Just Like Texas - Well, Kind of

by Cindy

There was a great article in the paper this week about a guy who's restored a GMC Sierra pickup truck.  Here's a link to the article:  http://www.thenational.ae/lifestyle/motoring/my-car-gmc-sierra-35-is-an-heirloom-that-has-miles-to-go-yet

The best part is the picture.  Reminds you of Texas, huh?  Well, without the dishdasha that is.

Easter Candy

by Cindy

We've mentioned on Facebook recently that we had Global Days on campus. This is a weekend where the county fair meets a cultural fair.  Global Days is centered around the various countries that are represented within our student population.  You walk around to the different booths / stalls and see the traditional dress, taste the local cuisine, and learn a bit about that country.  While Jeff and I were walking around, he was handed a chocolate candy. A few steps later, he realized that the candy was an Easter egg.  I didn't believe him so I returned to the booth and sure enough, they were giving away chocolate Easter eggs and selling big bags of them.  I picked one up to show Jeff and the lady told me, "They're Easter eggs."  I said, "I know, I'm just surprised."  To which she responded," Why?  Isn't Easter coming up?"  Well, "Yes, but you don't celebrate Easter."  She replied, "It's just chocolate."  Yes, I guess it is.  Just chocolate.

This year, I bought my Easter candy in Palestine.

Muslim Evangelism

by Cindy

You might not have ever given it much thought but the Muslims evangelize just like the Christians.  One evening we received a tract about Islam.

The small book was about 10 pages and each page had a paragraph on a specific topic.  The topics were:

The Prophet's Justice and Fairness
The Prophet's Humbleness
The Prophet's Gentleness in Correcting People's Mistakes
The Prophet's Perseverance and Forgiveness
The Prophet's Kindness with Children
The Prophet's Kindness Towards Women
The Prophet's Cooperation
The Prophet's Mercy and Compassion
The Prophet's Simplification and Ease
The Prophet's Patience with Children
The Prophet's Claim on Moderation
The Prophet's Thoughtfulness
The Prophet's Attractiveness
The Prophet's Love for the Poor
The Prophet's Love for His Wives
The Prophet's Loyalty

We aren't planning on converting to Islam anytime soon, but I thought I would share this as food for thought for our Christian readers.

Beautiful and Perfect

by Cindy

We have several friends who are of Lebanese descent.  For those of you that might be uninformed, Lebanese women are considered to be the most beautiful.  Case and point - Miss USA 2010 is Lebanese American.  Apparently they are also Perfect.  I found this t-shirt at Global Days.  I'm proud to say that I have many beautiful and perfect friends!

Persian Gulf

by Cindy

I'm not sure what you have in mind when you think of the Persian Gulf but here is what it actually looks like:

Here we call it the Arabian Gulf, since we are in Arabia!  It is beautiful blue green water with soft white sand so going to the beach is quite popular here. The gulf is really shallow so during the winter the water gets cold (around 62 F) and during the summer it gets warm like bath water (around 97 F).

We have snorkeling, diving, deep sea fishing and dolphin swimming in the Gulf.  Not what you expected, huh?

Party on the Palm

We've been in Dubai for a year and a half now and we're starting to get a little jaded.  Five-star hotels, Michelin-starred restaurants, top-notch entertainers, over-the-top hospitality, high fashion, great sporting events, and fancy cars don't impress us like they used to.  It's all pretty run-of-the-mill for us now.

So when we were invited to a fundraiser recently that was hosted at a home on the Palm Islands, we yawned and said, "It's probably not as nice as people say it is."  We were wrong.

This is one of those places where you walk in, look at your friends and say, "Seriously?" - and then try to wipe the grin off your face.  You just can't believe that you're there.

Of course it has marble floors, granite countertops, high-end appliances, plenty of living space, an entire downstairs that opens to the water.  Oh - and the home also just happens to include a private beach in the back yard.  A friend attended with us and she whispered, "I've never been to a party at a place like this."  I laughed and said that neither had we. 

Enjoy some of our photos.  And be jealous.

This is the GPS screen in my car.  Definitely my favorite picture from the evening.

The house and the beach.

Our friend Katie with Cindy

Nice-looking couple we know pretty well.