Reflections from home: When in Dubai...

... you'll get a sore neck from looking up at the amazing architecture!

Entering the city, there are skyscapers everywhere. I took as many photos as I could and was lucky that the camera in my Ipad was quick enough. P.S. I don't know what I would have done without my Ipad on this trip... sigh, every traveler should have one!

One of the many tunnels that people use to
cross the huge highway. It appeared to me
that they should belong in Star Trek!
These tunnels are so huge and
science fiction-like. 

The Royal Moscow Ballet was in Dubai!
Oh, how I would have loved to see  them in the Middle East!
I have seen them before, but they are so amazing. 

Passing a round-about. One must be
very skilled and have much courage
to enter it. I cannot image being in
Driver's Education and having to
master this.. gulp!

Residential home.

Motorcycles outside of the Biker's Cafe,
where we had lunch.

Note about this lunch: During the meal, Emilee and I noticed that there was a  European tourist group a table  away from us. There was a girl about our  age in the group. She had the sourest look on her face and it was very evident that she was jealous! She kept sneaking looks at our table. We believe she was jealous that she was not enjoying a lunch with locals and that she was missing out on our conversations and relationship building! Therefore, I must say that it pays to be a student teacher abroad because we were able to "get in" on opportunities that others typically do not.
Education is power. 

Note: Dates were everywhere in the U.A.E. They are very sweet and are to us like very large raisins or figs. Date syrup was available at this lunch. It was incredibly thick and sweet; I could not indulge in a second bite. 

Dr. Prenn's roll-ups.

The other ladies had ordered various
breads with date syrup and cream
cheese. They let us share and try a
little bit of everything. The women
were very kind in asking us how
we liked Dubai and the U.A.E.
thus far. With our mouth full of the
yummy food, we were somehow
able to respond with, "we do!" They
continued to tell us of what to see and
what to do while in Dubai.

My lunch: Spanish omelet with whole wheat
toast, beef bacon, beans, broiled tomatoes,
water, and a blackberry smoothie.
Add a fresh flower in a glass full of sand from
a nearby Dubai beach and you're set!

Dubai skyline. Notice the parking lot: this was one of the few parking lots that was not completely covered with a large tarp to protect from the deadly sun.

Onto the Dubai mall. Here is
a glimpse at the ceiling. It is
as though an excited child threw
glitter up at the ceiling and
there it remained. The
most beautiful part
about the ceiling is seemed to
be alive.. it twinkled back
and forth, even as you stood
still. 

Brunetti, an Italian cafe that we ate at later. 

Truth.

Bread just showing off how rad it is.

Just watching the man in the window make
beautiful cakes.. 

Opening dome to the old Souk within
the Dubai mall. 

Reflections from home: When the henna starts to fade

Taken the week of May 13, 2013

I never saw myself as a becoming a blogger. I’m still not. Even when I was in one of the most beautiful, exciting places on Earth, I lacked the spark to go and tell the world about what I was experiencing. I felt bad about it, truly, until I realized that that is the whole point. One needs to be present in the moment instead of stealing away from it to write about it. Or put it on Facebook. Or Tweet it. Or Snapchat, or whatever your mode of social media is. Much joy is lost in not living in the present.  Therefore, reader, here I am now beginning to reflect from home about the lovely land under the same sun as you and I.

I must tell you that Abu Dhabi memories come back to me like pockets of sunshine that appear on your windshield as you pass under a tree. They pass over me when I am doing my laundry, meeting new friends on my college campus from other areas of the world, drinking coffee in Barnes and Noble while facing the travel section, or other God-nudging tasks. So I greet the memory and return to that moment in time. I am so grateful for these mini-vacations because I fear that someday I will forget the trip entirely. I fear that when the henna on my feet starts to fade, my memories will, too. But, that cannot be so. My hope is that this blog will preserve my memories like one of the seashell museums we encountered in Dubai. This blog will be a very small museum with few exhibits, mind you, but it is enough for me.

More to come, reader, more to come. I just need another tree to pass under. 

Taken May 23, 2013