Why I sometimes come home with a headache…
What? Another post so soon after posting yesterday? For starters I’m stalling. I’m getting observed this week, and I really don’t want to go back to creating differentiated packets. I have just two more to whip up, but damn I don’t want to. The other reason I’m in here is my head is pounding — even after two advil (and some Panadol from the school nurse earlier today). Today was not one of my better work days. Nothing horrible happened, and it certainly wasn’t my worst day at work, but the girls were more preoccupied with their social selves than their academic souls. I’m sure my headache exists for other reasons, but I’m blaming it on my girls.
The good news is my bad days here aren’t like bad student days I’ve had at home (but mark my words a tamer bad is still bad). No one will come to school here with a gun, girls don’t pass out in class because they’re drunk or pregnant (although they do sometimes faint), and they don’t knock over tables in the process of a beat down —- but they do occasionally throw water or pull hair.
As far as I know no one has cussed me out yet, but I’m still in the very early phase of learning Arabic, so maybe someone’s tossed a bad word or two my way.
A bad day for me is when they’re just not having it. For whatever reason English is not what they want to be doing, and since they’re from here and I’m from somewhere over there, it’s really easy to tune me out. I think because they also come from large families they’re just naturally loud —- with a capital L. OMG, when these girls get going it’s full-fledged shrieking and yelling. The chimpanzee section of the zoo is quieter.
Proximity teaching doesn’t help once they’re in full swing. I stand next to the talkative table, and as soon as I look at the rest of the class, boom! they’re at it again.
Thing is I can’t stay mad at them because a. I know they don’t understand much of what I say; b. they’re in the same class room all day long and just want to be girls; and c. they intersperse continual compliments with their unintentionally rude behavior.
Here’s a typical bad-day conversation:
Me: X why aren’t you working?
X: Miss you are so beautiful.
Me: Thank you. Did you know you’re even more beautiful when you’re working?
Y joins in: Miss you are so nice.
Me: Watch me get mean…get back to work.
Move on to another loud table.
Z: Miss your eyes are like the sky.
Me: Thank you, can you put yours to use and read that passage for me.
Z tries to read whatever and gets a few words right.
Her buddy stares at me (mind you they’ve had me for 6 months now my eyes should no longer be a novelty): Miss why you no put make up on.
Me: Child, let’s work on that sentence. How do you ask that correctly?
Another student: Miss I want your eyes. Give me your eyes (and I’m pleased she said your).
I move on to another table.
“Miss, I love you.”
First table now breaks out into the Barney song: I love you, you love me!
And it goes downhill from there until I raise my voice, make them stand, sit, stand … you know every damned shut-the-ef up tactic I know. I get them under control for five seconds.
“Okay girls now give me your verbs.” I think I’m so clever, but no that only gets them laughing.
And then it begins again.
We totally live for our weekends….
Cheers! yeah I know this is a cheesy photo, but hey look at that background. I’m by boats and water with lots of food and bubbly, sitting outside in February. Okay, so I’d be able to do this in Phoenix too, BUT no azure water there.
I’ve been busy working and, well, playing. The weekends are not meant to be wasted, so I’ve been getting to know all the varieties of fun in my new land. A few weekends ago I got to go to another Emirate wedding. This time for one of my students sisters. As always the women were stunning and the food was abundant. I will miss being brought chocolate, tea and perfumes. It’s going to be a rude awakening when I go back home — WHAT no one is bringing me anything luxurious? I have to pay for said items?
I’ve also taken up an Arabic class (I’ll write about words I’m learning in another post) and discovered a few new fun spots here in Al Ain. One night after Arabic class Shannan and I went to a Syrian restaurant others raved about (for anyone moving to Al Ain it’s Al Taahi near the Rotanna), and oh my goodness it exceeded our expectations. It’s a tiny place, but the owner is amazing, and he loves to take care of his guests. Let’s just say we walked out of there round bellied with loaded goody bags and the best pomegranate juice I have ever had.
I’m glad I’m discovering more fun spots in Al Ain because every time I go to Abu Dhabi I turn a shade of green envy. Yes my friends apartments there are so much smaller than mine, but they’re in Abu Dhabi in a high rise, and, well, hello? I want that. That said more events are being planned here, so Abu Dhabi buddies are coming to Al Ain for weekend fun too. It’s all just an hour and half drive away — so humdullah we have the weekends! Overall, I’m lucky because I get to live in three worlds here — Al Ain, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. So the green side of me needs to just pack it in and remember to relish all that I have.
Last weekend was all about being a girl — even when you’re a few months shy of 50. One night I cackled it up with some friends while we made homemade pizza and brownies, the next we spent it shopping at the new Yaz Mall, which I love (and I’m not a mall person). OMG we had so much fun shopping (and, of course, eating), and then later two of us sipped cocktails while throwing our little fashion show in our hotel room versus going out. Sometimes it’s just fun doing the girly girl things. Besides, we all whooped it up the weekend prior at a lovely Al Ain event — an all you can drink wine and eat tapas party at a private pool area at the Rotanna. It was beautiful and quite the event, which then led to a night of dancing and more fun. Wish I could post all the pics, but I want to keep my friends, so just know we rocked it.
This weekend I joined some friends in Abu Dhabi and went to a Friday brunch at the Intercontinental, the hotel we all stayed in when we arrived in August. Long story short a very good time was had by all. Today begins a diet because I’ve inhaled an ungodly amount of calories. How much you wanna bet I cave and order delivery from Jaimile, the Syrian, before the day ends…
There’s this restaurant at Yas mall where your food is served to you from a roller coaster. It’s a fun thing to do every now and then. We’re easily amused.
More Yas mall pics. I’m attempting to show off a wine stain, but I picked up the wrong side. and why I think this is hilarious is beyond me, but look no cavities! I cropped out my friend in this pic because I didn’t ask if she’d be okay with me posting a pic that included wine, but she’s absolutely gorgeous in this shot and I need to send her this photo.
Brunch!
So, we’re being photobombed by a Scott. Lord, I have a big head.
Kaylene if you’re reading this. I took the Jameson pic just for Kelly. 
So yeah this brunch thing is pretty damned yummy. The one we went to included three restaurants and different drink stations, so you mingle around, nab a little here, a little there, and then have one of the waiters roll you to your cab.
notice how small that beer is. Um, and before that are jager bombs. I thought I was past the days of doing anything with the word bomb in it…
And where I’ll be tonight — sipping green tea — after I’ve finished my lesson planning.
of course I’m posting it because I like my black and white and pink. Again, I’m easily amused. And, now, it’s back to work. I have some worksheets to type up. The whole work thing can be a downer on Saturdays…
So we had some weather…
Like in Phoenix, rain is a big deal here — except even more so because it rains less here than Phoenix. Of course the way people react to it is a little different. Basically, a few drops of water brings out the crazy. Rain means you can spinout in roundabouts, hoot and holler while hydroplaning on the flooded roads, skip school to go mudding in the desert, scare your teacher when she walks into the room and sees 4 girls have broken the window hinge just so they can hang out the window. You know that sort of thing.
I can’t say I blame them though (although I wish the crazy driving would stay in the desert and not on the roads I need to drive on to get home). It’s nice to have rain and dreary skies — especially when you know in a few months it will be hell hot again, with humidity. It’s also chilly (for us), so I’ve been wearing my winter pjs and snuggling under a blanket while watching t.v. It’s nice to be cold and then warmed up. I wish I had my Joe and Badger to snuggle up with, but that’ll all happen again soon enough. This will one day be a memory, so may as well enjoy it while I’m living it.
That said work is exhausting me. I have one heck of a schedule this trimester. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are my worst days — one day I have 6 classes almost consecutively and the other I have 7. The good news is on Sundays and Thursdays I have prep the last two classes, so I can leave early, which I totally plan on doing this afternoon. Cannot tell you how excited I am it’s Thursday!
Speaking of which my carpool buddy will be here in a few minutes, so I better get my shoes on and start the day.
Fog devouring our playground
Ms. Bettina loving the rose a girl picked for her
and what I will see on the drive in this morning, now that the rain is gone.
Oh, and here’s a link to another Teach UAE blog. This one is a shout out to teachers who are applying to come here in August — so weird that is no longer me!
http://teachuae.com/preparing-teach-uae-welcome-wild-ride/
Have a good day, everyone.
Well happy anniversary to my relationship with WordPress and my Abu Dhabi obsession…
I popped in here to share my great local shopping experience, and then saw the wordpress notification that today is our anniversary. Wow this time last year I was posting my ramblings about this thing I thought I might do, and today I shopped for fish and veggies with the locals of Al Ain. What a difference a year makes! So souq (or is it souk?) shopping is my new fave. Not gonna lie I was a little (okay a lot) intimidated at first, but no need to sweat it. The vendors are there to sell, and we’re all there to buy, so it’s all good. I mean I’ve done the touristy ones, but this was real-world-get-what-you need shopping. There’s an indoor souk near my flat, and they have tons of vegetables and fruits. I didn’t have my camera with me and didn’t think to whip out my phone, but the fruit baskets/trays were HUGE and beautiful. Shannan, my souk-shopping sister, and I just walked around this one and asked questions about fruits/veggies we weren’t sure about, but we were just stopping in this time because we were headed downtown to the official fish/veggie place (you can also buy hunks of mutton, spices, honey and other eating essentials). Next weekend, i’m popping over to the one nearby to see if their prices are as good. I wasn’t expecting the market we went to to be busy, but it was. Luckily, Shannan steered me to a parking deck versus having to drive through where the locals were parking, so we made it there stress free and the car dent free. We were a little shy at first, but then dove in. My first purchase was ONE dirham. ONE DIRHAM (that’s 27 cents in American money). I was like dude, did I hear you wrong? You see when you buy produce at the supermarkets it’s expensive, and the shit doesn’t even look all that good. I spent around 50 dirham ($15.61) today, and I bought a bunch of fresh veggies and fruits and shrimp. Shannan was brave and ordered some red snapper and tilapia — and they cleaned it for her too. I get that maybe I’m just a little too excited over our shopping spree, but I felt kinda Anthony Bourdainish because you know we’re buying from the street, mixing with the flies and folk. And it was fun. Love the lil fish guy Shannan bought her fish from, and the guy who cleaned my shrimp. I’ll come back just to buy from them again. It wasn’t all Middle Eastern, a Canadian lady (another teacher transplant) taught us how to pick and then peel new mangoes, so we’re going to be market pros in no time. Even better we begin our Arabic lessons on Monday, so before long we’ll be bartering and bantering with the best of them —- although the prices are so low I don’t really feel right asking for lower. I finally remembered to whip out my phone and take some pics. I suck taking pics with the phone but here you go. 
Anyone got a taste for baby shark? 
my shrimp getting beheaded (thank god) and cleaned 
looks like I ‘cleaned’ this guy’s head. The one sitting down was my guy. 
my shrimps (not shrimp) were bought here Yeah I get it looks gross like that, but it’s gonna taste good with my salad and coconut rice (why didn’t I buy saffron from the spice guy?) tonight! So, I’m happy and content. Tomorrow I see my students again. The last time I taught an actual class was November 26, so let’s see how rusty I am. It’s a good thing I’m loading up with fresh vitamins and minerals tonight — I might need it. And if the girls are a little too excited and wear me down, I’ll just keep daydreaming about my berry bush drink at the Rotanna pool, which is just a few roundabouts away from my flat — the weekend is just a few more days away… 
To my American buds I hope you’ll continue enjoying your weekend, and to my UAE buds best of luck tomorrow. I’ll see you Thursday night or Friday. Inshallah! p.s. I didn’t tell you my fog story on the day I drove Joe to the airport (yes I miss him), but those of you on Facebook got to read it. My friend Suzanne lives in Abu Dhabi and has to deal with the fog. In Al Ain we don’t get much fog, so it’s not something I deal with frequently, but it IS absolutely crazy scary — worthy of any Stephen King novel. Here’s Suzanne’s words about what it’s like driving in it. http://suzannainthesand.com/2015/01/09/under-the-weather/
Happy New Year!
Right this very second Joe is snoring on the couch while I upload photos and reflect on the passing of another year. This is as it should be. It’s pretty much how we spend New Years day every year.
New Years Eve, however, was quite different from the annual neighborhood cul de sac party (although I did get to call home today and wish my old party buddies well). Lisa, Joe and I joined some friends from Abu Dhabi and did a desert safari/camping trip. My friend Sangita, who is also in Al Ain, also happened to be on the same tour, so it worked out perfectly. Right now I’m tired and suffering bedouin butt — my new ailment thanks to getting up and down from the hard cushions on desert floor. BUT, I am so grateful for the life I have been blessed with. 2014 was a great year, and I sense 2015 holds many more magical moments.
But, you’re not here for that. You want to know what trouble we got into. I’m happy to say none, but we did bash some dunes (basically it’s like riding a roller coaster in the middle of nowhere in, our case, a hummer — freaking awesome), ride some camels, smoke some shisha, watch all kinds of dancers (Arabian men LOVE to dance), do some dancing of our own, eat and drink well, and laugh with friends from around the world. Somewhere around 4 a.m. we crawled into our traditional tent and passed out, only to wake right before the sun and stumble our way to the rustic (that’s a good word for it) bathroom. I wish I would’ve thought to nab my camera because my words can’t do the morning fog caressing the dunes justice. It’s one of those moments meant to be remembered and cherished, but that didn’t stop me from crawling back into my sleeping bag. Mama needed to get some sleep before crawling back into reality.
My only regret is that I couldn’t pull all of my loved ones from home to do this with me. It was the absolute perfect way to end one year and bring in another. But it’s all good — we have all year to play and discover different parts of the world together!
party girls. Photos taken from Lisa’s Facebook page.
Suzanne I have your shisha directions flagged now. I’m on a mission to buy mine.
our tent!
pre party — things are just getting started at ‘camp.’
Camels! Sangita has the best mount and dismount photos, but they’re not posted. Um, we’re so not sexy in those…
Dance! That Sheik comes from Scotland and is visiting his son here…Crazy set of parents! Hope to dance and camp with them again one day.
Pakistani and U.S. girls having a blast. They would later dance with a Syrian girl. Children raised here live such a magical life. Let’s hope they bring some of that into their adult lives.
hahahaha there’s that Scottish Sheik finding the nipple in my wine purse. 
my wine purse…
learning some moves from a young pro
time on the dunes!
woke to find puppies.
breakfast and remnants from the night before. When the clock struck 12 it was glitter, silly string and fireworks galore. Hahahaha since safety regulations are not the same as back home, the fireworks where shot off a dune over our heads. This was fantastically awesome until some of those embers landed on dance floor, but it’s all good everyone just ducked and danced around them. Not gonna lie it’s all good until someone loses an eye, but it was pretty amazing to have the flares blossom so close to you.
On our drive home we had to stop while three mama camels and their babies meandered on the long dirt road. Apparently the lil ones got thirsty. Great way to start the new year though.
I hope you’re all having a lovely day as well, and can’t wait to see what we all do in 2015!
Happy New Year, my friends!
Joe’s visit
My man is in town, and we’ve been having a great time. We’ve done so much that it’s hard to tell you all about it. So, I will blast you with photos because, well, that’s what it’s all about. Here’s an outline to help you out.
Dubai — I had to work his first two days here, so we hung out at my place, but on his third day we headed for the big city. 
Jumeirah beach photo station
Sangria by the pool
Spent a good chunk of a day discussing philosophy and world politics with our South African bartender in an “American” bar
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My big man meets the burj
Sandmen!
the Dubai fountains before they perform 
View from the tallest building in the world
Santa at the ski area in Emirates Mall
um, this window display makes me wonder what’s above not below my bed!
Christmas: We went to the pork store and bought Westphalian ham, french ham and, you know, yummy pork products for our Christmas eve buffet. Shannan and Lisa came over, and after getting bored with watching the fire crackle on the t.v. screen we watched Trains, Planes and Automobiles (Does “those aint pillows” ever get old?). Next day, we went to watch my carpool buddy’s husband compete in an international equestrian show (where I didn’t take a single photo — what was I thinking?!). Both days were lots of fun — best way to spend my first Christmas away from home
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photos taken by Lisa or Shannon, Joe took the last one
see those paintings on the wall … they’re finally hung thanks to Joe! He bought me a drill, so I can make holes in these concrete walls — yee haw! More art to be bought and hung.
The wild west and camel fest: The western region of Abu Dhabi is rural, and more conservative than Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It’s more remote location borders Saudi Arabia. Every year about this time in Madinat Zayed is the Al Dhafrah Camel Festival, which celebrates Bedouin heritage, but is mostly known for its camel beauty contest, which holds lucrative prizes for the winners. We booked a room for one night at the Mirfa hotel on the coast, but ended up spending two nights there because we had way more fun than anticipated. You just never know who you will bump into in the middle of the desert, but from our experience it’s all good
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Our guide is also a freshmen at ASU. His family’s camels came in second place last year, and he’s home on break. In a few days he’ll be back in Arizona studying chemical engineering. To my kids and former students, say hi to him if you run into each other on campus!
This man’s beauties were feisty, but they seemed to love him. 
watch this, she doesn’t suspect a thing…
camel kiss! 
I floss!
hahaha the camel is like what is your problem?
We got to sit on thrones and drink Arabic coffee while waiting for our personal tour guide. How cool is that?
Our rooms weren’t ready yet, so we went into the hotel pub for lunch. Um, we didn’t leave until many hours later, but we did make new friends with a Finn and a Scott. I believe a man from Poland took this photo for us.
Jenga and pool games! 
Camel bling at the souk. Sunrise photos taken by Lisa. Um, I was still sleeping
Absolutely love the tranquility of this beach. I’ll be back when I need time to just chill and breathe.
My man taking a moment to contemplate all the food we just consumed at a brunch buffet at the Liwa hotel, which is stunning (sorry didn’t take much photos there). 
Our time together has been wonderful. We have just a few more days together, and then it’s back to him working on one continent and me another, but we’ll meet again somewhere else on this planet come July. Good news is he’s totally cool with making the big move after he retires next year. I see many, many wonderful travels in our future! Before then, though, we have some more sightseeing to do here. We’re not going to Dubai for New Years. Instead, we opted to join friends on a desert safari/camping trip. I’m sure a good time will be had by all. Click here if you want to see more photos…
Weddings and whatnot….
Henna hands (belonging to Lisa) and feet (mine) all glamored up for a wedding. There’s so much of my life here that I will never be able to show you, but I guess that goes for life anywhere really. We can only give glimpses. You already know I can’t show you pictures of women uncovered, which makes today’s entry a tough one for photos — although I’ll show you food. Emirate weddings are celebrated separately. Men whoop it up in one room while the women do their thing in another one. It’s a weird concept for westerners, but it works here. This is the second wedding I’ve been invited to simply because of where I work, but I felt like I had to go to this one. The bride and I have never met, but she is well loved by the other teachers. I’m told she’s witty and sweet and just the most-deserving woman, but that’s not why I went. I went because a group of local teachers came to us earlier in the week to let us know how horrified they were about the murder that took place a few weeks ago. “This is not us,” they said. “It is against God.” And, best of all, the heart felt “we are mothers too …. you are our sisters.” They also reminded us of the wedding, and that it was on a Friday night, so we could stay up late and not have to worry about work the next day. “Bring your friends, come have fun.” So, I did. I wanted to experience a local wedding, and I wanted to show my Emirate sisters that, yes, I do want to bond and have fun with them. I don’t know how much bonding we did, but again I am grateful to have been invited to be a part of their lives. I was also so proud and touched when the math teacher I share students with grabbed my hand and pulled me across the room to meet her family. I might actually speak more Arabic than she does English, but through facial expressions and body language we warn one another when a class is being good or bad — especially the one group that loves to test us. We really like each other even though we don’t know much about each other. Now, I’ve met two of her daughters, a sister, and her son’s wife. I’ll be sure to bring photos of my kids to show to her next week. Why can’t it be this easy to connect worlds and families all of the time? Now as for the wedding I’ve discovered it’s not quite the same without the sparkly drinks, but there were cans of soda — so bubblies were there. The women are stunning in their dresses, and it was shocking to see so much of their skin. Those who decided to remain in their abayas did so in classy, beaded ones. Servers came around and offered expensive perfumes, oud (perfumed smoke), chocolates (OMG I must be part emirate because they love chocolate and nuts as much as I do), an assortment of teas, food, you name it. 
just one of the platters of chocolate that came around 
Lukaimat, my favorite! They’re served warm. I ate way more than 3. 
i think this is lamb, not my favorite. I stuffed myself with chocolates, lukaimat, hummus and salads, so it was totally true when I responded to “why you no eat?” with “I am full from all the chocolate.” The bride’s sister laughed and whispered back to me, “I like the chocolate too much too.” 
a tapioca tea. I liked it, and, of course, more chocolates! 
jello, or as my British coworker calls it “jelly.” This one baffled us because who serves jello at a wedding? The only reason I can guess as to why this was served is because the bride went with a beautiful red and gold dress, so maybe it was meant to match her dress. Oh well, I ate it. tastes just like strawberry jello. Sorry I didn’t think to take pictures of the perfume and oud, which is a shame because they are in beautiful containers. So, basically, you eat and drink until the bride arrives. When she does they lower the lights, play music and put a spotlight on her as she slowly walks down the aisle toward a golden throne for two. Her dress and hair was absolutely gorgeous. 
I totally nabbed this off the Internet, but the lady in red is wearing something similar to what our bride wore. Picture taken from http://www.arabiangazette.com/big-fat-global-wedding-industry/ The bride was so nervous. My heart just bled for her, but she made it down the aisle, got hugged and kissed by I’m assuming the groom’s mother, swarmed by kids running after her, and cheered by her friends. Later on abayas were swooped back on and her husband was brought down the aisle by I’m assuming his sisters. He was so friendly and confident, just waving at all of us like a celebrity. We liked watching him joke with his bride, and it looks like her nerves disappeared. Friends and family walked up to wish them luck, the cake was cut, and that was about it. It’s different, but at the end of the day a wedding is a wedding. We all want the new couple to be blessed with lots of love and happiness. It looks like this one is off to a good start, so I’m glad I got to see it. 
And me today kicking up my feet (and yeah showing off the lovely henna), writing you this while my curtains dance in the breeze, and loving the fact that I have free time to share all of this with you. Hope you guys have a great weekend!
Do I have to go back to work?
I’m on the last day of having 5 days off. Bummer. For the most part it’s been a whole lot of fun. I mean look how relaxed I am on this beach pic…
I love this pic. It just sums up some of what I love doing most — chilling by water with friends. Wine and food on the beach with some more of my loved ones would make it even better.
Tuesday was National Day, so Lisa, my infamous neighbor, and I drove to Abu Dhabi to spend time with fellow Phoenicians Naomi and Kelley. I absolutely love where they live, and sometimes I’m a little jealous. But, my corner of the emirate has its pluses too. Best part is we can all visit each other’s corners at times like this.
We went to the Corniche (beach area), watched an air show, relaxed, watched the cars honk and parade up and down the street, strolled and relaxed some more, and then the sun went down and the crazy string and shaving cream wars began. It’s insane, but a lot of fun just as long as you stay on the family side of things. Loved seeing families picnic all over the park with their grills and shisha. The kids and moms had a blast spraying us, and we had fun spraying them.
Our major lesson learned was that it’s best to stay on the family side because if you cross the street — at night — to the beach side when a free event is taking place, you just might find yourself on the single male side of things. Their idea of fun with silly string and shaving cream is a little more brutal — especially when unsuspecting western women walk their way. Nothing bad happened, and the best way to sum this up is to say I can now add getting assaulted by silly string to my list of shit I’d never thought I do. We quickly made it back to the family side of things and decided to just watch the fireworks from their balcony versus the beach.
The next day was all about shopping, and then we headed home for a night’s rest before taking off to Dubai.
Here are a few more fun pics of the Abu Dhabi portion of this week’s trip.
colored smoke from planes
the lovely Corniche
The Dubai portion of trip was all about exploring new things. Shannan and I went to our first rugby match, and it just happened to be during the Rugby Sevens, which seems to be a pretty big deal to rugby fans. Yay us, we got to watch our girls kick China’s shins. And let me just say this is not a sport for sissies — they beat each other down!
We were pretty pleased to learn a few of the mens teams were staying at our hotel and that our hotel had a rooftop pool and bar, but then way disappointed to learn it was a juice bar — drinks looked awesome though. So, yeah, we booked at possibly the only dry hotel in Dubai, but it’s all good because we were so tired when we got back to our room we passed out, which was good because the next day we were busy, busy, busy.
First we ate breakfast on a patio at a lovely french restaurant, then we learned how to use the Metro, and then we explored Dubai Mall (which was a first for me).
And then we checked out Global Village, which is a massive state fair, except it’s an international one. Games, shops, rides, food — oh glorious food! — and shows. Lot’s of fun.
the Americas exhibit was a let down. What made me laugh was they had an Abaya stand there, and these abayas showed cleavage. I guess that Americanizes it…
I never knew honey was such a big deal in Yemen, but it is. We got tons of free samples.
Honey there’s a honey for us…
want a cup of tea?
roar! monsters and moon!
Three continents in one swoop 
Yep, I went to Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, etc. all on the same day!
Aaah and my favorite stop, the Turkish Restaurant. We shared a table with two Russian women, and enjoyed watching the men work as much as the food they served us. I’m a fan of grilled meat and cheesy dishes!
Needless to say, I had a wonderful 5 days off.
I wasn’t going to mention the bit of UAE news that made it’s way back home because it’s not my story to tell. Sadly, it does belong to others. But, I’ve gotten so many emails on it that I feel like I have to end this happy post with ugly news. Yes, I heard about that poor woman who got stabbed in the mall, and, yes, if I were stationed in Abu Dhabi that’s probably the grocery store I would use, and, yes, we are all shocked and horrified this happened. I did not know the woman, but like everyone else my heart goes out to her family and friends. I am so sorry the woman who wanted to create havoc did indeed end an innocent woman’s life. I’m sure had I known the woman who died, I would’ve loved calling her friend.
Violence isn’t normal here. Crime isn’t normal. The only time any of us feel in danger is when we’re on the roads, and then we learn how to drive here and we don’t mind so much. Heaven help the U.S. when we return.
Whether or not the murderer was associated with any terrorist groups is unknown, but her act was obviously one of terror. To everyone back home I cannot stress enough that, for the most part, we are safe here. Of course because we’re Western and because we’re in a Middle Eastern country we do keep our eyes open, but we hear of more horrors going on at home than we do in this country.
I want to thank everyone back home for their love and concern, and I also want you to know that I am quite happy with being here. I am learning so much good from the people here, and I know one day I will enjoy sharing their tales with all of you around the fire pit in my yard back home — until then, know this is still a really good place for me to be.
Okay, time to fit in some t.v. before having to go back to doing the work thing again…
Tis the season to be thankful
Happy Thanksgiving from my kitchen to yours!
While my friends and family back home were sleeping, my new friends/family over here and I celebrated our Thanksgiving. Um, and then much later while we were still celebrating, you guys back home were smelling your turkey roasting in the oven. And, now, while some of you are doing your Black Friday shopping we are all sacked out on the couch being thankful for not having to go out in public.
Of course I miss my home now, but I’m also very lucky for a few things:
1. I live in a small apartment complex where I’ve become friends with my neighbors. Three of us just left our doors open while the party migrated from one place to the next. Photos will tell more of the story in a bit. Another one of our neighbors runs a take out service, so we ordered our turkey and some sides from them, which was awesome.
2. Some of my Abu Dhabi friends made the trip to spend the holiday with us, so I got to also enjoy more time with them.
3. National Day is next week. It’s a major holiday over here, and the town is lit up with green, red and white lights, so while the lights coincide with the country’s flag colors, they also give a festive feel. Emirates are in good spirits; we expats are in good spirits; Mother Nature with her nice temperatures is in good spirits. It’s a good time to be here.
4. The school term is winding down. All I have left to do now is grade papers, proctor exams and prep for January. The girls are happy; I’m happy.
Sooo, while I didn’t get to taste my daughter’s first turkey — she and Kelley made Thanksgiving dinner for Joe and Aaron — and I didn’t get to feast with my family, I’m not depressed. I’m really, really grateful for this because now is the time I could see me getting horribly homesick. So thank you to everyone involved for helping keep this a happy time of year for me!
I had to work on Thanksgiving, but only until noon. In celebration of National Day, the school had an outdoor party for the girls. There was music and traditional dancing, food and the girls showing off arts and crafts. They also got to wear makeup, jewelry and their pretty dresses. It was so nice to have fun with them and their families. I also got to laugh with fellow Arabic teachers when the girls swarmed over me to braid my hair, henna my hands (with a traditional design versus the flowery kinds we see now — love the sentiment, but the flowery ones are more to my liking), and rub saffron oil on my face.
the henna continues to darken on my hand. This was hours later during dinner. Um, my nails are brown.
I was nervous about the saffron oil because I really didn’t want to walk around for several weeks with an orange stripe on my face, but whew! It wiped off. The women use saffron oil for its scent and because it’s good for the skin. They used to make their own saffron and henna pastes. 
My girls looking pretty in their jewels and dresses. I wish I could show you their beautiful, happy faces, but I can’t. Just know that they melt my heart when they’re having fun. Hahaha they almost melt my temper when they’re not, but we’re on a thankful thread, so let’s stay on the good stuff. I love getting to know them, and I truly am grateful for the opportunity to spend this time in their lives. I also really enjoyed meeting some of their mothers, aunts and sisters. We may not speak the same language, but we all appreciate the beauty of joy, and there’s something nice to be said about time alone with other women.
There’s also a whole lot of nice to be said having time alone with your own people — men included. It’s mostly women in my complex, but we like our male teachers too.
that said notice how, ahem it’s the Canadian Haneefa carving the turkey. David, we’re calling you out to work a grill or slice some beast the next time we do this!
Two turkeys and a carcass. I love that the camera focused on the bird’s butt versus my crazy girls Lisa and Ashley (Kaylene take a good look, Ashley is my current wine daughter)
Good times indeed. Lots of feasting and laughing, which led to this…
Badminton in the hallway is what happens when you no longer feel like playing ping pong in Lisa’s dining room. But, you see, it then leads to a badminton match between my balcony and parking lot…
which inevitably leads to “cocks” on the roof
which brings us to this…
And then came the dare to go ahead and climb on to my patio from there
which thankfully was a success! It’s all good we’re insured, but I guess this proves that just because we’re brave souls who’ll take a job a gazillion miles from home, we’re not necessarily the brightest bulbs on the planet — but we do know fun.
Up next is some of the Al Ain crew going to Abu Dhabi to celebrate National Day. I love this time of year!
Mama did a wadi!
Quick. Someone call my son in Colorado and tell him there are photos on the Internet of his mother doing a wadi. Of course, while my version also includes water, it is not the same thing he has in mind. But, it’ll get him online reading my blog. And, he would’ve loved my version too.
So, I had a fantastic weekend. It began Thursday night with me winning a, um, massager with attachments and infrared lighting (or whatever the red light is called). I guess if anyone were to win such a thing at a teacher happy hour in the Middle East it would be me. After that little shindig we went to my absolute favorite place to hang out in Al Ain, the Leisure Center. It’s this huge place with a beautiful patio area. People lounge and smoke shisha, sip tea, listen to the two-man band (one with a violin, the other with a keyboard), talk, laugh, and eat really good food. Shannan, one of my new friends, and I are totally working toward making it our Thursday night hangout. Afterward, we went into Daiso, an Asian version of the Dollar Tree, and saw the creepiest Santa ever.
This photo doesn’t do him justice. One eye is way bigger than the other, and his eyebrows look like leeches. But, we appreciate the effort, and I bought some cute christmas decorations in there.
Friday I hiked “the steps” with Lisa, my neighbor/buddy, stopped to get breakfast at La Brioche, cleaned house and then went out with the girls to watch the third Hunger Games movie. When you buy movie tickets here you pick your seat and an usher with a flashlight walks you to your seat. This is a chatty culture, so don’t expect everyone in the theater to stop talking when the movie starts. That said when the really intense scenes were on, everyone shut the hell up and held their breath —- even those of us who read the books. Great movie, and I’m glad I got talked into going. Afterwards, we hung out at Trader Vics patio, which overlooks a nice pool area, and had mojitos and dinner. Perfect day.
Today was even better. We joined Al Ain Weekenders on a trek to find a few wadis in the Oman mountains. A wadi is a pocket of water you can swim in. Well, some don’t leave you much room for swimming, but others go on for quite a long ways. We hiked to two small ones, but it was still worth it. Folks who came in cars were able to drive to the first spot, but the second place we drove to was 4-wheel drive vehicles only, and trust me it was an experience. I’m tired, so let me stop writing and just post some of the pics.
our little caravan. As you can see we are in the middle of nowhere. 
Amy, me and one of the cutie pies who made the hike.
Another cutie pie and me rushing into the cold water.
Shannan checking out the calcium pond
Lisa’s photo of pond
Lisa’s photo of the group. Wait, Lisa is in pic too. Maybe Shannan took this. Sorry, trying to give credit where it’s due. Someone took it!
hahaha Lisa’s photo of Oman’s Angels 
and her photo of me taking a pic of her. Um, of course mine was out of focus. My eyes are going on me!
swimmers and a local man making sure we made it. Okay, so he was out enjoying the sites as well.
We weren’t the only ones treading water.
Just because I’m not impressed doesn’t mean I won’t eat it…okay, fake eat it.
Amy, another Arizona girl, is far more adventurous on the rocks than I was.
Green! It’s so much nicer when you hardly see it.
we’re on top of the world!
but you kind of wonder what happened to whatever was tied to the end of that rock. There is a very steep cliff a few inches away.
A small house, an Omani family in the middle of nowhere, and they gave us directions on how to get to where we wanted to be. Notice how Amy’s little mirror guy is swinging. There are no pictures that can do the drive to our second spot justice.
Even the goat was like, “Bitch, you’re crazy driving here.”
But, we all survived, and it was a beautiful day.
Now, if Thursday would just hurry up and get here so that I can get back to enjoying my weekend!
bettina without borders 