Just over 150

With just over 150 days before my next decade passes, I am contemplating how I want to mark this point in my history. Many people create a list of things they must do before they are 30. I looked through some other lists for inspiration, but was less than inspired. Some of the things I have done and the rest just seemed lame.

I am on a reading kick, so for fun, I am going to read at least 30 books for the year, ending on my birthday. Almost halfway there. But talk about lame, that is not how I want to mark this next stage :) Just a fun little competition to bring me back to the 1st grade where I beat Jason and the rest of my class to read 100 books. Of course, I heard a rumor that Jason C. was reading over 100 books, so on a mission, I read 200 books by the end date and won a hamburger watch. Trust me, it was all the rave in 1988.

I digress. I remember when I entered my 20s; leaving my teens as if through a painful door. I cried. I thought I had to say goodbye to my youth, the days of being a child. In some ways, that was true. I had entered my "trying twenties."

However, during my 20s I did and saw so many spectacular things and really lived. In no particular order.. I traveled to Asia, South America and the Middle East for the first time. I suffered my first broken heart. I studied in Spain and Mexico. I lived in Europe. I got married. I had my first real job. I saved a lot of money on a small salary. I lived in DC and NYC. I ran 5 marathons. I learned two foreign languages. I became an aunt, twice. I gained a family in another country. I graduated from college. I had the best boss and the worst boss. I drank too much, I earned too little and I had a blast.

I don't want to slowly, begrudgingly shuffle through the door of my 30s with tears coming down my face but rather, I want to come crashing through it with enthusiasm and joy.

So, with just over 150 days, I am going to mark this occasion into the next chapter.. someway. I just have to figure out how. Stay tuned!

My Impressions

If I had to sum up my week in the Emirates to a few paragraphs, this is what I would tell you. Yes, the Emirates, Dubai and Abu Dhabi specifically, are a clash of modern with the old. The newly constructed buildings are toeing the line of reality. Things don't seem real there. Everything at first glance is shiny and new. The buildings, malls, metros.

Burj Al Khalifa World's Tallest Building 

Burj Al Arab World's Only 7 Star Hotel 

Emirates Palace cost US$3Billion to construct this hotel

But then, you also see the old, sometimes crumbling, buildings. The shops that have been around for years that are outdated serving local cuisine or trading local products that have been beaten down by the sand and sun.

Old Dubai

Creek

The people. Nicholas and I were surprised at how generous, warm and kind the people are there. The men are extremely chivalrous. Never would a seat on the metro or bus not be offered to a woman if a man was seated. Doors were held open. People smiled and were happy. We had many occasions of having a meal in a local restaurant and when realizing the waitstaff spoke no English, we communicated with  pointing, smiles and hand motions like you would anywhere in the world. However, I always felt like we were really communicating and understanding each other. Our last meal in Dubai, the waiter/owner treated us to a local dessert just because.

The start of the sandstorm

The weather. It was HOT. Super hot. After a couple of days, we would say things like, Wow, it is only 96 today? It feels great out! The sun was constantly beating down and the only escape from the heat was to slip into a shop with air conditioning or to find a palm tree to stand under. No joke, the shade felt so refreshing. Although they don't get rain or snow storms, they do experience sandstorms and we happened to be traveling from Abu Dhabi to Dubai when one hit. It was crazy. People reacted just as if it were a torrential downpour or a blizzard. Because it is, just with sand. Visibility disappears and everyone on the road puts their flashing lights on. 

Spice Shop

The food. I was in my own personal heaven. Upon sitting, there were olives placed in front of us at most places. We drank fresh pomegranate and watermelon juices. Giant barrels filled with pistachios, spices and other nuts lined the store fronts. Hummus, baba ganouj, shawarma, pita, naan, etc, was served everywhere. We stayed near the fish market in Dubai and I fell in love. The stench almost caused an immediate gag-reflex but once you adjusted, the mountains and varieties of fish blew my mind. I fantasized what it would be like to live there and come to the market and buy the local fish for dinner. For someone who loves to have a cocktail or glass of wine with dinner, I did not miss alcohol once while I was there. Sure, we could have had a drink if we went to a hotel bar, etc, but why would you and miss the local scene?

Fish Market

Directions. In the UAE there are no street addresses. At first, I thought each place we were staying was trying to be discreet, but I soon realized that no buildings are numbered and addresses are given in the way I would give them to friends. "Yep, we are just down the small side road off of the plaza. Tall white building next to turnaround. Above the makeup shop." This is how we were told directions. When we stayed in Abu Dhabi the last night, we were told it was one of two rose-colored buildings, the one closest to another landmark with a light fixture store at the bottom and with a doorman whose name is Abbas, if during the day, or Abubkar at night. Trust me, it is not always the easiest way to maneuver new cities, but it sure made it interesting.

Mosque at sunset

The customs. Although it was strange not hold hands with Nicholas or steal kisses from time to time, and to have to wear much more clothing than I would during a Swiss summer, let alone walking the streets of a desert, you adjust. I could not believe the women wore their traditional black dress and head scarves in the intense heat. And, I didn't find it fair that the men got to wear white... I even had to dress fully covered to enter the Mosque, while Nicholas got to keep his street clothes on. Trust me, it is just as hot as it looks.

That was a camera smile, underneath I was dying of heat

Notice who is showing some arms here...

But that is the joy of traveling and trying new things. If you are lucky, you get a tiny glimpse into what life for others is like. When you suddenly understand something that you never grasped before. At the end of the day, we found that we shared much more similarities than differences. In fact, I couldn't help but compare it to the US. We felt right at home in the middle of the desert.

"Doggy dog world"

Yoshi's old contest photo- still tied for the cutest dog ever with Saki ;) 

Nicholas and I recently discovered the sitcom Modern Family. I have heard a lot of people talking about this show for a couple of years, but I never checked it out until recently.

One of the reasons I love it, is that the show doesn't go for the cheapest laughs and at the end, there is always a touching recap or moral.

Another reason I love it, is one of the characters is Colombian. There are several things that she does or says that remind me of my life with Nicholas :) Before getting into it, I give her and Nicholas a lot of credit for speaking a second (3rd, 4th...) language at a near native level. One episode we saw, Gloria, the Colombian, is talking to her husband and asking him what words or phrases she mispronounces or gets completely wrong. He lists a few right off the top of his head. The first one he says, she wrinkles her nose and argues with him.

Gloria: "It isn't a doggy dog world?"

Jay: "No, Gloria. It is a dog eat dog world."

Gloria: "Oh..."

Simultaneously, I hear Nicholas say "Oh..."

:)

Too soon

On my way home from my run this morning, I saw this sign in front of the book shop:

The 2012 agenda books are out already... Wow, did this year go by super fast, or what?!

My address is...

Way to go Cleveland :)



I saw a lot of development taking place when I spent a month there in February. The Downtown Cleveland Alliance is doing a great job!

Live by the sun, Love by the moon.

Paris storefront. 

Bakdash Booza

notice the heart shape and all the layers I am wearing? 

Forget about gelato and Ben and Jerry's, they've got nothing on Arabic ice cream. The one we had is a Syrian variety from a famous shop called Bakdash. We found this in the Dubai Mall and we were drawn to the sweet shop because of the pounding of the two men at the store front into metal tins of some sort. (See the crowd peering in the front of the shop?)

Curiously, we wandered over to see what the commotion was all about. After the men would beat out a short rhythm, the one guy would reach into the large steel tin and pull out a sticky concoction covered in pistachios. We watched as a few women were buying it and eating it with small spoons. It looked like taffy.

We leaned over the counter and asked what it was. The guy told us it was Arabic ice cream. We immediately ordered one to taste and the show started again. Turns out, they beat the ice cream in the tin. After a few minutes, the ice cream is brought out and cut with a large, sharp knife. The man shaped ours into a heart, how cuuuuuuute....

The texture was so different and it tasted amazing! If you go to the Dubai Mall go to Arabesq Sweets and have the Bakdash Booza. Or better, if you are in Damascus, go to Bakdash. And don't share, get your own :) YUM!