Last Dinner in Abu Dhabi

This was my last trip out to eat with Heather before I left Abu Dhabi.  We headed over to the Shangri-La, visited their beach, walked through the local souk, and then ate at a fantastic Lebanese restaurant.  Split a dinner for two and then decided there would have been plenty for Cory and Kim also! 

Beach scene

Canal boat ride throught the Shangri-La property

Sunset over the beach

Moon rise

Last of the sunset

Delicious food at Aboul Waheb:  Heather and I can't decide if they just bring extra food to all the guests, or if we have been very fortunate.  Lots of times they tell us something is "complimentary."  This time it was the lamb stew and rice!  My first taste of lamb--delicious!

Bedaya Forum: Jamboree

Yesterday, Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC), my employer, had a kick-off Jamboree at the ADNEC (Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre) building.  (By the way, I'll be spelling words the European way now since I am teaching that curriculum.  Don't want to be responsible for students misspelling their words!!)

This centre is home to the iconic gravity-defying tower, also known as Capital Gate, that we watched being built on the show, "Can it be Built?"  Our assembly took place in the convention centre right below the tower, whose interior is not quite completed.  We had a great, up-close view.

There were about 6,000 teachers in attendance for the Bedaya (Beginning) Forum.  Today teachers all over the country are attending training sessions and meeting faculty from their schools....except for those of us who are being moved from Abu Dhabi City to outlying areas.  We're in our hotel rooms waiting for the word to load buses to be moved to another hotel in Al Ain.  I'm hopeful we will receive word about today's training and what we missed so that we won't begin our year in the dark.

This is Capital Gate.  The part sticking out to the left is a pool.

Dubai

On Saturday, three of us headed to Dubai for the day. WOW! That was definitely an experience in cultures!! We had decided to take the public bus instead of a hotel car or taxi. The bus, which took about one and a half hours, cost 15 dirham (about 4 dollars). Because of their belief that women should not have to suffer by standing in line here, travel becomes quite pleasant! On the way, we passed many beautiful buildings, but I had been wanting to see the Aldar HQ building because we had watched it being built on a TV show called, “Can it be Built?” I didn’t get a great picture, but I have now seen it!

When we arrived in Dubai, however, we traveled to the main bus station, which is located in what appeared to be Little India. Disoriented, we wandered into a small hotel to ask directions and to use the restroom…..hmmm….that was an experience too!! I will have to say that I laughed more on this one day that I have in quite a while!

We took various taxis to see the sights:

The Burj Al Arab: Dubai’s iconic building, recognized most anywhere in the world

The Burj Khalifa: sometimes called the Burj Dubai (tallest building in the world)

The Mall of the Emirates (with Ski Dubai—snow skiing in the desert!): Lots of great shopping here, but I used my willpower!

Wild Wadi (Water Park): We didn’t even know this was here, but it’s right where we went to see the Burj Al Arab.

The city skyline: There are too many amazing buildings to picture! They definitely have an eye for a curved design. Very few buildings are square or rectangular. Even the underpinnings of the bridges are architecturally beautiful: different shapes with designs on them! Dubai is home to 10 of the world’s 50 tallest buildings. The taxis and buses all took us down Sheikh Zayed Road, which is a futuristic view with all the unreal skyscrapers. The city skyline will never be mistaken for any city other than Dubai!!

The Textile Souk (where I bought a cute red skirt): This is a traditional bazaar with restored buildings under a wooden roof. There are elaborate latticed windows and Islamic lamps hung from the roof. There are mostly Indian traders, some of whom are direct descendents of the original traders who came here in the 18th century. Directly behind the souk was a tiny restaurant called Bayt al Wakeel. We got spring rolls and hummus and…..gulp….a refreshingly cold Diet Coke!!

Even the trip to the restroom there was an experience: you walked up winding stairs where you had to duck your head to fit and ended up several stories higher, looking out over the creek.

Textile Souk

We rode on a dhow across Dubai Creek. Dhows are wooden boats which are used for offshore fishing and, in the past, for pearl diving. Some of these boats are 100 years old. The larger boats ship goods to and from neighboring Gulf countries and to Iran, Pakistan, India, and West Africa. They look surreal when pictured in front of the very modern high-rise buildings that line the waterfront of the creek.

When it was time to come home, we headed back to the main bus stop, only now there were THOUSANDS of people, mostly men, headed home for the night. (I am NOT exaggerating!) I had a nightmare vision of waiting for a ticket and bus seat for hours! Instead, an officer walks up to us and leads us straight to the ticket window (the line of men stretched for blocks!!). While purchasing our tickets, we saw a man with a rope beating any man who tried to get in the wrong line! As soon as we had our tickets we were told to go to the front of a line about to board the bus, and we were put in the front seat. No males were allowed to sit in the front unless they were escorting a woman. The bus ride home took about 2 hours because we made a few stops to drop people off. It was so good to be back home. Traveling and sight-seeing in another country and language can be mind-boggling and exhausting. Many times we had to make a decision about what to do and where to go, and as Heather says, almost every time we made the wrong decision! But, we do learn from our mistakes, so the next trip should go more smoothly.

The Beach--at Last!

Well, we have had 4 days off for the Eid al Fitr (end of Ramadan). We’ve tried to pack as much sight-seeing in as possible, knowing that once school begins, our time off will be much more limited.

Heather and I headed down to the Corniche (main highway and sidewalk along the water) to the beach on Friday, thinking it would not be as crowded because it’s their holy day. The taxi let us out at a spot quite a ways from the public beach entry, so the walk down the Corniche was beautiful, but HOT!!

When we finally reached the right gate, we walked down to the water’s edge and spread our towels. There was only one other Western couple besides us at the beach, so we stood out, to put it mildly. The men typically outnumber the women 4 to 1 here. I would say at the beach it was more like 50 to 1.

We learned that we should probably splurge for the extra money it would cost to go to a private (hotel) beach instead of to the all-public beach.  It was fun watching the men frolic in the water, particularly one group of about 5 men who had brought a child's blow-up wading pool to play in the water.  They were hilarious as they climbed in and out and dunked each other.  As more men hovered and stared (a side effect of going with Heather), it got to be a little uncomfortable, so we headed away from the beach to explore a little more of the city.

The building with the tower (looks like the Space Needle in Seattle) is the Marina Mall

We stumbled into a Burger King, desperately looking for some Diet Coke.  It's so wonderful that Ramadan has ended and it is possible to get something to drink during the hottest part of the day!  We realized after ordering that the manager locked the door.  We sat and drank our coke and then, when it was time to leave, he had to unlock the door.  We soon realized that they were closed for the lunch hour, but they had served us....thank goodness!  Walking through the heat of the day was NOT a smart idea!  Isn't it odd that a fast-food restaurant would close for lunch??!

We did VERY little more exploration and then caught a taxi back to our hotel, utterly exhausted.

Sheikh Zayed Mosque

Yesterday we visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, burial site of the first President of the UAE.  It is the largest mosque here and opened in 2007.  During Ramadan, up to 40,000 worshipers daily come to prayers.  Its design and interiors were influenced by many countries such as Greece, Morocco, China, India, Italy, Germany, and several other countries.  This represents the UAE's welcoming of different cultures and faiths.  Over 3000 workers labored for 12 years to complete it, at a cost of around $2 billion.  There are over 1,000 columns and 80 domes, all inlaid with beautiful artistry!  It was difficult sometimes to know where to look--almost overwhelming in its majesty.  We had to don an abaya (cloak) and hijab (scarf) and take off our shoes to enter the mosque.

Exterior of the Mosque:  This is one of the few mosques open to non-Muslims and was intended to be an educational resource for teaching about the Islamic faith.

This is the largest carpet in the world.  It was created in Iran by 1200 female weavers working over 2 years, around the clock.  It weighs 47 tons and was shipped to Abu Dhabi in 9 separate pieces and re-sewn inside the mosque.  There are raised lines incorporated into the carpet to show people where to kneel.

This is the main chandelier:  It was made in Germany and weighs 9 tons! It is 33 feet in diameter and 50 feet high.  (You can tell its relative size by looking at the tiny people standing below.)  It contains 40 million pieces of Swarovski crystals.  There is a staircase built inside so it can be cleaned and maintained!!  There are several other chandeliers that are similar, but smaller.

There are 4 minarets which rise over 370 feet high.  In the past, a Muezzin would climb the minaret to shout the call to prayer.  Our guide told us that now, "thanks to the miracle of Sony," that process is much simpler and saves the voice!!

Isn't this a gorgeous shot? 
There is 24 karat gold on the tops of the domes and semi-precious stones and materials used throughout on all the columns.

Me standing in the courtyard:  this special white tile does not heat up.  It's very cool to the touch, even in the strongest heat because the worshipers must touch their faces to the tile during prayer.  There are tiny cracks created in the tile to allow water to drain when it rains.

The "Azan" or Prayer Clock:  It announces each time for prayer.  This one is located in one of the two rooms set aside for women to use for prayer.

Once our tour of the mosque ended, we were taken to the Fairmont where we enjoyed listening to Ali Alsaloom (star of the "Ask Ali" TV program).  He is the local Emirati expert on intercultural affairs, and he spoke about our interactions with the locals and their cultural norms.  He was very humorous and entertaining, yet he still got his points across about our expectations of behavior.

After he spoke, we received our city and school assignments.  I will be placed in Al Ain (the city I requested) and teaching at the Al Esra'a Primary School.  I have requested 3rd grade, but won't know which grade I receive until next week.  I'm currently waiting to find out more about housing in Al Ain. 

After our assignments, we returned to our hotel for the night.  Waiting in my room was my newest towel creature, an alligator!  My room attendant, Rafael, hopes to work for a cruise line when he returns home to the Philippines.  He's doing an excellent job in my room!!!

We headed to Cooper's, an in-hotel location, for an exquisite cheeseburger (yes, in Paradise!!).  Delicious!!  Met up with some new friends and enjoyed Ladies' Night.

Today we are chilling out and doing nothing.  I'm so excited to just sit in my room for a while and catch up on e-mail and my blog.  Although we move at a more leisured pace than back home, the heat takes quite a bit out and can be enervating.

New Weight-Loss Plan

For those of you trying to lose weight, I highly recommend coming to Abu Dhabi during Ramadan!!  We get up in the morning and have a delicious, healthy breakfast of fruit, yogurt, etc.  There are many selections on the buffet bar, but I'm holding off on trying a lot of new foods until I am sure my tummy won't rebel.  Then, we are not supposed to eat or drink in public until after sundown.  I drink a good bit of water in my hotel room, but so far I've resisted the temptation to scarf up all the snacking items in my hotel room bar.  I have avoided these tidbits by mostly being out of the room during the day.  We're taking advantage of the pool, gym, and spa (all free to guests) while we can.  In the evening, Heather and I typically split a meal to save on costs (and because the portions are large enough for two).  So far, I'm down 10 pounds, or as they would say here, 4.5 kilograms.  (All those years of teaching the metric system are finally paying off!!)

Today is our "off" day because half the group has gone today for their police and medical checks.  The other half of us will go tomorrow, so that will be a busy day.  Another friend and I are also going to take a taxi to the airport to talk face-to-face with the Etihad airlines representative to see if we can resolve the damage to our luggage.  I'm so glad my luggage finally came with everything inside intact, but I don't have a way to move to my new accommodations with all my worldly goods unless I have a new piece of luggage.  Hopefully, we'll get something settled and I won't have to duct tape my suitcase (shades of Beverly Hillbillies here)!!

Today we plan to head back to the Marina Mall to take care of some business.  I bought a curling iron so I wouldn't have to continue to use an adapter, but it won't turn on.  I'm going to return it for one that works!!  Then, I hope to get my laptop fixed.  There's a loose CD trapped inside the body of the computer.....thanks, Heather!  So far, it hasn't impaired the use of my computer, but I'm not taking any chances.  This is my link to the world!!

Skype has been truly amazing.  I have been able to talk to most of my family and "see" them on a regular basis, so that has definitely helped stave off the homesickness.  Heather is such a joy to me!  This is an awesome opportunity for both of us and is only heightened by the fact that I get to spend the time with her and experience life abroad with a loved one. 

The Big Picture

We went to orientation last night to take care of mundane matters like opening a bank account, finding out about car services, and turning over our visa and passport to begin the residency application (we're in the country on a visitor's visa).  Then this morning we had an overview of the "Big Picture" and where we fit into it.  There are 306 public schools in Abu Dhabi.  They have brought in about 940 teachers from 4 different continents to teach English, Math, and Science.

 The emirate of Abu Dhabi contains 70% of the population of the UAE and over half of the students in the UAE.  The plan is to help advance Abu Dhabi on its path to becoming bi-literate.  In the U.S. we talk about being bi-lingual, but the students are not really taught in 2 languages.  They typically speak one language at home and one at school.  The UAE's goal is to have the students study both Arabic and English, along with the other subject matters.  This is a HUGE undertaking!  We were reminded that the UAE has only been a country for 38 years when the emirates were united.  Can you imagine if we tried something this drastic in the U.S.? 

The comparison was made that it's the same as if the U.S. decided one year that all college courses would be taught in Chinese and then see how many American students could gain entry into college.  Essentially, that's what they're doing by deciding that all students must speak English to be able to go to University when they graduate, so they will implement this over a 10-year period.  We're in year 2.  They said they hoped we would be staying for all the subsequent years!!

The orientation is being held at the Fairmont which is right across the water from the Sheikh Zayed Mosque.  I enjoyed taking pictures of it today!  They also have a very nice pool....and beach!!!

Fairmont Pool

Heather and Lynn in front of the Sheikh Zayed Mosque

Special Sights

Last night we ventured out to the Marina Mall for some shopping.  It was very similar to the mall scenes in the U.S.  Families were enjoying their time together, there were lots of good sales, and several performances were going on, including one showcasing Elmo teaching about the planets!

Carrefour was having their big back-to-school sale (ahhhh....sweet memories!).  I'm getting excited thinking about my new class of students, so of course I browsed to see what kinds of items they would be bringing......pretty much the same as in Georgia!

As we traveled through the mall (and an AMAZING mall it was), we met a traveling group of performers with boys walking on stilts dressed as a camel.  There is lots of celebrating going on at night as Ramadan ends and the fast is broken.  We also saw a group of dancers/singers, but the taking of pictures of people without their permission is discourteous, so I didn't take a picture of them.  The camel on stilts was happy to be photographed.

We also ate at a little restaurant called La Brioche, which had delicious food.  Heather and I shared a meal, of course!  We also browsed Ikea for furniture ideas for when they put us in our apartments.  The minimum we'll need to start will be a bed, a wardrobe cabinet (no closets here), and a sofa.  That should get me through for a while.

After leaving the mall, our hotel driver took us to see the Emirates Palace.  We were able to get out and walk through the amazing halls and take a few pictures.  Heather and I had our picture taken in front of the picture advertising "Education without Borders."

 Here's one of the round ceilings and the outside of the palace at night.

This is the photo I took, but my camera kept fogging up, so I'm also putting on a photo that I found online to show you what it really looked like!

After that, we went to see the Sheikh Zayed Mosque.  I can't wait to go inside it during the day.  At night we could only tour the outside and snap a few shots.  Because of the high humidity it's hard to get clear shots since the camera lens keeps fogging (going from air-conditioned car to the outside heat).  My glasses also fogged, resulting in an almost disastrous fall down the flight of stairs in front of the mosque!!

After that, we headed back to our rooms (it was almost 11 o'clock pm).  When I got to my room, I had a little friend waiting for me:  a towel rabbit.  The hotel provides water, fruit, newspaper, etc. each day, and my room boy always arranges my towels in a cute design.  Here's my elephant and rabbit.

My rose, newspaper, fruit, and bunny!!

This morning, Heather and I ate another healthy breakfast of fruit, yogurt, honey, and muffin.  We then exercised in the gym (yes, she's trying to help me get into shape).  Then we headed to the pool for some sun/relaxation time.  We had heard there was a Bedouin camp set up on the grounds behind our hotel with camels, so we decided to take a look.  Here's the camp and the camels.

The Bedouin camp with our hotel in the background

The Bedouin Wares:  not sure if they sell these items or not

Heather was not too sure how close she wanted to get!!

Trying to feed the camel:  he wasn't hungry!

The friendly camel??!!  Ha-ha!!

Home Sweet Home

Wow! What an adventure yesterday was!  Now I'm in my new home, sweet home (for the next 2 years!)

I left home around 10:30 in the morning to allow lots of time for checking in baggage and having one last lunch with Kim before saying goodbye for 2 months. Check-in went successfully and the plane only took off 40 minutes late, which was fine because I was very comfortable up in my big leather seat! Landed at Concourse 3 in JFK around 6:00 and was told Etihad was located on Concourse 1, so I headed that way .... out the security doors into the street, down the sidewalk, into another building ... and, oh no !..... I realized my laptop was still in the overhead bin on my earlier flight. Ran frantically back down 2 concourses and huffed and puffed my way to the security guard who told me he couldn't let me back out. Went to talk to the man at the Delta desk and he kindly printed me a security pass to get back through. He also called the airplane and asked them to locate my laptop. Then had to go through the whole security clearance and head back to my gate. They had my laptop waiting for me - thank goodness! You would not believe all the information and teaching materials I would have lost because not only was my laptop in the bag , but so was my external hard drive and 2 flash drives! NEVER put all your eggs in one basket!!

Then I went back to Concourse 1 and tried to find the Etihad counter, but was told it had moved to Concourse 4. Now, I headed to the AirTrain to get there. Once at Concourse 4, I still couldn't locate the Etihad line . Asked numerous people and found out that they took over the Singapore counters AFTER 7:30, so I waited until about 7:10 and headed back to the lines. Uh-oh! Apparently they opened at 7:00 and now the line stretched for about 2 loops around the lobby area! I checked with a lady on duty, and yep! The end of the line was WAY back there! She asked if I had transferred from another plane, so I showed her my ticket. (Um, yes, it was first class!) SO she told me to go straight to the counter and they would take care of me ...... yippee!!! I did feel bad about all those other people waiting in that long line ..... but I still took advantage of my first-class status since I will probably never be in that category again!!

The lady at the Etihad counter was terrific. She double-checked that all my luggage was being transferred onto the next flight and I was good to go! The actual flight will not be mentioned in detail. Suffice it to say that it was a LONG flight sitting beside a man who apparently has different standards of hygiene than I have. The attendants were very attentive and friendly. The food was good (but I decided not to eat but 1 bite of the spicy vegetable curry gobi mattar. (That was the first meal.) The second meal was Vegetable Ravioli with spicy chicken bolognaise sauce. It was delicious! All during the flight they kept offering drinks, sandwiches, and snacks (including ice cream).

Flying in over the Arabian Gulf was beautiful, but dark. The lights along the shore lit up just enough of the scenery to make me anxious to see it all by day. Once we arrived in Abu Dhabi, we were handed a red rose and welcomed to the UAE. ADEC representatives met us right off the exit ramp, handed out our visas, took us through the eye scan, through passport control, and then to the luggage area. After waiting for quite some time, we realized my luggage would not be appearing! As everyone else headed to the bus for the hotel, another teacher and I headed to the counter to describe our luggage. By the time we finished, I believe there were only 5 people left in the entire airport! I wondered how we would be getting to the hotel.

Not to worry: the ADEC representatives were with us every step of the way. They took the carryon luggage we had and then put us on a bus for the hotel. We're staying at the Park Rotana, a very new hotel. I ' ll be posting some pictures on here, but they don't do justice to the luxury and beauty. They already had us checked in, so all we had to do was get our key and head to the room. Heather met me and we were excited to see we would be in the same hotel and the same orientation training! I went to sleep around 12:00 and woke up at 7:00 am this morning feeling very refreshed!

Today has been mostly taking care of a few things like exchanging US dollars for dhirams so that I can tip, copying passports and visas so that we'll have them when we have to show them to get a phone and car, and then lying by the pool to chill. It is extremely hot to lay out, but the pool guy brought a large umbrella over to set up so I could have shade. The pool was very refreshing: they must cool it because otherwise in this heat, surely it would be lukewarm!

Tonight we have scheduled a hotel car to take us to the Marina Mall so that we can buy the few necessities we've realized we don't have. We heard from a group who went last night that the best way to get there and back is to reserve a driver so that you don't have a long wait for a taxi. We also plan to eat dinner over there once sunset has arrived. That means it is time to "break the fast" of Ramadan so that we can eat and drink in public. During the day you cannot have food or drink unless you are in the privacy of your room so that you won't offend anyone. So far that hasn't been a problem. After eating a big breakfast, I'm not too hungry for lunch.

I've taken a few pictures, so I'm going to try to post them on here. Hope to take lots more! 

My hotel room

The pool

Hotel Lobby

View from my room

Just Desserts

Okay, the title of this blog is a double entendre (wish I spoke French: love the sound of those words!)  I keep teasing Heather that the reason my flight was booked so much later than hers was so that I could travel First Class:  my just desserts!!  Of course, she is taking advantage of my ability to take 3 bags, each weighing up to 70 pounds---for free!!  Needless to say, her bags were all overweight, so she will owe me BIG TIME once she's over there and has all her necessities.....how many pairs of shoes, Heather??!

The other meaning is from dinner last night.  For the past few days we have been having "last meals," trying to have one last taste of some of our favorites.  Nothing elaborate, you understand, just good old comfort food....like Chick-fil-A (Thanks, Mom!!) and, of course, Mexican at La Fiesta.  So after stuffing ourselves uncomfortably last night, as we're all groaning, the manager sends over a huge dessert to wish us bon voyage.  (As loyal customers, we have done our level best through the recession to keep spending our money there frequently!!)  So as not to hurt his feelings (ha-ha), we all dug in and fought to the bitter end for our share of the dessert.....forgetting all about our aching bellies in the melee.  The result of our destruction:

I had quite a miserable night after all the excess.  Now up early this morning, sitting at the computer, hoping that my tummy feels better for my long day ahead!  It will be a little while until I have internet and phone service in the UAE, especially since I'll arrive there on Thursday night, and their holy day is Friday (when everything will be closed).  I'll update my blog as soon as I can, including lots of pictures of the amazing sights...and sites!  Stay tuned in......

Bon voyage!!