Summer 2010

It has certainly been awhile since I blogged. Depressing. Because there is something about writing to an unknown audience that is inspiring and brings a warm feeling.

Leaving Dubai
What can I say? I did it. I managed to teach four different subjects in Dubai for an entire year. I won't dwell on all the mishaps and difficulties that I encountered in Dubai. I'll file those in my life lessons category but I will truly cherish my time spent with my amazing students. I really have no idea if my students or "girls" have any idea how much I adored them. They were all such third culture kids meaning they went to school in Dubai but travelled all over the globe and knew so many different cultures. Some of them were so smart, entertaining, funny, honest and I will miss them the most along with the wonderful people in Dubai: friends, and colleagues. I mustn't forget how much that I'll miss Cliff-the coffee guy.

I packed up, got everything arranged for departing and left on June 30th. My flights took me from Dubai-Amsterdam. Wish I could have visited Amsterdam during the cool weather with sunny skies but to be honest I had to switch flights so fast that the only thing I had time to do was get questioned by this nice, tall Dutchman.

Next, from Amsterdam I was off to Minneapolis. Right away, I missed the clean food courts of Dubai because Minneapolis, MN, your airport needs a face lift. I went through US customs and the jerk threw away my Dubai snow globe I had bought for my mother. Thanks to sleep deprivation, I started getting all teary eyed when he threw a few of my items. Luckily a kind woman following me through the customs line talked to me, sympathized while comforting me. I felt better thanks to her. Arriving in the states is overwhelming folks. Its similar to arriving on a different planet. With the huge suitcase scanning machines, the men in uniformed suits, etc. And the funny thing is, I am American citizen. Lord only knows how the Spanish exchange students behind me felt like who could not even speak English. Then I was onto Seattle. I was so excited to see my family that I don't even remember the flight.

Home
I had a lot of fun in Seattle. I really love waking up and having coffee with my Mom while watching Good Morning America. I missed Monroe, the adorable Pomeranian my parents have who has more personality than any animal I've ever met. In Seattle, or more specifically the Eastside, I spent each day pounding through to-do lists for the wedding. Just when I would finish one to-do list, a new one would be made and I was off the next day.

The day before my fiance flew into Seattle, I had a COFFEE day. Yep, that's right, I had THREE COFFEE dates. Can you imagine me, three coffees? No! Some where in between I managed to eat but it was a fun last single lady day. I began by going to Cafe Ladro in Bothell with my old pal Roman that I met when I was twenty while working at Trader Joe's. We caught up, discussed his troubled relationship that I think he should give another try, and laughed. He was proud of me and grateful that I was doing something that would bring happiness to my life. As I said good bye to Roman I started to get that rush of emotions. The wave that creeps up when you are least expecting it to. Roman reminds me of my college days and my twenties. Not that I'll never see him again but probably not as much now that I'm a married girl. So that was emotional. I don't know how it crept up on me but as soon as I left my coffee date with Roman the tears started flowing. I realized that my crazy twenties are behind me now and that I might actually consider calling myself a grown up? Roman signified my hip hop concert going, Russian language and literature studying, Trader Joe working, carefree days when I did not owe anything to anyone. Those days are gone I realized. And not that I would ever want to return to them but it still fills you with sadness when an era of your life is slowly passing you like a speeding car on an old country road. I called a few girlfriends who helped me grow through the moment. I realized that by fulfilling all those to do list for my wedding that I had actually forgotten to stop and think about the fact that I was getting married. Yikes.

I also caught up with Sarah, a really wonderful friend from back in the day. I mean junior high folks. We met while playing basketball at Rose Hill Jr. High. Ha! We met up in the University District or U-District. That also brought back memories. O how I love going to the UW. What a beautiful campus. We spent the entire afternoon together and it was so nice. I really hope we will stay in touch. O yeah, we had coffee at Louisa's on Eastlake. They make an amazing vegan cookie!

Last but certainly not least, I met John and Georgie at the U-Village. If anything exemplifies my college days it is having coffee with John and Georgie at Starbuck in the U-Vill. Good times, good times.

Adnan, Awais (his father), James, Kee and Tonja arrived the next day in Seattle and that pretty much started off the chain of events of my wedding. They were relieved to have escaped the Houston humidity and heat wave. They loved the cool Seattle 70 degree weather and the huge trees. More guests started to arrive. The rehearsal dinner was at my parents. We had a huge barbecue. My Dad made sure and stuffed everyone until the women questioned whether they would fit into their dresses.

The Big Day
I was completely calm on my wedding day. I was happy! People kept asking me if I was nervous and I'd respond by saying no, not really. My sister and I started the morning by getting our hair done. Then we headed to the hotel to get ready. Julie pulled out the application on her Google phone that had lines from the movie The Hangover and had me laughing til' tears were pouring out of my eyes. One of my favorites, "is this really Caesar's palace, does Caesar really live here?", "um no sir" the hotel receptionist replies, "I didn't think so". Gotta love The Hangover. Julie and Maddy, my bridesmaids, really actually made my entire wedding memorable. I love them eternally for making me laugh and smile all through out the day!

The wedding was great! Adnan and I sort of became our own wedding planners. After the wonderful ceremony, thanks to Pat, he would turn to me and ask, "okay so should we do our first dance", etc. The only downer was that I did not really have time to talk to my Aunt and cousin who drove all the way from California. That is usually how weddings are though. The bride and groom are moving left and right, front and backwards to complete the list of traditions such as cake cutting (in my case cupcakes) and first dance, etc. It was amazing and when we left and were driving to our amazing hotel we both agreed that it could not have been any better.

Seattle Latte in Dubai

Last night, I watched a documentary that changed my life. The name: No Impact Man. I was so inspired by No Impact Man, Colin Beavan, and his wife Michelle Conlin, who went with created minimal garbage (waste), no coffee, no grocery stores, no Whole Foods, new clothes or shoes, composting, no automated electricity, eating only from the Farmer's market and six months without electricity, in my book, puts you on the level of sainthood.

I have always been inspired by change, and finding ways as an individual to be a good citizen, individual and do good. Although I am not an animal fanatic (like some of my friends) Skinny Bitch inspired me in November of 2008. I went totally Vegan (diet) for around 6-8 months until my boyfriend asked me to finish his eggs one morning. I caved. Needless to say, the treatment of the animals and the knowledge of all of the chemicals inserted into milk, dairy, animals, etc. put a huge damper on my year. Although no tears were shed, it forced me to further question my impact on this earth. Beef from New Zealand, cereal from Washington State, etc. The carbon footprint was astounding when it comes to food and this marked the beginning of my interests in where food comes from and what I was eating.

When I finalized my contract, packed up to move to Dubai, I first stopped in Seattle to be with my family for a month. The best thing about Seattle is by far the coffee. I knew that I would miss the coffee the most. So I gulped as many lattes as possible before August 14, 2009. Since I knew there was no Whole Foods in Dubai, nor were there the same vitamins, alternative products, etc. I gave up the Vegan diet for awhile in Dubai. There is store here called The Organic Store but it is far from my house and expensive.

For the first half of the school year, I just ate take out a lot, actually I ate what ever was convenient but I felt bad. Awful knowing that so many products are shipped into Dubai from all around the world, never really enjoyed meet (except for the mean kebabs at Barbecue Delight). Then, things changed when I became engaged. I began thinking of the compliments I received when I ate vegan, and how healthy I felt. Since I knew my wedding was coming in a number of months, I tried to eat healthy again. That is what I am working on now (minus an occasional cupcake).

How does this connect to No Impact Man you ask? Well, today, since No Impact Man was on my mind, I went searching online for organic products that are grown here in the UAE. I am going to check out a few and try to begin buying locally, but I also found a really cool coffee company called RAW.

RAW is a Dubai based coffee roasting company that imports only organic coffee that is fair trade. How this company began, I am not sure? Who's idea it was, I dunno? But I am curious. Mostly No Impact Man made me realize that I like to buy locally, not only to feel good but also because I want to feel more like I am part of community. I think it is cool what RAW is trying to do. When I noticed their coffee is sold at Uptown Mirdif (the new mall half way between work and home) I went this afternoon. Sugar Daddy's, a cupcake bakery, sells their coffee. The man who helped me, Cliff, packed up three cupcakes and made me a latte for free when I told him that I had come to try RAW's coffee. I was floored, absolutely astounded as to how this sweet east asian guy, Cliff, had made a coffee that tasted like it was from Seattle. Then he shared with me the fact that his trainer or the "Chef" was from Seattle. I was shocked and I must add a little jealous that I had not thought up the idea of bringing the real latte to Dubai from Seattle. Next time!

Regardless, I plan on getting a hold of the RAW people and visiting their plant. Actually No Impact Man has inspired me to visit farms and learn as much about my coffee and food as I can. I may not be as brave as No Impact Man's wife Michelle Conlin, who gave up coffee, but maybe I will do something once I settle back in Houston. I know there are farmer's markets back in Houston and I'm really looking forward to getting a bike. (Adnan and I will live in the Medical Center so we may be able to bike downtown to the farmer's market?)

For now, I highly recommend the documentary No Impact Man. It may just inspire you to make a change, or learn about something that interests you: food, cupcakes, coffee and maybe, just maybe, you will be led to the best damn Seattle latte in Dubai or maybe someplace even better. Good luck!

April Showers bring ...

Hello! April 30th, two days from now, marks the two month mark for departure to Seattle. Finding a flight home to Seattle was an adventure in and of itself. Nevertheless, I will be flying, high class coach style from Dubai to Amsterdam to Minneapolis and finally 24 hours after my Dubai departure, Seattle. Although I wish I could just take a week layover in Amsterdam, it is not going to happen! I keep reminding myself. I am looking forward to what hopes to be the cool beginning of summer Seattle temperatures.

It will be sad to leave Dubai. My colleagues here are absolutely amazing. I am always learning from them. Whether it be about a new television series on dvd that I just have to watch (Rome, or Tudors) or the happenings in Dubai for the weekend, they always have some news to share with me. Being such a transient town full of people passing through, fulfilling their contracts only to move onto Asia or Latin America, you can pretty much claim the city as your own once you have maneuvered and learned your way around. I even find myself, only having lived here since August, telling old timers where something is located or a great venue to buy such and such.

I will definitely miss my lovely students, although today I thought I was going to explode on them.

Getting back the states will be another adventure and will be full of exciting times. I am not returning to a boring mundane life, but instead I will be getting married in July. Not much rest when you consider I land in Seattle on July 1st. I will have exactly 24 days to plan, plan, tweeze brows, work outs, eating healthy, etc.etc. not that this will stop when I am married but what I am trying to relay is that I will have plenty to do once I get back to my daily routine in Houston.

Last, I would really like to learn as much as I can about the Middle East before my departure. Not that I am leaving forever. A part of me believes that I may return one day. For now, I have decided to take my Arabic Phrase book to school and start begging for lessons from my ninth graders during homeroom time. Instead of their usual conversations about the boys at the mall, they can teach me, "hello" "how are you" "welcome". Contrary to what most of my Western comrades may think, NO ONE IN DUBAI SPEAKS ARABIC. When you consider that 20% of the population is local or "Emirati" this means that the remaining 80% of Indians, Pakistanis, Filipinos and Westerns converse in English. Part of me wishes that I could have been teaching out in Al Ain or even in Abu Dhabi where a friend of mine was placed last year, only so that when I went to the corner store for a pack of gum, I would have learned some Arabic conversation skills to pack in my bag upon my departure. It is not like that at all. I have only learned a handful of words in Arabic. If I was stranded in the desert and my Arabic speaking skills were the only thing to get me out, well, I sadly would not survive.

Another thing that I wish I could learn more about is the culture. I hear about it all the time but I am not as exposed as I would like to have been or imagined that I was going to be. I feel the Emiraties are extremely kind. The parents and students are wonderful! However, when Friday rolls around, they retreat to their Grandmother's houses and I am left to sleep in and watch several episodes of the Tudors or one of the many DVD TV series I mentioned earlier.

For now, I have about 62 days left to enjoy the Burj Khalifa, the Burj Al Arab, the beaches and the plentitude of activities to do and people to see in Dubai!

March Madness

March Madness! I have been experiencing a real rush lately that comes when one is jam packed with exciting outings, events and experiences. This has been the case this March! The cold weather has gone, however the stifling humid high temperatures have yet to arrive. That is why I believe I have been taking advantage of my free time, getting up, out and about in Dubai and just simply enjoying life!

First, there was Art Bus. I have lived in Dubai since August, and Art Bus was a great way to be surrounded by art lovers, bohemians, teachers, photographers and other art loving folks. I knew they were around, somplace in Dubai, Sharjah or Abu Dhabi, I had yet to come across many artists loving types until Art Bus. Art Bus is put on by www.artinthecity.com, the U.A.E.'s best website for posting all art events and exhibits in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. We got on a bus at the Madinat Jumeirah at 10 am and the tour ended at 4:30pm. The tour commenced and we were whizzed around from one gallery to the next in the Al Quoz (Industrial area). We stopped for lunch at the More Cafe, but mostly it was a non-stop gallery fest. The Art Bus tour also opened my eyes to a beautiful artist shared-space nestled amongst the huge villas and the trees of Nad Al Sheba called Tashkeel, an artist dream shared work space where one can pay to use their facilities and great equipment tools for photography, printing, painting, and the likes. Even sitting outside in the garden is probably worth their fees. Right outside of Dubai's hundreds of cranes, and skyscrapers erecting in the sky is Nad Al Sheba, this gorgeous neighborhood and Tashkeel, this artist escape. I had no idea! The day was spent with friendly company, great conversations and of course some amazing art from Iranian-Saudi Arabian-local Emirati artists (there was one American artist too). It was well worth my Friday off of work!

Second, I picked up a flyer while on the Art Bus for an Artist Talk about graffiti which I attended last Monday. The UK artist collaborated with Tashkeel artists and other students to tag/paint three huge walls outside of the Tashkeel building in the garden area. His talk began by describing the history of graffiti and continued onto his work. His name is Mohammed Ali and he was inspiring. His love of Islam and his talent for painting/graffiti art finally came together one day and he has been working at it ever since. He has painted walls all around the world including one of the most interesting, a wall in Brooklyn dedicated to an African Muslim family, two adults and six children, who were killed when their apartment caught fire. I really loved his work and his message of brotherhood, and peace, words which he feels are not incorporated into the minds of our youth today. He said that he always manages to incorporate locals into his projects so that they feel a sense of ownership. The evening was brilliant and I was taken back into the trees and into Tashkeel's garden. What an evening!

Last, I spent last Thursday evening in the desert right outside of Al Ain. The desert was absolutely gorgeous. Once the sun goes down, it is actually cool in the desert. My friend Lynda and I arrived to witness, just on the road into the desert, baby camels nursing from their mothers. Cute! Then, we spent the evening with friends, barbecuing, laughing, and talking about the pros and cons of living in the U.A.E. To be honest, I had no desire to return to the light pollution and waking up to construction. I would have camped out in the desert but forgot my sleeping bag, and needed a nice shower. That my friends, is a miracle. Before I moved to Dubai, you would have never heard me say "camping" in the past. This word had been ejected from my vocabulary list. Regardless, I plan on returning into the desert for some dune bashing and peaceful surroundings sometime in the near future before the humidity and stifling temperatures return!

February

It is amazing how much my life has changed in just one simple calendar year. Last year, February of 2009, I spent the first weekend of the month in Boston at an International Teacher's job fair in Cambridge, Mass. I hardly left the hotel due to the intense schedule of interviews, networking and information sessions. The fair was for teachers who were looking for jobs in international schools but last year the competition was so high due to the slump in the global economy and the fact that so many teachers already teaching in international schools did not want to leave, or budge. So I did my best, put on my pearls, nicest black suit and heals and flew to the freezing cold Northeastern city of Boston where they were experiencing a significantly cold day of 12 degrees Fahrenheit.

As I exited a lovely presentation on a school in Italy, I was overwhelmed with all that was going on around me and on the verge of having a panic attack. I picked up my cell phone and called Adnan. Now, at this time, Adnan and I were just friends. In fact we were slowly re-building our friendship. I do not know which forces of the universe were working in the winter of 2009 but they were definitely trying to pull us back together. Adnan gave me a really good pep talk and I went back to the job fair. I left the job fair without a job at an international school. However, I had impressed my contact at Search Associates, Sally Jo Gordon, who put in a good word to Delice Scotto, my current boss who telephoned her to ask about me the week after the Boston fair. Boston was a great experience but let me just present a picture of what life was like a year ago.

Last year, 2009, in February, I was single. Yes, the one word most women in their mid-to upper twenties hate hearing. I thought that all of my past relationships had extinguished and I had no future prospects. I lived in a small apartment in Montrose, Houston which for those of you who do not live in Houston should know that it is the fabulous area of Houston where gay people live. So I would take off every morning to go teach in Pearland, return home to my cute apartment and sometimes have a chat with a gay/straight friends, cook some dinner (probably vegan at the time) and go to sleep. Now I had great friends who were keeping me afloat but my love life was non-existent.

Slowly, and in a very strange way, the forces of the universe started working their magic. First, I was offered my dream job in Dubai, U.A.E. It was around that time last year when I began writing this blog. I accepted the job. People were happy for me and all but I was scared. Scared that perhaps I would never find a real lasting relationship, especially in the Middle East. Would I have anything in common with anyone. Not to mention the fact that my contract read two years.

I really can't describe why it happened but Adnan and I began hanging out again. Eventually, it took a few months, we got back together, started dating again and never looked back. My life a year later is beyond wonderful. I am living in Dubai, working in a fabulous position and although I am not staying on next school year, I would never give up the time I have spent here for any other in the world. I am engaged to be married this summer which makes me a cute little fiance. I have wonderful friends in Houston, Seattle, Indiana and Dubai ! I have a wonderful, supportive, amusing, and loving family who is always there for me. I was just amazed a few weeks ago when my boss said she was headed to Boston for the same yearly International Teacher's job fair how far my life or my journey has taken me over the past year. I felt that it was appropriate to share this with everyone. Happy Valentines Day and life is good!

Culture

I am nearing the end of 1st semester as a teacher in the UAE, Dubai, for the all girls school. It has been quite a ride. Apart from the fact that none of the teachers and students liked the rushed schedule with 40 minute classes, I have had to teach 4 different classes or in the teaching world have 4 different preps. I am in the process of writing the semester exams for the classes and I can't help but share about some of the things that I've learned this 1st Semester.

-When in Rome, do as the Romans do. I have learned more and more, that if you don't embrace and accept the local culture you are to some extent doomed. Its not that I do not like the culture here, don't get me wrong, it is just that it takes a lot longer than I imagined to learn the local ways. I am sure I will continue to learn my lessons by either saying or doing the wrong thing but instead of fighting I am trying to go more and more with the flow.

-Your students know everything about you! When I returned from my winter break/Christmas & New Years, I was just glowing and in the best mood from my engagement. And it made my teaching better and I even shared the news with some of my "girls" or students. These girls love romance so they were beyond excited! However, this week I've been facing some challenges and have not been the most pleasant person around which has surely been affecting my work. It is hard to hide human emotions from humans! :) Ha!

-Last, I've learned a lot in my Sociology class about culture. My fiance and I always argue about globalization & culture. He thinks that being in Shanghai is no different than being in Paris. I always get a little irritated, and peeved. I believe that there are huge differences across the world which stem from cultural differences. Even within large urban areas, you have huge cultural differences. Just go from the East side of 288 highway to the West side (Houston) and you will surely see what I mean. Sure you can probably hit up a Starbucks in Shanghai and Paris and get the same latte. But culture goes beyond this. I have always tried to argue this point to Adnan but have never really had the proper tool kit. Well, thanks to my Sociology course, I've learned so much about these topics.

People within a culture decide what is culturally acceptable. So for example, if your culture thinks its okay to let your child hang their head out of the sunroof while driving 35 mph, than that is "culturally acceptable" in that area of the world (hint I saw this occur on the way home from school yesterday :) ). In America, we are very strict about safety, on the brink of obsessed with being safe, but not so much elsewhere which may be in part because the company will get sued if they are not careful and you do not CYA. Along with learning that it is the local people that eventually write the cultural rule books, cultural traits are eventually written into laws. So the laws in Shanghai and Paris are going to be different because the people and their cultural customs are different. In Paris, or France, I've heard that you are not guilty if you murder your husband who's been having an affair, it is a "crime de passion". That may be just an old wives tale but none the less, this is just an example okay folks. In China, the laws for what can be printed in the press are what Chinese people have accepted as culturally appropriate. So my point is that first comes our cultures/mores/norms/folkways. Next comes what the culture/people consider culturally appropriate and these traits are written into laws.

Phew, that was long. I feel like I'm writing a dissertation paper like my bff Madeline.

A few other things, the Danish cartoonist was on the local radio the other day and said that he has no regrets for drawing the controversial drawings that offended Muslims around the world. Maybe in his culture, the Danish, freedom of speech is one the highest forms that the Danes hold high above all. Not saying I agree with the fact that he printed them but it was something I realized while listening to him speak.

And one last cultural moment. Yesterday afternoon, I heard that France is trying to ban the niqab which is the veil from head to toe in black that some devout Muslims wear. (See the example in photo above.) I told this to one of my classes and they could not understand at all why they would ban it. I said, "well they want their citizens to be French". But you see, they don't quite understand that or what that means. It got them thinking however, and I just like to share what I hear. The struggles with the growing Muslim population in France and throughout Europe is a fascination of mine that I would like to continue studying and writing about so stay tuned for more:) And email me news articles related to this subject if you come across any!

Arriving in Istanbul

Hey everyone! I did not write a post on my trip to Berlin. Basically it was an amazing trip overall. Adnan met up with me in Berlin. We took in all of the sights: Brandenburg Tor, Checkpoint Charlie, the Bundstag, Potsdamer Platz, Schlosse Charlotenneburg and the fun Christmas markets.

Now, I am in Istanbul and Adnan will arrive in a few hours. My plane ride on Turkish Airways from Dubai to Istanbul was alright. Despite the delay (I could have slept in one more hour) I discovered that Turkish Airlines may be one of the last airlines that offers...no baggage fees (like in the US), a nice meal, a blanket, eye mask, movies and free alcohol (even though I don't drink it, this surprised me nonetheless). I slept most of the flight.

Next, as I arrived at the visa desk, my name was called over the ıntercom because Adnan had kindly ordered the hotel to pick me up. I rushed through the visa booth, passport check and baggage claim in a jiffy! A nice man directed me to the little mini van type vehicle. Inside the driver asked where I am from. I said, the U.S. and he replied by saying, "Obama!" I laughed. He also taught me how to say Yes, No and Good Morning! What a nice man and a great welcome to Istanbul, a major city in Turkey which as a country has a major reputation for its hospitality.

We pulled into the Old Town. Up a small brick lined street and down another brick lined street arriving at our little hotel. I freshened up and walked around. The sun is shining and despite being a bit chilly outside, taking in the sights is mezmerizing. I ate delicious kofte (kebabs), lentil soup, and proceeded to ask a woman where a good place to drink coffee is, her reply, Starbucks. Instead, I found a little local shop two doors down from my hotel which serves Illy and ordered a machiato. Before the coffee shop, while walking through a little square, I enjoyed a sallup (which my boss Pat told me to try). This warm drink is a thick white drink made from orchids with cinnamon sprinkled on top. I enjoyed it but can't wait to try the fresh squeezed pomegranite juice and nargile (hookah). That's all for today!