Once upon a time, in a sandbox far, far away, there was a wee skinny lad (aka Hunter) who loved a young beautiful maiden (aka Chelsea). They saw eachother every day at school but her parents (aka the Korean monsters) were very protective, so the two young lovebirds needed to keep their relationship a secret and found it hard to see eachother often. After many months of agony, the young maiden's father (who had previously forbidden her to see any young man who did not have squinted eyes or owned a noodle factory) decided the family should move back to Korea before Chelsea lost her heritage and traditions for good.
On one very hot Thursday a few weeks ago, the wee lad risked a heat stroke & bicycled all the way from his home in the Marina, to the young maiden's residence in the Meadows division. Her family lived there with her aunt until they were to leave Dubai. The family was out for the day but just to be on the safe side, the wee lad parked his bicycle well hidden, behind the garden wall of an empty neighbor home, locked and leaned it up against a tree.
Three hours later, the young couple heard the family return so the wee lad climbed - Hollywood Style - out of the window, onto the balcony and jumped down one story to the hot ground, sneaked around the front and bolted across the street to the empty house. Only with great despair to find his silver Specialized Hardrock mountain horse was gone!! Odin and Thor have mercy on the poor soul who had walked off with the pauper's bike!!
He summoned not only the Nordic Gods but the gate security people, who with bobbling heads told him that some random gardener probably took it, lock and all, so he could get around to more jobs in father neigborhoods.
The wee lad sought the console of his parents. His mother is a cracker at practical things and she immediately contacted the insurance company, downloaded the forms on-line and proceeded to fill out the 5 pages of seemingly tedious information. At one point she came upon "number of police report / case". OK, no big deal thought the mother. She called the non-emergency number listed in the "Contact us" section of the Dubai police website. "Madam please dial the emergency number 999" - but, eh, this is not an emergency!?! "It's OK madam, please call them and they will handle". Ok, ok, ok the mother thought with a bobbling head.
After dialing 999 and getting a female operator on the line, the mother was informed that they would send a patrol car to the site of the crime. Oh no, no...we don't live there - gasped the mother. Ok, we will have someone call you back. An hour later a police officer (?) called the mother and asked what jewelry was missing? HUH?? No - the mother explained her wee lad's bike had been stolen from the Meadows. The officer asked what house? So the mother explained, Meadows 3, street 6, house no. 45. OK we will send a car. NO! NO! We don't live there. We live in the Marina, the mother again gasped. "Madam, why the bike in Meadows?"
Starting to break a sweat (though inside in the A/C, the mother started to explain the whole fairytale of the wee lad and the maiden....only to realize the person at the other end understaood 10% of the tale. OK, we will send a car. Arrgghh!!
After 3 hours of phone tag, the mother collected her wits. Told the wee lad they had no option but to drive over to Meadows to meet the car that was being sent.
The wee lad and his mother sat in their airconditioned car for 40 minutes while waiting for the Dubai police. Finally a car approached. It wasn't Starsky and Hutch, nor Miami Vice. Let's just say the officers reminded the mother of Col. Khadaffi and his young gopher. The odd couple walked around the front of the empty home as if the silver bike would all of a sudden miraculously appear. Going through the whole story of the young love birds for a third time, only to get a blank look from Col. Khadaffi, the mother thought - (insert large text cloud above her head here) Sigh, I'm getting nowhere....they are focused on why the bike was parked across the street. We have to get them re-focused on the crime at hand!
Always action oriented, the mother snapped the Colonel back into focus - "hey, Khadaffi....look it: the bike was taken, lock and all, and is probably in Sharja by now, having been transported with 50 other poor bikes, stuffed like sardines in a people-trafficking manner, in a hot container accross the border. Do you think you can write a report, provide me with the copy and we can all get out of the 48 C friggin sauna??" Madam, we don't write reports. We are emergency patrol for highway only (WHAT?? Why the hell (she didn't say that out loud as swearing is a deportable offense) did you come here then ??
Khadaffi and his cohort discussed something in Arabic for quite a while. In the meantime the Indian Royal Guard from the gate house had arrived and were talking to Hunter about how a gardener had probably taken the bi.....yeah yeah, we know that part of the story already - let's fast forward to where you help us get a piece of green paper (you never want the pink copy as it means you are the guilty party) so we can get the hell out of dodge. Ok, ok, ok...."Madam the officer tells me you have to wait for the Captain" WHAAAT????? The mother asked the Indian gate keeper if the Sheikh would come too? The Indian clearly didn't get it, so she thought - right, better zip it now. Yep, sure enough, Khadaffi confirmed that the Captain and the CSI Dubai team would need to come and fingerprint the scene and take photos. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? The mother asked, with a stiff and very forced smile, how they thought they would lift prints from the bark of a tree? "Madam, the team is very professional and this is protocol"....PROTOCOL?? How about protocol-ing a piece of green paper right into my hands as this is now getting to be a farce.
So the wee lad and his - by now - fuming mother, entered their cold vehicle only to wait for the captain for another 45 minutes. The mother doesn't smoke, but she sure felt like a cigarette at this point - followed by a rather large Martini to calm her Scandinavian Viking temper.
Finally a second white and green car drove up. This time we expected Gary Sinise and his furrowed brow to appear. Nope, no such luck - Saddam Hussein himself stepped out of the vehicle, with a full army uniform, lots of gold and colors on his chest and a cap that would make the Paris catwalk fashionistas jealous. Looking very stern, he gazed at the mother and son with a contemptuos stare that pierced the windshield in her Toyota Prado. Never one to be intimidated for long, the mother hopped out of her car and introduced herself to Saddam. Hmmnn, hello - was his muddled reply. "Your bike stolen here" he asked Hunter and pointed to the tree. "yes" replied Hunter. "Why you park bike here? Not your house!" No, the house is empty said Hunter proceeding to explain that his girlfriend's parents could not know he was visiting. Saddam ignored him and sternly said, "but someone own the house, this is not legal, a crime, to put your bike here". Uh oh, - the mother quickly acknowledged that "yes, we fully understand - you are right your almighty male chauvenistic dictator" (OK that wasn't said out loud due to the previously explained fear of deportation) - "but you see: the house is emp.... - HOW YOU KNOW THIS HOUSE EMPTY - Saddam rudely interrupted her....SOMEONE OWN IT! Sh*t!! The mother and Hunter quickly glanced at eachother. She looked at Saddam and told him with a sweet smile - that "yes, we understand, this lad is only 15 years old and slightly stupid and lovesick, so he wasn't thinking straight and if you can be so kind as to provide a teeny weeny report, we will be out of hair as quick as you can say Allah".
His mouth must have been dry because otherwise the mother was certain that spit would have landed on her while he said: "GO TO JEBEL ALI" - having lost the battle but NOT the war, the mother and the wee lad got into the car and drove off - FUMING and asking Allah to hail down all sorts of grasshoppers onto Saddam and Khadaffi the same afternoon.
Exhausted, hot, sweaty and very confused - the mother and the wee lad returned to their penthouse and pondered what lay in store for them in Jebel Ali.
....To be continued....very soon....like tomorrow....stay tuned!!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Sunday, July 5, 2009
One-armed Lifeguard
X-treme sports have always been an element in our family activities and for some lucky reason (knock on wood) neither one of the kids have experienced any broken limbs yet. The Dad holds the record for that and does not look as if he is going to relinquish that title.
Within the last month, however, Aidan has practiced a 360 turn on his snow board. He can do it on the water on the surf board, but so far at Ski Dubai it has amounted to a bruised rib and recently a dislocated shoulder. Amazingly, Aquaventure still employs him. He directs the "lazy river" traffic or controls the conveyer belt for the slides and that way he has plenty of time to check out the babes and chat them up!
We don't yet know if he needs surgery. The doctor has to check him again in 3 weeks and then decide. The bone on top of his shoulder does stick up at a rather weird angle so I am pretty sure Aidan will need at least some cosmetic correction. It got him out of the last few days of school and earned him some sympathy from one of the cute Danish girls in his year. They have agreed to meet up when we go to Denmark later in July.
Mark (Pia's brother), his wife Tina and the kids, Oliver and Josefine, arrive tomorrow morning for a 2 week holiday. They couldn't have selected a hotter time to visit but that didn't seem to stop them. It is 45-47 C during the day and 30 C at night (approx 105 F and low of 85'ish). We spend a lot of time indoor in the AC, and then go out for walks and swim in the pool when the sun goes down.
We have another sandstorm at the moment so visibility is low and it is blocking a lot of the sun, but the 80% humidity is still difficult to deal with.
Looking forward to spend most of the summer working in Denmark and cooling off with friends.
Within the last month, however, Aidan has practiced a 360 turn on his snow board. He can do it on the water on the surf board, but so far at Ski Dubai it has amounted to a bruised rib and recently a dislocated shoulder. Amazingly, Aquaventure still employs him. He directs the "lazy river" traffic or controls the conveyer belt for the slides and that way he has plenty of time to check out the babes and chat them up!
We don't yet know if he needs surgery. The doctor has to check him again in 3 weeks and then decide. The bone on top of his shoulder does stick up at a rather weird angle so I am pretty sure Aidan will need at least some cosmetic correction. It got him out of the last few days of school and earned him some sympathy from one of the cute Danish girls in his year. They have agreed to meet up when we go to Denmark later in July.
Mark (Pia's brother), his wife Tina and the kids, Oliver and Josefine, arrive tomorrow morning for a 2 week holiday. They couldn't have selected a hotter time to visit but that didn't seem to stop them. It is 45-47 C during the day and 30 C at night (approx 105 F and low of 85'ish). We spend a lot of time indoor in the AC, and then go out for walks and swim in the pool when the sun goes down.
We have another sandstorm at the moment so visibility is low and it is blocking a lot of the sun, but the 80% humidity is still difficult to deal with.
Looking forward to spend most of the summer working in Denmark and cooling off with friends.
Friday, June 19, 2009
H20, water, Aqua.....venture
About 70% of Earth's surface is covered with water and most of that is the ocean. A tiny percentage is directed in to Atlantis Palm, large Aquaventure waterpark where Aidan has scored a lifeguard job for the summer. School ends on June 23rd but our son has already taken it upon himself to sign up for as many hours as he can get and as such....school is left well behind. Fortunately his final exams are over and books handed in - the last 1-2 weeks would just have been spent revising and reviewing for next year and finalizing the CAS sheets (Creativity, Activity and Service) the student have to do in order to graduate high school.
A very jealous little brother is left behind every morning at 7am when the older, toned, tanned and vigorous boy leaves wearing sunglasses and his whistle. Hunter is not old enough yet to work there but we are certain he will follow in his brothers flip-flops next summer.
The school and Aidan's teachers are so impressed with his initiative to pursue the job which includes 4 days of intense life-saving training, that qualifies for CAS credits, they have asked him to talk to the instructor to find out if it is possible to start this course as part of the school curriculum, giving other students an opportunity to learn these skills.
It's as if Aidan has already left home for his own life's adventure. He's pulling double shifts 7am to 2pm, then again 6pm to midnight, as the waterpark has introduced "evening cool down" hours. Who wouldn't go for this? He gets fed 3 times a day in the Atlantis cafeteria, which has world renowned chefs! My food bill has been reduced by several hundred dirhams :)
There are other perks too. Yesterday Aidan came home and very nonchalantly told Aric: "Dad, so there was this chick checking me out today, looking real hot, with management and a huge bodyguard by her side. So, I take a closer look and it's Paris Hilton"!!
(Paris is in Dubai this week - why, we aren't really sure....self promotion?)
OMG! Paris you little tart! You better stay away from my boy or you will find yourself going into the Shark tank, rather than through it, on the way down the slide.
There is no problem in the self-confidence department of this Ault boy! That goes for both boys in fact, as Hunter is convinced his 26 year-old Spanish teacher (another "hottie" according to male teen sources) is checking him out during class and is "way into him"! SIGH!!!
We were graced with a visit a few weeks ago from Uncle Rick, aka Big Rick, aka "bitch", aka Rick Austin, Aric's best friend from college. Taking a long weekend get-away, he enjoyed the decadence of Dubai's night-life with us. We also took advantage of the rest of the water surrounding Dubai to do lots of wake-surfing and wake-boarding. It was a really nice visit and the whole family enjoyed his presence. Hopefully the rest of the Austin family will join next time!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Lost in Translation!
William Glasser said that:
We learn…
10% of what we read,
20% of what we hear,
30% of what we see
40% of what we both see and hear,
70% of what is discussed with others
80% of what we experience personally
and
90% of what we teach someone else.
With that formula in mind, I get about 38.7% of what transpires in Dubai!
It's all about how you communicate....I should know! I hold a degree in Speech Communications and with a gazillion years in International Relations and "working across culture" courses behind me I ought to be an expert in communicating and understanding.
Daily things seem to get lost in translation. Take my dog for example! At 11 months, Slim doesn't seem to know his own name. He pretty much answers to every name the boys choose to call him at the moment: Slimothy, boy, little critter, baby, puppy, ugly-face and a variety of other non-Slim names. Then again, he was born in Russia, so maybe his real name is Vladimir and he is thinking "don't these people get it??
Along the road to the boys' school, there is a sign which reads "we apologize for inconvenient landscaping" - THANK YOU FOR APOLOGIZING! Frankly I have been absolutely disgusted and very inconvenienced by all those damn colorful flowers, shrubs and bushes around the clover-leaf exits and would much rather look at bare sand piles along the roads!
On the radio there has recently been a commercial playing 5-6 times a day about road safety and how to prevent accidents. The announcer is Arab and goes on talking about statistics and that "most accidents are caused by fast speeding - and would people please consider slower speeding?" - personally I am not sure that slow speeding would solve the problem! Speeding is just that right? Speeding...i.e. going too fast? Maybe it's just me.
When you get a ticket in Dubai - be it speeding or parking, and no police has been involved (such as with speed cameras and an over-zealous parking officer) you don't have to pay the fine. Well you have 15 days to pay, but if you don't, it only accrues a few extra dollars per year. Many people never pay until they renew their registration after 12 months and find out they can't renew until they settle their outstanding fines. That's sort of normal here. So we know that we have 3-4 parking tickets between us (we know because we have the piece of paper which has a whole lot of Arabic written on it but nothing in English to tell you why you got the fine and how much it is for). So we throw these in a pile in the office.
Once I took a right turn in a round-about, even though a policeman was directing traffic and had stopped my lane from going. I was late for school run so I decided to ignore him. In my rear-view mirror I saw him take down my license plate so I figured "OK, that's going to cost" - but since we have no clue where to pay, or show up in court, we sort of ignore these incidents too. The only thing we would NEVER ignore is an accident, as you can't get your car repaired until you have a police report, so you are pretty much forced to stay and wait for the cops.
You can input your license plate number in the police website system and see what fines you have outstanding. Aric and I have been a little hesitant - why tarnish our happy life with bad news? I was finally compelled to look when Aric came home with yet another parking ticket. To my surprise - Aric only had 2 unpaid tickets. A third ticket was not in even the system - wonder where that went? Maybe it received clemency because of the economic recession.
When I typed in my license plate number I almost fell off my chair. The expected ticket, for ignoring the policeman at the round-about, was not there - BUT I had 98 unpaid fines for SALIK (toll). I was completely paralyzed. Each salik was 50 dirhams so the total was well over 4900 dirhams ($1330 US) with penalties. Normally, when you have a SALIK tag, the tolls are 4 dirhams each. I do have a tag, which I bought in October 08 and which I thought Aric topped up for me. So I called the Road and Transport Authority office to ask why I was being fined. I told them all the evidence I had of buying the tag and activating it. He asked me if I had an account number and PIN. "No"! Well that was sent to me via SMS he said. I responded that I'd never received any SMS. He told me 98 texts had been sent to me since October. I was baffled. Turns out they sent the texts to 050-603-5953 not 056- .... so it was their fault of recording the wrong mobile number in their system. Wow - was I relieved. I now had to just go to the RTA office and fill out a dispute claim form and then it would all be fixed. Sounded easy enough!
Aidan and I drove to the nearest RTA building. We took a number (like in the post office) and low and behold, we were the next ones up at counter 4, number 695. There was no 694 person at the counter and the RTA man was just sitting there babbling on his cell phone. And babbling, and babbling. Finally I made eye contact with him and gently waved the number so he could see we were actually next - you don't want to mess with Emirati public servants. They hold the power, man! He babbled a bit more - probably with his wife about what was on for dinner. And since I was a woman and an ex-pat, surely he saw no reason to speed up the process. Finally he finished his call and waved us over. Fully dressed in the dish-dash with scarf and robe and prayer beads, he listened to my explanation of why I had not paid toll for 8 months. Well, nobody asked me! He asked me if I didn't find it strange that I never got an SMS. I said it wasn't my fault they recorded the wrong number and then I pointed out that they had my email AND postal address so surely they could have sent me a letter once they realized I didn't respond to the SMS. He mumbled something in Arabic (I am sure it qualified as swear words).
He then made me go to the coin operated copy machine (did I ever mention we don't pay income tax, but that everything else makes up for that in nickels and dimes?) and make two copies of all docs plus my drivers license plus the car registration card. Then he stamped them 7 times - and I feel very priviledged because the more stamps the more important and official it is! Now we wait 14 days, then call the RTA and give them the case number and then we pray to Allah that the system has erased the 98 x 50 and charged me 98 x 4. He recommended that I top up my tag. Naturally!! Of course it is not possible to top up at the actual RTA office (where they are responsible for toll) - no, that would be too logical. You top up at any gas station by buying a scratch card like it was a lotto card - and then you get the honor of calling in the serial number on your mobile phone at prime rates. Well, I'm topped up and now go through the toll gates with a clear conscience (and a big smile).
I've been looking for a good place to get my hair cut. For five years in England I only had one person, Nicki, cut my hair. I don't like change so I have been holding off, but truly it isn't economical to fly to England every time I need a haircut. With places like "Moulin Rouge" and "Desire Salon" in our neighborhood, I was wondering whether I could get a 'cut and blowdry' or if the 'blow' in places with such names meant something along the lines of a Gentlemen's club!
Finally I worked up the courage to enter a salon called Eric Zeller - that sounded foreign and Mod, a bit Swiss, which I took to mean precise edges! Maria from Ukraine greeted me and at first I was sceptic...so many articles in the news about prostitutes from Russia and former USSR. But she was dressed like a normal hairdresser so I figured I was in good hands. I plan to go back for a trim in July!
While Aric and I was in Spain, I figured I could use a few highlights. So I went to the hotel salon and asked to be "a little blonder" - "Si, si blanco"! NO, NO! Not white...B L O N D E R!! Si, Blanco! I gave up, my Spanish has known better days. I showed her a picture in a magazine of Madonna (without the dark roots) and prayed that I wouldn't come out platin blond like Paris Hilton. I think it was a success.
We learn…
10% of what we read,
20% of what we hear,
30% of what we see
40% of what we both see and hear,
70% of what is discussed with others
80% of what we experience personally
and
90% of what we teach someone else.
With that formula in mind, I get about 38.7% of what transpires in Dubai!
It's all about how you communicate....I should know! I hold a degree in Speech Communications and with a gazillion years in International Relations and "working across culture" courses behind me I ought to be an expert in communicating and understanding.
Daily things seem to get lost in translation. Take my dog for example! At 11 months, Slim doesn't seem to know his own name. He pretty much answers to every name the boys choose to call him at the moment: Slimothy, boy, little critter, baby, puppy, ugly-face and a variety of other non-Slim names. Then again, he was born in Russia, so maybe his real name is Vladimir and he is thinking "don't these people get it??
Along the road to the boys' school, there is a sign which reads "we apologize for inconvenient landscaping" - THANK YOU FOR APOLOGIZING! Frankly I have been absolutely disgusted and very inconvenienced by all those damn colorful flowers, shrubs and bushes around the clover-leaf exits and would much rather look at bare sand piles along the roads!
On the radio there has recently been a commercial playing 5-6 times a day about road safety and how to prevent accidents. The announcer is Arab and goes on talking about statistics and that "most accidents are caused by fast speeding - and would people please consider slower speeding?" - personally I am not sure that slow speeding would solve the problem! Speeding is just that right? Speeding...i.e. going too fast? Maybe it's just me.
When you get a ticket in Dubai - be it speeding or parking, and no police has been involved (such as with speed cameras and an over-zealous parking officer) you don't have to pay the fine. Well you have 15 days to pay, but if you don't, it only accrues a few extra dollars per year. Many people never pay until they renew their registration after 12 months and find out they can't renew until they settle their outstanding fines. That's sort of normal here. So we know that we have 3-4 parking tickets between us (we know because we have the piece of paper which has a whole lot of Arabic written on it but nothing in English to tell you why you got the fine and how much it is for). So we throw these in a pile in the office.
Once I took a right turn in a round-about, even though a policeman was directing traffic and had stopped my lane from going. I was late for school run so I decided to ignore him. In my rear-view mirror I saw him take down my license plate so I figured "OK, that's going to cost" - but since we have no clue where to pay, or show up in court, we sort of ignore these incidents too. The only thing we would NEVER ignore is an accident, as you can't get your car repaired until you have a police report, so you are pretty much forced to stay and wait for the cops.
You can input your license plate number in the police website system and see what fines you have outstanding. Aric and I have been a little hesitant - why tarnish our happy life with bad news? I was finally compelled to look when Aric came home with yet another parking ticket. To my surprise - Aric only had 2 unpaid tickets. A third ticket was not in even the system - wonder where that went? Maybe it received clemency because of the economic recession.
When I typed in my license plate number I almost fell off my chair. The expected ticket, for ignoring the policeman at the round-about, was not there - BUT I had 98 unpaid fines for SALIK (toll). I was completely paralyzed. Each salik was 50 dirhams so the total was well over 4900 dirhams ($1330 US) with penalties. Normally, when you have a SALIK tag, the tolls are 4 dirhams each. I do have a tag, which I bought in October 08 and which I thought Aric topped up for me. So I called the Road and Transport Authority office to ask why I was being fined. I told them all the evidence I had of buying the tag and activating it. He asked me if I had an account number and PIN. "No"! Well that was sent to me via SMS he said. I responded that I'd never received any SMS. He told me 98 texts had been sent to me since October. I was baffled. Turns out they sent the texts to 050-603-5953 not 056- .... so it was their fault of recording the wrong mobile number in their system. Wow - was I relieved. I now had to just go to the RTA office and fill out a dispute claim form and then it would all be fixed. Sounded easy enough!
Aidan and I drove to the nearest RTA building. We took a number (like in the post office) and low and behold, we were the next ones up at counter 4, number 695. There was no 694 person at the counter and the RTA man was just sitting there babbling on his cell phone. And babbling, and babbling. Finally I made eye contact with him and gently waved the number so he could see we were actually next - you don't want to mess with Emirati public servants. They hold the power, man! He babbled a bit more - probably with his wife about what was on for dinner. And since I was a woman and an ex-pat, surely he saw no reason to speed up the process. Finally he finished his call and waved us over. Fully dressed in the dish-dash with scarf and robe and prayer beads, he listened to my explanation of why I had not paid toll for 8 months. Well, nobody asked me! He asked me if I didn't find it strange that I never got an SMS. I said it wasn't my fault they recorded the wrong number and then I pointed out that they had my email AND postal address so surely they could have sent me a letter once they realized I didn't respond to the SMS. He mumbled something in Arabic (I am sure it qualified as swear words).
He then made me go to the coin operated copy machine (did I ever mention we don't pay income tax, but that everything else makes up for that in nickels and dimes?) and make two copies of all docs plus my drivers license plus the car registration card. Then he stamped them 7 times - and I feel very priviledged because the more stamps the more important and official it is! Now we wait 14 days, then call the RTA and give them the case number and then we pray to Allah that the system has erased the 98 x 50 and charged me 98 x 4. He recommended that I top up my tag. Naturally!! Of course it is not possible to top up at the actual RTA office (where they are responsible for toll) - no, that would be too logical. You top up at any gas station by buying a scratch card like it was a lotto card - and then you get the honor of calling in the serial number on your mobile phone at prime rates. Well, I'm topped up and now go through the toll gates with a clear conscience (and a big smile).
I've been looking for a good place to get my hair cut. For five years in England I only had one person, Nicki, cut my hair. I don't like change so I have been holding off, but truly it isn't economical to fly to England every time I need a haircut. With places like "Moulin Rouge" and "Desire Salon" in our neighborhood, I was wondering whether I could get a 'cut and blowdry' or if the 'blow' in places with such names meant something along the lines of a Gentlemen's club!
Finally I worked up the courage to enter a salon called Eric Zeller - that sounded foreign and Mod, a bit Swiss, which I took to mean precise edges! Maria from Ukraine greeted me and at first I was sceptic...so many articles in the news about prostitutes from Russia and former USSR. But she was dressed like a normal hairdresser so I figured I was in good hands. I plan to go back for a trim in July!
While Aric and I was in Spain, I figured I could use a few highlights. So I went to the hotel salon and asked to be "a little blonder" - "Si, si blanco"! NO, NO! Not white...B L O N D E R!! Si, Blanco! I gave up, my Spanish has known better days. I showed her a picture in a magazine of Madonna (without the dark roots) and prayed that I wouldn't come out platin blond like Paris Hilton. I think it was a success.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Bitter-Sweet Prom!
There is nothing more cowardice or devastating like a "Dear John" letter, unless you consider breaking up via SMS, Facebook, or MySpace more spineless. But I think breaking up just before or during prom, takes it all. OK, I'm a mom - and yes perhaps I am a bit over-protective. Surely there are many heart breaks in the future of Aidan and Hunter's lives.
Just when you think things are going smooth and the kids are happy, out pops that nasty uncertainty. A nagging, "can't put my finger on it" feeling that creeps in your mind. Asking if everything is OK gets you the usual "yeah" - until they realize that perhaps it's OK to talk to your parents about things.
Danielle and Aidan had been seeing eachother less, due to her final exams, and as we suspected, with her leaving Year 13 and headed for the American University of Dubai in September, traveling to Thailand for 5-6 weeks this summer, things were crumbling (as they say about Brad and Angelina). Not worthy of Hello, OK, US or People Magazine - but in a 17 year-old's mind it has the magnitude of a world falling apart. The "I don't think things are working, we never see eachother" statement 2 days before Prom, was a sure sign.... but Aidan took it well and still got ready for the Prom with a positive attitude, not wanting to spoil Danielle's evening (because as we all know, hair, makeup, dress, shoes and matching handbag, is ALL these young ladies can think of). So off we went to her house for champagne and mingling with the other parents, while Aidan, looking very uncomfortable and out of place, tried to shoot the breeze with the other guys.
The final result (I won't keep you in suspense) - she ignored him most of the evening and he had 4 hours of "boring, waste of time" time at the Sheraton - even going to Starbucks across the street for a iced latte. Well done Aidan, for putting up with such bitchy behavior!! He only spent one day in bed sulking, and has now been spending more time with the family and the boating.
They appear to be good friends still and because they have the same circle of friends, it is not possible to avoid seeing eachother at times. Aidan has learned a lot about women in the last two weeks and he says he is now ready for a long summer in Denmark, where the blonde babes await him!
Welcome to dating reality!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
17: the age when you may rent or purchase R Rated movies in the US!
Aidan turned 17 on April 28 - "Happy Birthday Aidan"!!
Is it to cliche to say: "where did all the years go? - seems like yesterday when he was crawling around, drooling and coloring Easter Eggs". Now he speeds ahead on his skateboard, has a girlfriend who is a year older than him (like father like son!) and is longing to leave Dubai and take on the world. We get to keep him one more year as he finishes high school and then he is off to the US (we think that's the plan....)
Gone are the days when we had Chucky Cheese's and bowling parties with 15 screaming boys; an afternoon crawling around in bushes and woods playing "paintball" with teenagers, or having hungry guys over for pizza and movies. Now we celebrate birthdays by allowing pool parties with beer and wine, dancing until 3am and reserving dinner tables for 5 rather than 4!! Danielle joined us for a wonderful Thai dinner and for once I truly believe Aidan wasn't embarrased or shy.
He sure has grown up fast and into a fine young man at that!!
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Another episode of Lost?
If you cannot read the law (because it is in Arabic), does that mean it doesn’t apply to you? The Ministry of Justice just announced they want to improve transparency in the United Arab Emirates by translating the laws into English. Personally I think this is a fantastic idea. I will now be able to read the parking tickets I get and actually learn what I did wrong.
All laws passed since the founding of the UAE in 1971 will be translated and posted on the web but the idea is to eventually make it available by subscription only. Surely this must mean that if I select not to subscribe, I won’t have to obey?
Our boys stepped out of the Sandbox for Easter and had a fantastic experience – Aidan in India and Hunter in Oman. The Dubai International Academy arranged a 9-day trip to the foothills of Himalaya and Aidan participated as part of The Duke of Edinburgh Award (high school community service and charity). The group of 18 students started their adventure in Delhi and went to the Taj Mahal for a day. Then they journeyed 290 km on a train north into the hills where they stayed at three different safari camps at various altitudes and locations, arranged by Snow Leopard Adventure Group. For three days they endured a “survivor course” and were left on their own, in groups of four, to manage their own tent camp and food preparation from raw materials they bought at a local village market. It was an exercise in basic survival, planning and cooking. On the 4th day a heavy and intense sand storm came through the camp very suddenly and apparently left little of the safari tents behind. Aidan told us the food and kitchen tents were uprooted and the heavy wood and metal poles flew everywhere. They all had to evacuate to the nearest village and Aidan thought that was the most exciting day of the entire trip (as only he would!!) My laundry room for days had the resemblance of a male locker room with fine silicon sand all over. The stench was beyond describable. We can safely conclude that Aidan will in fact be OK when le leaves for college next year!
Nature walks, trekking through the hills, rafting on the Ganges River, were just a few of the fantastic experiences the students had.
Meanwhile, Hunter went on a Geography camping trip to Musandam Peninsula, Oman. It’s a small enclave of Oman on the Strait of Hormuz, which is surrounded by the UAE, and cut off from the rest of Oman. The area is known for its beautiful, rugged and rocky terrain, which also remarkably has a lot of green fertile land and loads of Acacia trees. Most of the small villages can only be reached from the sea; there are no roads through the mountains. The rugged coastline looks very much like Norway’s glacier shaped fjords; however this coast was shaped by the movement of the Earth’s crust.
All laws passed since the founding of the UAE in 1971 will be translated and posted on the web but the idea is to eventually make it available by subscription only. Surely this must mean that if I select not to subscribe, I won’t have to obey?
Our boys stepped out of the Sandbox for Easter and had a fantastic experience – Aidan in India and Hunter in Oman. The Dubai International Academy arranged a 9-day trip to the foothills of Himalaya and Aidan participated as part of The Duke of Edinburgh Award (high school community service and charity). The group of 18 students started their adventure in Delhi and went to the Taj Mahal for a day. Then they journeyed 290 km on a train north into the hills where they stayed at three different safari camps at various altitudes and locations, arranged by Snow Leopard Adventure Group. For three days they endured a “survivor course” and were left on their own, in groups of four, to manage their own tent camp and food preparation from raw materials they bought at a local village market. It was an exercise in basic survival, planning and cooking. On the 4th day a heavy and intense sand storm came through the camp very suddenly and apparently left little of the safari tents behind. Aidan told us the food and kitchen tents were uprooted and the heavy wood and metal poles flew everywhere. They all had to evacuate to the nearest village and Aidan thought that was the most exciting day of the entire trip (as only he would!!) My laundry room for days had the resemblance of a male locker room with fine silicon sand all over. The stench was beyond describable. We can safely conclude that Aidan will in fact be OK when le leaves for college next year!
Nature walks, trekking through the hills, rafting on the Ganges River, were just a few of the fantastic experiences the students had.
Meanwhile, Hunter went on a Geography camping trip to Musandam Peninsula, Oman. It’s a small enclave of Oman on the Strait of Hormuz, which is surrounded by the UAE, and cut off from the rest of Oman. The area is known for its beautiful, rugged and rocky terrain, which also remarkably has a lot of green fertile land and loads of Acacia trees. Most of the small villages can only be reached from the sea; there are no roads through the mountains. The rugged coastline looks very much like Norway’s glacier shaped fjords; however this coast was shaped by the movement of the Earth’s crust.
Hunter and a group of fellow students spent two nights camping and a full day on a Dow, sailing in an area where dolphins are known to play. He told us they saw over 20 dolphins while they sailed around in the bay. Not to be different from any other teen who has ever been on a school trip, Hunter proudly participated in nightly shenanigans and came home with a shaved patch behind his ear! At least it wasn’t an eyebrow!
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