DAY TWENTY FOUR - To be continued......

As I type this I am over the Atlantic approaching Greenland on my way to JFK. Doug and I left for Abu Dhabi so abruptly that there was business left undone in Hoboken. Loose ends that need tying up. There is also my dad.....

Dad is fiercely independent, but these past few years have been difficult for him. He lives in a house he built 50 years ago in the countryside outside of Rhinebeck, NY. But after years of declaring he could "hold out", he has decided that it is time for him to sell the house and move. My sister and brother and I were very relieved when he came to this decision because he's 88, and we worry about him.

This past Spring my sister, Lori, and I found a lovely place for him just minutes from Lori's home in Maryland. He toured it, loved it, and put his house on the market. Months passed. People came and looked, but there were no takers. Then three weeks ago as Doug and I were in a limo headed to JFK to fly to Abu Dhabi I got a text from the realtor. "Call me. There's been an offer on your dad's house". 

I flew to Abu Dhabi anyway because you know how these things go. I'd also planned to return in three weeks time in any case to take care of those loose ends I mentioned. So while I was setting up our apartment and shopping for appropriate clothing and exploring and meeting people and writing this blog, all that time real estate drama was underway.

Thank goodness for Lori. She talked Dad off the ledge more than once, and she and the realtor, George Whalen, dealt with a difficult potential buyer and their shrew of a realtor. One day I'd get an email and all was well. The next day Lori would write, "Call me. We have a problem." And so it went.

Today I woke at 6:15 a.m. to get ready for my 7:30 pickup and 10:30 a.m. flight to JFK. I rolled over in bed, picked up my iPad and read an email from Lori. The subject line read, "Deal's Off". 

So I am on my way home. I have those loose ends to deal with. I am looking forward to meeting up with my friends over coffee or lunch or dinner and catching up on things. But then there's dad...... What to do? 

My emotions are all over the place. I do very well when I have a Plan. I can deal with Plans. I make my flow charts and my lists. I cross things off and I get thngs done. But what to do? What's my plan now? 

It's another 5 hours before we land. I am trying to stay awake so that I can sleep tonight and hopefully get myself on Hoboken Time in sort order. That's a plan.  I remind myself that I am not in this alone - my sister, brother and I are a team, and Doug is 100% supportive. We'll work it out.

Challenges. Surprises. Questions. Emotional Roller-coasters. Oh my. 

In the meantime, it seems only appropriate to suspend my Arabian Notes until I am actually back in Abu Dhabi. It will be a few weeks at the very least I am sure. 

Till then.

DAY TWENTY THREE - Searching for some history

In my quest to learn about the history of Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, and this area in general, I have been reading guide books, Googling, and searching out historical sites. It is proving to be more challenging than I'd anticipated.

The U.A.E. is a relatively new country. In 1971 Great Britain withdrew from the Arabian Gulf, and the country was established under the leadership of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi. He was clearly a visionary and ruled until his death in 2004. This man's picture is everywhere. As best I can describe it, he is the U.A.E.'s George Washington. He used the vast fortune brought in by the offshore oil to build the country, specifically the cities of Abu Dhabi and Dubai which were formerly small fishing and trading settlements. These cities with their sparkling and wildly imaginative buildings are the face the World sees in magazines and on tv shows, and it's very real.

The Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, is in the center of Dubai. Last weekend Doug and I went to the Dubai Mall, the world's largest mall, which sits at the base of the building, and just outside of both is a large plaze with the world's largest fountain. Do you see a theme here?

The Burj al-Arab in Dubai is designed to mimic the sail of a ship, the traditional wooden dhows of the region. It is built on a man-made island and has an underwater restaurant, gold fittings, dancing fountains, and rooms with your own private butler. It is ultra expensive.

The U.A.E. is constantly building malls, and each one is larger and more over-the-top than the next. I have learned that malls are not just places to go to shop. They are much more in this country. They are destinations. In a country where you simply cannot be outside in the heat of the Summer months, I suppose it makes sense to create these large, air conditioned complexes where you can shop, dine in places that range from regular food-court establishments to high-end restaurants, go skiing or skating or bowling, see movies or even live performances, and entertain your children at an indoor amusement park. 

This is the Ski Dubai complex. Yes, you can ski, snowboard and sled in the middle of the dessert.

If you don't want to actually experience the cold of Ski Dubai, you can just observe from the adjacent Mall of the Emirates which is part of the complex. I am told they have recently added penguins to the complex. 

The Emirates are also building resorts everywhere. I have never seen such a concentration of luxury hotels and resorts, and I am told they are all booked. High-end housing complexes are also under construction all along the coast, and on the many islands. Where there aren't convenient islands, they construct them.

The Palm Islands, Dubai. These islands are man-made and feature luxury homes with their own docks and beaches. Ka-ching!$!$!$!$

I must admit I find all these projects impressive. Not necessarily the style of some (a bit "much" for my tastes), but the scope of the projects, and the engineering required to build in this part of the world. If you have the time, an interesting YouTube video to watch is DUBAI: The Greatest City in the World .  Not exactly a modest title!

But what of the history of this region? Yesterday Doug and I decided to visit Heritage Village, which is listed in all my guide books, and indeed I had passed by it on my way to The Marina Mall. I figured this might be a good place to start.

Heritage Village is run by the Heritage Club, and it is described as "a reconstruction of a traditional oasis village".

This stone hut has a thatched roof, and one has to step down about two steps to enter. I think this helps keep the place a little cooler. "Little" being a very relative term in this dessert country. I like the juxtaposition of this old-style hut with the modern city-scape in the background.

While I was peering in the doorway, a young arab couple came up to me with their iPhone and asked me to take their picture. This happens to me ALL the time in Hoboken because people love having their photo taken with Manhattan behind them. I guess asking a stranger to take your photo with a smart phone is universal now. Once I took a photo to their liking, I thought "why not?" and asked them to take one of me and Doug.

Lots of sand! 

There were some token animals on hand. Not many, and I kind of wish they had more. But.... they did have this one dromedary camel as well as a beautiful Arabian horse, a donkey, a cow, some goats, and a small flock of ducks which roamed freely and swam in the fountains. 

I think this must be a traditional fishing boat. The beach here was lovely, and you can see the skyline of Abu Dhabi across the way. 

I do love seafood, and this chart shows the fish found in the Arabian Gulf.  Fish are a big part of the diet in the U.A.E., and I look forward to sampling the different preparations over the next year.

I spied a small flock of these little birds just digging away in the sand, tossing it everywhere with great energy. I sent a photo to my "Birding Friend, Linda", as she is known to my Hoboken friends, and she identified them as English House Sparrows. Apparently they were taking a dust bath which helps to rid them of parasites. 

My take on this place? It was nice as far as it went, but it didn't go far enough. There was a little area that was supposed to be a traditional open-air souk, but less than half of the stalls were occupied, and they were selling only touristy stuff like cheap magnets and stuffed toy camels. I would have loved to have seen some real local crafts for sale.
There were some artisans on hand in another area, but it appeared that they were just doing demonstrations of weaving and metal work (making coffee pots). There were huts marked "glass" and "leather" and "women's crafts", but they were empty, which I found disappointing. 
There was a small museum which had simple displays of weapons like 19th-century guns, knives, and bows & arrows; currency; pages from a Koran; jewelry and clothing. The items were labeled but no descriptions or explanations were offered, so I didn't get as much out of this museum as I could have, which was disappointing.
I did not go to Heritage Village expecting to have a Sturbridge Village or Williamsburg experience. I had very modest expectations, but even those were not met. I think this small place has potential that is not being realized. As a visitor I have a hunger to learn about this country, its history and culture, and I would love to see more resources directed toward this small site and others like it. 
But..... I have not given up. I have just begun. If there are some real historical sites out there, not just recreations, I am going to find them. I am on a quest.
Stay tuned!

DAY NINETEEN - Where the sidewalk ends

The name of author/illustrator Shel Silverstein's book of poetry, Where the Sidewalk Ends, ehoes in my head each and every time I step out the door to take a walk or run an errand. It's not enough to say Abu Dhabi is not pedestrian-friendly. The city is pedestrian-hostile. Seriously.

Before I left Hoboken I bought several guide books to Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates. One of the facts that jumped out at me was the high number of auto accidents, and most surprising was that most of the people injured or killed in these accidents were not the drivers or passengers. No, they were the pedestrians "walking alongside the roads". I assumed the reason for this was that the drivers must be reckless and crazy, veering off the road or jumping the curbs. I have since learned otherwise.

I am not saying the drivers here are wonderful. They are on par with the drivers one encounters in NYC and New Jersey, which is to say many (not all!) of them are heavy on the gas peddle, think signal lights are optional, round corners like they're on a racetrack, and jam on the brakes. But I don't think drivers are mowing down pedestrians because of their driving skills, or lack thereof. No, pedestrians are in danger because this city was not designed for them. I think the lack of sidewalks is the reason so many pedestrians are killed and injured here. 

Abu Dhabi is an obstacle course. There is maybe a little sidewalk (as we know it) in front of a store or two, and then it simply ends. Next you find yourself walking across a parking lot, swiveling your head constantly, on the look-out for cars. There doesn't appear to be a right-of-way understanding for pedestrians either, so if a car comes, you better scurry out of the way or become one of those statistics in my guide book. After the parking lot you may find another bit of sidewalk, and then you step off onto a long patch of sand. Oddly enough, at most intersections there is a pedestrian cross-walk signal. Thus far this is the only concession to pedestrians that I've seen. 

Case in point, and you see this a lot - this is not a sidewalk as far as I am concerned, yet you either have to balance your way on this or choose to walk in the parking lot with cars zipping by. Just nuts!

I have been puzzling about this no-sidewalk situation. The city planners built this place up from scratch in recent decades, so surely they looked at other cities for inspiration? I think it must be cultural. That is my only conclusion. It's such a hot country, maybe going for walks or a stroll is simply not something people think to do.  I've also noticed that many people don't run errands - they have someone run their errands for them. On our first day here, Doug and I asked directions to a little grocery store. "Tell us what you want, and we'll go get it" our concierge answered matter-of-factly. She looked utterly baffled when we told her that oh no, we wanted to walk there. If someone wants to go somewhere, they take a taxi or drive themselves. The taxis here are very inexpensive, so people take taxis even for very short hops. "Walk? Why walk???" seems to be the attitude. 

The ubiquitous Abu Dhabi Silver Taxis

I love to walk. I've been discouraged here because of the heat and the pure confusion and anxiety I experience when trying to get somewhere on foot. But the weather is getting nicer with each passing day, and now I live much closer to The Corniche with its tantalizing white sands and turquoise waters. I had expected to be challenged by the heat and by learning to live in a conservative Muslim culture so different from my own. What I had not expected was that my greatest challenge to date would be going for a simple walk. 

DAY EIGHTEEN - Settling in to our new digs

In the Grand Scheme of Things two weeks really isn't all that long, but once I learned on my second day here that Visions Tower II was only our interim residence, I could not wait to move into our permanent apartment. After all the craziness of the past few weeks, I absolutely needed to settle in to a place that I knew I could make my own, make it Home.

Many years ago I learned what I consider to be a very valuable lesson. It was the early 80's and Doug and I were in our very first house in Baldwinsville, a few miles north of Syracuse, NY. When we built it, we told ourselves that we'd only be there 5 years at the most. It was a cloudy, snowy part of the country, and we could not imagine settling there for long. I had a short-timer's attitude - why do (fill in the blank) because we're only going to move in a few years? Why take the time and waste the money on (fill in the blank) when we're only going to be moving in a few years? So for those first years in Baldwinsville I kept a nice, neat home, but I didn't do too much to it by way of personalizing it.

A few years later a new family moved in across the street. Like the previous owners, the husband was in the Air Force working as a recruiter, and I knew his assignment would be 2 years. So you can imagine my amazement when I saw the wife bustling around that house, planting new flowers, painting the trim, and painting and wallpapering the interior. When I got to know her a bit, I asked why she went to all that effort knowing full well she'd be leaving in two years. She told me that when she first married her career Air Force husband she made the commitment that no matter where they went and for no matter how long, she would make that place a home, for herself, for her husband, and for her children. She would treat that house or apartment as if they were going to be there forever.

This had a huge impact on me, and from that moment onward I made her philosophy my own. It was a good thing too because we didn't stay in that first house for five years - we were there for thirteen! 

So here I am, two weeks after arriving in Abu Dhabi, finally in our apartment in Sama Tower. Yesterday I spent the entire day unpacking our suitcases and figuring out the best place to put things. I ironed tons of clothes and hung everything neatly away. I rearranged the living room furniture. The apartment is now set up and perfectly functional, but it is a bit sterile. My next task is to find some nice things to warm the place up - to personalize it. For me, that's the fun part!

Here is a little tour of our new home at Sama Tower as it looks now. I'll post more photos once I decorate and accessorize.

This is Sama Tower which is located in the heart of downtown Abu Dhabi. It is the temporary home of NYU Abu Dhabi's adminstrative offices, the wellness center, some study and lecture space and housing for students, faculty and staff. There is also a large gym on the top level and a swimming pool open to the sky. Our apartment is on the 23rd floor. Once the new campus on Saadiyat Island is completed this Fall, everything and everybody will move there. 

This is the view as you walk in the front door. In this part of the world the floors are all tile. I like how the light-colored tiles, white walls and large window add to the very open feel of the apartment. The kitchen is out of frame to the left.

This is a close-up of the living room. I was very happy to find that an area rug was provided, and it is one that I can live with too, not something ugly. The furniture is pretty comfy, thank goodness. 

This view is taken from the kitchen looking over the counter. You can get a sense of the view that we have from our window. You can also see that we have a little desk and chair to the right, and we have a small dining room table.

I am standing with my back to the window looking toward the front door. The kitchen is about the same length but narrower than the one I have in Hoboken, but it feels larger because of the pass-through. The door to the right of the dining room table goes to a half bath. The second door mostly out-of-frame to the right opens to a hallway. 

This is the view from the living room looking down the hallway. Beyond the doorway to the left is a small master bath. Sadly it does not have a fabulous soaking tub like at the previous place (sigh). Straight ahead is a corner room, filled with light, that I am using for a guest room. To the right is the door to the master bedroom.

Neither of the bedrooms is very spacious, but they are plenty big enough for our purposes. There are no closets in the bedrooms, but there are large wardrobes in each, so we have plenty of hanging and drawer space. When we went shopping the other day I bought this duvet cover and shams at Zara Home. I am trying to keep things light and bright in the apartment, and the paisley print adds a little "Arabian vibe" I think.

As you can see from this angle (doorway), there is a lovely, large window in the master bedroom. I placed the bed so it faces the window because I love laying there at night and seeing all the city lights.

The night time view out our window. There aren't as many sky scrapers as in NYC, but the lights are still pretty.

We do have a guest room, and guests are most definitely welcome!!!!!

I do love all the light in the corner guest room.

So that's my tour! Now I just need a few plants, some family photos and some accessories, and this will be Home for the next year. It made me smile to read this recent email from my son, Jeff. He clearly gets me :-)

You've always been good at making an apartment into a home rather than just the place you sleep at, so with your gloves off I'm sure you'll have it feeling that way in no time.

DAY FOURTEEN - The Abu Dhabi Stone

"It's called the Abu Dhabi stone," my new British acquaintance, Patricia, cheerfully informed me over a lavish buffet lunch at the Abu Dhabi InterContinental. "It's the weight everyone puts on when they move here". 

"Well count me out," I said silently to myself, and then  "And just how many pounds is a stone anyway?" 

Brunch Buffet at The InterContinental

One of the things I dearly love to do when going to a new place, be it another city or state or country, is to sample the local cuisine. It's an absolutely essential part of the experience, as far as I am concerned. I want to see the sights, smell the smells (well, at least the good ones), take in the clothing styles, shop in the stores, listen to the music, and try the food. I cannot for the life of me understand why someone would travel halfway around the world only to seek out a Burger King. Or Pizza Hut. Or Chilis. All of which I have seen here, by the way.

One of my son's Ithaca friends, Joey Slattery, said it best as he encouraged Jeff (NOT an adventurous eater) to sample a new dish. "Try it, Jeff, you might be missing out on something really good".

So, friends, I am looking forward to trying out new foods here. I want to learn all about the cuisine of this region, and if there are any cooking classes offered, then I plan to sign up. If I come upon something delicious and I can get the recipe, I'll share it with you too. 

I'm already planning on an Arabian-themed party for when we return. You know how much I love parties ;-)

So yes, I will be sampling and enjoying food while I'm here, but I will be strategic about it. There are two (yes two!!!) gyms at Sama Tower and a swimming pool, and I will be taking full advantage of them, you can be sure.

And oh yes. One stone = 14 lb. 

DAY TWELVE - Eid Ul-Adha

This year the Muslim holiday of Eid Ul-Adha began at sunset on Sunday evening, and it continues for three days. Like most Westerners, I've heard of the month-long holiday of Ramadan, but Eid (rhymes with seed) as it is called, was not familiar to me. I'd never heard of it.

The word "eid" means "sacrifice" in Arabic. According to Wikipedia Eid honors the willingness of the prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his young, first-born son Ismail (Ishmail) as an act of submission to Allah's command and his son's acceptance to be sacrificed, before Allah intervened to provide Ibrahim with a Lamb to scacrifice instead.

I do not know how this holiday is observed in the mosques - are there special ceremonies? Rituals? What I can tell you for sure is that there was a special Call to Prayer this morning. It was not the usual soothing prayer that lasts a few minutes. Oh no! This one was loud and demandiing. Insistant! There were no lulls in between the musical phrases. The words spilled out and quickly. And the prayer went on and on and on. It began as usual before the sunrise, but by the time it ended maybe 20 minutes later, the sun had risen and the sky was bright. And I was wide awake for the day. 

The majority of the working populace must love Eid because they get three days off from work. The date for Eid varies year-to-year, and this week it fell smack in the middle of the work week. Naturally everyone who had the time available took Sunday and Thursday off which means they had a 9-day holiday. Not bad! NYU Abu Dhabi is closed for Eid, and several of the people I met at last week's tea were heading out of town for the weekend: one woman flew to Spain with her family, another couple was off to Vietnam and Cambodia, and (my personal favorite) another person is hiking in Nepal. This is a good jumping off point to visit some very cool places. Once Doug gets settled in here a bit, we're hoping to make some trips ourselves. It's part of Kathi's Master Plan. 

For this Eid, however, Doug and I decided to explore our new city.........

Yesterday we returned to the Souk at Central Market, and this time it was open. The exterior of the Souk is lined with restaurants, so we had lunch at Shakespeare & Co.  I didn't take any pictures inside, as much as I wanted to, because in this society it is considered offensive to take pictures of other people unless you get their permisison. 

This souk is housed in a large, brand new 3-story building, and it is huge! Apparently the original souk burnt down several years ago, so when it was rebuilt it was designed to have all the modern amenities such as escalators and elevators and spacious bathrooms, but the architects wanted to retain the "flavor" of the traditional souks. There are many permanent shops inside, most with traditional wares, but some are definitely not traditional, such as this Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. Outside of the shops individuals set up their wares: furnitures, Persian rugs, jewelry and incense.

It is only a few short blocks from the Souk at Central Market to the Corniche, so Doug and I decided to brave the heat and walk. In Hoboken we live steps away from the waterfront, and we love it. We figure this is our Abu Dhabi equivilent, and we've been eager to get here. 

The Corniche is maybe THE highlight of Abu Dhabi. It stretches 8 kilometres and includes separate bike and pedestrian paths, cafes and restaurants, and some of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen.

Those of us who live in or near NYC will appreciate this because in order to go to a beach, we have to head out to Long Island or the Jersey Shore, and that's no quick or easy trip. But here in Abu Dhabi the Corniche Beach could not be more convenient. Because this is a Muslim country, the beach is divided into 3 sections: General Public, Families, and Single Men. NOTE the upper right section of the photo - that tent-like structure and tower is the largest mall in the city, the Marina Mall. 

I would love to say that Doug and I had a long and leisurely stroll along the Corniche, but that was not the case. By the time we arrived it was in the heat of the afternoon, and while it was bearable to sit in the shade and admire the turquoise water, we absolutely could not walk any distance. This short stretch had lovely shade trees, but beyond this point there was no shade. Even though we were drinking water all the time, we simply had to give up on our walk and go back to our air conditioned apartment. But you can be sure that as Winter approaches, we will be out on the Corniche. 

Yesterday we decided to take a double-decker bus tour of the city so we could get a sense of the city and its neighborhoods. I think every city in the world must have its version of this tour. I plugged in my headphones, clicked on the British flag for the English version of the tour narrative, and I could swear it was the voice of my Meisner classmate, Christian, who I know does voice work in addition to acting. I need to check with him ;-)

Part of the tour involved driving out to several of the islands off Abu Dhabi proper. The main island is completely developed, so construction has moved to the islands of Al Mina, Al Reem and Saadiyat. All of these islands are complete construction zones. As we approached Saadiyat Island we could see the new campus for NYU Abu Dhabi. Someone described it as looking like a sand castle in the distance, and indeed it does have that appearance as it sits all by its lonesome out on the sand. Completion is set for the Fall of 2014.

We got off the tour bus at the Marina Mall because we thought it would be nice to go up to the tower to the observation deck. But once up there, I thought it would be nice to sit and have a bite of lunch. It turned out to be a Columbian-themed eatery. That is an iced mocha I am sipping. I was thinking I'd get an iced coffee drink, but it was more like a milkshake.

Some of the views from the observation tower. The "tent" below us is just part of the Marina Mall. You can see a marina in the middle of the photo and the skyline in the distance.

That is Lulu Island in the middle of the photo, and from what I can see it doesn't have much of anything on it..... yet. The Arabian Gulf is to the left. 

Sex and the City (the movie) fans will recognize The Emirates Palace Hotel. They are supposed to have a wonderful High Tea there, so it's on my List of places to go. I have to see this place for myself.

There are some very interesting buildings in Abu Dhabi. You can't tell very well from this angle, but this building tilts way over to one side, further over than the Leaning Tower of Pisa. 

One of the stops was at the Grand Mosque. They give private tours in the moorning hours, so I want to take Doug back there for a tour. 

Today we are sticking close to home. It is still Eid, but Doug has a conference call with the NYU in NY, and we also have a lunch date with one of his new co-workers and his wife. But tomorrow......  Doug wants to go to Dubai. More to come!

DAY NINE - Turned the Corner

I am sitting at the dining room table as the sun rises above the city. As ususal, the sky is clear but hazy with humidity. It is not yet 6:30 but already the temperature is 84 with a high of 91 forecast, and  with the heat index it will feel even hotter. The sun in Abu Dhabi is blinding. I looked up the latitude for this city and was not surprised to learn that it is falls between Key West and Havanna. It is early, but unlike the other mornings I am wide awake and feel well rested. I think I have finally turned the corner and am on Abu Dhabi time. But let me back up a bit.....

It's been a crazy week for Doug as he found himself still working for NYU but in a totally different capacity as CIO (Chief Information Officer) for the Abu Dhabi campus. He's been in on all kinds of briefings to bring him up to speed on the situation here, and because he still works closely with the NYU folks in NYC, he's been on conference calls late at night to accomodate the 8, soon to be 9, hour time zone difference. On Thursday a meet-and-greet was scheduled, and he met his new staff of 50 or more. It was a good week but a frenzied one, so he was more than ready for his first weekend, which in this Muslim part of the world runs Friday-Saturday.  

During the past few years in Hoboken we've gotten into the habit of going out to brunch at least once during the weekend. It's our time to sit and relax together after the work week and get caught up. Thus it seemed perfectly natural yesterday to decide to go out to brunch, and not just any brunch, but a really nice one to celebrate our first week here.

I've learned that some countries aren't really into brunch. It's not even in their vocabulary, so I was happy to discover a long list of "best brunches" in TimeOut Abu Dhabi (yes, there is a TImeOut Abu Dhabi!). 

The current issue of TimeOut Abu Dhabi

Years ago Doug had been to the Beach Rotana Hotel,  just a short cab ride away from here, and because it had a highly-rated brunch, we chose that as our first destination. We knew it would be a splurge, but this was a special occasion. Reservations were a little tricky because there is a real smoking culture here, and non-smoking seating is hard to come by. 

We had several hours free in the morning, so we headed off to Sama Tower to pick up my new NYU ID card, something I will need to get into that building a week from now when we move in, assuming everything goes as scheduled. 

Sama Tower - temporary home to the NYU Abu Dhabi administrative offices; some lecture and meeting spaces; and faculty, administrative & student housing

We decided to check out a little mall nearby Sama because we'd heard it had a co-op market and another grocery store which around her are called HyperMarkets. This name just tickles my funny bone as I imagine all these shoppers jazzed up on caffeine, frantically dashing around the market, tossing items into their carts. This was not the case - all was very civilized. The co-op and hypermarket (Lulu's) turned out to be quite adequate, and there were a variety of other shops in the mall as well. So far, so good.

Next we decided to walk over to the Central Souk. "Souq" (pronounced "suke" as in "fluke" or "cuke") is Arabic for "marketplace" and originally they were in the open air under tents, sort of like flea markets or farmers markets. Every manner of goods are sold from produce and meats and fish, to clothing and jewelry and persian rugs. Now in many of the souks the vendors are set up indoors, out of the sun and in the comfort of A/C.

This is the Central Souk. There are others scattered around the city, but this one is the largest and is not far from where I"ll be living.

I read that this Souk burned down several years ago. It is being rebuilt and expanded, so as you can see it looks very new and modern inside.

So we wandered the several blocks to the Central Souk. And we wandered....... and it finally sunk in why I see so few pedestrians. "Why don't people walk around here?" I groused to Doug several times this past week. When I'd ask how to get somewhere, even if it was a relatively short distance away by NYC standards, I was told to get a cab. When I'd blithely reply that, "no thanks, I'll just walk" I'd be treated to a look of astonishment. But as we wandered around town looking for the Central Souk, I felt light-headed as the sun beat down on me, and even though I was drinking constantly from a bottle of water, I found it hard to breathe. 

We finally did find the Souk, but although the doors were open and some coffee shops had customers, it was clear that there were no vendors, at least not at that hour on a Friday morning. So we decided to return another day and headed home. By cab.

We showered off the morning, changed clothes, and took a cab the Beach Rotana. And OMG, talk about over-the-top! This hotel has 11 (eleven!) restaurants in it. Several of them are clumped in a central area, so the Friday brunch has buffets set up all around this area with food from these different restaurants. We were seated in the Benihana area, but we were free to go to the buffets for all the restaurants. I have never, ever seen such a variety of food: all manner of appetizers, main dishes and desserts. The cuisines ranged from Arabian to Italian to German to French to Japanese to Greek to American (a turkey carving station complete with gravy and cranberries, and the turkey was SO juicy). It was overwhelming. 

Since we were celebrating, we ordered a bottle of champagne (sadly, no mimosas). We went back several times, taking tiny portions so we could try the different cuisines. As we ate we watched the Benihana chef entertain some children with his knife-wielding, spatula-flipping skills. The children were entranced, and one young boy announced to his amused mother, "That's what I want to do when I grow up!". 

One of several dessert stations

Tiny waffle cones filled with pasty cream on the bottom and then topped with a variety of fruit

A profiterole tower to the left (I think it was too pretty because no one broke any off), then twin fountains of orange and chocolate sauces with brownie chunks and fruit for dipping. You can see Doug reflected in the mirror.

As we finished up with dessert, Doug and I noted the wide variety of peoples and dress around us. There were the obvioius Westerners and Europeans wearing clothes that ranged from cringe-worthy tacky to very tasteful and classy, and then there were people wearing what I assume was their traditional dress: all manner and colors of robes, and very different styles of head coverings. I assume these people were from surrounding Arab countries and probably Africa as well. It was fascinating.

When we finally got home in the late afternoon, I was utterly exhausted and fell sound asleep on the sofa. I almost never take a nap, but I could not keep my eyes open.  When I awoke it was dark, and I thought, "Great! Now I'll never fall asleep tonight', but when I got up I still felt completely and utterly groggy, so I changed into my nightgown and crawled in bed and once again fell sound asleep. I woke at 1:00 and then fell back asleep till I woke this Saturday morning at 6:00 feeling refreshed.

I am sure it was partly the food and the champagne, but mostly I think it was the 3 weeks of craziness finally catching up with me. I think my body simply said, "STOP!" and I had no choice but to sleep and sleep and sleep.

It's a new day, it's the start of our second week, and I think I am finally on Abu Dhabi time. 

DAY EIGHT - Zoned Out

It's been my observation that it takes at least a week to adjust to a major time zone change. When Doug has traveled to China or Singapore or Abu Dhabi in the past, he's just about made the adjustment to local time when he has to turn around and come home. And then it's another week before he's feeling normal again in "Hoboken Time". So I guess it should come as no surprise that both of us are still struggling a bit with our sleep/wake cycles.

In the evenings we absolutely hit the wall, literally passing out sound asleep much earlier than we would back home. That would be fine if we then slept 7-8 hours or even 5, but instead we find ourselves waking before dawn and unable to fall back asleep. Those of you who know Doug know that he is not a Morning Person. Not by a long shot. So when I tell you that he got out of bed at 7:30 this morning on his own, you will appreciate the magnitude of what I am saying! 

Today is the first day of the Abu Dhabi weekend and our first real weekend here, so in true Carlson fashion Doug is surfing the web researching brunch possibilities for us. We do love our brunch. It's been a crazy, stressful and exciting work week for Doug, so now it's time to explore and play. Let the weekend commence. Stay tuned ;-)

DAY SIX - Where are you from?

"Good morning, Kathi-mum!" my smiling Starbucks barista greeted me this morning. She is a bundle of delightful energy as she deftly snags my light blueberry muffin from behind the counter and prepares my grande decaf coffee with hot milk. She knows Doug-sir's order by heart. On day one she'd quizzed us with, "Where are you from?", and she volunteered that she was from the Philippines.

This is the normal order of conversation in this country where 80% of the population are expats from Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe and North America, in that order.
There is no mistaking the Emirati as they all wear the same traditional dress in public. For men it is a white, ankle-length robe (kandura) with a white or red checkered headdress (ghutra) secured with a black cord (agal). The women wear a dark black robe (abaya) which swishes along the floor and a headscarf (sheyla). In addition some women wear a black veil over their face. Thus, if you're not wearing this traditional garb, you are from Somewhere Else.

Lebanese Mixed Grill: chicken, lamb, & beef with flat bread, hummus, garlic spread & arugula

Our first evening here we walked across the street because we'd spotted a Lebanese restaurant and had heard the food was excellent. Almost before the owner had seated us he asked us where we were from. Clearly this is not a rude question or considered invasive. It's small talk, yes, but my clear impression is that people are genuinely interested.

On Monday when Cathy from the HR Department showed me around town, our driver turned around at a stop light and asked me where I was from. Then he said "I'm from Kerala, India. Have you ever been to India?" I replied, "No" but offered that my daughter had lived there for several months as an exchange student. He wanted to know what cities she had visited.

Yesterday I was invited to the weekly NYUAD Spouses Coffee, which I jumped at because I am eager to connect with the campus community. On this particular morning seven of us took a shuttle bus to the Sun Tower which houses a small mall, including a very swanky little Italian coffee shop. As introductions were made I asked where everybody was from. Two were from Liverpool, England; one was Canadian; and the remainder were American. 

And then today I set off on my own to the Marina Mall. Since my plans to set up our apartment have been stymied until I can actually get into our permanent residence (sigh - it won't be available until the 19th) I decided that instead I would work on acquiring an Abu Dhabi appropriate wardrobe. I had a wonderfully successful shop at this VERY large mall and then took a seat at a Parisian cafe for a bite to eat. The handsome, young waiter took my order and then asked THE Question. "New York" is what I have been replying, but I've learned that answer is not universally understood. I think New Yorkers, myself included, assume everybody has heard of their wonderful city, but I am here to tell you that is not necessarily so. 

After my shop I cabbed it home, and by now I was not surprised when the driver inquired where I was from. He was from Nepal. He said he missed the green of Nepal, and we commiserated about the heat. "It's good you've just arrived," he said, "the weather is getting cooler now". For the record the temperature today is 97, and with the humidity index factored in, the Weatherunderground says it feels like 100. I just smiled and agreed.