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

Trip To Oman

Thursday, December 22, 2011 Sandy Boyce and I ventured across the border to Oman.  There we visited a souk,  saw a rebuilt fort, and saw the ruins of a small village.  What a day!

This guy sold me my red pears.  He was SO nice!

Me in one of the souk stalls.  Neat stuff!

 We started in the souk.  The sellers are known to be very aggressive, so we were prepared to say no.  While there I found some delicious red pears.  We also found some traditional tea/coffee cups with camels on them so we bought a set to split - for 18 dhs or about $6 for 12 cups.

Front of the rebuilt fort - not sure what it's called!

Another view of the fort.

 When we first got the the souk a car full of Omani ladies pulled up and beeped at us.  They rolled down their windows and started yelling for Sanday and I to come to their car.  They wanted to touch us, shake our hands and talk English to us.  We were the only blonde western women in town that day, so I guess we were sort of celebrities.


We were interested in the traditional crafts and items in some of the stalls.  We saw frankincense and incense burners.  We saw baskets, mats, rugs and oil lamps.  It was fun to look, and the sellers were very respectful when we said no thank you.











We next stopped by this fort.  It is very interesting, and more of my pictures are posted on Facebook.

Me in the fort

I don't love to have my picture taken, but here I am in the fort.  The tan is due to the past week at the pool.  I use 60 spf sunscreen, but still manage to get some color.

Old Village ruins

Another part of the village

Now we moved on to some ruins.  We stumbled upon them totally by accident and Sandy's good driving skills.  We drove by and I said, "Hey, that looks cool and old, let's stop".  There was nobody there, but the old mud buildings were so interesting.  The details in the construction were amazing.  We did realize how much there was and we hiked around in the sand for about 45 minutes looking, taking pictures and being amazed at seeing something really authentic!

Speaking of Authentic, we ate at a little roadside cafe and survived.  Chicken, rice, salad and some kind of unknown soup.

Dunes are so beautiful!

View from the top of the dune.

  

It Has Been Way Too Long Since My Last Post.

Red and green pears from Oman

So many things have happened, and I have so much to tell you, but I'm going to start with the present and work backwards.  
It is Christmas Eve Eve and my cookies are baked.  Carols were sung today in church at the Service of Lessons and Carols.  Decorations are hung, and all is well in Al Ain.  

The coffee shop in the Rotana Hotel was made into a Gingerbread house!

I love Christmas, but without family it's just not the same!

My "Charlie Brown" tree!

The Tree at the Rotana - where I go to the pool!  Bigger and better than mine!

Gifts under my tree are waiting for Jacob and PJ!  

My computer was speaking Arabic and Kelly fixed it!

Praise the Lord!  I hit a button by accident and could no longer access my blog!  Kelly and I fooled around with it after school today and we/she fixed it!  Now I have a backlog to work on.