Al Fujairah

Al Fujairah is one of seven emirates (similar to a state) in the UAE. It is located directly to the east of Dubai and lies on the Gulf of Oman which opens up to the Indian Ocean. It has about 155k people, the second fewest of the UAE emirates, and covers 1150 sq km, about 1.5% of the UAE. It is a mountainous region and, therefore, enjoys more rainfall and the ability to grow crops. Unemployment is high - estimated at over 50%. Naturally, there are big plans for Fujairah including a resort project that will add 1,000 five star villas and hotels.

We left the chaos and construction of Dubai early on a Friday morning, traveled through Al Sharjah (another of the seven emirates) and eventually entered a much quieter landscape. The rolling orange sand dunes were decorated with wave-like patterns from the winds that sweep across this endless space. There were shrubs and scrubby trees that provide little relief from the sun, but mostly it was sand, sand, and more sand. This is when our animal spotting began.

First, we saw were herds of camels. Then, as we came upon the rocky, barren mountains that follow the coast, we saw goats. Some traveled in herds; other single individuals dotted the shoulder of the highway. We saw no road kill, however.

Surprisingly, the mountains rose suddenly and were stunning. The landscape was dramatically different from the other side of the UAE. There were many ravines carved into the mountains from winter rains, though there was no standing water from the heavy rains of January. We arrived at our resort 2 hours later to start our adventure.

Most of the beach resorts in the UAE are absolutely fantastic, and the Le Meridien Al Aqah was no exception – the facilities and service was top notch. We would have loved to stay longer, but these places do come with a cost. The weak dollar is not helping our efforts here.

We had a fantastic experience. The only disappointment was a bit of oil on the beach from a recent spill, and heavy winds that stirred-up dust creating hazy weather. Wipes were provided for the oil (it is sticky and doesn’t come off with soap), but swim suits got stained and feet and hands got a bit of oil on them. But this didn’t keep us out of the sand and exploring the rocks for crabs. In addition to the beach, the resort had more activities than we had time for: swimming pools, mini golf, snorkeling/diving, boating, a playground and bounce house, a spa, evening entertainment. We had dinner at a nice Thai restaurant, and the girls drew pictures for the female vocalist performing that evening. We also have an open invitation from Rabia, the Moroccan woman who performed Maria’s spa treatments, for a proper Moroccan dinner at her home in Fujairah. Rabia loved the girls. Kate and I passed her on our way to the beach and Rabia gave Kate a kiss. Kate looked at me and said, “That woman just kissed me."

We left reluctantly late the next day and drove out of the mountains and back into the desert. At a fuel stop near a big dune, the girls talked us into a short walk. The sand was so warm and smooth. We will plan a trip soon to the ‘empty quarter’ for more dune fun.

--Steve

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Some of you may recall I spent a week in Saudi Arabia last May. That work lead to my current assignment in the Middle East. I went back to Saudi the week of February 16 to continue the work I started last year.

My work was located in Dammam, the largest city in the Eastern province. It is located directly across the King Fahd causeway from Bahrain. Honeywell’s employees were terrific hosts. They were patient teachers and helped me understand the culture better. We ate at Saudi restaurants and spent time at Heritage Village, a museum/restaurant designed to preserve some of the areas history and culture My Arabic improved over the week, the effort was appreciated by the locals.

Life outside the office is packed with similarities and differences to Dubai. Like Dubai, the dinner hour is late, usually starting around 8:30 p.m. Some places don’t even open until 7 p.m. And, of course, there are large malls in Saudi packed with western fast food chains and shops. The one I visited had an indoor ice rink. I spent one evening smoking shi sha and watching Premier League soccer on a enormous television.

I am told the Eastern province is more liberal in adaptation of western traditions than the Central and Western provinces. It has recently enacted what westerners would characterize as progressive legislation. Women have recently been authorized to work, and Honeywell employs a female receptionist. She is apparently doing well; the office staff has adjusted too. This is a change from my visit in May. The government also subsidizes salaries to encourage integration into the workforce. I was also told that women will be allowed to drive later this year. It will be rolled-out gradually with middle aged women being able to drive first and only during daylight hours.

My local hosts spent time dispelling myths for me. I was embarrassed at some of my perceptions and ignorance. Example, women who do not cover completely aren’t grabbed off the street by a gang of religious police and thrown in jail. I saw several examples women who were wearing the traditional abaya, but did not cover their faces with a niqab. They ate their lunch just like anyone else. I was also asked if it had ever occurred to me that women may feel more comfortable in traditional dress and may prefer to follow tradition. It hadn’t. In retrospect I’d only considered the oppressed women theme and hadn’t thought otherwise. And while the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle, I hadn’t recognized both perspectives.

I will probably be returning sometime in the next few months and look forward to the trip.

--Steve

Kingdom of Bahrain

Bahrain is the smallest Arab state and is an island in the Persian Gulf. It gained its independence from Britain in 1971, and benefited from the oil boom in the 1970’s. Current leadership is transitioning from an oil-based economy and diversification efforts can be seen everywhere. Its current population is estimated to be 1MM people.

I have used Bahrain as my entry point for both trips to Saudi Arabia. I couldn’t get a flight into Dammam for my second trip, so it was back to Bahrain. Access to Saudi Arabia is done via the King Fahd Causeway, a 25km series of dikes and bridges connecting Khobar, Saudi Arabia, and the Kingdom of Bahrain. It normally takes about 1.5 hours to cross the Causeway. This is not because of distance but because of immigration and customs. On Wednesday afternoons (weekends in Saudi are Thursday and Friday) it can take up to 3 hours due to heavy traffic from Saudi.

My experience in Bahrain is a bit limited. I spent a couple days there in May when I visited the National Museum and cultural center and then headed to one of the old souks. It seems more liberal in its adaptation of western standards. For example, alcohol can be served and consumed in hotels. But it may not be purchased for consumption at home. Alcohol is not permitted anywhere in Saudi Arabia.

My February trip to Bahrain was shorter, just an afternoon. I don’t drive when I’m in Saudi Arabia. Transportation is provided by a Honeywell employee named Suleiman. He is a warm individual, but struggles with English. We had a bunch of time together since I had to get to Bahrain before the traffic hit the Causeway, but I had a late night flight. The photos are a bit hazy due to a sandstorm that day.

I took Suleiman to Johnny Rockets for lunch. We spent the time increasing my knowledge of Arabic and driving around Manama. He gave me his subha, the Muslim prayer beads used to perform dhikr. I was honored to receive them.

Like most of the Gulf countries Bahrain has built luxurious shopping malls, holds Western sporting events (in this case a Grand Prix), and is busy attracting foreign investment. Manama’s population is about 155k, 25% of the country’s population. It’s a beautiful city.

--Steve

Anna and Kate Ski Dubai

The girls took their first ski lesson at the most amazing indoor ski center, called Ski Dubai. It is attached to the Mall of the Emirates (quite like the Mall of America). Anna took just a few runs to get her ski legs back on and then headed up the lift twice with her ski lesson group (4 kids and one teacher). Kate practiced making “pizza slices” with her ski tips in the beginner lesson. She is so much stronger this year on skis though I did see her teacher pick her up and ski her down the larger bunny hill. She needs a few more beginner lessons. I watched what I could from the bottom, but this place is really huge so it was difficult to see much. After the lesson, we all kept our snow clothes on and went to explore the ‘snow park’. This is where you can go tubing or tobogganing; wind your way though snow caves and ice mazes; and take a look at some magical ice sculptures. We ended the day back in the Mall, gazing in at Ski Dubai as we drank our hot chocolates topped with whipped cream, marshmallows, and M&Ms. We can’t wait to go back again! Next time, the parents will ski too. --Maria

Mall Culture is Town Center

You won’t find a typical “downtown” like we have in American cities, but you will find loads of shopping malls that take the place of a downtown. I am not one to spend much time in shopping malls back home, but have found that much of everyday life happens in these places. The grocery stores are often inside the malls and are called hypermarkets which means department store (like a Target) and grocery combined. I often find myself driving my grocery cart through the mallways to run other errands or just back to the enormous parking structure. There are even escalators to accommodate the grocery carts-- kind of like a moving walkway. Café culture is also big in the mall. People meet friends for coffee or tea from early morning to late at night. There are loads of restaurants too, as well as movie theaters, children’s play parks, banks, pharmacies, the famous Ski Dubai, and even the Dubai Fine Arts and Theater Center (where we take violin and ballet lessons). Each mall is unique and the architecture is stunning. The Ibn Batuta Mall, named after a famous Arabic explorer, has country themes. As you walk through the mall, you might be in Egypt, Persia, China, or India. The ceilings are ornately decorated to match each theme. Often on Fridays, our church day here, we go to the Ibn Batuta Mall for brunch. The kids love to climb around the rocks in China. --Maria

Everyday Life in Dubai

We finally have a routine and it feels so good! Our mornings begin quite early. Most days, the kids and I leave before Steve heads off to work (a big change). Steve helps me get the kids up and dressed before 7am. They prefer to have him comb their hair. Apparently, I am too rough. At 7:15 we are out the door to begin our day. We drop Anna off at DAA (Dubai American Academy). Then three days a week, Kate goes to Sea Shells Nursery (their name for a preschool). I usually head off to a yoga class on those mornings and run my errands before picking Kate up at 12:30. We then pick up Anna at school at 2:45 and head outside with her friends to the school playground until our tummies begin to rumble or I get tired of pushing kids on the swings. On Tuesdays, Anna has resumed her violin lessons with a nice young Syrian woman named Rasha. She is sweet enough to try to combine her more traditional method with our Suzuki method. Anna has started to read notes with Rasha. On Thursdays after school, Kate attends “Dance Fantasy” class at the Dubai Fine Arts Theatre in the Mall of the Emirates. She and 12 other little four-year-olds dance around in their pink tutus. The moms often gather for a coffee in the café downstairs until it is time to pick up our whirling ballerinas. Kate loves the class so much that she asks to go every day. --Maria

The Birthday: Kate Turns Four

When we left for Dubai, we were still uncertain as to how we were going to make Kate’s 4th birthday special. It wasn’t an issue of location; there are tons of places to hold a birthday party in Dubai. The problem was invitees. Since Kate didn’t start school until a couple of weeks ago, we didn’t have the base of friends to draw on. And birthday parties with all adults are not exactly what soon-to-be 4 year olds have in mind.

When we arrived in Dubai, I told Camilla Odberg (Pamela’s long-time college friend and a resident of Dubai) that her entire family needed to come to Kate’s birthday party as they may be the only ones invited. Our list of friends was rather short at the time.

Well.....the morning of Kate’s party I found myself at Carrefour completing shopping trip #3. The attendance had grown to 42 (23 adults and 19 kids). We had people from America, Australia, Norway, Sweden, Britain, Jordan, and South Africa.

The party was at Jumeirah Beach Park, a public park in Jumeirah. It has playground equipment, places to have a barbeque and a terrific beach. Although we struggled with the barbeque (one of our friends drove home to fetch his Weber), the rest of the facilities were good and absorbed the crowd well. We cooked Brazilian and New Zealand beef burgers, turkey hot dogs and Salmon burgers. We got the park at 11 a.m., which is early by Dubai standards. By 3:00 p.m. we had multiple offers for our barbeque space and a cash offer for the grill. By the time we left there were three families trying to assert control over our spot.

After the party we went to Deanna and Nael Said’s home for coffee, dates and olives from their farm in Jordan. The kids put down a few boxes of Mac n’ Cheese (Kraft, of course!) prepared by Ria, the Said’s housemaid. She likes Maria and wants us to employ her aunty as our housemaid because Maria is so nice. The Saids also have a home in Thiensville, Wisconsin, and are sharing our sadness over the Packers.

Kate had a wonderful time and exhibited all the signs of a successful birthday party: grubby clothes, sticky stuff and sand in her hair, and she fell asleep in the car on the way home. The gifts were opened with a resounding “YES”!!

Before falling asleep she said that she wanted to have her next birthday at the “Dubai beach,” but she was homesick for Minneapolis--a complicated woman already. --Steve