I can’t quite believe I’ve been here 5 weeks already… I’ve got a car (!!!!) and am coping with the traffic quite well, enjoying driving once again… but it beeps when I hit 120 km/h so I can’t “accidentally” drive too fast… my car is a 2006 Toyota Corolla, white, with a cute little spoiler and I love it already!
This weekend I went on a few interesting drives… I went driving about behind Dubai, our towards the desert, and saw some interesting stuff – the F1 track; the future home of Dubailand which right now has a rocketship, a huge façade with a fake rollercoaster and not much else; Arabian Ranches – a huge development of two-stories stretching back into the desert, half of them finished and half still concrete shells; the city skyline disappearing in the humidity-induced haze; sand and scrubby brush and trees; and camel farms, dotted with little huts for the camel-tenders… then, heading farther to the desert, a huge “gate” on either side of the road, and then occasional large pictures of future developments – huge hotel complexes with themes that will span a huge area… but right now is only desert – not even a crane in sight!
Saturday morning we headed to the neighboring Emirate of Sharjah to hit up the “blue souq” – so called by people because the roof is blue. We got a little lost, because although “all roads lead to Sharjah,” once they get there they loop and snarl and detour…. So we got the scenic tour. There’s a beautiful “corniche,” a big bay with sand and walking paths and views of a beautiful mosque… the souq is two long buildings filled with shops – carpets, jewelry, trinkets, fabric in a million forms – we went to a carpet guy that knows some of the other teachers. 12 or so of us were there at once and we filled up the shop looking at these fabulous rugs – handmade, from Pakistan and Iran and all over the world… some of them 30-60 years old – intricate patterns, rich colors…
I took a break to buy some pashminas (shawls) and look at fabrics, and when I came back there had been a lot of rugs purchased! I need to paint my apartment before I buy a rug, but is was great to see the (long) process of looking and feeling and haggling and comparing… and the owner really knew his stuff. He goes himself to buy these rugs from the people who make them in various countries……
Our next stop was in another Emirate, and with one more wrong turn we ended up driving through another 3 emirates, instead of the planned 2 , so I can now say I’ve been in 5 of the 7 Emirates! We saw red-orange sand dotted with trees, somehow surviving in the heat and sun, camels clumped together in a humpy lump or standing solitary in the sparse shade, and lots of sand blowing across the road. Interesting fact: camels are valuable. Hit one with your car and pay somewhere in the neighborhood of 300,000 Dirhams (85,000 dollars, give or take a few) which is more than you’d have to pay for hitting a human being…
We saw kilometers of open beach with sparking water – surprisingly undeveloped, though I’m sure it will be eventually – but the stench of stagnant water made the sight less beautiful… (our destination was an outlet for more-affordable beverages of an alcoholic persuasion, which was packed with ex-pats stocking up before Ramadan...)
Speak of, Ramadan starts in about a week, and I’m interested to see what life is like during that time… quiet fasting during the day, with shortened work hours, and then Iftar celebrations after sunset, with feasting in tents on the beach…
I finally have some pictures, but they don't want to load... so they'll have to wait!
Monday, September 18, 2006
Monday, August 28, 2006
Update time!
-I am in my apartment! The main rooms are clean and organized and pretty sparse, which means I’m ready to go shopping to fill up the empty spaces!
I love all the sliding-doors and the light that comes in!
-I bought a car! I’m just waiting for it to be ready for me to pick up, which may be tomorrow! It’s a Toyota Corrola xLi, with 1.8 liter engine, white, with a spoiler… so many people here have Toyotas, and the resale value is really high, which will be great for me in a few years!
-School is in full swing! My middle school students are wonderful! I teach one math class in each grade and am also the “math coordinator” which means I do things like correlate the curriculum and the standards (read: I get to make a spreadsheet!), organize our supplies, run meetings, communicate with the principal and the curriculum person, etc. It’s going to be challenging but interesting and I have time worked into my day to work on it, which is why I’m only teaching three sections of math – which, incidentally, is so much fun! It feels really good to get back into teaching.
-The settling in phase and the hot weather haven’t allowed me to see too many interesting sights yet, except for some fabulous malls. Oh, I even found a Caribou Coffee! It’s waaaay across town but I’ll have to make my way over there once in awhile!
Really, that’s about it.
Kind of boring right now.
Sorry.
I’ll try to be more exciting next time. But let me leave you with a story of how things go here:
At the car dealership, Richard and I, paying for our cars. I go see my man. He keeps answering his phone and it takes a good half-hour to accomplish a 10-minute task. I go to where Richard is talking to his guy. I figure I’ll wait and share a cab with him, it can’t take too long, right?
Wrong.
Three phones blinging and beeping on the desk (2 cells and a landline) result in multiple phone conversations. He leaves to go talk to someone. A group of people come over and talk to him, he answers his phone some more. Someone else needs his attention on the other side of the showroom. When Richard goes to the cashier to get a receipt, the guy takes his mobile and goes on a smoke break! 45 minutes later, we leave. Ridiculous. But somehow hilarious….
-I am in my apartment! The main rooms are clean and organized and pretty sparse, which means I’m ready to go shopping to fill up the empty spaces!
I love all the sliding-doors and the light that comes in!
-I bought a car! I’m just waiting for it to be ready for me to pick up, which may be tomorrow! It’s a Toyota Corrola xLi, with 1.8 liter engine, white, with a spoiler… so many people here have Toyotas, and the resale value is really high, which will be great for me in a few years!
-School is in full swing! My middle school students are wonderful! I teach one math class in each grade and am also the “math coordinator” which means I do things like correlate the curriculum and the standards (read: I get to make a spreadsheet!), organize our supplies, run meetings, communicate with the principal and the curriculum person, etc. It’s going to be challenging but interesting and I have time worked into my day to work on it, which is why I’m only teaching three sections of math – which, incidentally, is so much fun! It feels really good to get back into teaching.
-The settling in phase and the hot weather haven’t allowed me to see too many interesting sights yet, except for some fabulous malls. Oh, I even found a Caribou Coffee! It’s waaaay across town but I’ll have to make my way over there once in awhile!
Really, that’s about it.
Kind of boring right now.
Sorry.
I’ll try to be more exciting next time. But let me leave you with a story of how things go here:
At the car dealership, Richard and I, paying for our cars. I go see my man. He keeps answering his phone and it takes a good half-hour to accomplish a 10-minute task. I go to where Richard is talking to his guy. I figure I’ll wait and share a cab with him, it can’t take too long, right?
Wrong.
Three phones blinging and beeping on the desk (2 cells and a landline) result in multiple phone conversations. He leaves to go talk to someone. A group of people come over and talk to him, he answers his phone some more. Someone else needs his attention on the other side of the showroom. When Richard goes to the cashier to get a receipt, the guy takes his mobile and goes on a smoke break! 45 minutes later, we leave. Ridiculous. But somehow hilarious….
Friday, August 18, 2006
Hotel Fun
Well, the apartments are still lacking AC, and the school is being nice enough to let us stay in the hotel instead of living in the intolerable heat. Newest projection is Sunday. It's really a great hotel, I feel quite pampered, but I'm ready to get to my own place! We made an IKEA trip on Wednesday and I bought a couch, table, etc. I hope it all looks okay in the apartment! I've never done this before, so I've been quite indecisive about everything and therefore have a lot left to do! I've also been car shopping - decisions, decisions.....
I've seen a bit more of the city and am excited to explore it in depth... there's a lot of areas to walk in, shop in, etc. This type of thing will have to wait until it cools down a bit, however!
I got a mobile, the number is 011 971 050 748 4036 and it will be activated as of 2'oclock Saturday, Dubai time.
Interesting: decisions can be made and implemented here and things can change quite quickly. Case in point: the whole country is switching to a friday-saurday weekend instead of thursday-friday on September 1st... but of course some things will shift accordingly and other things won't.... the school is already on the new schedule so we won't have to adjust. It will be easier to get used to for me, as it's only one day off from what I"m used to!
wish i had more interesting things to share, but phone-buying, passport-picture taking, and driver's liscence applicating aren't all that exciting...
oh, and for all of us who were wondering - it is definitely NOT a dry heat!
I've seen a bit more of the city and am excited to explore it in depth... there's a lot of areas to walk in, shop in, etc. This type of thing will have to wait until it cools down a bit, however!
I got a mobile, the number is 011 971 050 748 4036 and it will be activated as of 2'oclock Saturday, Dubai time.
Interesting: decisions can be made and implemented here and things can change quite quickly. Case in point: the whole country is switching to a friday-saurday weekend instead of thursday-friday on September 1st... but of course some things will shift accordingly and other things won't.... the school is already on the new schedule so we won't have to adjust. It will be easier to get used to for me, as it's only one day off from what I"m used to!
wish i had more interesting things to share, but phone-buying, passport-picture taking, and driver's liscence applicating aren't all that exciting...
oh, and for all of us who were wondering - it is definitely NOT a dry heat!
Monday, August 14, 2006
Wow
Wow, is it hot!
and fabulous!
My flights were great, I even slept on the 13 hour NY to Dubai trip. My apartment isn't quite ready yet, because it's brand new and they are a bit behind schedule, but in the meantime I'm being put up in a great hotel and we went to see the apartments this morning - they are perfect! I have a huge living room with a wall of sliding doors, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, (perfect for visitors!!!!) a balcony, a great kitchen... it's perfect! There's even a pool on the roof!! There's a lot of new buildings going up all around it, so it's surrounded by dirt right now and a lot of construction, but it should be nice when it's all finished. The new school building is going up right across the road in a year or two, which will be very convenient! It's really close to the Mall of the Emirates (MOE), which has that indoor ski thing. We can also see the 7-star hotel, the Burj al Arab. We drove down to the beach and it looks fabulous for swimming.
The school is great, I have a cute little office/small-group room and will be teaching larger classes in another room. All the other teachers and staff seem really nice, and there are a lot of new teachers other than me. Our new-person coordinator, Michelle, is doing a great job showing us around and making sure we get everything taken care of. Now that I'm here I'm excited to get going with planning and meetings and teaching....
The city itself is something hard to describe. It's huge and bustling and clean and sparkly ... but dusty and hot and full of construction - trucks, cranes, workers, half-finished buildings forming an incomplete skyline... it stretches out along the coast, trapped between the water and the desert...full of places to go and see and experience - I won't have any problem keeping busy! There's a lot of things you might find anywhere - an Applebees and a Starbucks down the road from the hotel, an Ikea, Carrefour... but the surroundings make it seem so different...
It's a lot to take in all at once. At moments I try to wrap my mind around the fact that this is my life... but once I start thinking too hard it starts to feel even more surreal... so I've decided it's best to not think about it, and just live it!
More later, and pictures as soon as I'm able!
and fabulous!
My flights were great, I even slept on the 13 hour NY to Dubai trip. My apartment isn't quite ready yet, because it's brand new and they are a bit behind schedule, but in the meantime I'm being put up in a great hotel and we went to see the apartments this morning - they are perfect! I have a huge living room with a wall of sliding doors, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, (perfect for visitors!!!!) a balcony, a great kitchen... it's perfect! There's even a pool on the roof!! There's a lot of new buildings going up all around it, so it's surrounded by dirt right now and a lot of construction, but it should be nice when it's all finished. The new school building is going up right across the road in a year or two, which will be very convenient! It's really close to the Mall of the Emirates (MOE), which has that indoor ski thing. We can also see the 7-star hotel, the Burj al Arab. We drove down to the beach and it looks fabulous for swimming.
The school is great, I have a cute little office/small-group room and will be teaching larger classes in another room. All the other teachers and staff seem really nice, and there are a lot of new teachers other than me. Our new-person coordinator, Michelle, is doing a great job showing us around and making sure we get everything taken care of. Now that I'm here I'm excited to get going with planning and meetings and teaching....
The city itself is something hard to describe. It's huge and bustling and clean and sparkly ... but dusty and hot and full of construction - trucks, cranes, workers, half-finished buildings forming an incomplete skyline... it stretches out along the coast, trapped between the water and the desert...full of places to go and see and experience - I won't have any problem keeping busy! There's a lot of things you might find anywhere - an Applebees and a Starbucks down the road from the hotel, an Ikea, Carrefour... but the surroundings make it seem so different...
It's a lot to take in all at once. At moments I try to wrap my mind around the fact that this is my life... but once I start thinking too hard it starts to feel even more surreal... so I've decided it's best to not think about it, and just live it!
More later, and pictures as soon as I'm able!
Friday, August 11, 2006
New Spot!
Leaving on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again...
(Actually, that's a lie. I'll be back at Christmas.)
Tomorrow is the big day! You wouldn't know it by looking at my room, strewn with clothes, books, papers and shoes, but I really am going to pack soon... as soon as I'm done here.
It's been a quick 5 weeks, that's for sure! I had my stuff shipped over to Dubai and they came less than a week after I got home, so I scrambled to unpack, shop, and organize. It was a little weird watching all of my things disappear into brown paper wrappings and be packed into cardboard boxes... my life reduced to a 7-digit reference number...
I saw friends and family members, tried to catch up on an entire year, showed my pictures, talked until my throat hurt, and until I felt like I was talking too much...
I took a week-long, cross-country road trip to catch up with old friends. I went to Chicago, saw my friend Nicole, her fabulous new apartment, the city she now calls home - and I loved it. Then I drove 14 hours, starting at 6am, to meet Elise in New Jersey. It was quite the drive, but I enjoyed it, having been a non-driver for almost a year. (the sun-roof doesn't hurt, either!). We caught up, hung out, even took a train to NYC for an afternoon and walked around in the hot, hot heat. Times square gave me a new definition for "overstimulation." I met the Captive Free team she's been traveling with for the past year and got to hear them rock out at an evening service. The drive back wasn't quite as thrilling, but I got to stop in Chicago for one more night. It was a great trip, even if I did spend a million dollars on gas....
I even got to visit Luther for a few minutes, catch up with one of my education professors, Jim Langholz, who helped me get my international start, and visit Kirstin, the best college roommate ever.
I caught up with everyone I could catch up with and suddenly, my time is up!
I'm excited - a bit nervous of course, but mostly excited. Being home has been great, but it's also made me realize that I've made the right decision in going to Dubai. My year in Belgium changed me in a lot of ways, and I'm not ready to come home just yet.
You may have noticed that the blog has been renamed - a blog entitled, "Brussels, Belgium" was hardly appropriate for my Middle-Eastern adventures, so here you can find "Erin in the Emirates," the cheesily-named blog where I will record everything you need to know (and probably more) about life in the biggest construction zone in the world, Dubai!!
Off to packing, now, and coming to terms with the fact that I won't be able to carry on my toothpaste and will be arriving in Dubai with stinky breath!
(The Brussels blog can now be found at http://canaryblue2.blogspot.com )
(Actually, that's a lie. I'll be back at Christmas.)
Tomorrow is the big day! You wouldn't know it by looking at my room, strewn with clothes, books, papers and shoes, but I really am going to pack soon... as soon as I'm done here.
It's been a quick 5 weeks, that's for sure! I had my stuff shipped over to Dubai and they came less than a week after I got home, so I scrambled to unpack, shop, and organize. It was a little weird watching all of my things disappear into brown paper wrappings and be packed into cardboard boxes... my life reduced to a 7-digit reference number...
I saw friends and family members, tried to catch up on an entire year, showed my pictures, talked until my throat hurt, and until I felt like I was talking too much...
I took a week-long, cross-country road trip to catch up with old friends. I went to Chicago, saw my friend Nicole, her fabulous new apartment, the city she now calls home - and I loved it. Then I drove 14 hours, starting at 6am, to meet Elise in New Jersey. It was quite the drive, but I enjoyed it, having been a non-driver for almost a year. (the sun-roof doesn't hurt, either!). We caught up, hung out, even took a train to NYC for an afternoon and walked around in the hot, hot heat. Times square gave me a new definition for "overstimulation." I met the Captive Free team she's been traveling with for the past year and got to hear them rock out at an evening service. The drive back wasn't quite as thrilling, but I got to stop in Chicago for one more night. It was a great trip, even if I did spend a million dollars on gas....
I even got to visit Luther for a few minutes, catch up with one of my education professors, Jim Langholz, who helped me get my international start, and visit Kirstin, the best college roommate ever.
I caught up with everyone I could catch up with and suddenly, my time is up!
I'm excited - a bit nervous of course, but mostly excited. Being home has been great, but it's also made me realize that I've made the right decision in going to Dubai. My year in Belgium changed me in a lot of ways, and I'm not ready to come home just yet.
You may have noticed that the blog has been renamed - a blog entitled, "Brussels, Belgium" was hardly appropriate for my Middle-Eastern adventures, so here you can find "Erin in the Emirates," the cheesily-named blog where I will record everything you need to know (and probably more) about life in the biggest construction zone in the world, Dubai!!
Off to packing, now, and coming to terms with the fact that I won't be able to carry on my toothpaste and will be arriving in Dubai with stinky breath!
(The Brussels blog can now be found at http://canaryblue2.blogspot.com )
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