Christmas break in Jordan

Aaah Jordan! What a magical place... Though it's been a couple of months since my visit to this amazing country, I can't leave Dubai without writing a bit about Jordan and my unforgettable experience. This year, I spent Christmas away from family and close friends. Though it was difficult being so far away, a bit of home was brought to me when Boima made his 2nd visit back to Dubai! Great big meals (yes plural) were made; an epic Christmas dinner a lo boliviano, Sierra Leoniano y Americano. mmm good!

Despues de Navidad, a viajar se dijo! Jordan, like many of the other countries I visited since moving here, is full of ancient history. Our first stop was Amman, the capital of Jordan. Next was Petra...a city more than 2000 years old! I wish I could find the adequate words to describe this place, but words nor pictures can truly depict what it was like to walk through this ancient city. The countless silent, dark tombs, diligent donkeys, new and old rock formations and theincredible architecturegives you a hint of what life was like back in the 1500s BC.

Bedouin culture is well represented here. They are very happy, humble, and generous people:)

Though I could write an entire blog about Petra, I also want to leave space to share some pictures of other majestic sites that were visited on this trip.

After traveling from the Red Sea, to the Dead Sea, visiting Mt. Nebo and standing in the same are where Moses saw the Promised Land, Walking between the borders of Jordan and Israel and standing in the spot where Jesus was baptized, I don't know if I could pick only one highlight from this trip. All I do know is that I feel very fortunate to have added such a spiritual, breath-taking, straight out of a history book experience to my book of traveling memoirs! Next trip..India with la mia mama!! Can't wait:)

Wedding in Kerala

What a treat! I spent last weekend in Kerala, India. Thili, a crucial employee at ASD, invited a couple of teachers and staff to help celebrate Meenakshy's wedding in their hometown. Meenakshy is Thili's only daughter so you can imagine the amount of time, effort, and planning that went into this very special event. I have only positive things to say about Kerala and this short, but eventful experience. The people are genuinely kind and loving, the food is amazing, and the scenery is so perfectly natural. It was great to see outdoor markets, kiosks, juice stands, narrow roads, old cars, real trees (in masses), and lots and lots of smiles!

Fresh Coconuts!
Elephants getting cleaned right outside a temple.

Tipaza la abu de la novia!

mmm mmm good! Comi con mis manos :)

The happy couple Sajin Dev and Meenakshy. So beautiful!

Soooo thankful for Thili! This trip was a great, humbling experience and I feel so very lucky to have shared this with

him and his beautiful family.

Next trip... Jordan!

Lebanon land

I just got back from a 5 day trip to beautiful Lebanon. I hadn't done a whole lot of research before I left... ok ok, for those of you who know me well, I hadn't done any research/planning before I left. Just got a couple of recommendations from friends and coworkers. Luckily I traveled with a great group of friends who coordinated day trips to Baalbek, Harissa, and Byblos.
We arrived in Beirut at around 6 am. With little sleep and not being able to check into our hotel until 3pm, Christine, Nick, Peter, Adam and I decided to wander around Beirut city and check out some sites. Immediately you notice how rich Beirut is in culture and history. We walked along a popular area called Rouche. Lebanese men were selling coffee on the Corniche, fishermen were testing their luck to fill up their buckets, and couples were giggling on benches and sharing romantic Arabic phrases. All of this was happening on a lovely morning surrounded by the Pigeon Rocks...a perfect spot to join the relaxed environment, sit close to the water and enjoy some good shisha and cafe con leche.

Day two was spent in Baalbek. Nato joined us for this one! We spend the day in a magnificent site that represents the monumental Roman period. Temples and ruins more than 9,000 years old are still standing in this site. Something I was struck by is how central this place is. As we pulled up in our 20 plus seater bus, I thought I was in any old neighborhood packed with apartment buildings, dirty balconies covered in hanging clothes, and one or two pharmacies on the corner. The minute our bus driver pointed to the right and said Baalbek, I was amazed to see two completely different time periods partnering each other and belonging in the exact same location. Muy increible!We spent day 3 in Beirut. We walked around the city and got to see a European influenced Beirut. In the middle of downtown where all modern hotels stood tall, and fancy restaurants embraced the water, it was again amazing to see how this modern time period meshed with an older, sadder part of Lebanese history. Close to the Intercontinental hotel stood the Holiday Inn, not occupied by guests but standing as a symbol for the 2006 Lebanon war, stained with thousands of bullet holes and burn marks.
Day 4 was Byblos. Another relaxing day in the Mediterranean city surrounded by ancient ports dating back to 5000BC. Byblos has the reputation of being the oldest city in the world! This day ended with delicious camarones and a fabulous sunset:)

Now I can add one more middle eastern country to my traveling list. I am looking forward to expand this list and keep enjoying the incredible high that comes with traveling.
Next trip Kochi, India...

Ramadan Kareem!

Ramadan this year began the 11 of August. Since living in the UAE, this will be my 2nd Ramadan experience. As most of you know, during this month, Muslims fast and abstain from evil actions, thoughts, and words. When the sun goes down, Muslims break their fast by celebrating Iftar. This year I was fortunate enough to attend an Iftar dinner at the Sheikh Muhammad Centre for Cultural Understanding. Here, Emirates hosted a 3 hour event encouraging all visitors to come with an open mind through their open doors. Their aim was to raise awareness about the Emirate culture. The night began with amazing, traditional Emirate dishes.

As everybody enjoyed their meal, a few volunteers, both men and women approached all visitors and talked to us in small groups. They were very enthusiastic and encouraged us to as questions. While some emirates engaged in conversations with their guests, others responded to the call to prayer.

We then headed to the mosque, or as I later found out by Nasif (our guide), should be called Masjid not mosque because segun dicen... it is derogatory, stemming from the word mosquito when King Ferdinad, during the Christian invasion, wanted to swat out Muslim prayer houses like mosquitos.

Here I am with Christine and some of the new teachers this year. We had to cover up before entering.

We then walked back in a blazing 122F weather. Towards the end of the visit, there was dessert, (including camel milk chocolate!) and more questions to be asked. I learned that women's traditional garment was made for transportation purposes, as it was convenient to put on over light clothing and cover their face/eyes from the desert sands. The abaya can be styled in endless ways, as Emirate women have the option of purchasing one off the rack or creating their own design and having it stitched on.

This leather mask (and yes they are leather, not metal) is called a burga. Older more traditional emirate women wear it. Nasif called it "cheap facial" because women wear a lotion under the leather parts that is supposed to be good for their skin. Not only does the burga protect their face from the sun, but some women also use it to signal that they are married.

As the night came to an end, I knew that my perspective on Emirate culture would never be the same. One thing that really stuck out to me is hearing the volunteers emphasize the fact that Emirates only make up 20% of the population. They are considered a minority. And like any minority group in the world, out of need, they must create initiatives that will preserve their culture and defend their rights. I am extremely grateful for this experience as I was able to get to know the Emirate culture in a different light. This has helped me appreciate living here a little bit more and I am now much more enthusiastic about venturing out to discover other hidden treasures like this one.

Back in the UAE

After a long summer break to beautiful South America (Bolivia, Peru, and Colombia) I made it back to Dubai for another year of teaching. I was looking forward to work at a brand new campus, about 5 minutes away from my apartment...but things didn't quite work out that way. Elementary is still at the old Jumeirah campus and this is what my classroom currently looks like!

...stay tuned for an after pic.

So after about 2 hours of unpacking and feeling a bit overwhelmed about the work that lied ahead of me, I decided to go home and look who I bumped into! Meet my neighbor Emanuella. At only 1 1/2 yrs. old she manages to dismiss the worry I picked up during my classroom visit:)

Que linda no?!

khob-kun-Ka THAILAND

Out of the 5 big trips I took since I've been here, I must say Thailand is high up there in the rankings. We've seen pictures of this beautiful country filled with plenty of beaches and palm trees, and curries and mangoes with sticky rice. Yes, I definitely enjoyed eating dollar meals (delicious $1 meals) and getting $7 massages...but I think the main reason Thailand is such a special place for me is because of people's genuine kindness. I was positively overwhelmed with how AMABLE everyone is. Even our Tuk-Tuk driver/scammer was nice! It was hard to get mad at him for taking us for a ride (literally).
I was in Bangkok for an Educators conference and then took off with Adam, a coworker of mine, to the islands. After 4 days of workshops in busy Bangkok, we decided to get away to Ko Phangan, a lovely, tranquil, white sand place. Again people were friendly, the food was amazing (yummy pineapple), and hundreds of free Thai smiles:) My Thai buddy here to the right & up ------> is no exception!
For those who haven't been, I recommend you go. Your mind will be at ease, your face will naturally glow with smiles and your body will love you for the awesome massages. For those of you who have been, it's time to go back. When you book your trip, let me know...I would be more than glad and willing to join!
khob-kun-Ka (THANK YOU)

some spillage in the village

Well I did it again, I let another 2 months go by before I 'blog' away. Yesterday was St. Patty's day, and as tired as I was after school, I felt it was my duty to go out for a beer and represent the Irish in me. Nat was in Dubai for work so we decided to go to Irish village. When we got there I had another one of those moments "Am I really in Dubai?" I thought I was somewhere in Noe Valley celebrating with the Irish crowds in SF. The place was packed with people from Ireland, South Africa, Australia, England and even Brazil. There was Irish dancing, two 'lad's' rocking and lots and lots of guinness stands. Though I was proud to be celebrating this day con la Nato, as I was waiting for our second round, again it hit me that I was really in Dubai. A man in his mid 40s was leaving the guinness stand, balancing 2 pints on each hand, cuando de repente an Indian worker walked right by him to pick up trash. Remember the place is packed, so the Indian worker is doing his best to get by without bumbing into anyone. Aparantly his best wasn't enough for this jerk. I guess some spillage happened..and the dufus reacted by kicking the Indian worker on the leg. Instantly my blood boiled and as much as I wanted to yell at this piojo tuerto, no words came out of my mouth. I kept my eyes on the worker to see his reaction. All he did was give a nervous smile and kept walking to finish his job. I must admit I got teary eyed right away...my eyes kept following the worker, and as he got far out and turned around, the back of his shirt said "MAKE A DIFFERENCE." Me quede seca...sin palabras.