The "story behind the desk"...

I had a great weekend. Great friends, great times, great experiences. The desert safari was a blast even though I had already been, I was able to see it all again through new eyes. Especially the eyes of a special 4 year old who would now like a camel of her own. You can contact me for your donation…I’m sure her mother would be appreciative!

I apologize for not posting my own pics yet, but I am sure that Ryan’s surpasses them anyways. It was actually when I was downloading a pic that he took to my phone so that I could post it as a profile pic on Facebook, did the whole story behind the desk begin. Still sleepy, I heard buzzes from my charging phone. I crashed on a very comfortable couch in Al Ain and I wasn’t about to move far. When I was posting the pic, one of the buzzes I noticed was from a ‘swap and shop’ group that I belong to. I have purchased most of my stuff new, but you never know when you can get a deal from someone who is leaving town and has to sell their stuff. The item that caught my attention was a desk for 400 dirhams. It was simple. It was white. It was going to match my bed, I had to get it. I contacted the seller, told her I was in Al Ain for the rest of the day and I would contact her when I got back to Abu Dhabi. Not a problem. I was already starting to make my list of what to do when I got back. Getting a tv was also one of those things as I have been paying for the service, I might as well get a tv to enjoy it!

On the way back to Abu Dhabi, there is a long desert road. There are little towns on either side, but the majority of the landscape is sand dune after sand dune. It’s almost hypnotizing. It was a bright sunny day out here (surprise surprise), and the radio was playing awesomeness such as Shaggy’s “Shabba” and Snow’s “Informer”. Nothing like being a white girl blasting those tracks and bee bopping away in her little roller skate of a car doing about a buck thirty. About half way there, I notice a truck in the ‘slow lane’. I was about to pass him, but then a shiny white Lexus SUV veered from behind me to behind the truck. I was trying to slow down to let him in front of me, but strangely, he wasn't’t moving. It was getting to the point where I would have to pass both him and the truck. Fine. Motoring along I notice his window roll down and horn starting to blaze. Going about 100 km/hr with your window down, there is nothing you’re going to hear in a conversation. He tried to signal me to move on and pull over to the side. Hmmm…I think I can assume by what he was driving and what he was wearing, that he would definitely know the desert better than I and wasn't in any dire need. I tried to ignore him. Passing the truck, he tried again. I waved him on and tried to say I was sorry. After all, I don’t think anyone would have been able to hear my screams in the barren desert. He sped off and I was ok…a little weirded out but okay.

Getting into the city, I now made getting a tv a priority before finally heading home. I found what I wanted and more at Marina Mall along the Corniche. How independent I thought? White girl in the desert driving from town to town, just bought a tv and was now going to install it all on her own! It took a few trips up to the flat on floor #13, but eventually, all my stuff was here. I tore open the box, excited with my new electronic, and begin looking at assembly instructions and making sure it had all of the contents that it said it was going to. Perfect. About a minute later I realized I was stuck. Screw driver needed? This time a flat butter knife nor steak knife would work. Luckily on my floor, I live next to a handy guy from the UK that came in the group after me, surely he wouldn't mind? Of course not…the next thing I realized I was making tea for him and I as he got down to business.

My phone went off. Oh yes…the desk that I noticed while I was still in Al Ain. The seller let me know that she was on Reem Island as well. Perfect. Wait…if she’s on Reem Island as well, it’s grand that it’s close…but worth it to hire a moving company for a simple Ikea-ish desk? Nah. I asked my handy friend. He suggested that he and Shakeel go and get it in the next day or so. It really is only 2 buildings over…no sense in hiring anyone…right? I messaged Shakeel later to let him know that his services had been volunteered.

The next day dragged on a bit, but no matter, I was coming home to friends and a desk! Unfortunately, our handy friend could not make it that day. So, it looked like Shakeel and I were upto our own devices to get the desk. No matter, we’re strong enough for this, right? He brought his car around (he lives with his family on the end of the island), and said that the desk would probably fit in his newly rented Carolla. I looked doubtfully at the back…

We met the seller from the 12^th floor in Beach Towers. Simple enough. White, 2 shelves that can be taken out…easy peasy lemon squeezy. The two of us carried that without a problem. I was convinced that we were going to have to walk the desk back to Gate. Shakeel on the other hand, was still convinced that this desk was going to fit in the back of the car as long as the seats were down. Sedans are great with a lot of room…it’s the size of the doors that presented the problem. We tried, 1, 2, 3, 4…maybe a 5^th time before Shakeel finally gave up. He parked his car again…and we were off lugging this thing a few blocks. It was about 530 at this point. The sun was just about to set, and the streets were full of construction and migrant workers.

“There, you see him? Why don’t you hire him?”

“Shut up, Shakeel.”

“There’s one with a truck, he can help you out. The back of his truck actually says ‘for hire’!.”

“Shut up, Shakeel.”

Shakeel’s Melody: “White girl carrying a desk with a Pakistani guy, from Beach to Gate, what were they thinking?”

When you’re carrying anything of weight, it just gets heavier with laughter. Those of you in Gate, Beach, or Amaya towers and happened to pass us on the way home, I’m sure it was clear what we were doing, but I didn't wave as I was focusing on where we were going and not smacking him.

So, I now have a desk. I have a working tv that sits properly on a stand. And I stop my car for nothing in the desert outside of an injured animal. Not sure if I’m down a friend or not, LOL. Nah, as I said, I owe him one…he and his family still have furniture to get too…oh boy…I smell another blog and it hasn't even happened yet!

a facebook status that may have needed further explanation, lol

England V Canada...

I apologize for a certain Facebook status. It was meant to get your attention, but not cause worry. On the contrary, I don’t think I’ve laughed this much in a long time. From a few comments, I knew some of you are on the same crazy wavelength as I am sometimes!

Ok, first…how did I end up touring a stranger around Abu Dhabi? When you get to an international hub like Abu Dhabi, the majority of the people you meet were not born here. In fact, 80% of the population are expats like me who came here from somewhere else. Anyways, one of my good friends here is of Pakistani descent, but was born and raised in the UK. I’ve mentioned him before in the blogs, and again, thank goodness that I have his permission, but I’ll leave his name out of things to protect the innocent…and perhaps the guilty? (LOL).  I don’t mean to sound presumptuous, but when a friend of his from the UK rang him up and asked if he could take his wife’s nephew out on the town while he was here in town on a 15 hour layover from Pakistan, somehow I wasn’t surprised. Families, relationships, even if it is with people you haven’t met before are acceptable to just meet up with. We had a great time going to a mall, shisha at the Corniche and talking about our experiences in Abu Dhabi so far.

So, how did we get pulled over by the police? Don’t worry mom and dad…I wasn’t driving. In the car were both of my Pakistani-Brit friends (including the one on the 15 hour layover). I was in the back, the guys were in the front. I have a few thoughts on this one as to why we were pulled over. The obvious, is that a certain person who was driving forgot to put his lights on. It was at night, and driving without your lights is dangerous no matter where you are. Abu Dhabi is so lit up at night; it would have been easy to miss to put your lights on. While driving however, if someone doesn’t see you…yikes. People cut each other off left and right here. If this is why they pulled us over, than I am thankful to the Abu Dhabi police on patrol that night. My other thought is that it just may have had to do with the ‘race card’…a white girl in the back of a car with 2 brown guys? Better check this out. When we heard the siren and saw the flashing lights, we immediately pulled over. He instructed us to keep going so that we were in the next divot in the road where the taxis and buses go. We waited for the officer (that’s what we do back home, right? We dare not get out of the car?) He instructed the driver to get out of the car and then go to him! Bringing his licence and rental registration with him, the cop looked at him and said, “hmmm….you Pakistani?” 

“No, sir. I am British. Here is my license from England”.

“You look Pakistani to me”. 

He let us off with a warning to put our lights back on. I am sure if we had been here much longer and we showed our Emirates ID (which will hopefully be in any day now), we likely would have been fined. Regardless if why we were pulled over, I rest knowing that our police are on the job and alert despite the crazy driving skills I’ve been witness to!

Hmm…so where does that leave us? Ah, the police report. My poor Pakistani-Brit friend! There may be multiple versions of this one. The short story is that his car had been hit and scratched from bumper to bumper while parked. The car was rented, so he contacted Hertz and let them know. On the advice of one of our friends, he brought me along (female), to hopefully soften the blow when talking to the police behind the desk at the headquarters.

When we went to get the car, the police officer asked, “Where is your car?”

Down there, sir”.

“Good, you go bring it to me and I take photos.”

Whether he wanted a smoke break in the meantime or whatnot, we were just taken away again to go TO the police rather than have them come and escort you. I think we got to the police station at around 7 and they closed at 8. They were all ready to go home anyways and I don’t think it mattered much what we said or if I was there in this instance, they just wanted to get out of there as much as we did.

What else? Ah yes, on one of these other crazy nights, we made our way down to the post office to see if our Emirates ID was in. Walking in, we were instructed to take separate numbers and to have a seat. I sat where I thought I was instructed to. I sat beside a gentleman and I felt eyes on me. “Psssssst!” My friend tried to get my attention from where he was sitting, but I must have been in my own little world.

He walked across the room, “CARA!”

“What!?”

*sigh*, “Cara, get over there to the back. You’re sitting in the mens’ section!”

Ugh. My face went red and I literally had to go and find my place beside the other women waiting to be served in a public office. It would have been worth the trip had our IDs been in. Maybe next time. Our passports are finally in that will be picked up next week. It will be nice to have that particular document back again!

an adventure around every corner...

Last night I was able to attend the FINALS game of the U-17 FIFA World Cup in Abu Dhabi. What an experience! Those of you back home must have thought that the tickets would have been ridiculously costly. I am sure that they would have been. Let this be another amazing thing to bring back to you about the cultural heritage here. The President wanted to bring football to the masses, especially football from the world stage. Tickets to all games…were free. Getting seats was a bit of a free for all, but I wouldn’t have changed it for the world. This was my first live football match. What a time to check one out!

There was a group of 4 of us. This was quite the eclectic group. 3 Canadians and a Brit…and I was the only white girl…of our group and of our entire half of the stadium. There may have been a few white fans on the other side there to support Denmark in the ceremony at the end for their 3^rd place win, but I may have been mistaken. To be able to talk to the person next to you was almost impossible. I looked around and texted “I feel so white!” to my friend next to me. “It’s ok he said, I think it’s time you’ve become an “honorary brown girl”. Ah, the racist jokes and puns. If only Russell Peters could be around us some days!

The roars of the crowd were deafening at times. We weren’t able to sit with the four of us together, but we found 2 sets of 2. Despite the craziness, the crowd would happily move over for you if there was room in the row. Our seats were reserved on the other side, but security was tight into where they were letting people go no matter what your ticket was saying, so we were just happy to sit at that point. I was surprised on the security. There were personnel at every stairway and entrance to each section, and military were walking around as well. Military here aren’t in a green camouflage, but blue. Kinda neat. I was surprised, and the group was talking about this later on…it was good that security was so tight. After all, I am sure Abu Dhabi wanted to impress FIFA to have the U-17 back again.

Abu Dhabi is the perfect set up for professional tournaments like this. I have seen a number of stadiums around town, but I hadn’t seen Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium before, and I am sure there are plenty more. With so many facilities in such a condensed area, scheduling and locations would have been easy for organizers. 

I love the married couple that I was with. They’re from Scarborough and have actually been placed on my floor. The people you meet here are simply amazing. We went to a popular place in town to eat afterward. We had intended on eating at the stadium, but I wasn’t about to leave my coveted seat once I sat down. We ate at the Lebanese Flower…a nice restaurant with a common budget. We were able to sit upstairs. Funny when revelations can come to you. I had been to this restaurant one other time, but not upstairs. The stairs seemed to glitter with exotic plants from the area leading the way. Anything could be up these stairs. I know, it was another dining room, but it was another passage that I had to uncover. Every single corner, room, hallway, staircase, is somewhere I’ve never been before. There have been more ‘firsts’ for me in the last month and a half than there has been in 15 years. Everything has been a sense of adventure…

Interesting things about Abu Dhabi so far...

“Have you been to the Corniche area yet?”

“No, I've been meaning to though.”

“Oh yeah, it’s beautiful, totally a sight to see.” She glanced over to the right while keeping an eye on traffic and pointed, “See that? It’s the old boardwalk, that’s where the beach area used to be. But they didn't like it, so they moved it.”

“What?”

“Yes, they moved the beach.” The puzzled look on my face must have been funny to see for a person who has been here a few years. She continued, “I guess the sand wasn’t as fine or as white as they wanted, so they imported sand from another country and created a better beach in a more desirable location closer to the Emirates Palace”.

I was starkly reminded once again just how far away from home I am…

***

Life here in AD is simply interesting. There’s no other way to put it. It can be great, it can be frustrating, and it can be having moments where you don’t know what in the world is going on around you. Put this all together, I came up with ‘interesting’. This past week or so has been crazy in the city and surrounding areas. Loved ones from home are naturally attracted to events they may see on the news that happen to have a connection to AD and the UAE in general. I was recently talking to my mom, and she mentioned that she saw the U17 FIFA world cup was going on. Oh yes, I said, and this week we had the Grand Prix. I also mentioned thousands of men coming ashore from Her Majesty’s Navy. “I’m surprised the island doesn't sink!” she exclaimed. Yes, I love my mother.

You can say that I’m one of those people who are in their own world when it comes to walking around town or in the malls. I like to people watch when I am sitting still and/or eating, but when I am walking around, my focus is on where I am going and how to get there. I had been getting attention that I wasn’t aware of and now I am reminded that I am in a minority situation. The other night, I went to visit this Corniche area I mentioned earlier. I went with a friend who was born in the UK, but he is of Pakistani background. Luckily, I have his permission to blog about this. I hope you find the humour in it as much as we did. AD is a conservative country, so as a woman, particularly a white woman, you just have to be careful in how you handle yourself. We were walking from a café on the waterfront back to the car. He was a few feet in front of me. I was covered with a long skirt down to my ankles and a modest top. That still didn`t seem to make a difference. The street lights are very bright, and most of the cars are white, easy to see into. “They’re looking at you!” he said. I glanced up and it was car after car of men smiling/laughing and pointing. Whether this was in a positive context or not, I am not sure. I just wanted to get back in the car. My Pakistani friend, however, found it entertaining enough to start singing George Costanza style in his own creation of “brown Pakistani guy/white Canadian woman walking to the car…” rendition of this humiliation. I wanted to crawl under a rock! Ah, thank goodness for friends, eh?

No connection to the above, but one last thing on today’s blog I thought I would mention is the striking paradox between demanding customers and it being a culture of ‘service’. The people in the service industry are kind and genuine. It is almost as if they cannot do enough for you. Trying a traditional Indian restaurant earlier this week, my rice was poured for me. You will be asked if everything is alright more than once with suggestions of more they can do for you. For some reason, however, this does not apply to picking up the check…you have to ask for that, and often more than once. Despite this service, the customers never seem satisfied. I have already been witness to a number of customer complaints that for back home would seem ridiculous. The servers behind the counters (food, grocery, phone, etc) are apologetic no matter what. In my experience, the customers that I’ve seen are simply complaining for nothing. One instance, a man was yelling at a guy behind the Tim Horton’s counter. He was upset that he wasn't served right away (there was one man in front of him who was indecisive). Apparently the clerk behind the counter was wrong to give the person in front of the line priority. When the upset customer and his wife left, I apologized to the clerk that he had to get yelled at. “No worries, ma’am…it happens all the time. It’s OK”. Ugh. I was infuriated. I’m not here to change the world in its ways; I can only lead by example.

This week coming up promises to be exciting. I will be stopping by the council to pick up my keys to my new apartment. I will be housed in a complex called “Gate Towers” on Reem Island (Reem, meaning ‘beautiful’ in Arabic). Teaching here isn't easy, but I look forward to driving home to this place. I have high hopes to be on a higher floor for the better views. There are 65 storeys in all! Now to continue shopping for the essentials… Wanna peak?

http://www.psinv.net/abudhabi/gate-tower-shams-abu-dhabi-al-reem-island-abu-dhabi.aspx

Teaching in Abu Dhabi...

Teaching in Abu Dhabi...

Even when they said, “prepare yourself”, I really couldn’t understand how different teaching is here. Only when you arrive in your classroom and begin interacting with your students and faculty members can you begin to scratch the surface of what it’s like to teach here. First off, it’s been very positive for me so far. Comparing myself to others from my group I have been extremely lucky when it comes to settling in my school. Let’s start at the beginning…

The schools here are set up so that each school is based on a ‘cycle’. I am in the KG cycle. In my school, there are only KG1 and KG2 classes (JK and SK for those of you reading this in Canada). The school is set up in a circle, leading in from the main hallway. If you go to the left, you are in the KG1 hallway. To the right, you are in the KG 2 hallway. In the center is our main play area where all children are able to go to on break. The resources that this particular school has are amazing…back home, I taught in the HCDSB, one of the most progressive boards in Ontario…here, the standards are even higher. Not only are the classes stocked with amazing resources (ie LCD projectors above every white board in each class, art material cupboards full in each class), the gym is well supplied, the school has an amazing play area full of costumes, pretend food/houses, the library is well supplied with bright and colourful materials for this age…and should you need anything, we are likely to get it if we only ask. I am in the KG1 cycle, knowing that next year, I will likely have the same children as they progress to KG2, and if I should stay, I would start again in KG1 for my next cohort.

The rest of the cycles are 1, 2, and 3 (much like our primary, junior and intermediate/senior). Each cycle has their own school in their area. I have to do some research into what the birth rate is in each area as there are no shortages of children, babies, women expecting, and busy children’s stores and departments in every mall.

As I mentioned, I’ve been extremely lucky. In my classroom, I have a beautiful and talented Arabic teacher who teaches the children Arabic and Islamic studies and is with me most of the time. I am starting to face difficulty when I am alone with the kids doing Jolly Phonics and various science and gross motor activities, but we just started behaviour tracking, and I believe it can only get better. I have to get used to names like Mohammed, Katija, and Rashid. They are not too difficult, but they are still 3.5-4year olds. The behaviour in this age group is universal! In addition to my Arabic teacher, there is an English teacher next store that has been doing English studies with my class AND her class during my absence while I was waiting for my plane ticket. What’s very special about her is that she was born here, but focussed her training in English. She is considered an EMT like me (English Medium Teacher), but she is also fluent in Arabic…a true asset to me and our school. Going into the classroom, therefore, has been a good transition so far as the routines have been set in place, and most diagnostic assessments have been complete.

The staff at the school are incredible. My Arabic and English colleagues have been incredibly welcoming. We plan together as a team and share ideas within our expected working hours. Most of our Arabic teachers for from the area. The English teachers are from all over the world. I have to giggle when I hear the children beginning to converse in English…each classroom is picking up the accent from their English Medium Teacher. You can hear the southern drawl of my colleagues from the south US, the cheerful Irish step, and the Canadian (eh?) every now and again.

Other teachers that I have arrived with aren’t so lucky. The teachers in the higher grades have to deal with students that have not have teachers for 5 weeks, so in the meanwhile, they’ve treated some of their time as ‘spares’ and now all of a sudden have to sit in a class, continue their English learning, and have to listen to a foreign teacher. That’s one of the unfortunate realities. We are just ending our third full week.

For the first time, in a long time, I’ve felt that have little idea what I am doing in the classroom. The planning process and assessment protocols are strict and lengthy, but standardized and relatively easy to follow once you start going. I look forward to going to school again. Although it’s the end of October, you will find me beginning my day by parking my car, waving to our great security guard, and shaking the sand out of my sandals before I step into a highly air conditioned environment. My code is entered, my finger print is scanned, and I join the ladies for sweet Arabic tea before heading to the halls and welcoming the children to a brand new day.

When you come alone, you create family...

I didn’t come here with any friends…so I took part in creating a family. I’ve never been one to get into a car with a stranger, but that is part of the expat culture here. I haven’t been able to rent a car yet, and a fellow teacher offered me a ride. I had never met her before, but I think that I was ‘supposed to’. We only knew each other for about 15 minutes…the time it took to drive from one of the buildings in the Ministries complex to my hotel downtown, but she was one of the most down to earth people I’ve met yet. She came to this country with her husband and 2 month old child. She asked me if I had come with any friends. I said no. She said, “Girl, you may have come alone, but you’re going to create family. It’s what people do.”

There is something to be said about individuals who travel far away from family, and everything familiar to begin anew.  Today I saw a heartbroken father compare his military experience with his comrades to our experience here as expatriate teachers. I never thought of the similarities before, but he’s right. He and his family have given me more then they’ll ever know tonight.

Tonight’s experience wasn’t one that I was counting on having. It was unexpected, unforgettable, and truly human. Many of you know that I have waited longer than I thought I would to come over here. We came over in groups of different sizes. I am part of ‘group 5’. We have always been friendly with each other; no matter who you may be…and tonight seemed to solidify many connections among us. There are different situations here. There are many like myself who have left their world behind and have ventured on their own. Others have come with their spouse. Some have come with a child or two. Some have come with a spouse and children. No matter how you’ve come and who you have come with, we are all in this together. We need each other, and we have become family. If I had to go through that waiting just to be part of this group, then I would do that again.

Tonight I was invited to a memorial service for a bright young man who had his whole life still ahead of him. Within our group are his mother, father, and sister. Tonight, this family remembered him as he passed away a year ago today. A section of our rooftop pool area was transformed into a reverent area full of prayer and hope. The area was dimly lit by dusk and the streetlights below. Sounds of chatter, and Eric Clapton’s “Heaven” filled my mind. They showed pictures on digital slideshows, full of love only a family can show. There were memories full of smiles, laughter, embarrassing moments, and family milestones. None of the rest of us knew their son, but we wish we had. Earth is truly missing an angel. The young man, so handsome, exuberant, and full of life left an aching gap in his family. I questioned why God would have called him home. Sharing one of his favourite passages, one of our fellow expatriates got up and shared comforting words for the family, something the he had also shared at his father’s funeral:

“The present life of man upon earth, O King, seems to me in comparison with that time which is unknown to us like the swift flight of a sparrow through the mead-hall where you sit at supper in winter, with your Ealdormen and thanes, while the fire blazes in the midst and the hall is warmed, but the wintry storms of rain or snow are raging abroad. The sparrow, flying in at one door and immediately out at another, whilst he is within, is safe from the wintry tempest, but after a short space of fair weather, he immediately vanishes out of your sight, passing from winter to winter again. So this life of man appears for a little while, but of what is to follow or what went before we know nothing at all.”

St. Bede
http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/579958-the-present-life-of-man-upon-earth-o-king-seems

Candles were passed around and lit. Feeling the heat and seeing the light in my hand from the flame, I was reminded of comfort, warmth, home, and the life that we are given here on Earth. We have the responsibility to do whatever we can to bring joy to ourselves and others. It is gone too quickly.

I was surprised I was able to get the nerve to speak after a few others:

“When driving home the other day, a woman I just met asked me if I came with any friends. I said no. She told me that I was going to create family; it’s what we do here. We are all here for your family, and thank you for allowing us to be part of yours today.”

I wish I could have done or said more, we all did. The young man’s father addressed the small crowd, thanked us, and let us know that they would be preparing the balloons to be set off for the memory of their son. People started to chat, and I made sure I spoke with our friend who gave the reading from earlier to pass it along…I had to share it with all of you at home tonight.

I had a lovely interruption of a young girl who is a daughter of one of our other teachers. She is the brightest and sweetest three-year old you would ever meet. We played briefly together, she taught me some ballet skills. We were shortly called to attention for the balloon release. There were 5 balloons in total. Four blue(blue was their son’s favourite colour), one white, all with messages from us and the family. One by one they were released, each gracing the sky with its own little dance, as if showing us a unique message with each one from the loved one lost. The little girl, still near me as they danced into the sky, I was reminded of new life. Pain of losing a loved one never really goes away. It changes as time goes on, yes, but it never truly leaves you. With patience, courage, and the grace of God, loved ones can come into our lives as well and even help you to strengthen memories of loved ones past. Yes, I may have come alone, but I just extended my family. 

so, what is life like in Abu Dhabi?

Life in Abu Dhabi

Imagine for a moment that you were the ruler in a small area of the Middle East. It was a small and quaint fishing village against the shore of the Arabian Sea, with vast desert land to the south. There were no paved roads and culture was very traditional of the Bedouins. Society was very conservative, following the Islam faith. The people were friendly and welcoming. One day, one of your trusted advisors comes to you, and tells you that your small ‘kingdom’ has found oil under the sands. Money was no longer an object to your people. What would you do?

The opportunity to move to Abu Dhabi this year made a lot of financial sense. This country had recruiters fly all over the world selecting teachers that they thought would be suitable for their education reform. The kingdom mentioned above belonged to Sheik Zayed, founding father of Abu Dhabi. Before he went and had everything paved in gold, he realized at one point, the oil was going to stop flowing. He decided to make one of the best nations in the world, and help amalgamate other Emirates, making the 7 nations of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). With careful planning, the money is continuing to be used to strengthen the education system among many other sectors, particularly tourism, to help ensure a cash-flow after the oil runs dry. The Sheik, now passed on, is the reason for the opportunity that was presented to me. I can’t thank him in person, but I can do the best I can to the students I receive.

Life here in Abu Dhabi is definitely different. Nothing is the same, so it is hard for me to compare it to someone who has not set foot outside of North America. Those of you who are from Europe, or have at least visited there, have more of a background to the foundations of the UAE. The malls are open late, traffic is always a nuisance in the city, and the heat can be so hot that when you get into your car, any jewelry on your fingers and hands can burn your skin. Certain measurements are different. Luckily, here in Abu Dhabi, they follow the metric system. The highways have limits, but they change. Sometimes the limit is 80 km/hr, sometimes it’s 100 km/hr…at other times, it is 140 km/hr! All the signs are posted. One measurement that struck me as odd was the colour of the flag on the beach. Of course only noticing it when I got out, the flag was red. I was a little embarrassed…how could I get into the sea while on red? Wait….I looked back at the water and realized that there were no waves. I was in no danger. If the red had anything to do with pollutants…surely someone would have gotten me out, or the hotel would have closed access…right? The red was not measuring waves nor pollutants. When I asked a life guard, he explained that the red meant the CLARITY of the water. He also mentioned that it may irritate skin. Hmmph…something new everyday, right?

The society of course is different, but I can really appreciate it. Conservative dress, sex only within marriage, and respect is the norm rather than the exception. The largest misconception I believe is the dress of women. There really is beauty in it. The curves of the body, hair, and face are all considered aspects of beauty. Women go out with these covered so that no other man besides her husband knows about the secrets that lay underneath. When she is alone with her girlfriends, she can remove the coverings. The aspect of them being black seems oppressive as well. But consider this…most women in the Emirate are mothers. Black hides most stains AND makes you look slimmer. And believe me, the material isn’t heavy. I’m not required to wear one, but at my school, most English teachers wear the abaya, and some even a headscarf, so I am happy to comply with the norm…it’s easy to dress…you can wear what you want underneath J

The UAE has come to prove to me that this is definitely an area of the world that needs to be experienced by the Westerner to fully appreciate all it has to offer. Like the Emirati, I am proud every time I see a picture (and there are many of them!) of the late Sheik Zayed. So…when are you booking your tickets?

a bit of reality set in...

The reality of being so far away from home is starting to set in. Before I left home, I thought that this would be rampant with negative emotions, but so far it’s still full of wonder and discovery. Tears came to my eyes the other day, but not in a way that I expected.

Thank -you to those who have viewed the pictures and videos, and possibly made comments about the desert safari we took. It really was an eye-opening experience. Even my friend who got motion sickness while bashing the dunes regrets nothing! I think many back home have gone from “Why would Cara want to go all the way to the Middle East?” to “Ok, I get it…when can I go?” It was actually during this great experience that tears came.

During my teenage years, I grew up in Dundas with my mom, brother, and stepfather, Keith. It was a typical set up of suburbia. I wasn’t too thrilled to leave my friends from the east end of Hamilton during the end of my grade 7 year, to a town that seemed out of the way and had access to little. I wouldn’t say that I was a rebellious teen by any means, but I did have my moments when my parents (particularly Keith in this case) would drive me mad in trying to put new experiences in front of me “for my own good” he would say, “you never know when you’ll travel to Morocco one day, so eat the Moroccan soup I made.” At the time I would roll my eyes and nitpick at my meals, wondering why we couldn’t just order pizza or go out to the Collins or something.

Nearing the end of high school, I was able to travel to the Dominican Republic with my peers to help build a teacher’s home and classroom in a small village just outside of Ocoa on the Southern side of the interior mountains. The experience undoubtedly opened my eyes to a new culture and I started to think that Keith may have been onto something after all. At this point, the experience was great, but leaving home for an extended period of time (ie more than a week) was just not an option…I was a Hamilton girl at heart and never wanted to be too far away. Well, you know how that has turned out so far!

The desert safari the other day ended with the belly dancing. We really didn’t know what to expect. Were we going to be belly dancing? Were we going to be entertained? What was going to happen? When the music started to blare out of the speakers, and a beautiful woman appeared, it dawned on me more than ever just how far away from home I was. This was not something I would see at home and had only seen in the movies. This to me was part of what Keith meant by the new experiences we should always have, travel the world, be your own boss… Although it has been almost 10 years since his passing, I felt closer to him that night than ever. The music ended, bellies were full, the lights were darkened, and we laid there looking at the stars. The stars appeared brighter than ever. I didn't mean to well up, but while feeling so small while looking out at the universe, I felt that I have come such a long way and have to keep going, keep striving for more. Does this make sense? It was as if I was looking at the stars as goals to shoot for. I like bright and pretty things, I want to be up there with them! One by one the lights came on, we sat up and started to collect ourselves. I found myself asking a question I often do, “what would Keith say in all of this?”

4 Americans and a Canadian, eh?

All of the waiting is finally over. Well…some here might say that I’ve gone from one line and just jumped into another. I would rather wait here than back at home. I loved the extra time I got to spend with my friends and family (of course!)…but when you’re life is on hold for so long…getting it moving was a big release. There are a number of teacher colleagues still waiting at home and I think of them often, hoping that they can hang on for this incredible leap into the unknown.

Even though I am here, in Abu Dhabi, in the Middle East, far away from home, somewhere I NEVER thought I would venture to, it hasn’t “sunk in” that I’m away from home at all. Our surroundings here are lush and opulent. While at home, I felt Abu Dhabi was as far away as another planet. Now here, it feels as if home is next door. The hotel, as many could have seen from the pictures, is extraordinary. The weather is hot and muggy, but everything is fresh and new. Around town, the buildings appear to be newly constructed…no garbage or graffiti. Things will change and reality will set in when we’re in our apartments and working to the bone in our new classrooms, but for the moment, I’m going to enjoy the luxurious bed and beautiful room, and sit back while I try to describe this incredible journey to you through my eyes.

I believe that people come together for a reason. I’m very blessed to have been welcomed into a group of 4 Americans that have taken me under their wing despite my awkward “Canuck-ness”. There are other Canadians here, but I found myself fitting in with these ladies as if we were supposed to. I found the first one in line at a sushi take out while on our stopover in Istanbul. She was sitting with one other lady, and I had to ask if they were teachers. They were both from my same recruiting company, and we even ended up at the same hotel! They knew one another who joined us, and a shy girl like me joined us at our first breakfast. Together we make up some group! I wonder if I have an accent to them, I love hearing their southern drawls J

We made up a game plan yesterday to venture out into the city to one of the malls. All we really wanted was our passports back, make copies of them and our stamped visas, go to the mall, and get SIM cards for our cell phones. Sounds simple, right? After breakfast, we thought we’d shower and get ready, and meet around 11:45. The main desk did not have our passports and VISAs ready. Tomorrow they said. Having extra copies of our passports and unstamped VISAs, we thought we would go anyways, and together we went to see the Concierge and asked him to book a taxi to the Al Wahda mall. He looked at us a bit strange and told us that the mall wasn’t going to be open until 4pm. Realizing it was Friday (holy day), we sighed, shrugged our shoulders and went back to our rooms and some hung out together until about 3:45. While together, we got out our laptops and tried to make sure we had all of the appropriate downloads, accessories, etc.  None of the websites that I needed to get into were opening for me using the hotel’s wifi. I figured that I had to download something called a VPN (basically my private network that should bypass any blocks that I was having). I tried downloading one that was recommended, but I couldn’t do that until I had a mobile number. I couldn’t have a mobile number until I got a SIM card. I couldn’t get a SIM card until we went to the mall. Sigh.

Great conversations had time moving pretty fast. The rest of the group joined us and before you know it, we were getting into a few taxis ready to take on Abu Dhabi. We were warned to make it CLEAR to the driver as to where we were going AND to say “DIRECTLY” as many have been known to take the long way around to bump up the taxi fare. I was in the first of the 2 taxis to leave the hotel, so we assumed that we got to the mall sooner than the other group. When we got out, we waited outside of the long taxi line up. The 2 I was with compared it to New York City. The cabs honked at each other incessantly. I didn’t know what they thought they were going to accomplish besides giving us headaches. We succumbed to the heat, and went inside. The other 2 ladies were still not there. We wondered if we told the cab drivers the same thing…could we have gone to different malls? After taking a washroom break, we ran into the others who happened to be dropped off at the back of the mall (go figure). I was just glad we were together. Going to the washroom here is an adventure all to itself. At first I thought we may have been mistaken. On one side of a sign it said “washroom”, while on the other it said “ablution room” (I think?). Here, their prayer rooms are always close by. The actual washroom was busy, but the lines were quick. Each time someone had finished in their stall, there were sweet ladies from the Philippines there to check the stalls for you before you entered, spraying disinfectant. I have heard of the different immigration statuses of others along the Middle East and Asia, and this was my first experience.  

I am not so sure about the malls in the US where these ladies were from, but I was amazed at the floor plan and how busy it was. Back home, we are getting used to the ‘power centers’ and outdoor malls, that seeing so many people in one place indoors is becoming a thing of the past. For those of you back home…picture LimeRidge, Jackson Square, Mapleview, and Toronto’s Eaton Center all attached together with the crowds before Christmas. Then you would have what we’ve come to discover as the Al Wahda Mall on a Friday night. I think I must have looked a little “starry eyed” at the crowds, as my American friends would say, “Where’s our Canadian? Oh! There she is!” Happy to be a punch line in this little familyJ

Hungry, we found a Fuddruckers. I’ve heard of it, but had never eaten there. It’s a cute restaurant that served your typical burgers and salads. Satisfied with the prices and our bellies, it was time to move on. So our mission, remember, is our SIM cards. There are few providers of cell phone and internet services here, but there are more phone stores than you can count. We found a store that was recommended, but unfortunately, they didn’t have the SIM card that fit my phone. We were advised to go across the way to another store. Easy enough? They didn’t have the SIM card I needed either, BUT they did have the SIM cards that would fit everyone else’s phones, so they got the process started. We had copies of our unstamped VISAs and passports, but they couldn’t give my friends service without the actual passport and stamped VISA.  Now finally at the mall, without our VISAs stamped, no SIM cards, therefore no VPN, therefore continued frustrations with the internet. From one line to another, to another. My hope of being productive last night was dwindling.

One of the ladies knew that there was a LuLu’s in the basement. In Canada, we don’t have a LuLu’s. It’s referred to as a “hypermarket”, and I don’t think we really have anything to compare it to. It was overwhelming, and perhaps it would be different if we had gone ANY other day. Friday nights are the shopping night in Abu Dhabi. WalMart on crack? Something like that. Ok, I thought to myself, if I’m going somewhere like that, I should be able to get a landline phone---this ‘might’ work with my magic jack? That was my mission of LuLu’s. I couldn’t get over the crowds. The variety of things were amazing! The prices were decent, but it really depended on what it was. For example, a box of Fruity Pebbles was $24.50 AED (about $7 US), sunscreen $36.50 (about $12 US)-a little pricey, but my phone was $32 AED, so about $10 US. I just depended on what it was, where it originally would have come from, and to let go of everything you’ve ever assumed of in the past.

After LuLu’s, we were all grateful to be back in the mall area. LuLu’s was in the basement, and I quickly realized why. You wouldn’t want those kind of crowds everywhere! Bargain basement from hell might be a better comparison. I do want to go back at another time and hopefully enjoy it.

Going back through the mall, I fell in love with the citizens of the Emirate. The women are cloaked in black with different levels of exposure. All are covered from head to toe, to the wrists, collarbones and hair. Some have their complete face exposed, some in a burka style with their eyes showing, and others (I’ve never seen this before), but their entire face covered by a black mesh fabric. The men were in white. All were graceful in their gowns. The women looked as if they were floating. The ones who are able to show their faces were so beautiful. Their makeup and skin were simply flawless. I noticed all had beautiful handbags…a small sign of modernism and extravagance against their traditional abayas. I was nervous around the men when it was a crowded area. I have the preconceived notion that women here were treated as second class citizens. It’s quite the contrary. While at the mall and the hotel so far, I’ve always given the men a “right of way”. EVERY single one of them has insisted on “ladies first”. I cannot speak for the Emirate women, but to expatriates the men are kind and protective.

Exhausted, but happy to be home, the magicjack worked and I was able to talk to my mom before I drifted off to sleep. I'm glad that although we are 8 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time, we hear are the ones ahead...I wouldn't want to wake up anyone from sleep at un-godly hours!

It’s a very “let’s see how it goes” culture, and we’re quickly getting accustomed to that. In fact, one of the girls just rang on my door for a swim. Hey, why not? Thank you for reading. Each page click on the blog, comment of facebook, or even “like” on a photo reminds me of home. I’m truly blessed to be connected to everyone!