It's been awhile...

Hello everyone!

I must apologize that I have not updated the blog in quite some time. My new wife is certainly keeping me busy!

Since arriving in early October, we have visited nearly every big mall in Dubai and have yet to choose a favorite, though we visit the one with Ikea the most. Ikea here is the same Ikea we all know, but unfortunately I've grown to dislike this mega-store. Kate and I simply visited it far too many times in the last month or so. We attempted to purchase a new mattress from Ikea (the university allocated mattress was too hard), but the in-store model was far different than the delivered model. Fortunately we managed to return it but received only an in-store credit. We used part of this credit to buy a TV stand which proved to be lacking of the correct pieces. As a result I've decided to take a break from Ikea for a while. In time I'll be able to step through its hallowed aisles once again without getting frustrated.

The good news is that we bought a new 42" LCD TV to put on that Ikea TV stand. (We finally got the correct pieces after going back to Ikea yet again) The TV is wonderful but the cable reception in this country is certainly lacking. I've heard that satellite reception is near-HD quality but the channel selection is weak. Thankfully I have my trusty PS3 to keep me happy.

Last weekend we visited a popular beach in Dubai. Contrary to popular belief, there were plenty of itsy-bitsy-bikinis and big men in speedos to go around. Frankly the average proportion of bare skin to clothing was on par with Miami Beach. We were able to rent two beach chairs and an umbrella for about $12, which is pretty cheap and totally worth it. There is an entrance fee of less than $2 per person to get to this beach, but it is meant to keep the unskilled workers from flocking to the beaches and taking photos of the scantily-clad tourists. I'm still surprised that $2 is a sufficient price to manage this, but I'm often reminded to keep the cost of labor here in perspective. For instance, the maids that work on campus here make enough money to afford a house and a maid of their own back home, even though this is less than $5 an hour.

More to come later.

Ben

New pictures

Hey everyone!

Here are some more pictures for you to enjoy. As you can see, the sky is getting blue, a sign of Fall's arrival. Everyone here can't wait for Fall. That's when we can actually walk outside without getting heat exhaustion. The first picture depicts Sheikh Zayed Road, the main thoroughfare in Dubai. Along the left of the street you can see the new Metro rail that opens tomorrow morning at 9:09 on 9/09/2009. Silly, I know. The tickets are incredibly cheap, so I'm sure I'll eventually ride one somewhere. However it's not necessarily convenient for we who are living in the suburbs. The Sheikhs of each Emirate tend to have disagreements amongst themselves, so the Metro currently only runs throughout Dubai, but not into Sharjah. So we'd have to drive to get to the nearest Metro station. During rush hour it may be feasible, but at any other time I'd rather just drive to the malls. In this picture you may also notice that the traffic is quite reasonable. This is true only on Fridays and Saturdays. From what I've heard, people generally avoid Dubai during the work week...for fear of death.

There are also a couple pictures of me with the two most famous Dubai landmarks: the Burj al-Arab and of course the world's tallest building, Burj Dubai. I may never get into the al-Arab since rooms cost in the thousands per night. But I've heard I could get in and have a cocktail at the bar on top of the hotel for a mere $200 or so. Not bad, right?

Well, it seems as though the University will have a one-bedroom apartment available in the coming days, so when I come back with Kate after our wedding, we'll have a small abode waiting for us...complete with a bidet. I'm curious enough to try it someday. I'll certainly let you know how it goes. :)

I hope all is well in the States!

Ben

Golf in the UAE

Hello again everyone.

I've recently discovered something that I'm not too happy about. Every golf course here seems to be some form of quasi-private club. Anyone can still play, but nonmembers must pay astronomical fees. We're talking $50 for nine holes. Then you include cart and beer and it's sheer madness...MADNESS!!!

An alternative is to get a club membership which would cost Kate and I over $3000 per year, depending on the course. So then I have to ask myself, "Am I really going to golf more than 50 times or so to make a membership worth it?" I'd like to say I would, but then again, I doubt it. I miss the land of milk and honey where I can find courses that only cost $15 for nine.

Transporting clubs is also expensive. British Airways, our trusty university chosen airline, charges well over $100 for an extra bag. So taking clubs back and forth to the States every summer seems excessive. But buying an extra set here is worse. Nice clubs are priced well into the thousands of dollars. Such is my dilemma.

I think I'll focus on tennis until we move back to the States. At least tennis courts are free...

Ben

Some photos

Hello again everybody.

I took some photos on Friday as we went on the hotel bus to a local Dubai mall. I didn't get many good pictures since we didn't really go far in to Dubai. But here's what I have nonetheless...

This is a picture of the center court of the mall we went to. It features a couple of animated camels and tall golden pillars. Fun times. This mall was actually quite plain compared to others in Dubai. I haven't gone to the Mall of the Emirates yet (the one with the ski slope). But when I do, you'll certainly hear about it.

Here is a picture of the beach outside of my hotel. Not bad, huh? The problem is that the water is riddled with little blue jelly fish and it's far too hot during the normal day hours to go walking on the beach. But the mornings and evenings here are very nice and make up for the hot days.

















This is a picture of a very large mosque in the middle of Sharjah.

















This is my neighbor. It is currently under renovation, but I guarantee you the horns on the steeple are sufficient to call people to prayer if they are within a mile of this thing.





























The last picture is of downtown Sharjah, which actually has its fair share of high-rises.


Lately I've found myself hoping for the first time that oil prices increase. Last year the university suspended any salary increases, so I'm hoping that if oil prices continue to rebound a bit, the Ruler of Sharjah will have the funds to give the faculty a healthy pay raise.

I've noticed on campus the students are quite affluent. They drive luxury cars and SUV's to campus, they all have the fancy and expensive smart phones (I have the base model Nokia), and the females carry designer handbags; designer meaning Gucci, Prada, you name it. It's evident that the students' parents are doing just fine, despite the downturn. However, the university did suffer a drop of enrollment this year; I think somewhere around 5%. But this is also after an increase in tuition of a whopping 15%!!! So it seems that demand for AUS education is inelastic... :)

It's definitely a different world over here, but it's not too different that I'll never get comfortable. The people here are incredibly nice, generous, helpful and understanding. I have yet to meet someone who does not have a friendly demeanor and I have yet to hear anything similar to gossip or bickering. Friendship and family mean so much here, and I both admire that and enjoy it.

Until next time...

Ben

Ramadan in the UAE and the Dubai Mall

Hello again everyone.

Yet again I'm experiencing something I never thought I would experience.

During Ramadan, which officially started on Saturday and ends in one month, no one is allowed to eat, drink, smoke or chew gum in public. Also no physical horseplay (if you know what I mean), but that goes without saying.

To do so is not only considered inconsiderate to the fasters, but also punishable by the law. This includes tourists and yes, me. In accords I can't drink water in public during the day, which means I can't quench my massive thirst during the three hours that I teach on Sunday, Tuesday or Thursday morning. Thankfully there are breaks when I can go grab a drink in a private room. But it is quite an experience to treat food and water like they're crack and weed. During the day you can hide them, but you can't let anyone see you consuming them.

I think the single biggest piece of Ramadan that bothers me is the lengthy call to prayer every night around 9 pm. Not only do they "call" everyone to prayer over a very loud speaker, but they also pray over the loud speaker. This lasts about 30 minutes. It's like having someone standing outside your window with a bull horn shouting words at you that you can't understand. That said, it seems the locals here enjoy it and treasure it. So I must endure.

On Friday evening I went to the Dubai Mall with several people from the university. I must admit it's quite a fascinating mall. Supposedly it's the biggest in the world, although I've heard somewhere that there's a mall in China that is bigger. We walked by a skating rink and, once again, the "world's largest" indoor aquarium. We also walked through a souk. These are located all over the place and are supposed to be modeled after the markets of old. The souk in the Dubai Mall is something that clueless men like me would get lost in, but mall veterans I'm sure could find their way around.

I look forward to posting some pictures on here. I think my cargo and camera will be arriving soon. Then hopefully I can rent a car and take some pictures.

Ben

First night at a bar

Hello again!

First I must apologize. I'm sure most of you are interested in seeing pictures of Dubai and its surroundings. Unfortunately the good camera is still at home with Kate while the other camera (mine) is held up in our cargo shipment somewhere in the UAE, hopefully to be delivered shortly. As soon as I have time, and the camera, I will post some poorly taken pictures. For the good ones you'll have to wait for Kate to arrive with the Nikon. My apologies!!!

Today starts Ramadan, a month long celebration of Muslims around the world to focus on their faith. During Ramadan, from sunrise to sunset, there is no smoking, chewing gum, eating or drinking (of any liquid) in public. This of course makes my life more difficult, but with plenty of warning westerners can adapt.

Last night, with Ramadan starting the next day, some of my colleagues and I headed to a pub down the road from our hotel.

Quick note: due to unforeseen municipality disruption, the roads leading to my faculty housing on the campus of AUS have not been paved. The university has put me, and others, up in temporary housing in a hotel on the beach in Ajman, an emirate neighboring Sharjah. Unlike Sharjah, Ajman is NOT a dry emirate, so there's a bar down the road.

Anyway, we arrived in an establishment with maybe twenty tables and room for about ten stools at the bar. I'm told there is seating outside as well, however this is not generally comfortable until October. I was surprised to discover they only had one beer to offer: Heinekin. Not a bad choice, I guess. But coming from a city known for its beer, this was hard to swallow (not the beer itself, but the lack of options). For one bottle it cost 16 dirhams, which translates to less than $4.50. Not bad considering the extensive regulations and fees on importation, sale and consumption of alcohol.

The service was incredibly slow. Service everywhere in this country is generally slow, but when the server was slow with my beer, it was quite painful. In about 90 minutes I could only manage to order 2 bottles.

The atmosphere was...interesting. I have never seen a video of a "Scorpions" concert, but last night I experienced my first. It seemed as though every bar stool was uneven and I could detect no fewer than 3 distinct smokes in the air. Despite the service and environment though, the beer was cold, the french fries were good, and the price was right.

But from now on I think I'll stick to Dubai bars, though I haven't been to one yet. I'm expecting higher prices, but a better experience.

Until next time,

Ben

My first taste of a UAE hospital

I must admit, upon arriving I had my doubts. It certainly did not look similar to the hospitals generally seen in the States. It resembled a large one-floor apartment complex. The inside featured a different layout, as patients would be shuffled to distinct rooms, depending on what specific problem they had. I had arrived to get a blood test done in order to get my university ID card. (Why they need my blood type, I do not know) I had already gotten a chest x-ray, which was another requirement for employment, so I was happy I did not have to get one here.

Fortunately, I arrived with representation from the university, so I did not have to wait in line with the locals. It was odd then, when they called my name and told me to go to room 6, where x-rays are done. I was surprised and protested, telling them I didn't need one, but they pushed me in the room regardless. Believe me, that was the fastest chest x-ray I have ever, and will ever, experience. I was then told to go to room 16 where blood was being drawn. There was a line of about 30 people to get their blood drawn, and while we were waiting, we were told we didn't need to get chest x-rays, since the university already had that information. Go figure...

It took one nurse about 20 minutes to take blood from all 30 people. She was the epitome of efficiency, and it didn't even hurt.

After this admittedly trivial visit to a hospital here, I saw good things and bad. The basic services themselves were incredibly fast and quite comfortable. But, for some of my peers, there was information breakdown between the hospital and the university, so there were some worried faculty as they waited for their visas to get approved. I guess I learned that the basic services of doctors, nurses and the like can be streamlined and made more efficient in the US. But the information exchange is critical and must be error-free.

I hope whatever system Congress cooks up is for the better, but after this visit to a universal healthcare hospital, I have my doubts.

Ben