Sober Saturday

I have been thinking about how to write this post for a while now. I wasn't sure if I should even post anything at all, but the more I thought about it, the more I felt I needed to express my thoughts on the matter. I know that for many, the middle east seems like a scary place. When you turn on the news or read the news paper what you're most likely to hear about the middle east are stories of violence, unrest, and lack of freedom. Those things are scary anywhere, really. I know that they're the reason that my family fears for my safety while I am here. Then I read this article on the Huffington Post this morning. It perfectly summed up my thoughts and feelings toward living in the middle east and being amongst people of different religions from my own.


The news recently of the deaths of innocent people in relation to extreme religious groups is incredibly saddening. Although I didn't know them, my heart aches for their families and friends. Reading articles and comments online lately has opened my eyes to how incredibly small minded some people can be and how quickly we can forget to extend the same courtesy and understanding to others that we would expect for ourselves. It can be so easy to assert and accept blanket generalizations about people, especially if you don't have the occasion to interact with and get to know those people to determine the validity of those generalizations. As the author in the article I read wrote, "These people who did these horrible things to the Jordanian pilot and the Japanese journalist and so many others, these people don't represent Islam any more than a "Christian" protester who chooses to picket an abortion clinic or a funeral can be said to represent my religion.

These brutes, with their vicious and twisted misunderstanding of God, represent no real religion, no real faith. They know nothing of God."

I never understood why people fight about God and what His word says. To me, fighting and judging others goes directly against what any God would want. From my limited knowledge of The Bible, I've learned that what God really wants from us is to love Him and each other, so that is what I try to do in my daily life. I'm not always the best at it but at the very least try to be respectful and understanding of others. It really costs nothing but a little bit of mindfulness and patience.

I've been around a lot of people in my life, but not many have had the genuine kindness and sincerity that I have experienced in interacting with people since I moved here. I think the difference is that there is less of a self-centeredness here. There seems to be a real desire and openness toward learning more about other people, as well as a willingness to share more about one's own culture. It's quite refreshing, actually. Almost every time I meet someone new I find that I come away having learned something I could not have expected to learn prior to meeting them. Today I was out shopping and I nice muslim woman asked my name. When I told her, she asked if I knew what it meant. I said "sure, I think it means magic maiden or something like that", and she said "no, no, my dear, in islam it is the name of the seventh gate to heaven". Imagine that :)

Masquerades and Masha'Allah

This weekend was unexpectedly awesome! If you recall in one of my previous posts I talked about wanting to step outside of my comfort zone and try new things since moving to Abu Dhabi, and I've done that, but this masquerade was something I didn't really want to do. But as I know and sometimes forget, words have power and once you say them (or type them) they have a way of coming to fruition. I can only attribute how this all came about to God. I heard somewhere that if you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans. Well, I think God had a good laugh at me.

So, like I said, I didn't really want to go to this masquerade. I didn't have a dress, or a mask, or anyone to go with or a desire to look for any of the above. So I didn't do anything to make those things happen. But one day I went to the mall to feed my Shake Shack craving and happened to pop into BCBG which was just across the way, because they were having a 50% off sale. The sale was mostly on, you guessed it, evening wear, so I decided to try a few pieces on. I never wear red (my grandma told me it was for hussies when I was a kid and I believed her), but I decided to try on this red dress just for fun. When I put this dress on it fit so amazingly I couldn't believe it, so I stepped out of the dressing room to look at myself in the big mirror and when the sales lady saw me she said "Miss you look so elegant!"...it was 50% off but it still wasn't cheap...I had to think about this. So I walked around the mall for a bit to weigh the pros and the cons. I already had shoes to match. And accessories too. When would I ever find a deal like this again? What other places could I wear a dress like this? I might meet my future husband in this dress, just kidding! I bought the dress and thought, "I guess I'm going to a masquerade" and promptly went home and hung the dress in the back of my closet.

The following weeks kind of flew by but I found myself thinking about the masquerade and wondering what's the worst that could happen? Then I found out a few of my other coworkers were going. I still wasn't convinced. Then somehow I got on a mailing list for updates about the masquerade so I was getting email reminders about it every couple days. I sucked it up and bought a ticket. 

The actual event turned out to be really nice. It was put on by the ladies of Zeta Phi Beta sorority, who knew there were sorority chapters in Abu Dhabi, right? Well apparently there are, and they do a lot of charity work but also know how to party. After our champagne reception we were treated to dinner while awards were presented to some local people for their contributions to the expat community here. I got to mingle with some people that I had met at other events and also network with some people from the public school district here. That's where I learned my new arabic word, masha'Allah. It means God has willed it and is a way to show joy or praise. It can also be used to prevent the evil eye or jinxing.

And then when our bellies were full and most people were buzzing from the champagne and wine being served, the dj started playing hip hop, r&b, and reggae music that brought everyone to the dance floor. It was really fun to dance and laugh with my new friends and see some of the crazy dance moves people had. Before I knew it it was the wee hours of the morning and time to go home.

Now, I'm a responsible drinker, here more than anywhere because you can be arrested or deported for being drunk in public or driving while intoxicated, so I didn't drive to the party. I took Uber and it was my first ride so it was free! But Iqbal, the driver wasn't the best at following directions or finding my apartment so I decided to take a taxi home. He didn't do much better. I live in a development that has four apartment buildings that all look the same. They're not numbered on the outside but since they sit in sequential order its pretty easy to figure out, and since so many people live here and take taxis, most drivers know which building is which because they come here all the time. 

So, I was a little tipsy but not enough to forget where I live, when I noticed the driver pass my building so I say 'hey, that was my building'. He laughed and replied, 'No, miss, this your building, how long you live here?'. Clearly he wasn't tipsy, so I took his word, paid him and headed into the building. When I got on the elevator my key card wouldn't work, which frustrated me, so I (annoyed) called for the guard who takes one look at me and says 'Miss this not your building, this building 7'. I do not live in building 7. I live in building 6 smh. I just walked over to my own building half ashamed of myself and half laughing at myself. What a night! So much fun :)

And now here are some pictures!

About Last Night

Abu Dhabi is a city of entertaining activities and fun loving people. This year I made the promise to myself to get out and see more of it and its people. On any given day there are tons of things to do and see and not too much standing in the way of doing them. I guess the biggest thing that you could say could possibly stand in my way is the fact that I'm an introvert and being in unfamiliar situations with people and places that I don't know is extremely uncomfortable for me, but allowing that to keep me from really experiencing life is just plain silly. YOLO, as they say. What's the worst that can happen, right?

So, I signed myself (and my friend Lisa, gotta have at least one familiar person when I'm trying new things) up for an adult scavenger hunt. Neither of us knew what to expect but since there were over 100 people signed up to go, we figured that at the very least we could meet some cool people who also knew not what to expect. The night turned out to be so much fun! I got to experience some of Abu Dhabi's night life, so if you're planning to visit I'll have a few new fun places for us to go, and also did some things I definitely would not have done otherwise.

For the scavenger hunt we met up at a bar and were split into teams of 6 - 7 people and given a list of 30 things to do in three hours. There were things like kissing a stranger, taking team a selfie in a bus, and finding a taxi driver named Mohamed on the list and each thing was worth 10, 20, or 30 points. We didn't have to do everything on the list but we did have to capture what we did do on a camera or phone to turn in to the judges later. The team with the most points would win the pot of 40 aed (about $10) that each person paid in to participate. I really wanted to win that prize!

So off we went to accomplish these tasks without getting into too much trouble. Things didn't start so well, an old drunk man yelled at Lisa for climbing this tree, but things got better from there.

And now in no particular order I'll show you what we did over the course of the night :)

Ladies peeing in a urinal

team selfie on a bus

team doing a shot with clothes inside out

ladies lifting weights in a gym

wearing underwear over my clothes

team picking their noses in a reflection that is not a mirror

two team members riding a motorbike

break dancing in a mall

Proposing to a McDonald's employee

male wearing a dress

pole dancing on a speed limit sign

playing air guitar with a coffee shop employee

flexing with strangers

Kissing an elderly person

doing kung fu moves in front of a Chinese restaurant

have a stranger write "I love Justin Bieber" on a male's stomach

Male team member holding a "Sex Machine" sign at a rooftop pool bar

stranger spanking a male team member

me motorboating a stranger. he wasn't a stranger for long, hey Matt!

posing with a shirtless Matt. we had to buy him a beer to get him to take it off

team selfie with two stranger ladies kissing

mummifying a team member

peeing pose with a palm tree

doing yoga in a rooftop bar

Happy New Year!

It's hard to believe it is already 2015 and I haven't blogged in over a month! The past few weeks have gone by really quickly and I haven't really had time a desire to blog. It was just really nice to spend time enjoying the company of friends and family.

So let's back track...

We had a fun holiday party at school. The kids made marshmallow snowmen and ate way too many sweets. Even though I don't normally like classroom parties because my ocd self doesn't like straying away from our typical schedule or not being in control of my classroom, I did really enjoy this party thanks to the help of my room mom and other parent volunteers. I do have a class full of adorable little sweethearts, but you'll have to just take my word for it because I'm not sure how my school feels about posting pictures of children so I'm going to err on the side of caution and blur their faces

I flew home for a week and got to spend Christmas with my family.  I was completely unprepared for the jetlag and cold weather, it took me about 2 days to adjust. I was actually kind of sad that I didn't get to see any snow while I was home. My most favorite part of any trip home is getting to spend time with my brothers, they are some hilarious people, as am I, if I do say so myself. I suppose we get it from my mom, she got my 17 year old brother this t-shirt and he so boldly decided to wear it to a family lunch

I got back to Abu Dhabi just in time to ring in the new year. I spent it quietly at home because I was still a little jet-lagged and I was preparing for an early morning flight to Zanzibar. That turned out to be unnecessary because I got to the airport and was told I couldn't leave the country due to my residence visa being under process. Boo!!! I'm glad to be finally getting my residence visa so that I won't have to do any more visa runs but I was really looking forward to relaxing on the beach. Oh well, I guess I'll have to make that trip happen another time. If you're thinking of using Travelstart to book a trip I highly suggest that you not, their customer service team leaves a lot to be desired. You'd be better off just doing everything on your own.

So what do you do when you're supposed to be in Africa but you're stuck (literally) in the UAE and you still have a week of break left? You spend a lot of time being lazy reading by the pool, order a lot of take out, and go to no less than three malls of course. I did all of that and also managed to get some lesson plans done, worked in my classroom a bit, and went to Dubai to see my friend Lisa for a day.

We started the day with mani/pedis at this cute little salon and caught up on each other's travels over the break. Then we went on to brunch at Dusit Thani, which has great views of the Burj Khalifa. This was my first brunch, what an experience! They had a pasta station, sushi, Thai and Chinese food, barbecue, breakfast, and so much more. I definitely ate way too much, but the food was so good and the atmosphere was great

You can kind of see the Burj Khalifa out of the window behind me. I'm not sure if it was smog or just hazy outside, but it was kind of hard to see the Burj until we got really close. It's really very impressive.

I'm really starting to love afternoon tea, especially with the way they present it. So fancy! And what better to do after you've just engorged yourself at a buffet but to go to a carnival type place to walk it all off. 

After brunch, we decided to go check out Global Village, which is kind of like a state fair. There are 'villages' set up for each country where vendors sell everything from honey to fur coats, food vendors, a cultural center, military exhibits, a haunted house (?), and an amusement area with rides and games for adults and children. I think my favorite village was Africa because it was so colorful and had beautiful fabrics, wood carvings, and trinkets that were different than what I had seen in all the other villages.

My other favorite thing was the sword dance that the men do here. I don't know why but the pride that they obviously have and the music really just make me happy.

It probably wasn't the smartest idea after having eaten so much at brunch, but we decided to check out the carnival rides as well. It really reminded me of the fair, excuse me, The Great New York State Fair, we have at home. We only rode two rides but that was enough, I really needed the laughs and thrill that came along with them.

before

during

after :)

A National Day to Remember part 2

So, in continuation of my 'immerse yourself in local culture' efforts, I went to see some camel races and to the Sheikh Zayed Heritage Festival today. Just a few months ago I would have never imagined myself going to a camel race (who knew camels raced?) but I've come to the conclusion here that you regret more the things you didn't try than the ones that you did.

The day turned out to be quite nice actually! I went with a group of new and old friends and even got to make some new acquaintances along the way. The camel race itself was such an adrenaline rush. The camels race on the right side of the track and cars are able to drive on the road beside them around the whole track. Most of the cars that drive on the track are those of the camel owners. They ride beside the camels and have walkie talkies to communicate with them since there are no jockeys. I got to ride in a car and see all of this up close and personal!

While we were watching the races we met this guy who is the accountant for the track, and one of the veterinarians that work there. They were both really nice about answering the millions of questions we had about the races and camels in general. The accountant even sent one of his workers to get us each a book that explains the history of the races and how they care for the camels. I have to say, every local that I've met here so far has been really nice and friendly and completely welcoming.

After the races we went over to the heritage festival where they had food, vendors, and other demonstrations. I got henna done on my hands

I held a falcon

I rode a camel

(and then shortly thereafter I ate some camel for the first time. it was good but I had just ridden his cousin so it felt wrong)

I saw these guys. I was hoping they were going to do a sword dance but they were very happy and excited to pose for pictures instead.

And that was my day. I couldn't have planned it but I'm so glad I experienced it :)

A National Day to Remember part 1

Gosh, how do I begin this post?

Over the past few weeks the UAE has been readying itself for the big National Day celebration. People have decorated their homes, cars, and businesses in the colors of the flag, red, white, green, and black. You can't really go anywhere without seeing a car or building covered in a flag or pictures of one or all of the sheikhs. The locals really take pride in these displays, and everything culminates into one big event to celebrate the country's independence on December 2.

Although I had no idea what to expect, and really nothing could have prepared me, I had to experience the National Day celebration at least once, just to see what it was all about. The streets were packed with people as cars drove along to show off how well they were decorated. As they drove by people from the crowd and inside the cars would spray each other with silly string and water guns, which I tried to avoid. When we finally made our way to the first attraction, we learned it was a display of military vehicles (helicopters, tanks, etc.) and a set up for an airshow. 


I had never been to an airshow before and this one was definitely amazing. Six planes did loops and stunts while we watched in awe.

After that amazing show, there was a fireworks show on the beach. I must be getting used to the warm weather here because it felt really cold out there but it couldn't have been any cooler than mid 60's. What am I gonna do when I get back to the states?! Anyway, the fireworks show seemed kind of anti-climactic after all of the time that we waited, but it was an experience all the same.

Finally, we ended the evening with a trip to Shake Shack, which I didn't get a picture of because I was too busy eating. If Chick Fil-a is a party in your mouth then Shake Shack has to be equivalent to some sort of rave. I'm doing the Homer Simpson drool right now just thinking about it...I might have to go back tonight.
The mall where the Shake Shack is also has a staircase that is a keyboard, each step you step on makes a sound. I may or may not have made a fool of myself trying to play Chopsticks on it haha! I'm glad there's no photographic evidence of that.

Oh yeah, one more pic for the road. I found this picture to be so funny because I had no idea I was getting this guy in it but clearly he did because he smiled :)

A Very Mandi-licious Thanksgiving

I'm a few days late and several pounds heavier, I'm sure, but Happy Thanksgiving!

I spent my first Thanksgiving away from home with my grandmother and great aunt, which was such a nice treat. They were able to fly in to visit from New York for a few days and we have been ripping and running ever since they landed. I unfortunately have no pictures to post because I was enjoying myself too much to take any but maybe they will be nice enough to share a few with me later.

We started our Thanksgiving with a tour of the Grand Mosque, naturally, and then had a traditional Arabic meal for dinner.  Meals at traditional Arabic restaurants are served while you are seated on the floor and consist of really flavorful rice and either chicken or lamb. It wasn't the same as turkey and mashed potatoes with gravy, but it definitely hit the spot, so if you're ever in Abu Dhabi you have to go to Najd Palace to eat for sure!

On Friday, I had to do another border run to Oman, so grandma and Aunt Yvonne got to experience that with me. It wasn't really that exciting but now they can at least say they got to visit two countries in one trip. I also took them to see Jebel Hafeet because how could I not? It's not every day you get to see a huge mountain in the middle of the desert, and then to have lunch on the top of it makes it even better.

And finally, we spent today haggling and making new friends at the gold souk here in Abu Dhabi. From the outside the gold souk looks like some place you definitely would not want to go inside. It just looks kind of dirty and crowded and smelly, but we soldiered on and went inside. Once you get inside it's really a whole new world, it's air conditioned, clean, and there are rows and rows of shiny, sparkly jewelry stores. I've never seen so many diamonds in my life. I have my eyes set on a pair of beautiful diamond earrings, but that's neither here nor there :) We wound up spending the most time and money at the gift shop of two guys from Kashmir. Those Kashmiri are some charismatic people! They also make some of the most beautiful crafts I've ever seen. My grandma bought a handmade cashmere duvet cover set and a bunch of cashmere scarves and other gifts for family back home.

I'm sad to say that my time with grandma and aunty is coming to an end, they're heading home this evening. They were here just long enough to really mess up their sleeping patterns. It's hard to believe it will be December in just a few days, but December means I will be home very soon. Only three weeks and counting!