Going Global ... part 4 (last one!)

Welcome to part 4 of 4, about my excursion to Global Village in March 2013.

In addition to the facades of pavilions, people watching, and entertainment, I enjoyed the sights of different displays of merchandise. The colors and textures were varied and interesting.

In the India pavilion, elaborate slipper-type shoes ...

Ceramics (Turkey or Morocco) ...

"Bling" is HUGE here.  Jewelry stores -- I swear I've never seen more shiny and sparkley diamond jewelry than here in the UAE.  And it's easy to find shoes and handbags and costume jewelry bedecked with crystals.  (The one box standing upright with a slot in it is for kleenex.  You can find all types of boxes to cover up tissue boxes, including this blinged-out one.)

In Spain's pavilion, fruit juice. (Fruit juices here are another common item on restaurant menus, and they are usually delicious. Juices, and smoothies.)

Blankets, rugs and shawls (Turkey) ...

A clever invention, privacy box for ATMs ...

Every pavilion (every one), including Austria, had at least one stand with abayas for sale.  Most abayas you see on women and in stores are all black, or black with some trim or pattern on cuffs and edges.  Some of have intricate cut outs or piping.  These abayas were particularly colorful ... abayas with this much other fabric on them are not common on UAE nationals, and are more common to some other Gulf region countries.

Being passionate about their country and their leaders, popular items for sale in the UAE are UAE flags, and items with previous and current rulers' images on them. What's also common are images in offices and on buildings of Shaikh Zayed (founding father / first president of UAE), Shaikh Khalifa (current ruler), and Crown Prince Mohammed.

Hope you have enjoyed this little global tour :-)

Going Global ... part 3

So, some more about Global Village.

As I shared in my last post, I have another video.  This was a group of Emirati musicians, playing what I believe is traditional music. 

Other pavilions, including ... Hong Kong ...

China ...

Austria (sole European, as far as I saw) ...

Malaysia ...

Singapore had some fun wall art ...

Africa's was one of the largest, and like the Jordanian pavilion, had some great sculptures and carved effects ...

A couple of places had people devoted to selling coffee.  This gentleman was at the Turkey pavilion ...

And this one, if memory serves (!) was in front of the Bahrain pavilion.  While I don't do coffee very often (I do take a cup once in awhile here, out of courtesy for hospitality), it was tempting to buy a cup, simply to interact with them.

Going Global ... part 2

I've shared some photos and a video from the Tunisia pavilion at Global Village ... now a bit more from that trip.

The Global Village opens up at 4 p.m., and goes into the evening. In addition to the shopping and eating your way around the world aspect, there is an area with many rides.  Think County or State Fair.  I imagine a different atmosphere when the rides are going, with the neon lights and people squealing with a mix of delight and fear and adrenaline.  Due to an accident earlier in January, the rides were stopped and didn't go back online again. When walking near the empty, quiet ride area, "peaceful" isn't quite the right word. Maybe "lonesome" might be. Not quite sure ... open to suggestions on that.

I did like the imagery of this photo below ... the rides are still, and the sun is setting, and it's the last day of the Global Village for 2012-2013.  (Well, at the time I was there it was the published last day; I found out that they extended it by one week ... just want to keep the facts straight!)

All of the pavilions have some decor to their facade, to represent at particular country.  Jordan's was easily the most detailed, with 3D characterizations:

Of course, thought of Tim when I saw this. Sculpting out of styrofoam, hardcoating and painting it -- he's done the same for may an event and set design over the years. 

Then there are more simple ones, comparatively. This, from a distance, I thought was Greece due to the colors and the design. Up closer, you see it is Afghanistan.  (Every pavilion also flies that country's flag. By walking around you get a few lessons ... things that are native to a country, items and foods that are from that country, craftsmanship -- like the Tunisian plate engraver, flags from around the world ...)

Greece was indeed represented, though.  While more simple than the ones above, gives you elements common to Greece (such as the style of lettering and the sculptures).

What I don't know (and I cannot find online anywhere) is how it was decided which countries would be represented. If countries are invited and they put up the facades. Or if someone picked countries and then the UAE had someone design the facades. No idea.  

There is also entertainment from around the world on different stages.  While I did not see a pavilion for Australia (could be I missed it?), there was a group of men from there doing dances. They explained the story behind each one (for example, one was about kangaroos, and the dance interpretation of kangaroo was really good), and then did the dance with what I would guess is Aboriginal singing.  I enjoyed seeing something new to me; I also enjoyed seeing a group of people so into doing dances from their country with such energy and full-on commitment. 

I have a video for a next post, of Emirati male musicians playing what I assume is traditional music.

Post Iran Earthquake -- we are okay!

Hi everyone.

Yup, the earthquake was felt here (7.8 magnitude in Iran, near the Pakistan border).
Yup, I am fine, as is my brother, sister in law and nephew.

Now, I have to admit, everyone seems to have felt the earthquake except me!

I was in someone else's office at that moment.  I was about to do mock interviews with students graduating from Fatima College of Health Sciences' nursing program (we of Al Rowdah are housed in Fatima College).  The only reason I can think of as to why I didn't notice the earthquake was I was moving a desk chair and small table, readying for the interviews.  A ball did fall off the window sill, and I thought it was odd because I hadn't touched it, but didn't think twice about it.   

And perhaps because I was near the center of the building and on the ground floor?

I knew something was different when I heard very loud male voices (usually you just hear the many voices of young female college students!), and a faint alarm in the background.  (Nothing as loud as the alarms in most of our Orange Coast College buildings back home!).  And then someone I know saw me and said "come, you must leave the building now".

Not until I was outside with folks did I found out about the earthquake.

At least it wasn't raining (it has done so recently, surprisingly), and it wasn't August and 130 degrees.  Only 97 degrees at 3 p.m. today.  Toasty roasty in the sun, as of course we needed to stay away from the shade of the building and parking space umbrellas.  Fatima College is a three-story building, with some outside structures that REALLY capture your attention when you've been evacuated due to an earthquake!

This was the first earthquake for many of the people I was standing with.  They wondered what security was checking inside, and I explained most likely any gas leaks (we have labs for the allied health programs, as well as a canteen -- aka cafeteria), and for anything that had fallen and could hurt someone.  Several of the female students joked about going in last, to see if we staff were okay going in first ... don't blame them.  And the facilities director stood guard in front of the elevator, so it wouldn't be used for awhile.

Note to self ... always take your purse with you when you wander through the building or have a meeting in another office, in case you cannot get back in at all, or need to stand outside in the sun (ie sunglasses!) ... never occurred to me we'd have any large earthquakes in the UAE.  Then you look at earthquake websites and see just how many are going on, around the world, every day. Yikes.

Oh -- we are rescheduling the students' mock interviews for tomorrow or Thursday.  Figured it would be hard for them to focus after that, especially if there were any after shocks.  (If there have been those, I haven't felt them either!)

Prayers for those in Iran and Pakistan who were hurt by this ... CNN is saying there are quite a few casualties.  And prayers for Boston ...

Going Global, part 1

For half of the year (October through March), there is an event here in the UAE called Global Village.

A permanent physical space, there are buildings and pavilions of countries. While not quite  to the Disney standard, its concept is similar to Epcot in that you shop and eat your way around the world, with facades on buildings that reflect a country's colors or style.

The majority of countries represented are Middle Eastern and Asian, with Austria thrown in the mix.

I'm going to share this visit to Global Village in a few separate blogs, because I took many photos ... 

The one I'll share first is Tunisia.  

Now, as you walk into each building/pavilion area, as I mentioned, it's all about shopping and eating! 

I was drawn to a particular stand, where this older gentleman was working on brass plates.   He spoke Arabic and French, and a couple of words of English.  I remember only a handful of words (can literally count them on one hand) of French. But we made do!  He takes a large nail and a small hammer, and creates the designs on the plates. And then for a nominal cost, you can have your name hand engraved on it.  I went for one with "Mueller" in Arabic.

He sets a plate on a piece of wood with four prongs to hold the plate in place.  He writes the word with a dry erase marker, etches, and then wipes off the marker color.

And of course I couldn't resist a little video of this gentleman at work:

Ceramic tiles for sale in this area:

And lovely presentations of colorful tea sets:

Abu Dhabi Then and Now

I needed a mellow weekend.  So aside from swimming some laps and attending Friday church service, it was comfort and movies and books.  Especially since it was supposed to be a warm one (originally supposed to be about 105). It did get toasty (at least 100).  And windy, which means LOTS of sand in the air.

And last night (Saturday, April 7th 2013) it rained, at some point very very heavy rain. That is normal in other parts of the world, but we have had a bit more rain than I understand is usual, and yesterday was at times a deluge.

In fact, about 8 p.m. I was settling in to watch a little Netflix, and I heard this rumbling. With the air conditioning going, I couldn't quite tell but thought it might be thunder. Just as I opened my curtains, there was this flash that lit up the entire sky. I wasn't expecting lightening, so I jumped back a good foot!  I decided to open the curtains all the way and enjoy the light show.  It wasn't streaks of lightening, but huge flashes that illuminated everything, as the light reflected off the low clouds.  A good two hours worth of lightening and thunder and rain, as the wind continued.

So, back to the title of this post.  Yesterday afternoon I hunkered down with a book off my brother and sister-in-law's shelves (they are avid readers like me, and have a great selection to choose from).  The book is "From Rags to Riches: A Story of Abu Dhabi" by Mohammed A.J. Al Fahim.  A paperback and 189 pages in length, it's a first-hand account by an Abu Dhabi businessman who grew up in Al Ain and Abu Dhabi.

As you try to figure out a new place, it's good to understand history, and context.  Here are some things to keep in mind about Abu Dhabi ...

" ... Abu Dhabi remained the most backward and primative of all the sheikhdoms.  In 1960, the inhabitants still lived from hand to mouth. Incomes were far below the poverty line; many people went hungry and some even resorted to hunting dhubs [lizard] to feed themselves and their families. There were no medical facilities to treat the sick and the first non-religious school, ill-equipped as it was, had opened only the previous year" (page 47).

I found some old photos online.  Here is one from 1954, off the www.uae-embassy.org website:

I have shared some of my photos which show the Corniche area now.  And you can certainly do a web search and come with plenty more. The contrast from less than 60 years ago and now is startling.  The growth occurred very quickly, all things considered.  To go from this, to a city where it's an architect's dream to design and build some of the most unique high-rises ... here's a photo from 1955 (also from www.uae-embassy.org):

From www.timeoutabudhabi.com, below is a photo of the "Old Fort" or "White Fort" in the city.  In addition to the stark contrast, if you see what is around the Old Fort now, it's an even more developed area just a couple of years later.  (The fort is also known as Al Hosn Palace, and was built as a residence for the ruling family, when they were in Abu Dhabi instead of their home city of Al Ain.)

A little longer excerpt from Al Fahim's 1995 book, where he shares the rapid changes to Abu Dhabi.  All part of Shaikh Zayed's vision.

Upon his return home from studies in London in 1967, Al Fahim remarks that "the town was changing at a dizzying pace."  Thanks to a tenacious search for oil.

"As we drove into Abu Dhabi town from the airstrip I was amazed at the transformation that had taken place during my absence. The sleepy village I had left was now a bustling construction site ... Commercial buildings, government buildings, housing, warehouses, shops -- all were going up simultaneously. It was like a scene from the creation of a film set -- a whole city was being erected from scratch ... Abu Dhabi was finally making its way into the modern day ... During the next five years the metamorphosis of Abu Dhabi occurred at lightning speed. In some sectors, the incredible pace has still not let up. We skipped decades of slow development and simply jumped from the eighteenth century into the twentieth with one giant leap."

In those older photos I've posted above, the huts were made out of palm tree wood and palm fronds (the huts are called barasti). Even now, as you drive outside of the city and through more rural areas, you will see an ample amount of palm fronds and wood being used, now in conjunction with concrete walls in some cases.

Understanding this rapid leap into the modern area helps put the current city and country into context.  Where family and relationships remain primary in all things.  Where marriages are still arranged with either the children of friends or introductions from trusted friends, yet extraordinary architecture and fast cars and beyond-numerous cell phones are part and parcel of daily life in the UAE. The contrast of conservative and traditional dress in public, and given the stores in the mall what is worn at home.  The tribal culture is not so far behind ... I often wonder why everything has high walls, and can only guess that it stems from years of needing to defending yourself and your family or tribe. 

Not so long ago, it took quite awhile (about a week) to get from Abu Dhabi to Dubai or Al Ain to Abu Dhabi by camel.  And once the first cars came (Land Rovers mostly), it took a couple of days even by car because there weren't roads, so the sand made even travel by car slow-going.  Now it's about 1.5 hours for either of these trips.

One last photo I found. This is Maqta Bridge, which is now surrounded by roads and is near some lovely hotels, and many days you'll see jet skis racing along the water.  The fort tower in the water has been rebuilt and is still there. It was used as a lookout. And to gauge if the tide was low enough for camels to cross. (source = www.thenational.ae)

High rise view of Abu Dhabi

Friday brunches are a big thing here for Expats.

Remember, weekends here are Fridays and Saturdays.
Friday mornings are the major day for worship here (Christian and Islam alike).
Things are quiet in the morning, with most businesses  closed; and then things liven up in the late afternoon.

A popular activity is Friday brunch.  Generally going 12 to 4 p.m., they are buffets with "grape juice" or "bubbly".  I had heard about these brunches, seen ads for them in the local weekly activities guide, and figured I'd experience at least one while I'm here. (Not the biggest fan of buffets ... but really, turns out it's more about the company and a leisurely afternoon.)  

On a Friday that Tim was here in February, we had brunch with Hannah and Amanda who work with me at Al Rowdah. Both from the UK, they are each a joy to work with. Amanda selected the Royal Meridien near the Corniche -- on the 26th floor is a revolving restaurant.  With that, you get the 360 degree view of Abu Dhabi while enjoying food and conversation.

Here are some photos ...

Older section of Abu Dhabi (older being a relative term, given that 40 some years ago it was completely different, and undeveloped).

Nestled among newer buildings. And in the background, is a new area being built up called Al Reem.

Another view.  The building with the golf ball looking thing on top is the Etisalat (phone company) building. Another building that is a landmark to navigate by.  And the buildings to the right (tall skinny) stand just above the Central Souk at 3rd and 4th streets.

As we come around, we see the Corniche area:

Looking out at the breakwater, with the Corniche in the foreground and the Arabian Gulf in the background:

The island on the left is called Lulu Island. It has some buildings on it, and a couple of docks. I had to look up what the island is, or is supposed to be. Here's one of the pieces of information I found:
http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/environment/lulu-island-closed-to-the-public-sort-of
Intended for some mix of recreation and residential, and that for now development has been suspended.

And a closeup of one of a dhow that is the above photo.  Dhows are the fishing boats. I need to find out when and where to see the dhows come in, as I've heard it's quite an impressive sight with their sails up.  This one is for dinner cruises (yup, should do that too!).

A close up of some structure on Lulu Island.  Have NO idea what this bunker-looking thing is:

The food was good, the company was great, and it was very fun to get some photos from a high-rise.

They always make me smile

Hi again!

March seems like a blur.  Between traveling to the States and being at a conference and then the joy of jet lag after coming back to the UAE ... and then work threw me a curve ball (which I will discuss a bit more, soon) ...

Well hopefully I can post much more in April than I did in March.

Of course, it's jumped up on the thermostat here (supposed to 105 degrees on Saturday!), so I will have to figure out what the heck to share once it becomes unbearable to be outside this summer.

Anyway.  Last weekend I decided to drive up to the Dubai area to visit Global Village.  (More on that soon, too.)

On the way up, saw this:

I have mentioned before the transport of camels.  Still wish I had my camera when driving back a small-size Toyota with a brown camel lying down and strapped down, looking content as can be.  And the Toyota lilting down on the right side, where the bulk of this creature's weight was bearing.

Here are a couple more photos as I got closer.  (Had to time it while there wasn't other traffic.)

Not a care in the world!

Side note: you see the caution tape on the back of the truck. Most trucks of this size, and many personal trucks (as in pick-up trucks) have this on them.  Don't see it on the really nice pick up trucks ... not sure if it's required or precautionary.  Maybe it's reflective at night and I haven't noticed. And of course I've noticed it, so maybe it does serve a good purpose.  Dunno.