It has been whirl wind of events and the time has flown by very quickly. The school has kept everyone busy and has also provided several opportunities to take part in more of the "cultural" aspects of Abu Dhabi.
The organization of the school and most of the culture is much different than China. I think Jen and I spent over two hours in the supermarket and most of the words that came out of our mouths were "Wow! They have this here!" or "Do you know how long it took us to find this in China!" So, needless to say, things are much more available to find here. We even visited a teacher store with actual materials today J However, there are still some similarities, such as the amount of cars, the hole-in-the-wall stores, and the logic of some things. I'm coming to find there isn't much logic left anywhere in the world J
School things have been pretty uneventful with meetings and trainings, so I'll focus on the fun happenings.
Lebanese Flower
Our first outing was a dinner at the Lebanese Flower Restaurant. It was delicious and a bountiful feast with vegetables, pita, olives, hummus, dates, fresh fruit juice, and BBQ meat (that wasn't still looking at you
J)!
Abu Dhabi Desert
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| Letting air out of the tires so we make it through the dunes |
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| "Please don't spit!!" |
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| The start of dune bashing...the part of it that is an easy ride |
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| Allison, Beth, and Kathryn |
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| A little friend |
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| Camel riding |
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| Sand Surfing |
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| The oasis in the middle of nowhere |
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| Henna- plant made |
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| After the black flecks off |
Sheikh Zayed Mosque
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| Semi-precious stones inlaid in the marble |
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| Made of white marble and 24K gold sheets |
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| Muslims believe heaven will be a garden, thus when entering the Mosque a garden is depicted. |
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Non-Muslims are not allowed to touch the Koran unless it has been translated. |
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| 3 Million Swarovski crystals |
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| Largest single carpet in the world |
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| Room with the largest carpet (it is for prayer). The carpet is shaved to make "Muslim Management Lines (as per our guide)". These lines tell them where to stand so they are in straight lines. |
Random Fun
Our apartment needed and need several things fixed. Such as our lock (we were locked out for two nights in a row for two hours), our sinks, toilets, and tubs. However, learning to be somewhat handy, I have successfully fixed a leak, a toilet, and caulked a sink. So here are some pictures from the more "inventive" expeditions we have incurred.
