Halloween in Dubai

Autumn is the time of many American traditions, kicking-off with Halloween. We quickly learned that Halloween is a growing holiday amongst most of Dubai's ethnic groups, though Western expats made-up most of the participants in activities around the city.

Halloween decorations were sparse. The mega stores usually had a short isle devoted to costumes and decorations, but they were limited and went fast. Good Halloween candy was harder to come by, which is a mixed blessing considering the need to curb the growth of our waistlines. (Don’t worry, the kids still have plenty of candy to last until Easter).

But there was ample opportunities to bring Halloween into our lives. Trick-or-Treating happened on the 31st at night in a few neighborhoods with heavier concentrations of Western expats. Trick-or-treaters were out in force in these neighborhoods and the tradition of leaving the porch lights on as an indication of a house open for trick-or-treating was observed in Dubai.

Maria and many of her mom school friends brought Halloween to DAA and spent the month planning an elementary school Halloween party including a real pumpkin patch where kids came to read Halloween stories with their classes. Parents could also purchase the pumpkins (Iranian and very Martha Stewart gourd-looking) to take home for carving. They also had candy guessing game jars; the winner taking home the candy jar and tickets to the newest water park in Dubai. There was also a costume parade and real trick-or-treating within their grades. Many of the non-American students had never experienced trick-or-treating. Maria heard one boy yell down the hall (as he gathered his loads of candy), “This is the best day of my life!”

Maria Starts Daisey Scouts At DAA

Maria started a Daisey Troop in Maple Grove the summer before we left for Dubai. Anna was able to participate during the fall, but was not able to continue in Dubai because there wasn't a troop at her school and joining the nearest troop at The American School of Dubai (ASD) would require battling Sheikh Zayed traffic in the afternoon - something one tries to avoid whenever possible.

So, Maria started a new troop at Anna's school, Dubai American Academy. The troop was an instant hit with girls and parents alike. In fact, receptivity was so high that they had to create two troops to accommodate the 21 girls who wanted to join.

In addition to regular meetings, the troop has held two big events including joining the Dubai Breast Cancer walk and helping the USO prepare Halloween bags for U.S. troops serving overseas. The Daisey troop's participation was documented by the Gulf News (the prominent local newspaper) and the local gossip magazine, Ahlan! To help educate the girls about breast cancer, the school nurse came to the Troop's meeting to explain more about the disease and to field questions about cancer and other issues like "Why are there lice in this world?"

A backyard sleepover is scheduled for November and a visit an organic food store with a cameo appearence by the organic farmers themselves!

Violin Lessons Continue in Dubai

Anna has been studying violin under the Suzuki method since she was 3. We wanted to continue her lessons in Dubai but have been unable to find a Suzuki program here. We found a wonderful teach in the spring, but Dubai is a transient place and her teacher moved to Saudi Arabia during the summer.

We have found a fantastic new violin teacher for Anna, (and hopefully cello for Kate soon) and have expanded her studies to include participation in a youth orchestra. Anna is now playing with the Emirates Youth Symphony Orchestra (http://www.musicNus.com/ ). Mr. Kudsi is the director, teacher, and conductor. Watching him in action is like watching magic. He is fun, funny, serious, and strives for the best for these kids. It’s hard to imagine, but by the end of the orchestra lesson they are playing beautifully together. Anna is thriving under his patient teaching. She has an individual lesson and her group (orchestra) lesson weekly. She looks forward to both, but has an absolute blast in the orchestra class.

School Starts at DAA for Both Girls

School officially started on August 25th for Anna and Kate. The exciting part this year is that they are both in the same school: Dubai American Academy (DAA)! Kate gets to wear a school uniform as well. They both start at the same time: 7:45am, but finish differently so I end up making two trips in the afternoon (Noon and 2:45pm).

Anna is now in first grade. We were lucky as her teacher, Ms. Natalie, from last year moved up to teach first grade. It was very reassuring to Anna to have the same teacher and the same room. Most of her classmates are new though and she is busy making friends with all of them.

Kate is in the equivalent of the Pre-Kindergarten year, which is mandatory in Dubai. She has a fabulous teacher named Ms. Rania, who has two young children at DAA as well. Rania is part Egyptian and Lebanese, but she grew up in Saudia Arabia. She just completed her Master's Degree from Phoenix Univeristy in the U.S.

In addition, you'll see a photo of the girls with one of my dear friends, Allyson Collins (pink shirt). She just became a new teacher at DAA and we stop in every day to give her a hug or a muffin or just a big smile. It's fun to see her every day now. She's an Australian who happened to have lived in Minnesota-- twice!

Our New Digs on the Palm Island

So hot and humid the camera lens is steamed!

We have moved to lower ground since our arrival back in Dubai this summer. While our location on the 19th floor in the Marina was good, this opportunity to live on the Palm Island (six floor only) could not be missed mainly for the family-friendly factor. The beach, swimming pools and playgrounds are right across the street. The girls and I spend our afternoons turning into prunes coated in sand. Currently, there are three man-made Palm Islands under construction along the coast of the UAE. Though currently the Palm Jumeirah Island that we live on is the largest man-made island in the world, it will be dwarfed in the next few years when the other two are completed. The Diera Palm, when finished, will have more square footage than the city of Paris! In addition, we are watching the construction of the Trump Tower and Atlantis Hotel among other residential and commercial buildings. Construction never slows around here, and we tend to look past the cranes and building sites that are not in the least bit pretty. If you are interested in more information about the development of the Palm Islands and how they are being built, you can visit this wikipedia site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_Islands . There's an amazing satelite photo of the Palm Island from space. You'll be able to see how immense this thing is.

We have much more space in our new apartment as well. It is perfect for entertaining and we have three extra beds. Hint, hint: we can comfortably host guests should you show up on our doorstep! We dare you--

It was great to see you all this summer even if it was for just a short time. Thank you for warmly welcoming us back into your lives.

Steve, Maria, Anna, and Kate

Ramadan and Iftar Dinner

Ramadan Kareem. The Muslim holy month of Ramadan began on September 1 and we are enjoying learning about its customs and meaning. Ramadan takes place during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is believed to be the month when the Qur’an was revealed to the Angel Gabriel, who then revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. It is a deeply spiritual month. During Ramada Muslims fast and do not eat or drink between fajr, morning prayer, and Maghrib, the fourth daily prayer. We will try to fast one day this month to better appreciate the experience. The daily fast is broken at an evening meal called Iftar.

We decided to prepare an Iftar dinner for the Said family at our home on the Palm. We timed the meal to be ready at 6:32 p.m., the published time for Maghrib. We watched Sharjah T.V. which broadcasts the shooting of a cannon signaling when the fast can be broken. We followed tradition by serving dates and juice first, followed by soup, salad and a main course of beef tenderloin. The Saids brought traditional Arabic sweets for desert. It was a lovely evening.

Lamborghini Drive

Before coming to Dubai, we didn’t know anyone that had actually won something big in a drawing. That changed when Steve arrived at work and pulled into the car park next to a Lamborghini. Seeing one of these exotic cars in Dubai isn’t unusual – they are everywhere. But seeing one in a Honeywell car park is a bit out of the ordinary. It turns out that the GM of Honeywell’s security business in the Middle East entered a drawing at the Dubai Airport Duty Free and won the car! He is an American, so the tax on the car was about $50K. He was gracious enough to take Steve for a ride. The acceleration left Steve breathless and it was an incredible experience to go 150 mph down Sheikh Zayed road – hardly seemed like we were going that fast.

Lebanon: July 2008

To break-up the 4.5 weeks Steve was on his own in Dubai, he wanted to get out of Dubai and see more of the region. Fellow American Scott Grishom and Steve decided to head to Beirut. It wasn’t an easy choice as the country still lacks stability; Hezzbolah and the Lebanese government squared off as recently as May.

Steve and Scott had a terrific time walking the streets of Beirut, taking a gondola up the mountains to see the sites, exploring the famous grotto, seeing the ruins of Byblos, one of the world’s oldest cities, and taking a self-guided tour of the The American University of Beirut.

Beirut is a wonderful city and used to be considered the “Paris of the Middle East.” However, the scars from 15 years of civil war are evident. Buildings are sprayed with shell holes and occasionally one stumbles on a burned-out building. The people are resilient; the newly renovated downtown was vibrant with life. Steve and Scott enjoyed the restaurant culture (they both love Lebanese food) and smoking shisha at sidewalk cafes. Both were glad to have made the trip.

Paris: Summer 2008

Because Steve’s assignment was extended through December, we were allowed a trip back home. It’s a long trip home – about 16 hours of flight time - so we decided to break the trip up by spending a few days in Europe on the way to and from the U.S. The best case would have been a few days in Brussels with Steve’s sister and nephew, Pamela and Henry, and a few days in Paris with long-time Australia and Napa friends, Kris Harvey and Greg Kryder. We couldn’t make our schedules work out with Pam and Henry, so we spent time in Paris on the way out and back.

Paris: June 24 - 27

Unfortunately, Greg was called to Ireland on business and could not see us on our first trip, but Kris and Taffy (our favorite golden retriever) were great hosts. They live in a beautiful apartment 1 block off Champs Elysees, so Paris was very accessible. We enjoyed the Eiffel Tower, d’Orsay museum, Les Invalides and a boat cruise down the Senne. The weather was great and the girls really enjoyed the sites. Kris had to leave one day early, so we took care of Taffy. We have now taken care of her on three different continents.

Paris: August 14 - 18

Maria and the girls arrived in Paris after being in the U.S. for 6 weeks. Steve flew from Dubai to meet them. That weekend we celebrated Anna’s 7th birthday and Steve and Maria’s 12th wedding anniversary. We went to EuroDisney for Anna’s birthday and had a terrific time. We arrived around noon and headed back to Kris and Greg’s apartment around 1 a.m.! That weekend we also climbed Arc de Triomphe and made a trip to Notre Dame. Again, terrific hosts and wonderful weather; we love Paris and our Parisian friends.

Woolley Family Italian Reunion

In early 2007 the Woolley family made the decision to have a family reunion in Italy. We decided to rent a villa in Tuscany that would accommodate the entire family and use it for a base from which we could explore Tuscany. We found a villa located between Florence and Siena. And lucky for us, it is also a functioning winery! Three generations of Woolley’s were able to congregate for a week of fun. Unfortuantely Auntie Pamela could not come due to a last-minute conflict with work. But nephew Henry was able to come and visit with his cousins.

Italy: Florence

We arrived in Italy a couple of days before we were due to move into the villa, so we met Steve’s brother Al’s family in Florence. We spent time visiting the sites and walking around the city streets. The kids did great in the museums, thanks to Maria being their guide through the kid’s museum guides. We really enjoyed the city.

Italy: Villa Zaballina

Villa Zaballina is a functioning winery that makes wonderful Chianti Classico. It also produces estate olive oil which we consumed by the litre. The villa is old and enormous. We were told it was built 900 years ago, and it comfortably sleeps 16. We regularly got lost inside the place our first day there. The kitchen area was used the most; it is easily three times the size of my first apartment and was the heart of our Italian food and wine experience.

Italy: Tuscan Towns of San Gimignano, Volterra, Castellina in Chianti:

The Tuscan walled cities were really fun to visit, and generally kid-friendly. The kids did well considering the visits sometimes involved a lot of walking and boring shops and the same beautiful views. However, Henry entertained himself by working with Steve and Grandpa on how best to defend the cities from attacking dragons, including the weapon of choice for would-be dragon slayers. And all the kids knew that somewhere in each of these towns there was a gelato shop.