Dubai Favorites and Unfavorites

FAVORITES:

1. The beach (even though it's too hot to really enjoy it right now). Neither one of us has ever lived by the beach so we're counting down the days until we can make the most of it.  We FINALLY got our own apartment, and we can see the beach from the balcony.  It's not a full view because buildings are in the way, but it's enough for us, and we can see camels walking on the beach in the mornings!

2. The desert!  It's beautiful and the camels are funny little creatures to watch. We can't wait to go on a desert safari so we can dune bash, ride camels, get henna tattoos, smoke sheesha, take sunset photos, eat on pillows and watch belly dancers.  Someone hurry up and visit so we can take you!

3.  The diversity. We love meeting people from all around the world and learning funny things people say like "togs" instead of bathing suit and "jandals" instead of sandals. 

4.  The food. It's amazing. Bu Qtair is our favorite so far. And Casey wanted me to make sure you know how delicious dates are. He's obsessed.  Dates aren't my favorite, but I do love the naan. 

5.  The service at restaurants, hotels and bars is THE best. Someone is always there trying to make your life easier and happier and calling you madam or sir.  It makes us feel fancy :)

6.  The travel opportunities. We have two trips planned already, one during Christmas and one next summer, and we have so many countries on our list of places we want to see - Thailand, India, Turkey, New Zealand, Australia, Greece, the entire continent of Europe, anywhere in Africa...I could go on forever. Hopefully we'll be able to see most of the countries on our wish list.

7.  Access to everything we could possibly want or need. The malls here are incredible.  We just spent 5 hours at the Dubai Mall and it was a completely pleasant experience. There is so much to see and do that time just slips away. We did a little window shopping, sipped fancy teas and nibbled macaroons by a waterfall, did some more window shopping, ate dinner at a delicious Lebanese restaurant, and then watched the fountain show outside by the Burj Khalifa. We walked for probably three hours and only saw maybe a quarter of the mall. It's massive!

8.  My school!  I love my job!  I'm teaching third grade for the first time and its definitely a change I needed. I love fourth grade but after teaching it for 7 years, it's just time to move on.  All of the teachers are so nice and helpful and there are tons of new people this year so we're all kind of figuring things out together.  I only have 11 students, 3 of whom don't speak English, and it's one of the best teaching experiences I've had so far. 

9.  Taxis are cheap, and so is gas.  When Casey fills up, it's about $17, AND someone else pumps the gas for you!  The minimum fee for a taxi is about $3.  Cheap, cheap, cheap. 

10.  The buildings are beautiful!  I never get tired of driving around the city because there are so many gorgeous things to look at (if you look past the construction :)). 

UNFAVORITES:

1.  The rental process. I don't even want to go into this right now because it'll make me mad again.

2.  There's an overwhelming feeling of a cast system here, which we'll describe more in a later post, but we're definitely going out of our way not to participate.

3.  The rule that you have to pay for your ENTIRE year's rent BEFORE you move in!  Who has that much money?? 

4.  How freaking long it takes to get a stinking bank account!  We still don't have one!

5.  Casey working on the weekends. :(  This is the worst thing about Dubai by far.

6.  August.  It's too hot and humid, but September is a little cooler and by October, I think it'll be just right :)

7.  Our kitties are too far away and we don't know if they'll ever be able to join us.  This has been the biggest bummer of the move so far.  We miss them so much and wanted them here for a little piece of home, but we just don't think it's going to happen.  Thanks to the amazing Jessica and Hunter, they have a loving temporary home, but we need to figure out where their new home will be until we get back.  Bummer, bummer, bummer.  Best kitties ever.

Happy First Day of Work to Us!!

If today is any indication of how my year will go, it's going to be amazing!  It was such a nice first day of work.  I met the other new teachers, chatted over breakfast and coffee, learned a few usernames and passwords, and then shopped for apartments in the Dubai Marina.  Such a great day!  The school awesomely scheduled shopping at the Mall of the Emirates into the day, but since I had already been there and couldn't set up my classroom because supplies aren't here yet, they let two other girls and I shop for apartments.  We weren't very successful, but after being there all afternoon, I definitely know it's where I want to be.  Luckily Casey loves it, too :)

Professor Casler also started his first day of work today, and I think he's a little overwhelmed right now.  He's not only starting a new profession, but the beginning of any school year is crazy, and he has to work tons of hours.  Hopefully everything will slow down in a few weeks, so we can balance work with the easy peasy vacation life we've grown to love over the past couple of weeks.

I don't have any pictures of my classroom or school yet, but if you want to check out the school, you can at www.casdubai.com.  I'm teaching third grade for the first time with a lovely girl from New Zealand, and I'm so excited to try out Whole Brain Teaching.  I think it's going to be an amazing year!

Eating with Anthony Bourdain

Last night Chris took us to his favorite restaurant in Dubai, Bu Qtair.  It's a tiny fish shack by the beach, and we've been dying to try it out since we saw it on No Reservations.  

The restaurant has no menus, just three "catches of the day" and shrimp, all covered with the same seasoning.  They fry the fish when you order it and bring it out to your table with rice, veggies, coconut curry sauce and bread,  and OHMYGOSH, it was the most delicious meal we've had in a very long time.  Anthony Bourdain definitely knows what he's doing. 

The amazing fish.

(Look beyond the scary fish face to the perfectly seasoned deliciousness.)

Casey tried to eat the eye, but it was all hard and he couldn't chew it, so he spit it out.

Chris and Casey before dinner.
One of the best things about this place is the tables and chairs.  On busy nights, you grab a plastic chair from the stack and find an open spot in the dirt.  There are only about four or five tables, so when they bring out your food, they steal a table from someone who's done eating and bring it to you.  Chris calls it the epitome of just in time, and I think that's perfect.

These dark pictures don't do the place justice.  We're looking into a dehumidifier for our camera, and when we have it, we'll try again so you can see Bu Qtair in all of its glory.

If you ever visit us in Dubai, we're definitely taking you here.  It's the most simple idea for a restaurant, but it's SO good.  I could go back and have the exact same meal tonight.

Bu Qtair on No Reservations, if you're interested :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W74gJSOTupU

We Live on a Palm Tree!

 

For five days anyway :)

Our stay at the hotel is over, and the amazing Chris and Mary Beth are very graciously letting us stay with them until Monday.  They have THE most incredible apartment on the Palm.  We're pretty much on vacation (from our 2 year vacation) for the next five days. 

Their apartment building.

They have a flower shop IN their building!

And a cute little dessert shop (and a restaurant and grocery store, too)!

The view from the pool :)

 Kayaks!  

(Don't mind the gigantic crane in the background.)

We live at the beach!
We've never lived at the beach!

This is what it looks like when we try to take our own picture.

Isn't this place incredible?  I think we're getting a little too spoiled here.  We will definitely be sad Monday morning when we have to leave.

Dubai Museum

Today was Learn About Dubai Day!  After the mosque, we headed over to the museum to learn all about the history of Dubai, the UAE and how people survived in the desert before all of the fancy skyscrapers.

Three of their biggest money makers revolved around the sea, obviously.  They fished, built fishing boats, and dove for pearls.  The pearl divers went on 50 three-minute dives per day!  Holy man. 

 Their boats are beautiful, too!

So excited!

EVERYTHING is beautiful here!

It's hard to tell with the giant glare, but these two lovely skeletons were found holding hands.  It's how they used to bury husbands and wives to show their eternal love.  That'll be Casey and me someday :)

The museum was informative and very well executed, and that's pretty much all I have to say after the super long mosque post.

Jumeirah Mosque

Six days after our arrival, we finally braved the early morning hours to visit the Jumeirah Mosque.  It was a really great introduction to the religion from which our new country is ruled.

We were blown away by the mosque's beauty and learned so much about Islam.

Here are some of our favorite pictures.

It's a miracle we got any pictures of the outside because we couldn't see a thing through our camera.

The inside is just as beautiful as the outside.

This mosque took three years to build.  

Can't imagine why...

The most beautiful ceiling I ever did see!

Decorated to perfection.

No shoes allowed :)

Here's our amazing guide (and her trusty assistant below).  

She was so kind and taught us so much.  It was one of the most interesting hours of my life.

Some brilliant desert women invented this black leather mask to protect their faces from the sun and sand, also worn completely by choice.



Sportin' my head scarf.

We learned SO much that we couldn't possibly write it all down, so here are our favorites.

TOP THREE THINGS WE LEARNED:

1.  We all know that Ramadan is one of the biggest Islamic holidays, but it was interesting to hear the reasons for the month-long fast.  Besides helping them "lose a kilo or two," as our guide explained, fasting helps Muslims grow closer to God through patience and empathy.  They believe that by patiently awaiting food and water all day, they become more patient in all areas of their lives.  They also become more empathetic with people who are struggling with hunger every day.  It reminds them to give back when they can and help those in need.

2.  Abayas, the long black dresses worn by Muslim women in the Middle East, are not part of Islam; they're part of the Gulf culture.  The people here are genius, really.  The loose black layers create a shadow around the body, blocking out the sun's intense heat.  Our guide said it's actually quite cool underneath all the layers.  Islam, as well as most other religions in the world, asks women to dress modestly, so some women dress in long skirts or pants and others choose to wear the abaya.  It's completely up to the woman.  Many women are wearing very fashionable clothing underneath the abaya, which they show off at home, and when they need to head out, they just throw on the abaya over their outfit.  Also, different countries have different abaya styles and locals can tell where you're from just by what you're wearing!  Can you tell I'm slightly obsessed with the abaya?!  They're so interesting!

3.  Muslims are called to make a pilgrimage to Mecca one time in their lives if they are healthy enough and financially able to make the trip.  The trip is very taxing on the mind and body and can last for about a week.  There are so many interesting things about this pilgrimage, but my favorite fact is that all men must wear the exact same outfit - two, unstitched white cloths draped around their bodies.  This sounds strange, but they do it to take away differences.  A king could be praying next to an average Joe and no one would know the difference.  The point they're making is, we came into this world with nothing and we'll go out with nothing. The women, on the other hand, can wear anything as long as it covers them from head to toe.

  2 to 3 million people make the pilgrimage each year!

Despite only getting four hours of sleep, we're really glad we visited the mosque today.  We learned so many great things about Islam and its followers.  The main thing I'm taking away from today is that Islam is not a violent religion that promotes suicide bombing and extremist behavior.  It is a very peaceful religion, and Muslims are very kind and dedicated to their faith.  Just like every other religion or culture throughout the world, there are extremists who do awful things like flying planes into buildings or killing their wives in the name of "honor," but they do not represent the vast majority of Muslims.  The Koran does not teach violence nor condone such horrid acts of hatred, and it's a shame they use their holy book to justify their evil deeds.  If you're ever in Dubai (or any other Muslim country...or just passing a mosque on the way to the grocery store in America), this is a great way to learn more about a culture and religion misunderstood by so many Americans.

Madinat Jumeirah

Ahh... Madinat Jumeirah Resort, heaven on earth.  Without the generosity of Chris and Mary Beth, we wouldn't know this oasis existed.  I obviously stole this picture from Google images, but I wanted you to see it in all its glory.  It's a BEAUTIFUL resort.  So beautiful, in fact, that movie stars such as Ben Affleck and Tom Cruise stay there when they're in Dubai (we're basically famous!).  It's the most spectacular property surrounded by water I've ever seen.  Instead of walking, you are transported by boat.  It's so lovely that you forget about the heat and humidity and drift away to Dreamland as you float along the canals.  It's one of the greatest places I've been.

Here are the pictures we took with Casey's iPhone.  Again, it's way too humid to try taking pictures with the real camera.  These will have to do for the time being.

The boat stop outside our restaurant

The charming abra

Our chauffeur :)

The restaurant

Stole this one, too. 
The view of the Burj Al Arab is one of the best in Dubai. 

It's magical, isn't it?

Mary Beth and Chris, Casey's parents' friends from way back when.  

How lucky are we to know people in Dubai?!

Burj Al Arab from the boat

 Our second chauffeur - so happy!

This night was so special to us because it showed us the glamorous side of Dubai.  Before this, we were sleeping our lives away in the hotel, trying desperately to get caught up.  Mary Beth and Chris showed us the side of Dubai we've been dying to see since April, and it was nothing short of amazing.