Cheerios at Half Time!

Two days before the National Championship game (GO GATORS!!!!) Fox Sports disappeared. I couldn’t believe I would actually get to watch this game on TV, but like many other things here, it became unavailable without any warning. The “first you see it, now you don’t” phenomenon is one that many expats warned me about when I first arrived. Just like most things, I took it with a grain of salt until I experienced it for myself. It started with grits. For six months, I have enjoyed grits for breakfast prepared by my loving husband. The day we found grits at the supermarket was one of my top ten Abu Dhabi moments. I’ve craved cheese grits way before getting pregnant, so you can imagine how I feel about them now. On Christmas Eve, when I realized we were out of grits, I took a cab to the only supermarket that carries them. I actually stood there, staring at the spot where grits had been, trying not to cry. It was bad enough that I was going to have Christmas without family, but Christmas without grits?? Since then, I have checked every week and no grits for me. To add to that, we temporarily lost our favorite pancake mix and of course, the only channel that showed American football. On the upside, things you couldn’t find before suddenly appear. For months I complained about the lack of black beans, and one day, there they were! My wife network knew I missed my beans so I got a text message telling me where to find them. Of course, I stocked up. If you see it and you love it, buy lots. That’s our motto. I still got to watch the game online like all the other games. At 5 am, Michael dragged the laptop to the bedroom door and pushed the bed all the way up so I could watch lying down. By half time I was fully awake and starving. I thought of the Gator Nation enjoying wings and beer while I ate my Honey Nut Cheerios. Man, it feels good to be a champion!

Since I wrote this, I found grits! They appeared at another supermarket that didn’t sell them before. Grocery shopping is like going on a treasure hunt! :)

Santa Came to Town

I really didn’t know what to expect for the Christmas season in Abu Dhabi. I was pleasantly surprised to see a decorated tree in the Hilton lobby. Our hotel is Muslim owned and serves no alcohol, so I figured the season would go unnoticed. Then I saw “snowy” Santalands at the malls and huge gorgeous trees at the fancier hotels. It was beginning to look a lot like Christmas! It wasn’t until I heard my first carol at the supermarket that it dawned on me, “Christmas day was a week away!!” I was with several of my friends and we were all shocked that the season was almost over. We hadn’t even bought our husbands any gifts yet! Since in the US you can find Christmas stuff before Halloween, we been trained to know that when we see the first tree and hear the first carol, Christmas Day is still weeks away. The general mood was sad. We all missed our families and our Christmas decorations. So, we banned together to celebrate. The girls and I had a Secret Santa lunch and got together to watch Elf. Angela had a Christmas Eve BBQ and Patty hosted a Christmas Day party with a white elephant gift exchange and a Louisiana Southern Boil. We pulled together our Christmas decorations and brought them to each house to add to the ambiance. A close friend baked us Christmas cookies! I did my part to bring the spirit, by dressing up as Santa Claus. I don’t know if it was the big belly, but I received many compliments! I even got one a couple of days ago from a Hilton staff member who had seen me walking by! Overall, we were surrounded by love. Michael had a four day weekend because of Islamic New Year falling on December 28th, so we relaxed and enjoyed the time. I think my Christmas miracle came when we were walking to our favorite sushi spot. We passed one of the other hotels and I heard children singing inside. I walked in and saw the most diverse group of little faces I have ever seen, singing Christmas carols. They were all dressed in red and white and so cute, I couldn’t help but shed a tear. The spirit was really here!

Thanksgiving in the Desert

My good friend Carlos came to visit us during Thanksgiving weekend, so instead of joining some friends for a traditional feast, we took a dhow cruise on the Corniche and headed to the desert the next day. Dhows are traditional wooden boats used by fishermen and their open decks made for a perfect view of Abu Dhabi’s skyline. In the pictures, you’ll see how the buildings have been decorated for UAE National Day. The country celebrated thirty-seven years of being the United Arab Emirates on December 2nd. The streets were full of people and cars were decorated from top to bottom with UAE flag colors. We also enjoyed traditional dances and marching bands along the parks on the Corniche. We actually hosted a National Day party in our room since our hotel is in a perfect location. We had a great time and Michael was so glad to have a day off from work. Ok back to the desert. On Friday, we headed out with 20 friends and friends of friends on a desert safari. They took us out on three 4X4 SUVs about 45 minutes out from the city. Since I am pregnant and had to skip the dune bashing, we went to the camp first. They have a nice set up in the middle of the desert with camels ready to ride. (I had to skip that too L ) Everyone else except for me and a friend, who stayed back with me, hit the sand dunes. I can’t wait to go one day after the baby, but you’ll see some great pics of the others. What impressed me most about the experience was the absolute peace and quiet. I don’t think there is anything as quiet as the desert. I took some time to journal and enjoy the scenery. Once everyone else got back the par-tay began. People smoked shisha, got henna tattoos, and took pictures in traditional Arabic dress. Michael even went sand boarding down this huge sand dune. He held up really well until he realized he was heading straight for his pregnant wife! The served us a nice buffet including my favorites – hummus, tabouleh, mutabal (eggplant dip), and grilled meats. We had a belly dancer who of course asked all of us to join her. The best part was when they turned all of the camp lights off and we all laid there staring at the night sky. The stars were breathtaking and we have all vowed to go back for overnight camping. What made the moment even more special was that I felt my baby girl kick for the first time!

Traitor (The Movie)

I’m not sure if this is still playing the US, but it just made it to Abu Dhabi. Michael and I love walking to the Al Mariah movie theater. It’s not in a big mall, so it’s older and is frequented by locals. Last night we saw Traitor with Don Cheadle and I highly recommend it. I’m not going to give anything away that you probably haven’t seen on a preview, but I wanted to share my experience. It’s not the first FBI/ terrorism movie I’ve watched and it may not even be the first one I have watched here, but during the movie, it hit me; my perspective will never be the same. In the beginning they keep using the Arabic word shukran. It’s not translated, but I know that it means Thank You. I use this phrase frequently! Muslims praying on carpets and the repetition of “Allah Akmed” (not sure if this is the correct spelling, but it is how the prayer calls begin) looked and sounded very familiar. Right away the movie felt too close for comfort. Scenes depicted people I see every day, except now they were holding guns. Had I watched it in the US, I wouldn’t have had anything to compare it to because like most movies, you usually end up seeing a stereotype. Either way, it made me squirm in my seat. The movie is excellent and Don Cheadle plays his role wonderfully, making it difficult to determine who the “bad guys” are. His character challenges the stereotype which is why I encourage you to see it. When the credits rolled and I turned left to grab my purse, I was looking at an Arab Muslim in the eye and couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking. Stepping outside the theatre, I heard the now familiar sound of Arabic and even though I feel safe and far away from suicide bombers, I also know that I am not home. If you’ve seen it, please let me know what you think!

Abu Dhabi Responds to Obama

We all watched as CNN reported on people’s reactions around the world when the election was called. We were home and just getting up, since it was around eight o’clock in the morning. I’ve never really paid too much attention to elections in other countries, so it was interesting to see how in tune everybody was over here. As Americans, we are not used to openly discussing politics with strangers or even friends, but here, as soon as you tell anybody (especially cab drivers) you are from the US, the first thing they ask is “Obama?” I always respond with a “yes” and a smile. Even before the election was officially called, one of the porters at the Hilton shook Michael’s hand and congratulated him in the elevator. Since I was standing there with my belly, we assumed that it was because of the baby until he said something about Obama and how the first round was over. He was referring to the predictions being made that Obama would win. We were surprised, although we shouldn’t have been. The morning of the election, Michael went straight to work where he was congratulated three times. Ahmed even said, “He kicked his ass” which cracked me up. Everybody kept saying “congratulations” which for me seemed strange for this occasion. I’m used to being congratulated on personal accomplishments like graduating or getting a promotion. Michael hadn’t shared his political views with his local coworkers, so they assumed he would be happy with the results. What if we had hoped for a McCain Presidency? Being that Michael is the only African American in his office I asked him if others were being congratulated as well- they were. Eric (British) and Darcy (Czech Republic) were just as excited about the elections as we were. They hosted debate parties and had us over to replay Obama’s acceptance speech. I told Michael to come home to listen to the live version. They don’t have any TVs at his office and I didn’t think he should miss this historic moment. We watched in bed teary eyed. Nevertheless we didn’t want to pass up on the opportunity to watch it again on a bigger flat screen. So there we were in Abu Dhabi, four Americans and two Europeans, eating pizza, drinking champagne, and listening to Obama. Some things you just never forget.

Is Obama a Muslim?

Let me start off by saying that I don’t fully know the answer to this question, meaning I can’t speak for what is in another human’s heart, but what I have learned after living here, is what being a Muslim actually entails. I feel like the word “Muslim” is being thrown around without any consideration for its implications and how much goes into practicing this faith. Apart from believing that there is no God but Allah, Obama would have to sneak away 5 times a day for prayer. He should do this in either a mosque (kinda tough for him these days) or on a prayer mat facing Mecca. This isn’t a quick Hail Mary he can mumble under his breath. He would need to fully wash himself from head to toe before praying in the prescribed way including ritualistic movements. Oh and by the way, these prayers don’t count if there is a woman in sight. That secret service that is with him every waking second of every day is surely keeping one big secret! Then there’s the pork thing, and he’s not from the south so maybe I can give him that one. Although his past month near the famous North Carolina BBQ must have been torture! But I swear I saw him drinking water during the Presidential Debate. Wasn’t that in September during the holy month of Ramadan where all Muslims are required to fast from sunup to sundown including refraining from any liquids? Whether he’s President or not, he needs to get to packing for the Hajj. Once Muslims have the monetary means (given campaign contributions he definitely does) they need to make that one pilgrimage to Mecca. Forget about the fact that he has been going to the same church for 20 years or so, he could have just decided to lie about his faith way before this election. Come to think of it, all the cabbies in Abu Dhabi are very open about how the back Barack. Maybe he is one of them… If Obama is a Muslim, ignoring most of the pillars of Islam wouldn’t earn him any points with Allah and I recently found out that they do keep score. Plus, he doesn’t strike me as a man that would do anything half-assed.

Back in Dhabi

It’s amazing how different things seem once you’ve been there done that. As I disembarked from the airplane, I tried to remember how I felt the first time I landed here. Even though I was alone and my ankles were swollen (glad Nate wasn’t there to critique my new cankles) I felt so comfortable this time around. I thought about my cousin Ana’s upcoming visit and how she told me that if I wasn’t there the second she got off the plane she would start crying. I didn’t cry when I first arrived, but Michael and I were very relieved when we saw the driver holding the “Mr. Michael Johnson” sign. When you are in a new place nothing can replace the notion of having somebody, just anybody, waiting for you. Another difference is that I now have my pregnancy belly. I was allowed to go through the Emiratis and GCC (countries around the Arabian Gulf) nationals only line to clear immigration along with other families with children. That’s a perk we don’t get in the states! My belly is like a VIP pass into a member’s only club. The men at the grocery store were so friendly! I was like “Nice to see you too Mr. Vegetable Weigher Man”! Yes, you have to have someone at the produce section weigh all your fruits and veggies here before you go to check-out. A lesson I quickly learned after standing in line forever only to have the cashier look at me like I was crazy before she sent me back to the weighing station. Today, my belly got me a wink AND a thumbs up (which I’m all about) from an Emirati woman! I was so excited! Finally, acknowledgement and communication! There was another Emirati woman holding a new born so I complimented the baby and smiled pointing at my bump. My friend told me I should have congratulated them on the fact that the baby was a boy, since of course having a boy is a much bigger deal than having a girl here. I am having a girl- and proud of it! So, being pregnant allows me to connect with local women who seem excited to see me fulfilling my role in society. I think men are more comfortable talking to me now as opposed to earlier when I could have appeared to be a single woman. Or as my friend Mel pointed out, it could just be that my breasts are larger now! Either way, I have enjoyed the extra smiles.