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:

• 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)