The Rumors Are True... I Do Own a Camera

I am not very good at posting pictures. The internet here is a bit slow and it takes, I swear, a little less than a kajillion hours to post an image. But I had some time tonight (I'm in between books) and thought I'd post a few pictures. Maybe I can make it a goal to post just a few each night to get caught up.

First things first. Do you remember that story I posted about my neighbor who took his falcon for walks? He also takes the bird for rides in his car. It just so happened that he and I (plus the falcon) entered the building at the same time, and I just so happened to remember my camera. I asked if I could take a picture, and he agreed. He removed the hood from his bird and I tried to get a good shot. To be honest, the picture would have been better had the hood been kept on, because the bird of prey wouldn't keep her head still.

Pretty awesome, nonetheless.

You know how on many cheesy personals ads, people usually state that they like long walks on the beach? Well I took a long walk on the beach on Valentine's Day. Pretty cheesy, eh. Maybe it's a good thing I was by myself. The tide was low, and I was fortunate to come across a teeny little tide pool filled with shells, mollusks, and a few small crabs. It is pretty extraordinary to come across any type of sea life in Dubai due to the ecological mess caused by the Palm Island.

This is my favorite shot from my walk. I actually saw a couple of live starfish slightly imbedded in the sand. I tossed them both back into the Gulf and thought that perhaps I made a difference to it's life. hahaha.

This tiny crab didn't really like it that I picked him up. But he was so small, and it reminded me of the little crabs we would dig up at Kayak Point (in Washington).

There were indeed living creatures inside the shells.

No, I am not taking pictures of shirtless guys for kicks. My camera doesn't zoom as much as I would wish, but if you look closely you will note that he is sitting on a wooden horse-type thing. It turns out that he is a polo player, and a couple times a week he comes down here and takes practice shots on the beach.

On one of my days off, my friend Joey from Swaziland took me to lunch at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel. Her husband works for the Jumeirah hotel group, and thus she gets in to such cool places. We ate at an Italian place, and I had a pretty tasty pizza.

The hotel is shaped like a wave.

and had funky camels walking about. Or standing about, rather.

The restaurant had a view of some of the little boats parked in the marina. I am jesting about the small part. I believe the big one is owned by some wealthy Russian fellow.

We also had a great view of the famous 7-star hotel, the Burj Al Arab. It is supposed to look like a sail, but from some angles it looks like a giant cockroach.

So there you have it. Proof that I live here, and proof that I own a camera. Alert the press.

What I'll Miss Installment #10

Now that I've vented a few of my work-related frustrations, I need to balance that with a "What I'll Miss" segment. This will be brief, as I have a kajillion cupcakes to ice and if I am at the computer too long I will be tempted to look at Web sites that will tell me who won which Oscar.

While watching the red carpet, did you notice how smooth and hairless the actress' arms are? I bet they pay a pretty penny to get themselves all waxed for the big day. Waxing in the U.S. is a little too expensive. New York wasn't bad, but in a place like Spokane, where I imagine that very few of the population wax, the waxing fees will be quite steep: $70 for legs, $50 for arms...

Waxing in the Middle East is cheap. It is considered unsanitary to be so hairy, so there are places to wax off unnecessary hair pretty much all over the place. Sure, the fancy salons may a be a bit pricey, but the regular ones are quite reasonable.

For example, last Wednesday I went and got my arms, legs, and..um...other places waxed for a mere 180 dirhams. That's $49.00. I don't think I could wax myself at home for so little. And trust me, there are some places that shouldn't be waxed at home. (And I am very glad I figured that out before I tried it at home.)

May I vent?

At the end of the workday tomorrow, I will only have three weeks left in my job. HOOOOO-RAAAAY!!!! However, these will be the longest three weeks of my life. I hate this stupid bakery.

All I want is consistent days off--once a week would be nice! All I want is to be able to go with friends when they plan a day-trip to go to Musendam, Oman to go boating, watch wild dolphins, and swim in the Indian ocean. All I want is to know with certaintly that I can't go a few days in advance and not the night before. All I want is to be able to stay out late with the few friends I have instead of having to be concerned about getting in bed on time considering I have to wake up at 5:30 every morning.

I just wanted to watch the Oscars live this morning (4:00am). Which I was supposed to have off, but here I am at work (6:30am). The channels are showing a rebroadcast tonight at 9:00pm (I go to bed at 10:00pm and if I don't I feel nauseated all the next day), and my friends are having an Oscar party to celebrate. I can stay up late and watch it only if I can get tomorrow off--or even just a few hours in the morning. Note the important word "if." That means I will be told that I can take time off but will most likely get a call at 7:30pm informing me that I still have to come in.

Do I sound a little whiny? So, what.

Future Lunch Lady

So the Dubai Municipality came by and told us that instead of really cute scarves and bandanas, we now have to contain our hair with hairnets.

Yep.

Why don't they confiscate my tweezers and tattoo "spinster" on my forehead too while they're at it.

What I'll Miss Installment #9

Two in one day! This will be quick because it has to be said. I will miss Masafi waters and juices.
Let me start with the waters. Sure their basic water is pretty tasty, not Volvic tasty, but good. What I prefer are the waters lightly flavored with a touch of jasmine, strawberry, peach, lemon, or lemon/mint. Especially the lemon mint. Sometimes I buy it for my Friday treat.



They also make some tasty juices. I never thought I would like Honedew Melon juice, but I do. Boy do I. I am also a fan of the pomegranate, raspberry, and acai juice too.

This is why I am not a fan of the no-more-than-4-fluid-ounces-in-a-carry-on rule. I could attempt to pack some in my suitcase, but wouldn't that just be tempting the travel gods? And we all know that they like to have their fun with me.

What I'll Miss Installment #8

Seriously, I will miss some more things about Dubai, and I have pictures to prove it! However, I only feel motivated to write while I am at work laboring hard to not have to do any work. (All the photos are at home.) While I am at home, I only feel motivated to read. (Still working on What the Dog Saw, but have added Rudyard Kipling's Kim to the mix along with three Elizabeth Gaskell novels.) When did I become such a bookworm? No worries, I like the development.

Part of this newly discovered literary feast comes from the fact that I am tired of television. The other, and larger part, rests solely on the shoulders of a book group I joined with some ladies from church. I like this book group and I am going to miss it.

Instead of being assigned a book to read, we all bring a couple of books, say why we like them, and then we choose what we are individually going to read from the other offerings. This is a pretty perfect plan. You get to choose the book you want to read instead having to submit to the will of someone who likely has differing tastes...and well, you know where this leads: illiteracy. Since the group is a collection of interests and personalities, I get to read things that I probably wouldn't have chosen and/or found, like Girls of Riyadh or the aforementioned Michael Gladwell book. (However I am getting a little tired of books about the Middle East.)
I want to look cool to the other ladies, so I try to choose semi-smart novels and bring books by obscure authors.. (Like when I lived in New York, and chose intelligent-looking novels to read on the subway. I never said I wasn't shallow.)

The last thing that I am going to miss about book group is, of course, the participants. I wish this group existed when I first arrived because I have met a lot of fun people through it. It has given me at least one more thing per month to look forward to. And it has opened the door for me to get invited to other social gatherings like baby and bridal showers.

I may just have to start my own once I get to Spokane. Want to join?

What I'll Miss Installment #7

I am a week behind in being grateful. It's not that I have found nothing to be grateful about; I just haven't had time to write about what I'll miss. That is the trouble of joining a book club. We exchange books so everyone is reading different things, and it is a lot of fun. This time I was bold and took two books by Michael Gladwell (Outliers and What The Dog Saw) and I am trying to finish. (Plus there have been other trips to Global Village, dinner with friends, and that one holiday that I no longer love.)

But in the past week or so, I have realized that I am really going to miss Chicken Tikka Inn--probably the best Indian food I have ever put in my mouth. The Chef and I have been ordering it for lunch quite often these past couple of weeks. For 26 AED, about $8, we can get one meal that is big enough to split. Our current favorite is the Handi Chicken Achari: chicken cooked in yogurt & their special pickle spices served in a clay pot. (Yes, that's the menu description, and when you order take out you don't get the clay pot.) It's spicy, rich, and melt-in-your-mouth delish. To accompany it we also get an order of the Tandoori Naan. Because seriously, what's an Indian meal without Naan?

Now I am hungry for lunch, and it's only 9:00 in the morning....

Pass me the tissues

I don't know what makes me more homesick: missing my family or missing the Olympics. I find the fact that this year the games are so close to home and I am way over here a little heartbreaking.

I love the Olympics.

Please, please French channel: show me a couple of events!

I am reminded of when I missed the Salt Lake Olympics. Finally they were being held in a place nearby and easily accessible for the likes of me, but I was in Italy.

Being in Italy is a pretty good reason to miss the Olympics.

What I'll Miss #6

I am having a hard time being grateful today--probably because I had to go to work. It was so crappy of a day that the opportunity to make all the music choices failed to lift my spirits. (Though I imagine my mood would be a kajillion times worse if I had to listen to that "Have a Baby By Me" trash and all of its cousins that attempts to call itself music. I digress.) I left work so tired that I didn't even want to work out. (But I did, I have jeans to look good in, you know.)

I have a gym membership at Fitness First--a gym that costs an awful lot of money for not very much equipment, classes, and uplifting lighting. I tried to quit in November, but then realized that I needed an outlet to see more people than just those that I work with. So I continue to go, even though the weather has been too nice to workout in a bland, dimly-lit gym.

However, once or twice a week (when I end up staying at work late) I work out at the beach. Sweet, huh? The beach near the bakery has a cushiony running trail that is about 1400 meters long. That's about .8 miles. It's not a very long trail, obviously, but walking/running that length 2-3 times makes for a worthy cupcake-burning workout. (Actually, I'm trying not to eat cupcakes at work. I've been doing pretty good. And no, I haven't taken any home.)

Plus, the view couldn't be better. I am not referring to Australian surfers, although that would be nice. The Gulf only gets good waves when it's windy. Most of the beachcombers are Middle Eastern or Filipino. I love watching the waves (no matter the size) come crashing into the sand. In the distance I can see the Burj al Arab, the World islands, various ships, and on a clear day I can see the Atlantis Hotel.

Usually I am there in time for a pretty nice sunset. Now, I know that you are thinking that Dubai is on the wrong side of the Gulf to have the sun set into the water, but because of all the money in the region they bought out the sun and told it to set over the Gulf and not the desert. Haha, not really, but it almost seems likely. The shape of the country and the situation of Dubai somehow manages a water sunset. And it is quite lovely, naturally.

One of these days I may actually put on that bathing suit that I have only worn once and go swimming or something resembling that. Until then, it will be my escape from crappy days at work.

Deliberations

Due to the uplifting encouragements of my good friend Toria, I have officially purchased my first pair of skinny jeans. Thanks to the excellent prices of the Dubai Shopping Festival, I was able to get a pair of tight pants for around $40.00, otherwise I would not have given into the peer pressure. Didn't I tell you Dubai was the place to do some shopping?

I would post a picture, but I am still deciding whether or not this new purchase will enhance or destroy my already fragile self-esteem. So far I feel positive, but that may change one that PMS-time rolls around.

So why did I get them? Well, it's time to update my wardrobe. When I was in London, I realized that I have been quite frumpy as of late. (If you can imagine it, in the presence of Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York I wore oversized khakis, a baggy charcoal sweater, and a grey t-shirt. In the words of Tim Gunn: "Egads!") I can probably give several reasons for my bland wardrobe, but sufficeth to say it's time to feel better about myself and fashion is a good way to start. So is laying off the treats at work and going to the gym five days a week.

Retail therapy was a blast. I bought more than just the jeans, and could've happily purchased more. However I didn't buy that totally awesome blue/green Mulberry bag that was on sale for a mere 4000 dirhams. (That's about $1000--the equivalent of my rent.) I just drooled and started accepting applications for my future rich husband. Spread the word.

"Will look good in skinny jeans for Mulberry bag."

What I'll Miss #5

Alternatively titled: Yet another blog post with a video clip.

I've already posted my frustration about the music I am forced to listen to at the bakery, however there is at least one day a week when I win the music war: Mondays...aka the other icer's day off. Even though this day usually means more work for me, I am actually closer to being happy to be at work than on any other day of the week because I get to listen to my iPod, my podcasts, and the radio station I like.

Radio stations can be rather frustrating. Usually we listen to the Virgin radio station, which I am not making this up, plays the same songs every hour including the all-request segment. Seriously, some record company is shelling out the big bucks to get these songs played at least 24 times a day. And it goes without saying that all the songs are crap. (Grain of salt warning: you all should no by know that I may be a tad picky about my music choices.) Lady Gaga and Beyonce may be growing on me but it doesn't mean that I want to hear their music All. Day. Long.

When I get to choose, I turn the dial to Dubai 92 which is a pretty enjoyable radio station. My praise sounds rather underwhelming, but perhaps it will be better when they stop playing all those horrible songs Rob Thomas keeps singing. Even though I may not like all of the songs they play, they at least play variety. And interspersed with the mediocre tunes they will play songs that I really, really like....for the most part. There is a serious Camera Obscura, Ryan Adams, Andrew Bird, and Travis deficiency in the programming (to name a few artists. I could send them my iPod for assistance).

So why will I miss them? They have very entertaining presenters. The morning show hosts Catboy and his wife Geordiebird are very funny and personable. I think they would be fun to hang out with. I am actually a little embarrassed to admit this, but for a while I was mildly convinced that we were already friends. They had commissioned the bakery to do a cake for Geordiebird's 30th birthday, and a few weeks later we sent a cake for Junk Food Day. So emails were exchanged and I kind of felt like I had finally made some friends. (Pathetic alert!!) I have other friends now, so I have stopped daydreaming about the time we are properly introduced at Dubai Mall or some sort of event. Yes, there is a giant "L" on my forehead.

Even though I have bemoaned a lack of some of my favorite bands in the music line-up, I give them total props for including musicians and songs that I probably would have never discovered on my own--the A-ha song I blogged about for example. I know I am not going to hear this gem in the states:

For the record, if Dubai 92 wanted to play this song every hour I wouldn't complain.

P.S. I am now in the market for some good red lipstick.

What I'll Miss #4

What girl out there doesn't like to shop? What girl out there doesn't like an excellent deal on beautiful items? I think I am one of those girls. I must admit, sometimes lately, I haven't enjoyed shopping too much. Mostly because my "shopping" consists of looking longingly at things that I can neither afford or fit (curse those cupcakes!!). So I have been avoiding this predominately feminine past time because it kind of depresses me. However, when I was invited to do some shopping at Global Village with some ladies at church I didn't think twice about joining them.

I will miss Global Village. Probably a lot.

Global Village is almost like a fair or carnival complete with rides and gigantic lollipops, but it also has pavilions with vendors from all over the world: Philippines, Pakistan, Yemen, Indonesia, China, Malaysia, Canada, India, etc. Hence the name Global Village.

Most ladies, myself included, were only focused on one particular country: China. None of us were in the market for cheap electronics. Rather, we all wanted to get real pearls at ridiculously low prices. I came looking for blue-grey pearls to match a pair of earrings that my grandma gave me after my twentieth birthday. The first vendor we visited unfortunately didn't have any the color I needed. I was a bit upset because our gathering organizer had a pretty good relationship with this particular vendor and was able to negotiate even better deals. Luckily for me, someone from our party had another favorite pearl vendor and we headed over there. As luck would have it, he had a nice strand of pearls that we were able to negotiate down to 300 dirhams ($82.00). Now, these are not Mikimoto-perfect pearls, but they are real and they are really pretty.

The next and sadly last stop for me and a couple of others was the India Pavilion. I could have unloaded a lot of cash in this area with all the lovely pashminas and other textiles.

One of my friends, an interior designer, found some beautiful Kashmir rugs and a rocking-elephant for her apartment. While she was busy paying, I fell in love with another Kashmir rug that I just couldn't walk away from.

This rug is a little different than what you are probably imaging about rugs from this region of the world. My mom has a woven (wool and cotton) Turkish rug that is very typical, and incredibly lovely. This rug that I found, however, is embroidered in wool instead of woven. I am not sure if this picture shows off the stitching:

Anywhoo...you can find rugs like this at Anthropologie, but will have to pay handsomely. I once again paid 300 dirhams for this. Such a good deal, I may just have to go back and get some more. I almost like this style a little better than they traditional flying-carpet woven rugs. I certainly like the price. The vendor with the most beautiful silk rugs was selling his for $3000.00. Wow. (His clientele included luxury hotels and former U.S. Presidents.)

I was a little bummed that I only saw a brief smidgeon of Global Village, but fortunately my friends tend to make multiple trips so I should be able to go back a few times before the whole place shuts down on February 27th.

Please contact me with all shopping lists, and payment methods. Because I know you all want a good deal.

What I'll Miss Installment #3

Lately I have been trying to reduce my television viewing time to incorporate more reading time. Additionally, I realized that besides Oprah and the few fortuitous moments I come across a Criminal Minds episode that they haven't aired already (I swear they only show that one episode where Reed gets held hostage and addicted to heroine) there really isn't much worth watching. But I still found myself watching the dumb stuff anyway. Like The Doctors.

Unfortunately I couldn't watch the two things I really wanted to watch: late night movies and Turkish telenovelas. The best shows always come on around midnight. For some reason Arabs tend to stay up really late, and so programmers have learned that they will probably have more viewers for Legally Blond at 1:00am as opposed to a decent time like 7:30. I have to be in bed by 10:30 otherwise I cannot function the next day. Sometimes I have a heard time staying up that late.

The Turkish Telenovelas come on around 10:00pm after Oprah, and I really want to watch one. I don't avoid them because of time; they actually aren't in English. They aren't in Turkish either. Rather they are dubbed in Arabic, but have no English subtitles. (English-language programs are subtitled in Arabic.) So I don't get to watch the shows--I can only be mesmerized by their commercials.

So that is what I will miss about the Middle East--the advertisements for the Turkish Telenovelas. Every commercial break during Oprah has an ad for one of the two shows that currently plays. (Like any good telenovela, the show is only about 1 season long and a new one comes on about every two months.)

So you may be wondering how it is that an Arabic-dubbed program can capture my attention by only a mere commercial. Television ads don't influence me as much as Madison Avenue would like them too. (Case in point: no feminine hygiene commercial will ever convince me that I want to twirl during That-Time-Of-The-Month. Why do all feminine hygiene commercials involve twirling? The only way that makes sense is if by "twirling' they actually mean "round-house kicking the people who annoy you.") Back to Turkish Telenovelas. For these programs I am 100% turned into the fabulous choice of music they use for the commercials. It was a "had me at hello" fascination when someone at the MBC television station chose an Aimee Man song ("Wise Up"). I didn't know too much about James Morrison prior to the commercials, and I can now confess to loving this song:

I have heard a few other songs whose performers I have yet to discover, but let me tell you I don't turn down the T.V. volume to read during commercial breaks, like I do during feminine hygiene adverts. I turn the volume up and enjoy the good music.

What I'll Miss Installment #2

Well I was hoping to post a bit more in between installments...maybe tonight.

Thursday night I headed to Dubai Mall to catch one of the latest flicks. The nice thing about blockbuster movies is that they come to Dubai around the same time as they are released stateside. That's a real blessing because who wants to wait an additional six months for New Moon? Haha. Unfortunately, movies that I really want to see like An Education, Bright Star and 500 Days of Summer take their sweet little time in arriving.

While deciding what to see at Dubai Mall, I came across the trailer for a film playing in the cinema's Picturehouse Theatre: Cold Souls. Have you heard of this movie? I hadn't. The Picturehouse is a mildly swanky viewing room (less so than, say, the Gold Class Cinemas or Platinum Class at the Dubai mall), which doesn't allow eating (they do, however, need to work on the "no cell phones" rule), and it only plays independent or limited release films.

I could have watched Avatar, Sherlock Holmes or Princess and the Frog, but instead I chose Cold Souls and I am very glad I did. In this film Paul Giamatti plays himself, and being weighed down by some darkness in his soul, he decides to have it removed and stored. When he realizes he wants it back, he has to go to Russia to retrieve it. I'm leaving out details because I really want you to see it. The film, costarring David Strathairn and Emily Watson, mixes comedy and drama with just a hint of absurdity; the result is quite lovely.

I will miss The Picturehouse. As much as I like a nice, mindless blockbuster, I appreciate films that are unique and at times slightly odd. I need a good unpredictable story, and sometimes those films are the ones that are released to a limited number of theatres. When I am home in Spokane I may not even hear about these films, let alone see them.

I will not miss the dumb teenagers who come in late (giggling), take phone calls (loudly), and then leave the film early (giggling).

What I'll Miss...

It's always a tricky thing to come up with one resolves to do for a full year, and let's be honest I don't think I have ever been successful with any of my resolutions. But each year, like most of you, I still have a burning need to resolve to do something to improve myself. Most of the time it is to eat less sugar. (I still have that one for 2010, but won't really take it too seriously until I no longer work in a bakery.)

The past months I noticed that I have a tendency to complain about things...mostly my job and where I live...or rather how my job inhibits my ability to enjoy where I live. It seems like we have been talking a lot about gratitude at church, and I realized that I could do with a more thankful attitude. So, here is one of my resolutions: once a week I have to write about something I am grateful for. Since I will also be leaving Dubai shortly, I am turning it into "What I Will Miss" so I can continue to share things about Dubai, and more particularly, the things that have lifted my spirits while I've been here.

So here it is. Installment numero uno:

I will miss the people at church. In later posts I will probably highlight specific people, but today I want to show my gratitude for the opportunity to mingle with such an international crowd. With both Dubai congregations combined, we really do represent the four corners of the earth. After a brief survey of the crowd for our Christmas activity, I noted that we had representation from every continent, excepting Antarctica of course. It is really something to behold.

Alongside the sheer joy of being with such an eclectic crowd (seriously, where else am I going to be able to meet people from Sri Lanka, Greece, and Columbia all in the same evening without attending an Olympic sporting event?), I think the real beauty is getting to see the world through their eyes. I think being surrounded by people with the same types of education, religious thoughts, hobbies, interests, and culture we forget that there may actually be people out there who are indeed different. That comment sounds a little blaise, (is that the word I want), but I am looking for words to express what I mean. I think we all know that we can learn from the differences in other people, maybe I am grateful for those small things that I do end up learning from people of different cultures.

In my branch we have sweet lady from Swaziland. Today she was teaching about love, service and charity and she shared experiences from her homeland. She talked about a friend that has adopted 17 children who have lost both of their parents to the AIDS epidemic that is sweeping that part of Africa. I am not really sure why it is that her stories touched my heart so deeply, but I was inspired to do better and to seek out opportunities to give more service. Maybe I can't provide gifts to thousands of orphans at Christmastime, but there is someone out there that I can provide a service to.

So that's what I'll miss: being surrounded by people of other cultures who inspire me to do better.

Wish I Had a Camera Moment #1,467,298

Alternately Titled: I Left My Eagle at Home

I don't bring my camera along as much as I should. Anyway it's kind of slow, and usually by the time it's up and running the photo op is long gone.

Tonight would have been just one of those experiences, and boy would I have liked to have had my camera at the ready:

I was standing outside my apartment building waiting for a friend from church, when one of the building's residents came walking towards the front doors carrying his pet. This maybe doesn't appear so out of the ordinary as us Westerners are used to walking dogs, and sometimes even cats on a rare occasion (that I mostly witnessed in France). This Arab guy was carrying his falcon. I do know that falconry was a popular sport in the region, I just never thought I'd see a guy take his bird for a nice evening stroll. (I don't know why he was carrying the bird around on his arm, but he walked like it was the most natural thing to do.)

Yes I stared. I had to get that mental picture because obviously I didn't have my camera.

How Good Do I Have to Be to Get...

...this totally adorable half-apron in Christmas print from Cath Kidston? How good do I have to be to get anything from her Web site? I swear, Santa, I've been a super good girl this year.

I'm Dreaming of a Wet Christmas

I am sure you will all recall being a child and eagerly anticipating that certain change of weather that the winter months bring. Most assuredly our eyes searched the heavens for at least one snowflake--any sign that meant that school could be closed the next day. Being in the desert the kids don't really get to experience the joy of falling snow. I imagine it's probably hard for the expat kids (who know about snow) to hear songs like "White Christmas" or "Let it Snow" without looking towards the heavens for a weather-related Christmas miracle, instead of the fake stuff at Ski Dubai.

And now that we are adults, even though we know what hassles the snow can bring, we can't help but feel a little giddy about the first snowfall of the year, especially when accompanied by the elated shouts of a kid greeting the flakes with a jubilant "It's snowing!!"

And I thought I would miss that feeling here.

This last week, the weather has finally turned chilly enough for me to reach for a sweatshirt for my walk to work. The clouds started to cover the sky, and the wind has picked up. We even had a sandstorm that caused the city to appear encased in fog. It is almost like a good winter.

Yesterday after church, while chatting with friends, the feet of a few boys thundered to the nearest window. Without even a word, one could sense that they were excited about something going on outside. Almost in unison they proclaimed, "It's raining!" and quickly headed for the exit to go play in the rain. My own heart leapt in excitement. Rain! It's finally raining!

Oh sure, you can't build rain-forts, have rainball fights, or make rain angels, but when you haven't seen a drop of precipitation since March the first rainfall somehow feels a lot like snow. And now, if you'll excuse me, I need to finish my work and get outside. There are some puddles to jump in!

Back to Dubai

I've spent a good amount of time not talking about Dubai, and now that I've finished my vacation I can start talking about where I am living currently. And since today in the 38th National Day, I thought I would celebrate by sharing some cultural aspects of this oh so patriotic holiday.

The 38th National Day fell one week after Eid, which in the Islamic world is a pretty important holiday. No, it's not Ramadan, but it does celebrate the pilgrimage to Mecca that is an important pillar in the Islamic faith. However, if you have been Dubai this past week, you would not have noticed any of the Eid celebrations, but you would see preparations for National Day. Excuse me, the 38th National Day.

One of the biggest traditions is car decorating. People will dress up their very expensive cars in stickers and streamers and then parade around town with all of their friends shooting off fireworks and spraying silly sting. Here's a video clip to show you what the cars look like:

Happy 38th National Day!

Part Four: Signs

The best part of my trip to London was spending time with Corina. She moved to London over a year ago to get her Master's Degree. When she finished, she had every intention of returning to the States to spend time with the people who represent a safe haven. However, she realized that she needed to stay in London. Now she is my biggest cheerleader to get me to stay in the UK permanently.

It should be no surprise to most people that know me well that I have a huge desire to live in England. It could be because I've spent too many hours watching BBC miniseries, but the truth is I've been daydreaming about this since I was little. Maybe it was Charles & Diana's wedding. Maybe it was a copy of the Friend magazine that was entirely devoted to that small country. All I know is that I want to be there. So my good friend spent my last and final day of vacation pointing out that I was meant to be in England.

#1 Who doesn't like tweed? Who doesn't like a totally British older couple dressed head to toe in tweed? How is this a sign? Not sure, except for the totally British scene.

#2 Free Museums. My original plan was to go check out the jewels at the Tower of London, which incidentally does cost money. Since I needed to be in South Kensington anyway I went to look at the jewels at the Victoria & Albert Museum. Unlike the many museums in New York that let you bypass the extraordinarily high ticket fees with a conscience-soothing "donation," the V&A is actually free. I could drop a few pence in the donation bucket if I so felt the urge, but it wasn't required for entry. (Also, this wasn't the special Target "free day" either.) We only had time for two of the exhibits, but that's what great about free museums, you can go again and again until you have had your fill.

#3The awesomest celebrity sighting EVER. Oh sure, I can use up all my digits counting the famous and notable folk I've seen in New York, but in England there is one class of celebrity that is a little hard to come by in the U.S.: royalty. After the V&A Corina and I serendipitously came upon a blink-and-you'll-miss-it Scandinavian restaurant. After we had seated ourselves and chosen our lunch items, I looked over to my right and saw Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York no farther than five feet away. (Yes, she got to keep the title.) I know!! Luckily with all my NYC celebrity sightings I was totally able to keep my cool. No, I didn't talk to her, that would be silly. But I saw her!!!

#4 There is that pretty yummy cupcake bakery I previously mentioned. You know, in case I ever need additional income. They also have pretty awesome packaging.

#5 While walking around the Temple area, from what I gather it is where a lot of legal stuff goes down, we saw some legal stuff going down. Or rather, we saw people in the full legal attire officially marching off to court in a very "Pomp & Circumstance" formality. American legal proceedings, except for the ones on TV, are usually not very interesting as this was. Especially where legal attire is concerned.

#6 My blood is here. Maybe part of the reason I want to be here is because of my ancestry. Check this out:

My friend Sarah actually found this place shortly after she moved to London. This Inn is not a form of hotel p.s.andbytheway. According to the short bit of research I've done, it is just building used for legal purposes...since about the 1400's. And it's pretty cool that it is still standing, and in use.

#7 Cadbury bars. Those Double Deckers are tasty.

All of the above and another quick walk long the Thames and I was sold. Sure I need to be an adult and everything, but I can so do that in England. And that heavy heart that I had when walking into the Dubai airport the following morning told me that at least rather be there than here.