Al Ain Paradise Park

One of my teachers told me about Al Ain Paradise Park and I visited it today.  It is less than ten minutes from home.  It is absolutely spectacular!  My pictures are good, but I've included professional ones, including two video clips.

http://en.nkfu.com/al-ain-paradise/

Here are some of my photos.

Park Entrance -Whimsical Image of Metal Guy with Flower Baskets on His Handlebars and Behind Him

Section of Fence Surrounding the Park

Another View of the Fence

Guinness World Record Certificate

Arch Made of Hanging Baskets

The pictures in the link below are phenomenal!  

http://sathimanoj.hubpages.com/hub/Al-Ain-Paradise-park-The-Guinness-record-holder-for-Largest-Hanging-Garden

This next link below is for a ten minute video.  If time permits, this is a good one, too.  The music played on it is the typical sounding high energy Arab music.  Reminds me a lot of Latin music, with an added twist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7OUm2iuo1k

Before going to the park, I went shopping and picked up some new fruit I've been wanting to try.

Side note - The really hard to get down fruit that I mentioned in an earlier post and wasn't sure what it was, I saw them again today and it was guava.  Eating it was not a pleasant experience.

Interestingly, both of the fruits I purchased today were listed as strawberries, but I looked them up and have provided their actual names.

The above fruit is the mangosteen.   

This is what the mangosteen looks like when opened up and ready to eat.  (See directly above.  Sorry.  Having trouble adding captions).  It has a rubbery texture, kind of like calamari, but sweet.  It looks a lot like a clove of garlic.  There is a seed to eat around in the middle.  The following is a link with more info - http://www.mangosteenfruitinfo.com/.

This fruit is rambutan - above.  This variety is from Thailand.  

This is what it looks like when opened and ready to eat.  It, too, is rubbery but sweet.  Different flavor, and sweet.  There's a seed in the middle of this one, too.  More info on this fruit can be found here - http://www.wikihow.com/Eat-a-Rambutan

That's it for today folks.  I'm a tired momma. 

Your blogging buddy

New Do

Left work today and raced to the spa.  I was scheduled for a pedicure and waxing - eyebrows - but I decided to add a manicure and a haircut.

There was a young lady there with a really sassy cut, and I wanted that one.  What I got was a more conservative  version of that, but I'm happy with it.  What do you think?

It's OK.  I can handle the brutal honesty.

On second thought, lie to me.

If you're wondering if I took the picture myself in my bathroom, you're right.  A limitation of living alone is having to resort to this.  I could knock on my ghetto fabulous neighbor's door, but I'm not up for ghetto tonight.

Side note - Thank God, my internet download speed is working and working fabulously.  I tried it before leaving for school today, and the downloads were zipping through, lightning fast.  No need for a serviceman on Saturday.

I didn't get home until 8:00 again tonight.  I'm looking forward to lots of rest and relaxation this weekend.

Although I do have to make up a few Arabic classes I've missed, and that happens on Saturday.  If the guy wasn't such a good teacher, I'd probably drop it.  It's hard doing any mental exercise after work.  My brain is usually fried and needing to rest after 3:00pm.

Side note 2 - A Maserati passed me on the road when I was in Abu Dhabi earlier this week.

Side note 3 - The toilet paper here is different.  I think it's two-ply, but the paper is very loosely rolled, so you go through rolls really fast.  Most of it feels like sandpaper, but I found one brand that's wonderfully soft and the rolls are standard size.  Yes, I have a closet full of it.  When I see it, I buy it.

In my last year of college, my youngest brother (Terry, a year older than me, now deceased), shared an apartment.  That was about the time that generic brands became readily available.  When we shopped, he was adamant about buying name brand toilet paper.  He taught me that generic brands just don't cut it for every thing.  Toilet paper is one of those sacred things.  Spend the extra nickel or dime or whatever it is and enjoy the comfort that only quality toilet paper can bring.

OK.  Now that this conversation/monologue/chat, has gone to the toilet - literally - it's probably a sign that I've run out of things to say.  Not so, but it's a good place to stop nonetheless.

My weekend begins now.

Happy Thursday to you!

Still Staring

Ok.  By now I should be used to seeing guys rub noses and walking hand-in-hand, but I still find myself staring.  These are not things you see everyday.

Like my fascination with the camels, I'm equally moved by the affection that guys show toward each other.    Knowing how they view homosexuality as another forbidden fruit, it's interesting that these "friendly" gestures are not perceived as anything but that, friendly.

Side note - It doesn't appear that birthdays are recognized.  I was watching some 2nd graders today and and asked several of them when there birthday was, and no one could answer the question.

Side note 2 - There are no guidelines as to what age a child is when he/she starts school.  One of my first grade teachers pointed out one of her students that's a tiny thing.  We're guessing she's about four.  We have boys in fifth grade that need to shave.  Full mustaches.  Some of the women, too, but that's for another day.  There is a girl in fourth grade that is probably at least thirteen.  She's my height and has to wear an abaya instead of the uniform the other girls wear because she's outgrown them.

Side note 3 - When does a side note become the main point?

Anyway.

I left home at 6:00 this morning and arrived back here at 7:45 tonight.  Long day, but very productive, thank God.  I will never complain (OK, almost never) because I took advantage of the time I had before work started and I had a blast.  So, now it's time to get busy about the reason that I'm here.  I'm good with that.

Side note 4 - I more than tripled my internet download speed - that took the patience of Job to get done by the way - but I'm still having slow movement and sputtering problems.  I know the problem is not my computer and I don't think it's Tyrone (my wireless router), so I've got a serviceman coming over on Saturday to get to the bottom of this mystery, once and for all.

Side note 5 - Just tried to watch a movie trailer.  The download is still sputtering. Spitting.  Starting and stopping.  Aggravating.  Of course, it could be worse.  It could be that this great resource wasn't available at all.  Only snail mail or and the occasional phone call was the only communication vehicle available not that long ago.  It's a little funky, but it could be a whole lot worse.  Another reason why the timing of my being here is perfect.

I've stalled long enough.  I have to go to bed.  I'm downloading Glee while I sleep, so it'll be my treat to myself tomorrow night.  Yep.  I'm a Gleek.  An old one, but one nonetheless.

Good night to me and good morning to you.

Have a terrific day!



 

Pleasantly Surprised

The meeting in Abu Dhabi was beneficial.  I left there feeling I could use the information tomorrow.  That rarely happens at these things.

The lead person was a veteran administrator from Nashville, Tennessee.  He had lots of real life stories that helped to make his points more interesting and noteworthy.  Here's hoping he's available to facilitate all the rest of the meetings.

On the way to Abu Dhabi, I was mesmerized once again by the beauty of the sand dunes.  And again, I struggle to describe their enormity and their grandeur.  They look like mountains of cooking flour that's golden brown.  It reminds me of the color and texture of roux, used for making gumbo.  Basically, you're browning flour to a deep brown shade before adding it to the other ingredients.  Before it gets to deep brown, it is golden.  The sand is so fine it has the texture of flour.  It moves in the slightest breeze.  I can't imagine what a sand storm looks like.  Blinding, I'm sure.

The school was easy to find, now that I understand how to add the GPS coordinates.  The principal was an elegant Black woman from England, who welcomed us warmly and offered to give tours, if we so desired, to see the entire plant.  The building was magnificent.  It is a school that is visited by dignitaries often, and it was easy to see why.  It was student-centered with lots of their work on display, but the displays themselves were done so nicely, it looked like professionals hung them.

It is tri-lingual.  Students will leave there reading, writing and speaking three languages fluently:  Arabic, English and Chinese Mandarin.  I wondered why there were Chinese lanterns hanging throughout the foyer and main hallway.  The staff includes Arab, Western and Chinese teachers.  Quite a mix.

We were in a multipurpose room that had five meeting tables for working, and about eight tables behind them were set for lunch.  Beautifully setup.  Of course, there was a staff that was serving us coffee, tea, water, juice and pastries throughout the meeting.

Here's a picture of the front of the school.  It doesn't do it justice, but I hope that you can see the little door for the kids to use.  Too cute!

There's a lady in an abaya walking out of the main door.  The kiddie door is to the left.   There's one of the other side, too.  The principal says the kids love using them.

All of the new schools are painted in wonderfully bright and cheerful primary colors.  This one is mainly yellow trimmed in red and blue.  Ours is blue.

When I left the school I stopped by a mall.  Now remember the malls in Abu Dhabi are massive, draped in elegance.  By these standards, this one wasn't awesome, but it did have something I have not seen before.  A three story high aquarium that wrapped around the elevator.  An amazing sight!  

Who thinks of these things?

Elevator aquarium

What new thing did you see today?  Or maybe noticed, really noticed, for the first time?

Go Giants!

I was thrilled to hear that the Giants won the Super Bowl.  Go Eli!

I didn't figure out how to record the game, so I didn't see it, but I did see the commercials online.  My favorites - the man and dog coming to an agreement about the missing cat and the Clint Eastwood one about Detroit.

Side note - Downloading them to watch was spotty, so I increased my download speed.  Many things are inexpensive here.  Internet service is not one of them.  It's vital to me, so I'll willing to bite the bullet and pay top dirham for it.

Shifting gears.

It's late.  I should be in bed, but I just got home from a hospital visit.  My principal's mother has had a reoccurrence of cancer, and recently hospitalized.  This was a first time experience in a "real" hospital.  Oasis Hospital is more of a clinic, although they do perform surgeries.

At any rate, she was in a VIP Suite.  Huge room with two adjoining rooms for guests.  Nannies were present taking care of the babies and small children.  I'm not sure if her accommodations were her family's decision or if it was because she's a national.  I think it's the later.

My principal shared with me that her mother will see a specialist in Singapore, and everything about that trip will be paid for by the government, including the cost of two escorts going with her and their housing while they're there.

Side note 2 - Yes.  The pressure is on to find an Emirati to marry.  If for no other reason, to get the benefits.  Remember, his being able to have up to four wives is OK with me.  After living alone for so long, who wants a full-time man anyway? That's what I was thinking about during my visit.  I know.  I know.  Lord, I apologize.

If I can, I try to visit folks in the hospital.  I remember when Mom was hospitalized in Texas for the last six months of her life, my brothers and I were so grateful for friends and neighbors who stopped by to see her.  We were all thousands of miles away, and couldn't get home as often as we would have liked.  Even when we did make it, we had to rush back to work and other obligations.  So we depended on others to keep her company.

When Ben was hospitalized on and off for two years, folks visited.  Again, I was grateful for those who were able to drop by, some traveling all the way to from California to Texas to see him.

I know visiting sick/ailing folks is hard for some folks who might not know what to say, but most times you don't have to say anything.  Just your presence is more comforting than you'll ever know.

Shifting gears . . . again.

OK.  Forgive me Ben, I just have to mention the camels again.

I saw at least a hundred today and about thirty of them were wearing red blankets. The sight was majestic. Further down the road another herd was wearing the same blankets, too, but they were not as eye-catching as the ones in red.

Earlier, Ben asked if these camels have one hump or two.  They have one.

Interestingly, Peter (my GPS), has me going to work through town at dawn, but has me returning home through the mountains.  I know I've mentioned it before, but it bears repeating.  When you're driving on this road, it looks like you're driving directly into the heart of the mountain, and just when you think you're going to hit rock, you veer right and you're driving through it.  Amazing views!

I don't have the vocabulary to describe just how breathtakingly beautiful this is.

I shared with my brother, Forrest recently, that it's good it doesn't rain much here because the surface of the mountain has lots of loose rocks and is really sandy in some places.  If it rained, there would be a mud slide of enormous proportions.

Side note 3 - Headed back to Abu Dhabi tomorrow for a three hour meeting.  Last time I was with these folks, it took them forty-five minutes just to introduce each other.  So, I'm not expecting much to happen.  I'm hoping I'll be pleasantly surprised.

More soon.

Great Day!

Thankfully, today was a great one.  I was concerned about my endurance after being in bed for four days.  Gratefully, my strength returned, and things were back to normal.

Several more staff members have been bitten by this nasty bug.  One went home soon after school started, another one was hanging on by a thread.

Thanks to those of you who commented on yesterday's post about my Mom.  Moms are special people, whether they're still with us or not.  I find myself quoting my Mom every day.  She was well known for her nuggets of truth.  Of course, I thought she and her quotes were looney until I had kids of my own.  Then I recognized her wisdom.  I'm grateful that this happened before she passed away.

Random thoughts from work:

It's interesting how some folks in positions of power feel the need to throw their weight around to ensure everyone recognizes their position.  More times than not, it's done in an derogatory manner, belittling the folks they are supposed to be leading.  Too often they wonder why folks are afraid or intimated by them, not realizing that a positive work environment is what's needed for folks to want to do their jobs.  That's what you're hoping to achieve, a staff of folks who want to be at work every day, giving their best while they're there.  Or as Mom would say, "You get more with honey than vinegar."  Treat people right, and they'll go to the moon in their efforts to please you.  Mistreat them, and they can make your life miserable.

Side note - I went to the mall today after work to pick up some groceries.  At the main entrance was a giant heart made of fresh cut roses, in celebration of Valentine's Day.  Below is a picture.  I hope you can make out the roses.  This display was absolutely beautiful.

Heart Made of Roses

Take the time today to stop and smell the roses, or whatever natural beauty is near you.

Your blogging buddy

Mom

During these last few days of not feeling well, I've thought a lot about my Mom.  She died in 1998 at the age of 79.  She and I were very close.  I was the youngest of four kids, and the only girl.  My oldest brother is fourteen years older than me, my next brother is ten years older, and my deceased brother was a year older.

I have been reminded of how Mom took care of us on the rare occasions when we were sick.  Somehow I think being raised in the country, we were automatically immune to the usual "stuff" going around.  Personally, I think we were made out of tougher stock.  Had to be to live to tell about it.

Anyway, Mom was not a doting mother, but she was always there, providing the support we needed.  She was someone you could count on.  If she said she was going to do something, you could take it to the bank.  It was going to happen.

We didn't have insurance, so we didn't get the preventive care we should have, but on the rare occasion when we required the care of a doctor, Mom found a way to get us there.

Although she only had a third grade education, she had a PhD in common sense.

She was seven when her mother died.  Then she and her brother went to live with their paternal grandmother, who died when she was thirteen.  Growing up for her was tough.  After her grandmother's death, she lived with other relatives as their live-in maid.  She understood dysfunctional families all too well.

She married young to escape the life she was living, and in many ways, jumped from the frying pan into the fire.  My father was a hard worker, but he was also an alcoholic, with all of the issues that that brings.

We lived near my father's family, about three miles away, but my Mom had the presence of mind to keep us away.  My grandmother had obvious favorites among her eight kids, and my father was not one of them.  As a result, he was treated harshly and we were tolerated.

My Mom could see the dysfunction in these relatives and how the siblings were raised, not to get along, and pitted against each other, to the point of one brother shooting another brother's leg off.  It was not a positive environment, at all.

So, we kept our distance.  Mom taught my bothers and I to take care of each other, no matter what.  I think she'd be proud of how we continue to strive to do that. Remember it was my second brother who put me through college.

Anyway, I said all this to say that my goal was to raise Ben and Frankie to be there for each other, to support each other, no matter what.  I think we succeeded.  Funny thing about raising kids, though.  You don't know if you've gotten it right until they're grown and making their own choices.

With Mom, we could tell her anything, respectfully of course.  That has been my hope with my boys, that they too, could be honest and open with me.  Sometimes I haven't made that easy, but that has always been the goal.  I especially appreciate when they push back and defend their position.  We don't always agree, but I appreciate the fact that they will stand up for what they think is right.

I also appreciate that they correct me . . . often.

Of course, on the surface, talking about Mom and the way I was raised has nothing to do with my current adventure, but in reality, it has everything to do with it.  I am who I am today, good or bad, by the collective experiences I had growing up.

Side note - Thankfully, I'm feeling better.  I'm reminded of how sick I was last year during my first year in a new school.  It takes a minute for your body to adjust and build immunity to, the new "friendly" bugs in the new environment.

This post could be classified as TMI - too much information.  In fact, many of them could be under that classification.  But that's OK.  If it's too much, skim it and move on.  To you who have endured it, bless you. Remember, this is therapeutic and fun for me.  Today just happens to be a therapeutic one.

Here's hoping that you take the time to reflect on the goodness of those close to you.

CORRECTIONS:

In the "Questions" post, the percentages are wrong.  Of course they should have read 10%, 80% and 10%.

In the "Video Success & Travel Theme," the picture of the bridge is not the Brooklyn Bridge.

Thanks Frankie, for pointing out both of these errors.

The Land of the Living

After two days in bed feeling dreadful, it's great to be among the land of the living again.

How do you spell ripe?  F - A - Y - E.  I felt too bad to care whether I showered or not, so I didn't.

That hot running water felt amazing tonight.  It's incredible what soap and water can do to improve your state of mind.

Side note - I splurged and bought the biggest, softest, most absorbent towels I could find, so showering is always a treat now.

I've learned the hard way to take care of myself at the first sign of getting sick.  I used to plow through and hope for the best, but that almost always made it worse.  I learned that I have to be proactive about taking care of myself, especially since I live alone.  There's no one to run to the store, which is one of the reason I buy in bulk, so that I have what I need at all times.

I watched a lot of TV while home these past couple of days.  Or, I should say, the TV was on a lot while I was in and out of a deep sleep.  There's a feature through the cable provider that's called "Catch Up" TV.  There are about a half dozen stations I'm interested in that offer a week's worth of the most popular programing that you may have missed.  There're probably at least twenty stations all together that offer this feature.

Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, Body of Proof, all of the CSIs, Glee, and more are available.  These all offer reruns plus the latest episodes. I even saw that the Super Bowl will be broadcast.  That will be a treat, since I haven't seen any football this year.  That's the one sport I enjoyed that the boys played.  I loved the football crowds.  They were usually rowdy and crazy, whereas the baseball audience was sedate, actually watching the game.  Who does that?  Going to the games is all about socializing.  If you catch a bit of the game, great.  If not, no problem.  That just meant you probably had a great time chatting it up with other fans.

Well, it's late.  About 11:30pm (11:30am in Sacramento), so I'd better get to sleep.  I need to return to my usual rhythm of sleeping soon, so I'm not hurting come Sunday when I go back to work.

Here's wishing you peace and health.