State Sovereignty

I am very informed about what is happening back home. I watched with great interest the selection of a new Speaker of the State House, the election of constitutional officers and the much overdue release of Border Agents Ramos and Compean.

I have been paying close attention to Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander, especially regarding the bailout plans; "stimulus" goings on; the great leadership of Sen. Jim DeMint and Gov Bobby Jindal; the viral video of Santelli on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange; and the disgrace of the Blagojevich/Burris affair.

But I am really excited to know that my Republicans compatriots in Nashville are working to pass a state sovereignty resolution. With House Joint Resolution 108 they will join the ranks of other states seeking to reign in unconstitutional mandates the federal government imposes on the states.

signed~Proud Tennessean

Driving in the UAE

I have been threatening for quite some time to write about the experience of driving here in Abu Dhabi. It's a TRIP! We laughed so hard because Finn Sisu used to plan his errand trips to be all right hand turns, so very efficient of him. And then we come here where there's pretty much nothing but right hand turns. Basically if you want to go left you need to turn right enough times to get you there, or you can go to the red light and make U turn.

We went to the gas station (on the right hand side of the road) and when we left there was no way to go back the way we came. So we continued and made right hand turns and got stuck in Mussafah Industrial City where you can turn right in to; but there are no left hand turns out of!!! This is not exactly true, but we drove around for 2 hours before finding one of the two roads that would allow us to make a left hand turn to leave Industrial City.

The curbs are at least 10 inches high, which is a good thing because they drive anywhere and everywhere. Three street lanes not moving fast enough for you, no problem just drive up the emergency lane. And honk at anyone who does not yield to your desire to have their spot. "Waiting your turn" has no meaning here. In fact what you drive determines how you are treated on the road. It is not uncommon for an SUV to blink their blindingly bright lights for a smaller car to move out of its way, even if you are going over the speed limit.

The worst are the ones who drive like they are the only ones on the road and it is a racetrack. Actually pulling off to get gas is VERY MUCH like NASCAR, with everyone vying for a spot to get their gas first and be the first back out onto the track.

The government has tried to make it better, thus you find many, many speed humps in the strangest places. Sometimes two at a time. We learned very early to spot the road signs warning of speed bumps, they are not to be taken lightly.

Did I mention the round abouts? I don't know if this is the case everywhere but on a circle with 4 lanes the one on the inside (closest to the middle) has the right-of-way. Meaning he cuts across all 4 lanes to make his right hand turn and you are supposed to clear way. These are often located at major intersections, instead of red lights.

Celebrate America

Many foreign service officers will tell you that after several years in the service they begin to dread the Fourth of July. Independence Day, which is when so many of us swell with pride for our country, has become just one more exhausting work day. You see most embassies and consulates have a really big party to celebrate the birth of our nation and invite all the local dignitaries and contacts. In some places they invite Americans living in the area, but more often than not there simply is not enough room for them and sometimes not even room for the families of FSOs. But the officers are required to be there to meet-n-greet, entertain guests and generally keep the crowd mingling for the duration of the event. Standing around chatting jovially with your colleagues while enjoying food and drink is not acceptable.

I have prepared myself for this possibility and steeled myself to still enjoy the patriotic day. But, alas, in Abu Dhabi there is apparently very few people here in July when temps can easily be 105 degrees Fahrenheit. So we celebrate National Day in February when the temps are low 70's. Our National Day reception was held the evening of Feb 17 and I very much enjoyed it.

There were no fireworks at the outdoor venue but the national anthem was played by a military band-very moving. All our spouses were invited-making it more fun. And I spent hours moving through the crowd meeting people and loving every minute of it. I met an officer on vacation from her post in Afghanistan who helps to repatriate Afghans back home; met the third secretary from Romania, military liaisons, several professors, business people and hotel representatives. One gentleman, an American living in Germany and UAE for several decades said that he did not generally get homesick for the US but this event brought up that emotion.

Needless to say I enjoyed my first celebration of America and its history and culture. May there be many more enjoyable celebrations.

Our first Sandstorm

We experienced our first ever sandstorm yesterday with 45 mph winds for more than a day. It brought visibility down to 1/4 mile even during the brightest part of the day. We did not realize that it was actually a sandstorm until we saw the thick layer of dust on EVERYTHING in the house. Unfortunately we regularly have our large doors open letting a breeze run through the house. We have paid for our naivete, by cleaning all day long.

We did go out into the sandstorm last night but I must say that most of the places we frequent have parking garages so it is easier to avoid being exposed. Even so our eyes were quite irritated. Next sandstorm our home will be sealed shut.

Prosciutto for Dinner

Dining out is a bit expensive in Abu Dhabi so we go less often but try to make every trip a culinary experience. Some friends invited us to the Brauhaus at the Beach Rotana hotel. It is a German fare restaurant serving pork and beer. As Muslims eschew both, you don't find the offering very much here.


They have a buffet with pork in so many varieties and the best bread I've had since we arrived. I could not turn down a pint of beer either. The food was great as was the company and conversation. We may have to go back again.

Visit to Al Ain, The Garden City of the Gulf

We made our first trip to Al Ain this weekend to see the airshow. I can say that it will not be our last trip to this beautiful city!!

The show is a very big deal to the Emirates and while we did enjoy the airshow, we also enjoyed the many booths and cultural exhibits. Falconry is an integral part of Emirati heritage and it was great to see a Falconer showing off his birds. There are no cages. The Falcons sit on a perch with a hood over their eyes but you can clearly see the animal is very alert to all that is happening around them. Children were doing traditional dances which were quite beautiful.

In keeping with the love of driving offroad in the desert, Mercedes drove a couple of vehicles over a rugged obstacle course set up to twist the vehicles dramatically. Additionally there was a Formula One racing car on display to highlight Yas Island, which is being built specifically to be the new home of Formula One racing in the UAE.

But even more than the air show was the scenery of Al Ain. Here we found HUGE red/orange sand dunes, 4 stories tall and wind-swept like you only see in pictures. I could even see the sand whisping off the cusp like spray off a wave! It was beautiful. The sand dunes are larger than mansions, so my camera just could not do them justice. We saw camels that had walked up the edge and left their prints in the sand, the ONLY prints for miles around.

It was a truly beautiful place that we will explore more during our stay in the UAE.