the process is pretty cool - basically you draw or print a black & white image on a transparency (see mine at left) and the negative space around the opaque parts of the design are "burned" into an emulsion coated screen by exposing the screen to ultraviolet light. the areas of the emulsion that aren't hardened by the light (because they're blocked by the black parts of your design), can be rinsed out and you're left with a stencil. then you use a squeegee to push paint through the open areas of the screen onto whatever substrate you want. it was really fun and i want to go back again and again. more pics of the process (some stolen from melissa) are here.December 11, 2009
screen printing adventure
tuesday night i went to AIR (Artists Image Resource) on the north side with melissa, who's a pro at screen printing xmas cards (she does it every year). i showed up unprepared, partly because i hadn't bothered to sit down and figure out what i wanted to print and partly because i was content to observe the process, since i figured i could go back to one of their many open studios on tues and thurs from 6 to 10 p.m. anyway, i ended up doodling some things and came up with a design that i felt deserved to be printed on a couple of t-shirts and on random sheets of paper. i may use this as the starting point for my valentines next year....
the process is pretty cool - basically you draw or print a black & white image on a transparency (see mine at left) and the negative space around the opaque parts of the design are "burned" into an emulsion coated screen by exposing the screen to ultraviolet light. the areas of the emulsion that aren't hardened by the light (because they're blocked by the black parts of your design), can be rinsed out and you're left with a stencil. then you use a squeegee to push paint through the open areas of the screen onto whatever substrate you want. it was really fun and i want to go back again and again. more pics of the process (some stolen from melissa) are here.
the process is pretty cool - basically you draw or print a black & white image on a transparency (see mine at left) and the negative space around the opaque parts of the design are "burned" into an emulsion coated screen by exposing the screen to ultraviolet light. the areas of the emulsion that aren't hardened by the light (because they're blocked by the black parts of your design), can be rinsed out and you're left with a stencil. then you use a squeegee to push paint through the open areas of the screen onto whatever substrate you want. it was really fun and i want to go back again and again. more pics of the process (some stolen from melissa) are here.
December 6, 2009
abu dhabi re-run (week 4)
hi all,
i'm back in pittsburgh, trying to get over jetlag and deal with a cold. here are some thoughts from my last extremely busy week in Abu Dhabi. photos to come...
-C
10/26/06
The WWF Living Planet report was published this week and it shows that the only country with a greater ecological footprint per person than the United States is... you guessed it... the United Arab Emirates! The UAE come in at almost 12 global hectares per person, and the US brings up a close second at about 9.5 global hectares per person.
Another interesting statistic is that the UAE's water withdrawal-to-availability ratio (the total annual water withdrawals against the annual renewable water resource available to it) is 1,533%, with total withdrawals of 800 m^3 per person per year. By comparison, the US w-t-a ratio is 16%, with 1,600 m^3 annual per capita water use (so obviously we have a lot more water available) and Peru's w-t-a ratio is 1% with 750 m^3 annual per capita water use.
Check out the report, it's really interesting:
10/29/06
Today is the first official day back to work after the Eid holiday, so the rhythm of the office has changed a little. For one thing, the "office boys" are back in full force. What is an office boy, you ask?
Well at first I thought it was just the guy who makes sure there's enough paper in the printer, changes toner and stocks the fridge with soft drinks and water (our office boy showed us the stash because he wanted to be sure we didn't die of thirst during Ramadan). When I saw him today, he was dressed in full caterer attire, with a vest and bow tie and asked if I wanted anything to drink, because he would serve it to me at my desk (I asked for OJ, he brought me some in a glass with a straw, with a bottle of water on the side). During meetings, another office boy (this is what everyone calls them by the way, even though they are all full grown men, so if you ask me they should be called office butlers instead) comes in to ask each attendee what he/she would like to drink. I am not sure whether I think this system is a great idea or if it just makes me feel weird.
10/30/06
We just completed 4 days full of meetings, one right after the other, so now is the time when we finalize our documents to include the input we received (sorry I can't tell you too much more - confidentiality requirements)... In any case, this is really the final countdown and I'm stressed but excited to have the assignment almost finished. I probably won't send the final round of photos until I get home (no time to upload and annotate them). For those who wanted to know more about the project, check out this link, which gives the official info about the project thus far:
i'm back in pittsburgh, trying to get over jetlag and deal with a cold. here are some thoughts from my last extremely busy week in Abu Dhabi. photos to come...
-C
10/26/06
The WWF Living Planet report was published this week and it shows that the only country with a greater ecological footprint per person than the United States is... you guessed it... the United Arab Emirates! The UAE come in at almost 12 global hectares per person, and the US brings up a close second at about 9.5 global hectares per person.
Another interesting statistic is that the UAE's water withdrawal-to-availability ratio (the total annual water withdrawals against the annual renewable water resource available to it) is 1,533%, with total withdrawals of 800 m^3 per person per year. By comparison, the US w-t-a ratio is 16%, with 1,600 m^3 annual per capita water use (so obviously we have a lot more water available) and Peru's w-t-a ratio is 1% with 750 m^3 annual per capita water use.
Check out the report, it's really interesting:
10/29/06
Today is the first official day back to work after the Eid holiday, so the rhythm of the office has changed a little. For one thing, the "office boys" are back in full force. What is an office boy, you ask?
Well at first I thought it was just the guy who makes sure there's enough paper in the printer, changes toner and stocks the fridge with soft drinks and water (our office boy showed us the stash because he wanted to be sure we didn't die of thirst during Ramadan). When I saw him today, he was dressed in full caterer attire, with a vest and bow tie and asked if I wanted anything to drink, because he would serve it to me at my desk (I asked for OJ, he brought me some in a glass with a straw, with a bottle of water on the side). During meetings, another office boy (this is what everyone calls them by the way, even though they are all full grown men, so if you ask me they should be called office butlers instead) comes in to ask each attendee what he/she would like to drink. I am not sure whether I think this system is a great idea or if it just makes me feel weird.
10/30/06
We just completed 4 days full of meetings, one right after the other, so now is the time when we finalize our documents to include the input we received (sorry I can't tell you too much more - confidentiality requirements)... In any case, this is really the final countdown and I'm stressed but excited to have the assignment almost finished. I probably won't send the final round of photos until I get home (no time to upload and annotate them). For those who wanted to know more about the project, check out this link, which gives the official info about the project thus far:
December 4, 2009
abu dhabi re-run (week 3)
hi all,
this week has been a difficult work week, so my notes are not about recent and exciting discoveries, but primarily things that i have noticed but forgotten to jot down in the past two weeks...
10/18/06
skype is blocked by a firewall at my office and is not allowed in the cybercafe at my hotel. i get the impression that it may not be allowed at all in the UAE... so i apologize for incorrectly implying that i'd be able to call you easily while i'm here...
10/20/06
people are very trusting here. i have an informal deal with the guy at the internet cafe on the main floor of my hotel that if i don't have enough cash to pay on any given day, i'll pay him the next time i come. i wasn't so surprised by this because i go at least a few times a week, and he can find out what room i'm in so there isn't much danger of me trying to get out of paying him a few dirham for internet access. however, the same thing happened at a corner store close to the office. i was short .5 dirham and the owner said, "that's okay, next time." although we've been there a handful of times, this guy has no clue how long i'll be around and whether or not there will be a next time. i guess in this country people are used to functioning on an honor system...
taxi observation 1 - often if only one person is taking a taxi, he'll sit in the front seat. on most occasions i've seen men to this; a woman alone will generally sit in the back, but one or two times i did see a woman by herself in the front seat of a cab.
taxi observation 2 - there are NO seat belts in the back seat of cabs. the first few times i tried to dig out the buckle from under the seat, but was not successful, so i finally gave up. given that in dubai, drivers commit 157 driving violations per hour (i read this in the paper), not having a seatbelt to fasten is a little worrisome...
taxi observation 3 - all of them have stick shifts. imagine if nyc cab drivers had to shift while navigating through traffic on broadway!
10/22/03
my favorite foods:
10/23/06
Eid mubarak! Today (or tomorrow, depending on whose moon sighting panel you rely on) is the first day of Eid el Fitr (Celebration of Breaking the Fast), which means the holy month of Ramadan is over.
It is a time when Muslims celebrate and give thanks for their blessings, family and community, among other things. It's also traditional to give to charity/the poor so that they can celebrate the Eid as well. The day starts with special prayers early in the morning, a sermon, and then a celebration with friends and family. my understanding is that most people have at least 3 days off from work during which they have the opportunity to travel (hence the empty streets on our way to the office this morning).
Steve's only concern is that from now on he can get a cup of coffee mid-day and I, too, am relieved that I won't have to rely on a granola bar as my entire lunch anymore. However, beyond that, peace, understanding, charity, brotherhood, and forgiveness are all things we could spend some time thinking about today (cheesy, perhaps, but true)!
my photos this week aren't as exciting as last week's but i'll send them along shortly anyway! now i'm in the home stretch. expect one more update before i get on the plane at 2 a.m. on Nov 1.
xo,
Cat(herine)
this week has been a difficult work week, so my notes are not about recent and exciting discoveries, but primarily things that i have noticed but forgotten to jot down in the past two weeks...
10/18/06
skype is blocked by a firewall at my office and is not allowed in the cybercafe at my hotel. i get the impression that it may not be allowed at all in the UAE... so i apologize for incorrectly implying that i'd be able to call you easily while i'm here...
10/20/06people are very trusting here. i have an informal deal with the guy at the internet cafe on the main floor of my hotel that if i don't have enough cash to pay on any given day, i'll pay him the next time i come. i wasn't so surprised by this because i go at least a few times a week, and he can find out what room i'm in so there isn't much danger of me trying to get out of paying him a few dirham for internet access. however, the same thing happened at a corner store close to the office. i was short .5 dirham and the owner said, "that's okay, next time." although we've been there a handful of times, this guy has no clue how long i'll be around and whether or not there will be a next time. i guess in this country people are used to functioning on an honor system...
taxi observation 1 - often if only one person is taking a taxi, he'll sit in the front seat. on most occasions i've seen men to this; a woman alone will generally sit in the back, but one or two times i did see a woman by herself in the front seat of a cab.
taxi observation 2 - there are NO seat belts in the back seat of cabs. the first few times i tried to dig out the buckle from under the seat, but was not successful, so i finally gave up. given that in dubai, drivers commit 157 driving violations per hour (i read this in the paper), not having a seatbelt to fasten is a little worrisome...
taxi observation 3 - all of them have stick shifts. imagine if nyc cab drivers had to shift while navigating through traffic on broadway!
10/22/03
my favorite foods:
- omali - a bread pudding-like dish (dad i think you'd really like it) made with bread, milk, ground pistachios and raisins. it is REALLY GOOD.
- i LUUUVVV mango juice. they sell it in grocery stores in big jugs similar to the tropicana OJ you see in U.S. supermarkets. i can't get enough!
- fruit in general, but specifically dried figs and what i think is the middle east version of honeydew melon, which they serve in the fruit salad i eat at the hotel from time to time.
- hammour - a white fish (a type of grouper from what i understand) that appears on most menus because it is typical to the Persian Gulf
- honey balls - i think i've had this dessert in indian restaurants before, but i've seen it in every iftar buffet i've been to in Abu Dhabi, so i'm not sure what the origin is. i could eat them for breakfast lunch and dinner, except i'm pretty sure doing so would speed up my path to getting diabetes. basically it's some kind of pastry soaked in warm honey (although i've seen it served cold too)... itpractically melts in your mouth.
- pita bread - i've always liked pita, but i especially like that it costs less than 30 cents a package at the grocery store, and tastes MUCH better than what you buy at giant eagle! even in bay ridge i couldn't get pita for less than a buck per bag.
- date bars - like fig newtons, but made with dates and a harder cookie outside. YUM.
10/23/06
Eid mubarak! Today (or tomorrow, depending on whose moon sighting panel you rely on) is the first day of Eid el Fitr (Celebration of Breaking the Fast), which means the holy month of Ramadan is over.
It is a time when Muslims celebrate and give thanks for their blessings, family and community, among other things. It's also traditional to give to charity/the poor so that they can celebrate the Eid as well. The day starts with special prayers early in the morning, a sermon, and then a celebration with friends and family. my understanding is that most people have at least 3 days off from work during which they have the opportunity to travel (hence the empty streets on our way to the office this morning).
Steve's only concern is that from now on he can get a cup of coffee mid-day and I, too, am relieved that I won't have to rely on a granola bar as my entire lunch anymore. However, beyond that, peace, understanding, charity, brotherhood, and forgiveness are all things we could spend some time thinking about today (cheesy, perhaps, but true)!
my photos this week aren't as exciting as last week's but i'll send them along shortly anyway! now i'm in the home stretch. expect one more update before i get on the plane at 2 a.m. on Nov 1.
xo,
Cat(herine)
December 2, 2009
abu dhabi re-run (week 2)
10/10/06 Tuesday
Last night I ventured to the carpet souk after dinner... I was told that the market was active in the evenings because of Ramadan hours, but as it turns out there were few people other than the shopkeepers, my colleague Steve, and me, so we got a lot of attention.
There were about 50 small shops, all of which looked essentially the same from the outside and inside, until of the vendors started unfolding rugs and laying them out on the floor. Everyone wanted us to come inside to see *their* rugs (hand made, machine made, silk, wool, afghani, kasmiri... the works, and all "very high quality"). All the shop keepers kept calling me sister (as in "Come inside, sister. Take a look, sister.") which made me smile. Using the best of my bargaining skills, I ended up purchasing two rugs.
I think I did pretty well under the circumstances (I drove a *really* hard bargain for the second rug), paying less than half of the originally quoted price for each one... This was in line with some advice that I had been given about the way price negotiations work in this kind of market (including the fact that regardless how low I feel the final price is, chances are the the vendor is still probably making a pretty penny off of me!). Now I just have to figure out how I plan to get them back to the United States. Why didn't i bring an extra empty suitcase with me?
As an aside, I noticed an article in the NYT this morning about an interesting competition for young Muslims that took place in Dubai over the weekend. I attached a .pdf of the article to this message if you're interested in reading it.
10/11/06 Wednesday
I've gotten some questions from you all via e-mail, so I thought I'd answer them here so everyone can read...
Q: You don't have to wear a head scarf?
A: The UAE is one of the less conservative countries in this region, and with expatriates making up 80% of the population, there are fewer restrictions on dress here than in other middle eastern countries from what i understand. I've seen a bit of everything, from women dressed in black from head to toe, to women in mini skirts and low cut blouses (obviously the latter are not observing Ramadan). Generally though, out of respect to the Muslim population (and especially during the holy month) it was recommended that I avoid tops that expose my shoulders and arms, and that skirts, if I choose to wear them, be at least long enough to cover my knees.
Q: Are you having trouble communicating?
A: Not really, because most people speak English. The most trouble I have (and it really isn't much) is when the street names on my map don't match the street names that taxi drivers know (there are some nicknames, like airport road, or passport street, because that's where the passport office is). So from time to time there is confusion when I'm telling a taxi driver my destination, but otherwise, communication hasn't been an issue.
In other Abu Dhabi news, I checked www.weather.com and determined that the reason why it's felt cooler to me recently is that it actually *was* cooler (imagine that). :) Instead of a high of 104 degF (from last week), the 10 day forecast only shows the temperature going up to 99 degF. It's a cold spell!
10/12/06 Thursday
I have come to expect the spurt of brown water that comes out of the bathtub faucet each morning before the water runs clear. However, the structural engineer in me was shocked to see a large diagonal crack in the wall behind my bedroom door, which was exposed when I closed the door for the first time tonight. Let's just hope it's not a load bearing wall... :)
10/13/06 Friday
The first time we actually left the office at a reasonable evening hour, we had a lot of trouble finding a taxi to take us back to the hotel. In fact, there were virtually NO cars on the road compared to the usual hustle and bustle, and the streets were strangely quiet. Soon we realized that it was because it was IFTAR time and everyone was EATING.
10/16/06 Tuesday
We took one full day off last weekend and took a desert tour, complete with camel riding and dune driving! Will send the pictures shortly...
Until next week, Cat
Last night I ventured to the carpet souk after dinner... I was told that the market was active in the evenings because of Ramadan hours, but as it turns out there were few people other than the shopkeepers, my colleague Steve, and me, so we got a lot of attention.
There were about 50 small shops, all of which looked essentially the same from the outside and inside, until of the vendors started unfolding rugs and laying them out on the floor. Everyone wanted us to come inside to see *their* rugs (hand made, machine made, silk, wool, afghani, kasmiri... the works, and all "very high quality"). All the shop keepers kept calling me sister (as in "Come inside, sister. Take a look, sister.") which made me smile. Using the best of my bargaining skills, I ended up purchasing two rugs.
I think I did pretty well under the circumstances (I drove a *really* hard bargain for the second rug), paying less than half of the originally quoted price for each one... This was in line with some advice that I had been given about the way price negotiations work in this kind of market (including the fact that regardless how low I feel the final price is, chances are the the vendor is still probably making a pretty penny off of me!). Now I just have to figure out how I plan to get them back to the United States. Why didn't i bring an extra empty suitcase with me?
As an aside, I noticed an article in the NYT this morning about an interesting competition for young Muslims that took place in Dubai over the weekend. I attached a .pdf of the article to this message if you're interested in reading it.
10/11/06 Wednesday
I've gotten some questions from you all via e-mail, so I thought I'd answer them here so everyone can read...
Q: You don't have to wear a head scarf?
A: The UAE is one of the less conservative countries in this region, and with expatriates making up 80% of the population, there are fewer restrictions on dress here than in other middle eastern countries from what i understand. I've seen a bit of everything, from women dressed in black from head to toe, to women in mini skirts and low cut blouses (obviously the latter are not observing Ramadan). Generally though, out of respect to the Muslim population (and especially during the holy month) it was recommended that I avoid tops that expose my shoulders and arms, and that skirts, if I choose to wear them, be at least long enough to cover my knees.
Q: Are you having trouble communicating?
A: Not really, because most people speak English. The most trouble I have (and it really isn't much) is when the street names on my map don't match the street names that taxi drivers know (there are some nicknames, like airport road, or passport street, because that's where the passport office is). So from time to time there is confusion when I'm telling a taxi driver my destination, but otherwise, communication hasn't been an issue.
In other Abu Dhabi news, I checked www.weather.com and determined that the reason why it's felt cooler to me recently is that it actually *was* cooler (imagine that). :) Instead of a high of 104 degF (from last week), the 10 day forecast only shows the temperature going up to 99 degF. It's a cold spell!
10/12/06 Thursday
I have come to expect the spurt of brown water that comes out of the bathtub faucet each morning before the water runs clear. However, the structural engineer in me was shocked to see a large diagonal crack in the wall behind my bedroom door, which was exposed when I closed the door for the first time tonight. Let's just hope it's not a load bearing wall... :)
10/13/06 FridayThe first time we actually left the office at a reasonable evening hour, we had a lot of trouble finding a taxi to take us back to the hotel. In fact, there were virtually NO cars on the road compared to the usual hustle and bustle, and the streets were strangely quiet. Soon we realized that it was because it was IFTAR time and everyone was EATING.
10/16/06 Tuesday
We took one full day off last weekend and took a desert tour, complete with camel riding and dune driving! Will send the pictures shortly...
Until next week, Cat
December 1, 2009
abu dhabi re-run (week 1)
i'm finally getting around to re-posting the weekly emails i sent out during my 2006 abu dhabi trip... here's the one from week 1 (accompanying photos are on picasa):
hi all,
here are some thoughts about my first week here in the UAE. Desolee pour ceux qui ne parlent que francais... je n'ai pas eu le temps de tout traduire...
10/05/06 Thursday
i arrived safely in abu dhabi on tuesday evening after approximately 18 hours of travelling, and a reasonably decent night's sleep on Emirates air, and then quickly jumped into work on Wednesday morning. the last two days have been long and tiring, but the weekend here starts on Friday, so tomorrow will give me a bit of rest. this means that i can sleep until 8:30 a.m. instead of getting up at 7:30, because even though the client won't be there, we have a deadline on Sunday, so my colleague, Steve, and I still have to go in to the office (!)
my exploration of the city has been limited so far, but the two things that have struck me are the extreme weather conditions and the interesting hours that the population keeps during the muslim holy month of Ramadan. first: the weather: it is too hot and humid to walk the less than one mile from my hotel to the office, because carrying my laptop and wearing work clothes, i'd be drenched by the time i got there. everything inside is air condidioned (almost too much), and the difference between the indoor and outdoor climate is so extreme that my glasses fog up when i go outside. in the evenings it cools off a little, but it's still quite warm (like being in the nyc subway on a seriously hot and humid day).
as for the Ramadan schedule, most shops and restaurants are
closed during the day, and reopen for Iftar, the evening meal that breaks the daily fast (around 6 p.m., or whenever it starts to get dark). then everything stays open (grocery stores, cell phone shops, malls) until about midnight or 1 a.m. so people are milling around every night really late. we went to the Abu Dhabi mall to wander around this evening, and aside from all the people in traditional Islamic dress, I would have thought I was in New Jersey or something.
10/06/06 Friday
tonight, for some reason, i'm feeling a lot of affection for this city despite the fact that i know little to nothing about it... even though Friday's are officially the weekend here, Steve and I had to work anyway, but the day went well (after the first two pretty rough ones), we got a lot accomplished, which made me feel good. even after a mediocre fish and chips dinner at a pub across the street from our hotel, i am in a good mood. i am looking forward to tomorrow, when i can sleep in, and maybe even see more of Abu Dhabi than the road between my hotel and the office. i've taken some pictures, which i'll upload to kodakgallery sometime in the next couple of days to send to you all...
10/07/06 Saturday
finally today I got out to see more of the city than what lies between my office and my hotel. I think I'm getting a little more adjusted to the heat, because I don't start to sweat as soon as I walk outside anymore. Steve and I ventured to "Heritage Village, which is supposed to be an open air museum which shows the traditional ways of Bedouin life (before oil was discovered in the region and all the development that ensued). unfortunately, as might have been expected due to Ramadan, it wasn't open, but we still wandered around the outside and caught a glimpse of some barasti (traditional huts with palm leaf roofs) and fishing boats. There were also great views of the Arabian (i.e. Persian) Gulf looking toward downtown Abu Dhabi.
There was another mall nearby (surprise surprise), so we checked it out… and then headed to what is supposedly the most extravagant hotel in the city (the Emirates Palace Hotel). Rooms start at 2,900 UAE Dirhams ($800) and go up to 51,000 for the 6,000 sq. ft. "Palace Suite" (roughly $14,000). I think the cost of the hotel I'm in for a month is equivalent to only a few nights in the cheapest of rooms at the Emirates Palace. They have a movie theater, and an auditorium where they present broadway shows, a couple of pools, golf course, etc. I guess I'll stay there on my next visit!
Facts of the day:
10/08/06 Sunday
when i'm in the office i feel as if i could be in new york, pittsburgh, paris, or anywhere, considering i don't have a view, and even if i did, there's a Pizza Hut opposite our building. globalization...harumph!
other general observations about Abu Dhabi (then i promise i'll send the darn e-mail!):
xo/bisous, cat
hi all,
here are some thoughts about my first week here in the UAE. Desolee pour ceux qui ne parlent que francais... je n'ai pas eu le temps de tout traduire...
10/05/06 Thursday
i arrived safely in abu dhabi on tuesday evening after approximately 18 hours of travelling, and a reasonably decent night's sleep on Emirates air, and then quickly jumped into work on Wednesday morning. the last two days have been long and tiring, but the weekend here starts on Friday, so tomorrow will give me a bit of rest. this means that i can sleep until 8:30 a.m. instead of getting up at 7:30, because even though the client won't be there, we have a deadline on Sunday, so my colleague, Steve, and I still have to go in to the office (!)
my exploration of the city has been limited so far, but the two things that have struck me are the extreme weather conditions and the interesting hours that the population keeps during the muslim holy month of Ramadan. first: the weather: it is too hot and humid to walk the less than one mile from my hotel to the office, because carrying my laptop and wearing work clothes, i'd be drenched by the time i got there. everything inside is air condidioned (almost too much), and the difference between the indoor and outdoor climate is so extreme that my glasses fog up when i go outside. in the evenings it cools off a little, but it's still quite warm (like being in the nyc subway on a seriously hot and humid day).
as for the Ramadan schedule, most shops and restaurants are
closed during the day, and reopen for Iftar, the evening meal that breaks the daily fast (around 6 p.m., or whenever it starts to get dark). then everything stays open (grocery stores, cell phone shops, malls) until about midnight or 1 a.m. so people are milling around every night really late. we went to the Abu Dhabi mall to wander around this evening, and aside from all the people in traditional Islamic dress, I would have thought I was in New Jersey or something. 10/06/06 Friday
tonight, for some reason, i'm feeling a lot of affection for this city despite the fact that i know little to nothing about it... even though Friday's are officially the weekend here, Steve and I had to work anyway, but the day went well (after the first two pretty rough ones), we got a lot accomplished, which made me feel good. even after a mediocre fish and chips dinner at a pub across the street from our hotel, i am in a good mood. i am looking forward to tomorrow, when i can sleep in, and maybe even see more of Abu Dhabi than the road between my hotel and the office. i've taken some pictures, which i'll upload to kodakgallery sometime in the next couple of days to send to you all...
10/07/06 Saturday
finally today I got out to see more of the city than what lies between my office and my hotel. I think I'm getting a little more adjusted to the heat, because I don't start to sweat as soon as I walk outside anymore. Steve and I ventured to "Heritage Village, which is supposed to be an open air museum which shows the traditional ways of Bedouin life (before oil was discovered in the region and all the development that ensued). unfortunately, as might have been expected due to Ramadan, it wasn't open, but we still wandered around the outside and caught a glimpse of some barasti (traditional huts with palm leaf roofs) and fishing boats. There were also great views of the Arabian (i.e. Persian) Gulf looking toward downtown Abu Dhabi.
There was another mall nearby (surprise surprise), so we checked it out… and then headed to what is supposedly the most extravagant hotel in the city (the Emirates Palace Hotel). Rooms start at 2,900 UAE Dirhams ($800) and go up to 51,000 for the 6,000 sq. ft. "Palace Suite" (roughly $14,000). I think the cost of the hotel I'm in for a month is equivalent to only a few nights in the cheapest of rooms at the Emirates Palace. They have a movie theater, and an auditorium where they present broadway shows, a couple of pools, golf course, etc. I guess I'll stay there on my next visit!
Facts of the day:
- Abu Dhabi means "Father of the Gazelle"
- The city had the tallest unsupported flagpole in the world (123 m) until Jordan erected a taller one (126 m) in 2003.
10/08/06 Sunday
when i'm in the office i feel as if i could be in new york, pittsburgh, paris, or anywhere, considering i don't have a view, and even if i did, there's a Pizza Hut opposite our building. globalization...harumph!
other general observations about Abu Dhabi (then i promise i'll send the darn e-mail!):
- the taxi to resident ratio must be similar to that of new york. little white toyota corollas with green taxi lights on the roof must outnumber the other cars on the road!
- men hold hands with men in public as a sign of friendship/affection
- people here are crazy drivers... pedestrians beware!
- restaurant and hotel staff are *extremely* polite...ALL the time. "sirs" and "madams" abound.
- lots of (very vocal) stray cats
xo/bisous, cat
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