Anastasia's Art Portfolio

Talula Update

Rebekah and Dale's Visit

Becky and Dale arrived Thursday night, 20 January. I met them at the airport and drove them into town, where they stayed with Leanne (who lives about a block away). Friday morning, the tired couple had to wake up early so that we could head to the camel race track. Surprisingly, it was raining, which is unusual for the Dhabi. The last time we had seen that much rain, Christine had visitors--and that was over a year ago. Visitors=rain. They didn't mind. It was warm enough, certainly a nice respite from the snows in Virginia.

We saw plenty of camels, enjoyed a bit of racing, and then made a pit stop along the wetlands in Al Wathba near the race tracks to see a few hundred flamingoes in the wild. Then we made a quick stop to the Rainbow Sheikh's National Car Museum (his own private garage, but it's huge, with over a hundred cars, including the world's largest automobile). We were back in town by the afternoon so they could get a little rest. Dinner that first full day was various food from popular, local hole-in-the-wall eateries: Afghani bread, lamb and chicken shwarma, grilled chicken, zatar pastry, and filafel and hummous. It was quite a spread on our dining table--and everyone was stuffed silly.

Saturday morning, we visited Sheikh Zayed Mosque to see a few more world records (largest dome, largest carpet, largest chandellier). Our nanny Noy and her husband met us there; they then took Talula and Anastasia while Becky, Dale, Christine, and I headed for Dubai. We had a good lunch at a Lebanese restaurant in the Mall of the Emirates, overlooking the indoor ski slope, and then we headed for Burj Khalifa, the world' s tallest building. We were fortunate that the skies were very clear by Dubai standards, about as clear as I've ever seen. The Burj Al-Arab (the seven-star hotel that sits out in the Arabian Gulf and looks like a ship's mast), the world's tallest hotel, was very clear that day. We had parked the rental car at the Mall of the Emirates, and then I made the spur-of-the-moment decision to leave it there and take the Metro further into town. We got off at Dubai Mall (by some standards, the world's largest), which sits at the base of Burj Khalifa. Then we took the elevator to the "top," although the observation deck is at the 124th floor, and there are another 40 floors above that). Still, it's the world's tallest outdoor observation deck and the world's second tallest indoor one, and the views are impressive overlooking the other skyscrapers in Dubai.

Sunday morning, Becky and Dale had some time to themselves while Christine and I were at school, but I met up with them early in the afternoon to take them to Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, the other seven-star hotel in the UAE. Emirates Palace and Sheikh Zayed Mosque are good examples of the opulence in the Dhabi, and neither place ever fails to impress. Too bad the world's most expensive Christmas tree was taken down a few weeks before their arrival.

Sunday evening, we took them dune bashing, which is a little like a roller coaster but without the tracks and safety. In other words, it's fun. Not sure Becky and Dale thought so, however. They were in the back of the SUV (the bumpiest seats), and things got quiet behind us as we kept flying over dunes. Our view out the window alternated between sand and sky for a good thirty minutes. We did stop around sunset for some beautiful views of the rolling red sand dunes. Becky and Dale also rode a camel, tried out the national UAE dress (chandoora for Dale, sheyla and abeya for Becky), and enjoyed some barbeque under the stars. The evening concluded with sheesha and a belly dancer, who got Dale on stage for a few minutes before singling me out for an extra long dance. At one point, we were dancing together; then she switched to just dancing around me, using me as her pole. Did I mention that it was my birthday? I don't think she knew this, though.

Monday, we took Dale and Becky to a nice breakfast at Mugg and Bean above Spinney's Grocery Store, and then Christine took Becky to a spa (manicure, pedicure, Moroccan bath) while Dale and I went to the movies (we saw THE DILEMMA, which is almost two hours I won't get back). Monday afternoon, we had a little walk along the Corniche, and Becky and Dale dipped their toes in the Arabian Gulf. We ended their visit at Heritage Village, at a nice restaurant on the shore of the breakwater with a great view of the city. The weather was gorgeous, the evening was quiet on the breakwater, and it was a good way for them to bid farewell to the Dhabi (they flew out shortly after midnight).

It was good to see them and to show them the place that we have called home for the past four years. They also have bragging rights--first family members to see Talula, and of course, Christine and Anastasia hadn't met Dale yet. A quick but satisfying visit...Now everyone is waiting for us to move on so they can visit us somewhere else, but they'll have to wait. We have signed on for another school year in the Dhabi.

Holidays Round II: Beach holiday and Christmas

(Notice: we're not even pretending that we will do anything for New Year's Eve.)

We have two weeks off for Christmas and New Year's. Our first holiday excursion was to Emirates' Palace, one of two "seven-star hotels" in the world (Dubai has the other one). We wanted to see the world's most expensive Christmas tree, and at 11 million dollars, it's a doozie! What makes it so expensive is all the jewelry on it.

On our first week off, we drove five hours to the other coast, Fujairah on the Indian Ocean side of the UAE. We stayed at the Meridien resort hotel, which was very nice. Amenities included a children's pool and play area, which was especially nice for Anastasia. Of course, Anastasia also enjoyed the beach, dividing her time between water and sand. She clearly had a blast. Talula got her feet wet (and got a little sandy). We were there for four days, plenty of time to enjoy the warmth and sun (it was in the 80*s each day), the water, the sand, the service, and the food--especially a tasty breakfast buffet each morning, including pork bacon and pork sausage! A real treat when you live here. On our way back to Abu Dhabi, we swung through a small Omani enclave, mainly to take pictures at the top of a hill and so that Talula could technically make it to a foreign country, finally! It's a small enclave of Oman within the UAE; there is no border patrol or passports needed...but it is officially a part of Oman. They use both Omani and Emirati currency. Anyway, pictures of that are included above.

I won't go into details here, but if you're interested in the holiday poop story, let me know. This is Randy, by the way.

When we returned from Fujairah (I rented a car from the airport--only cost US $25 a day), we spent Christmas Eve recuperating from our trip (yes, we're at that stage where we need a vacation from our vacation), and Christmas Day, we opened presents. Talula received a necklace with her name in Arabic (similar to the one Anastasia has, but since Talula's name is shorter in Arabic, the necklace looks less "busy," probably a fitting metaphor for the two kids anyway), and Anastasia received a train set, among other items. She's been spending quite a bit of time with her "choo choo."

We enjoyed Christmas dinner with our Canadian friend Leanne (I made her American Thanksgiving dinner, so it was payback time for her), complete with Christmas crackers and those silly paper hats.

Boxing Day, we took Talula to get her shots. The doctor said she's doing well, although she IS a big baby. Talula weighs in at 6.4 kg (14 lbs), putting her in the 95th percentile for weight, and she is 60 cm (24 inches) tall, putting her in the 87th percentile for height.

We also sneaked Anastasia onto the scales: she's 12.5 kg (27.5 lbs) and is 92 cm (36 inches--three feet--a full yard!) tall. This puts her in the 37th percentile for weight and the 57th for height. Once again this seems backwards to me- she seems short compared to other kids we run into, but seems quite dense for her size. But what do we know?!

During our second week of our holiday, we aren't going far. Noy is coming in to look after the girls, and Christine is working on quilting whilst I mark papers and do a bit of reading, mostly at the coffee shop. This is our vacation from our vacation.

We sincerely hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas--and we wish ya'll all the best in the New Year!

This week: newspaper and zoo

Follow this link to read Randy's fourth publication in the Dubai-based newspaper. gulfnews : 10 reasons why school life beats adult life

In other news of the Emirates, one of the country's self-proclaimed 7-star hotels boasts an 11-million-dollar Christmas tree. Randy and I will go to see it tomorrow to get ourselves in the Christmas mood, sometimes a challenge in a Muslim, desert, far-from-home country. AFP: UAE hotel erects 11-million-dollar Christmas tree

Earlier this week, at the request of my students, Anastasia accompanied the girls' field trip to Al Ain Zoo. This was her third trip-a bit rushed- but she seemed to really enjoy the gorilla and giraffes. She repeatedly kissed the gorilla through the glass. If I bothered to go on any of my students' facebook sites, I've heard most of them now use Anastasia with themselves as their profile pic. She was definitely a hit- I had to occasionally settle disputes about who would get her next. All of the attention, along with a total of nearly 4 hours on a bus that day, left her quite tired. She actually slept in the next morning.