United Arab Emirage

There's been a lot of Dubai bashing in the past couple weeks, since the Dubai World financial issues started to surface, so I thought I would share some of my favorite takes. Jon Stewart's show on December 1 featuring Dubai (they'll have to change their name to "Do-sell") is hilarious.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
United Arab Emirage
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Crisis

NPR's Planet Money podcast on December 2, "Eye on Dubai," is also interesting in that it serves to dispel the cartoonish image many Americans have of Dubai and shows what life is like on an interpersonal level for a Canadian expatriate living in Dubai. I don't know what they were expecting, but Alex Blumberg and David Kestenbaum seem unduly surprised to discover that people actually live here and like it and do things like play in local soccer leagues.

A Wet Christmas

Dubai is definitely showing the Christmas spirit with lots of decorations in the malls and available to purchase in the stores. But despite the abundance of fake snow (of course!), the only precipitation that one is likely to see here is the wet kind. And rain it has, for the last four days. I was under the mistaken impression that it never rained here!

It started as a gentle refreshing kind of rain, during one of our scuba lessons. It was just enough to stir up the silt in the Gulf so that our open water dive session had to be cancelled due to lack of visibility, so we went back to the pool. Our scuba instructor told us it was likely to rain for days, but I scoffed, still under the impression that it never rained here. Then it was on and off for a while. But today it started to come down pretty heavy. In Dubai, a heavy rain can cause some serious problems, mostly due to lack of drainage, combined with the omnipresent sand and silt. Many of the roads and highway ramps turn unexpectedly into ponds. The dust and silt on the cars makes for very poor visibility when combined with rain. I was driving today, and going through a tunnel I hit a river and suddenly lost all visibility. Since the drivers here can be unpredictable, even driving defensively may not avoid an accident, so I made my way home immediately.

Fortunately we have a parking garage for our building but I now know that it is far from being watertight. In fact, it was raining inside and a nice size river was starting to form on the bottom floor. I hope they will warn us if the river rises high enough to do any damage. So far our apartment seems to be watertight except for one window leaking.

Back to Christmas, you may be wondering if they have Christmas trees here and the answer is yes, they have all that and more. Of course, it's mostly for the expats who celebrate Christmas, but I have also noticed some Arab-looking types with trees and Christmas decorations, no doubt due to some small child demanding same. Some things seem a bit weird, though, such as the Christmasy wolves and squirrels appearing beneath one mall Christmas tree.

American Women

I want to meet more Americans here, and people have recommended that I join the American Women's Association (AWA) of Dubai. The process turns out to be a bit convoluted--first you have to be invited to an event. How to get one's self invited is a challenge when you don't have anyone's name or phone number, going only through faceless website inquiries and replies, which ends up being the equivalent of voicemail limbo. I finally get a ticket to an event but there is no location listed--location to be announced--and my inquiries as to location direct me back to a website page to which I don't have access since I am not yet a member. I persevere, knowing this will be worth it, and finally make my way to the event, which is the annual Christmas luncheon party. The strangeness is heightened by my having to drive through my first sandstorm in Dubai (pictured above) to get there. Not knowing a soul, I feel completely lost even after I arrive but eventually get myself seated with other newcomers.

The first person I meet is a dentist from Sweden! Stockholm in the summer sounds very nice. The group accepts associate members who do not have to be American, so all in all it looks to be a very diverse group with a strong American contingent, but there's no time to mingle. We are entertained at the luncheon by a jazz band from the Dubai American Academy, who did an admirable job on a number of holiday favorites without much audience participation. I have noticed that people seem more restrained in such settings, perhaps out of respect for cultural differences. And the menu is all over the place, with food choices from every continent. While I did not get a chance to talk with many people other than the Swedish dentist, I found out that there is a large group of Americans living out my way on the Palm, and I even met a woman soon to move in my building, so it was certainly a worthwhile outing.

According to a local expat website, you can tell if a man is an American often by just looking at his shoes and clothes. With a woman, it's a little more tricky to use clothes, but pretty easy if you just wait until she opens her mouth. Accents are definitely the tell-tale sign. That explains why no one ever seems to have any problem figuring out where I'm from. Since everyone is from someplace else, no one seems that interested, however, and it can be tough to take the conversation from there.

Neal and I are supposed to have a scuba diving lesson in the evening but it is cancelled due to instructor illness. I believe this is a fib because one of the other instructors told me there was a big concert featuring The Killers in Abu Dhabi that night. But I don't mind at all since I am not really looking forward to doing scuba in a pool at night. So that frees up our schedule to attend another Christmas party in the evening, this one for the American Business Council, in the Ballroom of the Atlantis Hotel on the Palm, very close to where we live. I am glad for another chance to met some fellow Americans, but again we are in the minority. We meet a very interesting guy from Canada who is peddling a waste water treatment product, as well as vacant lots in South Carolina, Colorado, or Arizona; the local managers for UPS, an Indian and a Brit; and a Russian and Lebanese couple who have opened a radiology center featuring new types of MRI machines that don't require you to put your whole body in a tube. I mentioned that I had heard of issues with getting good quality MRIs done in the states, and was offered a free MRI on the spot!

We also met an American human resource manager for GE who had lots of good advice on the best cable TV packages in Dubai for watching American sports. I managed to set up a Slingbox before I left home, which lets me watch and control my home television over the internet using my computer, but I imagine it must be kind of freaky and annoying for my housesitter Jaye to be watching TV at home and have me unexpectedly change the channel. Apparently that's why it's called a Slingbox Solo, and I need to get something called a Slingcatcher so she and I can watch different channels at the same time. The thought of getting another device, which I may use only a few times, is not very attractive. I decide to try to let Jaye know when I am going to be hijacking the TV remote control. Since the Steelers are in the dumpster now it may be a moot point. The last time I turned on a game the old movie Jaye was watching was definitely better!

I have been able to watch some of my son's college wrestling matches over the internet. There's a live video stream for some of the home matches, and one of the other mothers posts match results on a blog and sends results by instant message. The video is very raw and grainy with no indications of the score or commentary and often the official's butt is in the middle of the screen, but it's still very nice to have. The only problem is staying awake in the wee hours, but we discover we can even replay the video later.

Dubai Sevens, Rugby Heaven

The Dubai Sevens Rugby tournament has a long tradition here, celebrating its fortieth anniversary this year. That makes it even older than the country, which just celebrated its formation 38 years ago. The many expatriates who probably skipped the low-key parades on National Day last week turned out in droves to watch three full days of nonstop rugby and related entertainment in the middle of the desert. Teams traveled to Dubai from all over the world, including elite national sides from the top rugby nations, select international clubs and social clubs for both men and women.

Rugby sevens is played on a full size pitch (field) with seven players per team instead of the normal 15, with games lasting only 7 minutes per half (ten minutes per half for finals). That makes for a lot of fast-paced action in a sevens tournament, which can be completed with pool play the first day and the finals the second day. Sevens is the version of the sport that will be played in the 2016 Olympic games to be held in Rio de Janeiro. The global spread and popularity of the game is in full view in Dubai with teams from the Arabian Gulf, Argentina, Australia, England, France, Fiji, Kenya, New Zealand, Portugal, Russia, Samoa, Scotland, South Africa, United States, Wales, and Zimbabwe.

The stadium is a massive semipermanent structure rising out of the flat expanse of the desert on the outskirts of Dubai. The area is transformed into a mostly Arab-free expatriate village where the normal rules of living in Dubai are temporarily suspended, with alcoholic drinks dispensed freely without the need for any license for purchase. Heineken 12-packs come with their own soft cooler full of ice, and those preferring to party can watch the games on TV in the large tents on the grounds. Snacks appealing to the various nationalities include UK-style fish and chips, South African style sausage and burgers, and the most popular Baskin Robbins flavors. Kiddies are welcome with an alcohol-free Family Stand and all kinds of play areas and mini rugby balls flying everywhere. The stands can hold as many as 50,000 fans, and probably three times that many pass through the grounds over the three days of the event.

Many spectators come decked out in creative costumes for a very festive atmosphere. Seen at the Sevens were a team of Bananamen, who seemed quite happy not to be playing rugby, a team of Whoopee Cushions, several lost sheep, a transvestite cheerleading squad, a wayward Celtics basketball team, six Waldos, Princess Leia, Darth Vader and a pack of Storm Troopers, a bunch of drunk clowns (some in costume), Austin Powers, who "performed" and made several wardrobe changes, a team of professional cheerleaders from Australia, and tournament mascots in the form of a cute, cartoonish camel and a rugby ball. Streakers included a man in his underwear, a man who looked like he was in his underwear but who was wearing a giant Sumo wrestler costume, and a parrot, who were duly tackled and taken away by the security personnel.

I was amazed that the crowd was so well-behaved given the party atmosphere and drinking. While rugby players in the USA have a reputation for being a bit too wild and crazy, the international ruggers and their fans are very polite and restrained. Of course, there were plenty of security people present, but I saw no unpleasantness at all. Those who were drinking seemed to show good sense by not driving.

By the way, New Zealand beat Samoa in the international cup final. The USA men's team only managed one win against Portugal, but came close to beating Kenya and should have beaten Russia. The USA women's team had a good showing with wins against Moscow, Bangkok and Kenya. Surely rugby's going to the Olympics will inspire a new group of young athletes to get serious about the sport. If the USA national men's team can attract just a handful of the top athletes who can't find a place in the NFL, that could make all the difference for the sevens program.

Holiday Season

I return to Dubai once again at the end of a major Muslim holiday. When I first arrived in late September, it was the last day of Eid Al Fitr, a three-day holiday celebrating the breaking the fast at the end of Ramadan. This time I arrived for the last day of Eid Al Adha, a four-day festival celebrating the sacrifice and the end of the pilgrimage to Mecca. These occasions are marked by decorations in the green, white, red and black colors of the UAE national flag, including banners and festive strings of lights on many of the buildings.

As I was leaving the airport, I noticed a large crowd of families gathered at the airport carrying flowers and preparing to greet arriving travelers. I asked my cabdriver what was going on, and he told me they were there for the Hajj. The Hajj is the annual pilgrimage that Muslims make to Mecca, so these families were there to greet relatives who had made the pilgrimage and were returning from Saudi Arabia. I had seen some of these pilgrims earlier this month when I was in Heathrow, as they prepared to board a flight to Riyadh. They were easy to spot since they were wearing long white towels wrapped around their waist and upper body. I wondered what they would be wearing now but I didn't get a chance to see any of them coming out.

UAE National Day takes place tomorrow, December 2, and marks the formation in 1971 of the federation of the emirates which make up the UAE. Given the proximity this year to Eid Al Adha, the two holidays have been combined for a week-long break for public sector employees. The UAE was formed under the leadership of its first president, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who held this position until he died in 2004. The main road through Dubai is called Sheikh Zayed Road in his honor, with a huge portrait of him prominently displayed roadside. Driving by there today I noticed a new billboard with his picture, marking a national campaign in his honor called "Our Father Zayed."

One cannot help but notice, as soon as one turns on one's TV, that the world news is blaring about Dubai World's asking for a holiday on its debt repayment and the ramifications. As would be expected, the local media is downplaying these events and expressing complete confidence in Dubai's ability to weather the storm. Dubai World, which the government of Dubai made clear today is not its responsibility, is the commercial entity that includes Nakheel, the developer of the various island projects, including the Palm Jumeirah where yours truly now resides, as well as the Palm Deira, the Palm Jebel Ali and the World, which are under construction. Since Nakheel's name is all over the place where we live, we naturally had some concern that things might change in our island paradise, that we might come back to find foreclosure notices and service shutdowns. So far, all is well with no signs of distress. In fact, a nice albeit alcohol-free restaurant just opened next to the pool in our complex, with a terrific little gourmet market next door, which even sells newspapers! Life is good for now, as far as we can see.

On the other hand, Neal did notice several other lawyerly types on his flight back to Dubai, who were heard mentioning "ugly meetings" to come in the days ahead. Since lawyering must go on in bad times as well as boom, any downturn here may be good for the lawyer business.

Terms of Endearment

The proper terms of address for men and women can be controversial, and especially touchy for women growing up as I did in the early years of the feminist movement. Terms like "ladies," "girls" and "gals" were considered sexist and derogatory, in favor of the more neutral "women." The honorifics "Miss" and "Mrs." came to be frowned upon for women who chose not to be defined by marital status and technically were incorrect for women (like me) who chose not take their husband's last name. A new term "Ms." was invented to fill the gap, but being also the name of the leading feminist magazine, this title was not well-accepted and is usually ignored today, even by me.

Stopping for a few days in London on my way back to Pittsburgh for Thanksgiving, I came across an article in the London paper suggesting that another nonsexist option would be to refer to both men and women as "sir." Apparently this would rid us of the offensive term "madam." I have had occasion to be called "sir," usually when I am on the telephone and presumably by accident since my speaking voice is somewhat deep. I definitely felt some affront, so this suggestion seems batty to me.

Which is why I am charmed by how the residents of Dubai deal with honorific titles and names. Their simple solution is to ignore last names, which can be quite difficult to master anyway given the many different nationalities who live here. They use only the first names, with Mister or Miss depending on gender. Thus, we are known as Mr. Neal and Miss Pam, which seems quite nice to me and easily done!

Thank God It's Thursday?

After living here for almost two months, it is still hard to get used to the differences. The Muslim holy day is Friday, so the work week here ends on Thursday. That means the weekend is on Friday and Saturday, and the work week starts again on Sunday. Thursday night is a big night out for expatriates, and for Muslims the big night out is Friday night. These tend to be the busy times in the malls and supermarkets, and best avoided as I now know. It definitely seems weird for Neal to head to the office on Sunday morning. (He still has to work on Fridays, too, since that's a work day for Pittsburgh. Not to mention the late hours he has to keep so as to participate in conference calls and meetings with the other offices, who are many hours behind Dubai time.)


Some of the differences involve unexplained mysteries. Why aren't there any electrical outlets in the bathroom? Do people have special dressing rooms where they shave and dry their hair? Why aren't there any sidewalks? Are people expected to drive everywhere and never walk? There are no clothes dryers here either, understandable because things dry instantly when placed outside, but that does require some extra effort that I am not used to. Plus the clothes and towels turn rock hard in the hot sun.

My brain is well exercised with the need to make frequent calculations and adjust my actions accordingly. The time difference from Pittsburgh is always on my mind--we were 8 hours ahead until recently, but without Daylight Savings Time we are now 9 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time. This is only convenient when the Steelers are playing on Monday night, since we can catch the second half when we get up on Tuesday morning. But when Grandma calls, early for her, at 3 p.m. Sunday afternoon, we are already sacked out in bed and miss her call. Trying to reach our sons in college before 2 or 3 p.m. on any given day is also hit and miss.


Figuring out just how hot it is requires even more math using the formula most of us learned in school. It helps to know that 9/5's equals 1.8 to use as the multiplier and then add 32. It also helps to remember that 10 degrees Celsius is 50 degrees Fahrenheit, 20 degrees C is 68 degrees F, 30 degrees C is 86 degrees F, 40 degrees C is 104 degrees F, and 50 degrees C is 122 degrees F. (Yes, it does get that hot, and by law all construction work outside is required to stop at that point.)

Figuring out how much something costs requires knowing the conversion rate. For dirhams to dollars, the current rate is 3.67, which I hope will never change since I won't be checking. Conversely, one dirham, abbreviated AED, is worth .27 USD. Dividing a price in dirhams by 3.67 is too hard, so I use 4. That means I start out thinking things are really expensive, looking at the big number in dirhams, but dividing by four I end up thinking they are a bit cheaper than they really are, more conducive to buying. I can fill the tank of the Ford Explorer for 100 dirhams, which seems pretty reasonable until I realize that I seem to be doing this every few days. Having to do double conversions can drive you nuts, say converting dirhams per litre of gas into dollars per gallon. I don't even try. I think they use gallons anyway. Since it's full serve here, I never look!


Some of the differences are pleasant surprises. Yes, they have full service gas stations (like New Jersey!), and they even clean your windshield, which really needs it, at some of them. There are spray hoses next to toilets in bathrooms, and there are drains in the floors of bathrooms and kitchens to facilitate cleaning. (There are no spray hoses for kitchen sinks, though.) The new TV's they sell here work with any country standard and voltage (at least that's what they told me.) The DVD players can be programmed to play DVD's bought in the US or here.

Other differences range from big problems to minor annoyances or curiosities. There are no street numbers so you have to know the name of the building and the roads or landmarks it is near to pin down the location. What road or exit will get you there is another puzzle to be solved. There is no home delivery of mail--all mail is sent to post office boxes. Appliances here often come with two prong plugs instead of the standard three prong plug, so you need a lot of adaptors. The good news here is that you can buy universal adaptors that will work with both UK and USA two prong plugs and apparently any other type of plug (rendering those ridiculously expensive adaptor sets they sell in airports completly unnecessary). The Muslim holidays are only approximate and are announced shortly before they happen based on moon sightings. Most restaurants outside of hotels do not serve alcohol, but they usually have delicious fresh juices and mocktails. They write the date here with day, month and then year, so November 10 is 10/11/2009, instead of 11/10/2009 as it is in the US. They will not honor your check if you write in two different colors of ink or you put in the wrong date, but they will call you first to let you know and you can argue with them about it. (On the positive side, the bank sends you an email letting you know when your checks have cleared.) You have to have a locally issued credit card to use for utility bills; otherwise you have to go somewhere and pay in cash.

Don't even think about bouncing a check here. Important, intelligent people have reportedly left the country to avoid having to deal with the ramifications of that offense.

In case you were missing the 80's, they still use pull tabs on soft drink cans. Just try to find Diet Dr. Pepper--I saw it once but haven't seen it again--Coke and Fanta have a lock on the market. Instant hot water pots and instant coffee are very popular, with no drip coffee makers to be seen. Shag carpets are making a big comeback, and I must say I'm tempted!

Speaking of Fiascos, Here's One of Note

Every day in Dubai brings a new fiasco. I started a post called fiasco of the day and was planning to add a new one every day. However, I soon bored of this effort as not all were noteworthy. Moreover, if one tries, as is wise, not to dwell on these unpleasant incidents, one is soon overtaken by the next and the prior one fades from memory. Even so, a few stick out so much that they warrant further notoriety. So, let's get this started with the fiasco of the safe (as requested by my bookish friend and follower, Nancy).

The story starts on Thursday, October 8 at 8:30 am. In fifteen minutes Mr. Neal (as he is called in Dubai) needs to deliver a big check for our new apartment. (As noted previously, rent in Dubai is payable a full year in advance, just in case you were thinking of leaving the landlord in the lurch.) The checkbook and passports are in the hotel safe. When Mr. Neal goes to open it, his secret code doesn't work. (He is positive he has the right code, by the way, since he uses the same one for everything.) Many tries later, a very frustrated Mr. Neal calls the concierge for help. A hotel employee soon appears with an electronic gizmo and tries to open the safe many, many times without success. Then the employee tells Mr. Neal that two days earlier the safe had been found open by the hotel maintenance staff when they came in for a routine call. He said the employee who found the safe open took an inventory of the contents, closed it and filed a report on the incident. Amazingly, no one thought to tell us about this! As it turned out, closing the safe rendered Mr. Neal's secret code inoperable, causing the current dilemma.

Seconds and minutes tick by as Mr. Neal harangues the hotel employee and his incompetence in failing to open the safe. Miss Pam (as I am called) hides in the bathroom after catching a glimpse of the now miserable employee being subjected to harsh verbal lashing, words indecipherable but meaning clear. The employee then tries again, and suddenly Mr. Neal's tone of voice softens. I emerge to find the safe is open! However, while our passports and emergency cash are indeed safe in the safe, the checkbook and several blank checks previously signed by Mr. Neal for Miss Pam's convenience now appear to be missing. Hotel employee wisely decides his job is done and makes a mad dash to leave.

Without the human buffer, recriminations now commence directly against Miss Pam, with Miss Pam being accused of 1) leaving the safe open (who else? certainly not Mr. Neal!), 2) leaving blank checks lying around, and 3) losing blank checks and, indeed, the entire checkbook. An immediate search of the premises by Miss Pam (Mr. Neal is too busy haranguing) uncovers a small pile near Mr. Neal's laptop that proves to be the missing checkbook and blank checks. Proximity to Mr. Neal's laptop and fact of Miss Pam's never having thought to use safe are extremely suggestive of Mr. Neal's guilt in the entire matter, but Miss Pam wisely remains silent. Time of discovery: 8:43 a.m. Time of appointment with agent to deliver check: 8:45 a.m. Despite a longish elevator ride from the 52nd floor (for which the elevator sometimes apologizes, "sorry to keep you waiting"), we meet our agent as planned.

No worries, as the Aussies like to say. In Arabic, the expression "mafie mushkila" seems more appropriate. It translates as "no problem," but they say that when you hear it you can most definitely assume that this is NOT the case.

Even better: all's well that ends well.

DUBAILAND Coming Soon!

I think of this place as "Dubailand" instead of just "Dubai" partly because it is so spread out, and also because the license plates here have Dubai and then the Arabic for Dubai which looks a lot like "L---D" with some extra squiggles. But "Dubailand" or its all-caps version "DUBAILAND" technically is the name of just one part of the city, albeit a very large part. It refers to the plan for a massive development, along the lines of Disneyland but much more ambitious, encompassing 3 billion square feet(!), including theme parks, culture and art, science and planetariums, sports and sports academies, well being and health, shopping and retail, and resorts and hotels.

Right now most of DUBAILAND is still on paper, but the headquarters office (a mere 180,000 sq. ft.) is now open, according to a message from CEO Mohammed Al Habbai on the DUBAILAND website. Visitors are invited to view a mini-DUBAILAND scale model (3,200 sq. ft.) and marvel at the two beautiful Bengal tigers which roam in the enclosed grounds. Seeing the tigers might be worth a visit in itself! I assume the project is on hold until the economy picks back up. I met an Aussie earlier this year who had been laid off from DUBAILAND but found a new job working for Sega Republic, which has a new theme park now open in the Dubai Mall.

Meet Salim!

This cartoon guy has appeared on banner signs along Sheikh Zayed Road, the central highway in Dubai. The signs say "Meet Salim, Your Cyber Security Advisor" (pictured). I was confused, as usual, at first due to the similarity of the name to "Salik." Like E-Z Pass in the US, Salik is the name of the toll road system here in Dubai. You have to get a card to put on your windshield and the toll is automatically deducted from your account. Salik is an Arabic word for open or clear, while Salim seems to be just another masculine Arabic name.

Once I realized that Salim was different from Salik, I was then puzzled as to how Salim differed from another cartoon character I have encountered while using the internet in Dubai. This other character, who does not appear to have a name, comes up when you try to access a website that is blocked in the UAE. He/she comes up with a warning to "Surf Safely! This website is not accessible in the UAE."

It is interesting to see what websites are blocked. A blog called Secret Dubai is blocked while one called One Big Construction Site isn't. (Maybe it has to have Dubai in the name to get monitored.) Also, I noticed that sites giving advice on how to circumvent the internet restrictions seem to be blocked only if they have VPN in the name (for virtual private network.) Apparently it is very easy to avoid the restrictions by using a VPN.

I had heard before I arrived that Skype was blocked. This may be a problem only if you try to download Skype in the UAE. I already had it on my computer and my iPhone when I arrived, and it works just fine. I am very happy to have it, as the rates for international calls, even with an international calling plan, are ridiculously high.

Salim is making personal appearances at schools and the like to talk with young people about using the internet safely. Whether these other topics will come up or be revisited remains to be seen.

A Good Show Even Without Sheikh Mo

We went to the inaugural Dubai Business Gala last night with 1,300 other people, not one of whom we knew beforehand, a slightly intimidating prospect. We arrived to be greeted like celebrities with cameras flashing and a very elaborate but welcoming Arabic fanfare. Emirati and expatriate business people mingled with diplomatic types in an international, multicultural extravaganza, with showcases of art, music, dance and cultural displays from all over the world. Mostly, there was a lot of networking, which Dubai prides itself in promoting. One is never without a pile of business cards to hand out and rake in. (Note to self: get cards made.) We were hoping to meet or at least get a look at Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai (aka Sheikh Mo). Unfortunately, Sheikh Mo was a no show and the honors went to a bro (actually, probably a cousin, but bro rhymes better).

As only nonalcoholic beverages were served, the audience seemed a bit subdued and the applause on the tepid side for the various speeches and performances. That did not take away from a very enjoyable evening, with lots to take in. My favorite was the elaborately garbed and golden-masked falconer who served as a living logo for the event. The falcon was huge and awesome. Having seen one up close, I trust I will never again make the mistake (as I have embarrassed myself by doing before) of confusing Dubai's beloved falcon with an eagle or turkey!

Strange About Change

There's a strange thing about change, as in coins, here: people don't want to give them to you. They always expect you to give them the change in coins. They are happy to give you bills, but they really seem to dislike handing out coins. For example, if the price is 12 dirhams and you hand them a twenty, they will hand you back a ten and expect you to give them 2 dirham coins. One time in this situation I started to walk away with the ten and was mystified when they said I owed them 2 until I realized what was going on. If you don't have the two coins, they seem really put out.

Maybe there's a shortage of coins. Maybe it's piling up in jars in people's apartments, like pennies in the US. Maybe people throw them away like my son does. I often find quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies in the trash can in his room. It's a family joke, that Kurt doesn't believe in change.

Nice View

We clean up the used outdoor furniture we bought and move it out to the balcony where it rightfully belongs, and it looks great! There's a nice view of two buildings that look like the Chrysler building but we still don't know their names.

Delivery Day

Furniture arrives at our front door. The wonders of buying new stuff! It's great to have someplace to sit down.

Settling In

The bloom is off the rose, or should I say the date palm? You could say that our apartment's location on the Palm island makes us the dates.

Neal seems to just conk out in the evening after work (probably from lack of sleep and stress). I'm sleeping very well and feeling pretty energized but it is lonely with no friends nearby yet. The people who work here at our building are incredibly friendly and helpful--even helping me bring packages upstairs. I've been leaving Neal's business card around with notes and questions for our neighbors and while I have yet to meet them they have been quick to respond with suggestions. Everything is pick up and delivery here like laundry, water, even meals. I hope we can get a maid soon, which should be very inexpensive, but a lot of them want full time, live in jobs, which I can't really fathom--three days a week is what our neighbor has which seems like a lot to me.

My search for cheap nice furniture has taken me all over the world! I've seen lines ranging from Natuzzi and Ligne Roset (way too expensive) to Ethan Allen (if you can wait several months) and Lazy Boy (I didn't come all this way to buy that!) plus all kinds of stuff from India, Pakistan, Spain, Portugal, China, Malaysia, Italy, Germany, Australia with more than enough fancy UK and garish Arabic styles. It's been fairly entertaining for me but Neal is tiring of this process and ready to buy whatever we are looking at at the moment, so I am also trying to bring some logic and sanity to bear.

We decided to go as simple and cheap as possible on the big ticket items and spice it up with nice small things that could come home with us. The practically new used items we bought have worked out well: Janet and Hack were here to help me get our amazingly big and heavy master bed (exotic Indian) and yesterday I got a like-new Natuzzi recliner (modern Italian) for Neal (see photo). So now when I look at new things I'm already thinking about reselling them when we leave! We also have to get blinds which are expensive and ordinarily I wouldn't bother with but here they are considered a necessity for privacy and sleeping in. Ikea and Ace Hardware have come in handy for miscellaneous items. I've had to get out of the malls since they're so expensive and been forced to learn my way around by driving through all kinds of industrial sites to find the other stores and warehouses, many of which I just stumble upon. I still found myself in two malls today, returning our broken espresso machine (for the third time) and getting cash at an ATM (also got my car washed in the parking lot for $5!).

Needless to say, the overall style of the apartment will have to be eclectic, but we're drawing the line at royal Arabian--no way we can pull that off! We may not get any more bedroom furniture for awhile so give us a little notice if you want to visit. They are not fussy about the rules for balconies and the like in our building, but whatever's on the balcony gets covered in dust in no time. Our parking lot is a zoo--we have 2 reserved spots but it's dog eat dog and people steal spots with impunity. It's probably related to the crazy driver problem.

We hope to see some sights outside of Dubai for a change of pace this weekend when we aren't waiting for furniture to be delivered. I've been spending my spare time puzzling over the appliances, none of which resemble their American counterparts, and hoping for a maid to mysteriously appear.

How's the Water?

Neal is enjoying our big pool. He can swim off the beach or kayak out there too. I think the jellyfish are gone now but I haven't gone out there to check. Something about taking an elevator down to the fake beach--just doesn't call to me like the beach at Tybee. I haven't made use of the pool or health club yet myself--getting in shape an increasingly and alarmingly low priority for me.

Something's Missing Here

There is no culture here, which is a bummer. (Mall art, nice as some of it is, doesn't count.) I was very spoiled in Pittsburgh. It's hard to find a newspaper stand or a post office. I still haven't mailed any postcards, which I usually do when I get to a new place.

Neal has his hands full trying to get the office going in the right direction. Definitely not in his comfort zone and he feels all the pressure. I have my work cut out for me just trying to keep him sane, so it's a good thing that I am in a fairly relaxed state. I can't imagine being here with kids--that would definitely put me over the edge. Even a pet would be tough--there's NO place to walk. A kitty might be okay but it would have to stay indoors all the time and just think what it would do to nice curtains! I don't think they even allow pets on the Palm since I haven't seen any.

Random fact: men outnumber women by a large ratio, at least 4-1.

S.N.A.F.U.

Frustrations continue, like getting stuck in big traffic jams going the wrong way. It took four tries and Neal getting really mad over the phone for the cable guy to show up, but the TV and internet are working well (my laptop, sadly, is not). I got to watch Conan O'Brien last night. Mysteries (why no David Letterman?) also abound.

Communication snafus and lousy service seem to be the norm here. People are pretty nice and even apologetic when they are being incompetent but that doesn't really help. Drivers are another story, as there are an alarming number of dangerous maniacs and/or thrillseekers on the road, which makes driving a real test of survival skills. Perhaps a Survivor: Dubai is in the works? It was fun seeing The Great Race take a trip to our old Burj Dubai neighborhood.

Our ride is a nice big made-in-the-USA Ford Explorer. Filling it up, which we seem to do a lot, costs less than $25. We're hoping to upgrade to a newer model soon but planning to keep it as a rental. I can't bear the thought of trying to deal with car breakdowns here.

Check out this clip of common accidents in Dubai:

FedEx Delivers, Sort Of

Sending boxes from USA to Dubai via FedEx worked out pretty well--they delivered to my front door--but it took two more days than expected to clear customs and I unexpectedly had to pay duty (about $50). Without thinking about it I had stated a value of $500. The FedEx guy tells me that if I label it personal effects with a value below $300, it's duty free. Not sure if it avoids customs though--they probably still check no matter what you declare, you would think.

I'm told Dubai has retained its own customs separate from Abu Dhabi and the rest of the UAE--vestige of being separate countries, lucrative operation, may explain some of the questionable activities you hear rumors of here. I also hear that Dubai does a booming billion-dollar business in the sale of duty free items at the airport, which many arriving passengers take advantage of, especially for the purchase of alcohol.

Bed Pointed Right Way

Back Again

I'm back in Dubai again, and meet Neal at the apartment for our first night together in the new digs. The bed is assembled, a mammoth task for one person given its great weight, but it looks weird, probably because it's pointed in the wrong direction. I try to point this out tactfully, but do not succeed. Also, there is no food in the house beyond the little I left there a week ago. So we must navigate ourselves to a restaurant at a late hour. We find a very nice Lebanese place and have a lovely meal "al fresco" despite being served something we didn't order and the occasional disturbance of drag racing show-offs on the beach road. Who are these people?!

Frustrating Fun Day

Last day in Dubai before heading back to Pittsburgh for a week. Trying to entertain Janet and Hack while picking up some furniture turns out to be impossible. My company is anything but entertaining as Janet and Hack endure a hugely frustrating trip to the Arabian Ranches to pick up a table, which I stupidly thought would take only an hour. Three hours later, we are stuck in traffic going the wrong way (as is usual here). The table wasn't even that nice and I am seething at the owner who refused to email a picture--"come see it for yourself at Arabian Ranches", he said, with glowing description--and who also refused to come down on his price, which is too easy when you are on the phone and let your wife be the bad guy. And the directionally challenged wife's bad directions were how we got going the wrong way home.I'm beginning to suspect that one reason for the seemingly inexplicable accidents in Dubai may be the attempts of drivers to correct their mistakes in getting on the wrong road, which often involves a huge unexpected detour and proves very hard to correct. The U-Turn is quite acceptable in almost any circumstance but this maneuver does require a cut in the road, which may not be there when you need it so some drivers seem to be inspired to make their own cuts.

In a weird way it reminds me of Pittsburgh with its sometimes hideous roads and hard to follow directions, often involving landmarks that are incomprehensible to non-natives. I find myself trying to keep a compass in my head and just make sure I'm heading north, south, east or west, as the situation dictates, using a few notable landmarks as guides, such as the Burj Al Arab, the building that sticks out over the Gulf and looks like a sail, which is a short way north of the Palm, which is eastward on the Gulf and north of all the big buildings in the area known as the Marina. There are, of course, quite a few marinas in Dubai, including at least two on the Palm, but not to get confused, this one is really big.

Janet and Hack were also nice enough to wait for my practically new used bed to be delivered, which I was anxious to get so Neal would not have to come home to an empty apartment. Again, not quite as pictured on the dubizzle website--this bed is massive and the delivery guys earned their money. Turns out it is brand new with price tag still on and in its original packaging (with "big bad ass" marked on the outside!).

Then it's off to the airport and a nice flight back with Captain Janet flying the first half. We later found out she got sick while trying to get some rest in the crew cabin the second half of the trip, hopefully not caused by the disruptions I put them through during the day. I slept well while trying to avoid talking to my seatmate who was very drunk and cursing the whole lot of Arabs in Afghanistan where he had been working. I finally mastered the United seat controls, which had me stumped on prior trips, and timed my bathroom breaks perfectly for a change. Hack had more upscale company in the first-class cabin, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Pakistan and Sen. Dan Inouye from Hawaii. Flying standby has its perks and drawbacks--I couldn't get on the early flight from Dulles to Pittsburgh and had to wait four hours for the next flight. How I occupied those hours is a mystery to me, but it was nice to get home finally. I even found a SuperShuttle now operating in Pittsburgh, who drove me all the way to Fox Chapel for $39, a trip that by cab would be closer to $80 or more with tip.

Not Much vs. Lot of Show

I feel like I have been working my butt off with not much to show for it yet, but we do have a brand new (empty) apartment with a great gym and pool (too tired to go) and a nice view and beach. I got a TV and an air mattress already and have been trying to buy used furniture, but yesterday I lost a bedroom set I really wanted by 5 minutes because I was waiting for the damn TV to be delivered. And the TV is useless if the cable company doesn't come. I waited three hours for them yesterday until Neal (who is in Pittsburgh now) found a number to call and was told they weren't coming! Neal yelled at them and they promised to be here today at noon, so we'll see.

Dubai is so crazy it's ridiculous. The more I'm here the more it seems like a giant real estate scheme. There are so many new buildings and projects underway, many of them stalled for the time being, it's hard to say what will become of it all. It all looks new but in 10-20 years, do they bulldoze it and start over? The desert is right here so where there's no building there's just a pile of sand. Bizarre contrasts. But interesting, so long as I don't have to live here permanently.

My twin Janet is flying here tonight (as in flying the plane as captain for United Airlines) with her husband Hack coming along to see Dubai. We will have as much fun as possible during the layover and then all head back together on the 13th. You get pretty nice treatment from the cabin crew when your sister is flying the plane! I'll be in Pittsburgh for a week before heading back. I'm going to bring back sheets, towels, etc. that I have extra of at home and don't need to buy new. And then I will try to furnish the new apartment without spending too much money.

Sunday is a work day here, since Friday is the Muslim holy day. We'll go out to dinner at the Creek--the real old part of town--and cab it since I've never tried to drive there and have been forewarned. But you have to try to get a real cab and not one of the unmarked cars which while metered are more expensive.

Getting Giddy

Giddiness is setting in. Being alone in Dubai is a little worrisome. Or as my friend in Cairo, calls it (in a playfully disparaging way), Do-Buy.

I like Robert's suggestion: Doo-bye, baaaaby.

Maybe I should come up with my own nickname. How about Doobee Doobee Doobye? And then there's Abu Dhabi Doo.You'd think Mountain Dew would be all over here but I haven't seen it around.

We Are Now Palmites

Today we paid a year's worth of rent (nice for all those investors) and completed our suitcase move to the Palm Jumeirah. The new apartment is very nice and spacious, especially since it's brand new and there's no furniture yet. Neal conveniently just left for the airport to go back to Pittsburgh and assorted meetings. I have three days to buy furniture before I leave to come home for a week. No pressure!

Dubai has a hyperactive online marketplace for reselling all kinds of stuff since people move and come and go all the time. Some of it is practically brand new at steep discounts, very enticing, but there's also a bunch of crap. My first purchase: a sepia canvas poster of Muhammed Ali, to set the proper "I'm an American, don't f&@k with me" tone. One person's crap, another person's treasure. Right now I'm only attracted to stuff that's both cheap and that we don't need (almost bought a giant bonsai tree!). My second purchase is likely to be an air mattress, if I can find one. I could not find a measuring tape or hangars in the entire Do-buy mall! Wal-mart is what's missing--it would be amazing here! Ikea just came and is doing great.

I am beginning to suspect that the little people here--like the hotel staff and the shop people--secretly like Americans, but the other expats (loads from the UK, Australia, South Africa) not so much. Not sure about the Emiratis. They still seem scary to me, although I did hitch a ride with an Emirati woman who was just as lost as me trying to get to a furniture store.

Someday I may post the story of the safe fiasco (as in hotel safe) but not now. Whatever Neal says is only partially true, as usual.

The Old, the Soft and the Lazy

Neal and I are now pretty certain we are among the oldest people here. Say you lived and worked in Dubai for many years and had children and grandchildren here. Guess what happens when you retire? They make you leave! If you don't have a work visa and you aren't an Emirati, you can't stay. It's nuts but may explain why we don't see any old expatriates like ourselves.


The real estate market here is not to be believed. We are moving anyday now to our new apartment. I hear horror stories about getting internet and cable and what they call snagging issues (stuff that doesn't work when you first move in) so I am bracing myself for the fight. Driving is like that too. Redtape and incompetence abounds.

Miss our Pittsburgh friends and American football. The selection of TV channels is not good. We are 8 hours ahead so I woke up yesterday to follow the end of the Steeler game on the internet, no video or audio, just play by play feed. Neal tells his buddies back home that the Arabs are woosies, and their kids are very soft and lazy. They don't even pump their own gas here!

New Normal

I am glad to hear my sister-in-law Janet Brendel is getting back to normal after unexpected emergency surgery. It still feels weird for me to wake up in Dubai so I may be missing normal for a while myself. Neal is going home to Pittsburgh on Oct. 9 but I'm not going back until the 13th and probably won't stay long. We are "moving" from the hotel to our new apartment in a few days and I'm looking for furniture etc. Not a lot of fun--the apartment hunt was bad enough! We are looking forward to being out on the Palm. There's a fantastic gym, pool and beach right in front of the building, with a restaurant going in as well.

My sister and her husband will be here on on the 11th and I'll fly back with them. Good thing they aren't planning to stay with us! I hope by the time we have other visitors we'll have some furniture.

Ross and Kurt seem fine at college, Ross liking his apartment, in full swing with rugby and in a seminar with Howard Dean. Kurt's working hard with wrestling and is happy to have much less reading this term. He's taking music theory now which is pretty hard but he says he likes it. One of his friends got swine flu already but he says it wasn't bad.

I'm telling my friends at home that Dubai is definitely a fun and interesting place to visit either by itself or on the way to or from someplace else, although best not in the heat of the summer. (It's still in the 90's!) Great for kids, very family oriented with water parks, aquariums, all the cool stores kids like.

They do a lot of neat things with water. The video shows the fountain in the Dubai Mall.

World's Tallest Building

The Burj Dubai, currently the world's tallest builing, is in full view from Neal's balcony at The Address, but stubbornly refuses to fit in my photo. There is a very cool fountain water and lights show every night on the half hour with differing designs and music. The grand opening spectacular is scheduled for December 2 and it looks close to completion, with sod being brought in now to complete the greenery, a nice change from dirt brown.

Check out the guys who illegally base jumped off the building:

No Fun for the Busy

Wish I could go visit my sister Cynthia who is doing legal work until December in Arusha in Tanzania, but I have my hands full trying to find and furnish an apartment here plus planning to go back and forth to Pittsburgh twice before December. The big event coming up is the Dubai Rugby Sevens Dec 4-5 for which Neal has a big block of tickets. We should be in the new apartment with some furniture by then?

Janet and Hack will be here Oct. 9 and I'll fly back with them. No desert safari for Hack!

Dubai still seems very friendly and not nearly as scary as I expected except perhaps for driving, which I am just starting to try. I'm told the locals are extremely lazy, and all the good workers are expats. Americans seem to be well-liked but not very numerous, which is nice for us as we feel special. But we also feel very old, often the oldest people we see, which is not so nice. There don't seem to be any retired expats here, since you have to leave once you lose your work visa. One way to address the health care problem? It is possible and apparently pretty easy to stay legal without a work visa provided you cross the border and get a new tourist visa every thirty days. I hear Oman is nice.

Not Quite Heaven

Neal's balcony at The Address is pretty scary being open at 52 stories. Here's a self-portrait, yes, me in pajamas but I'm still working hard.

I wouldn't be surprised if Heaven is on the Dubai master plan somewhere. I certainly haven't missed getting mail. I do miss TV and the news a little.

The apartment deal is looking good. The Russian landlord seems to have the right papers (although he seems to be trying to get paid off the books). Our agent Melissa is nice and tough and has vowed to see us through, hopefully to move in a week or so before I come home again.


I went to a nice new Asian based home store that just opened in the Dubai mall so starting to think about furnishings. Kind of neat to have a totally clean slate but of course we don't want to spend a lot. Neal and I are not good at budgeting so we need to be careful.

Future King

The place we are going for is on the Palm Jumeirah, the large set of man-made islands in the shape of a palm that sticks out into the Persian (or is it Arabian?) Gulf. It has a big new Atlantis Hotel at the top of the trunk. They have other island developments planned, grandiosely called The World and The Universe, but like many things here, those projects are still u/c (under construction) even though they appear on many maps as if built!


A large part of Dubai is on paper only or just half built, so one good thing about the new apartment is a nice view where everything looks finished! Many of the places we looked, including this gorgeous hotel we are in, have unfinished areas, ramps being worked on, so you have to run a gauntlet to get in and out and around. Since cars are king here, the car parks once you find them are huge and nice.


One crazy thing about apartments here is that they are owned by individuals, often absentee landlords. The one we want is owned by a Russian. Since it's brand new there's a year warranty with onsite builders still there so we should be able to work any kinks out. We did see another one owned by a sheikh who had never occupied it after buying it and one year later trying to rent it there was damage even though brand new! People buy apartments here like they buy stocks or mutual funds in the US. Lots of them are left unoccupied because the landlord doesn't want to deal with renters. And each landlord gets his own agent so no agent can show you all the availability. I had to go out with four different agents to find this particular apartment! The agent who found the one we like best is a tough broad who can stand up to the Russians!


I will still have my work cut out for me furnishing this place, large 3 bedroom, 3.5 bath plus study (or if you prefer, maid's room) and laundry room, 2200 sq. ft.! Fortunately the kitchen and laundry are equipped, and there's also a built in soundsystem for the whole unit. Neal's firm will pick up the rent, but the furniture is probably on us.


We met the future King of Bengal last night at a community networking event. He's an Indian banker with a Portuguese wife who splits his time between Dubai, Portugal, and Angola. It was interesting to talk to him about Portugal--he told us the mayor of Evora is Indian, which we didn't know-- and Neal just happens to have a client doing business in Angola so it was a fortuitous encounter.

Will It Work?

We are very close on the new apartment after a week spent by yours truly making nice with a multitude of real estate agents. We may be out on the Palm Island!

Got a Dubai cell phone as my US iPhone keeps cutting out. It's a cheap Nokia pay-as-you-go, or as Neal likes to call it, a terrorist phone.They say I can unlock my iPhone so I can use a local sim card, but I am wary of whether it will still work with the US sim card when I get home so I will live with two phones for now.

Adjusting

Just woke up and it's only 12:46 am--body still adjusting. Braved a 6 hour adventure today via cab, metro and bus to the Financial Centre (where the closest metro stop is), the Mall of the Emirates and back.

The metro just opened, 10 stations to start but lots more to open soon. It's quite nice with a first class cabin (for those buying a gold card and paying double fare) and a cabin for women and children only. Bus also has w&c section. No apparent accommodations for persons with disabilities but there seem to be elevators and lots of families with their elders walking around.

Saw the famed indoor ski slope (pictured). It's not nearly as big or glamorous as I imagined but amazingly busy. I bought some new sandals--my leather soled ones were really slippery on the marble floors. Could use a pashmina--I definitely need something to wear inside with the crazy cold a/c--so that will be my next purchase. Surreptitiously raised the thermostats in apartment from 18 to 20 degrees.

My back is better but still some pain which may be sympathetic or real--maybe I'll try to work it out on the elliptical tomorrow. Will be making several calls about apartments which we hope to see on Saturday.

Tomorrow night (Thursday) is the big night out here (like our Saturday) and we also have plans for Friday (like our Sunday) to eat at Burj Al Arab. That's the iconic building that looks like a sail. Fortunately, we are not paying for that one, although my dear husband acts as if we are made of money here. He is in great spirits despite my somewhat pallid and subdued state. Maybe I need more sun.

Nighty night!

Pretty Normal?

Spent the day getting my bearings. Jet lag not too bad but Neal says the second day after you get here is worse. There's a great fitness center in the hotel which I have no excuse not to use. Things do not seem as strange as the first time I came to Dubai.

People seem pretty normal, despite vast differences in garb. Service people are exceptionally nice and always smiling and greeting you. The Gold Souk at the Dubai Mall (pictured) was amazing but empty.

Arriving in Dubai

The flights were fine and we had no problems getting here. Neal's hotel apartment in The Address Hotel is really nice. I'll be very comfortable once we get some groceries. The wifi works well so I should be able to stay in touch pretty easily.

We're going for an evening walk around Burj Dubai. Not too hot, only around 90 degrees. Glasses fog up whenever I go outside.

Photo shows The Address Hotel on the right and the Dubai Mall on the left.