It's been a week!

Computer access is sketchy, and I only have internet when I am at school, so these next few posts will be few and far between.

The flight to Dulles went very smoothly. I met the rest of the teachers there and we all flew to Dubai. We got there on Saturday evening (the 21st) and meandered about a bit until we found our way down to customs. Customs was not nearly as much of a hassle as I thought, but the retinal scan caught me by surprise. There are just some things that just don't make it into guide books.

From there, we met a group of teachers in the cafe and were shuffled into cars and whisked away to our apartment building. Dubai looks like most other cities at night: lots of lights, tall buildings, and traffic. When we got there, we were assigned apartments and given keys. There is a gate, 24 hour security with a watchmen, and there are codes to get into the building so it's fairly safe. The building itself is in a neighborhood outside of what the other teachers call "cool Dubai" where all of the touristy stuff is. You actually have to go off-road to get to our parking lot and drive on the sand. It isn't paved. There is so much construction here, roads seem to be put in last. Adds a fun element to driving!

It was after nine, but there were guys in my apartment putting together my bed and there was no fridge (got one the other day). A couple of the girls and I decided to take our first foray out into society and invade the local market for bottled water, cereal, and juice. Ever try reading food labels in another country? Yeah, quite an experience. The products were from all over, though. I got strawberries from Ethiopia, jam from Australia, local eggs and milk, German cereal. And the calories are metric, too! Sheesh. Have to re-think my diet now. Food goes bad much more quickly because there are fewer preservatives in local products. And I don't think my fridge works very well.

The last week really has been quite a blur. I have done more shopping in the last week than I have done in the last year. Setting up an apartment from the basics is not easy! I have seen more of Ikea than I ever wanted to see. There are a couple of other stores that are nicer which have more of the Arab aesthetic of rich textiles, color, and blingy bling. So far, I have acquired a red desk and chair, an Irish pub table with built-in wine rack and four stools, and a small work table for the kitchen. Thanks to the school, a bed, dishes, and starter kitchen box were in the apartment when I got there. You really can't throw a stone around here without hitting a mall. Shopping is a national pastime, it seems. And the malls here put King of Prussia to shame. The stores are mid to high end, but it's the malls themselves that really stand out. Columns, lights, sculpture, grande facades, water fountains, tiled floors, mosaic walls, it's just so much for the eyes to take in! Shopping here takes on a real ambience that makes one just really want to walk around and simply look. There's an awful lot to see.

Everything is here. Chili's, Macaroni Grill, Coldstone, all of the fast food chains (and I mean ALL!), TGI Fridays, Cinnabon, they are all here and within a fifteen minute drive of where I live. I haven't had the chance to miss anything. Shopping in the supermarket is a bit more challenging, but most everything I have ever used I have seen here. Bit more expensive, but it's imported so no way around it.

I have rented a car with a nice young lady who came over with her husband and one year old son. Kudos to them for making the journey! We all knew we were okay when we landed and the baby was still smiling as were we :) Driving here is a bit nerve wracking because everyone has their own sets of rules. The expats all come from countries with different driving laws, so it makes for a lot of road rage. One of the teachers said it best: "Watch out for yourself, and expect people to do the stupidest, weirdest things they can do behind the wheel". And I've seen it. You have to have both eyes open and not be distracted or you will end up smooshed or upside down in the sand. The laws are improving here, though. It also helps that it's Ramadan and there are less people out on the road. We're learning to drive at a good time.

Ramadan falls eleven days earlier every year (lunar calendar). This year, it falls in the hottest time of the year. The Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, and in this heat that is a loooong day. Expats cannot even drink water in public. I had read that some restaurants are open and screened off, but haven't seen that to be the case. When you can't eat or drink when you want to, it takes it's toll. It seems like forever between breakfast and lunch because all meals have to be eaten in private, even at school out of respect for the Muslims who are fasting. I respect them more and more for it every day when I see how hard it is. They listen for the call to prayer at sundown when it's time to break their fasts with Iftar (evening meal during Ramadan). I like listening to the call to prayer. I don't know what they are saying, but I like the sound of it. It carries throughout the whole city. There are prayer rooms in the malls, and the prayer is played over loudspeakers everywhere. It is omnipresent.

Our residency visas should be coming sooner than we thought. They took us for our medical exams the other day. That was an interesting experience. The principal's driver and one of the administrators drove us downtown to the medical clinic. We walked in, and it was chock full of men who all turned and blatantly stared at us. Some of the other teachers were uncomfortable; I rather expected it. In a large room full of Asian and Arab men, a group of seven Western women sticks out quite a bit. We were x-rayed and blood was taken. They are mainly looking for hepatitis, AIDS, and tuberculosis. Having any of these can get us deported. All of us are going to come up clean, so we should have our visas soon and be able to sign up for internet, cell phones (we have visitor phones and phone cards right now), etc. We are planning to go to Ras Al Khamiya to the beach at the end of Ramadan. This time is called Eid where the Muslims celebrate for a few days. I would too if I made it through all of the fasting and praying! We'll have a few days off of school, so a bunch of us booked rooms at a hotel and will loll about a bit before school starts.

Sorry for the super long post! Hopefully there will be less time in between future posts :)