- I got a car! I wanted to get one yesterday, but when I went they were closed. Of course. I should have known since just about everything closes from 1-4. I guess I just thought the rent a car place would be open. They weren't. So I had to wait another day. Add that to my list of things that I just don't like about this country; the fact that just about everything closes from 1-4. OK enough of that. I got my car this afternoon after my Arabic class. I had Dhammika, my taxi driver, take me to Fast Cars (the place I am renting from). I think he was a little sad. He said "mafi taxi?" (not taxi). I told him that I just needed a car. Since he is such a good driver he took me there and waited to make sure I was going to get a car. He asked how much I was paying, but I wouldn't tell him because I knew he would be mad at me. He told me not to pay more than 1,000dhs. That's impossible! I told him I would call him, and I will. He has become a good friend. So I got a 2011 Nissan Tiida. I had to get the 2011 because I couldn't fit in the 2010. The 2011 has a bigger engine and it's newer so of course it costs more, but it is more comfortable. I wouldn't purchase one, it's ok but not for a long time. My plan is to rent for Jan. and Feb. and then buy a used car. Hopefully I'll be able to save some money. I don't think I'll be taking a trip in March. Oh well, getting a car is the price I will have to pay. So I am paying 2,200dhs (which includes insurance)/month. I know it's a lot but I wanted a car and I didn't want to take out a loan. So, now I can go where I want when I want. I survived the roundabouts today! I went to the mall and to the bookshop/teachers store. Now all I have to do is figure out how to get to school. I've been going there everyday for the past 3 1/2 months, but I don't know where it is! It's not in my GPS either so I guess I'll have to figure it out. Wish me luck!
- It rained! Real rain, not just 5 drops. I was getting out of the taxi at Fast Cars when it started and I just stood there looking up and letting the rain hit my face! It felt sooooo good! A guy came out of his shop and stood in the doorway laughing at me. I guess I did look kind of silly, but I haven't seen rain in 4 months. I wanted to capture this moment and really feel the raindrops falling on my head! A lady walked by and said "rain!" I exclaimed "Yeah!" It actually lasted for a couple of minutes and we got a nice shower. As I was leaving Fast Cars the salesman told me to be careful driving in the rain because the people here speed up in the rain! Oh yeah, any reason to drive faster. Sounds weird. I guess I would have thought they would have slowed down, but I guess they want to make it home sooner. What a wonderful experience:)
- I made a pot roast. I couldn't make Mom's pot roast because she uses Onion Soup Mix and I can't find that here. One more thing on my list that I don't like about this country (I can never find what I want). So I just put the roast, potatoes, carrots, pepper, garlic, and 2 cups of water in the crock pot. I thought that would have been enough water, but it wasn't. The pot roast was a little dry. Not too bad, but definitely not like Mom and Dad's. Maybe one day I'll be able to make something that I'm used to eating. Tomorrow I'll be broiling fish. That shouldn't be too difficult! I've done it many times. I've made a pot roast many times too, but this one just didn't turn out right. Too bad too because Cassie came over for dinner. She did say that she enjoyed it.
- I am buying fall clothes. OK this really isn't all that exciting but some of you may find it interesting that I needed to buy 3/4 sleeve shirts and a hoodie sweatshirt when I'm in the desert. It is getting quite chilly here in the mornings. I'd say the temps are in the 70s during the day and 60s during the morning and evening. I know it's a lot warmer than you are experiencing now, but keep in mind when I arrived it was near 120. That's a huge temperature difference. So I have every right to be cold!!! Now I just need to find shoes that will fit. I have only found sizes up to 40 or 41 and I need 43. Najwa suggested that I try the outlet mall on the way to Dubai so I may head there tomorrow since I have a car.
Monday, December 27, 2010
What a Day!
Several exciting things happened today!
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Christmas in the UAE
So, you may be wondering how I was able to celebrate Christmas with my family when I'm halfway around the world. The answer is simple; Skype!
This is my Christmas.
I woke up at 2:00am Christmas morning so I could have a video call with my family at 5:30pm Christmas Eve. I get myself ready and make the video call. Before the video comes in I hear my niece shout "Aunt Sara's calling!" As soon as the video is on, I see Lexi and she says "There you are! I missed you!" Awwww how sweet! We talked for a little bit and she showed me the present that I got for her. She told me it was Christmas and Santa was coming tonight. Harry brought Mason-Man over and he was so happy! What a bubbly little man. He loved banging and screaming "dadadadadad!!" All smiles! It was great to see and hear. The rest of the family was there as well. Christmas wishes were given to Ann, Amy, Mark, Nancy, Mom, and Dad. I think Mom even got a picture of all of us together! Well together with the computer, but a nice way to remember this weird Christmas.
I was there when Lexi opened her doll house from Grandma and Poppy. I was there when Mom opened her family memories CD and started to cry. I was there when Ann tried to get into the gift that Mark had covered in tape. I was there when Mark tried to get into the gift that Ann had covered in tape. I was there when Amy got all her gift cards so she can get what she wants for Christmas. I was there when Dad got a car starter for "my" car (now I'll have an automatic starter when I return:). I was there to see all the clothes that Mason-Man and Lexi got. I was there to hear Lexi exclaim that she got "a big toilet!" when she saw the Sit-N-Spin from Amy. And I was there to see the family frame that Amy had made for Mark and Nancy.
It was just like I was there, except I wasn't. On the outside everything was fine, but on the inside my heart was breaking. I wanted to be able to hold my niece and nephew and be there for Mason-Man's first Christmas. I wanted to be able to hug my mom so she wouldn't cry. I wanted to be able to laugh with my family as Mark and Ann were opening their tape covered gifts. I felt like I was going to cry, but I didn't. I wasn't going to ruin this special holiday. I wanted to remember this as a fun, weird, different, and special way to celebrate Christmas 2010.
I am so thankful that I was able to "be there" for Christmas and that the connection was wonderful. Skype didn't shut down once on my end and it usually does during a conversation. So, that is how I celebrated Chrismas and I can't wait to see pictures!
This is my Christmas.
I woke up at 2:00am Christmas morning so I could have a video call with my family at 5:30pm Christmas Eve. I get myself ready and make the video call. Before the video comes in I hear my niece shout "Aunt Sara's calling!" As soon as the video is on, I see Lexi and she says "There you are! I missed you!" Awwww how sweet! We talked for a little bit and she showed me the present that I got for her. She told me it was Christmas and Santa was coming tonight. Harry brought Mason-Man over and he was so happy! What a bubbly little man. He loved banging and screaming "dadadadadad!!" All smiles! It was great to see and hear. The rest of the family was there as well. Christmas wishes were given to Ann, Amy, Mark, Nancy, Mom, and Dad. I think Mom even got a picture of all of us together! Well together with the computer, but a nice way to remember this weird Christmas.
I was there when Lexi opened her doll house from Grandma and Poppy. I was there when Mom opened her family memories CD and started to cry. I was there when Ann tried to get into the gift that Mark had covered in tape. I was there when Mark tried to get into the gift that Ann had covered in tape. I was there when Amy got all her gift cards so she can get what she wants for Christmas. I was there when Dad got a car starter for "my" car (now I'll have an automatic starter when I return:). I was there to see all the clothes that Mason-Man and Lexi got. I was there to hear Lexi exclaim that she got "a big toilet!" when she saw the Sit-N-Spin from Amy. And I was there to see the family frame that Amy had made for Mark and Nancy.
It was just like I was there, except I wasn't. On the outside everything was fine, but on the inside my heart was breaking. I wanted to be able to hold my niece and nephew and be there for Mason-Man's first Christmas. I wanted to be able to hug my mom so she wouldn't cry. I wanted to be able to laugh with my family as Mark and Ann were opening their tape covered gifts. I felt like I was going to cry, but I didn't. I wasn't going to ruin this special holiday. I wanted to remember this as a fun, weird, different, and special way to celebrate Christmas 2010.
I am so thankful that I was able to "be there" for Christmas and that the connection was wonderful. Skype didn't shut down once on my end and it usually does during a conversation. So, that is how I celebrated Chrismas and I can't wait to see pictures!
عيد اليلاد الجيد (Eid Aleelad Aljeed - Merry Christmas)
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Oman عمان
Friday 12/17
My journey to Oman began in Abu Dhabi. Friday evening, Cassie and I drove to Abu Dhabi so we could catch our early Saturday morning flight. We were fortunate enough to be able to stay with Wesley while we were in Abu Dhabi. It was great to see him and to stay with him even though if we got caught, all 3 of us could have been deported. We forgot about the fact that men and women can’t stay in the same house unless they’re married. Oh well. We didn’t get caught and we had a good time.
Saturday 12/18
We got up bright and early and Wesley took us to the airport for our 8:55 am flight. We had no issues at the airport and we even got exit row seats! One more exit stamp in my passport!
The flight was very smooth and super quick; only 40 minutes. The view from the airplane was amazing. Check out the pictures on FB. The mountains are quite visible. It was awe inspiring. We arrived in Muscat and got off the plane and I desperately needed to find a bathroom. But that was not to be. We had to go get our visas and go through immigration first. No big deal, but I really had to use the bathroom. I got my Oman stamp and changed some money. The exchange rate didn’t really work in my favor, or it did but everything was super expensive. Still can’t figure it out. 10dhs = 1 OR (Omani Rial). I mean really things weren’t that expensive in Omani money, but when you convert to dirhams, yikes! Our taxi ride from the airport cost 7OR which is 70dhs. I have never paid 70dhs for a taxi ride! Anyway, I got my stamp and money and headed to the bathroom.
In order to get a taxi from the airport you have to go to the taxi stand and literally order one. They have them there waiting but a guy fills out a paper telling the driver where you want to go and you pay him, not the driver. Weird, but whatever works. So we got our taxi and the driver turned out to be really nice and spoke good English. He gave us his number and told us to call him if we needed a ride while we were in town. That was a great idea. We ended up using his services more than once. We arrived at Al Bajhah Hotel in Seeb Oman about ½ an hour later. We ate lunch at the hotel and tried to find something to do in the area, but there really isn't much to do in Seeb so we called Ali, the taxi driver, and he came and picked us up.
We went to Muscat where we walked the beach. Well, not really the beach, but near the water. We couldn’t find a beach. I have heard that they’re beautiful in Oman, but the only one that we could find was quite rocky. I did venture down and put my feet in the water. The city is beautiful; lots of mountains, greenery, forts, and gulf (Gulf of Oman) views! I couldn’t believe how different it is from the UAE. Not only is the scenery different, and better in my opinion, but the people and traffic are different as well. More on people differences later, but the traffic is so much better. They actually seem to follow traffic rules in Oman. There isn’t that much honking either. I think the car horn is the national sound of the UAE!
On our walk, I discovered that I am a tourist attraction! A couple of guys asked to have their picture taken with me. They pointed to my head and indicated that we were the same height. I obliged even though I felt kind of awkward. I guess it’s not everyday that Omani’s get to see a tall woman.
After our walk we shopped at the local souq. I didn’t find anything too appealing, but Cassie found some neat gifts for her siblings. I am still looking for the camel wind chimes that my parents want. Not sure if I’ll ever find them made out of wood though, but I am looking.
After our shopping we had dinner and signed up for a dolphin tour for Sunday. So we went back to our hotel so we could get a good night’s sleep and get up early the next morning.
Sunday 12/19
The day began with a boat ride on the Gulf of Oman where we got to see a lot of dolphins! We signed up for the 8am cruise because we were told that our chances of seeing dolphins would be better earlier in the day. I am so glad that we got up early! We were rewarded with a huge pod of dolphins! It was amazing to see these majestic creatures up close. I didn’t think I was going to be able to get good pictures of them since they were moving so fast, but I got many wonderful pictures including the one of the dolphin coming out of the water!
I only got seasick once. That was when we stopped to look at the dolphins. I was a little worried about that, but it wasn’t too bad. As soon as we started moving again I was fine. I was a little wobbly when I got off the boat, but I didn’t fall in! Cassie supported me!!
We had a delicious Omani breakfast, walked around Muscat for a while, and then headed back to the hotel to take a nap.
After our nap we were ready for dinner. We headed down to the Indian restaurant in the hotel. I ordered, but Cassie couldn’t figure out what she wanted so I had dinner and Cassie ended up getting her meal to take back upstairs. When we got upstairs she discovered that she didn’t have silverware so she called the desk. They couldn’t understand that she wanted silverware and since I know the word for spoon ملعقة (milaqah)in Arabic I tried to help. Unfortunately he didn’t understand what she was saying when she was speaking Arabic. Evidently, my pronunciation wasn't right. She eventually got her point across and a spoon arrived shortly thereafter. At least her rice didn’t get cold while she was waiting! A great day was over.
Monday 12/20
The activity for today was a tour of Muscat. The tour started with the Grand Mosque. This mosque is nothing compared to the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi, but it is very nice. Some nicely carved marble and wooden doors and ceilings. Beautiful gardens. Intricate and delicate carvings from the Quran. A very nice mosque.
After the mosque we went to the fish market. Yuck. The smell was terrible. But, I am glad that I went. There were tons of fresh fish and people buying. Most of the fish were dead, but we did see a fish that was still breathing. Poor thing! The colors of the fish were spectacular. Bright orange, blue, yellow, and red. Who knew that fish came in so many different colors.
From the fish market we went to a museum where we learned a lot about Omani history. This country has come a long way in the last 40 years. Very similar to the UAE.
Our last stop was the Sultan’s Palace. We were actually allowed to go near the entrance and take pictures. The Sheikh could take some lessons from the Sultan since visitors aren’t allowed near the palace in Al Ain and pictures are strictly prohibited.
Instead of being taken back to the hotel after the tour we decided to have lunch. Our tour guide took us to an authentic Omani restaurant where you have to take your shoes off and sit on the floor. The food was delicious, as to be expected! I wasn’t too thrilled about sitting on the floor, but the food made it all worth while! After our late lunch it was back to the hotel for a nap.
Time for a late dinner, so we decided to go to McDonalds. I know, how boring, but sometimes we just don’t want Middle Eastern food. So we tried to get a taxi to take us to McDonalds. Who knew that it was going to be so difficult? McDonalds is the same in Arabic and English so it shouldn’t have been that hard. We had to ask 3 taxi drivers before we found one that could understand us and knew where there was a McDonalds. I had the opportunity to practice my Arabic on this ride and discovered that I really need to work on my pronunciation. It was quite frustrating to me when I discovered that the driver could not understand what I was saying. I know I’m supposed to ask for the correct pronunciation, but I get so frustrated and embarrassed that I don’t. After a fantastic McDonalds dinner we headed back to the hotel. Another great day in Oman was over.
Tuesday 12/21
The tour today was to the historic city of Rustaq. We saw a ton of forts, mountains, hot springs, and another fish market. There are over 1,000 forts in Oman and a lot of them are in Rustaq. Well, maybe not a lot, but I thought we saw a lot on the drive. There were 4 on the tour, but 2 of them were closed for renovations and I couldn’t tour one because of all the steps. The one I did see was pretty neat. Very old stuff. The indoor plumbing was amazing. Not sure if you could really call it indoor plumbing, but the toilet was indoors and the water was run from the channel outside of the fort. Pretty fascinating.
Because 2 of the 4 forts were closed our tour guide decided to take us to Swaida Islands. We walked on the beach and saw a horse getting a bath! Pretty neat! The Islands are pretty much just rocks coming out of the water, but they’re very nice to look at. I hear the snorkeling and diving are wonderful near the islands.
Lots of driving and we were tired after staying up late last night and getting up early so another nap! For dinner tonight we decided to go to the mall. Oh how different! The mall was actually quiet! No screaming kids playing soccer or roller skating through the mall. Yes, that actually occurs in the UAE. We had a very pleasant dinner at Chili’s. That’s not exactly where we wanted to eat, but the rest of the mall was closing at 10 and Chili’s was open until 11. We thought that the mall would be open till midnight like in the UAE. It wasn’t so we had no choice but Chili’s. We had a good meal and discovered that there is always one picture hanging upside down in Chili’s. Our vacation is over, Back to the hotel to get ready to leave for the UAE.
Wednesday 12/22
An early morning flight to the UAE. The flight was uneventful and we got exit row seats again! Eithad can be accommodating. Wesley met us at the airport and took us to the mall. I got my crock pot!! I haven’t been able to find one here at all so I am very excited! We had lunch and then headed to the Emirates Palace to see the 11 million dollar Christmas tree! Beautiful! It is huge and decorated with jewelry. I wouldn’t mind some of the jewels that were hanging on the tree.
After a wonderful vacation we arrived back home in Al Ain around 9:30 and I’m still not unpacked!! That is very rare for me!
Oman is a beautiful country and I had a wonderful time. Who knows, we may take another trip to Muscat since it’s so close to Al Ain.
My journey to Oman began in Abu Dhabi. Friday evening, Cassie and I drove to Abu Dhabi so we could catch our early Saturday morning flight. We were fortunate enough to be able to stay with Wesley while we were in Abu Dhabi. It was great to see him and to stay with him even though if we got caught, all 3 of us could have been deported. We forgot about the fact that men and women can’t stay in the same house unless they’re married. Oh well. We didn’t get caught and we had a good time.
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| Muscat |
We got up bright and early and Wesley took us to the airport for our 8:55 am flight. We had no issues at the airport and we even got exit row seats! One more exit stamp in my passport!
The flight was very smooth and super quick; only 40 minutes. The view from the airplane was amazing. Check out the pictures on FB. The mountains are quite visible. It was awe inspiring. We arrived in Muscat and got off the plane and I desperately needed to find a bathroom. But that was not to be. We had to go get our visas and go through immigration first. No big deal, but I really had to use the bathroom. I got my Oman stamp and changed some money. The exchange rate didn’t really work in my favor, or it did but everything was super expensive. Still can’t figure it out. 10dhs = 1 OR (Omani Rial). I mean really things weren’t that expensive in Omani money, but when you convert to dirhams, yikes! Our taxi ride from the airport cost 7OR which is 70dhs. I have never paid 70dhs for a taxi ride! Anyway, I got my stamp and money and headed to the bathroom.
In order to get a taxi from the airport you have to go to the taxi stand and literally order one. They have them there waiting but a guy fills out a paper telling the driver where you want to go and you pay him, not the driver. Weird, but whatever works. So we got our taxi and the driver turned out to be really nice and spoke good English. He gave us his number and told us to call him if we needed a ride while we were in town. That was a great idea. We ended up using his services more than once. We arrived at Al Bajhah Hotel in Seeb Oman about ½ an hour later. We ate lunch at the hotel and tried to find something to do in the area, but there really isn't much to do in Seeb so we called Ali, the taxi driver, and he came and picked us up.
We went to Muscat where we walked the beach. Well, not really the beach, but near the water. We couldn’t find a beach. I have heard that they’re beautiful in Oman, but the only one that we could find was quite rocky. I did venture down and put my feet in the water. The city is beautiful; lots of mountains, greenery, forts, and gulf (Gulf of Oman) views! I couldn’t believe how different it is from the UAE. Not only is the scenery different, and better in my opinion, but the people and traffic are different as well. More on people differences later, but the traffic is so much better. They actually seem to follow traffic rules in Oman. There isn’t that much honking either. I think the car horn is the national sound of the UAE!
On our walk, I discovered that I am a tourist attraction! A couple of guys asked to have their picture taken with me. They pointed to my head and indicated that we were the same height. I obliged even though I felt kind of awkward. I guess it’s not everyday that Omani’s get to see a tall woman.
After our walk we shopped at the local souq. I didn’t find anything too appealing, but Cassie found some neat gifts for her siblings. I am still looking for the camel wind chimes that my parents want. Not sure if I’ll ever find them made out of wood though, but I am looking.
After our shopping we had dinner and signed up for a dolphin tour for Sunday. So we went back to our hotel so we could get a good night’s sleep and get up early the next morning.
Sunday 12/19
I only got seasick once. That was when we stopped to look at the dolphins. I was a little worried about that, but it wasn’t too bad. As soon as we started moving again I was fine. I was a little wobbly when I got off the boat, but I didn’t fall in! Cassie supported me!!
We had a delicious Omani breakfast, walked around Muscat for a while, and then headed back to the hotel to take a nap.
After our nap we were ready for dinner. We headed down to the Indian restaurant in the hotel. I ordered, but Cassie couldn’t figure out what she wanted so I had dinner and Cassie ended up getting her meal to take back upstairs. When we got upstairs she discovered that she didn’t have silverware so she called the desk. They couldn’t understand that she wanted silverware and since I know the word for spoon ملعقة (milaqah)in Arabic I tried to help. Unfortunately he didn’t understand what she was saying when she was speaking Arabic. Evidently, my pronunciation wasn't right. She eventually got her point across and a spoon arrived shortly thereafter. At least her rice didn’t get cold while she was waiting! A great day was over.
Monday 12/20
The activity for today was a tour of Muscat. The tour started with the Grand Mosque. This mosque is nothing compared to the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi, but it is very nice. Some nicely carved marble and wooden doors and ceilings. Beautiful gardens. Intricate and delicate carvings from the Quran. A very nice mosque.
After the mosque we went to the fish market. Yuck. The smell was terrible. But, I am glad that I went. There were tons of fresh fish and people buying. Most of the fish were dead, but we did see a fish that was still breathing. Poor thing! The colors of the fish were spectacular. Bright orange, blue, yellow, and red. Who knew that fish came in so many different colors.
From the fish market we went to a museum where we learned a lot about Omani history. This country has come a long way in the last 40 years. Very similar to the UAE.
Our last stop was the Sultan’s Palace. We were actually allowed to go near the entrance and take pictures. The Sheikh could take some lessons from the Sultan since visitors aren’t allowed near the palace in Al Ain and pictures are strictly prohibited.
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| Sultan's Palace |
Instead of being taken back to the hotel after the tour we decided to have lunch. Our tour guide took us to an authentic Omani restaurant where you have to take your shoes off and sit on the floor. The food was delicious, as to be expected! I wasn’t too thrilled about sitting on the floor, but the food made it all worth while! After our late lunch it was back to the hotel for a nap.
Time for a late dinner, so we decided to go to McDonalds. I know, how boring, but sometimes we just don’t want Middle Eastern food. So we tried to get a taxi to take us to McDonalds. Who knew that it was going to be so difficult? McDonalds is the same in Arabic and English so it shouldn’t have been that hard. We had to ask 3 taxi drivers before we found one that could understand us and knew where there was a McDonalds. I had the opportunity to practice my Arabic on this ride and discovered that I really need to work on my pronunciation. It was quite frustrating to me when I discovered that the driver could not understand what I was saying. I know I’m supposed to ask for the correct pronunciation, but I get so frustrated and embarrassed that I don’t. After a fantastic McDonalds dinner we headed back to the hotel. Another great day in Oman was over.
Tuesday 12/21
The tour today was to the historic city of Rustaq. We saw a ton of forts, mountains, hot springs, and another fish market. There are over 1,000 forts in Oman and a lot of them are in Rustaq. Well, maybe not a lot, but I thought we saw a lot on the drive. There were 4 on the tour, but 2 of them were closed for renovations and I couldn’t tour one because of all the steps. The one I did see was pretty neat. Very old stuff. The indoor plumbing was amazing. Not sure if you could really call it indoor plumbing, but the toilet was indoors and the water was run from the channel outside of the fort. Pretty fascinating.
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| one of the forts of Rustaq |
Lots of driving and we were tired after staying up late last night and getting up early so another nap! For dinner tonight we decided to go to the mall. Oh how different! The mall was actually quiet! No screaming kids playing soccer or roller skating through the mall. Yes, that actually occurs in the UAE. We had a very pleasant dinner at Chili’s. That’s not exactly where we wanted to eat, but the rest of the mall was closing at 10 and Chili’s was open until 11. We thought that the mall would be open till midnight like in the UAE. It wasn’t so we had no choice but Chili’s. We had a good meal and discovered that there is always one picture hanging upside down in Chili’s. Our vacation is over, Back to the hotel to get ready to leave for the UAE.
Wednesday 12/22
An early morning flight to the UAE. The flight was uneventful and we got exit row seats again! Eithad can be accommodating. Wesley met us at the airport and took us to the mall. I got my crock pot!! I haven’t been able to find one here at all so I am very excited! We had lunch and then headed to the Emirates Palace to see the 11 million dollar Christmas tree! Beautiful! It is huge and decorated with jewelry. I wouldn’t mind some of the jewels that were hanging on the tree.
After a wonderful vacation we arrived back home in Al Ain around 9:30 and I’m still not unpacked!! That is very rare for me!
Oman is a beautiful country and I had a wonderful time. Who knows, we may take another trip to Muscat since it’s so close to Al Ain.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Tree Lighting
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| Christmas tree at Rotana Hotel |
The Rotana Hotel had a tree lighting ceremony tonight. It was a nice bit of home! The hotel was decorated for Christmas and all the employees were wearing Santa hats. Very nice to see! I must say that even though Christmas isn't celebrated in this country they really try to be aware of the different cultures. There are decorations in the malls and some stores are even playing Christmas songs. It's nice to see and hear. Now it's nothing like home, but it's something for a Muslim country. So back to the tree lighting ceremony. Cassie and I got to the hotel and walked around. There was a Santa's workshop out by the pool where you could buy Christmas presents; I didn't buy anything. Santa's throne was set up by the pool! Kinda weird! They had it all decorated with snow and ice, just like the north pool; but with a pool!! We had some eggnogg, sang some Christmas carols and watched Santa arrive. He arrived in a horse drawn carriage with bodyguards, not elves! Santa must be a huge celebrity here! The rest of the evening was for kids; visiting with Santa, crafts, and presents so Cassie and I left. I was very impressed with the evening. Especially the emphasis on the real meaning of Christmas. There was more here than in some places back home. The majority of the Christmas carols that we sang were Christian (Joy to the World, O Holy Night, Silent Night, O Come all Ye Faithful, Rudolph, and Santa Clause is Coming to Town). It was nice to sing about the real meaning of Christmas, especially in a Muslim country.
I am still not sure how I will be celebrating Christmas this year. I have heard that the Embassy is offering different Christmas activities, so maybe I'll head there. The only thing is, is that the Embassy is in Abu Dhabi. As far as I know the church isn't offering anything. Maybe Cindy will have something. She has already invited me over to make Christmas cookies and candy!
I am headed to Abu Dhabi tomorrow and then to Oman عمان Cassie and I are going for 4 days. It will be nice to get away. Muscat is supposed to be a beautiful city. I have heard that it's more "true" Middle East. I guess that means not as many expats, if any! I'll fill you in next week when I get back.
Monday, December 13, 2010
This and That
It's been a pretty long week already and it's only Monday. Tomorrow is hump day!!! Then semester break for 2 weeks;)) I can survive! Grades were due on Sunday to the principal so I spent all weekend working on them only to find out that I had done them wrong. We were told that the principal only wanted a percentage, so that's what I spent my time doing; recording the percentage. I showed Andrea, the head of faculty, what I had and she told me that the principal wanted to see all the grades and a final percentage. No problem, but why not tell me that before I spent the time making the spreadsheet with just the percentage. So I had to tell the principal (I think her name is Miss Keltham or Miss Keltam I can never quite distinguish what they're saying; that's her first name not last) that I didn't have my grades ready and I would give them to her tomorrow. She was ok with it! She's actually really easy to talk to even though some of the other LTs are afraid of her. So I was up late last night putting together a nice spreadsheet of all the asisgnments we have done and calculating a final percentage. I must admit that I haven't been all that good at keeping track of grades. Mostly it's because I wasn't sure how to and what they were looking for. Plus we do a lot together due to language issues, so I don't think it's right to grade them. They are making progress, but grades don't really show that. Then there's the fact that we have to include behavior, and participation into our final grade. It seemed like I was doing a lot of guessing. Oh well, I have them turned in. I was also supposed to enter them on Esis (a computer grading program), but it's not working. Who knows if I'll be able to do that before Thursday. If not, that is fine with me!!
After waiting 2 weeks and making several phone calls I finally have my stove installed!! I can't wait to make a nice meal. So, what should I have for dinner tomorrow???
I planned and booked a trip to Muscat, Oman with Cassie. We were planning on going to Greece, but due to credit card issues that's not going to happen. Muscat is supposed to be a really nice city, but I was looking forward to getting out of the Middle East and Muslim culture for a while. We are leaving 12/18 and returning 12/22. It's not long, but at least I'll get to get away. Maybe I'll have an opportunity to go to Greece next year.
I need a car:( I am sick of taxis. What got me so frustrated was when he failed to show up on Sat to pick me up from Arabic. I told him to pick me up at 5:45 and he wasn't there. Najwa (my instructor) and I were chatting and I realized it was 6:00 and he still wasn't there. I called him and he was with a customer so he wouldn't be able to get me until 6:30. I was very mad. I couldn't believe that he took a customer when I told him to pick me up at 5:45. Then he tried to blame it on me by saying that I didn't call him. No, I didn't call because I told him to get me at 5:45. Najwa was kind enough to take me home. I felt really bad because Hili is so far from her; it's like 20-30 minutes. I will be getting a car when I get back from Oman. Maybe it's a good thing that I'm not going to Greece; I'll have more money to save to buy a car. I plan on renting one for a month or two and then buying a used one. Renting/leasing is so expensive here.
I have been practicing Arabic at school with the girls and some of the teachers. It's hard. I know what to say, but when I get in the situation I freeze. I get nervous and worried that I'm going to make a mistake and totally forget what I want/need to say. I was talking to the principal (Good morning, how are you?) and she replied with something that I didn't know. I looked at her like I didn't know what to say and she was very helpful and told me my options (al hamdulilallah or bakheir - both mean fine with al hamdulilallah having religious conotations), but the thing is I didn't realize that she asked me "how are you?" I know that phrase, but I couldn't identify it in the conversation. I worked through it though. Then I attempted to have a conversation with one of the other teachers and I totally forgot how to say "where are you from?" Well, not totally because I knew the words, I just forgot the order. She looked at me and I could tell that she had no idea what I had said. So, I had to ask her how to say "where are you from?" in Arabic. I know that phrase. I just get so worried that I'm going to mess up that I can't do it right. So, today when I had to talk to the principal I used English. She looked at me and said "No Arabic today?" I repeated myself in Arabic and did much better. I even caught "kayfa halookey? - how are you?" today. Then there was Arabic class today. I'm not quite sure how I can go from being so confident and experiencing success to feeling so inadequate. Just about everything she asked me today I replied with "ma bareef" (I don't know). OK maybe not just about everything, but it sure seemed like I was saying that a lot. We were going over words and phrases that she introduced on Wed., but I couldn't remember all of them. I did study, even though it didn't seem like it. I was getting rather frustrated and felt like I was going to cry if I had to tell her "ma bareef" one more time. She sensed my frustration and moved on; no spelling today! Thank God! I have a hard time spelling the words because I don't say them right so I don't write the right letters. We began working with "this is, what is this, is this..., whose is this, and who is this. Should be easy enough since they all involve some form of hadha (hatha, "this"), but it was just too much. At one point she asked me to say something, anything, in Arabic (I think she wanted me to be successful) and I replied with "khallas" she just started laughing and said "khallas, what?"
"Khallas 'arabeea"
"Khallas 'arabeea, what?"
"Khallas 'arabeea, min fudluck"
"Khallas 'arabeea, min fudluck, what?"
"Khallas 'arabeea, min fudluck Najwa (I wasn't sure what she was looking for)" - please stop Arabic, Najwa or something to that effect maybe Najwa please stop Arabic.
Even though that was not really what she wanted it helped me to calm down. We finished the lesson and I have to practice. Without practice I will lose it. Words to know, phrases to use, and learning how to spell. Lots of practice. At least I work with Arabic teachers who I can practice with. I just need to stop worrying about making mistakes and speak Arabic.
Since I have my grades done maybe I'll get to bed before midnight tonight!!!
After waiting 2 weeks and making several phone calls I finally have my stove installed!! I can't wait to make a nice meal. So, what should I have for dinner tomorrow???
I planned and booked a trip to Muscat, Oman with Cassie. We were planning on going to Greece, but due to credit card issues that's not going to happen. Muscat is supposed to be a really nice city, but I was looking forward to getting out of the Middle East and Muslim culture for a while. We are leaving 12/18 and returning 12/22. It's not long, but at least I'll get to get away. Maybe I'll have an opportunity to go to Greece next year.
I need a car:( I am sick of taxis. What got me so frustrated was when he failed to show up on Sat to pick me up from Arabic. I told him to pick me up at 5:45 and he wasn't there. Najwa (my instructor) and I were chatting and I realized it was 6:00 and he still wasn't there. I called him and he was with a customer so he wouldn't be able to get me until 6:30. I was very mad. I couldn't believe that he took a customer when I told him to pick me up at 5:45. Then he tried to blame it on me by saying that I didn't call him. No, I didn't call because I told him to get me at 5:45. Najwa was kind enough to take me home. I felt really bad because Hili is so far from her; it's like 20-30 minutes. I will be getting a car when I get back from Oman. Maybe it's a good thing that I'm not going to Greece; I'll have more money to save to buy a car. I plan on renting one for a month or two and then buying a used one. Renting/leasing is so expensive here.
I have been practicing Arabic at school with the girls and some of the teachers. It's hard. I know what to say, but when I get in the situation I freeze. I get nervous and worried that I'm going to make a mistake and totally forget what I want/need to say. I was talking to the principal (Good morning, how are you?) and she replied with something that I didn't know. I looked at her like I didn't know what to say and she was very helpful and told me my options (al hamdulilallah or bakheir - both mean fine with al hamdulilallah having religious conotations), but the thing is I didn't realize that she asked me "how are you?" I know that phrase, but I couldn't identify it in the conversation. I worked through it though. Then I attempted to have a conversation with one of the other teachers and I totally forgot how to say "where are you from?" Well, not totally because I knew the words, I just forgot the order. She looked at me and I could tell that she had no idea what I had said. So, I had to ask her how to say "where are you from?" in Arabic. I know that phrase. I just get so worried that I'm going to mess up that I can't do it right. So, today when I had to talk to the principal I used English. She looked at me and said "No Arabic today?" I repeated myself in Arabic and did much better. I even caught "kayfa halookey? - how are you?" today. Then there was Arabic class today. I'm not quite sure how I can go from being so confident and experiencing success to feeling so inadequate. Just about everything she asked me today I replied with "ma bareef" (I don't know). OK maybe not just about everything, but it sure seemed like I was saying that a lot. We were going over words and phrases that she introduced on Wed., but I couldn't remember all of them. I did study, even though it didn't seem like it. I was getting rather frustrated and felt like I was going to cry if I had to tell her "ma bareef" one more time. She sensed my frustration and moved on; no spelling today! Thank God! I have a hard time spelling the words because I don't say them right so I don't write the right letters. We began working with "this is, what is this, is this..., whose is this, and who is this. Should be easy enough since they all involve some form of hadha (hatha, "this"), but it was just too much. At one point she asked me to say something, anything, in Arabic (I think she wanted me to be successful) and I replied with "khallas" she just started laughing and said "khallas, what?"
"Khallas 'arabeea"
"Khallas 'arabeea, what?"
"Khallas 'arabeea, min fudluck"
"Khallas 'arabeea, min fudluck, what?"
"Khallas 'arabeea, min fudluck Najwa (I wasn't sure what she was looking for)" - please stop Arabic, Najwa or something to that effect maybe Najwa please stop Arabic.
Even though that was not really what she wanted it helped me to calm down. We finished the lesson and I have to practice. Without practice I will lose it. Words to know, phrases to use, and learning how to spell. Lots of practice. At least I work with Arabic teachers who I can practice with. I just need to stop worrying about making mistakes and speak Arabic.
Since I have my grades done maybe I'll get to bed before midnight tonight!!!
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Success at last!
So by now you know of my frsutrations with learning the Arabic language. It is not one of the easiest languages to learn. In fact I'm pretty sure it ranks right up there with English. And English is one of the most difficult languages to learn. I have not really been enjoying learning this language. That is until Wed. I had a great lesson! Maybe it's because I'm finished learning the letters and their sounds and now it's applying it. Maybe it's because I really really studied over the weekend (since it was a long weekend). Maybe it's because she introduced some things that I had already sort of known (I had very brief Arabic lessons when I first arrived). Or maybe it's because I am actually getting it! Who knows. It's probably a combination of all those reasons. Whatever the reason, I left feeling very confident and pleased. I was able to have a very brief conversation with my instructor and her son (Hi, how are you? What's your name? Are you doing well? Good evening. See you later.) See not much, but I was able to say most of the words and understand most of what he was saying without much help from my instructor! She had warned me that she would be sending me Arabic emails so when I got home and checked my email I wasn't surprised to find an email in Arabic. Well, I was a bit surprised. I didn't think she would send one so soon. What surprised me more was the fact that I could read it (even without a lot of those silly vowels:) and understand what she wrote without referring to my notes! I was even able to write back to her. I wanted to try to answer her questions without looking at my notes so I wrote them on paper before responding to her email. I did not spell all the words correctly (those darn vowels; I have a hard time figuring out if they're long or short; the short ones don't appear in writing), but I was able to fix my mistakes. I will learn this language!
Shhh, don't tell ADEC, but I even used some Arabic in class today! Nothing much, just good morning, how are you, and see you later. But we're not supposed to use any Arabic at all. The girls were very surprised! They know I'm learning, but I think I surprised them by saying something instead of repeating what they say! They did respond to my good morning with the appropriate response so that's good. At least I know they understood what I said!
I am even noticing success in the girls. Their reading is getting so much better. I love it when they try to sound out words! I'm not sure they really know what they're reading, but they are trying. At the beginning of the year they wouldn't even try. They would just stare at something. Their writing is getting better too. It's just the fact that they're trying and sounding out words that is so impressive! Their spoken English is also getting better! A lot of them can now communicate with me in partial sentences instead of just one or two words. I love this! We still have a lot of work to do, but it is amazing to see their learning and growth!
So, I will close in Arabic and go and study Arabic!
Shhh, don't tell ADEC, but I even used some Arabic in class today! Nothing much, just good morning, how are you, and see you later. But we're not supposed to use any Arabic at all. The girls were very surprised! They know I'm learning, but I think I surprised them by saying something instead of repeating what they say! They did respond to my good morning with the appropriate response so that's good. At least I know they understood what I said!
I am even noticing success in the girls. Their reading is getting so much better. I love it when they try to sound out words! I'm not sure they really know what they're reading, but they are trying. At the beginning of the year they wouldn't even try. They would just stare at something. Their writing is getting better too. It's just the fact that they're trying and sounding out words that is so impressive! Their spoken English is also getting better! A lot of them can now communicate with me in partial sentences instead of just one or two words. I love this! We still have a lot of work to do, but it is amazing to see their learning and growth!
So, I will close in Arabic and go and study Arabic!
(toosbehou 'ala khair - good night!) تصبح علئ خير
Friday, December 3, 2010
Dubai Trip
What a great trip to Dubai! The trip began uneventful enough. Just a nice drive with Cassie. It was nice not to have to board the tiny bus that takes you from Al-Ain to Dubai. I had a much more relaxing and comfortable ride.
Kisha had a room at the London Crowne in Dubai, so I put that information in Cassie's GPS and discovered that there are 3 London Crowne's in Dubai. OK, so which one do we choose? Kisha said she was at the one on Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed St., but that wasn't an option. So I just chose one. Well, it ended up being the wrong one, but we didn't figure that out until we got to room 410. We rang the doorbell and Cassie said "Honey, we're home!" and waited for her to answer. We got a huge surprise when a short man answered the door! He just stared up at us and we stared down at him. It took our brains a while to figure out that Kisha wasn't in the room. Once we did figure it out, maybe a couple of seconds later (seemed like 5 minutes), we apologized and left the poor man alone. We couldn't stop laughing! Once we settled down we asked for directions at the desk. When we got to the second hotel I decided to call Kisha and let her know that we had arrived. I began describing the lobby I was in just to make sure it was the right one. She couldn't remember what the lobby looked like so she headed downstairs. I watied, and waited, but no one came out of the elevator! So once again we were at the wrong hotel. At least we didn't go up to room 410 this time! OK forget this business of asking for directions. I put Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed St. into the GPS and decided we could figure it out from there. The GPS got us to the street and all we had to do was look for the hotel. Surprisingly it was quite easy to find! We get in the elevator ready to go up to the 4th floor, but there is no 4 button, only up to 3. We burst out laughing and I think, oh no here we go again! We decided to push 3 and see what happens. When the elevator opens we see a sign that says 4th floor! Only in the UAE will 3 take you to the 4th floor!! Crazy! But we did find Kisha. What a night. We left Al-Ain at 10pm and arrived at the hotel a little before 1am. It's only takes a little over an hour to get from Al-Ain to Dubai. Finding the hotel was the issue. So needless to say we were exhausted when we got there.
We got up the next morning, very late mind you, (National Day) and headed to the Dubai Mall for lunch. That was the easiest thing to find. After lunch we went to the Dubai Museum. It's a lot bigger than it looks from the outside. When we pulled up I thought that it was going to be a pretty boring museum, but it was really interesting. There were exhibits from way back in BC when Dubai began. Pretty interesting to see their history. A lot has changed. We saw some houses and boats and skeletons of people that lived a long time ago. Pretty neat.
After the museum we drove around for a bit more and then went to the Outlet Mall. Kisha had heard there were some big sales going on there. I wasn't too impressed. We shopped for a bit and then headed back to the hotel to get ready for our dinner cruise on the creek.
The cruise was wonderful. It was so peaceful. The food wasn't all that great, but it was a good night. The weather was fabulous, we saw some neat boats, some buildings deocrated for National Day, and a little magic show on the boat. A very nice and relaxing night!
Friday began with a trip to the InterCon (our favorite hotel:) for breakfast. We had a great breakfast, we knew we would, and then headed to Global Village. Global Village is located in Dubailand (an amusement park) and has vendors from all different countries selling souveniors. I figured I could get my Christmas shopping done. We got to Global Village and couldn't figure out how to get to the parking. Cassie eventually drove the wrong way on a one way street (good thing it was Friday and there was no traffic), but we got to the parking place only to discover that they didn't open until 4pm:( Bummer. We really wanted to go there. So we drove around some more trying to find something to do. As we were driving we saw some camels out in the desert and we just had to stop to take some pictures. We decided to check out the Dolphinarium. We couldn't find that either. It wasn't in the GPS and the thing with maps here is they like to put things on them that they're building. Not a good idea. So that's what we think was the case with the Dolphinarium since we couldn't find it or any signs for it. We did go over the Floating Bridge though. That was pretty weird. The Floating Bridge is exactly what the name says; it floats on the water. Kind of scary, but cool at the same time. At this point Cassie decided that she wanted a milkshake from Hardees and the nearest one was in Sharjah (another emirate) so we took a drive to Sharjah. Yeah! Now I've been to 3 of the 7 emirates (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah), I just have to visit Ajman, Fujeriah, Ras Al Khamin (RAK), and Umm Al Qaimm. Well I guess I should go back to Sharjah since all I saw was the Hardees because we needed to get Kisha back to the bus station.
I had a great 2 days and it came at a great time. Helped me to get over my homesickness. Now I get to enjoy the rest of my long weekend. I have Sunday off!
Kisha had a room at the London Crowne in Dubai, so I put that information in Cassie's GPS and discovered that there are 3 London Crowne's in Dubai. OK, so which one do we choose? Kisha said she was at the one on Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed St., but that wasn't an option. So I just chose one. Well, it ended up being the wrong one, but we didn't figure that out until we got to room 410. We rang the doorbell and Cassie said "Honey, we're home!" and waited for her to answer. We got a huge surprise when a short man answered the door! He just stared up at us and we stared down at him. It took our brains a while to figure out that Kisha wasn't in the room. Once we did figure it out, maybe a couple of seconds later (seemed like 5 minutes), we apologized and left the poor man alone. We couldn't stop laughing! Once we settled down we asked for directions at the desk. When we got to the second hotel I decided to call Kisha and let her know that we had arrived. I began describing the lobby I was in just to make sure it was the right one. She couldn't remember what the lobby looked like so she headed downstairs. I watied, and waited, but no one came out of the elevator! So once again we were at the wrong hotel. At least we didn't go up to room 410 this time! OK forget this business of asking for directions. I put Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed St. into the GPS and decided we could figure it out from there. The GPS got us to the street and all we had to do was look for the hotel. Surprisingly it was quite easy to find! We get in the elevator ready to go up to the 4th floor, but there is no 4 button, only up to 3. We burst out laughing and I think, oh no here we go again! We decided to push 3 and see what happens. When the elevator opens we see a sign that says 4th floor! Only in the UAE will 3 take you to the 4th floor!! Crazy! But we did find Kisha. What a night. We left Al-Ain at 10pm and arrived at the hotel a little before 1am. It's only takes a little over an hour to get from Al-Ain to Dubai. Finding the hotel was the issue. So needless to say we were exhausted when we got there.
We got up the next morning, very late mind you, (National Day) and headed to the Dubai Mall for lunch. That was the easiest thing to find. After lunch we went to the Dubai Museum. It's a lot bigger than it looks from the outside. When we pulled up I thought that it was going to be a pretty boring museum, but it was really interesting. There were exhibits from way back in BC when Dubai began. Pretty interesting to see their history. A lot has changed. We saw some houses and boats and skeletons of people that lived a long time ago. Pretty neat.
After the museum we drove around for a bit more and then went to the Outlet Mall. Kisha had heard there were some big sales going on there. I wasn't too impressed. We shopped for a bit and then headed back to the hotel to get ready for our dinner cruise on the creek.
The cruise was wonderful. It was so peaceful. The food wasn't all that great, but it was a good night. The weather was fabulous, we saw some neat boats, some buildings deocrated for National Day, and a little magic show on the boat. A very nice and relaxing night!
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| Happy 39th Birthday to the UAE |
Friday began with a trip to the InterCon (our favorite hotel:) for breakfast. We had a great breakfast, we knew we would, and then headed to Global Village. Global Village is located in Dubailand (an amusement park) and has vendors from all different countries selling souveniors. I figured I could get my Christmas shopping done. We got to Global Village and couldn't figure out how to get to the parking. Cassie eventually drove the wrong way on a one way street (good thing it was Friday and there was no traffic), but we got to the parking place only to discover that they didn't open until 4pm:( Bummer. We really wanted to go there. So we drove around some more trying to find something to do. As we were driving we saw some camels out in the desert and we just had to stop to take some pictures. We decided to check out the Dolphinarium. We couldn't find that either. It wasn't in the GPS and the thing with maps here is they like to put things on them that they're building. Not a good idea. So that's what we think was the case with the Dolphinarium since we couldn't find it or any signs for it. We did go over the Floating Bridge though. That was pretty weird. The Floating Bridge is exactly what the name says; it floats on the water. Kind of scary, but cool at the same time. At this point Cassie decided that she wanted a milkshake from Hardees and the nearest one was in Sharjah (another emirate) so we took a drive to Sharjah. Yeah! Now I've been to 3 of the 7 emirates (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah), I just have to visit Ajman, Fujeriah, Ras Al Khamin (RAK), and Umm Al Qaimm. Well I guess I should go back to Sharjah since all I saw was the Hardees because we needed to get Kisha back to the bus station.
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| Camels seen from the road |
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
National Day Celebrations at School
What a day! What a waste of time! I was absolutely bored. They did the same thing over and over for 5 hours. Plus I couldn't understand what they were saying or singing. They did a lot of dancing. I did find out their National Dance; which is shaking their hair! Literally! Well, that's what the girls did. There probably is an actual dance, but it didn't look like one.
The program started at 8:00 and could have ended at 9:00, but it went until 1:00. Surprisingly the girls were pretty well behaved until about 11:00. Then they started getting restless. Can't say as I blame them.
The girls wear these amazing dresses. They look like wedding gowns. It's amazing that the parents let them come to school in them and run around. But, they have money so they probably buy a new one after today. We weren't allowed to take pictures today. Not sure why, but I had to put my camera away. I did get some pictures of the girls in their dresses before I was told no pictures.
Arabic is extremely frustrating! I have learned all the letters, so I should be able to read. The only thing is I need the vowels to read and now she's telling me to stop relying on them. Vowels don't appear in Arabic writing unless they are long vowels, so if you don't know the word you have to "guess" at the pronunciation. Reading to me is not a guessing game. But, I guess if you practice enough without vowels you will learn words and won't need them. That's their reasoning for not using vowels in writing. I finished phase 1 and phase 2 (grammar and speaking) starts next week.
I got a stove today! I just couldn't use the hot plate/convection thing any longer. It takes too long to make something and it shuts off a lot. I like to cook so now that I have a real stove and oven I will be able to make some nice meals.
I am going to Dubai for a couple of days to celebrate Kisha's birthday. Not sure what she has planned, but I'm sure we'll have fun.
I am still a little homesick. I think it's due to the fact that for the past 8 years at this time I knew that I would be going home for Christmas in a couple of weeks. That's not happening this year.
Tomorrow the UAE will celebrate its 39th birthday! I wonder what I'll see in Dubai!
The program started at 8:00 and could have ended at 9:00, but it went until 1:00. Surprisingly the girls were pretty well behaved until about 11:00. Then they started getting restless. Can't say as I blame them.
The girls wear these amazing dresses. They look like wedding gowns. It's amazing that the parents let them come to school in them and run around. But, they have money so they probably buy a new one after today. We weren't allowed to take pictures today. Not sure why, but I had to put my camera away. I did get some pictures of the girls in their dresses before I was told no pictures.
Arabic is extremely frustrating! I have learned all the letters, so I should be able to read. The only thing is I need the vowels to read and now she's telling me to stop relying on them. Vowels don't appear in Arabic writing unless they are long vowels, so if you don't know the word you have to "guess" at the pronunciation. Reading to me is not a guessing game. But, I guess if you practice enough without vowels you will learn words and won't need them. That's their reasoning for not using vowels in writing. I finished phase 1 and phase 2 (grammar and speaking) starts next week.
I got a stove today! I just couldn't use the hot plate/convection thing any longer. It takes too long to make something and it shuts off a lot. I like to cook so now that I have a real stove and oven I will be able to make some nice meals.
I am going to Dubai for a couple of days to celebrate Kisha's birthday. Not sure what she has planned, but I'm sure we'll have fun.
I am still a little homesick. I think it's due to the fact that for the past 8 years at this time I knew that I would be going home for Christmas in a couple of weeks. That's not happening this year.
Tomorrow the UAE will celebrate its 39th birthday! I wonder what I'll see in Dubai!
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