It's Good for the Soul

Dubai, like many Middle Eastern cities, has a few things in common with Utah. Well, mainly one important thing--a church on every corner. Of course, these two areas don't really share a common religion, but if you are looking to worship Islam here in Dubai, you are never a stone's throw away from a mosque. But if you want to worship something resembling Christianity, then things get a little tricky.

Due to the large amount of foreign workers in the city, Dubai has allowed said workers to practice their religion, and has set aside neighborhood for them. This neighborhood, Jebel Ali, is not exactly centrally located. Fortunately for this automobilely challenged blogger, my church's leaders requested to rent a villa in one of the Jumeirah neighborhoods for our small congregations, and the request was approved.

Attending church here in Dubai, and even in a villa for that matter, is a lot like attending church in any other part of the world. We sing, pray, have potlucks, and there is a large quantity of children. There are a few differences however. First, my branch is a very multicultural branch with families from the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, the Philippines, etc.

And the second difference? Church is on Friday. For the Muslim world, Friday is their Sabbath Day. Businesses close and the weekend begins that day. In order for other religions to avoid conflicts with work and school, we just shift our worhip day to Friday as well. (Please note that due to the strong Catholic population in Lebanon, church was still on Sunday there.) Let me tell you having worship services on Friday really messes with one's head. I forget that it's Friday, and I wonder why people are emailing me from work on a weekend. I was Skyping with a friend on Sunday and thought it strange that she was headed to church that day. It's just a little bizarre, but I think you will have to try it to really understand how odd it is for a Westerner.

There are two LDS congregations in Dubai, one in nearby Sharjah, and also in Abu Dhabi. (These four congregations along with several others across the Arabian Peninsula make up the Manama, Bahrain Stake--a stake is kind of like a diocese.)

So far, I like my branch. Everyone is very friendly. I think they get rather excited to see a new face since not a lot of Mormons up and move to the Middle East. (Plus with the economic crisis many have had to leave Dubai.) Last Saturday I was invited to dinner at one member's house. They found pork and were having a barbecue. I joined three other families, brought some cupcakes, and had a really great time. I do miss my little branch in Beirut, but I am glad to have more people to associate with.

Don't Stop Believing

Some songs are just classics...even if they are sung wearing tight jeans and a girlie leopard print t-shirt.

Happy Thursday!

Last Tuesday I was granted a much appreciated day-off. I donned my favorite thrift store skirt, a light shirt and ventured forth into the "are you sure it's still not summer?" heat to discover new parts of Dubai. Like Beirut, my life and living situation are in such close proximities that I haven't had too many opportunities to see any sites of interest. The bakery is located in a more suburban part of the city that, although is very close to the beach, doesn't have anything interesting to note. (Well, except for fab British stores like Boots pharmacies and Topshop.)

For some reason, I like marketplaces: farmer's markets, grocery stores, flea markets, and here in the Middle East, I like souks. Dubai has quite a few souks. Some souks are just clusters of shops in a neighborhood, but there are also some whose wares are more item-specific like textiles, spices, perfume and gold. Those particular souks are located in an older part of town that has not yet (and hopefully never will be) been transformed into some new and exciting piece of architecture.

My first stop was the Bur Dubai souk which had, along with tons of typical souvenir shops, store after store of fabrics. I hear that there are tons of tailors in the city who make whatever desired item of clothing, so as I browsed the shop windows, I made a list of things I would like to have made. (Said items being loose, airy, and probably made out of cotton and/or linen for the fast approaching sweltering desert summer with coastal humidity.) Most of the textile shops had glittery synthetic fabrics, but I intend to search high and low for some nice cottons.

The Bur Dubai souk is separated from the other souks I intended to visit by the Dubai Creek. Fortunately for me, the Emirate's government has nice public transport across the creek for only a mere Dirham (approximately 36 cents).

This abra is one of the many boats who make several trips a day carrying people across the wide creek.

The creek is an important part of Dubai commerce and is pretty much the first port for Dubai. While there are now other major ports that welcome large cargo ships, the Creek is still active in welcoming dhows - traditional wooden boats - that carry produce from across the gulf and even from India.

Just across the street from the abra stop is the spice souk, which as you may have already predicted is full of strong, heady aromas of cinnamon, saffron and frankincense. Each little shop pretty much sells the same spices, teas and nuts. And I imagine the prices are pretty much the same wherever you go...depending on your ability to barter. Sometimes I am good at bartering, and sometimes I just don't care. I didn't care too much at the spice market. The prices were better than the grocery store. But I did talk the bag vendor down for the Mulberry knockoff I bought.

The most popular souk in Dubai is inarguably the gold souk. I hear the prices are very competitive, but since I am not in the market for any jewelry for the moment, I just looked at shop after shop of bangles, chains, rings, and really ornate necklaces. My goal is to eventually buy something at this souk--maybe a nice ornate bangle. Or one of these:

On the abra ride back to the other side of the creek, I was able to get a picture of an Arab in traditional dress. I think that is my favorite part of the UAE--seeing the locals in their native dress. Although Western traditions may see the black abayehs that the women wear to be rather oppressive, but I think they are beautiful, and nowadays they are designed to make the women look very regal. Of course there are odd aspects of women's costumes, like the metal face plate they wear. Not every local lady wears one, mostly just the ladies that live outside of the city, and probably the Bedouins since the tradition comes from them. (It is frowned upon to take pictures of local women with their permission. I will try some subterfuged photography later.)

It is wildly interesting that a country that still wears its traditional costumes is full of modern architecture and luxury, like the man-made islands, 7-star hotels, and the tallest building in the world.

The buildings surrounding the Bur Dubai building are really tall, but are dwarfed by that long, narrow edifice.

Here's a night view:

Since I haven't explored too much yet, I haven't had too many glimpses of Emirati luxury. I have seen the indoor ski slope and the outside of the Burj Al Arab (the 7-star hotel), but I really thought that this car exemplifies what one can do with enough oil funds: