Desert genius

So, living in the desert for many many eons has not completely ruined the lives of ancient bedouins and modern day Arabs. In fact, they have invented buildings with natural air-cooling systems (via placement of hallways/windows) as well as the best clothing to protect them from the unthinkably oppressive sun.

They also seem to know how to grow plants without wasting precious water. There are these areas all around Dubai that are basically sand with these black snake-looking things coiled on the surface. When I first got here, I thought maybe it was...to prevent cars from sinking into the sand? Someone forgot their hose? A strange way to decorate the ground in lieu of grass?

In fact, it is an ingenious irrigation system. Along the hose are little mini-spigot, as you get see below.


These spigots drip water directly into the sand/ground, avoiding the evaporation and water waste that is inevitable with sprinkler systems. Eventually, with patience and the absence of sand and dust storms, you end up cute little plants.


Which is charming, though slightly disarming, since honestly, the desert is not meant for plants, except maybe the occasional palm or shrub. Especially when the Middle East is constantly in a major water-supply crisis, and Dubai uses probably a majority proportion of the water available to grow some grass and plants that will start to die immediately unless they are watered constantly. Seriously? How about all the people who need to drink water? Just a thought.

What's a heat index?

So for all of you who think I'm embellishing when I try to convey to you the heat which envelops me every time I step outside here, below is a chart to explain to you the heat by which I lose significant amounts of hydration.

Seeing as how temperatures reach about 105-110 throughout the months of July and August, you can see that we are PERMANENTLY in the red. I.E., in extreme danger of succumbing to a heat disorder. Not that I'm complaining. It's better than the rain and gloom in Brussels.

A true Gen Y-er

I'm starting to grasp the idea of video, so here's a little clip of what I see on my way home to Dubai Marina . Oh, technology. I'm going to have to use this more often...I'm sure it will be more enjoyable than some of my never-ending novel-length posts. Yes, I know I can be a rambler. I'm working on cutting it down, ok?

The end of an era

No, I'm not leaving yet. It's the end of an era in two other respects, though. Number one, it's almost the month of Ramadan, during which all Muslims are told to fast by the Koran from sunrise to sunset for an entire month. This can be a good and a bad thing. It's a good thing because Iftar, i.e. breaking the fast, means that there are lots of fun feasts and mini-parties in the evenings. It's a bad thing because things slow down since people are fasting all day, so business can be a little out of whack.

The other era coming to an end is that of everyone being on month-long vacations. Soon, everyone of all colors and creeds will once again return, back to school, back to work, back to traffic everywhere, the office humming, and, as everyone might surmise about me--a lot more people who might, possibly, on occasion, get on my nerves. But only because it is not appropriate to eat, drink, smoke, etc. during the day in front of people who are observing Ramadan--so more to come on how it will be to live, work, experience through it.

Also, sidenote, I created an 'America' playlist on my iTunes. I never struck myself as someone who would do that, especially given how I feel about our country under the tutelage of George W. At this point, it doesn't matter. I think the more prone you are to representing your country in a place where Americans are few and far between, the more proud you become of your roots, even if you're not always happy with it or in awe of it, or pleased with how it deals with its own problems and those of the rest of the world. Sounds kind of like how people sometimes feel about their parents?

UAE VIP

The concept of VIP in Dubai is a bit different here than in other places. Obviously all the run-of-the-mill celebrities and rich businessmen from all over the world that roll through get the usual attention, but there is another group of people in Dubai that are treated with as much, if not more, reverance and respect.

The local emiratis, in many cases families and descendants of sheikhs, have the money and social prestige that is centuries old, and often it's the little things that show you how much they are catered to but in a more automatic way. Though many of them don't really buy into all the hype that everyone else does, if they do decide to try out some of the luxury hotels, restaurants, etc., they get the best from start to finish. They always get the valet to park their Ferrari, Mercedes, Range Rover, etc., and get the best parking spots. They are always the first ones to be waited on or attended to in any store or restaurant. They get the coveted reservation spots, the best tables, the best quality everything.

Their status is very much reflected in their appearance, which is why they wear their traditional dress everywhere--it actually helps to distinguish them from "the rest", i.e. many of the people who have flocked to Dubai who have crowded, sullied, and complicated the locals' world. Their disdashas and abayas are always ironed and clean, the men have immaculately groomed facial hair, the women wear tons of makeup and wear designer shoes and carry designer handbags that cost thousands of dollars. Many of them wear designer clothes underneath their black cloaks/dresses.

As I've mentioned a few times, one of the curious showcases of wealth and status is how low a number one has on one's license plate. So, for example, the Dubai plate with just '1' is the ruling Sheikh of Dubai's car. Anything under 200 or so is pretty legit, but 3-digit plates get preferential treatment for the most part, since it means that the person shelled out a sizable sum for a piece of metal stamped with a low number.

Imagine my surprise when I went to the mall the other day and parked next to this gem:


Talk about a celebrity siting--and I didn't even have to see the actual person to know that it was a VIP. I'd say anything under 100 is ultra-VIP. Speaking of which, I saw '6' at the mall yesterday, and was shocked that it was affixed to a BMW X5, since you'd think with that kind of leverage, it'd be an even more outrageous car. Go figure.

Back in the UAE

So, I have now been back for a couple weeks after my 2 week hiatus in the US. A very well balanced trip, including a work conference, family, friends, and you know....American things.

Fast forward to 10 days ago, when I arrived back here. How to describe the weather...Hell-ish? The humidity is at astounding levels now. Combine that with a base of around 105-110 degrees daily, and you get an oven. Literally. I am baking.

And to cope with the surprisingly bad jetlag that I encountered upon returning to Dubai, I turned to the old mainstay, Starbucks. Normally I settle for the office coffee--I'm trying to resist wasting money on things here that I can get at home. Anyway, I go to get a venti iced coffee (I needed the caffeine, let me tell you). She tells me it costs 20 dirhams. That's almost $6 for just plain ole iced coffee. WTF? Thank god I don't get it every day. Also, you all will be happy to know that they know the "fill the cup to the top with ice before pouring coffee" trick so I was totally paying $6 for a whole bunch of ice and some coffee.

And in case you're wondering, I have not heard of ANY Starbucks closing over here. And they're EVERYWHERE. So once again, the Ameri-fication of the world continues. For the record, the UAE is also host to multiple McDonald's, Hardee's, Subway, KFC, Burger King, Papa Johns, Dunkin Donuts, KRISPY KREME (and they deliver), Baskin Robbins, Haagen Dazs, and the list goes on. Yet, I still can't find a decent salad. Shocker.

Quirks and question marks

So lately, there are a few things that have been happening here that I realize I've gotten accustomed to, but which I will never accept. Also, I haven't been sharing them as they come up, so here is a bit of a list.

For example, today when I walked outside, my glasses fogged up. But, they didn't unfog. I had to take them off after about 10 seconds of attempting to walk to my car, because frankly, I couldn't see anything. Wow. Talk about humidity.

Then, a few days ago, I tried to access Craigslist. Sorry, no dice. The internet company here blocks it, with this screen below:


They say it's not accessible because it's not consistent with the moral, cultural and social values of the UAE. Wow. Craigslist is morally irresponsible, and they're making that decision FOR me. Wham. In my face.

Then, I was at the airport going to Beirut this past weekend. We actually took a flight from Sharjah airport, which is in the emirate right next to Dubai. So, because this emirate is a bit more conservative than Dubai (it's dry, i.e. absolutely NO alcohol allowed) and the women dress much more covered up, I wore jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. Nonetheless, it was obvious I'm western compared to most of the women who were in the airport, dressed in black abayas, floor-length skirts, head wraps, et al. Two different women came up to me when I was standing in line and spoke in very sweet voices, asking me questions in Arabic.

Now, I don't mind if they have a legit question but it was blatantly obvious that I was western and that I was, in fact, the odd one out who most likely would need to ask them a question. So, I wasn't pleased. Because I got the feeling they were trying to make me feel badly about being western, or not being able to speak Arabic, or essentially we're trying to make me look foolish in front of an airport full of people. No thanks.

THEN, I was driving home from work the other day. I live in an area that isn't far from work so I don't have to deal with the dementia-inducing traffic in this city (for the record, apparently there are about 2.5 million people living in Dubai, and there are 1 million cars on the road every morning and evening. Um, what?). So, all of a sudden, boom, traffic jam. Sweet. So I can't figure it out. I mean there is almost never traffic at this specific stretch of the 10-minute ride. Thirty minutes later, it all becomes clear. On the other side of the road, a van's engine caught fire. Fair enough, given the temperature usually reaches about 120 every day now. So, instead of just rubber necking, people had STOPPED on the road to get out of their cars and watch the dousing of the fire. Not pull over and watch the thrilling sight of water flooding a van engine. No, no. Actually blocking the road to look at this. So essentially there's one lane instead of 2 plus a shoulder. Excuse me? What universe is this? Get the ef out of the way, crazies.

All of this is redeemed (albeit slightly) by the fact that it took me 70 dirhams to fill my gas tank. That's approximately $19. Sorry. Had to disclose that.

Beirut (the city, not the drinking game)

Yes, I went to the actual city of Beirut. And no, I didn't play Beirut (otherwise known as beer pong) in Beirut. Enough said.

Beirut was definitely a worthwhile trip. It was refreshing to get out of Dubai, which is a place quite at odds with itself (shiny buildings vs. dust and sand everywhere; oppressive heat vs. hypothermia-inducing air conditioning; westerners wearing minimal clothing vs. Arabs covered head to toe--you get the idea).

Beirut smells like gasoline, and dust, and the city, with a hint of salt from the ocean, which frames its western and northern borders. It's got gorgeous buildings full of classic french architecture that are crumbling, or riddled with bullet holes. It's also got dull 70s-style cement block type buildings that look as if they were built in a hurry to withstand the turmoil that has transpired there.

Meanwhile, the American University of Beirut campus is gorgeous, full of cyprus and palm trees, right on the water. Below is a picture of their graduation ceremony set-up which was happening this past weekend.


The people were vibrant--happy to be back in their home country after a recent skirmish that shut down Beirut's airport and made people retreat into their homes and away from Lebanon--nothing new in the last few years. There are 10 million people living outside of Lebanon and only 4 million living inside, but people have been flooding back into the country for their summer holidays and to see their family members who have stayed.

There is a heavy french influence--gorgeous architecture, good food, sophisticated and well-dressed Lebanese people. A large percentage of the country is French-educated and Christian. It was amazing to see of tons of churches and mosques, even on the same block sometimes.

Of course, there were reminders of the latent tension--tanks in the streets anyone?:


But right down the street was this main square, with gorgeous cafés and great people watching:


But, bullet holes and partially abandoned buildings are reminders of what has happened in Beirut in recent times:


But with sights like this, it evens out really quickly:

What once was?

So, I was having a conversation with a fellow New yorker the other day, who also lives in Dubai, about how the UAE is only 30-something years old (since their independence from Britain) and Dubai as it is thought of now is really only around 15 years old, so basically, a lot of the original culture is all but lost, and frankly, most of the Emiratis don't like foreigners.

Case in point, an Emirati woman who sits next to me in the office. She dislikes me to the point where, at first, she just didn't acknowledge my existence. Now, it's graduated to her specifically saying hello to the girl who sits on the other side of me when she walks in, but not to me. And she only speaks Arabic. Loudly. Across my desk. All the time.

When I'm walking in the mall, it's not like in New York where people have mastered the twists and turns to avoid heavily bumping into people. Emiratis don't get out of the way. You are expected to avoid hitting them let alone touch their perfectly ironed abayas and dishdashas. Also, they cut you off while driving like it's going out style. But you're expected to swoop and swerve to accommodate them because after all, they were here first. Sidenote, I'm extremely glad I'm not Indian or African or any other race that Arabs deem below them, because as annoyed and disrespected as I feel sometimes, the way that those from Africa, India, and South Asia are treated would make your jaw drop.

Basically, my work nightmare is an example of a lot but not ALL Emiratis, according to some of my other Arab friends. They just don't really like all the hoopla and the immigration and the focus on all this crazy stuff that's going on here (individually rotating building floors?).

I snapped the photo below driving through the Jumeirah neighborhood, which was one of the first neighborhoods in which expats lived when Dubai was first starting to expand across the desert. This is a gorgeous mosque, and one of hundreds in the Jumeirah neighborhood.

If you are not Muslim, you cannot enter a mosque. However, there is one mosque, called Jumeirah Mosque, that Sheikh Mohammed, the guy who runs Dubai, decided to build so that other cultures and religions could enter to try to better understand the Islamic faith. This is one of the few construction projects here that I think of as useful, smart, and strategic.

Mission Accomplished

The glory that is high speed internet has graced my apartment building, FINALLY, and I sat in the internet office for an hour after work one day to get it connected.

I have to admit, not having the luxury of internet at my disposal at home was so painful, as many of you from my constant whining about it.

Well, whining is over, and posts will again resume now that my crankiness has subsided with this new development.

To represent this new era, below are pictures of the Dubai Sunrise and Sunset, from my balcony and at the beach--on the same day.

Sunrise over Dubai Free Zone (approx. 6:30 am):

Sunset, Jumeirah Beach (approx. 7:00pm)