Values are defined differently by all, and in an ideal world, those differences would be accepted by all. Whether the values are personal or religious, they offer you rules to live by, things to stray away from, even a bit of a backbone. Values can define a person; values can make you just who you want to be.
One of the values that I have found totally remarkable here in Abu Dhabi, and in Middle Eastern countries overall, is the religious value of excluding alcohol from their lives; it is a religious sin to consume alcohol.
With that being said, I think that it is amazing, that a society, a group of people, an individual can have a great time, even with the absence of alcohol. The mere idea, which American's are fond of, that a good time can't be had without the magic potion, and yet, I am consumed by a group of people that prove that to be wrong.
As someone that doesn't drink alcohol, not very much/to very little/if at all, I have found a great appreciation in being able to hang out with people from this region, and have an absolute fabulous time, all based on the person/personality of an individual.
For example, my friend Mo. He and his roomie live four floors below us, in the same apartment complex. He is a local Emirati, practicing Muslim, and very abiding. He does the clubbing, going to bars, and partying...just like everyone else, but doesn't drink alcohol. He alone has a fascinating personality, but the fact that it continues to shine through in a bar/club atmosphere, he is comical at any given time, and he (we) has a great time WITHOUT a drop of alcohol, is all a relief.
A good time can be had, by all, without alcohol. You value a true personality, the time you spend with your friends, and the place you spend your time, instead of seeing everything in a fog. Likewise, less problems are bound to occur without the presence of alcohol...people aren't drinking and driving, fighting, causing trouble, etc.
It is all a fresh breath of air, being surround by people that can appreciate greater things in life, and have a great time doing it!
Friday, January 21, 2011
Everybody Is Doing It....
As the old saying goes, "if everybody jumps off a bridge, are you going to jump too?" Well, no, I wouldn't jump off a bridge....that is a bit extreme (and scary). But, as for daily acts in life, if everyone else is doing it, can't I??
I should have known, or at least learned, since this is a childhood lesson that we are all brought up on...it isn't okay to do what everyone else is....someone is going to get caught eventually. And, knowing my luck, I should have known, it would be me.
Parking in the great place of Abu Dhabi is a struggle...anywhere you go, anytime of the day, and any car that you drive; The architects forgot to create parking when they created these extraordinary buildings. So, off to the store we go....
My friends, Michelle and Sev, and I decided to do a little bit of shopping at Marks and Spencers one day. Pulling into the parking lot, and circling a couple of times, we were coming up empty handed on the parking spaces.
*NOTE: Parking in Abu Dhabi is random. Since parking is such a hardship, you find that people park in the most random places. You park in normal parking places, on curbs, down the middle of streets (where the yellow or white stripe would be), etc. Parking down the center stripe is a normalcy here...you would think. (END NOTE)*
Well, low and behold, we come around a corner to see ONE spot....parallel parking, down the center strip, just like everyone else....about 70 other cars parked this way. Parked and ready to go....shopping here we come!
It was a short shopping trip, we were done and out of there within a 2 hour time period. Dinner was awaiting, along with the wallets becoming empty, so to the car we stroll....
Plastered nicely to the windshield was a nice little ticket....along with the other 70 cars that were parked like me. The little guy, wearing the little blue vest, that I now want to run over with my car, had ticketed ALL of us for illegal parking!! Everyone does it, EVERYWHERE in Abu Dhabi (because of the lack in parking), and TODAY it is illegal?? And TODAY, I get a FIVE HUNDRED DIRHAM (about $150 American dollars) ticket?? REALLY, are you serious?? Tis the season!
Well, remembering where I am, the full American doesn't come out...where as I would have come unglued and probably ripped someone a new one, I kindly tried to speak to a police officer about the ticket. But, of course, the one I find doesn't speak English! URGHHH!
So, again, remembering where I am....I "kindly" paid my UNFAIR ticket on Wednesday of last week....500 Dirhams, down the toilet. May that be the last of the tickets, INSHALLAH, and may I NEVER find myself in the Abu Dhabi Department of Transportation again! :(
The End!
I should have known, or at least learned, since this is a childhood lesson that we are all brought up on...it isn't okay to do what everyone else is....someone is going to get caught eventually. And, knowing my luck, I should have known, it would be me.
Parking in the great place of Abu Dhabi is a struggle...anywhere you go, anytime of the day, and any car that you drive; The architects forgot to create parking when they created these extraordinary buildings. So, off to the store we go....
My friends, Michelle and Sev, and I decided to do a little bit of shopping at Marks and Spencers one day. Pulling into the parking lot, and circling a couple of times, we were coming up empty handed on the parking spaces.
*NOTE: Parking in Abu Dhabi is random. Since parking is such a hardship, you find that people park in the most random places. You park in normal parking places, on curbs, down the middle of streets (where the yellow or white stripe would be), etc. Parking down the center stripe is a normalcy here...you would think. (END NOTE)*
Well, low and behold, we come around a corner to see ONE spot....parallel parking, down the center strip, just like everyone else....about 70 other cars parked this way. Parked and ready to go....shopping here we come!
It was a short shopping trip, we were done and out of there within a 2 hour time period. Dinner was awaiting, along with the wallets becoming empty, so to the car we stroll....
Plastered nicely to the windshield was a nice little ticket....along with the other 70 cars that were parked like me. The little guy, wearing the little blue vest, that I now want to run over with my car, had ticketed ALL of us for illegal parking!! Everyone does it, EVERYWHERE in Abu Dhabi (because of the lack in parking), and TODAY it is illegal?? And TODAY, I get a FIVE HUNDRED DIRHAM (about $150 American dollars) ticket?? REALLY, are you serious?? Tis the season!
Well, remembering where I am, the full American doesn't come out...where as I would have come unglued and probably ripped someone a new one, I kindly tried to speak to a police officer about the ticket. But, of course, the one I find doesn't speak English! URGHHH!
So, again, remembering where I am....I "kindly" paid my UNFAIR ticket on Wednesday of last week....500 Dirhams, down the toilet. May that be the last of the tickets, INSHALLAH, and may I NEVER find myself in the Abu Dhabi Department of Transportation again! :(
The End!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
I say Hello, You say Goodbye...
We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day. -Edith Lovejoy Pierce
Hello 2011 and Goodbye 2010!!
Each year I tell myself that I am going to loose weight, become better organized with my life, and do new things. And although I started some of those in 2010, I still have more to do.
- In 2010, I started doing new things: I moved 7,000 miles away from home and I am living/working in Abu Dhabi.
- I have lost weight, not quite to my goal weight, but I am getting there....slowly but surely.
- Organized life...at this rate I don't think anything can be organized. I am in a new country with everything new to do....so life will be as organized as possible. Most of my life here is not and is very last minute.
Ringing in the new year, Abu Dhabi style:
Some of my friends and I went to a house party. Mingling with all sorts, meeting new people and old friends...the night was full of good laughs and memories.
Well, here it is, a new year. A new year with a clean slate, new choices, and new opportunities.
I have decided NOT to set goals this year, for I don't want to fail at them. Instead, I am following in the footsteps of a friend of mine, whom I think has a GREAT way of making New Year Resolutions, and I am going to name my year! So in the midst of a thyroid issue, knee surgery, and laziness....I am naming this my "YEAR OF HEALTH!"
In this year of health, I am going to become a healthier person, inside and out. I am going to better myself throughout the year in prep to yet another new year.
Anywhere but home....
Life abroad has led to so many cool experiences, the ability to meet so many new people, and a new life. And with that new life, there has to be new traditions made. I had not thought about such simple things, until the month of November rolled around. Thanksgiving had come and passed so quickly, I almost didn't realize the holidays were here!
Thanksgiving is a holiday, a day to really think about what you have to be grateful for. It is an appreciated holiday, but not my all time favorite. It is a holiday that puts me in my place, reunites family members after a long year, and basically starts the "holiday" season. Thanksgiving is the start to all good to come....it is the reminder that my FAVORITE holiday is right around the corner. CHRISTMAS!
This year, 2010, Thanksgiving was spent in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. I had spent it with friends, around the city....just like any other day. It was okay that I wasn't at home, for I had missed Thanksgiving with the family before. Those long drives from Lubbock to Austin often times made me rethink the visit. So, it was normal/okay not being at "home" in Austin. The hardship would only come after.
This holiday season is different...for many reasons. First, being in a country where Christmas isn't celebrated, really can put a damper on the holiday season. Sure, the National Day lights are still illuminating the streets of Abu Dhabi...they are even red and green. There are stores with Christmas trees and Christmas decorations, but it isn't like home. I wasn't able to pull all my boxes down from the garage and decorate my home like a winter wonderland. But, then again, I am not at home in America. So, needless to say, this holiday season was a bit hard. Communication is hard....where I would usually call or send a text to friends to say "Happy Holidays", I didn't....it is too costly. Where I would usually be sitting around a fire with family and friends, I wasn't....I was in Abu Dhabi. Where I would be shopping and wrapping Christmas presents, I wasn't. Where I would be wrapping Christmas bandannas around my dog's necks, I didn't...I don't have them with me. And where I THOUGHT I would be spending Christmas in Abu Dhabi, semi- alone....I wasn't, there was an alternative.
There were very few of us that stayed back in the Emirates. A lot of people either went home or had a big trip planned. I had not thought that far in advance, but little did I know a trip was in my near future.
Last minute, within a 48 hour period, a friend and I decided to take a trip. We were going to be anywhere but home, so we decided to go to Turkey (Istanbul). By golly, we weren't going to spend it alone, we were going to spend the holidays doing something fun!
Since coming over to the UAE, I haven't taken any major trips...just around Abu Dhabi and Dubai. So going to Turkey was going to be GREAT! Heck, if I am not spending it with family and friends back home, why not spend it with friends traveling! :)
Istanbul, Turkey
What a fantastic experience! A country so rich in history, beauty, and atmosphere! It was so easy to fall in love with the country and it's people, it was hard to leave. The buildings and museums that make Turkey what it is, they were amazing to see. The streets of Turkey and everything they had to offer people/tourists. We had an absolute blast and I would highly recommend a trip there! I will definitely return for another trip.
Thanksgiving is a holiday, a day to really think about what you have to be grateful for. It is an appreciated holiday, but not my all time favorite. It is a holiday that puts me in my place, reunites family members after a long year, and basically starts the "holiday" season. Thanksgiving is the start to all good to come....it is the reminder that my FAVORITE holiday is right around the corner. CHRISTMAS!
This year, 2010, Thanksgiving was spent in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. I had spent it with friends, around the city....just like any other day. It was okay that I wasn't at home, for I had missed Thanksgiving with the family before. Those long drives from Lubbock to Austin often times made me rethink the visit. So, it was normal/okay not being at "home" in Austin. The hardship would only come after.
This holiday season is different...for many reasons. First, being in a country where Christmas isn't celebrated, really can put a damper on the holiday season. Sure, the National Day lights are still illuminating the streets of Abu Dhabi...they are even red and green. There are stores with Christmas trees and Christmas decorations, but it isn't like home. I wasn't able to pull all my boxes down from the garage and decorate my home like a winter wonderland. But, then again, I am not at home in America. So, needless to say, this holiday season was a bit hard. Communication is hard....where I would usually call or send a text to friends to say "Happy Holidays", I didn't....it is too costly. Where I would usually be sitting around a fire with family and friends, I wasn't....I was in Abu Dhabi. Where I would be shopping and wrapping Christmas presents, I wasn't. Where I would be wrapping Christmas bandannas around my dog's necks, I didn't...I don't have them with me. And where I THOUGHT I would be spending Christmas in Abu Dhabi, semi- alone....I wasn't, there was an alternative.
There were very few of us that stayed back in the Emirates. A lot of people either went home or had a big trip planned. I had not thought that far in advance, but little did I know a trip was in my near future.
Last minute, within a 48 hour period, a friend and I decided to take a trip. We were going to be anywhere but home, so we decided to go to Turkey (Istanbul). By golly, we weren't going to spend it alone, we were going to spend the holidays doing something fun!
Since coming over to the UAE, I haven't taken any major trips...just around Abu Dhabi and Dubai. So going to Turkey was going to be GREAT! Heck, if I am not spending it with family and friends back home, why not spend it with friends traveling! :)
Istanbul, Turkey
What a fantastic experience! A country so rich in history, beauty, and atmosphere! It was so easy to fall in love with the country and it's people, it was hard to leave. The buildings and museums that make Turkey what it is, they were amazing to see. The streets of Turkey and everything they had to offer people/tourists. We had an absolute blast and I would highly recommend a trip there! I will definitely return for another trip.
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