Great EXPATations
Trip Start
Aug 01, 2009
1
6
10
Trip End
Sep 21, 2009
Where I stayed
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Sunday, September 6, 2009
After being stranded for four days in Toronto thanks to incompetent travel agents (see "Toronto: Worthy of a Stop?"), we finally made it to Abu Dhabi on the eve of August 5th. All 90 of us new teachers stayed the night at the Abu Dhabi Hilton—very beautiful, right along the coast of the Persian Gulf.
August 6th, still jet lagged and recovering from the heat, Chad and I were whisked off to a hotel in Liwa; a small city in the middle of the desert just a short drive from the Saudi border. At the time, we had no car, and no taxis dared wander into the lonely red sand dunes of Liwa, a far distance from roads, towns, and people. We were essentially captive to our rooms; there was little else to do but watch movies dubbed in Arabic as we tried to catch up on sleep.
Following our pointless Liwa expedition, Chad and I were taken back to Abu Dhabi city to rejoin the other teachers for training, training, and more training. Meanwhile, we were placed back at the Hilton, where we have lived for the past FIVE weeks. No word yet on our accommodations or when they will be ready.
Abu Dhabi is a city trying to find peace between sprawling modernization and the practices of Islamic culture so inherent to the surrounding region. Brand new glittering shopping malls stand beside mosques; tourists in sundresses share sidewalks with women wearing abeyas and burkas. Chad and I have had a chance to explore the city and see Emirates Palace, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque (the 3rd largest mosque in the world), and souks where buyers can barter for anything from Persian rugs to gold.
It’s hot here. The average temperature has been 115º F with 90% humidity! Lately, the temperature has been dropping to the low hundreds. To make matters more difficult, we’ve arrived during Ramadan—and no public eating or drinking is allowed from sunrise to sunset. For Muslims, Ramadan is the holiest month. For thirty days believers fast during daylight hours, and subsequently, shops and restaurants close during this time as well. Given the weather, it’s been a challenging adjustment not to be able to eat, drink, or even chew gum in public. Despite this challenge, Ramadan has some perks. Once the sun sets, huge Iftar tents open up across the city. Chad and I had the opportunity to go to an authentic Iftar dinner where we had the most awesome Lebanese food of our lives! Shisha is smoked at Sohour, the celebration time after Iftar and before dawn. For Abby and Marshall…the Shisha here costs less than $3 and is so smooth compared to the Nice Ash. :)
On September 4th Chad celebrated his 27th birthday. The staff at the Hilton know us by name and have been very sweet. After all, we've been living in their hotel for over a month. At breakfast, the staff brought Chad a cake and later put a red rose and towels wrapped in ribbons in his room! There is no decent Mexican food in this country, so for a birthday celebration we gathered at a friend’s place to make our own Mexican fiesta, followed by card games and arm wrestling. Awesome.
We don’t have a camera yet, but will try to post as many pictures as we can!
--Jen
Comments
dang it, where'd my comment go!
you guys, srsly... i definitely wrote a comment.
jist of it:
yay you're doing well! lmk when you move to your village.
happy belated b.day chad!
lovelovelove you lots!
happy bday
Happy belated bday Chad. looks like that dinner in the tent was sweet.
Whats the best new food you have had out there?
Sun Baked in Abu Dhabi !
Hey, with all the perks comes a little hardship! You should be getting close to starting your first class?More than that, how close are you to getting your rooms? I hope soon! It makes for getting that settled in feeling! Love You Both! Happy late Beerthday Chad! Hope you had one on me!
Re: happy bday
The best food out here is either Lebanese or Indian. You can go anywhere--the mall, supermarket, corner dive--and get the best Indian food.
Re: happy bday
Fanks! Still in hotels...7th week now. Teachers were supposed to report this week, but we are still in Abu Dhabi, about 250 Km from our town and schools. With the upcoming holiday (Eid) and the H1N1 scare, it still may not start until October. :D