Like, my family!

When my aunt and uncle and I all realized we’d be in a similar corner of the world this January, we got to scheming. They were set to visit a school in Cochin, India… and I, of course, am in Abu Dhabi. As luck (and a bit of finagling) would have it, their returning layover brought them to the great city of Dubai for 2 days.

Last Wednesday I was especially grateful for my lax teaching schedule. I finished my classes at 9:35am and was granted permission to skedaddle so I could meet up with my family. The plan was for my aunt and uncle to hire a car to take them the 2 hours or so to Abu Dhabi. Unfortunately, their flight was delayed and we weren’t able to spend as much time together as expected. I was able to show them about town (Corniche, Emirates Palace, my apartment, traffic!, etc.) a bit before they headed back to Dubai for some much needed rest.

The following afternoon Molly and I drove up to Dubai to meet them (and their friend Duane) for dinner. After dinner we checked out the newly renamed Burj Khalifa and the light show.

It was so nice (and a bit surreal) to have two of my very favorite people in my little stretch of the world. Oh, familiar hugs!

Not the occasion for a little black dress.

When I first met one of my Arab co-workers back in September, she told me her sister was getting married in December. “You will come.” I was very flattered to receive an invitation but didn’t want to get my hopes up. For us, wedding invitations go to close friends and family. I didn’t want her family to feel obligated to accommodate the new teacher.

Skip ahead to early December. My co-worker now spoke of the wedding in terms of how tired she was preparing for her sister. This time she said, “You will come?” full of hope and a tinge of pleading. It was clear that she really wanted me (and my Western co-worker) to attend.

For us, the festivities began a few days before the wedding at the Henna Party. You might assume that the highlight of a “henna” party would be the henna. Well, it’s not. The bride has been hennaed from her feet to her knees and fingertips to shoulders. Many Emirati families bring henna artists in from India for this special job. Unfortunately, when the bride finally appears at the party (near the end of the evening), every inch of her skin is covered, including her face. The bride wears a beautiful traditional white dress with a thick intricate belt. Her family dances her into the room to the beat of traditional drumming. The guests gather around clapping and making that “lalalalala” tribal noise (for lack of better description). The food is traditional Arab dishes featuring lamb or goat on a bed of rice. At this point, the guests begin to disperse. It’s at least 11 o’clock on a weekday evening.

Now, my Western co-worker and I didn’t know what exactly we were supposed to wear to a henna party… so naturally, we asked. We were told to wear nice clothes but not really fancy clothes. Really fancy clothes are worn to the wedding. I scoured the malls looking for something to wear and settled on a very classic little black dress. Let me tell you. I found the one occasion where the LBD is NOT appropriate. Picture me: black dress, black tights, black shoes. Picture them: Technicolor ball gowns sparkling with jewels and cleavage. Um. The one plus for me was that my Western co-worker wore slacks. I looked out of place. She looked like the waitstaff.

A few days later we arrived at the wedding better prepared for the lavishness we would witness. The wedding is for women only and takes place in a huge wedding hall built by the government. Acknowledging the tendency for Emirati weddings to get gigantic… the late Sheik Zayed built a marriage hall in each town, free for use by the local people.

Inside tables are spread around the hall with a catwalk leading up to the stage. On the catwalk are women of all ages dancing in amazing gowns of all colors. These are opulent, lavish, over the top dresses. Jewels. Bows. Sparkles. Ruffles. Lace. Cleavage all over the place. Of course, these women wear the makeup to match. I was so tempted to take photos but culture and modesty do not permit it. After much singing by a live female entertainer (wearing a dress that had a cut out over her buttocks!), the bride arrived looking beautiful and a bit bewildered. For this ceremony she wore a Western styled wedding dress… but of course, bedazzled. Eventually, as much of the guests are leaving, her husband and his family arrive. The couple stand on stage together for photos while the remaining guests eat cake. As the night ends, the wedding party follows the couple to their hotel honking their horns and flashing their lights.

Both experiences were unlike any other. I still can’t entirely fathom the opulence of the occasion. I mean, really. I’m so thankful for the hospitality of my Arab co-worker!

This is what I wore to the wedding and believe me, I was still vastly under dressed.

xo, jill

Or something like that.

Back to our sojourn to Ras Al-Khaimah for the new year…

After exploring the museum for as long as possible, Molly and I were ready to check out the hikes in the area. However, true to UAE form, it couldn’t be that easy. We wanted to explore in Wadi Bih, which is noted as “the Grand Canyon of the UAE”. We were mentally preparing for grueling hikes crossing us over into Oman and back again. That’s when I noticed one key piece of information. Officials closed this particular UAE/Oman border to non-Nationals 2 years ago! Oops. Guess not!

See… the information printed online by the tourism authority didn’t mention the lack of passage for foreigners. Luckily, the off-road guide (Thanks Frances!) had several highlighted warnings sprinkled through the pages. I just didn’t see them…

Alors, we needed to find something else to do. After a bit of deliberation we decided to check out Jazirat Al Hamra. This is how the tourism authority described it:

Jazirat al-Hamra (Red Island) is the last authentic and traditional town still standing in the UAE. Once a small island, its inhabitants subsisted on maritime and pearling trading before they abandoned their houses in the middle of the 20th Century, when the rush to modernize started. An undisturbed picture of life before the discovery of oil is left behind and preserved until today. This whole area is unique for Ras Al Khaimah and for UAE, its shows all the elements of a traditional town, including fortress for the defense purposes, several mosques and a variety of house types. It is one of the best places to study traditional coral stone architecture used along the coast of the Arabian Gulf.

It’s funny that Molly and I both read the same description and developed vastly different preconceived ideas of what the village would be like. I latched onto the word “preserved” and expected to find something a bit touristy and museum like… Molly latched onto the word “abandoned” and therefore had much more accurate expectations.

Either way, it was fun to go traisping about through ruins under very dark and angry clouds that would soon chase us back to Abu Dhabi in favor of a roof over our heads instead of a tent (sans rainflap).

xo, jill

Fruit and veg. Fruit and veg.

I came across photos the other day from an outing that never made the blog. Back in October, Molly, Frances, and I headed down to the fruit and vegetable souk.

Located at the port, vendors set up shop selling fresh fruit and vegetables. It lacks the charm of a farmers market (the produce comes from the world over), but it’s certainly more exciting than buying your produce at the supermarket.

A few of the vendors let us sample the fruit we were especially curious about.

Our favorite was the mangosteen. Not much to actually eat (just the inner white bit), but pretty delicious.

xo, jill

No offense, seashell collection.

After waking in a field of goats, Molly and I piled back in the car heading towards the town. We found a nice little spot on a pristine beach (ahem, if you can’t see the litter in the photo then it wasn’t really there!) to indulge in a little New Year’s breakfast. Well, our oatmeal was lacking hot water so it really was just a New Year’s clementine… but still. Sitting on logs near water seems to be the perfect place to be at notable moments… like a new decade, or a new school year, or the glassy beach after a breakup.

Post breakfast we found ourselves at the National Museum of Ras Al-Khaimah. It’s strange. I’m squatting in a part of the world with a rich and unknown (to me) history… but Abu Dhabi almost strains to hide it. RAK has been a bit more pro-active in promoting heritage of the area. That being said, Molly and I were the only visitors to the museum that day.

The structure was once a fort and later a palace for the early ruling family in the region.

Today several of it’s rooms display artifacts ranging from crude tools, fine pottery, and relics from the pearl diving days. Much of the collection was donated to the museum by Western hobbyists, such as the seashell collection donated by an elderly Englishwoman. (Well, I imagine her to be elderly at least…)

Comparatively, the museum wasn’t much to behold… but considering the lack of heritage/historical learning opportunities, I was a bit glued in. Reading the placards it was almost amusing to read lines similar to, “This ancient village survived from ancient times until the 1970s when we decided to put a highway through it instead.” I’m not going to say that history isn’t valued here… but, sometimes it feels that way. (This is coming from a very nostalgic person, mind you).

One of the highlights of the museum was the windtower.

Windtowers were common in the Middle East before the advent of air conditioning. Some clever person long ago figured out that if you divide the area of the chamber like so…

The winds will be caught and lowered down into the house, creating a natural air conditioner. It works.

The museum was a nice little bit of respite. We lingered there as long as we could, stealing little naps on the bench in the courtyard before heading out on our wild and challenging hiking expedition.

xo, jill

“Maybe they sacrificed a goat?”

After school on New Year’s Eve, Molly and I headed out to Ras Al-Khaimah for a some camping and exploring. Our information said RAK was about 45 minutes north of Dubai… so naturally it took us 6 hours to get there! (Estimated time: 2 hours).

We encountered our first problem when we hit a detour in Sharjah. Our amazing navigator, Molly, finally got us back on track to reconnect with the highway. Trouble was… the highway was incomplete! It was literally like that scene from Speed. Eventually, we worked our way back to the main road and landed in RAK… well after dark.

Now the trouble was finding a place to camp. Like many places in the UAE, campers are free to pitch a tent just about anywhere they like. All is asked is that campers respect the environment, keep it quiet and peaceful, and avoid private property. With the intent of hiking the next day, we drove out towards the mountains UAE shares with Oman. Stopping just short of the border checkpoint, we pulled over and set up our tent under a tree.

With just a few minutes to spare, we settled into our tent to ring in the New Year!

Unfortunately, we were not treated to a sound night’s sleep. Between the goats’ bleating every few moments, an alarming bird’s cry or animal’s scream, and some men speaking Arabic on the road at 4 in the morning, we woke up quite bleary eyed. Fortunately, when we unzipped the tent we were faced with a glorious new morning at the base of craggy mountains.

In the morning it also became clear why we heard goats all night. We were surrounded by them!

What a wonderful way to welcome the new year.

xo, jill

(Thanks to Molly for the midnight and goat photo!)