Country Music Reviews

by Cindy

Our newspaper here is not dissimilar from yours.  We have the news along with all of the extra stuff - food reviews and recipes, movie reviews and music reviews.  I was quite surprised last week when we had Country music reviews in our paper. I even double checked to see if it had been written by someone local or if it was from a foreign news source that had just printed in our regional paper.  It was local, totally local.

The reviews seem to be okay, not terribly kind but not too harsh either

This really had me wondering...We just had another really big Virgin store open in one of our (many) malls so I dropped by to see if they sell country music.  To my surprise, they had a small section.  It seemed to be mostly old school - Willie Nelson, Johnnie Cash, Dolly Parton and Kenny Rodgers.  A few more recent artists in Faith Hill and the Dixie Chicks along with 'The Best of Ally McBeal'.  [Go figure on that one.]

I guess the bottom line is that you can in fact get country music in the UAE!

Homesick

by Cindy

I really don't get too homesick but when I do it is for two things - cold weather and Christmas.

When we back to the UAE from our visit to America this summer, I lit some candles around the house and attempted to freshen things up a bit.  The candle I chose for our bedroom was 'Creamy Pumpkin' from Bath and Body Works.  I always put the 'bedroom candle' on my nightstand that way I can even smell it when it's not lit.  Plus, Jeff's not big on smells so it's away from him.  This 'Creamy Pumpkin' candle has really thrown me for a loop!  To me, it smells like Christmas.  When I smell it, I feel like I should be able to walk into the living room and see the Christmas tree.  I think I should be able to walk outside and feel a cold chill in the air.  It seems that when I go to the mall, Christmas carols should be playing in all of the stores.  The candle makes me homesick - it hits right at the only two things I really miss.

In case you are not familiar with where we live, it is in the desert, in a country that does not celebrate Christmas.  When I walk into the living room, I don't see our Christmas tree but I can hear the call to prayer.  When I walk outside, I do not feel a cold chill (I never have and never will for that matter).  I think the temperature today was 102F.  When we go to the mall, we don't hear Christmas carols but we do hear R&B songs and the call to prayer (go figure, I know).

So, even though we had just returned from America I found myself homesick.  'Creamy Pumpkin' went back into the closet and I replaced it with 'Autumn.'  I seem to be doing much better now.

Election Day!

Tomorrow - Saturday, September 24 - is election day here in the United Arab Emirates.  There are 469 candidates  (including 85 women) who are vying for spots on the Federal National Council (FNC), the highest elected body in the UAE.

There are 40 representatives on the FNC.  Representatives serve 2-year terms.  Each of the seven emirates that compose the UAE are represented on the FNC according to their population (similar to the way that the number of representatives a state has in the US House of Representatives is determined by that state's population).  Here, the FNC has the following number of representatives from each of the 7 emirates.
   8 are from the emirate of Abu Dhabi,
   8 are from Dubai,
   6 are from Sharjah,
   6 are from Ras al Khaimah, and
   4 from Ajman,
   4 from Umm Al Quwain, and
   4 from Fujairah.
Not all of the 40 seats on the FNC are elected, however.  Each emirate elects exactly half of its representatives, while the remainder are appointed by the ruling sheikh.   Currently, of the 40 seats, there are 8 women (20% of the FNC, with 3 women from Dubai, and 1 woman from each emirate except Umm al Quwain).

As far as voting rights go, the UAE does not yet have universal suffrage.  This year does, however, represent a significant expansion in voting rights from the previous elections.  Furthermore, the UAE has a far larger percentage of its citizens eligible to vote than many of the countries in the region.  In this election, 129,247 individuals (out of approximately 978,000 Emirati citizens) will vote.  These individuals are chosen by the rulers of the emirates in which they live.

The FNC is not a legislature that develops and votes on laws.  Rather, it functions in an advisory role to the rulers of the country.  Drafts of laws and the nation's budget are discussed, with recommendations passed on to the rulers.  Additionally, the FNC provides oversight of the various Ministries of the country (Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Foreign Trade, etc.).

Here are a few campaign posters.  I have no idea about the platforms of the candidates.  Since all off the voters are Emirati, all of the campaigning and materials are in Arabic.

This guy has prime advertising space in front of a mosque.

A better angle of the advertisement near the mosque.

Signboards on the median.

One of the female candidates.  Notice here that all candidates have a number (visible in the other candidates' ads, too).  At the voting booth, candidates are either selected by entering the number or selecting the photo of the candidate.

Family Time Part IV

by Cindy

We concluded our American Tour with time in the DFW area to see my family.  I'm fortunate that my mom, dad, brother and some extended family all live in the Metroplex area.  Unfortunately, I got confused about what day we left town, so I was not able to catch up with extended family this year.  The only friend I was able to catch up with was one I haven't seen in 7 or 8 years so it was nice to see her.

We enjoyed our time with family over long dinners, Labor day weekend at the lake and playing with my niece who has grown quite a bit this past year.  Jeff and I always try to get in some American Football while we are in town so we enjoyed the LSU vs. Oregon game this summer at Dallas Cowboy stadium.  My brother even got us some tickets to a suite for the second half of the game.  It's nice to have connections!  In Arabia, we call that 'wasta' which translates to 'influence'.

Here are some pics from our trip:

At the game with my brother and his wife.

Before the game started.

From the suite - joining us were Chavi and Dan.

Reagan, 21 months, ready for the LSU game.

My nieces, Reagan and Haley, 6 years.  Swimming at the lake.

Reagan swimming at the lake.

The squirrels eating corn at the lake.  They even have their own lounge chair!

It was just like any other church dinner...

Last night, Cindy and I attended a special dinner at the Atlantis hotel (on the Palm Islands) here in Dubai.  The dinner was hosted by the Jebel Ali Churches Council, and the purpose of the event was to honor and give thanks for the rulers of Dubai who allow Christians to worship here.  Sheikh Mohammed, the current ruler of Dubai, graciously granted land in 2000 (in a part of town called Jebel Ali) where churches could be built.  His predecessor, Sheikh Rashid, made a similar grant years earlier in another part of town, and actually laid the cornerstone of one of the buildings there.  I'm not sure exactly how many churches exist in these two church complexes (20+), but I do know that there are a variety of churches represented, including evangelical, Anglican, Orthodox, and Catholic churches [There are other churches that are part of the church council that meet outside the church complexes as well - including the one that Cindy and I attend, Redeemer Church of Dubai - which is presently meeting in a ballroom at the JW Marriott - http://www.redeemerdubai.com/].  You can find services held in a host of languages as well - English, Arabic, Tagalog, Spanish, Hindi,...and others.

Last night, there were about 200 people in attendance at the dinner, which included a handful of members of the Dubai royal family, members of the UAE National government, and members of the Dubai Ruler's Court.  Most of the attendees were pastors, church leaders, and other church members.  The Emirati dignitaries were presented gifts of appreciation, a few people made brief speeches, and then we had dinner.  The program for the evening, and a couple of pictures appear below. 

Let us know if you have questions or comments.

Golf in Dubai

I've started playing more golf since we arrived in Dubai.  There are several guys at the business school who play, and so it's a nice way to be social.  The golf courses in the country are - for the most part - outstanding.  Green fees range from about US$50 up to about $200.  [Don't worry, I have a discounted membership at one of the golf clubs that brings down the cost considerably for me :) ].

The courses are worth the high green fees, though.  The layouts are challenging, the courses are well-maintained, and the service is outstanding.

Now the fact that golf can be played at all is almost a miracle.  The environment is pretty inhospitable, as you can see from the picture below.  This is the Emirates Golf Course, the oldest in Dubai.  This picture was taken the year the course opened, in 1987.  The city has since grown up around the course.  The course is still there and hosts the Dubai Desert Classic each year - a European PGA Tour tournament, and also one that consistently attracts the top Americans.  A more recent picture of the course (with the cityscape) appears below.

And in case you're wondering just how much water it takes to turn the desert green like this, a recent article in The National, an Abu Dhabi newspaper, revealed that one of the courses there uses about 1.8 million gallons per day during the summer (and "only" 1.3 million per day during the winter).