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.

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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.