercings. I think the Christina Aguilera version of "No Woman No Cry" that was somehow woven with Japanese backup singers really set the mood.

Tonight we are heading to a Chunichi Dragons game. Apparently baseball is out of control here with everything from world cup soccer-like fans to cheerleaders. I brought my Paul O'Neil t-shirt so hopefully I get some street credit with my adoration for the Yankees who are in the PLAYOFFS!! Wish I could sit around and watch some baseball this week, but I would have to do it over breakfast since we are 13 hours ahead of NYC. Anyway, off to explore. Pictures to follow.