Wearing a Headscarf

Believe it or not the conversation between us and many different friends has turned to the inordinate amount of hair loss. We are all losing hair at an alarming rate. Most of us are fairly new to the Gulf region, so we are all beginning to notice it at the same time. When I arrived my hair was crazy fluffy and almost unmanagable (no flat iron for a few months). Now it has become flat and stringy.

It is apparently due to the use of desalinated sea water, high levels of chlorine to offset sea water bacteria and the addition of lime to water for the purpose of counteracting the chlorine. The first two are highly drying agents and the latter creates calcium deposits in the hair, making it heavy and stringy. (Now I finally understand why I had stringy hair when I was growing up-we had hard, calcium rich water.)

In addition to all of these damaging effects, sand & mica from the winds collect on our hair and skin causing even more damage. Apparently this contributes to people in the Gulf age faster than their counterparts in other regions.

I may soon start covering my head to protect my hair like the local women. The more I learn about living in the Gulf, the more the clothing choices of the inhabitants make sense. The loose clothing is much more comfortable because of the constant breezes, but I have found my shorter skirts will fly up in a gust, so even the longer skirts are beginning to appeal to me.

Despite my concerns about skin and hair damage, taking action to correct it will have to wait a day or so - we are going to the beach for the first time tomorrow!

Dune Bashing

We went dune bashing on Thursday night. We met up with some friends at one of the local hotels on Thursday afternoon at 3:00, and only had to wait minutes for our adventure guide to pull up in his nearly new limited edition Toyota land cruiser. He drove the five of us about an hour east of the city before we turned off into the desert. After just a few minutes, we saw a group of people gathered around large pens of camels. There were a dozen large pens with 8-10 camels in each, the camels were eating and drinking and we were all gathered around taking pictures. There were 5 other land cruisers there with drivers, for the group that was already on site and after about 15 minutes we were told to mount up and we started a convoy into the desert. Our driver was very dedicated to his sport, and for the next hour we weaved, climbed, jumped and slid over the most beautiful country we could imagine. We all laughed and whooped so hard, our sides were sore the rest of the night. If it would have ended there it would have been worth every penny, instead we pulled through a gate into a 2-3 acre level site with large lavish tents, a raised stage, kneeling tables all around the stage, an open bar, a buffet line building, bathroom facilities and tables full of coffee, cokes and snacks to hold us over until dinner. After a cup of coffee and a little rest, four of us got on quad bikes and raced around for about 30 minutes. When we got back to camp, there were camels available to ride so we definitely had to do that. The camels lie down, you get on their back and then they stand up front legs first. Camels are very tall, and it’s a ride itself hanging on until they get up on their huge hoofs. The ride was short, and I’m glad there was a handler leading us the whole time. After the camel ride, we all hit the buffet line and loaded up on good local food that included grilled chicken and lamb. Immediately after dinner, the perimeter lights dimmed, and a lovely belly dancer put on a show for us. When the show was over, it was 10 pm, our bellies were full, sides still hurt from our earlier whooping and laughing our driver told us we could load up when we were ready. We got back to the hotel at 11 and to our villa about 11:30 tired and already committing to experience that whole thing again. If any of the above sounds like fun to you, all you have to do is come to visit (free food and lodging), and I’ll gladly call the same driver for a repeat performance.

Rainstorm

Rain is pretty rare in the UAE, but it has actually rained for the last couple of days. Usually when it rains you can measure it by how many raindrops per square foot - count the wet spots when it stops. There was thunder, lightening and several downpours. It was quite a sight. It was also a real treat to sleep to the sound of rain! The storm knocked out phones, internet and satellite for a day or so.

Regular Life

Not a lot to blog about. We've just been living a regular life-working, eating, sleeping and trying to have some recreation. We've been trying to swim several evenings a week in the pool (water is wonderful), and find new places to walk.

We would be riding our bikes more but we can't transport two at a time on our vehicle. We ordered a rack, but as yet it has not been delivered in the mail. So for the time being we ride in our small neighborhood, which like most of UAE is flat and dry. Finn Sisu loads his in the trunk sometimes and find other areas to ride.

I do enjoy the parks and the fact that they are lit for nighttime use. But I realize that I have become accustomed to trash and food containers left in the parks. In relation to parks in the U.S. they are not quite as clean, which is great shame because Abu Dhabi has gone to great lengths to build green space here. There are even parks that are dedicated to women and children.

For the most part I find that I am fully adjusted to life here. Everything we do seems very normal, not extra-ordinary. But I do miss my friends, and I know Finn does also. He still has not found the right job for him yet, but he seems to be staying busy and is happy-that's most important. He is actually doing better than I thought-which makes me happy.

We've found several great bookstores, three great supermarkets, a shoe store and a local restaurant that costs about $12 for dinner for two. We spent a few hours washing patios (lots of sandy residue), outdoor furniture and the car; as well as trimming shrubs and greenery around the villa today. So, as I said, life feels pretty normal.

Ibn Battuta & Alegria

We loved the Cirque du Soleil show La Nouba at Disney World last fall so we could not miss the traveling show Alegria, now in Dubai. We decided to make a nice weekend of it and spend the night, also. Our hotel room was unbelievable. We were expecting a room with a bathroom and maybe a view. What we got was a whole full size apartment with 2 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, a full kitchen, formal dining and living room. And that doesn't even count the massive foyer and laundry room.

The show was set up at a Dubai mall. Ibn Battuta was a 14th century Moroccan scholar and great explorer (he traveled even farther than Marco Polo). So naturally, Dubai has a theme mall to commemorate this legendary traveler. The mall's six courts reflect the architecture of each region he explored – Andalusia, Tunisia, Egypt, Persia, India and China. It was a real trip!

The show was, as always, unique-if just a bit too long. But I think we should see them all before we pass judgement. Wonder just how many shows there are...

Small Town Abu Dhabi

In our out-and-about this weekend we encountered several people we know, including my boss and his family.

After saying goodbye to colleagues in the restaurant, we met others in the car park (garage). After leaving we stopped at a red light where my boss pulled up along side us with his wife and 3 young kids. My husband was steady trying to get me to turn around and stick out my tongue...but I was adamant-Not to my Boss!!! As if on cue my superior officer is in his car sticking out his tongue, with his fingers in his ears to me!!!!!

How utterly funny! We laughed all the way home. That camaraderie is what I love most about being in the foreign service. And I'm glad that Abu Dhabi is starting to feel like a small town.

My Best Friend

Our family has suffered a major loss. This little guy has been with us for 15 years, pretty much all of his life. He has always been small at 15 lbs, but with big personality. He and Finn Sisu have been so very close.

A couple of weeks ago JJ had a bad episode of fluid in his lungs as a result of heart disease. He spent the night in the animal hospital and was much better when he came home, but not even fully recovered. We did everything we could for him the next few days-helping him rest, getting his medicine in him and trying to feed him every few hours. Unfortunately he would not eat and did not recover. You know the rest of the story.

It has been a week since he has gone and our life is still discombobulated. It is so odd to not have to go outside before bed, always watch where you walk, or worry about every crumb that falls on the floor. Yes, he was old and had heart problems. We knew this day would come, but there is a great disconnect between what the intellect understands and what the heart feels.

I suppose this period of grief is the price we pay for those 15 years of affection and laughter. We have many wonderful memories and stories to tell. We have met many wonderful friends by sharing our love of this breed and by doing rescue for several years. If you have never experienced the unconditional love and faith of a four legged friend you are really missing out.

We will recover, but for the time being we are missing the big personality that was JJ.