Skiing in the Desert

It's now possible to ski in the UAE desert so I'm sure one day pigs will be able to fly!

I went to Dubai on a whim yesterday and had the whole day to myself at the Emirates Mall. So, what does one do at a mall with a man made mountain??? One skis! It was quite the experience. Ski Dubai is a man made mountain and it surprisingly looks like a mountain (with a roof). It has man made snow, a real ski lift, a chalet in the middle of the mountain where you can buy hot coco, and a sledding track. Ski Dubai is quite the engineering feat.

(I'm not sure why the above paragraph is orange but I am too lazy to fix it, sorry)

When you arrive you buy a 2 hour lift ticket for less then $60, and it includes, ski pants/jacket and all the ski equipment one needs (except gloves-my hands got really cold). Then you go and pick up your clothes and equipment...and then you go inside the mountain. At first it is very confusing...wait, I was just outside in the 90 degree desert and now I'm inside a room with a ski life and its 25 degrees-it's quite the shock to the system let me tell ya! To be honest the skiing was ok, it was a small mountain (obviously) and if you are a decent skier you get really bored really fast. It's fantastic for beginners-being a controlled climate and first aid is one minute away (did you hear that sister!!). I got my fix and I will be good until I get to Europe this winter (hoping I get my passport back in time-fingers crossed!).

Week 1 Down Low

It has been officially one week since I arrived in Abu Dhabi. I am just gonna give a brief update as too what I have done, where I have been, and what is about to happen. And to be honest, I have had plenty of time to update my blog but just have been lazy...so I am not seeing that as a good sign for my updating regularly...but I will do my best and if you all bug me enough I will probably update more often :-)

Orientation

The new LT's (licensed teacher-remember that cause I will be using that acronym a lot) arrived in AD last Saturday and Sunday. We had orientation Wednesday/Thursday. Wednesday we set up bank accounts (fun, fun) and had our medical exam. I was poked, prodded and xray(d) just to get my residency. Haven't heard anything so I'm guessing no news is good news...On Thursday we were forced to sit through a day of ADEC (Abu Dhabi Education Council-also remember=they are my boss) orientation, which was sort of like PD's back in SF. At the very end we received our placements.........I will be teaching K in Al Ain at an all girls K-12 school. I am one of a very few LT's who received what they truly wanted so I am feeling very blessed and excited. I don't know exactly when I will be making the trek across the desert due to the Muslim holiday Eid which goes from Sunday to Tuesday - but I am keeping my fingers crossed that I will hear something on Wednesday-Inshallah.

Info on my new city-Al Ain:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Ain

Al Ain is about an 1.5 hr drive from Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Photo Gallery-a few photos of what I have been up too around AD

Poor goats are probably not going to survive the night-Eid Holiday is not a good time of year for goats

Carpet Souk (Souk=traditional market place)

Sheikh Zayad Grand Mosque

Inside the Mosque-Worlds larges chandelier-made in Germany

Worlds largest carpet-made in Iran

Entrance to the Mosque

3rd largest Mosque in the world!

1000 columns beautifully decorated with marble from around the world

A mini mosque (compared to Grand Mosque) right next to my hotel-photo taken from the roof

Corniche-Abu Dhabi Beach

The most stunning colors of blue I have ever seen

My New Mantra: Inshallah

Inshallah in Arabic is what I will be repeating to myself for the next 2 years....I have a feeling. Translated it means "If it is God's will". It is an Arabic phrase repeated over and over again here in the UAE-my new home. As most of you know I have uprooted my life from fantastic foggy San Francisco to the hot/humid desert of Abu Dhabi and with that a whole new way of life.

I have been repeating Inshallah since August 15th when I signed a 2 year contract to teach Kindergarten in the Adu Dhabi public schools. Apparently (like in many places) AD is very much a hurry, hurry ..... and wait kinda place. Inshallah for my plane ticket (freaking 2 month long wait), inshallah for my visa at the airport (freakin 2 hour wait) , inshallah for orientation (which we still have no idea when it begins)...

So, I finally arrived in Abu Dhabi last night after a 30 hour traveling day which I will skip the details of (other then being rushed through security at SFO like in the movies-felt very VIP)-and so far so great!! I have met some amazing teachers from around the world (ok, well mostly US, Canada, and England). I have been set up in an amazing hotel apartment where I have my

own kitchen, family room bathroom and bedroom-with a KING sized bed. All to myself!! Today my first day in AD I spent it at the mall-yes, at the mall...but I got my own AD crappy phone, got essentials including food (I will be attempting to cook since my funds are almost non-existent at the moment-tonight grilled cheese sandwich-so good!) AND I got to shop at Diaso oh happy day!!! And now bed...we shall see why tomorrow brings-perhaps the beach!!

First AD Photos:

Fog in Abu Dhabi? Nah--camera defrosting

My Kitchen

Living Room

King Bed - no more air mattress for me

(please excuse the mess-still unpacking)

View from my apartment

My very own (temporary) AD phone