Minority Report

I recently had a conversation with a friend and colleague of mine about race and ethnicity.  It's obvious here in the UAE that the Emiratis are at the top of the social pyramid.  That's probably no surprise to any of you reading this.  And so my friend and I were discussing the uncertainty of our lives and careers here.  We both agreed that if something unfortunate were to happen - like getting into a car wreck where an Emirati was injured or killed, or if an Emirati perceived that we had insulted them or their family, or if an Emirati leveled an accusation against us that we had done something unethical or illegal - we question whether we would get fair treatment in a court.  We could be on a plane out of the country (or worse) pretty quickly.

Now we don't fear for this on a daily basis, but it's always there in the back of your mind.  If you're in the wrong place at the wrong time - well - the Dubai dream is over for you.  I told my friend, "It makes me always think about having a backup plan, a fall-back, an exit strategy.  I just never know when I might have to leave.  I can't trust that the system will work for me and so I feel like I live with a lot of uncertainty here."  And my professor friend - who happens to be African-American - said, "I feel like I've always lived with the reality that I might not get fair treatment.  I've never had a lot of faith that the system would work to protect me."  We both sat there for a second and he added, "Living here must be really interesting for you."   

And it is.  It's a completely new experience for me to not be at the top of the social pyramid.  Until I moved here, I never gave a lot of thought to what it meant to be white and well-off in America.  I'm now seeing that there was a lot of certainty and security that came along with that. 

I would like to believe that everyone is treated equally in the US, but I just don't think that's the case.  And even if I am aware of the inequality of races in America - and even if I speak up for change - as a white person I still don't feel what non-white Americans feel.  I don't feel the weight of the day-to-day uncertainty about my life, my family, my career, my reputation, and my personal safety.  The insecurity that creeps in when you're not a part of the dominant social group is palpable.

Interesting, indeed.

Ireland

by Cindy

Jeff and I were fortunate to spend the past week in Ireland enjoying the cooler weather and green hills and mountains.  It was a great trip to yet another beautiful place.  We are now back in the UAE to teach summer school (Cindy) and research (Jeff).  We will leave for America on August 4th.

Here are some of my reflections on Ireland:

• Driving on the left side of the road is not as difficult as it seems.  I did have to remind myself quite a bit but it wasn't too bad.
• Flashing headlights means the same thing in Ireland as it does in the US - beware, a cop is ahead.
• Ireland really is the Emerald isle.  One of our guides told us that Johnny Cash said there are 40 shades of green in Ireland and it is true.  It really was magnificent.  Everything is green.
• The roads were SO narrow.  What we think of as country roads, which are 1.5 lanes wide, are their main roads.  I was amazed at how narrow the roads were and how many big tour buses pass through on these roads.  The upside is that the country side has really been preserved and is not littered with infrastructure.
• The Irish people are very friendly people!
• We enjoyed a whiskey tasting and I must say that Irish whiskey is better than the rest!  I have never liked American whiskey/scotch/bourbon but we did taste some very mice Irish Whiskey.  Jameson Gold Reserve gets my vote.
• I'm still not a fan of beer and definitely not a fan of Guinness.  Guinness is good for baking brownies and goes very well with chocolate (try it, you'll be surprised!) Otherwise, no thanks.
• For whatever reason, the food in Ireland is expensive.  It was all good but really pricey.
• I will take 45 F instead of 45 C all day long!  We loved the rain, the clouds and the cool weather.  Everyone kept apologizing for the weather but we loved it.

Here are a few pics from the trip.  More can be seen on mine and Jeff's FB pages.

Jerpoint Abbey - those white things in the back are sheep

Jerpoint Abbey - those white things in the back are sheep

Ross Castle

Skellig Michael

Glendalough

Monster Trucks

by Cindy

Jeff and I have noticed over the past few months that there are a lot more trucks on the road.  Someone once told us that trucks could only be bought for business purposes but now the government allows individuals to own them.  I'm not sure if any of that is true but there certainly seem to be more trucks in the country.  We pass this one regularly and it makes me chuckle a little bit each time I see it.  I guess Monster Trucks are not just for Texas.

It is a dually and all!

Big pipes for something...

Tortilla Chips

By Cindy

We are fortunate that we can get Tostitos Tortilla chips here. I'm always amazed that they are whole, too.  They come over air freight and Jeff and I both think they are less broken here than when we get them in America.  Go figure but we'll take it.

Nice, whole chips.  Not a single one broken.

Friday Prayers

by Cindy

Whether you go to prayers or not during the week, you always go to Friday noon prayer.  I would say it's loosely equivalent to everyone going to church on Sunday mornings, even if you do participate in weekly church activities. If you happen to drive by any mosque in town during Friday noontime prayers, you are likely to be trapped or not be able to get through on the road.  They park anywhere and everywhere.  We were returning from church on Friday right after prayer started.

They have already parked along the curb and are now parking two deep.

This is in the round about, only one narrow lane left to get through.

Notice the heads of the men.  They were late so they didn't get a place inside and they are having to pray outside.  That's unfortunate since it was 46 C / 115 F yesterday.

Three deep in the round about.

The Umrah

by Cindy


Wikipedia says the following about the Umrah - "The Umrah or (Arabic: عمرة‎) is a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, performed by Muslims that can be undertaken at any time of the year. In Arabic, Umrah means "to visit a populated place". As a technical term used in the Sharia, Umrah means to perform Tawaf round the Kaabaand Sa'i between Al-Safa and Al-Marwah, after assuming Ihram (a sacred state), either from a Miqat like Zu 'l-Hulafa, Juhfa, Qarnu 'l-Manāzil,Yalamlam, Zāt-i-'Irq, Ibrahīm Mursīa, or a place in Hill. It is sometimes called the 'minor pilgrimage' or 'lesser pilgrimage', the Hajj being the 'major' pilgrimage and which is compulsory for every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it. The Umrah is not compulsory but highly recommended."


Jeff and I noticed at the bank the other day, you can finance your Umrah trip with a 0% interest loan.

Russian Tortillas

by Cindy

Jeff and I enjoyed some chips and queso and quesadillas for dinner this weekend.  We can get everything we need over here but it does take some planning ahead since I have to go to three different stores to get all of the ingredients.  The funny part about the dinner was the tortillas - while they are appropriately called El Sabor, they have Russian on the bottom of the label and were manufactured in Russia!  They were really good so we're not complaining. We are thankful to be able to satisfy our Tex-Mex craving, even if it is with Russian tortillas.

Snoop Dogg

by Cindy

Snoop Dogg came to Abu Dhabi last night.  After seeing this picture with Snoop dressed up like the locals here, it made me wish we had attended the concert! I have to confess, when I would flip through TV channels and find Snoop Dogg's Father Hood, I would always watch.  He's really quite funny.

Our News Headline

I thought I would share the headline from our newspaper.  If you would like to read the whole article, it can be found here. To the left and right of the picture, there are quotes from people all over our region. These are not included in the article so I thought I would pass them on as it might be different than what you see at home.

"Justice has been done." Barack Obama, US President

"We will not allow our soil to be used against any other country for terrorism and therefore I think it's a great victory" Yousuf Raza Gilani, Pakistan Prime Minister

"This establishes that Pakistan has been sheltering terrorists and now the country must take steps against them." AK Antony, Indian Defense Minister

"Saudi Arabia hopes that the elimination of the leader of the terrorist al Qa'eda organization will be a step towards supporting international efforts aimed at combating terrorism and dismantling its cells." Official Saudi statement

"The killing of bin Laden is a positive step that will boost the international fight against terror" Official UAE statement

"Let me make it very clear that we will avenge the martyrdom of Osama bin Laden, and we will do it by carrying out attacks in Pakistan and America" Ahsanullah Ahsan, Taliban spokesman

"We condemn any killing of a holy warrior or of a Muslim and Arab person and we ask God to bestow his mercy upon him" Ismail Haniya, Hamas

"It is certainly our hope that this would mark the beginning of the end of a very dark era" Salam Fayyad, Palestinian prime minister

Engaged!

by Cindy

Engagements are big celebrations around here.  Not only do your friends and family  know that you are engaged to be married, but anyone and everyone driving by your house knows.  Yep, this is what happens when someone in your house becomes engaged. They drape the whole house with "Christmas" lights.  It is amazing.

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.

 

New Digs

This summer, Cindy and I, along with the other faculty members at the business school will move into a new building on campus.  The new business building will be a nice upgrade in terms of technology, classroom space, furnishings, etc.  We're excited to move in.  Here are a few pictures of the new building.  

Exterior (during construction)

Interior Hallway of Office Area

Faculty Office - When the building is finished, the glass "wall" at the front of the office will be frosted so we have a little privacy.

This is one of the new classrooms - the tables aren't in yet, but you can still see that we've got auditorium-style seating and nice technology in the rooms

This is one of the three atriums in the building.  Each one is three stories tall and has the dome on top.

Magnets

by Cindy

For those of you that have known me for a long time or have ever been into a house of mine, you know that I am one who loves order and prefer the minimalist style.  Less is more.  As such, I have never been one for "stuff" on the refrigerator.  No reminders of dentist or eye appointments, no soccer schedules, no freebie magnets from the local pizza delivery joint.  Nothing.  Nada.  Zip.  I like a clean refrigerator.

This Christmas many of you were kind enough to send us your Christmas cards. It was so nice to receive cards and pictures of people half a world away and be reminded of the season.  It was special to us to be included on people's mailing lists.  When the pictures and cards arrived, I placed them all over our house so we could be reminded that it was Christmas and be reminded of our friends.  When it came time to put away the tree and decorations, I could not yet part with all of the cards and pictures.  (That in itself says something because I am not one to keep things around.)  After moving the pile of cards around from place to place in the house I finally decided that I needed to make a decision on what to do with them.  I know it sounds ridiculous but it took me about two weeks to convince myself that it was okay to 1) keep everything and 2) put the pictures on the refrigerator.  

Little did I know that making the decision was only half the battle.  Since I had never had refrigerator magnets before, I was not even sure where to find them.  On top of that, add that I live in a foreign country and things are not always where you expect them to be in the store (that can be another blog for another time).  I looked around in a few stores to no avail so I finally sent out an email to my local friends asking where I might find some magnets.  I appreciated their feedback but there was no way I was going to get the "tourist" magnets that show pictures of the buildings here in the city, palm trees, beaches, etc.  It is a big enough deal for me to do this in the first place, I can't give in completely!  Thankfully one of the suggestions was an art store that Jeff and I really like.  Sure enough, they had some tasteful magnets for me.  

It is ridiculous, I know. I'm willing to take baby steps to get over myself.  Here are my cute magnets and some of the pictures we now see each and every day. 

If you are not part of our collection, we would love to add you.  Let me know and I will send you our address!

My First Wedding - Part III

by Cindy

I think I mentioned in my first post that the wedding invitation said the party started at 8:30 but my students told me to arrive around 10 or 10:30.  Well, we were at an event prior to the wedding and didn't make it to the wedding until 11:00.  Today one of Jeff's former students saw him in the hall and said, "I saw your wife at Fatima's wedding.  She was late."

Oops.

My First Wedding - Part II

by Cindy

I had a great time at the wedding!  It was a crazy evening because before the wedding we joined some other friends at a culinary fund raising event.  There we were working in the kitchen preparing the evening's meal and wearing hairnets.  After dinner I exchanged the hairnet for an evening gown and headed to the wedding.

The wedding was in a ballroom at the Atlantis hotel and beyond that I wasn't exactly sure.  The hotel is huge with three large buildings on the property.  I really had nothing to worry about - these were the road signs leading us the right building. 

We arrived at the wedding about 11 PM and the bride arrived shortly afterward.  The event had about 750 attendees, all women, of all ages.  We were seated at tables and you could get up and walk around all you wanted.  It was a cross between a dinner reception following a wedding and a Holiday or Charity Ball.  The feel of the event was joyous like a wedding but the dresses and jewelry were more like what you find at a charity ball in America.  If this had been in America and men were there, it would have been called a "black tie" affair.  The food was served buffet style after the bride arrived (about 11:30 PM) and was a mix of everything.  Servers were bringing around juices, cokes and tea for drinks. 

Along with the tables, the hall was set up with a long aisle for the bride to enter the hall and a stage for the bride to greet the attendees.  The long aisle was lined with small white couches that family members sat on to greet and receive guests as they arrived to the party.  The stage had a huge couch on it and the bride spent the evening on the couch.  The guests took turns going up to congratulate the bride and get professional pictures with her. The below picture is taken from a corner of the room, facing the stage.  The white wall was the background for the stage and the brides throne for the evening.  Notice the camera boom in the picture!  Along with professional photography, they were filming the whole event.

There were a few students from the university and they checked up on us regularly, made sure we had eaten dinner and that everything was okay and we were having a nice time.  One student stuck with us the whole night, filling us in with details, and eventually escorted us to congratulate the bride.  We posed for some pictures with her and then were escorted to one of the couches lining the dance floor to watch everyone.

Once the ladies finished dinner, they would go with their group of friends to pose for pictures with the bride and then the university age and younger ladies made their way to the dance floor.  About 1 AM they announced that the men were on their way so the ladies gathered their abayas from the coat check and put on their shaylas.  Some ladies had remained in the abaya all evening but most women needed to cover up before the men arrived.  My friend Chris and I both commented that until the abayas and shaylas came out, you would have thought you were in America at a big party but once all of the women covered, you were quickly reminded that you were somewhere else.  One thing to note is that the bride covered as well.  She had a white shayla and a jacket, of sorts, that she used to cover her shoulders.

When the men arrived, they walked down the aisle to greet the bride.  The fathers flanked the groom and the three led the party of about 15 men, all of whom I presume to be close family.  They all posed for pictures with the bride.  The scene was not much different than after an American wedding where everyone poses with the new couple.  There was no ceremony really just pageantry.  At some point they became symbolically married and the bride removed her shayla and her jacket; thus symbolizing that she is now a part of the family and no longer has to remain covered around them.

There was a part of the pageantry where the father (I think) of the bride or groom waved a bunch of money over the couple - I assume symbolizing a blessing - and then threw the money in the air.  All of the kids came running to collect the money and it reminded me of kids on an Easter egg hunt.

After this pretty much everyone found a seat and the cake was brought out.  It was seven layers and about five feet tall.  I'm not sure if it was for decoration or to eat but it was HUGE!  At this point many people had left or were leaving, ourselves included, so I'm not sure what happened next.  The student who spent the evening with us explained that the bride and groom would each take a bite of the cake but she wasn't sure what would happen after that.  It was well after 1:30 AM at this point and while we had an AMAZING time, we were ready for bed.  The student escorted us out and took a quick picture of us before we left. 

It really was a very fun evening and I was quite honored that I had been invited.  I am sure you would like to see more pictures but that would be totally inappropriate in this culture. 

You should know that my students were right, I saw all kinds of amazing gowns and jewelry.  I am sure they spent HOURS on their hair and makeup.  As a Westerner we did get stared out quite a bit but i think it helped that the students came to check on us regularly.  It was a spectacular event and I felt privileged to attend.