Angerer Family (aka mom and dad) visit Al Ain

Last week mom and dad spent a week in Al Ain.  They wanted to experience our daily life, and I think they got their wish.  Pat took Dad to the grocery stores, and mom got a great visit at school with my girls.  I think the girls were as curious about mom as she was about them.  We also did some shopping at Al Ain Mall.  We had lunch at Applebee's  - hard to believe they opened one here in Al Ain just a week ago!
We took a day trip to Dubai and saw the Souk, Dubai Mall, and the Burj Khalifa.  They also took a day trip to Abu Dhabi to see the Grand Mosque with Shannon and Pat.  We ate at a few great restaurants and spent time doing simple things like laundry.  Amazing that it can dry in 30 minutes on the porch!   We had a great time . . . but it went by so quickly!!! 

The Musings of My Girls

Some days during English class I just want to have conversation with my girls to assess their speaking and listening skills.  Today the topic was "What is Haram?"  All year long my girls would tell me, "Don't do that Miss Mary, it is Haram".  So today I made a list.  Here, in their exact words, is a list of what is haram:
1. Showing your leg to a man you do not marry is haram.
2. Using food for math is haram. ( I think only when we do not eat it)
3. Wearing a necklace with a T is haram. (here they refer to my cross necklace)
4. Showing your hair to a boy is haram.
5. Eat pigs is haram.
6. Short hair like boy is haram.
7. You wear a short dress is short is haram.
8. If you call girl animal like dog or goat it is haram.
9. If you hit girl it is haram but not if the mom says yes.
10. Drink _________ (insert Arabic word for alcohol) is haram.
11. Steal is haram.
12. You make joke of Allah, Mohammed, or Islam is haram.
13. Tattoo is haram.
14. To kill a person is haram.
15. To kiss boy you are not married to is haram.
16. You draw picture of Mohammed is haram.
17. If you pray to the sun it is haram.
I could hardly help but laugh!  My girls really try hard to convert me.  Hate to tell them, but it will never happen!  I will add more as I hear them (which is often!).

Staycation day 6 - Dubai

Pat in Dubai Mall- See the water fountain behind him?

Amy, Jacob and I outside of the Hotel

Imagine waking up in a luxury apartment on the Palm in Dubai after sleeping in the most comfortable bed in the world, looking out the window and seeing the Arabian (Persian) Gulf and a beautiful pool with palm trees.  That was me on Saturday morning!  Amy is such a wonderful hostess and she kept us hopping all day.  First Pat and I took Jacob for a swim in the pool - he really wanted to swim for a while.  Then we loaded into the car and headed to Dubai Mall.  I let each person pick one thing to do over Spring break and Jacob wanted to go to Kidzania in the mall.  He is writing a blog post about his adventure, but I wanted to mention it here as well.  We simply dropped him off and then we were free to shop and do other things at the mall.  We saw so many fun things including the Dancing fountain, The Address and The Burj Khalifa. We saw so many stores, as Dubai Mall is the largest mall in the world (of course it is - it's in Dubai where everything is the biggest, tallest, most expensive or most innovative).  We picked up Jacob 4 hours later and he had had the time of his life!  On our way home we stopped by the Jumeirah Zabeel Saray hotel.  This hotel was in Mission Impossible 3 - the part where you thought you were in India.  Click here to view the hotel if you want to see grand luxury!  

Jacob

After a long day we went back to the hotel and played cards with Amy till 2 am!  She made the most wonderful lemonade drink from Southern Living Magazine.

Staycation day 5

Amy Anderson invited us to come to Dubai for a nice long weekend.  How could we refuse? Pat, Jacob and I  drove to Dubai which took only an hour and stopped by the Dubai Outlet Mall to shop for some good deals.  Apparently in Dubai paying $55 for a T-shirt is a good deal so we left empty handed.

Here in Africa I barter with the woman for something small I thought my sister would like.

Pat tries juice outside the Syrian area - he thought it was coffee

We drove a bit farther and met Amy at the Global Village.  This was my third visit and each time I go it is different.  We started at the African area and then moved to see China, Syria, Morocco and then saw India, Qatar, and the UAE.  Even after three times I know that it is a place I could go again and again.  Global village is open from November till March.  They have cultural experiences, foods and booths with items made in their country.  The cost of admission is only 10 AED or about 3 dollars!

Looking at quilts in one section of the Indian area.  

Staycation Days 2,3 and 4

Pat at the Corniche

Day 2(Sunday)  was a none too exciting day - but relaxing all the same.  We went to see The Hunger Games but the website misrepresented the times (big surprise!!!) so we ended up seeing John Carter - Jacob and his friend Annas loved it, but I thought it was a bit long and drawn out.  


Day 3(Monday) we ventured around Al Ain - mostly the downtown area to check out some of the small shops.  We were also invited to be "guests" at the trial opening for Fudrucker's Restaurant.  We were invited to try out the menu during the lunch hours and  it was free provided we give them feedback.  Everything was terrific and we had a great time!  

Grand Mosque

Jacob putting his shoes on after the tour

Day 4(Tuesday) we ventured into Abu Dhabi for a day trip.  We walked along the Cornish - the beach walkway- and the water was SO blue!  We then went to visit the Grand Mosque for what we thought was a 4:30 tour.  The website was not correct (again???) so we had to wait until after the 3rd call to prayer and then we had a tour at 5pm.  We learned so much from Ahmed, our tour guide!  Here is the site if you want to check it out:     http://www.szgmc.ae/
We also visited an authentic arabic restaurant and had a great meal.  

What????  Hummus AGAIN????

"Staycation" day 1- Saturday, March 24, 2012

So we decided on our two week spring break to stay in the UAE and venture out to explore what is in our own back yard.  So each day or two I hope to post what we did.  

This does not even look real, but it is!

These photos are in the Al Ain Oasis.  It is full of paths that wind and twist through the date palm trees in the oasis.  Everything was beautiful, and the shade provided by the trees was welcomed!  Loved hearing many different birds flying around.

Next we decided to head over to the Sheikh Zayed old Palace.  The palace depicted what life was like in Al Ain for Sheikh Zayed and his family.  While it is nice, it is not the luxury enjoyed by Emiratis today.  Plus there was no air conditioning then, and I'm sure it got very hot!


We spent about an hour wandering through the different rooms and looking at the grounds. 



Here are Jacob, PJ and Pat relaxing on the cushions in the guest room.  







Here are Jacob and I at the outdoor tent.  Most big functions have an outdoor tent with cushions.

Pat, Jacob and PJ posed with an Emirati guard.  He looked fierce at first, but once we talked with him he was very friendly and his English was quite good!  He even let Jacob hold his GUN!

My Visit to an Emirate's Home

Last week in school the librarian, Miss Mouza, asked me about my family in casual conversation in the lunch room.  I told her I had a son, Jacob who was nine, almost 10.  She got quite excited and asked me if I could bring him to her house to play with her son, Mohammed on Friday.  So, on Friday, March 2nd at 3 pm Al Ain time we ventured to a new experience.  We drove up to the home and right away I realized how nice it was.   Upon arrival we were ushered into a parlor area where we were served tea, cakes and macaroni.  Then Jacob and Mohammed went out to play on the dirt bikes, which left me alone with Mouza, who at school does not seem to speak English too well.  We started chatting about things, drinking more tea, talking about school and home life, etc.  We communicated very well.   She asked me questions about America and I asked her questions about her life.  She has 8 sisters and 6 brothers.  She has only 4 children herself.  Soon she asked me if I wanted a tour of her home.  YES!  So, we went into one of the 4 parlor areas, all fully furnished.  Each room had it's own unique style, and she informed me that the furniture was bought in Saudi Arabia - it is less expensive there. I hear some homes border (or even push past) tacky, but this home was exquisite.  Every detail was in place and it was so clean you could eat off the floor.  We went upstairs and she showed me the bedrooms and the two additional sitting rooms.  BEAUTIFUL!  She had ordered a wonderful 12 foot chandelier from China and had a full stained glass window going up the stairs.  AMAZING!  Mouza was the most gracious host and we had a spectacular time.  As we left she packed up tea and macaroni for us to take home.  She gave us a huge bag of tomatoes and even had Jacob dressed in a Kandora and head scarf.  Then she gave us some beautiful Arabic perfumes and asked us to please come back "every day we wish" because her home is our home.  She told me next time to bring PJ to go driving with her oldest son in the desert.  She also told me I was welcome to bring my camera - so look forward to some pictures!

My Boys Are Here and Pat Is Soon To Follow

So glad to have the boys arrive at Abu Dhabi Airport.

     Jacob and PJ joined me here in Al Ain on January 1st.  After a smooth flight on Saudi Airlines they arrived right on time.  I was so relieved to see them, but I knew they would make it!  We have seen all the malls, the zoo, and took a trip to the top of Jebel Hafeet.  We've also gone to the pool and gotten Jacob enrolled into Manor Hall Private School.  He seems to love it so far, and his Arabic is improving every day.  He has Arabic class every day.  He also takes French twice a week and has a robotics lab each week.  They access lots of information on their iPads - games to reinforce skills, textbook resources, and research.  He has not gotten his iPad yet, but should in the next week or so.

     PJ has been exploring the bus route and made it to the Bawadi Mall using the bus last week.  He's in search for a job, but we are not sure what is available for Americans.

Al Ain Zoon