awesome.

Click here for the UAE national anthem.

The video actually does a really great job of depicting the country's heritage and natural beauty. What's even cooler is that I live no more than a 2 hour drive from just about everything showcased.

terrorism has no religion

I was taken aback by a political ad that came on yesterday and had to share it. This commercial is frequently shown across Arabic channels. I can't blame people for being concerned with my decision to move across the globe, but I was definitely frustrated with the general misconceptions about the region. Dubai, of all places, is the most politically sterile place I've ever been. There is definitely national and cultural pride, but as far as having a political divide goes, there is none. If anything, there is unity amongst the masses to sustain a peaceful and accepting culture in order to maintain the ideals set forth by Islam.

My biggest frustration is with the American media and its reluctance to convey an accurate portrait of Middle Eastern culture and values. Considering how far we've come as a country with embracing culture, race, and even homosexuality, I find it frustrating that the media has propagated the idea that Arabs=terror. I have only had positive encounters with everyone since I got here - the rich, poor, Egyptian, Syrian, Kuwaiti, Iraqi, Omani, Lebanese, etc. Islam is a religion that shares peaceful and altruistic values with other widely accepted religions like Christianity and Buddhism. My Muslim friends here are more morally disciplined than anyone I know in the United States, as they refrain from abusing alcohol, drugs, or harvesting negative thoughts and feelings about others. I have already learned so much from them.
The misconceptions about this culture and region are real and unavoidable, which is why there are now commercials (on this side of the globe) and web sites designed by local non-profits whose mission is to help people understand and stick to their Muslim values and join together against terror. It's such a shame that Americans never get to see this side of things.

'Terrorism has no religion' is the web site that aired the political ad I included above. It's purpose is heroic and something to be admired. Hopefully it starts getting some attention in the Western world.

Their Campaign:

All religions, human codes and ethics, and even our most primitive intuition regard terrorism to be villainous. True Islam also rejects and condemns terrorism.

‘Terrorism has no religion’ is our on-going communication campaign against extremist ideology that breeds terrorism, and we use Quranic Verses in their true Islamic meaning; free of the distortion committed by the misguided malicious terrorists.

Click here to learn more.

and then there were four

Last night was a bit emotional for a few reasons. Apart from learning that the Giants and Pats will be facing off in the Super Bowl, we took a late night drive by the airport to bid farewell to Will. The last few months have been quite emotional, between surviving the holidays on our own to simple cultural indigestion. The office, in particular, is a tough place and it’s not for everyone. Sparing everyone the painful details of the local/privately owned sector and its made-up bureaucratic nonsense, and it is nonsense, I’ll simply say that Will was inspired to embark on an “epic” journey to Mongolia where he will be riding across the country on his own for an indefinite period of time on a horse.

I know, I thought he was kidding too the first time I heard the news. But he reassured me that he was serious and was already studying Cyrillic, which is the primary alphabet used throughout Russia and thereabouts. Mongolian horses are apparently much smaller, resembling ponies versus large horses, so he will probably be traveling on his own horse and bringing a pack horse with him as well. The staple alcoholic beverage over there is fermented horses milk, or kumis, and the temperature this time of year ranges between -35F and -2F. Maybe he'll cross paths with this guy, who's apparently been golfing across Mongolia on his own as well. I think Will's going to hold off before starting his trip because of the weather, but hopefully he continues to post on his blog with great pictures and tall tales of his encounters with snow creatures, mongoloids, killer vodka, and communists.

censored

Today I tried viewing a friend's flickr page and saw this:This happens to me all the time for attempting to view seemingly harmless pages. I’m not sure how the government prompts such sensors to appear, but it’s pretty frequent. Or perhaps my taste in web surfing is completely against the UAE code of conduct. Either way, since I live and work in parts of Dubai where local laws apply, so go the censorship laws. Apparently working and living in free zones allows you to surf unblocked sites, as the laws are slightly different and not as strict in order for non-traditional businesses to operate (MTV, CNN, Duty Free in the airport free zone). Next time you log onto skype.com think of me since we can’t even access that here!

999

999 is apparently the UAE equivalent to 911 in the US. Motorists made more than 12,000 calls to Dubai police yesterday. To say the least, I was really confused at how a little rain over the last 3 days could shut down an entire city - a financial hub of the Middle East, for that matter. I realized driving home from work, a trip that should take me 30 minutes but lasted 1 1/2 hours last night, that there are no gutters or drains in the UAE. It simply never rains here, so any water that accumulates creates large ponds on the road. This morning, Al Khawaneej road, which is 4 lanes across, was reduced to 1 lane with flood waters. Schools were closed, people were told to go home early, and cars were being pushed by men waist deep in storm water on the road. We complain about there not being enough salt trucks and plows on the road back home. Here, they employ men to drive huge tankers around with suction hoses attached that suck up storm pools off the road. Unfortunately, there were not enough of them to really dry things up in time for rush hour. The good news: the forecast will be looking a little brighter for the weekend with dry weather in the high 60s, just in time for the Dubai Marathon, which I will most definitely be attending this Friday. Things should get exciting since Sheikh Mo has promised the winner of the marathon a $1 million award. The same prize will go to the winner of the 10k. Setting a world record for either event will merit an additional $1 million. I may need to invest in some good running shoes for next year...

28 days later

Well, no, zombies did not take over Dubai today, but it looked like the intro to one of my favorite movies after seeing shots of the city today share an eerie resemblance to the barren streets of London in Danny Boyle's little slice of horror. Here are some more pictures of one of the most traffic-stricken cities in the world. I was stuck on Sheikh Zayed road for over an hour getting home from Abu Dhabi last week - amazing what a little American politics can do to a place.

This is the way I take to get home from the beach (Business Bay Crossing)

Sheikh Zayed Road. One of the most traffic-congested streets in Dubai
Another shot of Sheikh Zayed Road
My downtown route. I'm usually delayed 30 minutes here when visiting clients.
A view of the road coming home from the Burj Al Arab.

at least he's good for something

Above: Pres Bush giving some love to Sheikh Mo at the Royal Stables

George W may be arriving a bit late to the Middle East, but at least he timed his trip around my Monday. This week in particular has been busier than any week in the history of weeks. The rainy weather does not help the crazed locals keep things safe on the roads either. I had to teach Abu Baker how to use the defrost on his windshield yesterday evening and explain that there are multiple settings on his windshield wipers since he never uses either. He was so impressed at how much I knew about cars - little did he know that knowing how to defrost your windshield is a necessarily evil where I come from.

Getting to my point, yesterday I had to do work with one of our clients at the Intersec trade show at the Dubai World Trade Center. All in all, it was a lot of fun, a little exhausting, and quite a pain in the butt trying to get media to show up since traffic was backed up about 3 hours from where we were located. Weather played a factor, but apparently heightened security was the biggest concern with Bush coming into town. Would you believe that the havoc wreaked upon the city yesterday with his arrival led the UAE government to call for a public holiday today! We were all advised at 5 pm on Sunday to stay home on Monday. All roads are closed into downtown Dubai and everyone in the public and private sectors have the day off, which means I get to do work at home in my scrubs and sweatshirt. The weather has been pretty dreary as well, with flood waters and downpours but I think it will accommodate a good nap while I'm home today.
Follow these links for some local news on Bush's visit:
Gulfnews
Reuters
ameinfo

What will they think of next

Seriously. You've got to be kidding me. Click here if you want to understand how much money some people in this crazy world have.

A day in this life

Just about everyone in Dubai drives a Toyota or a Range Rover. It never rains, but the days it does are frighteningly exciting. We wash our cars here to remove sand, not salt or slush. A hand car wash costs $8 for 6 men to thoroughly scrub down your car with professional hoses and suds, complete with interior vacuuming, glossed tires, an Armoraled dashboard, and Windex to every last inch of smudged glass. Gas stations sell strawberry milk, chocolate milk, plain milk, yogurt milk, camel milk, fresh fruit, Indian food, fresh squeezed orange juice, and Funyuns; architecturally, they are more advanced than the futuristic BP convenience stores back home. The standard work week in Dubai is Saturday through Thursday. Friday is the Lord's day. Many websites are blocked here because they go against local values, take Flickr for example. American sodas like Dr. Pepper and Coke Zero go for about a dollar, but you can buy a 1 liter bottle of mango juice for $.50. A full tank of gas here will set you back about $10. There are not enough parking spots to accommodate the number of cars in this city. It’s not uncommon for migrant construction workers to throw themselves in front of oncoming traffic because they are worth more to their families dead than alive. Most of the service industry here is Filipino and Indian. They don’t sell sticks of gum here, just chicklet-sized squares that come in deceiving wrappers that appear to hold sticks of gum. I can’t find dark chocolate anywhere. Yesterday I had Caribou Coffee after work. Starbucks is down the street. So is Panera. Mixed nuts are tastier and crunchier here. Half full moons actually appear half full and not half sideways. Highway signs never explain whether you’re driving east or west, north or south; they simply list city names, which means you've got to know where you're going . There are no 18 wheelers in Dubai. Camels have the right of way (they seriously do). There is only one cell phone provider and that’s it. They don’t recycle here. Just about everyone speaks English. Most phones do not have voice mail or call waiting. Britney Spears makes headlines on the English morning radio. No one here has ever heard of Twizzlers. The warmest article of clothing in my wardrobe here is a suit jacket. The food court at the mall has a selection of Burger King, Indian food, 3 Lebanese places, Sushi and KFC. There are policemen, but they don’t patrol the highways for speeders – they have automated radar poles for that. Last month over 1 million speeding tickets were issued in Dubai. “Sunday drivers” don’t exist here. The radio stations are broadcasted in English, Arabic, Urdu, Hindi, and Tagalog. People picnic in the desert with their families. I wake up to the harmonious morning call to prayer from the local mosque, which is chanted 5 times a day. My new favorite soft drink is ginger beer. Indians and Pakistanis have an affinity for scotch, which they start drinking at home during their teens. We don’t drink tap water, just bottled. A complete manicure and pedicure cost only $20. Tampons are somewhat taboo here, which means 2 or 3 boxes tucked somewhere amongst the wall holding 10 brands of maxi pads to chose from. We don’t have Walmarts or Targets but we have Hypermarkets, which is like Walmart on steroids. A night at the only 7 star hotel in the world will set you back about $2000 and to simply enter the premises you need a reservation at one of their bars or restaurants that will cost at least $75 per person. You can charter yachts here to party on with your friends for about $2000. An abra ride across the Dubai creek costs $.27. The sunset never ceases to amaze me and it’s free to watch from just about anywhere. It’s illegal to drive around with a closed container of alcohol unless you have a special license. Sidewalks are hard to come by, so are Americans, hoppy beer, warm clothes, dogs, and video rentals. Bus stops are air conditioned. We are a 3 hour flight from 3.1 billion people. The high today during the dead of winter was 68 degrees.

2 months deep

I just realized that with the Eid holiday I took a break from posting as well. So much has happened in the last 3 weeks it's hard to know where to begin! I think the best way to illustrate my adventures will probably be through a picasa album of sorts, but I'll recap on what Christmas and New Years in Dubai shaped up to be.
The 5 days off we got was welcomed with thorough relaxation and some last minute planning that led to a road trip to Oman. I had been wanting to visit Muscat, which proved to be quite the impromptu journey. The drive over was a spectacle between the camel sightings, goats trotting alongside border control, and jagged Hajar mountains. There was no plan in place but to follow signs to Muscat, which we were able to successfully accomplish with some off-roading here and there to check out the east coast with its hidden sea shell beaches and humble mosques that echoed the occasional call to prayer along Oman's barren shores. Muscat was nothing like I expected - the loud, noisy capital city I had anticipated ended up being quite the contrary- very traditional, lots of fishermen, not too many tourists, very little pollution. We went a bit crazy with our cameras since there was so much to capture, but it was well worth the effort after seeing how our pictures turned out.



Coming home was a little odd since it really didn't feel like Christmas. I stopped by the store and picked up a couple stockings to decorate as well as gold and metallic green pipe cleaners and some other festive kitsch. My sister managed to send Bing Crosby via email as well as a little Nat King Cole and Eydie Gorme's 'Navidad means Christmas' <- probably my favorite Christmas album of all time. All in all, the effort I put into the holiday was enough to keep me satisfied. Mom sent over a fruit cake, twizzlers, Godiva, and some garland to keep the house in high spirits. Hotels in Dubai are decked out with perfectly decorated trees, bows, lights, you name it. I was really impressed at how well these Arabs know how to prepare for the holiday season! On Christmas Day we ventured over to a place called Bahri Bar which overlooks the Madinat Jumeirah's creek and the Burj Al Arab. We sipped on Mojitos and watched Santa Claus ride around in an abra while he whipped at plastic reindeer that hung off the front of the boat. The afternoon was accompanied by a Philippine band that belted out the staple holiday tunes, and perhaps some not so staple ones including "Hands Up" and "I Shot the Sheriff".

12/31 was wild as well since the locals really love ringing in the new year. Hotels and restaurants on average were charging at least 400 dirhams (a little over 100 bucks) to get in. I found a pretty good deal at a Cuban night club called Malecon that was located at the Dubai Marine Resort. Aside from the open bar, the crowd, service, and music were amazing, not to mention the colorful fireworks display that exploded at midnight. People were packed up and down Jumeirah beach road trying to get home but we played our cards right and sprinted to a friend's house close by instead. I think around 3:30 am I ran close to a mile in a strapless dress, barefoot down Jumeirah beach road without stopping. Must have been something in those mojitos...

The rest of the week can't really be put into words but it involved a bit of shisha, sunset spotting from all over the Arabian peninsula, skydiving over the desert, snorkeling off the northern coast of Oman, riding alongside dolphins, and a few abra rides and good conversation with Subcontinental ex-pats who gave us tips on cheap, authentic Pakistani food and help on getting around the UAE (when in doubt, go straight). I may need to post pictures in segments since there are quite a bit to show, but for now here's a start.

'tis the season

Today marks the beginning of Eid ul-Adha, which means we have 3 days off this week (5 including the weekend)! Since Christmas is not considered a public holiday here, we'll take whatever time we can get. It's been a little tough getting into the holiday season with the warm weather and lack of loud Christmas decorations everywhere, but we've managed. A few of us came well-equipped with Christmas music, and Sarah's mom managed to send a pin-up Christmas tree and festive decorations for the house. I think I'll be heading to Spinney's, our favorite grocery store, for some more festive trinkets this afternoon.

We recently found ourselves hankering for some hot chocolate and snow, but such a combination in the desert seemed a little far-fetched. In Dubai, however, the possibilities are endless, and we soon found ourselves coasting around the chilly ice rink of the Grand Hyatt. The set-up is pretty cool since you've got a 3 story galleria within the hotel where guests can go shopping and walk around. Each level looks down into a modest rink, complete with skate rentals and disco dance music, just like they used to play at the roller-skating rink back in the day. I was a complete disgrace compared to the skills that Will and Christine brought with them from years of hockey and figure skating between the two of them. My roller-blading skills from before didn't quite translate to the ice as well as I wished they would. Nevertheless, we had a blast and I definitely felt a bit more in the Christmas spirit when we were done.

The time off this week will likely lead to a road trip to Oman and possibly Yemen. There are apparently a few hurdles we have to figure out before entering Yemen with visa requirements, but Muscat is no more than 4 hours away and I've only heard wonderful things about it. This past weekend we went exploring up the coast and stumbled upon a marshy beach near Umm al Quwain. We caught some fresh camel footprints in the sand and the timing ended up being perfect since the sun was setting just before we left. The pictures of the horizon were breathtaking

For the holiday next week we're expecting visits from old friends, home-cooked food, and a big meal at Devon and Andrew's place, complete with a Christmas tree and crackling fire. Actually, the crackling fire is a dvd that plays crackling sounds and Christmas music, but we'll take what we can get.

Al Tanoura

This song is one of my favorites. They used to play it at Kan Zaman in Cleveland where Iwould dabke all night long with Nadia in tow. I heard it today on my way into work and it put me in the best mood. Thought I'd share.

the grass is not greener on this side since we don't have any

I'm not sure when it's normal to start missing home. I already knew I was going to miss things before I'd even left, which probably contributed to my fabulous life in the months preceding my departure since I embraced things I knew I'd have to let go of forever, or at least for a very long time. I started appreciating things like transvestites holding doors open for me at my old apartment, rain clouds, and copper pennies. I'm a bit humored by the things that have been pulling at my heart strings in recent weeks since most of them would not have made my list a year ago:

friends and family of course...
seeing my breath when it's cold
npr
college football season
YES network
Steelers fans
really tasty latin food
people on crack (i.e. W 25th st - Ohio City)
the projects (i.e. W 25th st - Ohio City)
the OC (i.e. W 25th st - Ohio City)
Great Lakes
lebron
corned beef hash and sweet potato fries
pine tree branches weighed down with heavy snow
gray storm clouds and napping on rainy/snowy days
CVS
pumping my own gas
Johnny Mango
The Garage Bar
India Pale Ales
grassy lawns
Christmas decorations and seasons greetings
the race for the white house
light yellow egg yolks (they are orange here)
scarves
heinens and wegmans
new movies
american accents
starburst fruit chews
mom's fruit cake
good, cheap wine and cheese
sidewalks
eastern standard time
Bounce, the gay nightclub I used to live next door to
frosted mini wheats
8th continent soy milk
Zen salon pedicures
The one and only.. Velvet Tango Room
Tremont
clearly marked street signs
zip codes
karaoke
live bar bands
the McMaster Christmas party
I'm sure this list will change and grow with time. I'm only 5 weeks into this gig, so I've got quite a while to go. Please never take any of the above for granted if it applies to you since these are the little things we rarely think about until we no longer have them around. Mind you, I have so much to be thankful for from the short time I've been in Dubai. I realize how apparent that is just from looking back at previous blog postings and reflecting on each day...

We actually celebrated UAE National Day this past weekend. Wouldn't you know that His Highness Shiekh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Princess Raya had their first baby together on UAE National day! It was a proud day for them both. The best part about UAE National Day for us was the long weekend! I had a chance to meet up with Faisal straight from work on Thursday and we enjoyed dinner at The Noodle House in the Emirates Towers where he works. After that, we headed over to one of my favorite spots in Dubai Media City (Barasti bar) for some drinks on the beach and good music. Saturday night I finally got a chance to check out 360, one of Dubai's most fantastic clubs. It has a breathtaking view overlooking the Gulf, the Burj Al Arab, the stars, and the cityscape. All this is accompanied by live DJs and your choice of a bed to lay on and enjoy shisha or a 360 degree, two-story roof top dance floor positioned deep into the salty shores.

This weekend I missed out on the Dubai Rugby 7s, but got a chance to catch some of the action from Waxy O'Connors in Bur Dubai via the Ascot Hotel. It was only 65 Dirhams for an all you can eat Irish breakfast AND an early dinner plus 5 drink stubs. We spent Sunday relaxing by the pool at Fitness First where we work out, and then a nice dinner to polish off the weekend.

I've found some great new music to compliment my commute and workouts in the morning. It also serves as good music to bring along to the pool and the beach... quite a change from what I was listening to back home, but it's new and I love new music. I'll be posting more pictures and potential sounds soon, so stay tuned.

skype me

For those of you who aren't familiar with skype, it's a pretty resourceful tool to communicate with friends in every corner of the world. If you have it, my name is "sweetsrini" - please add me as your friend and we can voice or video chat. If you don't have a mic, no worries since normal chatting is a basic function of the program as well. If you don't have skype, it's easy to download. There are other programs such as oovoo.com and the oh-so popular ichat (AIM). Adium is not so bad, but I don't believe it offers voice or video chatting capabilities. Regardless, I do hope to see some more names logged into my buddy list soon. In the meantime, I'm open to suggestions and recommendations of other platforms that work well for staying in touch across multiple bodies of water.

good tidings

I was really impressed at how well stocked the grocery stores were here with all the necessary ingredients when we went shopping for our big meal on Friday. We opted out of Thursday cooking since we'd all had a long day at work, but a good beach day gave us time to put a list together and prepare a pretty extensive menu. Sarah and I rolled up our sleeves and got to work, cooking up the following:

-Roasted Chicken with cranberry sauce (The smallest turkeys we could find were frozen and weighed in at 22 pounds!)
-sweet potato casserole
-green bean casserole with REAL French's fried onions
-impromptu stuffing with chopped celery, dates, onions, whole wheat bread, and nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger (we were really proud of this since it was made 5 minutes before we ate and we came up with the recipe ourselves)
-ali oli
-pumpkin dump
-home made garlic bread
-refried beans
-warm, toasted pita


We feasted with our friend Devon from work and her boyfriend Andrew, washing the meal down with our scarce stock of beer and tullamore dew. Alcohol is so hard to find here! Last time we stocked up was about 3 weeks ago- we drove 2 hours up the coast to Umm Al Quwain to a hidden, non-taxable liquor store called The Barracuda. Since alcohol alters the mind, which goes against Islam, it's a scarce resource and highly taxed if you buy it legally. In fact, you need a special license to purchase it here, something which none of us own. So the secret is to make friends bring things back from duty free on their way back into the country or drive to the barracuda... sigh. I miss IPAs and cheap, red wine with dinner!

Anyway, life goes on and we managed to still make it out that night to an actual bar, where drinks still cost an arm and a leg, but rightly so with the beach at our toes and the moon at our back. Life isn't so bad. So far the week has been busy as usual. I'm still not used to Tuesday marking the middle of my week since Thursday creeps up on us before we know it and then we're faced with the weekend. This time around we have a day off since 12/2 is UAE national day. We have another holiday coming up on 12/20 that will allot us a 4 day weekend - hopefully we get our passports back since they are processing our work visas at the moment. If they are ready, I think we might do a road trip to Oman. They have some pretty neat caves and beaches that I've been reading about in local travel magazines. Arabic road trips so far, as proven from our trip to Umm Al Quwain, can be quite fun. We managed to see a wild camel and the largest, most hot pink, electric sun set I have ever witnessed driving northeast up the coast - not to mention, the Arabic and Bhangra that comes through on about 7 different stations really livens up the car.

Fortunately, Will has had his camera out a bit more to document our adventures. It's about time since he is very talented. Check out his picasa link here. There are a couple albums highlighting our Thanksgiving feast preparation, as well as our day at the beach and some shots of our neighborhood.

sansgeebing

What a week it's been so far. These long days haven't caught up with me yet since it's all still so new. It's really fast-paced and interesting work. Sometimes I could rip my hair out, but I remember days where I was so bored in Cleveland that time seemed to stand still. I like having a full plate. It keeps things interesting and keeps me challenged more so than I've ever been.
I've got a rare case of Thanksgiving blues. It goes in phases. I never thought I'd get this nostalgic, but it's hard not to after looking at pictures or listening to Celia Cruz. I'm not sure which is worse - letting the week pass by as if there were nothing to celebrate, or reminiscing about full bellies, salsa dancing, and loud, Latin people.

I just Skyped with my family, actually, and my dad passed mom's lap top around. i saw about 20% of the Thanksgiving (latino pronunciation: sahns-geebing) guests - people are still trickling in to my uncle's place, girls were shopping, boys were gluttoning - everyone follows a structured itinerary that my tia puts on the fridge to ensure a safe and enjoyable stay at the 'Rosales Resort'. Someone's always cooking for 60 and the poor guests sit in agony as they soak up the aroma of arepas, indian food, tortilla espanola, cuban coffee, and much more. i think tomorrow i'll call around midnight my time and get passed around the big circle of laughter and tears that ensues before the big feast. My tio Joaquin usually has had a few budweisers before thanking everyone for coming and expressing how much he loves us all. He always reads a prayer or a poem through his fogged-up lenses before getting a bit misty-eyed and telling my tia Esther how in love with her he is (that part always gets me going). The circle continues. We go around every year as if it were the first, reflecting on the year, reminding one another why we make such a long trip to be together. I personally look forward to the Friday feast over Thursday's white meat and cranberry sauce since the low country boil that takes place is mighty tasty. Although it is pretty entertaining watching my cousins chase my mom down on Thanksgiving to see where she has hidden the dark meat turkey neck in the house, which she fights desperately for with a bottle of tabasco sauce and a lime.My tia Ana is always out with her camera taking pictures of everything she sees. I am usually there with her to capture shots of living room dance parties, cots to accommodate all the cousins, soup-kitchen style lines for food, random family members napping, and lots of extended arm-out shots of ourselves together.

We have a Thanksgiving crayon picture that Will drew of our "family" here on the fridge. I would post a picture of it, but my inner child came out to play on my birthday and i sadly lost my camera with all the pictures from the weekend. I am still rather annoyed about the whole situation since I know exactly where it is, but the sketchy "cab" we solicited to take us home is long gone. I'm better off shopping around for a new and improved one in the meantime. We have some tricks up our sleeves for what to feast on tomorrow. In the meantime, I'm going to get a good night of sleep and dream of Thanksgivings to come. happy turkey day. i will dream of mashed potatoes in the meantime. I tried date-flavored camel milk today. I wonder how that would fare as a substitute to the normal milk mom uses in her creamy mashed potatoes...

quarter century isn't so bad

I always think about posting during the week and then life catches up with me before I can sit down and type something. I'm also a bit overwhelmed by how much I want to share since everything here is so new and different. Posting always seems a bit daunting when it's time to convey the week I've had. I will say that this week was pretty wild. Work, in particular, was busy in a good way. I am juggling a lot of things at the moment, but it's manageable. I'd say the best part of my job so far has been getting to meet with clients. Things are very fast-paced and last minute so it's not uncommon to get invitations to client meetings or events and drop everything at a moments notice. This week I had a chance to meet up with a client for a promotional event at the Dusit Hotel. This hotel, by the way, is in the coolest building and the staff is incredible. It's like a scene out of the King and I upon entering the gorgeous, black marble lobby, adorned with fountains, flowers, and golden sculptures. Our client was launching the web site for a new Diabetes awareness coalition and the attendees included some higher-ups from the Ministry of Health. I got a chance to bump elbows with His Excellency Humaid Mohamed Al Qutami (the minister of health) and meet some journalists from Dubai Media and Dubai 1. We had a delicious lunch after the launch on the 24th floor of the Dusit overlooking the Burj Dubai and Sheikh Zayed road. Not too many complaints from this end!

The weekend has been a whirlwind with birthday celebrations. I will say that I woke up a year ago and decided that this year was going to be the best year of my life, and it really has worked out that way. I am loving life and will be really fortunate if 25 is even better. We kicked off the festivities with salsa dancing on Thursday night! I'm so lucky to live with a latina who enjoys shaking her hips just as much as I do. We got dolled up and met up with friends for some latin love. I had a chance to move around a bit before we headed over to the Madinat Jumeira. Saturday was glorious, with a full day at the beach followed by my own homemade meal for the house mates. I cooked up some pasta with pesto and garlic sauce, accompanied by my ali-oli that tastes good on just about anything. There's no need for modesty here since I'll admit - it's one of the most delicious things in this world! We hopped over to the Dubai Marine Resort, scattered with bars and clubs overlooking the Gulf. I met a fun group of Lebanese men who caught wind that it was my birthday, so they pumped me full of shots before we all headed over to a Lebanese night club with live Arabic music and dabke (one of the most fun things to do with your feet)!!! I am honestly sore all over from the festivities.
I've been a bit of a bum today after waking up at noon and getting lost with Sarah as we tried finding the Mall of the Emirates. Once we got there, we meandered over to Ski Dubai and checked out the slopes - no skiing today, but it was really something! I felt a bit childish peering into the huge window that showcases humans skiing indoors, but you really have to see it to believe it. Zaatar to finish off the night and now just feet up and head back while I respond to the amazing people that filled my day with loving emails and messages wishing me a happy birthday. I am indeed a lucky lady.

a week in progress!

First full week on the job and things are going really well! I'm sure I may be a bit bright-eyed considering it's still early, but I definitely feel more integrated into my role with the company and have a better understanding of what I'm going to be doing. Considering the busy week and the delay on getting our cars, we have been coming home every night and rationing the bottles of rum and vodka that Sarah brought for us from duty free or watching DVDs that I brought from home. We have a meager selection since I was concerned about excess weight on the plane, but I think we've got a good list to keep us occupied for now.
I have packed some fun into the last few days. We took a cab to the Madinat Jumeirah, where Alex and I ventured during my first few days here. The place is peppered with shops and clubs, so we enjoyed some shisa under the stars, ordered a glass of avocado juice (it's delicious!), and took in some views of the tourists and neon-lit Burj Al Arab just across the beach. We met up with Faisal at JamBase, and danced amongst other jovial ex-pats to jazzy hip hop and covers to the latest pop songs.


After a late morning of snoozing, we made our way to the Dubai Souk in Bur Dubai, which is a predominantly Indian/Pakistani neighborhood. We passed up and down quiet alleys that lingered with the smell of Diwali-inspired incense, adorned with bright bugamvilia and marigold wreaths. A few photo opps later and we found ourselves amongst a crowd of Indian, Sri-Lankan, and Bangladeshi male ex-pats awaiting the abras located on the Dubai creek. Feeling a bit overwhelmed by the testosterone, we opted to head back to the market and browse tshirts and gifts before making our way back home.
The debate over the evening's plans came to a quick halt after a friendly invitation from Abu Baker (pronounced: AH-boo BEHkur) and his cousins to join them on a desert picnic not too far from our house. We weren't sure what to bring, so we made a salad and ventured out in AB's 4 wheel drive FJ Cruiser to the dunes. Along the way we passed scores of dirt bikes and 4 wheelers revving up to tackle the dark, soft hills that seemed to stretch beyond the night sky. I was amazed at the number of families parked deep into the desert, but they were everywhere. It was a miracle they didn't all get stuck in the sand as we did... for several hours with the help of friendly passers-by who joined in to push us out. Regardless of car-troubles, it was quite an experience. The sand was cold and smooth under our feet and we built a fire on top of a dune that propped us up high enough to look over our neighbors. The stars were brilliant and in the distance we could hear the sound of traditional emirate drum beats and Arabic singing. Our dinner of somewhat sandy and overcooked chicken and beef hot dogs could not have been more delicious after the evening's car problems and the company was wonderful. The ride was a bit bumpy since Abu Baker is a wild driver, but his wild side may be the reason we were able to leave the desert in the first place, so that's something to be thankful for!

I took some more pictures which you can check out here. Our Saturday is worth sharing, but I've actually got work to do! More to come..

Oh yeah, we stumbled upon this family touring the Bur Dubai on Friday. For parents who complain about the way kids behave in America, be careful with your words or you may end up like this lady.