Is there a "Mother of the Year" award??

..........

If so, I really think deserve it.

Dodging cranes and bulldozers and even the odd, deep excavation hole in the road, does not bother me. But walking the 500 meter long path from the school parking lot to the front entrance, in 4- inch heels and short skirt, to hand in a piece of (oh so important) paper Aidan forgot at home - that takes the cake! We not talking just enhancing the sidewalk; the entire road is pulled up and in fact there is no sidewalk so one has to weave around traffic cones and cars. It's like an obstacle race which could have been avoided, had they not locked the lower school gates after 8am. Forced to go all the way around to the other side nearly cost me a broken ankle or at best, a broken heel off my Paul Smith shoes!

The whole family has resorted to carrying a black and a brown tube of instant shoe polish. We also keep one in the car. We can't get enough of this paste...I have cronic sand between my toes and forget about putting lotion on my legs - either Slim licks it off (he is addicted to lotion) or the sand gets stuck on my legs like flies on a sticky gluey gooey strip hanging in a dingy drug store!

There just is no way to avoid the sand or the eternal construction in this place. What's a gal to do?

Good Luck Jonathan!

Imagine what the world would have been like today, if the Africans had welcomed the European and Arab explorers [read exploiters] with open arms and told them: "Come and exploit our resources, oil, minerals, land, food, spices but please in return, invest in our infra structure and transfer your skills and knowledge to our people !

Africa may actually have been a United States of power, wealth and intellect beyond our imagination. As history goes, we know that wasn't the case. Nobody was asked to invest, contribute or give back to the country they ripped for their own selfish greed.

Three hundred years later I am sat in a hotel conference room, listening to the ministers of Nigeria, making their case for investments and development, of how governments, companies and people can make money if they decide to become part of the growth of the country, which promises to be one of the 20 top economies in by 2020. Having traveled to Lagos and seen the poverty, the thirdworld devastation, the unclean water, the corruption and general chaos, it is hard to understand why anyone would invest there when there are so many other places to put your scarce money.

Could there be another agenda such as search for fertile lands? The Emirates and Saudi import 100% of their food goods from elsewhere - not hard to guess that if they invest in agricultural land in Nigeria, they can dictate import prices of food grown there.

The excellence Vice President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, (looking very spiffy in his popstar hat and bling), made a compelling case for the cause - but I am not convinced that the money will start flowing or that knowledge will be left behind for the Nigerians to help themselves.

Good luck Jonathan!

A Perfect Prefect!

We no longer know our kids! I'm beginning to think that Hunter really was adopted (and I would know!)

Coming back to Dubai and starting our second year, has been a complete 360 degree turn from last year, which was a little more filled with trips to see the Dean of Students and the Principals office. Hunter announced he was going to run for Student Council and Class President. NICE!

A future politician in the family, that's a first. He should probably have taken better notes from "Napoleon Dynamite" - his favorite movie, and had buttons with "VOTE FOR HUNTER" made up; after Eid he told me that he didn't get elected. In fact he wasn't sure anyone even voted for him. He was genuinely surprised that this was the case. I asked what his platform was and how he ran his campaign. HUH?? "What's a platform - a step for me to look taller? - and don't only US presidents run a campaign?" Sigh!! - Only Hunter would have enough confidence to believe that students would vote for him because he is Hunter Ault.

After a 15 minute mini lesson on campaigns and voting fraud...I think he got it. Told me that it was a "stupid popularity contest" (welcome to the world of politics). He was pretty cool about not winning and instead signed up for volleyball - a less political game.

Aidan, on the other hand, has not only been selected to represent Dubai International Academy at the Model United Nations conference in Singapore in November, to argue how to eradicate child prostitution (he got Portugal as his country), but also surprised himself and us, when he was chosen to be a prefect. The school has never had prefects before and this year they selected 20 out of 70 students across the senior school, to be role models and peer leaders.

We aren't completely sure these two boys are ours...or at least the same boys who left Dubai in July and came back in September, completely changed! One can only hope they continue on the path to responsibility and moral high ground (unlike their parents).

Eid's back to normal....or is it??

Americans will recall the 1990's when Ma Bell broke off and AT&T, Sprint and MCI began to battle it out with the mini Bells in-state. That was when Aric and I made a lot of extra money by switching long distance phone companies every month. Gotta love competition and free enterprise! Hey, it paid for dinner every time AT&T called to offer me $50-$125 to switch from MCI, and vice versa 6 weeks later, when I got paid $75 to switch back again, while keeping the same phone number. I'm amazed at how they made a profit those years.

Free enterprise is highly at play here in Dubai too. You can select any Service Provider and Telephone operator you like. Free choice is nice. Our choices are Etisalat and Du.

Etisalat was a former monopoly, majority owned by the government. Fortunately, such anti-competitive behavior was stopped when the alternate telco operator Du was launched, by the government, and majority owned by the government. Hmmnn, well that ends that monopoly I guess!

Direct foreign investment in telecoms is prohibited until at least 2015, under an exclusion negotiated with the World Trade Organisation when the UAE joined in 1996. So it will be a while until the US and Europe muscle their way in with more choices. Until then, we endure being held over a barrell by Du - the operator in our area and building. Like everything else, the service is dependable and consistent! We can firmly depend on Du being consistent in Internet and TV going out periodically.

When I called customer dis-service this time, I was told by Branjal that because of the dis-service the last time (with the internet) I would absolutely have my complaint escalated as high priority and would receive a call back in 24 hours. I forgot to ask if that was 24 hours AFTER Eid or DURING. Three days later, Eid is over, people are back to work and as normal practice, I placed my 3rd call to Du. The customer dis-service person confirmed that nobody had called me back within 24 hours. Wow!! That is customer service! I'm so glad he was able to tell me that because I was wondering, even though I had no "missed calls" on my mobile...but you never know - someone could have tried to live up to the promise of a call back.

Perhaps it was my slightly strained, but still in control, voice, or perhaps my - "I am going to deduct every day my TV is out, from my next bill and we are up to 3 days now" - statement...because immediately, Adeel (does "Indian Call Center" finally spring to mind??) told me I would definitely get a call back within 2 hours. Man oh man, the over-the-crescent-moon treatment just about knocked me off my Ikea office chair. That's even better than 24 hour call backs. "Will it take only 2 days to get that 2 hour call back then?" I asked.

"No, the team leader has been informed of the priority and for sure madam you will get a call back within 2-3 hours" Adeel assured me. "OH, but you already added another hour there", I pointed out. Poor Adeel, he didn't know what butt cheek to sit on now. I know, I can be a bit testy! Informing him that I had already asked for a technician during my first call, Adeel studdered when he replied that they would surely send a person out - but - they needed to call me first to make sure I am home. I'm home, I'm home...just send the guy out!!! I'm missing my CSI episodes!! The clock is ticking....it's been 63 minutes already!

Last time the cable went out, it was due to a human stupid fault. Someone had been inside the cable closet and turned off our cable, rather than the people moving out on the 18th floor. I expect that when our neighbors next door moved out 5 days ago, someone flipped the wrong apartment switch. I did tell Du that, but they are apparently too limited in thinking outside the box. So, that will cost them 94 dirhams.

All is back to normal after Eid. Construction continues. They tear down homes where roads are going in but I was happy to see that one single tree was saved by the new overpass at The Lakes sub division where we go through on our way to school. The man with the yellow hat - the Pakistani worker who directs traffic there, has also been spared and he keeps waving to us just like he did before the summer break.

Dusty abandoned cars are piling up behind the police academy and a giant billboard put up to cover them. Scattered randonly around the Marina, dusty sportscars and SUVs are left to deteriorate in the elements. Yes, all is back to normal efter Eid.

Or is it?

Blame it on the Burka

Someone wants us out of our home! I'm not saying the apartment is haunted in any way, but there are gremlins at play for sure. Since we have been back, well in fact, since the boys and I left for Denmark in July, there have been numerous water leaks everywhere. Actually, come to think of it....we have had water leaks recurring since April, when we turned on the A/C.

We are in fact suffering from A/C condensation overflow and busted pipes causing streams of water to run down into the ceiling tiles and further down into bedrooms, dining room and bathrooms.

By our window in the dining room, a steady stream ran down the wall, causing collateral damage to Aric's beloved antique print of St. Marco Square, Venice, and 6 of my art books. Apparently a pipe upstairs in the pool pump room was broken.

When we arrived home from the summer break, Aidan's bathroom had a major leak - luckily just above the bathtub - how is that for aim? Listening to the sound he composed a rap song to the drips and drops rhythm! OK so at least we remain creative while we drown in condensation!

A few days ago, I woke up to what I excitedly thought was a major thunderstorm, albeit without the thunder but still - heavy rain drops on the windows....oh but no, no, it was - to my agony - just another leak in the ceiling above our master bathroom - this time, a rainforest monsoon which turned makeup, toothpaste and baby powder into a new cosmetic concoction. Of course these things always happen in the hours where the maintenance crew is off. Two buckets did the trick. I got my lightning show when the water hit the halogen light socket....

Today, just when the owner of the apartment showed a prospective buyer, there was a mega leak in the maid / laundry room.....again! Unfortunately all of our sports gear, CDs, VHS tapes and DVDs were stored there (after the last leak when the maintenance guy assured us it was safe to put things back) and now all the paper covers are soggy, our stash of Corona beer is soaked (!!) and I can't seem to get a decent picture from our old Disney Fantasia VHS tape!

Our elevator is making strange noises and have actually stopped between floors. Mind you that would be on 1/2 living room level....you can sit down and watch people walk around, through the glass doors. Even so it is kind of eerie to get stuck in an elevator even if it is only between floor 1 and 2! The SOS phone inside the elevator connects you to the phone in the living room - so if nobody is home - you get to sit there for hours.

The lights in the dining room failed the other day too, so we dined at candle light. I was afraid to report it, thinking our door bell would then stop working again.

Somehow, I think it's time to move on. Our lease is up December 4 and we can probably move to a much less expensive apartment with Marina view, now that prices are down 40%. We were going to negotiate a lower lease with the current landlord but the water somehow deters me!

Too many problems! Not much different in Denmark! Apparently, all the asylum seekers who have arrived over the years of conflicts in the rest of the world, are causing big problems in Denmark. We just can't just deal with them and their status in 2-3 months. No, in normal government fashion, it takes the Danish Department of State 10 years to figure out if the people who fled Iraq really had good reasons to flee. In the meantime they have established a home and families, well maybe not a real home, living with relatives, but definitely babies. So when they were in jeopardy of being returned home this summer, they moved in to a church in Copenhagen. They stayed there for a few months. All of a sudden, the decision to return them to Iraq came swiftly and the police had to carry out the nasty burden of evicting these poor people from the church. The end was not a fairytale. They have to return to Iraq even if they have not been there for 10 years and have no safe home to return to.

Just as things were heating up over this highly hot political issue, the politicians, who ordered the 34 Iraqis out of the church, realized it may not have been a good way to win votes. They thought it would be a good idea to cast a smoke screen over this "not so positive" PR.

So, what the hell, let's blame it on the Burka - let's start a debate about banning the damn Islamic clothing - after all, there are between 100-200 women in Denmark wearing the Burka; that is a huge percentage of the 5.5 million population!! Off with the Burka we say! It's the cause of all our problems, from the banking crisis, to the tax hikes, to the long lines at the hospitals for cancer treatment...you name the trouble Denmark is in and we can positively say it all comes down to the women who choose to be suppressed and cover their face! It's about time we change the legislation so we can forbid the wearing of the Burka. Let's not go into details about why they wear it, whether it is by choice or whether it is right or wrong....no, we have an economic crisis in Denmark and by golly, we need to resolve it by blaming someone else but the banks and government.

In the meantime - I await the day we are ordered to wear a Burka in Dubai. Because surely the economic crisis here is all due to the expats wearing short dresses and free flowing hair!

09-09-09

The royal Dish-Dash was out in full force at the inaugoration and first official ride of the Dubai Metro, 4 years in the making.

Sheikh Mohammed boarded the train at the Mall of Emirates station exactly at 9.09 pm, Sept 9, 2009 and rode through 5-6 stations. Stations that apparently have flat screen TVs, chandeliers, art fixtures like giant gold coins, a lego model of the whole metro, other artifacts and a time capsule among all the displays. It will be like going to a Legoland / Museum of Modern Art, just to board the metro.

It is of course - just like anything else in Dubai - the world's largest automated driverless train system - about 75km of magnetic track.

Only 10 stations are finished and open right now. Mostly at the malls. So we can drive our car to the mall to board the metro, to go to another mall to shop! It will be a while still before the stop at our building and that end of the Marina is done. There is no line from our building to the school. Maybe that was expecting too much! We plan to ride it this Sunday, when it opens to the "lower subjects" of Dubai, just to get the experience of seeing Dubai from the elevated track - I'm sure it will be much like the "L" in Chicago!

We are still in the middle of the holy month of Ramadan and I have had my first Sohoor experience. Sohoor is the second meal - after the Iftar meal (the total pig-out buffet style meal that breaks the day of fasting) - and is a “blessed” light meal taken shortly before the break of dawn. I didn't wait until dawn though. 10-12 women got together around 8.30pm for a Sohoor at a giant tent behind Hotel Mina Al Salaam. It was meant to introduce the "newer" women to the veteran expat gals - who had all been here a year! Great cold mezze, hommous and bread, with wonderful Moroccan tea and fresh mint lemon juice (no alcohol during Ramadan) and enjoyable company among locals and westerners.

Feels good to be back in Dubai!

We can wear white after laborday :)

Congratulations to ourselves as we celebrate our FIRST anniversary in the Sandbox! Hard to believe it has already been a full year, since we arrived in Dubai, eager to begin a new adventure. Looking back and assessing all our experiences, I must admit it has been a trying year and taken more tolerance, understanding, patience and openess than we ever expected. Much of it was probably situational because we could not find a place to live for the first three months...plus arriving during Ramadan is not advised! The rest of the year, once we all got settled, was much more enjoyable and we all seemed to find our rhythm in January / February, making new friends, socializing and getting acclimated to not only the weather but the way the Emiratis do business and go about their life.

Coming back to Dubai last week was much less stressful this time around - in fact there was no mercy as these hardcore parents drove the kids to their first day of school 8am Tuesday, after landing at 5.30am from an all night flight! Nothing like getting back on the local timezone clock head on!

We all had a great summer, though Aric will say his was a bit short, with only 10 days out of the Sandbox, spending his holidays nursing and driving me around to family functions, 40th birthdays and shopping sprees. Hey, I seem to recall something about "for better or worse, in sickness and in health" and he proved a perfect partner! The boys saw most of their friends in both Denmark and England - a nice treat. Aidan even made a little money, doing dishes and packing white charcoal for Julius's family....

I managed to fit in several visits with my bestest girlfriends and the whole family. My self-pity of having to have a hysterectomy... at 46, was drowned out by the news that Josephine, my close girlfriend since we were 14, found out she was having a baby...at 46!! Twenty five years of wanting and trying and consequently giving up having kids, out of the blue - she is now 3 months along and while her and her hubby Peter are in a bit of a shock, I believe that life will find a way and that this is no short of a miracle! I can't wait to pick out baby clothes and in all other ways remind them that our kids are leaving the nest and they have a chick to raise the next 17 years :))

It's been about 15 days since my surgery and the doctor strongly advised that I get plenty of rest, only do short walks, don't lift heavy objects and above all: no running for another 2-3 weeks. I have loyally obeyed these orders but Slim put an end to that advice, as I walked him along the Marina tonight. Aric has been a very strict master while I was gone and Slim now sits, lays down and in every way obeys most commands. What got into him tonight I have no idea, but he took off like a rocket, all the way to the end of the Marina by our building - probably 300 yards. He then stormed back to me and I scolded him and told him to sit - which he obviously ignored, because he then shot like a rocket the other way, back to the stairs and entrance to the Marina which leads back up to the road we live on and at this point, it flashed before my eyes that he would get run over. Without thinking I flew after him in my worn flip flops....200 yards down the Marina walk, up the stairs.... only to find him mounting a terrier at the top, while the owner watched frozen and speechless. Apologizing profusely, it felt as if my ovaries were going to pop out! I guess I'm not quite ready to start training for that half marathon in Abu Dhabi in November!! Bloody dog!! While everyone in the US is celebrating Labor day Weekend, I felt I was IN labor!! At least I can look forward to getting back in shape and fitting into my new "pre-surgery" skinny white jeans and while the Americans pack away their white clothes and shoes - we will be wearing our whites and enjoying the eternal sunshine, loooong after Labor day!