Pieces of life

Waves crash and roll, a soothing, distant thunder. My lungs rejoice in the freshness, the coolness of the air, tentatively daring to breathe deeply, to believe that the oppressive heat of summer has left the air. Sun sparkles on the water rushing over the flat sand of the shallows, shifting the sand into darker ridges – an underwater desert, populated by the occasional shell, a starfish, a crab creeping along – though he’s small, I give his claws a wide berth. Behind me, joggers plod through the sand, sari-clad women talk in flowing silk, fathers call to their children, who are screaming with glee as they dodge, dive, splash, splutter in the waves.
The sun descends, casting soft magenta hues on sea and sand. It slowly sinks, not behind the horizon, but behind the construction cranes of the Palm. Straight ahead, wet sand flies from dredgers, arcing through the air to form an island where before only water existed. I wonder if there will come a time when the sun won’t find an open slip of gulf to set on. To my left, past the Burj, the Marina towers soar. The aircraft warning lights start to flash in the twilight - first one, out of sync, then the others in rapid-fire succession – like a heartbeat: blip-thud.
Call to prayer sounds, the first flat and harsh, but then overlapped by another, sweeter, deeper… and another… they weave over and under, rising and falling…

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Florescent lights glow on the orange surface, surprisingly smooth and clear in the dark. Traffic whizzes along Sheik Zayed, headlights glare. Full moon rising, ferris wheel pulsing but still. Feet pound in unison, circling the park – at last, finding joy in the rhythm, the challenge, the breathing, the night air enveloping me…

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Vivaldi’s “Seasons” cycle as the signs circle us, buildings swallow us, roundabouts return us yet again… how hard can it be to find building 14, with the red façade??
Harder than I thought.
Yet the quest for internet can not be denied – so we cycle, circle, return; peer, point, sigh.

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Flying along, slowing to exit, curve through the tunnel, emerge to the sight of home - and brake lights, blinkers, horns. Slowing, crawling, steeling myself. So close I can almost see in my living room window, but yet so far – a curve, 3 lanes becoming one, cars angling for position, holding steady, ceding only when necessary. Creeping, leaving the building behind, for first I must turn, turn again, bump through dirt, loop through the development – circling back, finally arriving.

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Afternoon. The light takes on a peculiar quality, one I feel I must know from another life….
The skylight reveals a strange phenomenon – clouds. Gray, sky-concealing clouds. The first time I have seen them here.
As the bell rings, students buzz with talk of rain. I step out to see for myself – indeed. Small drops, intermittent – but rain. The first I have felt in over 3 months… a welcome respite? No. More of a curiosity.

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Thursday night, opening race night at Nad el Sheba. Track in a white-light glow, dressed-up patrons pay to watch from behind glass, eat and drink and socialize, while we lean our forearms on the scratchy hedge, awaiting the thunderous finish only meters from us, envying the photographers with their telephoto lenses and places even closer. Friends and families relax, chat, eat, smoke on blankets behind us – our skin is several shades paler than most, I get more than a few glances as I move to the walking ring before the races to check out the horses. Going off nothing more than horse names, jockey names, owners, and the occasional derby winner in the pedigree, we attempt to pick the winners and try to decipher the abbreviations on the racing program. Betting is illegal in Dubai, but one can “predict” the winner of all 6 races to win a car… a long shot at best. It all makes me want to go horseback riding, preferably fast…

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Friday afternoon, feel the need to leave the apartment... do something, anything. Jen and I head towards Sharjah, taking advantage of one day of lighter traffic. Under the Creek in a tunnel, out of the old city center, along the coast, we catch glimpses of the Gulf between villas. Sharjah off to our right. We find a piece of shoreline, rocky, with a concrete wall above it. We sit, soaking up the sunshine, reveling in the breeze, the relative quiet except waves, watching trucks drive out onto the Palm Deira, speculating about the ability to create artificial land, wondering how long it will be before it sinks back into the water. We're not there for long, just long enough to be dazzled by the sunshine, find a spot to escape to....


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ASD had a gala fundraiser put on by the Parent Association. It was a wonderful reason to get dressed up, see everyone else dressed up; and eat, drink and be merry. There was an exciting live auction, a raffle drawing for a Hummer (alas, I did not win... ), and a silent auction with some pretty random things (ie, FedEx shipments). I didn't bid, but I had fun seeing my table-mates bid for and win some of the previously mentioned random-ness...

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The hot weather has broken. The other morning, I actually felt chilled driving to work and had to close my car window! It's absolutely beautiful - warm afternoons, cool evenings.... The thought of a whole winter of weather this beautiful makes me very, very happy!
The thought of Minnesota in December already has me shivering....

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Thanksgiving in Dubai: I got to do the thing where I make my contribution to Thanksgiving dinner (green bean casserole), wrap it up in a towel and take it with me, in a bag with a bottle of wine, the extra crunchies, and my camera. Feels like I'm a real adult now :)
Allison did good her first Thanksgiving, the turkey was great, the gravy was delicious.... we had quite a spread, and although Green Bean casserole has to be the easiest thing ever, I was proud of the fact that everyone loved it and there was none left over (the exception was Juliette, our token 5-year old, who announced loudly that she did NOT like the beans. But I probably didn't either, when I was 5, so I'm not offended).
We were a diverse group, being inclusive of some Canadians and an Aussie, and from all over the US, and I realized that although I miss my family, it was a fabulous evening, becuase all that matters on Thanksgiving is that we're with people we care about - and I was.
It also didn't hurt that a few of us stopped off at the beach on the way home for an impromptu wade, as a white-robed fisherman rowed his white boat out to check his white-buoyed fishing nets that were bobbing right in front of us, stars actually visible overhead, water lapping our toes as we rolled up our pants and stepped gingerly in the dark....

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http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=145dg9h8.a98s14hg&x=0&y=fp34i5

A few pics....