Eid Mubarak to all, and happy National Day UAE!

This one is really long (a lot has been happening) so take it in stride if you need to :)


It's truly been a great couple of weeks for us here in Abu Dhabi. Near the end of the month of November the Arabic holiday of Eid Adah (it's the second Eid in a year) began. Eid Ahad marks the end of the year on the Arabic lunar calendar. Therefore, the date is set based on the moon. Now, the story from the qurran is that Ibrahim was told by God to sacrifice his only son Ishmael. Upon the actual sacrifice time, Allah (God) stopped Ibrahim and told him to sacrifice a lamb in Ishmael's place. And now, in remembrance of God's provision, the Arabic people slaughter a lamb/goat offering. So, Eid Adah is very much like Christmas here, a really big deal, and everyone goes out and slaughters their animals in the street and they all go to the mosque to pray and then celebrate. I'm a little sad to say that I did not witness any of the “blood flowing in the streets” as I'd been promised. Our neighbourhood is full of richy riches and they clearly didn't want to damage or stain their sidewalks. In town, there weren't any goats hanging from trees or anything. Bummer. Also, they made a rule here that a person is “supposed” to get their animals done by a butcher to keep things cleaner and more sanitary...clearly people followed through with the suggestion. Alas, perhaps it's something that I can imagine better that it would really have been anyway.

For Eid, along with National day, we were given an entire week off, totalling ten days of bliss. Alicia's parents flew in on the first day of Eid, so we didn't have a lot of time to rest. I ended up being driver, mostly because Sarah (who shares with us) was in Jordan, and Alicia, due to our passport stamps, and visa paperwork, and now we need UAE licences, was not actually registered to drive on the car yet...she's still working on it. So, I was the only possible insured driver...though it was just as illegal for me to drive, because I couldn't get my UAE licence until after Eid and once your resident visa comes through (which mine finally did!!!), you need a UAE licence for any driving that you do. Thank heavens though that no test is involved, and instead, you simply pay some money and sign a form and take a picture...and they photocopy the license from your country of origin...the fact that there is not immigrant test might be a reason for the high volume of accidents in this country.,..I'm just saying.

Anyway, we had a full week with Manfred and Angela...I also want to note here that once upon a time, when I was about as small as they come, I'm fairly sure that I had a cat named Manfred who was hit by a car...
So, they came in on a Thursday evening, and we enjoyed doing a quick catch up. They had brought several extremely important provisions...for Alicia, a bunch of Celiac stuff..as would be expected, and some teaching supplies that we can't get. But for me...DILL! You can't get dill here, and being that I basically only cook with two spices (garlic and dill), I was short half of my recipes. So hurrah. They also brought me genuine, PC brand marshmallows. It was such a happy day!
Early the next morning we got all set up in the car and went to church. That was the first day of the Eid holiday, also the day to look for the dead animals...none were found. So, church was nice. I think it was good for them to see that we were involved in a church, and though it's a church way different from home, it is a church that holds the same beliefs and values as we do. They have a mix of worship songs, from modern to hymns, and most are from within the last 10 years...though some do a dive from the 80's. Overall, they try and make a place where believers from every country and many denomenations can identify. The pastor does talk...a lot. Three messages every single week. He may think he's giving three points, but in reality, it's three separate messages.
We basically then went to the mall. Alicia's dad bought us lunch (which was trend for the week :) )
That evening we just hung out, rested, I think we made them taco's for dinner? I don't remember.

So, Saturday we went into a new city. I'd never been there. It's called Al Ain, and it's the other main city in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. Most big cities here are actually emirates themselves. Dubai for instance, is basically summed up within the city that everyone knows about. You enter Dubai from Abu Dhabi, drive directly through, and near the end of the city (not even after you've exited), you end up in the next emirate (Sharja). You honestly can't tell which part is Dubai and Which part is Sharja. This is how most of the UAE is...excect Abu Dhabi. The emirate of Abu Dhabi, where I take residence, is like 80% of the country, and it has two major cities, and several smaller cities. It is also the emirate with all the money, oil, and the Shiek (who I'm still working on meeting).

Blah blah blah, so, we're in Al Ain, which, p.s. Is way prettier than anything that the other emirates have to offer so far. It's got trees and pretty gardens, beautiful one or two story buildings, plenty of character, brick streets...way nicer. While there we were looking for the camel market, which we didn't find. Instead, we ended up going to a sweet fort, built by the first Sheik in the late 19th century. It was pretty neat, and I learned a few things via a photo gallery, however, I would have rather hung out at the camel market. (Alicia's dad is a farmer, so he might have liked to go to the market too, and talk about farming, as they farm camels here like cows at home). I climbed up some posts sticking out of a wall in one of the towers and made it almost to the top. The top post was cracked and loose, I wasn't about to put my weight on a 100 year old loose, cracked, post in a sod tower. We went to the Al Ain museum, which is about 4 rooms large (but is one of the best museums in the country)! Then for lunch we went to the oasis. To get to Al Ain you have to drive through about an hour and a half of desert, like the sahara kind, and then you get to the beautiful city, which is built on an oasis. We ended up having a lovely picnic, right in the midst of orange, mango, and date trees. I tried to pick an orange from a tree...it wasn't good. I also climbed up a date palm. They're suprisingly easy to get up, but getting down is a bit trecherous. Basically that ended the day, except that we got lost looking for the camel market, and we found a payless shoes in a mall there!! We've planned a second trip to the town around the middle of December so everyone get get cheap winter boots before going home for the season!

Sunday (which should have been the start of our work week... but wasn't thanks to Ibrahim/Eid) we went into Dubai, and Sharja actually. We were lucky enough to follow another teacher and his family into Sharja, and we were able to explore the blue souq. It's basically like a posh bazaar, but not as fancy as most of them here. Nothing like those in Thailand or Turkey, but, a nice place to get some decent deals on jewlery and pashmina's. If anyone wants any bridal gifts/wear...let me know!
After the souq, and getting harassed by shop owners, we drove all the way through Dubai yet again and went to a really neat mall...Ibn Battuta. It's one of my favorites. Well laid out and has good stores in it. From there we grabbed lunch, and took a taxi to Mdinat Jumerah, which is a resort in Dubai. Really nice, and inside there is a super fancy souq, as well as several other nice shops, a mall, an ampitheatre, and a fabulous view of the berge. If you're not going to pay for high tea, it's not worth it to go there, so the Jumerah is about as close as you can get without going inside. Nice pictures too.

Basically that summed up Dubai. I hadn't driven there yet, nor had I driven in Al Ain before, and therefore I was two for two in the driving in new cities department!

Monday was a short day. We started off the day at the grand mosque. It's in Abu Dhabi and we actually pass it going in and out of the city. It's a beautiful building, and the grounds are fabulous. You can walk around the outside grounds as long as you're fully covered, but to go inside the courtyard or the mosque itself, women must wear Obiyas, and men must have their legs covered...no shorts. Poor Alicia wore a skirt that was down to her knees, but not past, and we actually had to cross the grounds, get her obiyah just outside of the courtyard, and then bring it down to her because she couldn't walk around at all without her legs fully covered. I thought it was pretty funny. That morning was a perfect time for a photoshoot...I'm thinking my next resume shot?? Dad? What do you think? Next we went to the fruit and veggie market which is the best place to get produce, and you get to barter with different guys to find the best price, and they'll let you sample for sweetness etc...always a good time. We also found the fish market, gross..and took some pictures of sharks. I told Alicia we should buy one to eat (as part of the experience). I don't have her convinced yet, but it's coming!
Later, we found a killer restaurant (thanks to a recommendation from Steve and Caitlin Stahl) and Alicia's parents both ordered the fish byriani...which ended up being whole fish...gross. So we got a few good pictures once they were picked clean of skeletal remains!

I took myself to the internet cafe that evening, and enjoyed a relaxing evening chatting with some friends. I am looking forward to getting internet in our place. I think that we'll get it within the week as I put in a request a couple of days ago. I'll keep you posted, but, it could happen soon!

The next day we went into the school to show the parents around the place we call “our second home”...(we don't actually call it that.). Anyway, we got a little bit of work done (though neither of us was in the mood for working), and then I took her parents to a taxi stop, and took a my friends Alana and Justin to the mall for an evening with dinner and a movie. It was really good to see some friends outside of school whom I don't share accomodation with. Most of my neighbours you just see so often, it's nice to know there are other people in the world still. Alicia took her parents to the Shangri La for dinner, the buffet, which costs like 200 Dirhams/head (or roughly 70bucks), without drinks, but it is for sure the very best buffet you'll ever see. It's worth the money if you're visiting.

Wednesday was the parent's last day here (6 days just isn't quite enough for those who are planning on visiting). Plus, it was national day!!!

I put on my best National day dress, which was basically a flag. It's red on top, by the chest and cleaves, and then has three vertical stripes from there in black, white, and green. I was essentially a walking flag, and it's the absolute ugliest dress I've ever seen in my life! But as we walked down the cornishe (like the boardwalk all the way along the beach coast), i got a lot of stares and glances. We went to the beach that day, because one must have a beach day in December if you're from Canada and you are in a place there that is possible. So, we did, but it wasn't the best day. The water temp has dropped since early November, and now it's actually really cold. Perhaps not like anything in Canada, and you might laugh at me now, but, it's really really cold. Then, the sun doesn't beat down so much anymore, and with so much wind off the water (in Winter, the dust storm season is supposed to happen), it's actually really chilly for those who only two weeks ago were enjoying temps of 35 and up, now we're at 20-25...quick drop. And I don't like it. I might die of shock when I come to Canada. Anyway, National day happens every December 2nd, and is like Canada day but a million times bigger. There are fireworks involved, but also, people deck out their cars in ways you wouldn't imaginge, with the Sheik's face, and flags, and spray paint, stickers, everyone is dressed up, wearing UAE scarves, touques, and waiving flags...the cornishe road is jam packed...completely. Kids are hanging out of car windows and running in the streets, and everyone can purchase silly string and soap foam to spray at those who aren't so patriotic...we took a full two hours to get out of the area (and it was only 4:30). The fireworks didn't start until 10 and havoc was already in hot demand. We got a few silly sting attacks, but mostly people liked my dress, so we got away unscathed.

Alicia's parents left that night. I had also been driving people to the airport early in the morning or late at night all week, so that was my last trip there for a while. Goodbye Angela and Manfred Gross! Thanks for the memories!

The next day was nothing special We hung out at home most of the day, but in the evening, we were going to go to a movie (thinking that National day would only be one day!)...alas, we drove into town and half way in and were crammed into traffic all trying to get to the cornishe road core so they could cause rukus...apparently the idea of National day should really be National days....as it went on the next several. WE had left one hour early for our movie...we left at 8:15 and should have arrived by 9pm...the movie was at 9:15. It took us two and a half hours to pull in, so we made it by 11, and went for the 11:15 movie instead (Christmas Carol in case you're wondering, and the one before was 2012, and I also saw New moon earlier in the week...so I think I'm caught up on movies – at least the ones that play here!).

On top of being in traffic for forever...I ended up hanging out my window for a bit, just because we can, and then some boys came and attacked me with silly string as I was getting back into the car. All in good fun of course. Well, the car was covered in the stuff, and so we reopened the window to throw it outside and get it off the car, when the boys came back! They'd been following us! This time, I got foam in the eye! Right in the eye! It's basically soap in a can and it sprays and explodes into snow like puffs...anyway, from point blank into my eye, it did not seem so awesome. The driver Sherry also got a face full of silly string, and from then on we kept our windows closed...the boys tailed us for quite some time. It was evidently very easy, as we were moving a foot every two or three minutes.

Anyway, all in all it's been a great week. In the evenings we invite friends over for movies (right now I”m watching “Army of Darkness” which is a pretty big contender for the worst movie I've seen since I've been here...maybe ever. I'd say Eli, Duran, and Jaylon had better watch it to see if it's worse than war birds II), and I'm getting really good at baking, because I like to have something nice to offer my guests. I'm also still doing well in the cleaning department. Hurrah!

We have one more day of break, and I will be laying on my fold out lounge chair (which was the very best purchase I've made in this country) on my roof reading in the warm sun, sipping water and enjoying my last day of freedom...of course, there are only 9 school days to get through until Christmas. I've already begun packing! Can't wait.

Eid Mubarak to you all, and happy national day!

Cheers.

Talia