

# Living in the U.A.E.

# Alexander County Abroad

_By Rick D. Jolly_
Other Alexander County Abroad Titles

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# Introduction

This is the first book in the Alexander Co. Abroad series. It is a story about an American married couple leaving the United States to live and work in the United Arab Emirates, a small oil rich Muslim country located in the Persian Gulf. With a brief background on the two North Carolinian's and why they chose to leave everything behind for a chance to travel the world while based in a Muslim country. The story is told from the husbands point-of-view as they experience cultural differences and language barriers while adjusting to their new environment. Examine the transition from living in a western society to living in a modern Muslim society and compare the differences and similarities to measure the quality of life each has to offer. Take a first-hand look as the book describes many first time experiences highlighted with photos taken by the couple during their adventures abroad.

### Chapter 1

### Leaving Home for a Foreign Country

Why leave home? A better question is what not! Many people dream of traveling the world to see what marvels await and experience different cultures once only found in books. Some of us take a chance on life and head to parts unknown just to see what happens.

Setting in our cozy little condo nestled in a quiet neighborhood of NW Hickory North Carolina in 2012, the question was asked; "Is this it, is this the American Dream?" Neither of us had a decisive answer. Samantha just started her new career as an elementary school teacher, after going back to school for two years. She had enough of the banking world so she quit and got a job at Olive Garden to work her way through school, a big decision for someone close to thirty and out of college for almost a decade. For thousands if not millions of hard working well educated Americans this had become the only choice. The thought of waiting on patrons at a chain restaurant gave her pause, but the end results would have to be better than residential banking. The slowdown in the banking Industry had put pressure on banks to get creative with securing new revenue. One idea used locally, mandatory telemarketing, was the final nail in the coffin. Never mind the monthly new accounts requirement in an area hit hard by the recession. People had stopped moving to our region of the country. Jobs were scarce and pay was flat or lowered to stay in business. Yes you should always promote your place of business, but add more responsibility without compensation to everyone from the teller to the branch manager and implement it into the work review was over the top. Calling existing customers during and after regular banking hours to solicit new business is not for everybody, let alone on top of your primary job responsibilities. Hell, I was in sales and hated calling strangers on the phone to set-up appointments. I knew exactly how she felt. If she wanted to be a teacher, then do it. I paid the mortgage and utilities and she brought us all the soup and bread sticks we could eat.

I also grew tired of my sales job, basically a door to door salesman preying on the elderly. Final expense and Medicare Advantage plans were my bread and butter. The idea is simple and needed by many uninsured seniors in our country. The practical implementation of the job is a distorted version of how the Industry should conduct business. Morally, I had a difficult time persuading very low income retirees to part with a substantial amount of their monthly income on the promise their children would be thankful upon their death. The fact was, they would be thankful, but could the social security checks pay for all the monthly necessities and a life insurance policy too? Many could if they were careful with non-needed items, but many could not. The doughnut hole would cause many to cancel the policy and try to start it again the following year. That's bad for business and a waste of money for them. The Medicare Advantages plans were easier to sale, but required more knowledge to sell the right way. Many agents would promise the moon on their mothers' grave, get a signature and disappear into the wind. The recipients of a health plan not suitable for their needs and unsure how to fix it. I would find these poor souls bewildered and angered by the betrayal of someone they welcomed into their home. The idea of setting in a trailer park or section 8 housing complex listening to dying people lie to my face about their current and past health condition as cockroaches crawled on the walls and my briefcase sparked a need for change in my life. I switched gears and started selling supplemental insurance in the workplace. Same concept, different environment. I found and enticed several large Industrial Associations, looking for disability insurance, my plans would benefit them. My insurance company, worried about the escalating impact of the Affordable Care Act, said no to the Association idea but wanted all the contact information. I may have been born at night but it wasn't last night, so I left the Insurance Industry and temporarily found myself back in the no mans land of furniture manufacturing. It wasn't ideal, but the bills were paid and we went forward in life.

We had contemplated the idea of moving to another state with a better economy, but not knowing people outside of North Carolina made this challenging. Texas looked promising, but Texas is a big ass state. What do you do just throw a dart at a map and say that's it? Of course you don't, but how much can the internet really tell you about the best places to work and live in an entire state! North Dakota was hiring everybody, but damn it's North Dakota! Not that North Dakota isn't a fine state to work and live in, it's just too cold and too far from the beach for our liking. OK, I will now have to visit North Dakota one day before I die.

Traveling has always been a passion of mine, even though it rarely happened in my youth. A short trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina twice and Cherokee Reservation, North Carolina once were much appreciated treats. My biggest trip came from my uncle Allen when he took my brother and me to Florida for a couple of weeks. We had a blast visiting different places, even though our behavior was somewhat questionable. He took us to Marineland, Sea World, Circus World, an Alligator Farm and various other tourists spots. He died several years later and I doubt he knew how much we really appreciated him for taking us on that trip.

After my eighteenth birthday I went to Cancun, Mexico with a group of friends from high school. That is another story for another time. To summarize, I really enjoyed just being in a different environment and experiencing new life styles. The only problem was money or the lack of it and not knowing other means to travel abroad. This new passion started in 1991, before we had the internet and knowledge came from a place called "The Library". Alexander County to this day only has around thirty-two thousand residents, in the whole county. Not a lot of world travelers to mentor would be globetrotters. I made my way back to Cancun several more times and partied in Vegas, but mainly explored neighboring States. The desire was always there, just waiting for the right moment to set it in motion.

After a decade of the bar scene and late night parties, sitting at home on the weekend watching television was the new normal. So when House Hunters International had a segment on Dubai, the fire started to burn. The city looked amazing and the lifestyle was straight out of a magazine. The prospect of living in a Skyscraper and jet setting around Europe was almost too good to be true. Why not get a job in the Middle East and live like rich people!

We searched online for weeks, looking for real reviews from teachers already placed in Dubai. Several posts on YouTube painted a wonderful picture with modern high-rise apartments and picture perfect classrooms. Along with many videos highlighting well known tourist attractions such as the Burj Khalifa, the Burj Al Arab, and infamous Palms Jumeirah and The World islands. The Burj Khalifa skyscraper dominates the Dubai skyline standing at 2,722 ft. making it the tallest building in the world. The Burj Al Arab is a sail-shaped beachfront hotel repeatedly voted most luxurious in the world. And just off the shore of Dubai are the manmade islands of Palm Jumeriah and The World. The Palm Jumeriah is roughly shaped like a palm leaf while The World mirrors the continents of the world.

This may have somewhat affected our judgement after reading some negative blogs from experienced expats. While most reviews were positive, other negative reviews seemed too outlandish to be true. Some people are bound to find issues while living abroad, whether it was school placement or bad neighbors. No matter where you go, everyone will not be happy. So, suppress the bad and focus on the good. All we really read was tax free salary, free housing, health insurance, and airfare home each summer. And we will be able to travel around Europe. Throw caution to the wind and live life to the fullest. What a great opportunity for both of us.

Samantha only had one year as a full-time teacher and two years part-time. She substituted K-6 grades her first year. School budget cuts had caused some positions to be split between two teachers working part-time for the entire year. Her second year was Special Education Teacher working half days with another teacher so the school didn't pay benefits. We found several recruiting agencies and applied to three of the most popular in our searches. Two of the agencies suggested she wait one year before applying because of her lack of experience. The third didn't see a problem, so that's who she went with.

The interview process started online with a follow-up phone interview. Samantha was then asked to come in for a personal interview. That was exciting news. It sounded like she had a good shot at getting this wonderful position. The only downside being the interview would be in New York, NY. That's a 9 hour drive from Hickory, NC. I did not want to drive to or in New York City, so I offered to pay for the plane ticket so she could fly to NYC and back home the same day. For some people this may be normal, but for us it was very unusual. Fun fact: Samantha has problems with heights and airplanes and doing things alone for the first time. So all she needed to do was board a plane alone, fly to the largest city in the U.S., interview for a life changing job, find her way to a different airport and fly home. I didn't see a problem. I only had 2 weeks' notice to book the flight and convince Samantha she could do it. So with some liquid courage and a pat on the back from me and several close friends she reluctantly agreed. I dropped her off at the airport and wished luck her. Samantha looked very nervous and I had doubts about not going with her, but she needed to do this on her own. If we were going to move to a foreign country she needed to get out of her comfort zone and "man-up" so to speak.

She called me after arriving at the Hotel the interview would be conducted in and seemed to be in much better spirits. I told Samantha to enjoy the big city adventure and reassured her everything would be fine no matter what the outcome of the interview. It must have felt cool just to fly into NYC for a job interview. I wish we could have made it a mini vacation, but we didn't have the money blow.

I didn't speak with her again until I picked her up at the airport in Charlotte. I was a little worried, but thought her phone must have died. Samantha acted aggravated and short with my questions. Very typical of her personality, but this seemed different. She said the interview went horrible and someone stole her phone. Not the news I had hoped for, but that's life. Not wanting to talk about it, we made our way home stopping for a bite to eat since Samantha was starving from her trip. After some nourishment, I asked for a rundown of the day's events so we could learn from them and move forward with a new plan. I had her start from the point after our phone call. This is what she told me:

" _I had some time to kill so I went for a walk down the street. I wanted to take a picture, but everyone had told me not to. I was supposed to act like I lived there and not a tourist. I wanted to try a New York hot dog, but I didn't want to get anything on my outfit before my interview. Then I made my way to the interview area and waited for my turn. There was a large group of us watching the interviewers. There were two rooms with two interviewers each. The applicants leaving one room looked happy, the applicants leaving the other room looked confused or stunned. I hoped to get the nice room, but of course I got the mean one. The two men asked stupid questions and kept interrupting my answers. They seemed more interested in my reaction to student conduct and how I would communicate with parents than my teaching abilities or education background. That was the worst interview I've ever had. I just wanted to get home after that. We were told a shuttle to the airport would be provided, but later told there wasn't enough time. I then started looking for my phone and couldn't find it. I was feeling very stressed and started to cry. I filled out a lost property form at the hotel and they arranged for a taxi to the airport. The taxis rides were very expensive and I was low on cash so I bought a banana for lunch that cost five dollars. The plane was nearly empty on the flight back, like something out of a horror movie, because Hurricane Sandy was bearing down on us making it bumpy the whole way home."_

Sounded like a full day for sure, but I knew there was still a chance she got the job. Things seemed much better when the hotel called saying they found her phone and would mail it ASAP. What are the odds of losing a cell phone in NYC and have someone find it and mail it back to you? We bought a few lottery tickets, but didn't win nothing. We went about our daily routines with fingers crossed and couple of weeks later Samantha got an email saying she made it through the interview process and would start in January 2013 or August 2013. Hot damn, party time! Samantha couldn't believe it, but she did it. Now the reality of making this dream come true had a timetable and legal formalities. She had a list of documents to be authenticated by the State and Federal government and submitted before a plane ticket would be issued. Not wanting to leave her students or school in the middle of the year, she opted for the August start date. Everything was now moving forward like a slow motion train wreck.

The whole time we searched for recruiters, Dubai was always mentioned in the reasons to teach in the U.A.E. and surprised when Samantha mentioned the job was in Abu Dhabi and maybe the western region. Ok, not in Dubai, but in the U.A.E. capital city of Abu Dhabi. That's a hell of a lot closer than Hickory, NC.

What was the western region and how far away from Dubai was it? So, the U.A.E. is made up of 7 Emirates, which are similar to states in the USA. They are Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, and Umm al-Quwain. Each governed by ruling Families and the Federal Supreme Council. I found it confusing each Emirate has a city by the same name. The emirate of Abu Dhabi is home to the Capital city of Abu Dhabi. The emirate of Dubai is home to the world famous city of Dubai. Abu Dhabi is the largest Emirate in the U.A.E., so we could live in Abu Dhabi, but not live in the city. The western region of Abu Dhabi covers about two thirds of the entire U.A.E. It's mainly sand dunes with several towns scattered hours apart. So Dubai could be 2 hours away or 5 hours away depending on which desert town you live in. We understood the western region could be a possibility, but the recruiter assured us married couples very rarely get placed outside the city of Abu Dhabi.

The process was simple enough. Leave everyone you know and sell or store all of your earthly possessions and move half way around the world to parts unknown. Having no children made this process much easier for us, but the U.A.E. is a very child friendly country and many Expats move with children in tow. It's ridiculous how much stuff two people can accumulate in a few years. I wonder how much stuff a family of four or five would have and what to do with it all. Emptying our closets we found clothes with tags still on them and household items never even opened. I wouldn't call us hoarders, but do two people need four spatulas, two sets of pans, eight wine glasses or three bottle openers? A lot of items we never really used. Seven coats and fifty pairs of shoes and trash bags full of clothing all went to charity. The house was always clean and things neatly arranged with open areas to walk around and entertain guests, but several cabinets and closets were piled full of I don't know what. We had 10 months to prepare and it took most of that time to complete our tasks. Selling the condo and moving into temporary housing took several months. And after several weekend yard sales and charity loads we had a manageable amount of personal possessions to put in storage. Fortunately some close friends allowed us to stay with them during our last weeks in the States.

The other dubious task was explaining our decision to family and friends. So it went something like this; Samantha has accepted a teaching position in the U.A.E. The job includes a tax free salary, free housing, health insurance, and airfare home each summer. We are moving to the U.A.E. in August.

The responses were usually as follows:

Them: What and where is the U.A.E?

Me: The United Arab Emirates in the Middle East. It's a Muslim country with a very open outlook on other lifestyles and religions.

Them: So you're moving to a country with terrorists? Is this a joke?

Me: No, it's not a terrorist state and no it's not a joke.

Them: Why are you moving there?

Me: The job includes a tax free salary, free housing, health insurance, and airfare home each summer. And we will be able to travel around Europe. It's only a five or six hour flight to places like Italy, Greece, or Turkey. This is a great opportunity for both of us.

Them: I wouldn't do it, it's too dangerous.

Me: It is near some of the more hostile countries, but the U.A.E. is very safe for Westerners. Have you heard of Dubai? It's located in the U.A.E.

Them: Dubai, I would love to live there.

Me: Really!

A few people we told understood the wonderful opportunity by expressing their excitement for us as they asked to visit once we were settled. I didn't think it was that big a deal. People move around the world every day. It's not for ever, we will be back.

After people got use to the idea of us moving away, goodbye parties were planned and the wild and sometimes scary stories about the Middle East were relayed to us. Not just the warning of terrorist plots, but other misunderstandings. Like Samantha would have to walk 50 feet in front of me in case of a landmine or women are second class citizens and property owned by men. Both ridiculous, but some other countries do treat woman poorly. I walk behind Samantha sometimes as a joke, but she doesn't think I'm funny. Some information was half true. Like all women must wear shaylas and abayas. Women should dress modestly but shorts and bare arms are ok outside of work and government buildings. Moving to a foreign country will not only require the understanding of cultural differences, but the adoption of certain local practices as well.

### Chapter 2

### Landing on Foreign Soil

Traveling from western N.C. to the U.A.E. took around 19 hours from Charlotte International airport with one layover in Chicago and then straight to Abu Dhabi on Etihad Airways. Samantha's employer arranged and paid for our flight. Economy class all the way, but free none the less. This was our first time to the windy city. While we didn't have time to explore the city, we can say we've been to Illinois. I knew the great lakes were enormous, but to see them from the plane was awesome. It's truly amazing what Mother Nature can do with ice and time. The flight was crowded and a baggage Nazi was stopping everybody. A little Asian woman was checking the size and weight of all carry-on baggage. We made it through Charlotte ok, but got worried after witnessing so many passengers being forced to check normal looking carry-on bags. People knocked off wheels to make their bags fit. I shoved my bag into the size checker and it got stuck for a second when trying to pull it back out. She gave me a scornful look, but waved me through. Luckily Samantha made it through without incident. Before traveling we had weighed all of the bags and moved items around to ensure all met the airlines weight restrictions. So when Chicago had us re-check our luggage and one was over the limit by 7 pounds I knew something was amiss. Two bags were at the weight limit and another was over by half a pound, but the attendant let it slide. We had no wiggle room in our carry-ons so we were charged $100 for the "overweight" bag. C'est la vie.

The nonstop flight from Chicago to Abu Dhabi was about 14 hours. That's the longest flight we've ever be on. The plane was at full capacity with lots of children. They ranged from screaming infants to bored primary school kids, running up and down the aisles. Up and down, up and down. Each seat had a bag full of goodies to help ease the stress of such a long flight. Ours had an eye mask, ear plugs, socks, ear buds, tooth brush and tooth paste. A small pillow and blanket was also laid in each seat. Thankfully each passenger had a touchscreen for entertainment. It's built-in the back of the seat of the person in front of you. It can be annoying when that person reclines the seat all the way back, but hey it's only 14 hours of our life. 14 hours you can never get back. I put the ear buds on and found several movies to watch and turned the volume up as loud as could stand it. Samantha opted for the eye mask and music to drown out the noise. This helped to drown out the unwanted noise for maybe 5 hours. After watching 3 movies my butt and legs were numb. Walking around helped some, but a crowded plane is no fun. We would drift in and out of sleep and a stewardess would come around and offer refreshments from time to time. The minutes seemed like hours and the hours seemed like days during the last 6 hours of that flight.

As bad as the flight seemed to us, Lady Luck was far crueler to another passenger we later became friends with. She was placed at the same school as Samantha and sat several rows behind us next to a screaming infant. As luck would have it, her touch screen didn't work during the entire flight. With no empty seats available she had to endure the nightmarish conditions with no relief. Lady Luck can be such a bitch. What a great way to make a first impression on such a life changing decision. We read using ear plugs will help keep infants quiet as it's the ear pressure that can upset them, but IDK.

We were in a dazed state when the plane finally touched down in Abu Dhabi. A representative from Samantha's company greeted us as we walked through the gate, which was nice since we didn't really know what we were doing. At this point we realized just how many other teachers were on our flight as a group of more than twenty formed as passengers exited the plane. And there were more planes with even more teachers. There was some confusion as to where we needed to go in the airport. We were temporally separated because Samantha being an employee had to have an eye scan and I did not. She entered the country on a working visa good for two years and I was issued a tourist visa good for only thirty days. This would become important later on in our story. It was after midnight before being shuttled off in two large tour buses full of dazed and confused newbie teachers to our hotel, the InterContinental Abu Dhabi.

That's two buses full of hot and tired strangers rolling through the dark streets of an unfamiliar city in a foreign country before being shuffled to a staging room in the hotel and being stripped of our passports. The company did a great job handling that many people at one time. But. We had never been this far away from home with this many strangers in a Muslim country and man was it hot outside. Silly thoughts can creep into your mind when you're tired and stressed. All that went away after finding our 5 star accommodations. We sat on the bed as the bellhop delivered our bags. He said something I couldn't understand so he repeated it; still I didn't understand the words coming out of his mouth. This was just a precursor to the many confusing conversations I would have with people in this country. I handed him a tip and off he went. This was the first time in over 24 hours we could just relax and get some rest.

Hot and humid doesn't truly describe the climate in the U.A.E. Our flight landed around 10pm, but there was no relief from the weather. The temperature was 108° with a real feel of 115°. You walk outside for the first time and it just hits you like a brick wall. It's like a free sauna everywhere you go. We thought if it's this hot at night what would it feel like during the day? People must surely burst into flames. They don't really, but it is hotter during the day.

You're a long way from the foothills of North Carolina when the bath room has a second toilet without a lid and marble floors. I've stayed in hotels with a bidet before, but this one had a phone and water sprayer beside the toilet and a drain in the floor. This could be for the elderly or people in a hurry to get things done, whatever floats your boat. I did find a bit of redneck ingenuity with a retractable clothes line over the bathtub. The lights were controlled by touch pads on the wall near the bed and entry door. The TV displayed a welcome message with Samantha's name on it, boy that sure was fancy! The next several days we spent lounging around the pool and wandering the grounds by the hotel. The outside pool water was chilled and it felt great because it sure was hot outside. Once home to only the elite upper class and world renowned travelers, the Intercontinental Hotel looked very outdated compared to other nearby buildings. The rich history forgotten in time saved only by pictures hung on the wall of the countries founder, late Sheikh Zayed, holding world conferences with other political dignitaries in the grand ball room. It was awesome to stay in the same hotel as the rich and famous of yesteryear.

Getting use to the prayer times in Abu Dhabi can be nerve racking at first, but the music is soothing. However 4:32 am is a little early for a wake-up call. The entire city echoes with the call to prayer five times a day as devout Muslims make their way to the Mosques erected on every block. The times are determined by the position of the sun and vary by geographical location. Not sure how this would work in the Arctic Circle, but I'm sure they have a plan for such circumstances. The five prayers are pre-dawn, midday, afternoon, sunset, and night. The prayers are performed while facing the Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. This is considered the most sacred site in Islam. Muslims must wash before prayer to purify the body. Clean water is preferred, but sand or dust may be used in its place. We asked a Muslim friend if women were allowed to pray in Mosques and she said " _I don't because the men would be tempted by watching me bend over. This is not the proper Muslim way"_. Woman can attend Mosques in separate areas away from the men, but many pray privately.

We were not familiar with public transportation, but it has its advantages. Like most large cities parking wasn't free, well except for the Malls. Most of the malls have free parking with the option of valet services. The local city buses were only 2 dirhams per person. That's like 54 cent. The only downside was waiting in the heat. There are a few air-conditioned bus stops, but not enough for the summer heat. Did I mention it is very hot in the U.A.E.?

Taxis can be nice if you know where you are and how to get where you want to go. Again, the language barrier can be a nightmare. Most taxi drivers speak Hindi, Bengali, Urdu, Panjabi, (and other South Asian dialects), Arabic and sometimes English. The road signs can be very confusing to English speaking people with the same names used more than once, so make sure you know which zone you are in. And of course, the posted road signs will be listed differently in the GPS devices and the taxi drivers will probably know the roads by a totally different name. The best way to communicate is with landmarks. The bigger the building, the easier it will be to spot. I'll put anyone of these taxi drivers against a NASCAR driver any day! It's a drag race from light to light, just inches apart from the next two cars or buses. The tires squeal around each turn and the horn works like a turn signal. If you let the car in front get a half car length ahead, someone tries to cut you off. I was very nervous when we started driving in that hot mess, but we have kind of gotten used to it.

After a week we still didn't know which school Samantha would be placed or where our housing would be. We did know our apartment wouldn't be furnished, so we went on a little adventure to kill some time. We took a cab to Marina Mall so we could catch a free ride to IKEA, on the IKEA shuttle. What better place to scope out some new home furnishings. It's located right beside Ferrari World and Ace Hardware on Yas Island. The place was of course slammed with people from all over the world, all co-existing, shopping for cabinetry and bed linens. And you know a trip to IKEA wouldn't be complete without sampling their world famous meatballs.

### Chapter 3

### Reality Check

Judgement day finally came for all the new teachers a few days before school started. They gathered several hundred excited professionals from around the globe in a u shaped conference room. Everyone was so happy; they would finally know the name of their school. The teachers were called out one by one and received an envelope containing a contract to sign and location of their school. Man, it was like Christmas came early. Sounds of joy and laughter filled the room as people started tearing those envelopes open. It took us over a year of planning and working toward this single goal to get this far. This is what many of us had been waiting for. Or so we thought. The look on some faces painted a different picture. It was a picture of shock and disbelief. Several newbies stomped away in disgust while murmuring to themselves. The room was abuzz with energy, some good some bad. Samantha made her way to the front of the room to retrieve that golden ticket. She hurried back to her seat beside me and opened the envelope. As we read the documents our excitement faded, replaced by disappointment. Samantha had been placed in the western region about one and half hours from Abu Dhabi and two hours from Dubai. This was a bummer, but not a deal breaker. We knew it was a possibility, even though married couples were usually placed in Abu Dhabi. We learned there was a big shortage of teachers in the west so other married couples were placed with us. In a land time forgot. Still others had been placed in Abu Dhabi and would never know the desert way of life.

### Tilal Liwa Hotel

A note was placed under our hotel door instructing us to be ready for placement the next morning. After breakfast everyone's luggage was piled in open bed trucks before we boarded more tour buses. We left our 5 star hotel in Abu Dhabi to travel two hours west into the desert toward our new hotel, the Tilal Liwa. The ride seemed to last forever as we made our way out of the city, the one familiar thing in this foreign land. We watched as the buildings slowly faded replaced by flat desert land and open sky. The road lined with trees and nothing but sand beyond. No housing, no gas stations, nothing but the occasional road to nowhere. The bus was silent like a death march. As the bus veered in a different direction a sign appeared welcoming us to the Western Region. The road traffic almost disappeared. The flat sand began to rise forming a sea of sand dunes mimicking ocean waves frozen in time. The mood was momentarily lifted by the sight of camels wandering the shifting sand. We wondered where they came from and how they survived in this hostile environment.

The small town of Madinat Zayed was a welcome sight. The desert came alive once again with people and buildings. The funny cubed shaped City mall stood in stark contrast to the other weathered and dated industrial buildings. Several parks lined the road catching the eye with bright green grass and colorful playground equipment. If you blinked too long you would miss it, but there were grocery stores, restaurants, and other services to qualify as an Oasis.

We continued past the town, back out into the desert following the signs to the Camel Racetrack. Slowly we drove down the twisting two-lane road out to the Tilal Liwa Hotel. The remoteness reminded me of someplace diabolical like Bates Motel or Hotel California, but was really quite nice and family friendly. So they moved us from a 5 star hotel to a 4 star hotel. Not so bad. We were in the middle of no freaking where, but this was doable.

The hotel surrounded a courtyard filled with outdoor games and activities. The enormous swimming pool was eye catching, highlighted by a large-scale chess set, a trampoline (yes, a trampoline) and picnic areas. The endless pool was temperature controlled and overlooked the desert. A friendly pool attendant placed a towel on the lounge chair of our choosing. The restaurants were upscale and the service was great. A lounge offered live singers and a full bar.

Samantha's school was still an hour and a half away in the tiny town of Mirfa. We were supposed to be placed at the Mirfa Hotel, but it had no vacancies. This was twice as long as her recruiter promised the longest commute would, but it's only temporary right? Her company provided transportation to and from school until our permanent placement in Mirfa. But that meant a 4:30 am wake-up call to catch the 5:30 am shuttle to Mirfa. The hotel served breakfast early for all the teachers and many made sandwiches for lunch. Living out of hotels for 3 weeks had been fun, but cost a lot of money. The breakfast buffets were free, but all other meals cost us money so we decided to venture into Madinat Zayed for supplies. We arranged for a taxi to take us into town, but had no real idea where to go. The driver knew little English, but he showed us a few places to eat as we drove up the main strip and let us out at the local grocery store, the Co-op.

This was a far cry from the grandeur of the stores in Abu Dhabi. The buildings appeared run down and dirty with higher priced products and limited choices. Samantha became frustrated and nervous as we walked around. Everyone seemed to be staring at us more than normal. I knew MZ (Madinat Zayed) would be a small rural town occupied with low wageworkers, but it did feel a bit dangerous walking around by ourselves. There were large groups of men walking around and just hanging out on the street. I had a knife in my pocket purchased from a store in Abu Dhabi, what good it would do I did not know. At least I had something. No one acted aggressive or even rude. Maybe we were being overly cautious in our new surroundings. Small town people tend to be more curious about change and new people, from my experience anyway.

It was hot so we didn't walk far and had dinner at a nearby Pizza Hut. Checking out the Co-op next door we bought cold cuts and bread for our room. It was getting dark so we called our cab guy and he sent someone for us. The new guy was quite old and unfamiliar with our hotel, as he passed the exit Samantha became worried. She said out loud, "you passed our exit", the driver unfazed just kept driving. I got the look, the you had better do something look. I leaned toward the driver and said you passed our hotel; make a U-turn up a head please. Now, we're on a one-way, four lane highway with a concrete divider and he pulls on to the shoulder to ask us for directions. By this time we're about a mile past the exit. He didn't understand me and I didn't understand him. I finally said Camel Race track and a light came on. The driver thinks for a moment, then he puts it in reverse and away we go! The wrong way down the highway, at night, in a foreign country, in a taxi driven by another foreigner. I wish we had pictures of our faces, as people tend to laugh at other people when they're scared silly. We stared out the back window praying not to become a statistic. A couple of cars and a bus flashed their lights at us as they flew past our taxi without incident. He then stopped and did a U-turn, now facing traffic. Luckily no other cars came our way as the driver swerved down the correct exit. It was a quiet ride out to the hotel as we hoped to make it there in one piece. Lesson learned; always make sure the driver knows where he's going. We stayed at that secluded hotel for 2 weeks before being moved not to Mirfa but back to Abu Dhabi.

This is hard to believe, but it happened. Somehow there wasn't any available housing in Mirfa, so we were placed in MZ instead. The housing in MZ wasn't ready, but the Tilal Hotel had pre-booked our rooms to other people. Because the small desert towns only have one hotel per area, we were forced back to Abu Dhabi and placed in the Novotel Hotel. It was nice to be out of the desert, but it was still an hour and a half from Samantha's school. We spent two more weeks in the hotel before we official moved into our apartment.

We had the power and water turned on and some furniture delivered before moving in. The first night there, we had no water. Unbeknownst to us the water heater had busted, flooding the apartment the night before. The maintenance guys shut the water off until the water heater could be fixed. Luckily, the floors were all tile so no real damage. Such a smooth transition from start to finish, right?

So we started settling into our new environment, setting up the apartment with modern comforts. We had purchased all appliances from one store to help simplify delivery and cost. And because delivery was free over a certain amount we did the same for our sofa and bed. Starting with a minimalist approach we did add things as time went on.

### Chapter 4

### Getting to Know the U.A.E.

All around the world people are just people. We may talk different or dress different, but the core traits are still present. Social behavior in the U.A.E. is very comparable to the US. The young kids act the same with short attention spans highlighted with silly behavior. The teenagers are self-involved and lost in their smart phones. The twenty somethings are busy starting families and thirty somethings are building businesses. The older parents nudge the kids out of the nest and spoil the grandchildren, commonly known as the cycle of life around the world. The difference is in the details. Back home people drive around with pets in their car, maybe a dog or cat. In the U.A.E. they drive around with hunting Falcons. It's not uncommon to have horses in the US, but here camels are king. Western parents dream of hand picking a suitable spouse for their children. In the east, it's a common and accepted practice in today's society.

### What English do You Speak?

The U.A.E. is home to many different nationalities from all around the world. It's a melting pot of cultures and ideas brought together by the allure of prosperity. With the many different cultures, come many different languages. This can make communication challenging but not impossible. A surprise to us was the difference in English spellings, pronunciations, and meanings by different English speaking countries. This was more amusing than problematic and led to several debates between colleagues as to which one was correct. Most of the time it was American English versus British English, but not always. The Brits would always argue it's called English and not American for a reason. The reason being it originated in England and not the States, therefore the British version is correct and the American version is rubbish. I would argue all language changes over time and even Britain's version has been manipulated by modern terms. The U.S. has many different slang words and accents specific to certain geographical regions, but basic terms are universal throughout the country. Similarly, we can distinguish between Scottish, Irish, British, Australian, and South African accents even though most of the core terms are the same. Every country has slang words commonly used in specific geographical regions, but once you learn the lingo, friendly interactions come naturally. I saw several videos online discussing the many different accents and word meanings around the world. The cool method to learn new words and accents was the accent challenge. A list of questions and words meant to be read aloud in front of other people or online. I think this is a great way to learn and have fun at the same time. This is my version of the accent challenge.

The Accent challenge

Where are you from?

Pronounce the following words:

Aunt, Roof, Route, Theater, Salmon, Caramel, Water, New Orleans, Pecan, Alabama, Lawyer, Coupon, Mayonnaise, Pajamas, Naturally, Aluminum, Buoy, Tumblr, Envelope, Polka Dots, Papaya, Battery, Garage, Shallots, Basil, Herbs, Vase, Adidas, Nikon, Z, Foyer, Fillet, Zebra

How do you spell: color/colour, tire/tyre, pajamas/pyjamas, airplane/aeroplane, math/maths

What do you put in your car to make it go?

The room used to entertain guests in a house.

The room used to relieve one's self.

What is a bubbly carbonated drink called?

What do you call your grandparents and parents?

What is the wheeled contraption in which you carry your groceries at the supermarket?

What is the bug that when you touch it, it curls into a ball?

What do you call the multi colored (red, yellow, green) vegetables?

What do call the purple colored vegetable? (sometimes shaped like a egg)

What do you call shoes used for exercise?

What is the boxed pasta dinner flavored with cheese?

What do you call the built-in compartment located on the passenger side of a vehicle?

What do you call the rear section of a car used for storage?

What do you call the outdoor area of a property covered in grass?

What do you call a pouch worn around the waist?

The bread used for a sandwich.

Interchangeable Terms

Mall Life

Malls of all sizes, old and new are the focal point of daily shopping and social interaction in much of the U.A.E. They usually offer better shopping options for food, electronics, and of-course clothes than the small shops. I avoided the malls back home because most were filled with over priced items and young loud kids. And by kids I mean anyone under 21. But since arriving here, I have found myself actually looking for malls and appreciating all they have to offer. You want to check out a new movie, the mall, an American restaurant, the mall, the regional equivalent to Wal-Mart, you go to the mall. So we go to a Mall at least once a week for something or another.

Every mall we've visited had a children's entertainment center usually located near the food court. Similar to a Chuck E. Cheese on steroids filled with scaled down kiddie carnival rides like roller coasters, the octopus, bumper cars, and swings. With flashing lights and crazy sounds that directs your attention to the indoor jungle. You could call it kid heaven and adult hell. The games are endless and the fun never stops as long as you have cash or credit cards. The larger malls offer kiddie rides on an indoor train, which is a golf cart made to look like a train. The trains have loud speakers blaring train sounds and kids music, so you hear them before you can see them. It might as-well be the damn ice cream man. Kids love a train.

We have found some small shops offering good deals, but they're usually a specialty store and aren't conveniently located in the west. Some of the small shops take advantage of Westerners and charge more for merchandise. I've read Emiratis are often over charged because everyone assumes they all have money to burn, which is not true. Be prepared to haggle in any store, whether it's in the Mall or small mini-mart. The chain stores are a safer choice, but prices do sometimes ring-up different than as marked. Just like anywhere in the world.

The oddest thing is the sheer number of employees in the entire country, from the gas stations to the supermarkets and department stores. Somebody will pump your gas, push a buggy to your car, or deliver whatever you desire to your home. Can you imagine just pulling up in front of a store and blowing your horn until someone runs out to take care of your needs? This is common practice in many areas that have adequate parking, but could I never bring myself to do it. That's the customer service side of business almost extinct in the United States from companies reducing staff to turn profits. To be fair, U.A.E. labor is relatively cheap with access to millions of people looking for any chance to better their lives from nearby countries. By American standards a lot of jobs are hard labor and low pay with terrible living conditions, but most workers are thankful for the opportunity. It's a lower standard of living most westerners are accustomed to, but better than the reality those people came from. All the people I've spoken with enjoy working and living in the U.A.E. with no plans of returning home.

How to Dress

Coming from America, revealing clothing is common practice and frankly part of our culture. It's a way to express oneself. Or attract a boyfriend or girlfriend. The same rings true in the U.A.E. on a more conservative level. Instead of showing skin, the fabric quality and stitching along with cleanliness are the way many dress to impress.

Emirati men wear a white garment commonly referred to as the Kandura, which covers the entire body from the neck down to the ankles. Very similar to the cassock robe worn by Christian clergymen. It's not polite to ask what is and what is not worn beneath the Kandura, but I've been told most wear a piece of white cloth wrapped and tied around the hips called a Woozar. Emirati men also wear head garments known as Ghutras and Shimaghs. Typically worn in summer months, the Ghutra is a light white fabric held in place by an Agal, a rope like band fitting snuggly around one's head. The Shimagh, typically worn in winter months, is usually checkered red and white or black and white fabric tied around the head similar to a turban. While most men still prefer the white Kandura, some men have adopted wearing the American ball cap in place of the traditional head dress. Sandals are seen as formal wear and worn by most men with white being the most popular color.

Emirati women wear a black garment similar to the Kandura commonly called an Abaya, loosely covering the body as not to show a woman's curves. A headscarf, known as a Shayla, is worn covering the neck and hair and sometimes a veil covering the mouth or whole face. The manner of how it's worn is up to the woman or sometimes her husband. A metal or leather mask is sometimes worn by older women called the Batoola, known as a traditional garment worn by the Bedouin tribal people. The first time I saw a woman wearing a Batoola, I thought she had a mustache. Tattoos are taboo in the Muslim world, but temporary henna markings are allowed. From the very young to the very old, women proudly show off the beautiful hand drawn art work usually covering the hands. Must have accessories are designer handbags and trendy high heel shoes. Some younger women have taken to the rebellious act of dying their hair and exposing a small amount from under the Shayla. Make-up is frowned upon but tolerated with most women flaunting bold lipstick and smokey eyes.

I had assured Samantha the best place to buy clothes suitable for living overseas would be clothes sold overseas. We didn't need to fill our suitcases with clothes we could buy in the U.A.E. Besides what woman doesn't like to shop? Imagine our surprise when we saw the malls filled with short shorts, lingerie, and skimpy outfits. Surprisingly, the mannequins even looked sexy with erect nipples and suggestive poses. There were subtle differences with color patterns and unfamiliar brand names, but undoubtedly the world market has no boundaries. Finding school suitable attire was limited to small sections in most stores. Samantha gave me that look, the I told you so look. I assumed wrong. Not the first time and not the last time.

We were told locals wear the western clothes underneath the traditional clothing in public, but wear it openly at home or friends' houses. Most women embrace wearing traditional clothes in public because they feel relaxed and unburdened by social status. Having a bad hair day, cover it up with a Shayla. Don't want to put on make-up, cover your whole face and nobody bats an eye. Although some women wear traditional clothes so they will be treated as Emiratis, even if they are not. How can anybody really tell the difference between Nationals and other Arab expats?

It's not unusual to see a group of 5 or more women walking together completely covered in black, with the children and nannies in toe. As outsiders, we have often wondered how they know who is who. Samantha has been greeted by Arabic co-teachers outside of school and had no idea who they were until the face veil was lifted. The loose shapes of the abayas and covered faces make it difficult to identify one person from another person. I guess the handbags and shoes help mark each person and parent from the other. Non Emirati Arabs tend to add more color and variety to their wardrobes with a colored head wrap or blue jeans without the Shayla.

A man having more than one wife is an accepted practice in some Muslim countries. Usually the first wife must agree with the Husband taking a second wife or she has the option to divorce him. The family dynamic seems so strange to us westerners and not to mention illegal in most places. Two women married to one man are known as sister wives. The children will refer to the other mother as sister or brother mom when describing their family. Sometimes the wives will live in separate towns and the father will divide his time between the two families. How would it feel to be the middle child of a second wife?

I dare not ask about sexual habits and desires between three married people and the correct etiquette and conversation amongst them. Having two families living in different cities seems easier to manage, but living away from your children sounds unpractical. If the family goes out to eat who decides where to go? Who disciplines whose child? What if one wife is a better cook than the other? I could ask questions all day and not really want the answers. It's a situation I'll never find myself in, but I must give respect to those who make it work.

A very surprising secret social habit was revealed one late evening during a conversation among seasoned Expats warning us newbies to beware of the sex malls. We looked at each other and laughed, what are sex malls? Well the word on the street was men looking for a hook-up with no obligations need only go to certain malls and whisper they're phone number and wait for a call back for the time and parking lot area. Yes, a quickie in the back parking area with no worries because the nannies are the alibi and may have secrets of their own. I didn't get all the details on how you spot an available female that is covered from head to toe, but the shoes and handbags may be a clue. A fellow newbie female teacher confessed to being approached in this manner by a strange man. She was in a bookstore when this guy walked up and whispered his number. She naturally said excuse me and with a big smile he repeated his number. As she stood there bewildered, the man said put number in phone. It took a moment but it finally clicked, this guy was trying to pick her up with a very straight forward technique. She declined but the guy was persistent and gently took her phone and called his phone and walked away. She stood there for a moment trying to understand this very strange turn of events, when she got a text from a number without a name. Of course she had to read it, she couldn't just erase and block the strange man's number not now. The text read back parking lot black range rover ten minutes. She claims to have just laughed the whole experience off as a lesson learned and never let a stranger grab her phone again. Skeptical, I asked if the guy ever text again. She said yes, many times and mostly trying to woo her. We reminded her unmarried sex is a real crime and she would lose her job and maybe imprisoned if caught. She assured us nothing had happened and nothing was going to happen. She's a grown-up and can make her own decisions in life. I guess it's not much different than tinder.

Food and Drink

Islam prohibits the consumption of alcohol and pork. Therefore, you will find mocktails and beef bacon in most restaurants. Others animals can be eaten if slaughtered properly, known as halal. To buy any type of alcohol you must first have a government issued license limiting quantity on a monthly basis. To further regulate alcohol consumption only certain stores can sale alcoholic beverages. Most hotels are allowed to sell alcoholic drinks, but not stand-alone restaurants. Many American favorite franchises have made their way to the Middle East such as TGIF, Applebee's, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Fuddruckers, etc. Many have tempting menu pictures of familiar looking cocktails, but are really just mocktails. Only restaurants inside hotel buildings can serve real adult beverages. This helps to ensure Muslims can eat at halal restaurants and avoid breaking Islamic laws. Pork products can be purchased at some specialty stores in designated non-Muslim sections. Some hotels have even started catering to non-Muslims with pork items on the menus. We stayed at such a hotel and felt naughty eating real bacon in public.

The majority of restaurants offer anything but Emirati cuisine. You will find many other types of food from around the world. The U.A.E. population consists mainly of South-Asian expats so the restaurants reflect this demographic profile. So tikka and curry are king with shawarmas and kebabs a close second. Every corner has a Chinese, Japanese, Thai type noodles and rice place. Lebanese cuisine is popular with some Turkish places thrown in for good measure. You will find a plethora of coffee shops to choose from, usually filled with Emirati men when they're not smoking shisha.

Fresh bread is readily available as sweet breads are a common dessert. Chocolates and ice cream are of course very popular everywhere in the world and the U.A.E. is no exception. Who doesn't like a cold ice cream cone when summer temperatures are in excess of 100 degrees! We found a type of ice cream that won't easily melt in the extreme heat of the Middle East. The mixture is pounded by hand before being sprinkled with a variety of flavors, known to us as Arabic ice cream.

A not so surprising fact, the one food item found in virtually every restaurant was pizza. Of course there are standalone pizza parlors and delivery stands in most areas, but to see pizza at the Chinese or shawarma locations seemed out of place. We've always considered pizza an American or Italian food, but it is truly a worldwide food. The American food combination of hamburger and fries is almost as popular. Beef is sometimes substituted with other minced meats. The hamburger then becomes the chicken and fish burger or Arabic and vegan burger, all holding a large share of the hamburger market. The fries remained unchanged except for specialized seasonings giving way to names such as; Mexican fries, Italian fries, Arabic fries, and of course spicy fries. Chips and fries are universal terms in the U.A.E., so fries mean chips and chips mean fries unless you buy a bag of potato chips at the grocery store. A bag of chips are known as crisps and a bag of crisps are known as chips. Got it, good!

The few restaurants featuring traditional Emirati foods are typically upscale and not for everyday meals, well unless you are upper-class. Most nationals have great opportunities for prosperity granted by the government and family members. Contrary to popular belief, they're not all filthy rich by birth. Many have taken the bull by the horns and climbed the corporate ladder through hard work and determination. Others depend more on privilege and affluent social systems than hard work to prosper. All government jobs are to be filled by Emiratis first and only other nationalities if necessary. This helps to ensure nationals have good paying jobs with benefits and the government has dedicated workers. The downside is comparable to work unions with people not pulling their weight because they can't be fired or disciplined when needed. So to find an Emirati willing to slave all day in a hot kitchen catering to others is unlikely at best.

A little game we liked to play was called "What the heck is it?" We'd buy unknown exotic fruits and vegetables from the local market to see how they tasted. I will say unknown and exotic to us but not the local people. It was challenging to eat foods so foreign without knowing how or what parts were edible. Some of our favorites were the Lichi, Sarda, and Rambutan while the Soursop and Chickoo left a bad taste in our mouths. Most fresh food was very cheap unless you purchased imported foods from the Americas. The local foods have a shorter shelf life, but with less additives for healthier diet.

All major brands of soft drinks as well as many American fast food chains are thriving in the Middle East. The menus have been altered and the food is seasoned with unfamiliar herbs making a familiar meal in the U.S. taste very different abroad. A major difference may be what's not allowed in the food. The food industry is closely regulated by local governments, many banning certain types of preservatives allowed in American foods. If only the U.S. government would step-up and do the same thing. Do we really need that many chemicals in our food? I think not!

Chapter 5

### Living in the Western Region

Our new home of Madinat Zayed is known as the capital in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi. It's an hour and a half drive south west from the city of Abu Dhabi. MZ has all the basic necessities, but lacks the cosmopolitan nightlife, museums and huge malls of the main city. The town is divided into sections; Residential, Industrial, and Commercial. MZ is not far from the Saudi Arabia border, along the leading edge of the Rub al Khali, the world's largest sand desert. The western region, collectively known as "Al Gharbia" is the ancestral birthplace of the Emirati people. Its main townships are Madinat Zayed, Liwa, Mirfa, Ruwais, Ghayathi, Sila, and Dalma Island. Towns are spread across the brutal landscape supported by the oil Industry as most of Abu Dhabi's oil comes from the western region. Traditional culture and heritage are still widely practiced and proudly preserved in this area. Camel racing, horse racing and falcon hunting are all very popular with competitions frequently held.

Living in the west has some advantages like free parking, no rush hour traffic, plenty of camels, and unlimited amount of free sand. The downsides would be limited choices, limited options, too much sand, and stuck in the west. Housing is usually bigger with decent parking, but grocery stores are few and far between. The few stores available must cater to large numbers of male oil and construction workers long deprived of female companionship. The non-blinking deep stares toward women are nothing short of eye rape. It doesn't matter the age, nationality, size or dress any women is fair game in the west. If you're a single lady looking for men to ogle over you, this is the place. The workweek in the U.A.E. goes from Sunday to Thursday with Friday and Saturday the weekend. Many of the laborers only get Fridays off work, so when Thursday evening comes around the men come out in droves. Any place with grass is fair game for a social gathering as busloads of workers are dropped off from surrounding areas. The main shopping strip in MZ is overwhelmed with hundreds of desperate men looking for friendship and the Industrial area is a madhouse.

Want to buy some curtains or appliances, you have two choices. Either buy what the local stores have in stock from 2 years ago or drive an hour and half to Abu Dhabi and hope they deliver. Want to watch a movie or dine in a normal restaurant, drive to Abu Dhabi. Take a flight to a foreign country for holiday, drive to Abu Dhabi. Would you like a glass of wine after a long week at work, drive to Abu Dhabi and stock up! Should you have to drive 2 hours for real pork bacon? Some may argue no one should be able to buy pork bacon no matter how far you drive, but I would like the option.

The relentless sand invaded our home and attacked our respiratory systems as we sat by helpless against this indifferent foe. There are doctors and medical facilities to help with minor problems, but anything more than a cold, requires a drive to Abu Dhabi. Most people develop a hacking cough. Usually from the time they move to the west until the time they move away from the west. One of the worst things in the west is the drive out of the west. The only road connecting the west to the rest of the country is E-11. A four-lane highway shared with endless truck convoys blocking one lane and speeding drivers pushing you toward disaster in the other lane. All while avoiding the speed cameras that issue a traffic fine via text.

Some people seemed content living in the desert, hiding away from society. They cherished the daily routine and cuddled up to the repetitive complacency of the west. But we didn't move over 7000 miles away from home to live in the desert secluded from modern conveniences and normal daily activities. We came to live like rich people and travel abroad to parts unknown. Well, we didn't really want to live like rich people, but we did want to travel.

Border Run to Oman

When people arrive in the U.A.E. on a tourist visa, they have thirty days before it must be renewed or leave the country. One way to renew the visa is to exit and re-enter the country. Some people applied for a temporary residency visa good for ninety days, but I didn't think I would need it. I assumed Samantha's employer would take care of my visa, but I was issued a thirty-day tourist visa and pretty much left on my own to get a permanent residency card. My wife's employer sponsored me, but I needed to do all the legwork to make it happen. I decided after reading many online forums and Facebook post, a border run to Oman would be the best temporary solution for me. Border runs are cheaper than applying at an official U.A.E. visa office and much quicker. I enjoy traveling and like to save money whenever possible, so I got a two for one with this method. I got to see another part of the U.A.E. and Oman. I didn't really explore Oman, but I can say I was there. While not thrilled about driving two hours and entering a foreign country that I knew little about, the not knowing was exciting.

I found several local Expats offering border run services charging anywhere from 300 to 400 AED per person. In my mind, if they can do it I can do it. I did buy a cheap GPS unit, which made traveling much easier and gave me some confidence to explore different areas. That confidence quickly fled when I pulled up to a border wall with military soldiers speaking a different language. I handed him 35 AED for the exit stamp as he told me to park the car. I just smiled and said "How you doing". He knew what I was doing and pointed me in the right direction. Our rental car insurance didn't cover leaving the country, so I started walking to the Oman checkpoint. It's probably a mile or so. You can buy car insurance but it didn't make sense for just a border run. A trucker picked me up as I crossed into Oman telling me it was too hot to walk. He seemed surprised I was American, but wished me safe travels as he dropped me off at the checkpoint. I told the Oman soldiers exactly what I was doing and they helped me with the process. You get the entrance stamp on one side of the building and walk over to the other side for the exit stamp. Basically, I filled out a travel form, paid for the entrance and exit stamps and walked back to the U.A.E. To officially get back into the U.A.E. you must pass through the customs office. It took almost an hour to get clearance and get my visa stamped at the border checkpoint. I had to do this two more times before my residency visa was finally issued.

My first hair-cut

After a month in the U.A.E. my hair was looking a little shaggy. I decided to get a simple cut from a barber in Madinat Zayed. I had no idea what to expect, how much it cost, or where to go. I had seen a couple shops earlier in the week while Samantha negotiated an abaya purchase from a slick Indian fellow. I stopped at the one with the most people in it, with the idea of more people equaled better service. As soon as I opened the door, a nice fellow said follow me sir, so I did. He sat me down in a normal looking barber's chair and closed the curtain around us, which felt a bit odd. It reminded me of a semi-private hospital room. He turned on a small TV and asked what channel I preferred. I had no idea, and said whatever you like. So we watched the BBC. He threw on the bib as I described my desired hairstyle with an old picture of me and hand gestures. And just like that we started my first International haircut. The technique seemed familiar and everything went normal, even with dull scissors that pulled more hair than it cut.

We didn't have much of a conversation, just the normal where are you from and where do you work. I decided to poke the bear a little by asking what religion he followed. I wanted to learn the real customs and beliefs in this new land. He nervously looked around and said Islam. My family is from India and is Hindu, but I'm Muslim. He asked me if I was Christian. I nervously said yes because I did not want to say I'm I non-religious person. In this part of the world it's not a question of if you're religious, it's what religion do you follow. I was raised a Baptist and could answer any questions he may have had, but I had not been to church in twenty something years. He asked if many Muslims lived in my hometown. I said none that I know of or ever heard of. He looked shocked and said none at all. I said before coming here I had never met or seen a Muslim. Many Americans claim to be Christians, but most do not attend church or pray unless a tragedy happens. And there are millions who don't follow any religion or believe in any god. He stopped and looked at me and said " _millions who don't believe in god and people who don't pray. How do people live with one another, how do you care and love one another? Religion teaches us all we need to know and punishes those who do bad things to others. This cannot be true"_. I said in America we have laws to protect each other, religion comes second. He shook his head and started to hum a prayer. That was the end of our conversation.

The barber seemed to be finished, but left our little space for a moment. I saw an old school straight razor in his hand and felt tense. I didn't need a shave nor would I allow a complete stranger use a lethal weapon to cut my hair. He wiped the razor with an alcohol wet nap and pushed my head forward to shape my neck line and around my ears. This was very unusual for me, but when in Rome, man up. He used a mirror to show me the back and asked how it looked, and I said great. He pushed for the up-sale of the shampoo and shave. I politely declined. I was feeling better by this time thinking my self-imposed ordeal was all but over, but I was wrong. The barber rubbed ointment on his hands and without a word proceeded to give me a deep tissue scalp massage. He went to town on my head like his life depended on it. Starting with his fingers and then I swear an elbow before finishing with a few smacks to my noggin. As he rubbed my head, I started to laugh. The harder he rubbed the more it amused me. All I could think of was the many different types of lice I would probably be exposed to from this one visit. From the scissors, the razor, the comb and scalp massage. In MZ, there are thousands of workers from many different countries living in poor conditions through no fault of their own. All getting haircuts from this barber shop, maybe from this very chair. But my fears were unsubstantiated. The haircut was actually decent looking and only cost 20 AED with no lice infestation. Sometimes it's just best to go with the flow. Sometimes it's better to move on as Samantha did after being told _"hair no good and face too round"_ during her first haircut in the U.A.E. She ended up driving to Abu Dhabi for a decent hair stylist.

Holidays

On December 2nd 2013 the UAE celebrated its 42nd national day. Known as the "Spirit of Union" since 1971, the day seven Emirates united under one flag to form the United Arab Emirates. Many of the Emiraties decorated their cars with flags and bedazzled wraps for a flashy effect. They are very proud of their country and take great pride in showing support whenever possible, as they should. Madinat Zayed was lit up like Christmas in Vegas with flags and lights lining the streets and people's homes. At night, fireworks filled the sky and parties united family and neighbors. This reminded me of the Fourth of July back home and my thoughts drifted to friends and family back in the states and wished they could be here with us to experience this newfound life style.

I wonder how American citizens felt about the United States when it was just 42 years old?

Living in the land of Muhammad one would think finding a western capitalist version of a Christian holiday would be impossible. Well money talks and Local shopkeepers like money as we found several stores selling Christmas decorations. It was fun to put a little Charlie Brown tree up and hang the wreath on the door. We invited several people over for a turkey dinner with southern side dishes. I made cornbread especially for a lady from South Africa that just had to try some. It was common practice for us expats to have holiday meals and invite people from all around the globe to experience our customs. This was made easy by the national diversity of all the residents in our villas. A normal dinner would consist of people from 4 or 5 different countries. We would have Q&A time to learn more about each other's culture and discuss how living in the U.A.E. brought us together. It was a real surreal experience.

Al Dhafra Camel Festival

For the winter break, we drove out to the Al Dhafra Camel Festival to check out how they do it in the desert. It's a time for Arab men to showcase desert beauties for the sole bragging right of prettiest camel in the U.A.E. Camel owners from numerous Gulf countries competed for 80 million dirhams in prize money, luxury cars, and family pride. Folklore states the pageant started 21 years ago after two men argued who had the best camel. They invited neighbors over to judge the sand walkers and the rest is history. The annual events know include falcon hunting, dog racing, horse racing, camel racing, camel beauty contest, date tasting, and shopping. Luckily, the people were very friendly and the event only ten minutes from our flat. It is a little odd to be around public sporting events with large monetary payouts when the culture prohibits gambling. To get around this all the prizes were awarded to the camels and not the owners. With no alcohol or gambling at the event some might think it boring, but it was really fun and enjoyed by all.

The Camel Festival is held near the camel racetrack, located outside of Madinat Zayed, in the desert near Tilal Liwa Hotel. For 2 weeks the normally quiet strip of desert dunes comes alive with 15,000 camels and thousands spectators. The once barren landscape was covered in national flags and massive tents, creating a temporary boomtown for the massive influx of visitors. Vendor's set-up roadside tents with various merchandise from China and serve hot food and drinks to all the weary travelers. A temporary marketplace was erected on a nearby hill for traditional goods to be peddled and dates to be tasted. People are real serious about dates in the region with a large variety to choose from.

The beauty contest takes place in the camel stadium erected down the road from the racetrack. It's filled with white and black camels, judged by a group of men who know a good looking camel when they see one. The camels are adorned with elaborate decorations to enhance the natural beauty of these desert beasts. When a camel wins a category or advances to the next round the stadium erupts in song and chants from the excited fans. At the end of the day all winners march down Million street in celebration, a single dirt road leading into the desert where many of the camp sites are located. It is a sight to see. The winners drive trucks with loud speakers blaring music and blowing horns while following the prized camel surrounded by loyal fans. Aptly named Million Street because of the millions of dirhams exchanged in the camel selling frenzy during the festival. Camels are big business in the Arab world. Desirable specimens can sell for millions, much like breeding horses, with the opportunity to sell the offspring for huge profits.

The camel stadium was surrounded by a fence with security guards overseeing the hundreds of brand new vehicles given away as prizes. Not knowing where to sit as we entered the outdoor stadium a guard pointed us to the VIP section. This was probably for security reasons, but we didn't mind. I did not see any local women at the camel stadium, while our small group mainly consisted of women. I am sure we looked out of place, as westerners tend to do, surrounded by wealthy Arabic men dressed in traditional clothing. As we sat in our lush stadium seats, free desserts were brought to us and a tour guide offered to show us around and explain what makes a camel a beauty queen. Waleed, a tall thin young man in his early twenties dressed in traditional clothing was our tour guide. He spoke very good English as he told us about living in America while earning a degree from the University of Washington. Waleed loved America, but missed his family and friends while abroad. He especially missed his mother's cooking and said nobody cooks as good as mama. As we walked around the stalls Waleed informed us all the camels were female and the larger black colored camels tend to be more aggressive than the smaller white colored camels. He excitedly explained last year's winning camel was just purchased for 5 million dirhams in hopes of a repeat title run. The black camels really did seem more aggressive as they tended to run around the pens nipping at each other. One got loose from its trainer and off it went streaking into the desert sunset. The white camels just stood there taking it all in while waiting on commands from the trainers.

Waleed thought it would be fun to have us ride a camel. Several were saddled so tourists like us could be spectacles for the crowd to laugh at. While we opted not to ride the camels, several people in our group saddled up. For safety, a chest plate and helmet were worn while on the camel. Unlike a horse, you mount a camel while it's setting down. It was getting late in the day and the camels were surely tired by this time. The trainer had to smack the camel several times to make it stand-up. It growled and nipped at the trainer before being forced to awkwardly stand with a person sitting in the saddle. The look on the rider's eyes was priceless as the beast swayed from front to back, almost dumping her before standing upright. The dismount was just as awkward for the camel and the rider. I prefer not to ride anything without a gas or brake pedal.

We had to ask, what makes one camel more attractive than another. Waleed paused for a moment while stroking his chin before answering; _it's hard to explain to outsiders, but a judge will look at the size and stance. He compares the hair color and how the camel behaves. The eyes and eyelashes are very important, the longer the lashes the better. There are many factors the judges look at and make notes on before making judgement._ Everything made sense except the eye part, but I'm just an outsider observing another culture.

We thanked Waleed and said goodbye before heading toward the market area for some dates. The wooden structures looked like something out of ancient history with little shops lining the walls as merchants showcased handmade wears. A local group preformed the cane dance. Performed by men that lineup side by side and sing traditional songs while waving camel sticks as others beat drums. Sometimes swords and guns are used in the dance. Many people gathered around to watch and sing with the dancers. It's amazing to witness such national pride in a group of people.

The dates had a dedicated section for people to taste and vote for the best dates. The natural oasis town of Liwa, not far from the camel festival, has a yearly date festival attracting people from all over the U.A.E. As a naturally growing fruit in the Middle East, dates must have been seen as a godsend by people living here hundreds and thousands of years ago. Today dates are considered spiritual and purifying by Islam so people eat them daily as snacks and when breaking a fast.

The western city of Ruwais

We took a drive to Ruwais, about an hour and half south-west of Madinat Zayed. A shopping mall opened there complete with a movie theater. We were jealous because MZ doesn't have a movie theater. This was a very big deal since Abu Dhabi is 240 kilometers away from Ruwais. Before the mall was built the forty thousand residents had to travel to the Capital in order to purchase everyday items or settle for a limited selection from the small local shops. It's like living in Alexander County, North Carolina, except the nearest mall is two hours away instead of thirty to forty minutes.

The mall was built on top of a hill across from an oil refinery. At the bottom of the hill are hundreds of worker housing units. The workers like to hangout on the grass in front of the mall on their downtime because there's not much else to do. The Ruwais Refinery produces liquefied petroleum gas, premium unleaded gasoline (98 Octane) and special unleaded gasoline (95 Octane). It also produces naphtha, Jet-A1, kerosene, gas oil and granulated Sulphur. This facility keeps the country moving and is owned by the government, known as the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company or ADNOC.

Ruwais is surrounded by desert on one-side and the Persia Gulf on the other with nothing else but the new mall and a spinneys alcohol store to keep the natives occupied. You can take a ferry out to Sir Bani Yas Island for a luxury vacation or to Delma Island were some teachers work and live. This area is closer to Saudi Arabia and Qatar than Abu Dhabi or Dubai. It's not a bad place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.

Qasr al Sarab desert resort (star wars location)

For people living in shadows of the Appalachian Mountains in western NC a favorite past-time is to drive further into the mountains. Same same here in the UAE. People living in the desert like to drive further out into the sandy dunes. They build 4 and 5 star hotels in the middle of nowhere and people just show up. I don't know why people want to be in the desert when they could be near the sea. But, we decided to drive out to the remote luxury resort of Qasr al Sarab and see what it's all about. On the way we stopped at the Liwa Art Hub, the first artist community in the U.A.E. It was closed for some reason, but we did snap a few photos of a nearby fort.

The resort lies near the Saudi Arabia border in the Empty Quarter and far away from any civilization. The drive is very beautiful and desolate at the same time. The Qasr al Sarab Desert Resort was the home away from home for the Star Wars crew. It makes sense the new Star Wars movie was filmed in this alien looking landscape. The complex is massive blending into the mountain-sized sand dunes. The resort is beautiful and luxurious by any standards. But for us it's still in the middle of nowhere and by nowhere I mean the largest sand desert in the world. The real draw for us was the chance of seeing a movie star or famous somebody working on the movie. We didn't make any new Jedi friends, but we did have a tasty dinner and a good time.

### Chapter 6

### Exploring the U.A.E.

One of the best things about moving to a new country is being able to explore all the tourist attractions. We made a list of places to see and set about mapping some routes for quick getaways. Since we lived in the Western Region it made sense to start there, but the big-ticket items to the north won out over the local sandy attractions. We would hit the road on any weekend we had free or during a national holiday when most people were off work. There was no set schedule just a see how we feel kind of plan.

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

One of the most popular attractions in Abu Dhabi is the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, a beautiful architectural work of art both inside and out. The late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan wanted a center piece uniting the Islamic culture. Inspired by mosques around the world, construction began in 1996 and opened in 2007. Unfortunately, Sheikh Zayed died in 2004, before the Mosques completion. The Sheikhs body was laid to rest at the new mosque and his vision carried on by his sons. The outside of the mosque was clad in white marble with 82 domes and over 1,000 columns. The inside was adorned with floral designs and semi-precious stones. A 60,000 sq. ft. hand-knotted carpet covers the main prayer hall floor as gold plated chandeliers dangle above.

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque welcomes all Muslims and non-Muslim visitors, except on Friday morning prayers and Eid holidays. Those religious times are for Muslims only and can accommodate 40,000 worshipers. It is totally free to visit and the Mosque provides guided tours several times a day, but also allows self-guided tours. FYI, the guided tour permits access to areas not accessible on the self-tour. Our young tour guide was informative and fun as he answered questions nobody knew to ask. Everyone in the guided tours was required to wear headset so you could hear the guide and not fall behind. The dress code is of course restrictive, particularly for the women. Samantha had to cover her head and wear loose fitting clothes from her neck to her ankles, with no exceptions. Any woman not meeting this dress code had to wear an Abaya, provided by the Mosque, or entrance was denied. The last requirement was no shoes allowed. Everyone leaves their shoes in cubbies outside the Mosque entrance; just remember where you left them. The courtyard was covered with imported marble that feels warm, but not hot, on your bare feet even in the hot summer sun. The planning for this Mosque took ten years and the gardens are still under construction. In my opinion, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is best observed at dusk and at night when it's aglow with expert lighting. The massive mosque can be seen from miles around making it a prominent land marker when asking for directions.

First Time in Dubai

For the October 2013 holiday, Eid al-Adha "the Feast of the Sacrifice" which marked the end of the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, we decided to travel to Dubai. To finally visit the crown jewel of the U.A.E. and main reason for us moving there. This was a spur of the moment decision and finding a hotel became a problem. The first three hotels we looked at had no vacancies. The next four hotels were out of our modest budget. So after calling friends that had stayed in Dubai before and several hours of internet searching and several glasses of wine it came down to three no star hotels. The four main criteria being: in our price range, free Wi-Fi, free breakfast, and close to a metro station. Never planning a vacation to a large city to just sightsee, we overlooked the painfully obvious problem of parking. The hotel I chose did not provide parking or discounts to any parking areas. We did not have time to find another hotel and looked for other options. We were such newbies when it came to traveling and this help **e** d cut our teeth for planning vacations in the future.

Dubai has a metro system making it easy to explore the city. It also has toll roads. So we originally planned on taking the bus from Abu Dhabi to Dubai. We called the bus station in Abu Dhabi and were told parking was free to customers. Like other people in the western region, we had a long term rental car. It was a 10 month agreement covering all maintenance and insurance by the rental company. Everything but the gas was covered. They even drove out to us for routine car service and would switch out cars, usually with similar models. We were due a maintenance service but this time all they had was a tiny Yaris. It was new and clean, but it was a Yaris. The problem was E-11, a very dangerous road with many accidents each year and the only road from the western region to Abu Dhabi. A four lane road with two lanes going one direction and two lanes going the other direction divided by a palm tree median with each direction full of trucks and buses in the slow right lane and speeding motorist flashing lights in the fast left lane.

So we drove to Abu Dhabi bus station in a Yaris to find all the parking full. The Eid holiday had drawn a large crowd to the city and parking was limited. The only thing we could do was drive the little minicar to Dubai on the perilous E-11. After arriving in Dubai and finding the hotel (The White Fort) and lack of parking, we decided to do what everyone else does in the U.A.E. Go to the mall. The Dubai Mall was the closest and turned out to be a great solution for our parking dilemma. The parking was limited, but free for up to 48 hours which was perfect for short stay. We only moved the car once for the four day trip.

Driving into the city for the first time was great and nerve racking all at once. We arrived midday and the sun was shining bright and glistened off the tall windows of the skyscrapers. Samantha was driving as I took photos and ignored her pleas for directions. I had no more of an idea where we were than she did, but at least one of us was having a good time. The hotel wasn't listed on our GPS, so I guessed where it might be based on my memory from online maps the night before. This gave us time to soak in the city and explore this urban concrete jungle known as Dubai. The buildings were amazingly unusual with non-traditional lines and colors that added to the beauty of this modern city. The scale of everything is grand and inspiring and at the same time inviting with the crown jewel being the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa. Well, until China builds the Sky City tower. The roadways are intimidating with multiple lanes of one-way traffic that twist and turn first to off ramps and then to tunnels, packed with people in a rush who know where to go! The Metro towers over the roads with connecting walkways that shuttle commuters to popular destinations for work and play as traffic below crisscrosses the ground.

We stayed in the Deira area, known as old Dubai, and it turned out to be a great change of pace from the glamorous new Dubai you see in the media. The countless grungy buildings snugly placed row after row after row, overflowed with people swarming to and fro. The small back-alley streets overfilled with tourists and residents blocking cars from moving. At night, it got worse and a little sketchier. We walked around taking it all in as people approached selling various services. We had read about the sex trade in Dubai, but this was our first exposer to the real thing. Several Indian or Pakistani looking guys speaking what sounded like Russian handed out pictures of various girls. I yelled back at them, English, English and they turned away. Samantha was solicited by one of these guys and I'm not sure if he was buying or selling, but the look on her face was priceless.

The White Fort Hotel is located just a few streets off Dubai Creek, the old city port. Today used more as a tourist attraction and for local boating clubs. We wanted to ride on a Dhow boat once used for fishing and imports, but serve as water taxis today. The Dhow taxi only cost 1 dirham per person and definitely added to the experience as we crossed the creek to the Old Shouk. A definite tourist trap, but fun nonetheless. We walked along the waterway before making our way through the small streets designed to look like an ancient city marketplace. The endless waves of aggressive sales people can get very touchy feely. They all called me Boss and tried luring us into their little shops with promises of under the table deals not available to just everybody. We did buy a few things after some serious haggling. Samantha bought a scarf for 25 dirhams that started at 175 dirhams. The guys kept saying, "Very High Quality" and Samantha kept saying 25 dirhams or bye bye. We made our way back to the hotel looking for a break from the craziness. The White Fort is in a great location, but was very dirty. I felt compelled to clean the bathroom before Samantha could use it. The sheets seemed clean enough, so that was a plus.

Our first day trip on the Metro lines was exciting since neither of us had been on one before. We bought day passes for 16 dirham each that allowed unlimited travel on railways and buses. The rail line gave us a great view of the city and granted access to many touristy destinations. We stopped at the Dubai Mall to check on the rental car and all was well. After a quick trip to the Aquarium and the Burj Khalifa entrance, we decided to head to the Mall of Emirates.

I really wanted to enter the world's tallest building, but the 125 dirham per person price for regular admission were sold out and the 400 dirham per person ticket seemed a little too steep for our taste. Next time we visited Dubai the Burj would be at the top of the must see and do lists. The Mall of Emirates has the Ski Dubai attraction that offers indoor snow skiing in the desert. The mall was packed so after a quick lunch we headed to the Marina. We both like the water and I wanted to inquire about chartering a boat or dinner cruise. We walked over a bridge that led to the marina filled with boats of all shapes and sizes. There were several shady characters hanging around the bridge that seem to be targeting single women. Looking for love in all the wrong places I guess. The architecture looked amazing with twisted buildings and enormous hotels that mimicked sand castles.

We followed the winding brick pathway around the outline of a canal dotted with restaurants that bustled with people as they sat at open patios cooled by outdoor air conditioners. There were people jogging and families playing as we made our way along the waterway to the beach. We came across a guy using some kind of water jet propelled suit connected to a sea-doo that enabled him to hover over the water before splashing back down and back up again. I had seen something like this on TV, but never in person. Very cool.

As we walked further, something caught my eye high in the sky in-between some buildings. It appeared to be people base-jumping, but turned out to be Skydive Dubai. They have a small airstrip and landing field for the skydivers just off the beach. You could hear the flap of the parachutes and jump suits as they landed on the field with expert precision. The tandem jumps were cool because people screamed and yelled as they landed while being video recorded. They also offered parasailing for those so inclined to do so. Nether appealed to Samantha or myself on this day, maybe next time maybe not. By this time, the sun had begun its slow-paced descent on the water and the metro was calling our names. Earlier in the day foot traffic seemed tolerable, but after 6pm it got very crowded. It was standing room only on the metro and most of the time elbow to elbow with little room to maneuver at our stops. A taxi may cost more but sometimes they are worth it.

The next few days were spent exploring the different areas of Dubai. We would hop on the metro to see where it went and hop off when we felt like it. While moving our car we found a nice public beach in a quiet part of the city to relax by the sea. We really enjoyed the brief trip to Dubai, but after several nights in the White Fort Hotel, Samantha was ready for the comforts of our little villa in the west. The vibe in Dubai seemed more relaxed compared to Abu Dhabi. I was not sure if it was because of the holiday or because Dubai is more of an International city with more accommodating views toward expats. Do not get me wrong, Abu Dhabi is great for expats and welcomes visitors with open arms. I would say Abu Dhabi is like the mature older brother to the rebellious younger brother of Dubai.

I have a little rant to get off my chest. I will never understand how or why a city less than 50 years old does not have adequate parking. You just plan for these things before all the land is covered by steel and concrete. You plan for commercial and residential development years in advance. How do you OK buildings to be placed touching each other for miles and miles without adequate parking? Yes land is worth a lot of money, but future traffic congestion is a deal breaker for growth. Nobody wants to be stuck in that mess, so they move to a less congested area. Sure public transportation helps, but how much does that cost? Has no one ever played Sim City? If a city is a few centuries old and grew slowly it makes sense to have small narrow roads. How big was a horse and cart? Populations were in the thousands not millions. Nobody ever expected cities to grow this large. Fifty years ago, cities were very large and parking was a problem back then. Even if we had flying cars where would we park them? Parking, parking, parking! Thank you and good day.

Moreeb Dune

After seeing signs posted in Madinat Zayed we drove out near the border of U.A.E. and Saudi Arabia to see the Liwa Dune Festival along the Moreeb Dune. It's a weeklong event set in the, the largest sand desert in the world, known as the Empty Quarter. A vertical dragstrip was set-up on the dune near the camel racetrack. It is 30 km from the nearest town with only a few permanent buildings on site. The landscape was dotted with campers and tents buzzing with activity. The drive out to the remote location was thrilling because of the no-holds-barred attitude from the never ending line of SUVs fighting for an ever closer position in the imaginary race to the Dune.

After arriving at the festival, we were greeted by several riders zooming by in different directions on ATV's and dune buggies. Parking was free but with no supervision or posted signs instructing where or how to park. We just backed our SUV toward the action and started tailgating. Soon others followed suit and we had a whole line tailgating with us as enterprising individuals walked around selling water and popcorn looking to make a quick dirham.

It was a free-for-all on the Mountain sized dune as vehicles crisscrossed in every direction, even after dark. We wasted the day watching people try, without success, to make it to the top of the dune with normal SUVs. They would race toward the hill and start the steep climb at full throttle, only to stall near the bottom not even half way to the top. It didn't matter make or model, they all fell short. Only the supercharged off-roaders and ATVs made it to the top. As the sun disappeared behind the dunes people gathered for the main event. Leaving our vehicle behind it was a short walk over to the fenced in grandstands. One security guard was turning people away as it was VIP entrance only. Another man, who looked Emirati, allowed us entry even without VIP credentials. We nervously made our way to the luxury stands with a great view of the drag strip and waited for the fun to begin.

The main event started with fireworks as the super-charged off roaders raced up the sand track for the quickest times. The vertical hill made staging the vehicle very difficult. A few times someone had to run up the hill and reset the electronic device that records the speed and time of each attempt. Once staged, the off-roading monster machine would jump forward with a loud roar of the engine as it sent jet streams of sand blasting behind. Several drivers veered off course voiding the run. A few cars had fire shooting out of the exhaust pipes sticking through the hood, making for a great visual effect against the night sky. To get a quick time the drivers pushed the drag cars to the limit, causing several to blow an engine with a loud pop. After an hour of watching run after run after run, Samantha had had enough. We decided to leave early and forgo the imaginary race back down the winding roads in the dark toward home.

Road Trip

Living in the U.A.E. allowed us access to numerous travel destinations with-in driving distance, so we planned a road trip for spring break. The first stop was Sir Bani Yas Island to see the wildlife reserve. The next stop would be Jebel Hafeet Mountain in Al Ain near the Oman border before driving up to Dubai for the Burj Khalifa.

Sir Bani Yas Island

A little history on the island; the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, founder of the U.A.E., established a wildlife reserve on Sir Bani Yas Island in 1971. And as part of his 'Greening of the Desert' millions of trees have been planted all over the once desolate island. Sir Bani Yas is the largest natural island in the U.A.E. created millions of years ago when geological forces formed salt domes rising out of the sea. The Anantara Corporation manages three luxury hotels spread across the island, the Al Sahel Villas, the Al Yamm Villas and the Desert Island & Spa. The Al Sahel Villa Resort is located within the Arabian Wildlife Park, home to over 10,000 free roaming animals. The 30 private villas offer luxury comforts while surrounded by nature. The Al Yamm Villas are nestled right on the beach with breathtaking views of the sea. The Desert Island & Spa Resort redefines luxury with the Arabian flair of the Middle East. This 5 star resort set on the beach offers spectacular sea views and world class amenities.

It was a beautiful day as we drove two hours in the direction of Saudi Arabia from our villa, stopping in Ruwais for the short ferry ride over to Sir Bani Yas Island. The water looked beautiful as we snaked our way through the dredged waterways. Wind blowing our hair and water misted our face as the island took shape with each passing minute. A large modern looking wind turbine appeared as if from a dream. I did not expect to see this green energy source in the land of black gold and eternal sunlight. The fan blades stood still, so I asked about the wind turbine and the crewmember said it had not worked in quite some time. It seems to take a lot of effort to make green energies viable. The U.A.E. has several solar farms, but weak winds may derail any future wind power plans.

Since personal cars are not allowed, the hotels provided transportation around the island. A driver named Kahn met us at the dock holding a sign with our name on it. He loaded our luggage into a large SUV and welcomed us with bottled water and moist towels to refresh ourselves. With a big smile on his face, Kahn said we were on Island time now, no rush. Relax and enjoy. He made us feel very welcomed in this desert paradise. Khan was from Pakistan and loved living in the U.A.E. As we drove to our villa, he spoke of his homeland and asked where we were from. I've come accustomed to this little game and always have them guess first. We find it amusing since there aren't many Southerners in the U.A.E. people have a hard time with our accents. I lay it on thick sometimes just to throw them off. Khan guessed Australia, then Irish, and said I don't know, Canada? I laughed and said USA. Not missing a beat he said USA number one. I said maybe not number one, but a great place to live. He repeated America number one.

We headed off-road and entered the wildlife reserve through a large gate. As Khan drove us to the Al Sahel Resort he excitedly explained the history of Sir Bani Yas island and named several of the must see animals. He even drove us around the reserve showing off some of the desert gazelles, deer, ostridge, and oryx species before arriving at our villa. We thanked Khan for his hospitality and settled in to our fancy desert villa. The private villas are located around the main lodge where the swimming pool and restaurant are located.

We rented a single unit with a small plunge pool on the back patio. The outside of the villas resembled mud and stick huts with thatched roofs, but the inside looked fabulous. With high open ceilings and exposed wooden beams with ceiling fans looking down on the four poster bed wrapped in mosquito netting. The huge bathroom made Samantha's day with the largest copper tub we had ever seen. The soothing tub placed in front of several large windows allowed for sunlight bathing with the addition of an outside patio and privacy fence. French doors led out to the back patio and plunge pool overlooking the grassy wildlife reserve. We spent several evenings lounging in the pool with a glass of wine watching wild animals graze nearby. The curious rabbits and peacocks ventured within a few yards before darting back into the bushes. The peacocks could be annoying with their loud cat like screeches in the middle of the night, but the sound of birds and insects were great comforts against the normally dead silence of the inhospitable desert. This reminded us of home causing us to feel a little melancholy. This soon passed as we settled in our comfy bed for a welcomed night of adult fun.

The next morning we waited on our wildlife safari tour guide to show up. Khan had told us we were on island time now and he must have meant it because the 8am tour proved too early for most humans and animals on the island. Our guide Daniel, a young man from South Africa, came dragging in about thirty minutes late and looked like he had pulled an all-nighter. Ah, to be young again! He apologized for the delay as he walked us through the itinerary for the tour. Daniel seemed like a nice guy and very knowledgeable on the wildlife and history of the island with several years of training as a wildlife and nature guide in South Africa. Another guide we met, Holly, was from Australia with a similar background. The U.A.E. attracts business professionals from all around the world, why not wildlife professionals. The staff and wildlife guides dressed the part and even had authentic safari off-road vehicles. It really added to the whole experience.

It was no surprise Samantha and I were the only two people on the morning tour with Daniel, which was kind of nice. It was like a private tour at a fraction of the cost. But I guess you get what you pay for because we didn't see any of the big ticket animals. Daniel did his best to find the cheetahs and hyenas, but he felled to even find one giraffe. We did stumble across the mountain sheep as they played on a rock face. The animals seemed to be sleeping in like most of the people on the island. Daniel looked tired as he gave up on finding any other animals besides the thousands of gazelle and deer. He drove us back to the villas and said good day. We were disappointed but it was still fun driving around the countryside looking for elusive game. It was now only 10:30am so we decided to head to the beach for the rest of the day.

We grabbed our swimwear and arranged for a transport to Al Yamm beachside resort. The short ride to the beach gave us a scenic view of the island as we traveled along the seashore. The beach villas are sparsely spread around the main building giving some privacy from prying eyes. The beach was nearly deserted as we headed straight to a set of lounge chairs covered by an umbrella. It was like our own private beach complete with staff catering to our demands. A nice married couple from France set down beside us as we lounged the day away listening to the sound of the waves playfully caressing the shore. Our newfound companions had stopped in Sir Bani Yas on their way home from a month long vacation in Hawaii after reading a post in a travel blog. They recommended no less than 3 weeks in Hawaii as 4 was barely enough time to explore the islands properly. The husband loved America and was thrilled to find two Americans just setting beside him. He told us of all the American cities they had visited, several more than once, and some places they had on a bucket list. The adventurous couple travels 2 – 3 times per year and usually to America at least once. We did not ask what they did for a living, but I think we need to be doing it.

On the way back to our villa the driver spotted what looked like a cheetah dart across the road. He pulled off the dirt road stopping were he last saw the shadowy figure. I got out of the vehicle for a better look and maybe a picture. The sun was very low in the sky making it hard to see, but it looked and moved like a cheetah. My pictures were blurry like a Bigfoot sighting, but it was real none the less. Back at our villa we retreated to the plunge pool to relax after such a strenuous day of island life.

The last day of our stay was spent by the pool after an early morning walk around a grassy trail. We then decided to venture over to the main resort on the island for an early dinner. The Desert Island & Spa by Anantara is the oldest of the three resorts, but larger with more amenities than the other two. It had several restaurants and bars surrounding an outdoor pool with nearby beach access. This resort had beach side dinning with an open pit grill even though the wind blew sand in people's faces. It looked nice with a tent full of Arabic seating and staff catering to your needs, but we opted for indoor seating at the international buffet. Maybe not the best choice, but not a bad choice either. A typical hotel buffet with dozens and dozens of professionally prepared dishes and desserts to satisfy a wide range of guests from around the world. After sampling one too many sugary treats, we walked around the property as the sunset on our last night on Sir Bani Yas Island.

The next morning our favorite driver Khan drove us to the ferry dock. He asked how our stay was and when we were coming back so he could see us again. We told him how great our stay was and would try to visit again soon. I casually mentioned our only disappointment was not seeing the big animals up-close, and hopefully next visit we would have better luck. Khan stopped the vehicle, turned toward us and said you did not see a cheetah or hyena. I said no not really, maybe a cheetah from a long distance, but not on the safari tour. Khan said how about the Giraffes; surely you saw one of the 35 Giraffes. We both said no, no Giraffes. Khan was beside himself in disbelief as he said how do you not see the Giraffes, they are so tall. I see them all the time. Heads over the trees, they are very big animals. He said I will take you now and show you. Laughing at what he just said, I thanked him for the offer, but our ferry was leaving soon and we had a long 4 hour drive to Al Ain. Khan apologized for the safari tour mishap and said next trip he would make sure we saw at least one Giraffe. We thanked Khan for his concern, but explained it's a wildlife reserve and not a zoo. We were just unlucky that's all. We had a great time and hoped to come back soon. Khan dropped us off at the dock as he welcomed a new group of tourist to Sir Bani Yas Island. Maybe next visit we'll just hang out with Khan.

Jebel Hafeet Mountain

The drive from the ferry dock in Ruwais to Jebel Hafeet Mountain in Al Ain took us 4 hours. We traveled from the U.A.E. coast near Saudi Arabia to the U.A.E. sand desert near Oman. I turned the music up and hit the road, driving like a local, gas pedal down and flashing headlights at those driving too slow in the fast lane. Just to be clear I set the cruise control on the legal speed limit, but the law allows for a 20 kph bump before tickets are issued. FYI: kph stands for kilometers per hour, the metric measuring unit in the U.A.E. and most of the world. OK. Once we arrived at the mountain base, the flat roads turned into twisting left and right driving on a steep uphill grade reminding me of home. Except, there were no trees or grass or wildlife, just rocks and sand and nothing but a view of the vast desert.

Samantha became nauseas as we climbed higher with every turn and the ground below began to fade in the distance. I began to laugh at her, because that's what husbands tend to do when their wives act funny, right? Well maybe not, but I found it amusing. This of course made her mad at me for my seemingly lack of empathy. Samantha gets sea sick, is afraid of heights and plane rides and now riding in a car up curvy roads. Most of which only developed after she turned 30. So, I'm thinking what her handicaps are going to be when she turns 40. I actually wanted to comfort her, but momentarily amused myself thinking of what life has in store for us. I asked her if I should pull over at the next rest stop and she quickly said no I'm fine, don't worry about it. Well hell we all know what that means. This made me laugh a little harder because one would think after a decade together we could just be honest with one another and not play these silly games, but NO! I pulled over at the next stop anyway and Samantha said I'm fine, just keep going. I quickly said I wanted to stop and take a few photos if that was OK. So, we stopped for me and not her and that made it ok, in her mind. After I took a few pictures and made small talk about the history of people living around the mountain, all was good again.

We finally made it to the Hotel perched near the top of the mountain. Our two nights stay at the Mercure Grand Jebel Hafeet Hotel was purchased from Groupon with free tickets to the Al Ain zoo. An older hotel lost somewhere in the early 90's with clean rooms and friendly staff. The pool however was fantastic with a separate section for kids, complete with several large water slides. The main adult section had a swim up bar and areas with water jets to massage weary swimmers. The pool was surrounded by a large grassy lounge area shaded by trees and umbrellas as it overlooked the town far below. An abandoned water ride clung to the mountain side looking like an accident waiting to happen. There were several restaurants on the premises and an 11-hole mini-golf course. I won't lie; the putt-putt course sold me on this place when we saw it online but once there the view won me over. We spent several hours in the pool that evening before grabbing a lite dinner and adult beverage at Lawrences bar.

The next morning we drove down the mountain to the zoo to see the giraffes and any other animals they had, but mainly the giraffes. Samantha did much better going down the mountain even though she still felt ill. To our surprise the Al Ain zoo had over 3700 critters. (That means different types of animal specimens) Many of the larger animals roamed in small open ranges while others lived in steel cages. We hopped on the free train ride around the zoo to get a feel of the place before walking around in the U.A.E. heat. We went for the big ticket animals first. The hippos had a large covered water pit they could access at will and made watching them fun as they would disappear into the murky water. The gorillas and lions just sat around in the shade while the cheetahs and leopards played in the sun. The crocs had a large area connected to other indoor reptile habits. A large open field held many different species from Africa. The zebra, gazelle and deer roamed with the massive rhinos and the large giraffes, along with several other species. So we finally saw a giraffe up close at the feeding area. Khan was right, they are so tall.

It's sad to see wild animals locked in pens and cages, but they do protect them from the vicious predators known as humans. To end our day at the zoo we visited the always delightful monkeys and meerkats before heading back-up the mountain. Samantha felt better driving up the mountain than sitting in the passenger side. Maybe it was my driving, maybe it was in her head. Either way it gave me more time to snap some pictures of the Mountain.

We slipped into the pool to beat the heat of the desert sun wishing we had one more night at the hotel on Jebel Hafeet Mountain, but we had a reservation for the Westin at Dubai Marina the next day. Al Ain was fun, but the pre-booked At-The-Top tickets for the Burj Khalifa and a view of the Palm Jumeriah Islands was waiting on us.

Westin in Dubai

The drive from Al Ain to Dubai only took 90 minutes, giving us time to drive around the Palm Jumeriah Islands before checking into our hotel. The typical U.A.E hotel check-out time is 12 noon and the check-in is 3 pm, definitely a night time culture. Driving on the Palm Jumeriah made me a little giddy, like seeing the ocean or a naked person for the first time. Whatever trips your trigger. We once watched a documentary on the construction of these manmade islands, or more accurately I watched it while Samantha slept. The decision to stay at the Westin was partially based on the view of the Atlantis and Burj Al Arab hotels. I never dreamed I would actually be able to experience the sensation of really being someplace so exotic and unreal. To stand in front of the Atlantis Hotel was a top ten bucket list item of mine. It wasn't the hotel, but the destination itself that got me so excited. We drove around the main fronds of the palm tree islands, stopping to take a picture of the city in the background. The U.A.E. is known to have some serious smog from time to time and unfortunately Dubai had a thick layer during our trip. The hazy view of the city dampened the mood, but what do you do, you can't predict the weather. The view was still great, just not crystal clear.

Samantha became bored with my fanboy behavior and drove us to the hotel so we could hit the beach. The Westin at Dubai Marina reminded us of resorts in Cancun, Mexico. It was big and luxurious with well-trained staff and lots of amenities. The large outdoor swimming pools led out to the semi-private beach overlooking the marina. The beach was lined with lounge chairs covered by umbrellas and staffed with waiters offering drinks and snacks. We opted for the Club Lounge upgrade for the better room and free food and drinks throughout our stay. Non-alcoholic beverages and lite snacks were offered during the day with lite meals and open bar during evening happy hours. Strolling into the Executive Lounge and ordering whatever we wanted without worrying about prices added to the whole luxury vibe. We took full advantage of the lounge amenities the first evening and most of the second day while hanging at the pool and beach. The second evening we left the hotel to experience the Global Village.

Global Village

The Global Village, only thirty minutes away from the Westin hotel, had 31 individual buildings representing countries from all over the world. Each building was themed to look like a different country and offered merchandise and produce originating from that country. A large section full of carnival rides and activities gave the cultural attraction a whimsical feel while adding excitement and energy, especially at night. Samantha declined my offer to ride the sky swings and any other ride for that matter. Instead we walked through most exhibits looking for cheap trinkets to send home. Pretending to be Andrew Zimmern for a moment, I randomly choose odd looking snacks for sampling and even persuaded Samantha to try a few. Our shopping was interrupted by the occasional live performance of paid entertainment groups filled with dancers and acrobats blasting music into the crowd. We followed the loud music and roar of a crowd. Several of the performances were really good, while others needed some fine-tuning. They were all fun to watch, some just drew larger crowds than others. I thought the Chinese Lion Dance performers were really good, but what do I know.

There were many restaurants serving various country cuisines and carnival type vendors selling many worldly favorites from falafel cakes and gelato to spiral potatoes on a stick. We tried the Turkish ice cream which tasted great with texture similar to salt water taffy combined with soft serve ice cream. Lebanese food was a popular choice for many locals so that's what we tried and it was delicious. The mixed grill plate came with three meats, a side of french-fries and a salad. The meats were kebab style with chicken, beef, and lamb. All the meats were minced with herbs and spices before being grilled over an open flame. Samantha was a little leery of the lamb, but it tasted great. Finding a Turkish coffee vendor in full dress was great as he played the part well.

As we walked along the man-made canal several boat taxis shuttled people around the grounds. The boat lights reflected on the water creating an eerie glow. A rather large water fountain show drew a crowd as it sprayed water high into the air as colored lights danced to loud music. It reminded me of the Bellagio fountains in Vegas, but on a smaller scale. We walked for hours and still didn't see everything, but had a very good time exploring the different cultural exhibits.

Dubai Desert Safari

The next afternoon we experienced a Desert Safari complete with dune bashing, camel rides, grilled dinner, and belly dancing. Samantha found a great price on Groupon for the complete tour. Our tour group met in a parking lot of a department store used by other safari tours which caused some confusion as to which bus to board. This didn't scream high quality entertainment, but they do things a little different on the side of the world so we just went with the flow. As par for the course little information was given by the drivers, so we just walked around and asked each driver if that was our bus. The drivers not understanding or speaking good English had a list of phone numbers for each of their passengers. A little unorthodox, but it got the sixty plus people loaded on the right buses. Our bus was packed with strangers driven an hour outside of Dubai into a remote desert setting with no further information given the entire drive. We had no idea what to expect or what to do when we arrived at our destination. We arrived at a desert area filled with other safari tours and a camel farm. We exited the bus and were told to wait. So we're standing in a large open area watching dozens of other SUV's speed by us for ten to fifteen minutes while several drive up to us and are motioned to leave by the bus driver. Still no information is given to our group.

Finally, several SUV's drive over to our group and the bus driver packed us in them. We were lucky to have only four people in our vehicle. Our young Philippine driver made fun of us for using the seat belts. I just grinned at him as I clicked my seatbelt tight. Samantha and the other married couple in the back looked worried because their seatbelts did not work. Sorry about your luck! I quickly pulled out our Nikon DSLR to record this moment and told the driver to give it all he had. He took off after another driver wide open, sand flying and passengers screaming! We followed the other SUV everywhere it went, up one side of a dune looking toward the sky and down the other side staring at the ground. The transition from up to down scared us as we couldn't see the ground until the vehicle drove over the edge. The not knowing of how far down the ground actually was caused us to panic, putting all of our faith in the driver's abilities. Several times we rode on top of large sand dunes snaking through the desert before the driver turned sharply down the embankment shooting sand in the air. The married couple, from the UK, added humor to our first Dune Bashing trip with lots of screaming and pleading to stop. I didn't know a man could scream that high. Samantha added the occasional adult comment when things got real. This little off-road drive reminded me of four wheeling back home, but without mud. I did my best to film this experience, but I did not really know what I was doing.

We made our way through the desert to a nice campsite surrounded by walls like a little fort. A camel ride was included with the tour and you could rent ATVs and try your hand at sand surfing. Samantha made me ride the camel with her as it had a two-person saddle. I felt sorry for the poor camel because I'm a big boy. The animal handler whipped the camel commanding it to stand-up from its sitting position with the two of us now setting in the saddle. The camel growled at the man and pushed with all its might to first stand on its front legs and then its back legs. We were thrown first backwards and then forwards as the camel stood up. The animal handler led us around a circle stopping at the place we started. It was a very short camel ride but I did not mind. The stride of a camel is a lot different from a horse. It felt like we would fall off as it swayed from side to side in a slow motion. The poor camel once again growled at the man when he commanded it to sit so we could get off. This time nearly causing us to fall out of the saddle as the camel leaned forward before quickly setting its back legs down snapping us backward. I prefer to ride things that eat gas not grass.

For a small donation, a man with a hunting falcon allowed people to hold it as he took a photo. I had Samantha hold the bird as I took pictures of the man setting it on top of her head. The look on her face was priceless.

Inside the camp site was a center stage surrounded by low tables with cushion seating. The interior walls had different exhibits and shops to entertain the guests. Samantha got free henna on one hand and I hit the bar, a full service bar in the desert with happy hour! Nice. Many people sampled the free shisha and had pictures made wearing traditional clothing. We found an empty table and were joined by our new Dune Bashing buddies, the married couple from the UK. They had tried their hand sand surfing with little success. Best left to the professionals I guess. A meal was included in the tour, straight from the grill with kebab style meats, two kinds of rice and salad. The food was either very good or the beer was making me hungry, because I ate a second kebab.

As night fell the dancers hit the stage. First was the belly dancer followed by the lighted spin dance man who coerced women to try the spin dance on stage and finally the fire dancer ended the show. The belly dancer set the mood with her provocative moves and catchy music. It must have been popular music because several groups stood up and clapped and sang with the songs. She wiggled and giggled her way around the stage firing up the crowd for the next dancer. I think the next dance was called Tanoura. A man dressed in what looked like a long skirt with an ornate vest and turban style head wrap with matching boots hit the stage. He began to spin at a rapid pace working his way around the stage. The lights were switch off and his twirling skirt lit up with bright lights. He started to resemble a traditional UFO as he split the skirt in two with the upper layer now mirroring the bottom layer. He never stopped twirling until the dance ended some time later. The lights had been turned back on by this time and he began to coerce several women to try their hand at the spinning dance from hell. The skirt must have been heavy because they all had a hard time getting it started. Usually the women would spin until becoming dizzy and almost fall causing the crowd to erupt with laughter. The unique dance was a sight to see. The final dancer twirled two fireballs hanging at the end of chains. She made different designs in the air like we used to do with sparklers on the Fourth of July.

Her dance was cut short do to the fact the drivers taking us back to the bus were leaving and we did not want to miss the ride home. Again no communication between the drivers and the tourists, no signs, no hand signals, nothing. We somehow lost the UK couple in the commotion and didn't see them again. Luckily, we made it back to the right bus and off to Dubai we went. The highlight of our bus trip was the loud conversation between a single twenty something woman and her visiting mother. The daughter had lived in Dubai for several years and the mother wanted some grand babies. We were amused as the daughter described dating in Dubai as horrible with guys only wanting one thing. The mother suggested the daughter should think about coming back home because she knew a nice single boy in her church. The daughter flipped out and told the mother to mind her on damn business and let her live her life the way she wanted. The mother scornfully told the daughter to remember who put her through college allowing her to live abroad and remaindered her she wasn't getting any younger. All we needed was some popcorn. The bus dropped us off at the department store and we made our way back to the Westin. That left only one more day in Dubai before heading back to MZ, but we would finally visit the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa.

Burj Khalifa

The visibility was still poor the next day as we drove to the Burj but it didn't matter to me. We've never been to the Empire State building so getting to visit the world's tallest building was the next best thing. For me it's not all about the height as much as the history behind the building. The Empire State building is world famous mentioned countless times in movies and books and even had an airplane crash into it in 1945. Not to mention an attack from King Kong. The Burj Khalifa is still young with little history, but a modern masterpiece nonetheless. Standing at 2716 ft. the Burj dwarfs the other skyscrapers in Dubai. To access the Burj we had to walk through the Dubai Mall, the largest mall in the world. After a long hike and getting lost once we finally found the "At the Top" entrance to the Burj Khalifa. Samantha was looking a little nervous at this point, but she assured me she was fine. The walk to the elevators took several minutes and lucky for us there wasn't a line yet. The elevators travel at 35 kph taking only one minute to reach the 124th floor. We barely felt it move as it silently climbed to the observation deck. Our ears began to pop after just a few seconds letting us know the ground was far below.

As we exited the elevator I made a bee line toward the observation deck. Samantha looked fine until she stepped on the wooden floor of the deck, freezing in her tracks. The floor made a creaking sound as we walked on it prompting her to ask if the floor could hold the weight of everyone walking on it. She looked like a person walking on ice with arms out for balance while slowly shuffling her feet. I walked over taking her hand and began to jump up and down. She started hitting me as I reassured the structural integrity of the building. It was the combination of seeing the ground and creepy sound of the floor causing a little panic attack. Fearing she may pass out I reminded her to breathe deep and slow, not shallow and fast. Why she persists on attempting these height challenges is beyond me. I tried talking her out of this one, but she didn't listen. I walked her over to a sturdy looking wall so she could catch her breath while I enjoyed the awesome views. It was a little hazy, but not terrible. I set the camera to manual focus and started clicking away lost in my little world walking around looking for the best vantage points for pictures. I kind of lost Samantha for a moment who was no longer hugging the wall for safety, but had ventured over to the edge and with trembling hands was taking photos of her worst nightmare, or one of her worst nightmares. Samantha's greatest fear is being trapped in a car as it plunges off a bridge sinking to the bottom while she drowns. I try not to think about such things preferring happy thoughts instead. My happy place was 124 floors in the sky looking down at the earth imagining how crazy the men were who built this mega skyscraper. Pondering what ancient man would think of such a structure as people have worshiped far less tangible realities for millenniums. The modern day mindset has become jaded by everyday miracles and the cluttered pursuit of self-satisfaction, ignoring truly amazing achievements taking years to complete as we expect the world on a platter but offer little in return. Well maybe not all my thoughts are happy thoughts, but emotionally charged by what man is capable of for sure.

Leaving the outdoor perch for the perceived safety of the indoor observatory helped ease Samantha's anxiety allowing her to enjoy the moment without freaking out. We casually strolled around the 124th floor enjoying a 360° view of the city while taking photos and even a few quick selfies adding another check to the old bucket list. The souvenir shop had everything imaginable for a keepsake, but the flattened coin machine got our money. As we waited for the elevator down, several young girls posed themselves for the perfect selfie. I suppose the duckface has become the new smile. My, what a monster selfies have become. Thanks in-part to social media and social tolerance, people have become obsessed with getting the perfect self-portrait. Watching people take selfies can be very entertaining as they twist and turn time after time holding the camera at different angles for the elusive money shot. We tend not to take selfies, not wanting to look like self-obsessed douches. To clarify people who take selfies are not douches, just perceived as douches. The problem is a camera captures an extremely short moment in time. Catching moments not noticed by the human brain. And a bad photo can hurt social status and follower count leading to less income for some, so more emphasis is placed on picture perfect selfies for good reason. People have taken selfies for as long as cameras have been around, but the digital photo is somewhat of a new technological achievement. The old film photos made people wait until developed before seeing if the notorious thumb ruined the shot. Today we just click away (or press or touch away) and delete any undesirable images before uploading online in mere moments, streamlining the whole process. To me it's a double edged sword, damned if you do and damned if you don't.

### Chapter 7

### The Future

Two years living in the United Arab Emirates has given us new perspective on our careers and life styles. It hasn't been a life changing event as much as eliminating things from our must have list. Some of our new views didn't come from living abroad as much as being away from certain situations back home. Everybody can get caught-up living in a life bubble, protected from the struggles of others. Westerners and especially Americans seem so self-absorbed with non-essential problems and can come off as insensitive to people from countries less fortunate. There is a great disconnect between different cultures with each thinking the other ignorant or incapable. Many foreigners believe America is weak and full of overweight idiots out of touch with reality, so it was very refreshing to find a few who still naively think USA is number one. I can confidently say many countries have less desirable citizens not on par with the vast majorities and many of these people live abroad. Being around people from other countries has given us newfound confidence in ourselves and insight on global issues affecting the world.

Living in an international city will change how you talk to strangers, well in our experience anyway. The first thing most expats ask is what country you are from. Followed by what do you do and how long have you lived here. To most people it's like saying hello. If things sound interesting, the next few questions may be which building do you live-in and is your employer hiring. The conversation is usually centered around ones background and how many countries have been explored because it's fun to compare adventures and get new ideas of places to see. Travel is like a drug for many and the main reason for moving to the UAE.

Since most jobs include housing, healthcare insurance and tax free salaries and purchases, most expats live in a nice carefree bubble away from the normal worries. The once familiar conversations dominated with home remodels and yardwork tips were replaced with Friday brunch times and weekend getaways to nearby countries. The transition back to "normal" life will be a difficult one but necessary to move forward.

We have enjoyed our time in the Middle East and traveling around to other countries. The idea it is quickly coming to an end gives us pause to reflect on what we have experienced and plan for the future. Moving back to the U.S.A. has a good feel to it, but finding a new home in our old world seems daunting. The idea of going back to the same place we fled seems irrational only entering our minds from the heartfelt memories of family and friends. Truly planning for a better future should include living in a prosperous city and not a declining town with a bleak outlook. The U.S. is very large with countless options to start a new life or more accurately a reset. I dislike the cold weather and Samantha battles with the heat. Finding a location in the middle seems to be pointing us back toward familiar roads and accents, but nothing is set in stone. We still have one more year, before our last flight from Abu Dhabi to America. As a way to say goodbye we will take a 35 day tour of Europe by train, one last hooray before ending this chapter of our lives.

People Are Just People

It seems no matter where you travel people are basically the same. We may dress differently or speak different languages, but the human core is still very much the same. You will find nice people, mean people, smart people, dumb people, and many more subdivided categories in-between. I didn't know what to expect when we arrived in the U.A.E., but imagined not only our surroundings would be different but the people would be too. I have found a common ground we as human beings seem to possess that allows us to interact with one another even when language and culture are most foreign to the other. The eyes are very useful when conveying ones intentions and may be better than a polygraph or lie detector test. Combining hand gestures with voice tones will create a powerful manner in which to communicate with almost anyone. Back home in our neck of the woods you would usually find Spanish speaking people or Hmong speaking people, but not many of either. You could usually find someone nearby to translate such as a child or someone with more exposer to English. Here not so much. People speak Arabic, Hindi, Bengali, Persian (Farsi), Thai, English, and many others. There is little need or desire to learn English by most grown-ups as most residents speak Arabic. The U.A.E. has specific criteria for employment which has grouped certain nationalities in similar positions throughout the country. This has created sub-cultures in themselves as we all tend to gravitate toward the path of least resistance so grouping with others that speak your language is human nature. We tend to gravitate toward other expats that speak English, no matter what country they're from. One thing that holds true no matter what language we speak is show someone kindness and expect the same in return, but show ill-will and expect twice in return.

The people here, expats and nationals alike, act very similar to people in the USA; for the most part self-absorbed and unaffected by anything not directly affecting them. The younger adults dress more fashionable than the older folks and the kids love candy, flashing lights and crazy sounds. The older folks drive slow and fuss more when things don't go their way and the younger adults drive too fast and tend to be impatient when waiting is necessary. The kids laugh and play and get into all kinds of mischief. It's not uncommon for children under ten to roam the streets and malls unattended by adults. Reminds me of my childhood when parents felt safe enough to let their children play outside with little concern of some child molester snatching the kids. The Mosques are the community hubs similar to churches but cater mostly to men. Weddings are very important events bringing family and friends together to celebrate life and plan for the future. Expats are welcomed albeit some more than others. People with lots of money hold more respect than those with less and the good old boy system is commonplace.

I doubt everybody will just get along one day as it goes against our very nature. We can strive to tolerate and respect each other in a civilized manner to promote harmony and peace for the benefit of future generations. But each group is steadfast with different belief systems and values hell bent on passing those notions on to the next generation and the next and so on. We should live life one day at a time doing the best we can learning from the past while looking toward the future.

Copyright 2016 by Rick Jolly

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