25 Arabic speaking 6 year old girls, a pair of scissors, one glue stick, and 10 pencils. That is what Danica started with in September. $1000 out of her own pocket and six weeks later you get this. She's a better man than I am!
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Working Stiffs
Lately we have both been traveling to Dubai for work. I have been at the Ministry of Education assisting with the pilot of a new web portal they will use for all of the schools in the country. Danica just reurned from a week of preparation to train local teaching staff in literacy teaching methods. We were able to see the Gold Souk or market one night. (Sorry, forgot the camera!)Dubai is about an hour from Ras Al Khaimah if the traffic is good. Not unlike driving into Chicago from Libertyville except you watch for camels instead of deer-seriously! The weather is just beginning to "cool" as the days shorten so people will begin spending time outside. Often they will pull off the highway into the desert to enjoy the sand, quiet, and darkness! But not too far! The desert area is nothing to fool with and the people who live here know it!
Saturday, October 27, 2007
On the Job
Here are some pictures from my school in Al Rams (which means a gathering place or a cemetery!). North of Ras Al Khaimah and just a few miles from the border with Oman. We have a good bunch of boys here who call me “Mr. Michael”. Takes awhile to get comfortable with that. This is an English class of seniors and their teacher. Abdulla is to my left in the tan dishdasha. He invited me to watch his volleyball team one night. This kid can fly!
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Dhayah Fort
The Dhayah Oasis area has been inhabited for at least 5000 years and this old fort dates back to the early 1800’s. The man in the photo is a teacher at my school. He gave me a tour of the fort one afternoon since it is only a few minutes from the school. He was born 50 years ago in the date palm grove/oasis you see below in the background. He was then taken BY DONKEY to the local hospital for care. He grew up to go to engineering school in London.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Dubai Burj Al Arab
The Burj Al Arab is a spectacular (7 star??) hotel in Dubai in the shape of an ancient dhow (boat) which is a cultural symbol of the UAE. We ate dinner at a place on a canal in a shopping mall just next door and watched as the hotel changed colors like Buckingham Fountain in Chicago. A "disney world" atmosphere!
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Khasab, Oman
On Saturday 10/13, we took a trip into Oman. This offered spectacular scenery wedged between the mountains and the coast. We had a very exciting boat ride on an ancient Dhow and ate lunch with our international (Iranian, Indian, and Pakistani) boatmates. Lunch was served in the traditional manner - right out of the pots. We sat on pillows on the floor of the boat and dined on rice, fish, and dates. Some people jumped into the water for a swim including our New Zealand mate Anne. The water was beautifully clear and we could see schools of angel fish and zebra fish swimming around us. It was almost a perfect day except for the two hour line we had to wait in to get through the border. It was just like going up to Wisconsin on a holiday weekend!
Trip to Al Ain
We had four days off for the Eid holiday that follows Ramadan. One of the days we drove to Al Ain which is the town where Sheik Zayed was born. It’s a very pretty city with an oasis in the middle. The oasis appears to be some sort of labyrinth of walls and roads. We couldn’t figure it out and fearing that we might be eternally lost within the walls, we turned and left the way we came. We’re going to do some research on the internet and venture inside another day. We also visited the Sheik’s palace. It was quite beautiful in its simplicity. It really helped us to understand the people here. Mike is standing with a portrait of the Sheik Zayed (cool shades!)Notice how our guide covered her face when I took the picture. Also, our Kiwi friend (from New Zealand) went with us.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
New Band in Dubai
NEW BAND!!We saw this new band called The Nephews in Dubai over the weekend. Looked eerily familiar! We were able to get a close-up shot.
Thought the long hair look was out but locals really liked it!
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Danica's First Iftar with the family of the Sheikh!
October 3, 2007
See me in my party dress? I got all dressed up to go to my first and probably only iftar. I was invited by the granddaughter of the sheik. She sent her driver to pick me up! The iftar for men was going on in the courtyard of the family compound when I arrived just at sunset. It looked like at least forty men gathered around a rug covered with food. We drove past the men to another building. I was told that this was the grandmother’s place. The grandmother is a Bedouin and apparently not that happy to be living in the city. Her place, however, was very comfortable. She had a television on in the corner of the living room. The granddaughter told me that her grandmother likes to watch Arabian soap operas and cartoons.
The room was filled with women. All of them were sitting on the rug and the trays of food were spread out all over. My hostess introduced me to her mother, grandmother, sisters, cousins and friends of the family. As soon as the introductions were finished everyone started filling their plates. They had all been fasting since before sunrise. Each woman began the meal with a few dates and a glass of water. I’ve been told that this is done in order to get sugar quickly into your blood.
Someone, I think it was the mother, filled my plate with chicken, fish, rice and vegetables. Fortunately, I didn’t see anything that looked like goat! Really, everything was very good. The women all ate with their fingers. The rice is pretty tricky. It’s almost as difficult as eating with chopsticks. They saw me struggling and gave me a spoon. When I thought I was going to pop at the seams, they brought out the desserts. I didn’t have an opportunity to refuse. I was handed a plate filled with crème brulee and donut balls drenched in syrup. Needless to say, I went home stuffed.
The grandmother and mother didn’t talk to me very much. I’m not sure that they had much English, but after the dinner the young women all stayed to talk with me. They were just like any young women. They asked me questions about clothing and jewelry. One of them told me that she wanted to be a jewelry designer. Another had aspirations to be a photographer.
One of the girls was recently engaged. I asked if it was an arranged marriage. She told me that the young people don’t really do this anymore. The marriages were a necessity for tribal peace and prosperity but those conditions don’t exist anymore. I asked the girls if their husbands would have more than one wife. The young engaged woman said that she would kill her fiancé if he took a second wife. Sounds like they are becoming westernized in this respect. On the other hand, all a man has to do to get divorced is say, ”I divorce you” three times. Easier than Dorothy clicking her heels together!
I wish I could have taken a few pictures, but the women weren’t keen on the idea. It was a wonderful glimpse of genuine Arabian family life. Honestly, it wasn’t all that different from a typical Polite family gathering. The only thing missing was a case of beer!
See me in my party dress? I got all dressed up to go to my first and probably only iftar. I was invited by the granddaughter of the sheik. She sent her driver to pick me up! The iftar for men was going on in the courtyard of the family compound when I arrived just at sunset. It looked like at least forty men gathered around a rug covered with food. We drove past the men to another building. I was told that this was the grandmother’s place. The grandmother is a Bedouin and apparently not that happy to be living in the city. Her place, however, was very comfortable. She had a television on in the corner of the living room. The granddaughter told me that her grandmother likes to watch Arabian soap operas and cartoons.
The room was filled with women. All of them were sitting on the rug and the trays of food were spread out all over. My hostess introduced me to her mother, grandmother, sisters, cousins and friends of the family. As soon as the introductions were finished everyone started filling their plates. They had all been fasting since before sunrise. Each woman began the meal with a few dates and a glass of water. I’ve been told that this is done in order to get sugar quickly into your blood.
Someone, I think it was the mother, filled my plate with chicken, fish, rice and vegetables. Fortunately, I didn’t see anything that looked like goat! Really, everything was very good. The women all ate with their fingers. The rice is pretty tricky. It’s almost as difficult as eating with chopsticks. They saw me struggling and gave me a spoon. When I thought I was going to pop at the seams, they brought out the desserts. I didn’t have an opportunity to refuse. I was handed a plate filled with crème brulee and donut balls drenched in syrup. Needless to say, I went home stuffed.
The grandmother and mother didn’t talk to me very much. I’m not sure that they had much English, but after the dinner the young women all stayed to talk with me. They were just like any young women. They asked me questions about clothing and jewelry. One of them told me that she wanted to be a jewelry designer. Another had aspirations to be a photographer.
One of the girls was recently engaged. I asked if it was an arranged marriage. She told me that the young people don’t really do this anymore. The marriages were a necessity for tribal peace and prosperity but those conditions don’t exist anymore. I asked the girls if their husbands would have more than one wife. The young engaged woman said that she would kill her fiancé if he took a second wife. Sounds like they are becoming westernized in this respect. On the other hand, all a man has to do to get divorced is say, ”I divorce you” three times. Easier than Dorothy clicking her heels together!
I wish I could have taken a few pictures, but the women weren’t keen on the idea. It was a wonderful glimpse of genuine Arabian family life. Honestly, it wasn’t all that different from a typical Polite family gathering. The only thing missing was a case of beer!
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Danica's Class
See all the cutie pies in their green and white uniforms. They look harmless, but they can really give you a run for your money. At the end of the day, I keep them singing songs so they'll stay out of trouble. I've taught them Five Little Monkeys and it's hilarious to watch them. Maybe I can make a short video for the blog. Today you just get still shots.
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