Merry Middle Eastern Christmas!!

This was the first Christmas away from Idaho Falls for both Jeremy and myself - so we were bound and determined to make the best of it and experience all the festive fun that our new home has to offer.  This made for a LONG - but memorable - Christmas season! Check out all the steps we took to assuage our Christmas cheer cravings!!

Step One: Christmas Tree Lighting at the Hilton

First, we wanted to make sure that Dalila would be just as excited as we were for Santa to come visit her on Christmas Eve (both for the warm holiday memories visits from Santa make and because we could hold the whole "be nice or Santa won't bring you anything" concept over her head for the duration of December!).  So, when a local hotel held their Christmas tree lighting and visit from Santa complete with holiday caroling and treats, we made sure to attend!  An unexpected bonus on this trip - after listening to some carols, we walked through the hotel and found a little Mexican restaurant, where we promptly plunked down at a patio setting and dined on a delicious, and hard-to-come-by - plate of quesadillas and enchiladas.  We have SO missed our usual Mexican food, which is REALLY hard to find here in the U.A.E. - so this was a fantastic treat!

Listening to Christmas carols with Daddy...

...and with Mommy, too!

Being a little stinker at dinner....as always =)

After placating Dalila with little pieces of candy for each minute she was able to sit still at dinner, we were ready for her to visit Santa, sugar rush and all!  Luckily, our little dinner trip allowed us to skip virtually all of the waiting in line to see Santa that other people were not able to avoid.  Yay!  Lila saw the big guy right away and was awarded for not screaming at him or pulling off his beard with a little grab bag of goodies, including a very cheap Barbie knock-off and some yummy choking hazards - I mean hard candies.  The Barbie was pulled limb from limb in a matter of minutes (in fact, on the car ride home, her leg some how managed to mysteriously end up protruding from her neck where her head used to be...) - but Barbie fulfilled her purpose and Dalila thought she was "pretty."  All-in-all, a successful start to the season of merriment.

Barbie before she suffered her unfortunate fate...

Step Two: Dubai Festival City, Karama shopping center, and Wadi mall

Living so close to a major city like Dubai has many, many benefits.  We can drive to Dubai in just over an hour and always have something new to try when we visit.  Our first Christmas-themed trip to Dubai was pretty ambitious; we had some fairly lofty plans lined up.  But we knew that crossing off even a couple of the things on our to-do list would make a great trip to the city.  We started at Festival city, a beautiful mall and shopping center on the outside of Dubai with a Las Vegas-esque canal running the outside length of the restaurant area.  After some debate, we chose to enjoy lunch at a seafood restaurant overlooking one of the small ports of Dubai.  Dalila was WONDERFUL - flirting with the waitress the entire time - and the food was amazing!!  Honestly, the best fish and chips I have EVER had!

Yep - we're sitting on an outdoor patio in December!!  And it was hot!

Lila showing us where Santa should be.

Next came shopping at Karama center for my Christmas gift.  We had heard from some friends that this was the place to go to find very affordable "name brand" hand bags.  It definitely did not disappoint!  I browsed through several little shops (including a hidden one in an upstairs apartment with very secretive employees lurking about) and finally selected a deep green Dolce and Gabbana shoulder bag.  PERFECT Christmas gift for this girl =)
Finally we we headed off to another mall that boasted a darling Christmas village and one of the best Santa displays in the U.A.E.  Little did we know, to actually see Santa required a 50 AED ticket and an hour wait in the massive line circling the display.  We decided against purchasing the ticket and instead walked around the display taking pictures and letting Dalila go crazy out of her stroller for once.  She had a blast and we felt like this trip was perfectly fulfilling, even without another picture of Lila with Santa.

Step Three: Dubai again! ...but this time, to two different malls, plus the beach!

Our first stop on this trip was another mall with a huge Christmas tree....but that was about all for festive fun there.  We moved on fairly quickly and chose to stop at the beach and let our rambunctious little one run off some steam.  Dalila had SO much fun playing on the beach - one of the best parts of this day trip - and one that we didn't even plan on!

A view of the beautiful tree from above.

The big plan for this trip was Madinat Christmas Village.  After wandering the labyrinth of a shopping center in this massive beach side hotel, we finally managed to find the Christmas village area (literally five steps to the left of where we first entered the shopping center!!  Dang it!!).  This was easily the most festive part of our holiday planning and we were so glad we didn't give up on finding the place.  The Santa here was the most jolly of all Santas I have ever met.  I'm pretty sure he was from India, so he didn't have the typical mall Santa features, but he clearly loved his job.  Lila was smitten right away.  She watched him dance and kept yelling, "Santa!! Heeheehee!!  Saaaantaaaaa!!!"  Santa loved her too and danced with her for a good five minutes so we could snap some pictures and video.

(Sorry for the sideways video - we couldn't figure out how to flip it!)

Enjoying her cookies she got from Santa.

This trip to Dubai Madinat Christmas Village was absolutely the best way to conclude our search for the festive holiday spirit here in our new home.  Surprisingly, even in a country where Christmas is not openly celebrated by the residents, I have been wished Merry Christmas continuously.  What a pleasant surprise for our first Christmas away from home.  We still miss our Idaho Christmas....but we did a pretty darn good job finding our own holiday cheer thousands of miles from home =)

Happy National Day, U.A.E.!!

Better late than never, right!?!  On December 2nd, the U.A.E. celebrated their 40th National Day....and MAN can these guys party!! Work on the beautification process of the city streets (lights on almost every palm tree, huge displays in the middle of each roundabout) began weeks before the holiday.  Seeing the lights blazing away in November and December was nice for those of us missing home, though, as they are similar to Christmas displays we're all used to....if those Christmas displays decided to take some insane doses of steroids before showing off to the admiring public =)  Seriously - we could learn a thing or two about how to REALLY celebrate a holiday from the Emirati folk.  Other highlights about the city included nightly car races down major highways with huge flags flapping in the breeze and one guy making his car backfire every few seconds to show just how much he loves his country, drifting contests around heavily occupied roundabouts, periodic dousing of glitter, confetti, silly string, or foam depending on what corner you happen to turn...Oh!  And a beautiful laser and firework show each night at the fort in the middle of town - just to name a few.

Lights on every palm tree and bush lining the street in front of our building.  And this is just a small sampling of the amazing displays we saw all through town.

I don't know how we didn't catch more pictures of the decorated cars.  Picture this ALL over the car - EVERY window.

The week leading up to national day at school was utter insanity.  The girls were in and out of class - practicing for various dances and shows they were going to perform for the big assembly on the Tuesday before the holiday weekend (lucky us - the Sheikh declared the 1st of December a day off of school for everyone!!).  At any given time, I had 5-15 of my girls missing from the room....we called it a "review week."
When the time for the assembly finally arrived, attendance at school was quite low.  Mostly just the girls who were performing came to see the show - but almost ALL of them brought their mothers, sisters, aunties, and little brothers along - so the audience was definitely not small.  The show included mostly different versions of the girls either waving their hair back and forth or waving a flag or balloon to a ten minute song.  Some of the English teachers taught their students poetry and a song - my favorite part of the assembly.  The most amazing part was seeing the girls in all their gorgeous dresses.  These things probably cost a small fortune, yet SO many of the girls donned their most luxurious gowns all to dress up for the country they love so much.  I joke a lot about how crazy the atmosphere here was for the 40th National Day...but I have to admit I'm a little awestruck by the obvious love the Emirati people feel for their country.  ....though I think I will try to avoid the 50th...just to be on the safe side =)

Eid Mubarak!!

Finally - after 7 straight weeks with no days off (other than one sick day that totally doesn't count) - we had our first school break!!  The dates of the break were hotly contested - when all religious holidays are based on the lunar calendar (and apparently, some important guy's mood come decision time), dates for vacations can become a little confusing.  We were all hoping the Eid holiday would begin on a Sunday - which it did - and allow us to take an entire week off of school - which didn't happen.  We ended up being required to return to work on Wednesday and Thursday (still during the official Eid holiday, mind you) to finish off the week.  Most teachers had a very small number of students on the first day back.  I, personally, saw six of my fifty-three students on Wednesday.  On Thursday, one student in our entire school showed up for the day.  This was the case in nearly all schools in Al Ain.  Some lucky teachers (such as myself) were allowed to use these days to work in our classrooms.  Others were not so lucky and had to spend the day in blah meetings that we all despise but nobody says anything about it because you know you will look like the jackass of the group if you are the one to speak up about their complete lack of necessity  =)

Enough about the shortened vacation - what did we do while we were off!?  Jeremy and I had grandiose expectations and a number of exotic plans in mind.....but we decided to skip those and just enjoy ourselves wherever we happened to end up.

Our first destination was our local, yet famous, Al Ain zoo.  Little did we know that this gem is only 5 minutes from our flat.  We loaded into the car, got Dalila all settled in, and BOOM - we were there!  Great start to the Eid weekend!  We chose to visit our zoo in the early evening, hoping the weather would cool down nicely while there (sorry to the people back in Idaho enduring a high temp of 35 degrees and snow.  I promise I won't brag anymore about the 90 degree weather here =) ).  The zoo was packed!  But we still had a terrific time.  They have SO many animals - and all of them were active and fun to watch.

Dalila enjoying one of the first animals we saw....and pretending the sun was too bright...?

 One of the highlights for me was seeing a cute little kitten down in one of the habitats in the Big Cat area....only to find out they weren't actually trying to be humorous by placing this tiny little house cat on display.  I looked to the left of the little kitten to see the official dweller of the habitat, a huge crocodile, waiting patiently in his pond...... Good thing kitty decided to climb the tall tree, and hopefully wander away to safety!  Here is a clip of one of the crocodiles enjoying his dinner (not the one with the darling little feline visitor, thank goodness!).

I HAD to see the giraffes too - and we stood to watch them for a very pleasant twenty minutes straight.  The best part here was when the wee little baby giraffe wandered over to snack with the older members of his family.  Absolutely adorable!!  Check out the fantastic picture Jeremy managed to snap of the giraffes bending down to snag another delicious bite:

Next, we headed over to Abu Dhabi to visit the newly renovated Corniche Beach.  I was somewhat hesitant here because I hate changing in those beach changing rooms and driving around for the rest of the day with a lovely coat of sand on every belonging we choose to bring along.  I was extremely happy with the way that our little day plan turned out, though.  Dalila had SO much fun!  She was happy for almost an hour straight charging into the waves from the beach, picking up handfuls of sand to dramatically throw as hard as she can (but usually succeeding in miraculously flipping it ALL into her hair), and destroying other kids' sand castles.  Yep - she has a little bit of a wicked streak.  Usually, the parents who were really doing the construction of the castles would wave me off when I tried to save their beautiful work from Godzilla Baby - saying "she fine, she fine."  So I know there were no hard feelings.

The beach itself was perfect!  We paid 10AED apiece (about $3.50 US) to enter the closed-off portion with restaurants and well-maintained facilities.  The price was well worth it, and Dalila was free!  We liked it so much that we're headed back today - this time in the evening to enjoy some of the free festivities focused on the F-1 races this weekend in Abu Dhabi.

(Normally - this is where I would post some adorable pictures of Dalila throwing sand and practicing her Godzilla moves on unsuspecting sand castles, but I forgot the camera.....in my purse....which was just sitting in the car the whole time.  Yay, Amanda.)

Halloween in Al Ain

Many of us in the states express annoyance with the early Halloween displays (often put up as soon as August now).  Since moving to the U.A.E., however, I've realized just how much I miss the prolonged holiday planning that so many have come to despise state-side.  Jeremy and I were so excited with even the tiniest Halloween display we managed to come across while out shopping.  One cute little bakery in a mall in Abu Dhabi had a Halloween cupcake feature and it's employees were actually dressed up!!! We were so excited that passers-by were probably concerned for our well-being....

As difficult as it was to find Halloween items for sale, locating Halloween celebrations to take part in was MUCH easier.  Our local rugby club, frequented most often by Western expats like ourselves along with people from Australia, Canada, Europe...etc., held a Halloween celebration aimed at making all of us feel at home.  There were the traditional Halloween activities like bobbing for apples, costume contests, and lots of candy.  Dalila dressed up in her kitty costume (consisting of an ADORABLE leopard print tutu that I bought on the 4th of July back in Idaho and HAD to squish into the luggage to bring along, kitty ears, and whiskers expertly applied by Daddy), and proceeded to sashay around the rugby field and stands swinging her hips to work her costume to its fullest.  She was absolutely darling and she knew it!  Later in the evening, she confidently strutted up to a group of teenage girls, plunked down on the grass next to them, and snagged a fry off of one of their plates like they were her old buddies. The girls loved her and assured me that my apologies for her food thievery were quite unnecessary.

She was SOO happy with that sucker that she didn't need any other candy all night!!!

A very common scene - walking away from the playground area that is just a little too big for her.  But at least she has her popcorn!!

What a good girl!!  Eating an apple when candy is everywhere!

Dalila's new pals - the group of teenage girls whose food she confiscated.

After the rugby club party, Mommy and Daddy got to have our first date with a baby sitter since arriving in our new overseas home.  We attended the Danat Hotel Halloween Pool Party and had an absolute blast.  The pools were beautiful, and I have no idea where they found all of the awesome Halloween decorations, but I was quite jealous.  I was a tiny bit nervous about my costume, a cute little leopard print dress and Lila's leopard kitty ears, paired with some killer black heels that were probably way too expensive.  Walking around here in clothing that exposes any skin garners a number of glances from the locals.  But upon arrival at the party, I knew that Western dress was certainly acceptable.  YEESH!!  There were some skimpy dresses on display.  I was downright modest in my costume choice!!  The party was a great way to feel at home and experience Halloween with other people who miss holidays at home as much as we do.

A football (soccer) player and a mama kitty

Amanda and best buddy Kari, enjoying the pool party.

Finally, the big night came and Lila was ready for some trick-or-treating.  We went to a local neighborhood here called The Village that is kind of like a compound of sorts.  This was the best example of a good, old-fashioned, Western Halloween that we saw.  Trick-or-treaters were EVERYWHERE!!  It was so much like my neighborhood growing up that I instantly felt a surge of nostalgia.  Remember when strolling through your neighborhood to trick-or-treat was totally safe?  Kids over the age of ten could go on their own and their parents wouldn't have to fear for their safety?  That's what Halloween in The Village was like.  And this is not just a neighborhood for Westerners.  There is a large number of Emirati people living there as well - many of whom actually came out to admire all the costumes, and some even gave out candy!  (This may not sound like much, but Halloween is non-existent in the Arabic world - so this is a pretty big deal!)  Dalila had a wonderful time and received so many compliments on her little tutu (combined with her hip-swiveling skills) that I'm sure confidence will not be a problem for her.

Posing for Daddy - pre-whiskers.

A shot of our friends' street before the real crowds came along.

The happy little trick-or-treater

This was at the fourth place we stopped for candy - Lila decided she needed a rest and the curb looked comfy.

......but this camp chair at the next stop was REALLY comfy!

Saying trick-or-treat ("Teets!!") with Daddy.

COOLEST costume of the night - a homemade camel, operated by three little girls and navigated by their Dad!

A good shot of the crowd on our friends' street.

Dalila sharing her candy with Mommy - what a sweetheart!

What a pleasant surprise to see so many fun, home-like things where they were not at all expected.  Thanksgiving will be a bit more difficult, being a purely American holiday, but Christmas is sure to be an even bigger experience for us.  In fact, we've already gotten our Christmas tree.....

...But What About the Schools....?

I've sort of avoided this post for a while because it is really, REALLY loaded...and I just want to condense it.  Exactly what is my job like here?  The answer is constantly changing, and completely different for every new licensed teacher that was hired here in Abu Dhabi in the last few years.  Some people absolutely love their jobs - from the facility where they teach to the students they see every day.  Others loathe their new lives here - some so much so, that we have a term for them - midnight runners.  They give up and leave (literally in the middle of the night), unable to handle the extreme stress any longer.  Most of us fall somewhere in between those two extremes, generally finding conditions bearable, if not favorable, and only coming home in tears a few times in any given month at school.

I am placed in a school called Al Shira'a Girls School in the small town of Al Yahar.  The facility.....?  Well, let's just say that it was a condemned building about ten years ago, but when the girls in Al Yahar needed a place to go to school, it was cleaned up, slapped with a fresh mural on the outside of the building.....and....well, that's probably the extent of what was done to improve the formerly condemned construction before filling it with hundreds of elementary-aged girls.  The place is far from beautiful......  In fact, it's downright dangerous.  The outlets are unable to power a computer in many cases, and live wires hang from buildings, transforming a cute little rain puddle into a potential death trap!

Yes....I certainly did not win the lottery when I look at the location where I teach every day (especially when I see schools that were constructed maybe ten years ago sitting empty, as all of its students have been moved to a newer building!!).  However, I would not trade my position at Al Shira'a Girls School with anyone I know here in Al Ain for several very important reasons.  First of all, the staff I work with are amazing.  There are ten "western" teachers all together - all women (male teachers would NEVER be allowed in a girls' school) and all from either Canada, the U.S., or Britain.  The camaraderie is extremely refreshing.  For example, when one of us is absent, substitutes are rarely sent to cover - resulting in sheer chaos with a room full of 30 undisciplined, sugared-up girls.  Yet, we all band together and do what we can for any teacher who is absent, watching her girls for her, copying thousands of color pages to try and entertain the unruly mob waiting back in the classroom.  I have no concerns about my class coverage, should I ever need to stay home ill.

Secondly, we have a pretty with-it local staff of teachers as well.  Each week, we are required to meet as a grade level - English teachers AND the Arabic/Islamic/Social Studies teachers (most of whom are Emirati women).  These women are (for the most part) incredibly open to our suggestions and so willing to help us adapt to their culture.  Granted, they may laugh at me when I butcher an Arabic word, or warn me that eating too many carrots will make me fat (as they rest their hands on their bulging guts.....).  But I honestly feel welcome at my dingy, dirty, downright scary school - thanks to the kindness of the Arabic coworkers.

The principal is one of the most laid-back, relaxed Emirati women I have ever met before.  She allows the Western teachers to wear pants, calf-length skirts, and elbow-length sleeves.  This may sound like a horrible requirement for many, but when some teachers here MUST wear an abaya to work - Muslim or not - this is the best wardrobe requirement a girl could ask for!  She also holds her teachers in very high esteem.  Our principal wants us happy....ALL of us.  And she does not take kindly to those who try and impede upon the happiness of her teachers, Emirati OR Western.  Again....a very refreshing outlook considering the alternatives that other teachers deal with daily.

Finally, and most importantly, Al Yahar is one of the poorer areas in Al Ain.  Most teachers give a little muffled gasp when I tell them where my school is, and slap on the "oh you poor dear" face, preparing to sympathize with me about the woes of teaching the children in the destitute town.  I, however, see this in a completely different way.  I ADORE my students.  Their eagerness to perform for their English teachers is evident every day on their bright, shining little faces.  And, when they smile at me (albeit with painfully rotten teeth) after using an English term correctly, I can feel their desire to succeed.  They love teaching me, too.  When I attempt to write in Arabic on the whiteboard (aka. saboora) - you would think I had just expertly performed an entire scene from Spongebob (their absolute favorite show) from all of the applause I get.  Sure, I come home crying from time to time, wondering what the hell I was thinking.  But I wouldn't change my school if anyone offered me the chance to move "up" to one of the brand, spanking new glorious, luxury schools.  I'll keep my little formerly condemned building school - rotten teeth, electrified rain puddles, and all!

Let's call that good for now....an introduction to teaching in Abu Dhabi.  There is so, SO much more to come...

I don't have many photos of our school yet, but this is one that really stands out.  This was taken the first week of school.  It's a shot of the school cafeteria.  And the little hill you see in front?....it is a mound of pigeon feces.  Fortunately, this was eventually cleaned and now food is served from this very location!

Day Trippin' to Dubai!!

What a BLAST we had a couple of weekends ago when we finally got to venture out and see the most amazing city in the immediate vicinity.  Dubai is only a quick (though less than scenic) 90 minute jaunt from quiet and relaxed little Al Ain.  Jeremy threw together a fantastic day trip for all of us to enjoy the best Dubai has to offer in about 8 hours time (plus...I didn't have to plan AT ALL - which is always fantastic)!

We started off at the local rugby club on the outskirts of the city, hoping to grab some appetizers and a pint or two while enjoying the U.S. vs. Australia game.  Our first clue that this may not be exactly what we were hoping for should have been the insanely indirect route those coming to the club from the Al Ain direction are forced to follow just to arrive in the parking lot.  It was SO confusing!  Most people who live here in the UAE will tell you, "That's just how things are here..."  But this was beyond absurd!  The twists and turns and bypasses required in order to reach the club were appalling!  How this place stays in business, I will never know!

When we finally got inside, the atmosphere was nothing like what we were hoping for.  One of our favorite destinations at home in Al Ain is our local rugby club.  Filled with friendly expats and the epitome of the laid-back social club, the Palm Sports Resort is always a happy place for our family to visit.  Not so for the Dubai rugby club.  We were sorely disappointed with the lack of kindness shown by the wait staff and patrons alike.  We should have known when nobody commented on Dalila's cuteness immediately upon arrival that we weren't in a welcome place (sad way to judge a facility...but entirely accurate too!  The quicker people notice our little blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty, the faster and better the service always is!). Needless to say, we cut the visit to Dubai rugby club short (and, oddly enough, exiting the facility was an absolute breeze!  Shouldn't the opposite be true?  Easy to get to but difficult to leave?  One more for the many strikes against this club).

After we left, we decided to just move our plans forward a couple hours and head to our main destination, the Dubai Mall, early.  One of the most amazing sights I have seen thus far on our over-seas voyage was the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, looming over the other sky-scrapers peppering the Dubai skyline on the approach into town.  The building is truly incredible, standing literally twice as tall as the next tallest neighbor - which would be tall in any other city, but not next to Burj Khalifa.  Watching the building "grow" to its full height as we slowly approached the city was amazing.

Conveniently located right next to the tallest building in the world is the largest mall in the world - and the sight of the next leg of our day trip.  The Dubai Mall is beautiful!!  It boasts a huge aquarium and zoo, dozens of beautiful fountains and atriums, and a gold souk with the most incredible (and wearable) works of art imaginable.  The sharks at the aquarium were terrifying, but Dalila LOVED them!  She growled each time one swam over her head in the massive underwater walkway.  Show her a guy dressed up in a shark costume serving fish in the food court, though, and she screams in terror....go figure.

After a wonderful visit to the aquarium and zoo, we were ready to see another world's largest - this time, the fountain show outside the Burj Khalifa.  The enormous dancing fountains set to a lively Arabian tune with the Burj Khalifa providing the most stunning backdrop is an indescribable show.  We waited outside for thirty minutes in a prime location to watch the fountains....only to leave early when Dalila was terrified of the fountain show.....again.....go figure!  To this day, she screams when she sees even a split second of the video Jeremy managed to shoot of the water show.  Poor girl!

And to top off the night....Mexican food!!  This may not seem too exciting to people who haven't been in the UAE for an extended period of time.....but good Mexican food is nearly impossible to find here!  And it is one of our favorites.  A perfect way to end a fantastic, though not completely according-to-plan, day!  Thanks to my wonderful Jeremy for the amazing day-cation!!!

Burj Khalifa on the approach into Dubai.............

Fountain in Dubai Mall..............

The gold souk................

The Aquarium........

 These eels made me think of Ursula's garden in "The Little Mermaid"

An indoor boutique street in Dubai Mall....featuring a CAT store (?!).......

A pretty tree in a sweet store...where photography is strictly prohibited ;)  .......

Burj Khalifa and the fountain show............

Five minutes after loading up in the car to head home, snuggling her sparkly purple penguin from the aquarium.............