I have arrived!

Not much time, as I'm borrowing someone else's laptop, but just wanted to give a quick update. I got in last night and Deborah Unfortunately, she's not feeling well, and her fever this morning is 102. So we're not sure right now what, exactly, the problem is, but maybe I'll have more info later.

As I expected, actually being here is quite different from imagining what it would be like. It's not that it's so much different from what I thought, but seeing it in real life is interesting. The traffic is horrendous! As Deborah described it, they see an open spot in the road and they think, "That shouldn't be there." There are no lanes or really any traffic laws, it seems. And I didn't realize they drive on the left, etc., like the British.

I really don't have more time now, but I'll try to write more later.

Before I leave for the airport....

I have just a few minutes to write a quick update before I leave for my flight to Bangladesh.

Yesterday morning I headed off to an out-of-the-way shop, the Antique Museum. The name is misleading, as it isn't a museum full of antiques, but rather a filled-to-overflowing warehouse of imported and local objects...aladdin lamps, arabic coffee pots, pashminas, etc. I walked up and down dimly lit, cramped aisles of goods. Very interesting place, lots of great finds. It's interesting because a lot of tour books don't have this place listed, and even my taxi driver didn't know where it was. It's back in the industrial area, amongst factories and such. Hard to find, but worth it.

In the afternoon, I walked to Jumeirah Beach Hotel, where my ride came for the Desert Safari. Awesome experience, I highly recommend it! We drove about an hour out into the desert, to a private desert conservation area. Here, we stopped for pictures of the dunes while the driver let air out of the tires. This was in preparation for "dune bashing." We drove up and down the steep dunes, over narrow ridges, and around sharp curves. This is especially terrifying, since driving in sand is a little like driving on ice: the driver doesn't necessary have precise control over the SUV. But it was a lot of fun...and I had the best seat: shotgun!

Then we stopped at a camel farm, where the camels were being herded off to dinner. Those animals are huge up close...especially the one that headed start for me! Cool pictures here, as the sun was setting over the dunes.

Next stop, the dinner place, which appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the desert. Low lighting set the atmosphere, and we sat Arabic-style: on cushions on the ground. Dinner was traditional Arabic food which was excellent. And then a belly dance performance. As the evening was winding down, they turned out all the lights in the camp and we laid back for some star-grazing....which was incredible! No light pollution here.

Got home around 10-10:30 and had a chance to call Mom....she didn't recognize my voice at first, and then had the nerve to say, "Ashley?". Hmph. Well, I need to finish scrunching the last few things in my bags; the taxi will pick me up in about 40 minutes, 10:30, for a 20-30 minute drive to the airport. Flight leaves at 1:15pm, and I should arrive in Bangladesh about 7:30pm local time, 9:30am E/8:30am C. See you in Bangladesh!

P.S. I hear you all are waiting for pictures...wait a little longer, I promise they're coming! I just don't have the time right now.

Sunday

I wanted to go to the beach one last time before I leave. It's such a beautiful, relaxing beach. When I got hungry for lunch, I decided to head down to the grocery store, because I needed to get a few things before leaving anyway. Well, let me tell you, a few blocks is forever in 100 degree weather! I ended up buying chips, and peach juice, and candy, and things that were not on my list, but I was so hungry everything looked good. Originally planning to go back to the beach, I opted for the house instead, since it was much closer. Sunday afternoon I intended to get my things in order so I could pack, but when I laid down "for a few minutes," I didn't wake up until almost 5. Oops. Time to get ready for meeting, eat, and leave at 6:30.

There were four American ladies in the meeting, probably 50s or 60s. They travel every year, and they've been all over the world. I hope that's me in 30 years! Glenda and I took them to their hotel, so they wouldn't have to take a taxi all that way. We were originally planning to drop them in a busy area closer to their hotel, but we ended up finding their hotel alright. Actually, at one point, they all hustled out of the car from all directions and started to jump in a taxi at a red light, but the driver said not to bother, the hotel was right around the corner. So they all scurried back in the car. Looked kinda funny. The people in the cars around us were laughing!

Home again, finally. Hung up my laundry and went to bed!

Uh-oh...starting to slack...

Haven't posted since Wednesday. Plus, I've realized I haven't introduced you to the lovely Kadir family. Oops! Gaith and Glenda are the parents, then Jay (8), Zane (7), and Aleaha (3); and Marilyn is their housekeeper/nanny/not sure of her exact job description. They are a great family, very welcoming/hospitable, and the kids are adorable!



So, now we have to backtrack to Thursday. In the morning, Gaith and I took Jay and Zane to school and hung around until the "UN Day" festivities began. It's awesome how much cultural exposure they get: the day began with a parade of flags carried by student reps from all the different countries from whence they come. Over 70 countries, in about the same size elementary school I went to.

Afterwards, Gaith dropped me off at Atlantis on the Palm. It's a huge resort/waterpark/aquarium, but I just wanted to see the aquarium. It's built to resemble the ruins of the lost city of Atlantis, so the whole thing is really cool.

Next stop, the Marina. This is where all the big, fancy yachts are. The man made marina comes into the city and is surrounded by skyscrapers. A nice place to sit and relax, take pictures, etc.

After spending a while here, I went home, changed, and headed off the the beach for a few hours.
And so ended Thursday.

Friday Bible study at 10:30. Then we met up with Gaith to do some shopping at Festival City, which is a huge mall. Spent most of the day here. About 7ish, Glenda took Aleaha home (she was exhausted, poor thing!) and Gaith, Jay, Zane, and I went to Creek Park. This is a huge public park along the Creek, with a beach, bbq pits, etc. We saw a lot of Arabs who come in big groups, but sit separately....women don't socialize with men. Sometimes the groups shared a picnic dinner, but mostly they shared shisha, flavored tobacco. After playing soccer for a while, we headed back home; it was already 10:30.

Yesterday was an awesome day! Glenda had to work on her painting project, but the rest of us went to Hatta, an old style village from Dubai....all desert here. The 4wheelers were so much fun! Stayed there for almost an hour, then onwards. Passing through parts of Oman, we saw rugged mountains much different from the Appalachians. We drove down a bumpy, unpaved trail back to the springs, where we actually saw water. Most everywhere else is all dried up for the winter.
On our way to the village, we stopped at an Iranian bakery for delicious bread.
Gaith joked that the village looked some much like where he grew up, in Jordan, he was getting homesick. So it was really cool to see that. He even said that people still live like that in parts of Syria, Saudi Arabia, etc. today.

When we got home, Gaith whipped up a scrumptious, authentic Arabic meal. He told me the names of everything, but of course, I forget. There were two kinds of hummus, an okra dish, and the meat. Delicious!

After dinner, I played hide-and-seek and school with the kids, then read them a story. And then it was morning!

Tuesday and Wednesday

As I mentioned, Tuesday morning I called Andre, one of the friends here in town, to see if he wanted to go with me to see some part of town. He is from Brazil, has lived in Minn., and for the past 8 months (I think) has lived in Dubai. He wanted to go to the Dubai Museum and the nearby souks: textile, gold, and spice. After waiting for almost an hour for the right bus to take me to that part of town, it passed without stopping. So it was lunch time by the time I met up with poor Andre. We ate and then went through the Museum. Afterwards, we wandered around the streets, through the souks. I was glad Andre was along to remind to take pictures. He's really into photography, so he took pictures of everything. Sometimes I get so caught up in looking at everything around me I forget.



You would think I wouldn't know anybody in common with someone from Brazil, living in Dubai. But, as it turns out, he knows the two other Brazilians I know (Josh, Philly; Marcio, NJ/now FL) Josh Leclair from Wisconsin, and Rachel Henderson, who is going to the same school as Ashley in Ecuador. Interesting!



Today, I woke up tired. I didn't sleep as well last night, which is usual for me, but I hadn't been having any trouble the last few nights. So when I woke up around 7:30, I decided just to hang out here for a while and go to the beach. The beach is just a ten minute walk from the house, and it isn't crowded at all. It's right beside the Burj Al Arab, the world's only 7-star hotel, shaped like a sail. I can only afford to lay on the beach and look at it from the outside. The water is nice and warm, not frigid like the N. Atlantic.

This evening, I had dinner with the family, played with the kids for a while, and now I need to decide what to do tomorrow. Hmm......

Monday Update

For the first time, the dawn prayer call woke me up. There is a mosque close to the Kadirs home; actually, there is a mosque close to everywhere in Dubai. In some parts of town, you can actually here prayer calls from multiple mosques at the same time. Though I was up early, I didn't leave the house until 9:30. I opted to take the Big Bus Tour around town. The first bus at the closest stop arrived at 10:00. So I walked a short way down Al Thanya to Jumeirah Road, but didn't see a sign or any indication where, exactly, the bus would stop. So I called the company and was told I had to pick it up for the first time at the Souk Madinat Jumeirah. Luckily, that was just a short taxi ride away, and I was able to catch it there on time.

The first half of the ride, I didn't need to get off the bus at all, as it was things I had already seen, and I really just needed to connect up with the other route that would take me around the other side of town. However, they do a running commentary of the area, which was really interesting. The first stop I alighted was the Dubai Museum, housed in the old Al Fahidi Fort. Didn't spend much time here, as I was trying to make a 3:30 dhow river cruise. But I got some great pictures of the outside, the fort.

The old Bastakiya section has been preserved to show visitors how Dubai used to look. Some of the buildings have restaurants and such in them, but the place was all but deserted. It was like walking through a ghost town. But the buildings were really cool.

Next, the Gold Souk. People from all over the world come here to buy gold because it's sold for just a little more than market value. Labor to make jewelry is so cheap, but the finished products are really intricate and beautiful. But the souk...well, I got entirely lost. I left the market from a different place than I entered, and thought I could find my way back. But the streets zig-zag into alleys, etc., etc., and I never found my way back to the bus pickup spot. However, I did manage to find the Creek simply by following what I felt must be the right direction. Unfortunately, by this time it was way past the 3:30 dhow cruise. So I ate dinner and waited for the 5:3o one, which actually was better because the sun was setting and it was really picturesque. I feel like the days should be really long, with sunset more like 9:30, because it feels like summer. But it's actually fall, so it's dark by 6 or 6:30.

The unfortunate part is, the cruise got back around this time, which is too late to catch the Big Bus Tour bus back to the right neighborhood. So I crossed the river in another dhow and walked to the bus terminal. It was crowded, but I only counted 2 other women. But this meant that the pushing, shoving, foreign laborers who made up the other passengers for my bus let me board first, and stood so that I could sit. Chivalry is not dead here! I actually had no idea what stop to get off, but at my first glimpse of the Burj Al Arab, which is close to the house, I decided it was about where it should be, so I got off. Sure enough, I was right back at Al Thanya and Jumeirah Beach Road, just a ten minute walk home. When I got there, I played Memory with Aleaha (3) using half the cards. She won.

I think I'll write about today in the morning. It's only 9pm, but I've done a lot of walking today and I'm tired.

Sunday Morning Mosque

I started Sunday off by visiting a mosque. The Jumeirah Mosque is the only one in town that allows non-Muslims to enter. Plus, the Sheikh Mohammed Center for Cultural Understanding gives talks about the mosque and the Islamic culture. Before we were allowed entry into the mosque, women were given abayas and headscarves to wear, and men who had bare arms or legs were also given long garments. The women claim that abayas are not as hot as they look, that the thin material allows the breeze, and that it actually protects them from the sun. They are lying. At least about not being hot under there. Standing in the shade wearing my abaya, sweat was dripping down my back. And it's not even the hottest time of the year. But this gave greater effect to the first part of the ritual of going to a group prayer at a mosque, wadhu. This is where they wash their hands, mouth, face, ears, arms, and feet, in that order, three times. Then they are clean enough (mentally and physically) to enter the mosque, as long as they take off their shoes. So we did this too. Inside, Nassef and Latifah told us about Islam and its culture. There is a lot I could tell you about that, but I don't want to bore you/write a book :)



After the Jumeirah Mosque, I visited the Ibn Battuta shopping mall. I didn't really need to do more shopping (though I did buy a pair of shoes...oops!), I really just went to see the mall itself. Glenda and I were talking about this later. In the U.S., you wouldn't think of going to a mall to see the mall. You go to shop. Actually, the malls themselves are usually rather ugly. But here, the insides and outsides of the malls are really cool architecturally. Ibn Battuta mall is named after....Ibn Battuta. He was an explorer who travelled to China, India, Persia, Tunisia, Egypt, and Andalusia. I know this because each of the six sections of the mall are modeled after these places, including the outside of the building. So I went to see the mall, walk around, and take pictures. And buy an awesome pair of dark red heels.



After the mall, I went home to get ready for the 7:30 Sunday meeting (leaving at 6:30). Something I realized: 7:30pm here is 11:30am Eastern, 10:30am Central. So even though the meeting is at night here and morning there, we were all going to meeting/in meeting about the same time.



Well, that's all for now; I have plans to meet someone somewhere soon (Andre, Dubai Museum, 11-ish) and I need to get ready. I'll update on yesterday and today later, hopefully.

Favorite Activitiy: Shopping

Especially in Dubai. Perhaps you've heard of the Mall of the Emirates, the place with the indoor ski slope. Shopper's paradise. You should be impressed that I limited my purchases to a 219 Drh dress, a "Pictorial Souvenir of Dubai with an introduction by HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum," and lunch. The mall is relatively Westernized with many of the same stores as those at home. Major differences: Men's and Women's Mosques complete with prayer calls broadcast over the PA, Ski Dubai, and the wide variety of attire (abayas that only show the eyes, the Salwar Kameez of India, Western clothes with a head covering, and comparatively skimpy Western wear).

After the MotE, I took a taxi to the Souk Madinat Jumeirah. It's a fairly new construction but replicates an ancient Middle Eastern marketplace. It's all indoors, yet the layout is like winding alleys. There are also a bunch of outdoor restaurants that overlook the canal, made to give the place a Venetian feel. The Madinat sells a lot of high-end souvenirs and many stores sell antique home furnishings. And I can't leave out the store that exclusively sold bongs. Not that I know what they are.

After the SMJ, I took a tragic taxi ride. I asked the driver if he knew where the Choithrams was on al Wasl road. He said nahm, yes. Though I had a map with me, I was relieved. So I relaxed in the back and wrote some things down in my journal. But when we got to Choithrams, I was no longer relaxed. It didn't look anything like I remembered. Turns out there are two Choithrams on al Wasl road. And it's a reeaally long walk in between the two. And it's hot. Even here in the house, at 8:30pm, it's 82. Blah. At least it was after the sun went down, because then it would have been more like 110. Should've been more specific and shown him the handy map Glenda drew me. I'll know for next time.

Before I collapse....

just wanted to let you all know I've arrived safe and sound. My flight from JFK was pretty empty, so I could stretch out on two seats. This was not so on the London-Dubai flight. Instead, I sat beside an.....interesting British man. He was very friendly, but, for instance, when we finished our breakfasts at about 8, he said that "eight is a great time for whiskey." Unfortunately for him, this meant that he had a bit of trouble standing on the airport bus. Very amusing for the rest of us. But, together we solved the world's problems on the plane. He liked to talk, I think. However, there isn't too much more I can repeat of what he said. Let's just say he had an interesting way of expressing himself. The gentleman sitting diagonally from me said at one point, "Has he been talking like that the entire trip?" Thankfully, no.

Anyway, I met Glenda at the airport here in Dubai at 9:10. It was already 90 degrees. Welcome to the desert. The Bible study here is Friday mornings at 10:30, so we had some time to go to a breakfast place and relax beforehand. Interestingly, the work week is Sunday to Thursday. So today is like a Saturday at home. And Sunday morning meeting is Sunday at 7:30pm. So that'll be a bit different.

I've just a lovely shower and now I think I'm going to sign off and take a nap. The Kadirs are planning a picnic dinner around 6, so I have some time to relax. And you all are cutting into that time! So I'm going to crash now, and I'll keep you posted about some of the things I'm going to be doing around Dubai in the next few days.

Katia

....two days....

I have never enjoyed letting people read things I've written. But, in the interest of keeping people informed of my "adventures," I have agreed to keep a blog. I can promise you it will not be a literary masterpiece. I can't guarantee daily updates (sorry, Mom) but I will try to keep up as much as computer/internet access allow.

Travel Details....
Departure - October 16th, way too early in the morning (plan to leave the house at 2:30ish)
~in Dubai from October 17th to the 28th
~in Dhaka from the 28th to the 4th of December

First bit of excitement:
I was not originally planning on spending time in Dubai. But after meeting Ginger Meadows' sister, Glenda, I was persuaded to stay and tour the city. Very cool city, very cool opportunity. Glenda invited me to stay with her, and we exchanged info. I tried once back in August to email Glenda, but no response. Tried again at the beginning of October. No response. The problem turned out to be spam filters. Anyway, long story short, I didn't know until early this morning if I would have a place to stay in Dubai. Though I tried to convince myself that everything would work out fine, I'd either find another way to get ahold of the Kadirs or find somewhere else to stay, I have to admit....very glad I finally heard from Glenda.

I suppose that's all I can bore you with for now :)