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.