Snapshots

Ski Dubai, taken from inside the mall

Souk Alleyway

More Photos! (of and from my domicile)

My Apartment and lovely views from my apartment!

Ramadan has begun

Water Taxi

Various Views of the CreekRamadan began this past week, which in the Muslim world means no eating, drinking or smoking from sun up to sun down for a month. Schools and businesses have shorter hours, and we work from 8:30-2pm until October. Everything really slows down. Shops are closed during the afternoon, and re-open in the evening. Iftar is the breaking of the fast, when everyone sits down and eats a big meal together. Traditionally, milk and dates are the first things one eats, followed by a buffet, followed by shisha (huka).

I made the mistake of going out on Saturday afternoon to the creek, and nearly passed out from the heat and lack of fluids. Luckily, a quick trip to a bathroom stall for a sip of water kept me going until I got back to my flat!

The creek is a good 20 minute drive away from where I live, and is much more established than my construction zone neighborhood. There are still lots of cranes around, but they're less noticeable. I didn't get to visit the souks, because they were mostly closed at 4pm, but walking down the streets and seeing dirty buildings was comforting in a strange way. It finally felt real; I could've been in Eastern Europe, or somewhere else with a bit of history.

I took a water taxi across the creek (closest thing I can compare the area to is Venice) for a dirham (approx. 33 cents) and noticed that my two companions and I were the only women aboard the boat, not to mention the only Westerners in sight. We then continued on to the cool air conditioning of the malls and grocery shopping, before heading home, feeling totally wiped out.

It is still quite warm here, although it's finally starting to cool down a bit in the mornings and evenings. The afternoons are the most intense, after the sun has been baking the place all day. I haven't been able to see the horizon since I arrived, and it's rare to see blue in the sky. I'm guessing it's a combination of heat, sand and pollution.

This really is a city made for cars, and without one I feel a little stranded, especially if I sit in my apartment all weekend. I've been trying not to do that, and have been socializing with the other new teachers, going out to eat, and trying out the various hot spot bars. I found a great one right on the water called Barasti bar, full of more expats. Even though Ramadan prohibits music and dancing, they still managed to play St. Germain, which, while lounging on a white couch under a bamboo roof, brought a smile to my face.

One week down, 34 more to go!

The magnificent Burj hotel at night, near the club where we went dancing.

Amber and Carrie celebrate the end of their first week!

Well I've survived my first week of school, and it was tiring, to say the least! Up at 6am every day (and you all know that I'm not exactly a morning person) and at school by 7:30. I teach on average 5 classes a day, and the toughest day of the week is when all of those classes happen to be kindergarten....phew! I love the little ones, but 20 of them at the same time leaves me feeling a little frayed at the edges.
The children are really sweet, for the most part. They come from all over the world, with each class representing at least 7-10 different nationalities. There are a lot of names to remember (approx 400, I believe, although I have yet to do that math) and so it will be some time before I remember every face.

My typical day goes like this:
6am-wake up
7:00-catch a ride to school with Tom, another music teacher
7:25-meet and greet children arriving in the parking lot (3x a week, we're a for-profit school)
8:00-classes start, mine vary, depending on the day, with the earliest being at 8:50
2:45-school over
4:00-catch the bus home
4:30-relax in the pool, or go grocery shopping, or pass out from exhaustion in my apartment
5-7ish-dinner time
8-10-read, bathe, socialize with friends, lesson planning, etc etc.

Last night a large group of teachers went out for end of the week happy hour at "Apres" (where I'm photographed in my first post, with Ski Dubai behind me) and then continued on to a really cheesy restaurant/ bar with Philippino karaoke singers, and then finally on to dance at a club called Jhambay, where there was a live band and tons of expats schmoozing and boozing and smoking. It's going to take me a while to get used to the smoky bar scenes again!

Tonight I've been invited to dinner by a nice American couple who live in Dubai Marina. They were a contact given to me by someone I briefly met right before leaving DC. I'm excited to expand my social circle and see more of this strange, cosmopolitan place!

More photos of the land....

This is the view from outside my apartment building, my neighborhood!

First week in Dubai

I am 8 days into my adventure in the U.A.E., in ever-expanding Dubai land! It has been a pretty easy landing, because everything is in English as well as Arabic, and there are signs of home everywhere...for example, where I'm writing this from: the familiar leather chairs of Caribou Coffee (aka Starbucks).
I'm living on the 13th floor of an apartment building called "Greenview" although the view is anything but green! I look out on a big traffic intersection, with dust and construction everywhere.
The apartment is great, all modern furniture provided by the school (think Crate and Barrel suede couches and low glass coffee table, dark wood bedroom furniture, a huge closet, etc.)
My school is about a 10 minute drive away, and so far the new hires have been transported by small school vans. This will stop once we all get our visas and residency cards, and then we're on our own. The only bum deal is that most of the other new hires live across the street, and thus have the ease and accessibility to school that I just don't have. But such is life.
Dubai American Academy is a VERY well-funded school. The school is growing nearly as fast as the city, and there are 1,300 kids in the elementary school this year! We start classes this Sunday (week runs Sunday-Thursday with Friday and Saturday as the weekend, this is everywhere here) and my first class will be the 4th grade. The most exciting thing is, I have my own room! Yes, I am a real teacher now, with my name outside the door and everything. I'm teaching 28 classes a week, of Kindergarten, 3rd and 4th grade. There are 3 other music teachers, and we are splitting the huge load among us. There is so much for me to learn here, and right now I feel completely daunted by the upcoming year, but also excited to grow and work with kids again.
I love the expat community here. Everyone's from everywhere, and it really makes the world feel smaller, instead of the other way around. I am getting giddy about the thought of traveling during the holidays. I've been told that I must do a safari in Tanzania, and that the beaches of Oman are not to be missed. Then there's India, Nepal, the Far East, etc...
Here are some photos of my first week here. For those who didn't know, Dubai is the land of giant malls and an an indoor ski slope. I haven't yet tried it out, but it is pretty bizarre to witness!