Day 32 of my captivity

The society consists of only two classes here. You either have a maid or you are a maid.

Day 31 of my captivity

The country is full of palm trees. They were planted intentionally and chosen because they have dates. Most of the dates are harvested, but any of them can be picked. They were planted to provide shade, but more importantly for food to anyone who need/wants them. It is against the law to damage a palm tree.

A lot of the shops are closed between 2 -4 in the afternoon for ‘siesta’. And most are closed all day on Friday, (their holy day).

Construction goes on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, non-stop noise and dust and truck traffic.

Everyplace delivers except Baskin Robin’s ice-cream and most are delivered on mopeds.

Day 28 of my captivity

Another thing about Ramadan:
All the stores close in the afternoon from about 1:30 until 8:00 pm. Even in the mall, but then they stay open until 2:00 am. Most of the restaurants are closed all day too. You will find an occasional place with paper covering the windows that are open, but not many. There are a few fast food drive-thrus open. It is not against the law to eat during daylight, only to eat where a muslim can see you. So it is ok for restaurants to cover windows and still be open during the day. Nothing at the food courts at the malls are open until after sun down.

McDonalds has the best McArabian (no joke). It is like a chicken pita. You should try one.

Day 26 of my captivity

I was talking to a hotel employee the other day and she said most of the staff lives together in villas outside of town. Room and board are provided to staff along with bus transportation back and forth to work. She said that the villas were nice and new and they shared a room with one other person. She was 24 years old, divorced with a 6 year old son back in the Philippines. She is here working to support him. Her situation is sad but at least she has a nice place to work and live. I have heard that some of the government employees live in work camps with several dozen guys to one room and no air conditioning. Also I read that the taxi drivers share apartment rooms with six or eight guys. From the article I read most of them were friends and come here together. From what I was told, most hotel staff get paid between 900 and 1300 dhs ($250. -$350.) per month, plus room and board.

Taxi’s come in three colors, black, grey and white. Black taxi’s are the upper end cars and start the meter at 15 dhs ($4.) They park at all of the hotels, and they don't stop along the road to pick people up. The white taxi starts at 2 dhs, and the grey at 3 dhs. They give you 5 minutes of free 'sitting in traffic time' before the meter starts charging for sitting. But they all drive the same though, CRAZY!!!

Day 22 of my captivity

About the mosques (muslim churches). There is one on every block, really, or two or three. You have heard of the three second rule? Well they have a ten minute rule. I guess the Sheik years ago decided that he wanted the people to be within walking distance of a mosque, so they could walk to one from anywhere they were, in ten minutes. And they have accomplished that for sure. We looked at an apartment and from every window we could see a mosque, there were three within view (we did not rent that one). Not that that is so bad, but they all have loud speakers and five times a day a prayer call is broadcast over the speakers. The first one is before dawn to let everyone know it is time to get up. Then four more times a day for prayer time. I counted at least twenty in the desert between Abu Dhabi and Dubai just along the highway, including one at each gas station. So, kill two birds with one stone, or three. Gas, pray, pee… maybe not in that order.

Day 21 of my captivity

UAE Friday is US Sunday (Holy day)
UAE Sunday is US Monday (first day of work week)
UAE Monday is US Tuesday
UAE Tuesday is US Wednesday
UAE Wednesday is US Thursday
UAE Thursday is US Friday (last day of work week)
and Saturday is Saturday

Day 20 of my captivity

The gas stations are all owned by the government, so there is only one company, and one price. The price is not even posted. I think gas is about half of what you get it for in the US. They are all government employees that work there who pump your gas for you. Regular gas is ‘special gas’. There are worker guys all over the place and they all wear bright blue jump suits with white trim. Cute, they look like Disney park workers or prison workers. And I think the country is full of government employees in a variety of jump suits. I have seen green jump suits for the guys who work on the grass. I say work on the grass, because I have not seen a lawn mower. These guys have a knife and they trim the sidewalks by hand. I have also seen them pulling weeds beside the road one weed at a time. There are dark blue workers that work construction, and brown I think work in the buildings as doormen. Yellow jump suit guys pick up trash. I’ve seen red, but don’t know what they do.

What I have noticed: Arabic Diet Pepsi tastes more like American Diet Coke than Arabic Coke Light. Did I tell you that the soda cans all have the old removable pull tabs like we had in the 70’s? Remember those things? Some people pulled them off and put them in their can of soda, and some people hooked them together and made a long chain (that is what we did, and we had thousands of them all over the basement, hanging all over the place). And they were all over the ground for kids to step on and cut their feet on.

Day 19 of my captivity

I am learning how to convert fahrenheit to celsius Tc = (5/9)*(Tf-32); US currency to dirham 1 U.S. dollar = 7.86429375; Kilograms to pounds 1 kilogram = 2.20462262 pounds; kilometers to miles 1 kilometer = 0.621371192 miles; and regular time to military time.

I talked to someone who has lived here for several years and her version of ramadan as a non-muslim is that it makes the women work harder, because they have to get up very early and fix a huge breakfast so the men can eat before the sun comes up. Then the men get up and eat and go back to bed. Then they oversleep and gives them an excuse to be late for work. After the sun goes down they eat and party until they go to bed. Her opinion was that it is suppose to be a time of sacrifice; not to eat or drink, but because they make it a law that everyone has to follow it makes it too easy for them. If non-muslin’s were going about their day as usual then it would be more difficult and therefore more of a sacrifice. Whatever…

Day 18 of my captivity

Well today was Eric's first day of school. He loved it, he said he likes his classes, the food was good, his teachers are awesome and everyone is really really nice. So we couldn't ask for more. Yesterday was orientation and ten girls showed him around, so he was psyched about that. Today he hooked up with some of the guys from the soccer team and they are getting together tonight to kick around the soccer ball. he is on a block schedule so he had four classes today and a different four tomorrow. He has about eighteen kids in a couple of classes (Arabic and Enviro. Science) and only a few in the other classes.
And I thought I was retired, but when I went in to volunteer, they handed me an application. Short story, I talked to the grade school art teacher on Sunday who I guess liked me, because she told me when we where done talking that 'she picked me'. That was it, I started today helping in the art department 3 1/2 hours a day and getting paid for it. The art teacher is a Seminole grad.

Day 16 of my captivity

Etiquette and culture are very important here. Both the local men and women are easily distinguished by their traditional dress, But I have noticed they have very individual styles. The men wear and long white dress shirt (dishdasha) like thing and a headdress. But each wears the headdress differently, and it maybe a different color (white or red and white check). The women wear all black (abaya) with some who cover their face completely and others only their hair. But even though they are all dressed in black, the abaya might have stones or other things sewn into it. But most have beautiful shoes and hand bags. The most interesting thing that I noticed is the teenage girls. They are in the traditional abaya, but some have it open in the front from the waist down so their jeans or pants and shoes can be seen. I think they are being little rebels without being disrespectful. I like it…

Funniest thing I noticed today: They have separate banks for women and men, all the same building like bathrooms, men on one side, and women on the other.

Day 14 of my captivity

Have I told you how much I hate the pollution? The air is at toxic levels according to the EPA, and above legal limits according to the US. I read on one EPA website, that they recommend you only live here two years because it is so dangerous for your lungs and heart. And if having to breath bad air is not enough, the air inside is toxic too, because the building have coal for electricity. Outside air is bad for three reasons, the oil refineries, the building dust, and the emissions from automobiles. To make it worst, if that is possible, everyone smokes. You can’t get away from it. People smoke all over, they smoke in the food court at the mall, they smoke at all the restaurants, and they even smoke in the movie theaters.

Day 13 of my captivity

Ramadan from what I understand is more like 'new years'. With resolutions and new beginnings and fresh starts etc.. The theory is to fast all day, from dusk until dark and pray. The objective is to be kind to everyone and not to say mean things or have any unclean thoughts. Then at dark, they eat and drink and celebrate. Not like gluttons I don't think, because the purpose is not the celebration, it is about the prayer.

I will let you know how it is when we are actually living it. I hear the mall will close until late in the day for the whole month, and the food court doesn't open until evening.

Day 12 of my captivity

No stars in the sky. We don't know what the night sky looks like on this side of the world, because there is so much polution, stars can not be seen. I will let you know if we ever see some.

Funny thing we noticed today: I am called mama by most people. John is called sir, but when we are together we are mamsir. Not mama and sir, but mamsir, all one word.

Day 11 of my captivity

We have experienced may different things in just a few days it is hard to remember. But driving in UAE is something I will never forget. I guess it is a lot like other large cities, but a new experience for me. There is a lot of horn honking. But people are cordial none the less. If you want to move over three lanes ‘it is ok’. If you want to exit to the left from the right lane that is ok. There are more round-a-bouts than stop lights. And if you want to go from the inside lane over two lanes and out, it is ok too. Everyone says ‘it is ok’. Can you say autobahn?
Shopping is also an experience. Everything can be bartered, except groceries and stuff at the mall.
Oh, and not much wildlife. A few birds, and flies. I have seen two dogs, and they have a lot of cats. We were told that they catch the cats and have them spayed or neutered and then let them go. They don't really have a humane society, dogs and pork are unclean. So you don't see much of either.

Day 6 of my captivity

Things we have found:
Starbucks
Popeyes Chicken
Texas Chicken (can't say church)
McD's
Hardies
Burger King
Krispy Kreme
Kentucky Fried Chicken
Taco Bell
Pizza Hut
Baskin Robin's
Chi-Chi
Subway
Hardrock
TGI Friday's
Cold Stone

We are still looking for Wal-mart.

A house is a Villa, a town house is a compound, a duplex is a two story apartment, and an apartment is a flat.



In some of the grocery stores they do have a 'pork section'. You know those rooms in video stores marked 'adult only'? Well the pork section is kind of like that. Room in the back of the store, with a curtain covering the door, marked 'no Muslims'. Because pork is unclean. Did you know marshmallows were made with pork? So if I want some smores, I will have to go in THAT room.

Day 4 of my captivity

The temp. today is suppose to be 44*C (111*). It is getting hotter as the air starts to clear.

Eric and I went shopping today, taxi ride cost 3. dhs (less than a dollar). We went to a serve yourself candy stand, where everything cost the same you just pay by the pound. I'm not sure how much candy we bought, maybe a half a pound, it cost us 6.5 dhs (about $2.) for the whole bag. Crazy. But we made up for our cheap day, last night. Dinner at one of the hotel restaurants (Finz) was 873. dhs. (I don't even want to tell you how much that is in US$) for the three of us. We only had fish and Eric had grilled shrimp. Won't be doing that again.

Day 2 of my captivity

The air is still toxic from the sand storm. Will be nice just to have normal toxic Abu Dhabi air. Gulf Newspaper says todays temperature will be 'hot'.

Day 1 of my captivity

Day 1 of my captivity- I can not say this was a particularly smooth move, but all is well. We had trouble in London going through security and now we are minus one skateboard.We arrived at 7:30 pm Abu Dhabi time, the temperature was 102*. Little did we know that a sand storm from Iraq a few days earlier had arrived before us. It looks like a white out, zero visibility. We are pretty sure there is a view of the Persian Gulf outside our hotel room, but we are not sure. You can cut the dust with a knife.The funniest part about the trip so far is Eric is in room 1408. Like the horror movie and book written by Stephen King '1408', about an evil hotel room.

Excerpts from Dog and Cat Diary

Dog's diary:
OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE! OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE! OH BOY! A WALK! MY FAVORITE! OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE! OH BOY! THE KIDS! MY FAVORITE! OH BOY! THE YARD! MY FAVORITE! ooooooo. bath. bummer. OH BOY! MOM! MY FAVORITE
Cat's diary: My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while I am forced to eat dry cereal. The only thing that keeps me going is the hope of escape.Today my attempt to kill my captors by weaving around their feet while they were walking almost succeeded, must try this at the top of the stairs.