adjusting

The cultural part of our orientation offered up a good challenge... turning 'tolerance' into 'acceptance' and 'appreciation' through understanding. A lot of teachers here are going out to expat bars and the hotel restaurants (beyond our free breakfast buffet), and quite honestly, Nate and I are staying strong in our determination to save as much money as possible. I most definitely don't judge any of those teachers who are having fun and living it up '5-star hotel style'; what a great way to get to know other teachers! But it is simply not in our personal reality, at least for the time being.

Anyhow, the funny thing is that, because of our search for cheaper options, I think we are moving rather quickly into the acceptance and appreciation (well, maybe 'fascination') stages of this culture. For instance, in an effort to save money, we decided to try out the public bus system to see if we might use buses instead of taxis. A taxi ride costs about 14 dirhams to go to the Carrefour (the cheaper grocery store) and 14 to come back. A bus ride *anywhere* costs 1 dirham per person, making it a 4 dirham round trip for the two of us, so it's definitely the way to go if there isn't a time constraint. Anyhow, we rode the bus all around today with our friend Kim, and we gained some insights into the working world of Abu Dhabi. We walked the streets amidst sooo many Muslim men as we searched for a local place to eat (didn't find one open so ended up at Subway, but it was nice to be in a 'street' subway instead of a 'mall' subway)... We never once saw an Emirati woman on the bus or walking around neighborhoods; the only women we saw seemed to be of other nationalities, with most of them from India.

I feel like we sort of witnessed the 'innards' of Abu Dhabi, if that makes any sense. And it dawned on us that the more we walked, and the more we rode the bus, the more comfortable we became in our surroundings. We realized that our bodies seemed to be adjusting to the heat, and we weren't worrying about looking funny or out of place. Adapting doesn't require any huge epiphanies; it simply takes time. So, I am thankful that our financial circumstances (or perhaps I should say financial hopes, as we really just want to save instead of spend!) are leading us to being a bit more local in our activities... cheap Indian dinner, free football game, bus rides, and more.

superficial bits of wonderfulness ;)

My mind is feeling too tired to get into depth on Abu Dhabi's grand educational reform (which we learned a lot more about today), so instead, I will ramble about the fancy stuff and the little things that make me happy inside... things like fresh juice at breakfast (pineapple, orange, mango, watermelon, and grapefruit!), a climate that works wonders for my complexion (all of my facial flaws are drying up and disappearing!), and setting the air conditioning at 21 C to comfortably snuggle beneath the duvet.

The city lights shine from the window wall of our hotel room at the Fairmont Bab al Bahr, and the cars pour into the lot... Ramadan evenings are very busy! I still can't get over the beauty of our hotel; never have I stayed in any place remotely like this. It is simply beautiful everywhere you look.

We walked to the Souk down the road this evening after swimming and lounging by the pool for a bit. The souk is like a fancy mall-ish place (see photos below), and we bought some cheap snacks from the deli and some hummus to have with our bell pepper bargains (from Carrefour, 4- with only 1 green- for what would be less than 2 u.s. dollars). A light breeze made the temperature somewhat comfortable for the walk home.

The signage here is so clear... I found it funny that I was so impressed by it, but really, they have everything marked so well in both English and Arabic, and often with pictures. For driving, this will be a welcomed sight! I also appreciated the "exit" signs here-- no words, simply a picture of a person opening a door with an arrow, lit up green. It just seems more universal (obviously) than our 'exit' signs in the States where people have to read. Nate also remarked on the fact that U.S. money is horrible for people who are visually impaired, since all of the bills are the same size. Here, the bills are different sizes.

Our shopping experience at the Marina Mall was... interesting. I was pleased that Carrefour (which they say is similar to a Walmart) has a stellar selection of fresh produce (photos below of Carrefour shopping); having heard it was the 'cheap' spot to shop, I imagined a lower quality. Not that I've seen anything else to compare it to, but this selection was indeed fantastic, so the Carrefour part of the mall trip was successful. As you can probably imagine, Nate and I are not the biggest mall 'fans'... In the case of Marina Mall, I found it interesting architecturally (as I find most everything here, including overpasses, bridges, and walls), but the shops were definitely not up our alley. Not the biggest buyers of Guess, Dior, Tiffany & Co., or Gucci products. ;) BUT- If we feel like going ice skating, the mall is the place to be.

(yummy fruit and spices!)

In spite of the crazy fanciness of it all, a line from the musical I've always dreamed of starring in comes to mind... "I think I'm gonna like it here." (can you name that musical? and yes, I know I could no longer play the lead.) :)