I know - I still owe you stories of Djibouti, and my life - Sorry! I know - terrible updater, and I promise I will do it, and SOON!
But for now, I want to blog about the Pearl. Matthew 13 tells us about the kingdom of God being like a fine pearl. That when the merchant saw it, he sold everything he had to buy it.
That is focus. That is seeking the treasure. Pearls are not formed quickly or easily. For a pearl to be perfect it needs to be finely cultured for a perfect amount of time. They are roughed out and imperfections are sanded out.
We are not promised easy things. We are actually promised quite the opposite. What makes all the hurt and hard work worthwhile though is the knowledge that we have hope. The wonderful, fabulous, light at the end of the tunnel - the Good News of hope, and freedom, and love, and eternity, and undeserved salvation.
When we see adversity, when people push us off, make us feel worthless, or hurt us - it is so easy to just stop and pity ourselves, or doubt ourselves - or our call. But instead we need to press on with the focus of the merchant. I am not saying our feelings are an insignificant detail of the mission. I think our heart is very important and I know that God cares intimately for each of ours. But I also think that what is reflected in our actions are a visualization of our hearts. And clearly - the merchant's heart was focused on that pearl, and when you want something badly enough, you will give up everything for it. And I would like to say that I am that way about the call I've had in my life. I can't honestly say that, but I can admit to trying.
Colossians 3:23-24 says "whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as if workign for the Lord, not for humans, since you know that you will recieve an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."
Press on to the pearl. Work with all your heart to get it. Find your treasure and hold on to it. That's what I plan to do.
Chronicles of a Fake Grown-Up
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Monday, November 7, 2011
Puppy Love
I remember when my mom first told me we might be getting a dog. Turns out an employee of my dad had a dog with a new litter. I remember coming home from school that day, and bragging to everyone on the bus about how I was getting a puppy that day. I don't remember if I had to run home or if mom met me at the bus stop, but I remember playing with that little playful black thing out in the backyard that day. It was one of the best days of my life, I'm sure.
I remember sitting at the kitchen table, getting really mad at Elizabeth because I wanted to name the puppy midnight or ebony (I was really creative) or lightening because of the white strip on her chest. I remember when mom picked the name Maysie, I kinda hated it, but I didn't care because I had a puppy (but I did grow to love it, and the fact that she didn't have a regular "dog" name).
I remember holding Maysie in my little kid arms. I remember her being small enough to do that. I remember taking her to KYAL (the softball fields) and her shivering, and I had to wrap her up in a blanket. I refused to put her down because it was cold out, and I was pretty convinced that sneaking her most of my cheese fries would keep her warm.
I remember that dog wreaking havoc in my neighborhood and in my house. I remember the day she got my dad's steak off the counter and ate the whole thing (I wasn't sure she would survive that one), and I remember when Beth and I fed her a whole cake because we messed it up, and she got really sick. Whoops! I remember watching our dog sprint out of our yard, across traffic, get calls from the neighbors, and can assure you that she was one hyperactive puppy.
I even remember taking her for a walk (on either Thanksgiving or Easter) with her retractable leash. That dog saw another dog or person or something she wanted, and she WENT AFTER IT. Somehow she wrapped her leash around the neighbor's tree, and then it happened. THE MOMENT. As she circled the tree so did the leash. As she continued to run, the leash followed. I remember watching it slingshot around the tree, and land itself conveniently right in my neighbor's dining room window in horror. I think I just stood there frozen and crying as everyone came out of the house furious about the broken window. Whoops.
I remember trying to sneak Maysie upstairs just so she could snuggle in my bed with me when I had a bad day. I remember when we got the electric fence, which for so long seemed like a lost cause because she broke through pretty much everyday, but once she got it we could throw the ball and run with her and play with her outside as much as we wanted to.
On the one hand, I can not believe that dog lasted 16 years. I can not believe that she held on for as long as she did even though every time I saw her she looked older, breathed harder, and was having an increasingly harder time getting around. I can not believe that for the first time in his life, my kid brother is going to have to live without her. I can not believe that when I go home for Thanksgiving that the old girl won't be there. One the one hand I am very thankful and relieved, both for the 16 good years we had her for, and that she is not struggling anymore. And while I thought that I was ok with it and ready, I feel the sadness in my heart, and know that right now our family is not whole anymore.
But I am still so grateful. She was a great dog, and survived a lot (both in my life and hers). And I know that she was an amazing comfort to me during some of my most difficult times. I will miss her, and will always remember her for having a great life and being a very real part of my family.
I remember sitting at the kitchen table, getting really mad at Elizabeth because I wanted to name the puppy midnight or ebony (I was really creative) or lightening because of the white strip on her chest. I remember when mom picked the name Maysie, I kinda hated it, but I didn't care because I had a puppy (but I did grow to love it, and the fact that she didn't have a regular "dog" name).
I remember holding Maysie in my little kid arms. I remember her being small enough to do that. I remember taking her to KYAL (the softball fields) and her shivering, and I had to wrap her up in a blanket. I refused to put her down because it was cold out, and I was pretty convinced that sneaking her most of my cheese fries would keep her warm.
I remember that dog wreaking havoc in my neighborhood and in my house. I remember the day she got my dad's steak off the counter and ate the whole thing (I wasn't sure she would survive that one), and I remember when Beth and I fed her a whole cake because we messed it up, and she got really sick. Whoops! I remember watching our dog sprint out of our yard, across traffic, get calls from the neighbors, and can assure you that she was one hyperactive puppy.
I even remember taking her for a walk (on either Thanksgiving or Easter) with her retractable leash. That dog saw another dog or person or something she wanted, and she WENT AFTER IT. Somehow she wrapped her leash around the neighbor's tree, and then it happened. THE MOMENT. As she circled the tree so did the leash. As she continued to run, the leash followed. I remember watching it slingshot around the tree, and land itself conveniently right in my neighbor's dining room window in horror. I think I just stood there frozen and crying as everyone came out of the house furious about the broken window. Whoops.
I remember trying to sneak Maysie upstairs just so she could snuggle in my bed with me when I had a bad day. I remember when we got the electric fence, which for so long seemed like a lost cause because she broke through pretty much everyday, but once she got it we could throw the ball and run with her and play with her outside as much as we wanted to.
On the one hand, I can not believe that dog lasted 16 years. I can not believe that she held on for as long as she did even though every time I saw her she looked older, breathed harder, and was having an increasingly harder time getting around. I can not believe that for the first time in his life, my kid brother is going to have to live without her. I can not believe that when I go home for Thanksgiving that the old girl won't be there. One the one hand I am very thankful and relieved, both for the 16 good years we had her for, and that she is not struggling anymore. And while I thought that I was ok with it and ready, I feel the sadness in my heart, and know that right now our family is not whole anymore.
But I am still so grateful. She was a great dog, and survived a lot (both in my life and hers). And I know that she was an amazing comfort to me during some of my most difficult times. I will miss her, and will always remember her for having a great life and being a very real part of my family.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Friday - Djibouti
Friday was my first full day in Djibouti. Unfortunately, Friday is the day off for my team, so I had to put off meeting most of them until Saturday. (I arrived too late on Thursday.) I woke up early and multiple times, still trying to fight my way through the jet lag. But it was also good that I didn't have a full day with my team, because I had almost two full work-days to catch up on emails that needed some attention.
Djibouti is hot and dry. I have had my hair straight most of the time here, and it has stayed that way. I met the HR team here on the ground, and am quite in love with them. There is one American woman who is a true traveler of the heart. That part of me really gets her and understand her, while the rooted part of me wonders how she does what she does. She is fun and friendly, and hooked me up with Starbucks instant cinnamon dolce coffee, so clearly we get along great. Then there is Amy and Patricia. They are both my age, both from different areas of Africa, and so sweet, and very smart! I love talking to them, and you can see how much they love their jobs. There is my new Indian friend who is a yogi master (I think that's what he said, I keep thinking yogi berry, mhmmm... frozen yogurt!) and is going to teach me some yoga before I leave. I tried to reassure him it has already been done unsucessfully, and that I have accepted the fact that I am a contact sports-explosive athlete, rather than a soft, gentle, flexible, fluid athlete. He seems to think he can teach me cool stuff, so far my wrist just hurts. He keeps saying "No! Slow! More slowly! Go slow!" I think that may have something to do with my wrist issue. The head hancho is HR comes back this week, and I am excited to meet him, because I have worked with him and spoken to him multiple times.
The managers are great out here. They love their employees. I think that is one of the things I love so much about the fact that my employees all live and work together. They are more of a family than a work team, which has both it's positives and negatives, but the positives are great! The dining hall is about a mile from the office, and the rooms are right next to the office, but on the opposite side. So basically, I have to walk a mile for any meal I want, unless the admins give me a ride. It's sweet, they see me as DC, someone they want to treat well, but I would almost prefer walking to the dining hall with the employees and chatting about the work environment and who they are on the way. I also am completely in love with the weather here. If I walk to the far end of the base, I can see the sea, and it's about 90-95 degrees every day. It seriously is like Vegas with a beach (and a whole lot less fanfare, money, ok so it's really almost nothing like Vegas). But the weather is great.
There is a bar here that many of my employees go to, called 11 Degrees North. They do Karaoke there on Friday nights but apparently the music is very outdated. I was given my beer card in case I wanted to go. You need a beer card even just to get in, and you are limited to three beers a night on the beer card and only one beer card a week. Clearly I am just saving up for Tues and Wednesday night and I'm gonna go crazy drinking three whole beers each night. You can say it, I know what you are thinking: PAR-TAY ANNIMAL!! Obviously I'm kidding, but I was going to go until work caught up with me. So I guess you can say that I'm not living the crazy life here in Djibouti yet, but give me a break, it was only my first day! I still had almost a week.
Djibouti is hot and dry. I have had my hair straight most of the time here, and it has stayed that way. I met the HR team here on the ground, and am quite in love with them. There is one American woman who is a true traveler of the heart. That part of me really gets her and understand her, while the rooted part of me wonders how she does what she does. She is fun and friendly, and hooked me up with Starbucks instant cinnamon dolce coffee, so clearly we get along great. Then there is Amy and Patricia. They are both my age, both from different areas of Africa, and so sweet, and very smart! I love talking to them, and you can see how much they love their jobs. There is my new Indian friend who is a yogi master (I think that's what he said, I keep thinking yogi berry, mhmmm... frozen yogurt!) and is going to teach me some yoga before I leave. I tried to reassure him it has already been done unsucessfully, and that I have accepted the fact that I am a contact sports-explosive athlete, rather than a soft, gentle, flexible, fluid athlete. He seems to think he can teach me cool stuff, so far my wrist just hurts. He keeps saying "No! Slow! More slowly! Go slow!" I think that may have something to do with my wrist issue. The head hancho is HR comes back this week, and I am excited to meet him, because I have worked with him and spoken to him multiple times.
The managers are great out here. They love their employees. I think that is one of the things I love so much about the fact that my employees all live and work together. They are more of a family than a work team, which has both it's positives and negatives, but the positives are great! The dining hall is about a mile from the office, and the rooms are right next to the office, but on the opposite side. So basically, I have to walk a mile for any meal I want, unless the admins give me a ride. It's sweet, they see me as DC, someone they want to treat well, but I would almost prefer walking to the dining hall with the employees and chatting about the work environment and who they are on the way. I also am completely in love with the weather here. If I walk to the far end of the base, I can see the sea, and it's about 90-95 degrees every day. It seriously is like Vegas with a beach (and a whole lot less fanfare, money, ok so it's really almost nothing like Vegas). But the weather is great.
There is a bar here that many of my employees go to, called 11 Degrees North. They do Karaoke there on Friday nights but apparently the music is very outdated. I was given my beer card in case I wanted to go. You need a beer card even just to get in, and you are limited to three beers a night on the beer card and only one beer card a week. Clearly I am just saving up for Tues and Wednesday night and I'm gonna go crazy drinking three whole beers each night. You can say it, I know what you are thinking: PAR-TAY ANNIMAL!! Obviously I'm kidding, but I was going to go until work caught up with me. So I guess you can say that I'm not living the crazy life here in Djibouti yet, but give me a break, it was only my first day! I still had almost a week.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Dubai > Ja Booty
Sorry for the lack of posting. Even throwing me out in the middle of the dessert can't keep my social life from interfereing with blogging. I still have not taken many pictures, and I am going to start bringing my camera around. I feel kinda weird being the random person on base taking pictures. The team is telling me we will go out into the city of Djibouti at least once, and probably to the French Beach or Lake Assul which will lead to some good pictures for sure. More on that later.
Day 2 of my trip:
I woke up early so that I could use the gym and get to the airport with plenty of time left. The hotel was attached to an underground shopping mall with a grocery store in it. I threw on my gym clothes (read: conservative and not sloppy. No shorts, no sweatpants, just yoga pants and a t-shirt. Apparently I was a bit underdressed in my t-shirt). I got to the gym, and even the gym looked nice and extravant. I will admit, this was a nice hotel, but seriously - gold decor on a treadmill? Marble gym-section-separators? Dubai people even work out with class!
After the gym, I headed to the grocery store in the mall to grab some snacks for the flight/next week. Again, everything looked extravagant. It was beautiful with intricate designs and more gold and marble. (Seriously, everything is fancy in Duabi, if I find time during my layover home I will try to get out of the airport and take pictures). I tried to find some good sustaining snacks (read: protein or granola bars), but trying to find my way through the grocery store proved to be more difficult than I could manage, and all the American snacks were very expensive, and I was trying to be conservative with my spending (I only had so many Dirhams and still needed a cab back to the airport!). So I ended up passing on the snacks. I recieved breakfast at the hotel and ended up eating in the Exec Lounge where my friend Chris from the night before invited me to eat with him and Jim. We flew in on the same flight, and they were heading to Kabul for some government work. They were nice guys, and they told me stories about some of their world travels. They had great stories about some areas they have been to, some of which I can't even post about on here, and probably shouldn't share with too many people.
After breakfast, I checked out and got a cab to the airport. Since I still had some extra time before I needed to be there, I had the cab driver take me the long way to the airport. His name was Jeffrey and he was from Afghanistan. (I think it's funny that people feel the need to Americanize their names when talking to Americans, but I'll admit it is easier than saying or spelling Alman-Amit, which is probably wrong anyway). Again, he is a nice guy, working and living in Dubai and sending all his money home to his family with an 8 month old son and a four year old daughter. We did not get to go out to the island or up to Burj Khalifa, but did get to drive into the downtown area, down the main road in Dubai (which I now forget). The buildings were very tall, and then we got into skyscraper zone. It was unbelievable how tall these buildings were, and I didn't even get very close to the tallest one on Earth! Unfortunately my time was cut short and I had to get to the airport, so I didn't get to explore Dubai the way I truly intended. I can say though, for the beauty that the city had, (and the lack of litter), you could also not see more than a few blocks away from you because of all the smog. I have never seen anything like it, but was amazed by how pollution there was.
The dubai airport was nothing like it was when I left it (I arrived a different terminal than I was departing from). The airport was clean, but my terminal airport was a hot mess of activity. People were in lines with huge (yet super cheap) TVs, and luggage that was literally a bag tied or taped up with rope and their junk in it. There were lines all over the place, and instead of asking an attendent for help, I got in one line that seemed to be moving. I waited for a half hour and then got up to the counter to be told I was in the wrong line. Of course I was. It wasn't like there was a sign up or anything. Urgh. So I went to get in the line she pointed me to. I waited another 45 minutes before getting up to the gate. When I did, I was pointed to yet another line. Instead of 20+ people, the line I was supposed to be in had about 2. Wonderful over an hour of wasted time. Needless to say I got checked in, checked my baggage, and headed through customs. I made it through the second checkpoint, and waited in line in the second checkpoint. It took me about 2 hours, which left me just enough time to power up the iPhone and respond to 1 email before boarding. Let's talk about a close call!
The flight was not much to brag about. Instead of boarding a flight, we boarded separate busses (think DC Metro interior without the chairs), and took a bus out to our plane. It was fun to walk on the tarmac to board the plane, I had never done that before! (How archeaic, or so I thought...) On the flight, there was a baby screaming the entire time (three WHOLE hours). The saving grace was that I had a whole row to myself and a Toblerone bar, so I won't complain anymore about it. Plus the baby started sounding like the ambulances in Scranton - after a short enough time, you don't even hear them anymore.
Landing in Djibouti was an experience all it's own. When we landed we exited the plane (again on a tarmac) and walked into a building that could have been no bigger than a high school gym. The doors were open, there was people crammed into this entry port, and I was asked to fill out my form to enter. And then I showed them my passport and was stamped. Clearly their national security is concerned about people entering.... And then I got my luggage on the only conveyor belt there was. Meanwhile, the sticky heat was hitting, and flies were starting to land on my arms. I could feel myself getting more and more ready to get out of the crowded airport. I stepped outside, and found about 10 very kind gentlemen trying to get my bag and take me to a cab. I had no idea what my pick up person looked like, but after refusing 10 kind cab drivers and walking in and out of the airport three times, a woman finally came up to me and introduced herself to me. We immediately headed toward the camp, seeing very little of Djibouti in between. I learned that most of Djibouti just became a dumpground for HOARDS of trash, and that traffic rules do not exist in Djibouti. It's pretty much ride wherever you want to that your wheels will stay on your car.
I got set up in my room and met my team, and pretty much that was my evening. I don't have many stories yet, and I still have yet to take any pictures, but also I am now working a lot. That being said, I do have things to update you on, including my tour, the bar, Somalian check points, my trip into Douba, and the wilderness animal refuge I went to! Those stories are coming, but now I need to get some sleep. I promise to liven up this blog a bit for you! I will update on Day 3 (and maybe Day 4 tomorrow - so far they are getting more and more exciting). Want to know what I get to do Day 5 (tomorrow - Sunday 11/6?) I will be heading into Djibouti Proper to really see life in Djibouti. Whoop whoop!
Day 2 of my trip:
I woke up early so that I could use the gym and get to the airport with plenty of time left. The hotel was attached to an underground shopping mall with a grocery store in it. I threw on my gym clothes (read: conservative and not sloppy. No shorts, no sweatpants, just yoga pants and a t-shirt. Apparently I was a bit underdressed in my t-shirt). I got to the gym, and even the gym looked nice and extravant. I will admit, this was a nice hotel, but seriously - gold decor on a treadmill? Marble gym-section-separators? Dubai people even work out with class!
After the gym, I headed to the grocery store in the mall to grab some snacks for the flight/next week. Again, everything looked extravagant. It was beautiful with intricate designs and more gold and marble. (Seriously, everything is fancy in Duabi, if I find time during my layover home I will try to get out of the airport and take pictures). I tried to find some good sustaining snacks (read: protein or granola bars), but trying to find my way through the grocery store proved to be more difficult than I could manage, and all the American snacks were very expensive, and I was trying to be conservative with my spending (I only had so many Dirhams and still needed a cab back to the airport!). So I ended up passing on the snacks. I recieved breakfast at the hotel and ended up eating in the Exec Lounge where my friend Chris from the night before invited me to eat with him and Jim. We flew in on the same flight, and they were heading to Kabul for some government work. They were nice guys, and they told me stories about some of their world travels. They had great stories about some areas they have been to, some of which I can't even post about on here, and probably shouldn't share with too many people.
After breakfast, I checked out and got a cab to the airport. Since I still had some extra time before I needed to be there, I had the cab driver take me the long way to the airport. His name was Jeffrey and he was from Afghanistan. (I think it's funny that people feel the need to Americanize their names when talking to Americans, but I'll admit it is easier than saying or spelling Alman-Amit, which is probably wrong anyway). Again, he is a nice guy, working and living in Dubai and sending all his money home to his family with an 8 month old son and a four year old daughter. We did not get to go out to the island or up to Burj Khalifa, but did get to drive into the downtown area, down the main road in Dubai (which I now forget). The buildings were very tall, and then we got into skyscraper zone. It was unbelievable how tall these buildings were, and I didn't even get very close to the tallest one on Earth! Unfortunately my time was cut short and I had to get to the airport, so I didn't get to explore Dubai the way I truly intended. I can say though, for the beauty that the city had, (and the lack of litter), you could also not see more than a few blocks away from you because of all the smog. I have never seen anything like it, but was amazed by how pollution there was.
The dubai airport was nothing like it was when I left it (I arrived a different terminal than I was departing from). The airport was clean, but my terminal airport was a hot mess of activity. People were in lines with huge (yet super cheap) TVs, and luggage that was literally a bag tied or taped up with rope and their junk in it. There were lines all over the place, and instead of asking an attendent for help, I got in one line that seemed to be moving. I waited for a half hour and then got up to the counter to be told I was in the wrong line. Of course I was. It wasn't like there was a sign up or anything. Urgh. So I went to get in the line she pointed me to. I waited another 45 minutes before getting up to the gate. When I did, I was pointed to yet another line. Instead of 20+ people, the line I was supposed to be in had about 2. Wonderful over an hour of wasted time. Needless to say I got checked in, checked my baggage, and headed through customs. I made it through the second checkpoint, and waited in line in the second checkpoint. It took me about 2 hours, which left me just enough time to power up the iPhone and respond to 1 email before boarding. Let's talk about a close call!
The flight was not much to brag about. Instead of boarding a flight, we boarded separate busses (think DC Metro interior without the chairs), and took a bus out to our plane. It was fun to walk on the tarmac to board the plane, I had never done that before! (How archeaic, or so I thought...) On the flight, there was a baby screaming the entire time (three WHOLE hours). The saving grace was that I had a whole row to myself and a Toblerone bar, so I won't complain anymore about it. Plus the baby started sounding like the ambulances in Scranton - after a short enough time, you don't even hear them anymore.
Landing in Djibouti was an experience all it's own. When we landed we exited the plane (again on a tarmac) and walked into a building that could have been no bigger than a high school gym. The doors were open, there was people crammed into this entry port, and I was asked to fill out my form to enter. And then I showed them my passport and was stamped. Clearly their national security is concerned about people entering.... And then I got my luggage on the only conveyor belt there was. Meanwhile, the sticky heat was hitting, and flies were starting to land on my arms. I could feel myself getting more and more ready to get out of the crowded airport. I stepped outside, and found about 10 very kind gentlemen trying to get my bag and take me to a cab. I had no idea what my pick up person looked like, but after refusing 10 kind cab drivers and walking in and out of the airport three times, a woman finally came up to me and introduced herself to me. We immediately headed toward the camp, seeing very little of Djibouti in between. I learned that most of Djibouti just became a dumpground for HOARDS of trash, and that traffic rules do not exist in Djibouti. It's pretty much ride wherever you want to that your wheels will stay on your car.
I got set up in my room and met my team, and pretty much that was my evening. I don't have many stories yet, and I still have yet to take any pictures, but also I am now working a lot. That being said, I do have things to update you on, including my tour, the bar, Somalian check points, my trip into Douba, and the wilderness animal refuge I went to! Those stories are coming, but now I need to get some sleep. I promise to liven up this blog a bit for you! I will update on Day 3 (and maybe Day 4 tomorrow - so far they are getting more and more exciting). Want to know what I get to do Day 5 (tomorrow - Sunday 11/6?) I will be heading into Djibouti Proper to really see life in Djibouti. Whoop whoop!
Thursday, November 3, 2011
dew-bye
Dubai - UAE. Quite simply the most brilliantly gold place I have ever seen in my life.
I wish I had taken pictures. I wish I hadn't been so tired. I wish I had a longer layover.
That is the bad thing about traveling by yourself to a new place. There is so much unknown, and the thing I was most afraid of was missing my flight, followed pretty closely by the fear that my time clock would be so messed up that I would be at best tired and at worst ineffective for the week I am here with my team.
So Tuesday night Kev dropped me off at Dulles for my 13 hour overnight flight. I landed in Dubai at 7:30pm on Wednesday and followed the masses to exit, waited forever for a customs agent to review my passport and allow me through. I got through, and got to the baggage claim, and waited. One thing I was warned about was to not let some man carry my luggage because they will ask you for money and then not leave you alone. So when I reached out for my black bag (everyone these days travels with identical baggage) and a man next to me also grabbed for it, I said, 'no, it's ok, I got it.' He looked at me like I was crazy (I don't think he understood English, or at least my murmur of English) and continued to grab the bag. It was then that I tugged it away from him, saying "It's ok, I have it." Of course I immediately realized it wasn't my bag, released it immediately, and headed to the front of the conveyor belt hoping that I didn't just cause an international incident.
I exited the airport and I got hit by a warm gust of air. It was wonderful. There were people all over the exit door. I was struck by how many people were piled - almost on top of each other - yet every other area of the drivethru looked almost empty. I got my taxi and we headed for the hotel. Driving through Dubai was like a whole different experience. They had the driving skills of New Yorkers (read: crazy and fast seeming like you might die in a crash but no one ever hits anyone), the cleanliness of Sedona (everything was so clean, there was no trash on the sidewalk, gardens were manicured, signs were clean), and the light, palm streets, and flatness of Las Vegas. Everything was written in arabic and english, and there were car dealerships on every block.
My cab driver was from India, and had two boys. One 14 one 9, and was working here in Dubai so he could send money home. We passed stores with the store title written in brillant green colors, in gold, in purple. Everything was designed to be colorful and extravagant. I got to my hotel, and inside was marble and granite, and gold. I also got upgraded to a suite for free because the hotel was overbooked. After I got my warm towel and complimentary sparking orange juice, I went up to my hotel room, which was HUGE. The bathrooms had marble and glass, and I had an entire living room larger than my living room at home, and then my bedroom on the other side of my bay doors. My windows looked out into the center of the hotel, and when I looked down there was a courtyard and marble patio, and a bungalow, cafe, and piano bar.
I went downstairs to get some dinner, and ended up at the bungalow (Asian buffet). I met Chris there who works for the govermnet and was heading to Kabul for some work, and knew some of my employees out there. Pretty cool!
Then I went to explore. One thing I didn't get used to in Dubai was everyone smoking in public. Also, men and women rarely were hanging out together which I thought was odd. Most groups I saw were either men or women. I came to grow pretty fond of the burkas I saw women wearing and I will post a little more about that tomorrow. But I did get to go outside where more men who worked at the hotel saw me and started talking to me, and telling me about their families back home. It's funny because as a single woman, if I walked outside a hotel and a bunch of men started talking to me, I would be irritated and probably assume they are hitting on me. Men in Dubai (and this obviously does not speak for all) seemed to give off a more genuine attitude. They simply love others, and I think women especially they want to be protective of, but in a caring and gentle way.
Those were my first impressions of Dubai, I have much more (exciting) stories to share about the second day, but it is already 11:30 pm here and I need to get some sleep.
I wish I had taken pictures. I wish I hadn't been so tired. I wish I had a longer layover.
That is the bad thing about traveling by yourself to a new place. There is so much unknown, and the thing I was most afraid of was missing my flight, followed pretty closely by the fear that my time clock would be so messed up that I would be at best tired and at worst ineffective for the week I am here with my team.
So Tuesday night Kev dropped me off at Dulles for my 13 hour overnight flight. I landed in Dubai at 7:30pm on Wednesday and followed the masses to exit, waited forever for a customs agent to review my passport and allow me through. I got through, and got to the baggage claim, and waited. One thing I was warned about was to not let some man carry my luggage because they will ask you for money and then not leave you alone. So when I reached out for my black bag (everyone these days travels with identical baggage) and a man next to me also grabbed for it, I said, 'no, it's ok, I got it.' He looked at me like I was crazy (I don't think he understood English, or at least my murmur of English) and continued to grab the bag. It was then that I tugged it away from him, saying "It's ok, I have it." Of course I immediately realized it wasn't my bag, released it immediately, and headed to the front of the conveyor belt hoping that I didn't just cause an international incident.
I exited the airport and I got hit by a warm gust of air. It was wonderful. There were people all over the exit door. I was struck by how many people were piled - almost on top of each other - yet every other area of the drivethru looked almost empty. I got my taxi and we headed for the hotel. Driving through Dubai was like a whole different experience. They had the driving skills of New Yorkers (read: crazy and fast seeming like you might die in a crash but no one ever hits anyone), the cleanliness of Sedona (everything was so clean, there was no trash on the sidewalk, gardens were manicured, signs were clean), and the light, palm streets, and flatness of Las Vegas. Everything was written in arabic and english, and there were car dealerships on every block.
My cab driver was from India, and had two boys. One 14 one 9, and was working here in Dubai so he could send money home. We passed stores with the store title written in brillant green colors, in gold, in purple. Everything was designed to be colorful and extravagant. I got to my hotel, and inside was marble and granite, and gold. I also got upgraded to a suite for free because the hotel was overbooked. After I got my warm towel and complimentary sparking orange juice, I went up to my hotel room, which was HUGE. The bathrooms had marble and glass, and I had an entire living room larger than my living room at home, and then my bedroom on the other side of my bay doors. My windows looked out into the center of the hotel, and when I looked down there was a courtyard and marble patio, and a bungalow, cafe, and piano bar.
I went downstairs to get some dinner, and ended up at the bungalow (Asian buffet). I met Chris there who works for the govermnet and was heading to Kabul for some work, and knew some of my employees out there. Pretty cool!
Then I went to explore. One thing I didn't get used to in Dubai was everyone smoking in public. Also, men and women rarely were hanging out together which I thought was odd. Most groups I saw were either men or women. I came to grow pretty fond of the burkas I saw women wearing and I will post a little more about that tomorrow. But I did get to go outside where more men who worked at the hotel saw me and started talking to me, and telling me about their families back home. It's funny because as a single woman, if I walked outside a hotel and a bunch of men started talking to me, I would be irritated and probably assume they are hitting on me. Men in Dubai (and this obviously does not speak for all) seemed to give off a more genuine attitude. They simply love others, and I think women especially they want to be protective of, but in a caring and gentle way.
Those were my first impressions of Dubai, I have much more (exciting) stories to share about the second day, but it is already 11:30 pm here and I need to get some sleep.
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