Bus travels

Mid week - It's extremely hot here and sticky. I've just rinsed out two shirts as they are wet by the time I walk home from the bus stop to the apartment. My ride's mother is over here so she doesn't come home after work and drops me at a bus stop. I have my new umbrella out to protect me from the sun but nothing protects you from the heat reflecting up from the road. The heat is unbelievable.  It’s been over 40 for a few weeks now.

Using the buses again has reminded me of what the women here are like.  I have observed that the men are very respectful (this is Indian & Pakistani men) while the women are often rude and bolshy, especially when riding the bus.  One example of this occurred this week.  While riding home after work there were two young Pakistani boys in the woman’s section.  The older (teenager) stood up when I boarded so I’d be able to have four seats to myself (they wouldn’t dare sit in the same area) while the younger boy (around 7 years old) stayed seated in the opposite section.  Opposite him sat a Phillipino woman and child.  When the boys reached their stop the older one alighted while the younger one tried to get off.  The woman opposite had her legs resting on his seat so he had to clambour over them.  At no stage did she move her legs or herself.  Then another woman at the front of the bus barred his way completely.  By now the driver is beginning to pull out from the curb while the older boy is frantically banging on the door to get his little bro off.  Finally the younger boy manages to push his way through the women and get off.

The women absolutely refuse to move or let others past them once they are on.  They particularly favour standing at the front which means no-one can get past.  Yesterday when I rode the bus, I had to elbow my way past four women to get to the usually empty zone in the women’s section.  Once there, I had the aisle to myself as no-one else here can reach the handholds.  Also it is too close to the men for them! 

Heaven help any poor man who pays his dirham at the front of the bus then tries to make his way through to the back.  You have to witness this to believe it.  Sometimes these men are trapped in no-man’s land and can’t get off as the bus has left the stop and can’t move forward as their way is blocked by these women.  Often they get a tongue lashing to go with their unthinkable behaviour.  I am continually surprised by how meek and unassuming these men are.  In public at least.

I had a humourous taxi driver on Thursday as I had to get home to take my son to another dental appointment.  We got talking and after the obligatory questions (work, country, cricket, husband, family) I asked if he had a wife back in Pakistan.  No wife!  But looking.  My fictitious husband became this amazing house husband who’d have my hot meal ready for me when I got home.  Anyway, he tells me that he is looking for a Phillipino wife.  Why?  I ask.  Pakistani wife ring up all the time and say more baby, more money.  When you come home?  Phillipino wife allowed to work in Abu Dhabi.  PLUS they get accommodation.  So not only would he have a wife handy (many men here marry quickly so they won’t be breaking the law re relationships, then leave the women when they return home) but he’d also have two incomes plus somewhere to live for free.  He wasn’t silly! 

The Phillipino people are very hard working, as are the taxi drivers.  The lady who did my nails yesterday was saying that they work for two years then go home for one month.  Most taxi drivers work a year with no days off.

I’ve had a great weekend relaxing with my friend who came in from the Western Region where she works.  We did the girly things that one does here.  Manicure, pedicure, eyebrows threaded then coloured, plus a massage.  Time for a wee shop for a new work dress to match my nails, then out for dinner.

You’d laugh at our cost saving measures.  After spending all that money on the above we didn’t want to splurge on a meal.  So we checked out a handy restaurant but decided the prices were more than we wanted to pay, 45-60 AED for a main ($15-20NZ).  So we wander next door to the Starbucks Coffee shop and decide to have a 15AED quiche.  We add a salad to share, 22AED then decide we’ll go halves in two yummy cakes (after all we’d had a stressful day) plus a coffee each to wash them down.  133AED later, we’re laughing our heads off at the cost as it was more than the meal next door.  Win some, lose some.

The weather over the weekend has been mild, only around 33-38 degrees.  We sat outside last night to eat and walked home the long way as it was so pleasant.  This is due to the sand storm weather system which is covering the country at the moment.  The sky is hazy and you can’t see far out of our apartment.  Amazing how I am acclimatising already.

Today we had a fantastic time out jet skiing on the water behind Khalidiya Palace.  We were next door to the hotel with its private beach and all the bikini clad sunbathers.  If they could have seen what we saw on the opposite side of their wee beach they’d think twice about lazing around in that water.  The rubbish washed up on the sand was disgusting.  If I wasn’t already out on the water I don’t think I’d have got in at all.  We certainly didn’t swim afterwards due to the pollution.

Anyway the jet skiing was awesome fun.  I’d bought a Groupon Voucher for 99AED for an hour and it was well worth every cent or dirham.  Never mind the fact that we were half an hour late as we were lost in the road works and went past the exit 5 times.  We stopped at two Palaces for directions (I know, two Palaces!) and drove around in circles.  We finally arrived into another building site full of trucks to find our four men sitting in a car.  One took our ID then wouldn’t return it.  250 AED if we were a minute late back in so we made sure we weren’t!  I was pleased to get that ID back I can tell you. 

We zipped into the local shipping lane and dodged barges, fishing dhows, other crazy male jet skiiers, water skiiers and various other craft.  I’m not sure if they have any maritime rules here, if it’s like the road I’m sure they don’t.  So it was all eyes out at all times.  We cruised up the front beach of the Presidential Palace but no one seemed to be at home.  Then we nipped in and out of various little bays and man-made islands.  How the other half live.  The mansions had me slowing down for a good old-fashioned gawk.

Then home for a shower and a cuppa and some lunch.  Now it’s time to do my weekly plan for school and relax before work tomorrow.  I may have time to watch a movie as well.

Oh, did I mention that I’ve booked my first (of many I hope) trip?  No?  Well it’s a spring cruise from Basel in Switzerland to Amsterdam in The Netherlands.  8 days and my lovely sister is flying over from NZ to join me.  I’m so excited.

                                         Ready for action.

Khalidiya Palace Rotana Hotel from the water.

"Taxi"

Today is a lovely day temperature wise, a balmy 33 degrees.  As it's Friday and the best day for grocery shopping I headed up the road to the bus stop just after 10am.  I didn't mind walking today as it isn't too hot.  Ignoring all the silver taxis I waited about 10 minutes for the bus to arrive then caught it down to Mushrif Mall.

Here in Abu Dhabi the taxis cruise the streets looking for their next fare. Liken it to sharks circling their next meal. Often on a Friday morning they are scarce as they don't work as there are not many people out and about, being Holy Day.  This morning while I waited for the bus I 'hid' behind a tree to stop the constant honking at me.  What happens is as the taxis drive past you, particularly westerners, they toot.  That's a gentle hint they are available and also alerts you to the fact that you might want to hail one, no not one, that particular one!

This can be useful if you are walking to find one but when you are waiting for a bus it becomes really annoying.  Hence the ducking behind the tree.  You also get random people in vehicles honking at you.  There are other gold & white taxis that take several passengers at once and you negotiate the fare.  They are much cheaper but don't have air conditioning and are supposed to be being phased out.  Only locals seem to use them.  They stop at the bus stops and people just seem to know where they are going to.  It is an education on its own to use the taxi system here. 

Then there are the randoms.  These appear to be anyone with a vehicle who wants to make some money by taking passengers.  I've no idea how these work but I presume if you wave one or walk up to one when they stop you can negotiate the price and destination.  There is probably some unwritten code that the Indians & Pakistanis know that we don't.  And I don't think I'm going to make the effort to find out. 

I'm sticking to my silver taxis and making sure they use the meter.  I no longer use my regualar taxi driver who was picking me up from the hotel and taking me to work then meeting me after work.  Mainly because I am lucky to get a ride to work and I just hail any taxi now if I need one to come home.  My taxi driver was lovely but was getting a bit too friendly!  Not sure if he really was but my friends kept warning me to be careful.  He offered to take me to Dubai on his day off and all around Abu Dhabi at his own expense.  He didn't seem so keen when I mentioned I had a 'man friend'.  Now don't get all excited...

How this came about was I'd been to Al Ain and mentioned it to the taxi driver the next morning.  He asked if I had a lady friend who had a car and I replied, "No, I went with my man friend."  Next morning he wasn't there to pick me up.  My 'man friend' had been telling me to be careful and to make sure I didn't tell him I didn't have a husband here.  He laughed when I told him this story.  Was it a case of, "I told you so?"

Of course there is no 'man friend' in the sense you are all thinking but the moral of the story is to wear a wedding ring and have a husband coming.  This isn't a society that is very accepting of un-married woman.  Neither men nor women can understand why you don't have a husband.  Where to start???

So now I'm back home with  my shopping and what a mission to get it from the taxi into the apartment.  That is a whole challenge on it's own, especially trying to keep the lift open to get all the bags in.  I've got smart and now get the taxis to drive me down into the car park and unload there so I don't have to lug everything inside the building while watched by all the workers sitting around outside.  They must think we are so excessive with our purchases and to them we must be.  They earn peanuts for working outside for 12 hours in that heat.  The ones who work in our building are the lucky ones as they have it so much easier than the construction workers.   Would you believe that they've had men outside on the road in over 40 degrees with wire brushes removing tiny spills of concrete from the road?  As the concrete trucks come continually to the sites here it is a never ending job and one wonders at the mentality of whoever has them doing this job.  It is nothing more than slave labour at its worst.

The grocery store was relatively quiet as the only ones shopping at that time are the Westerners and Indians & Pakistanis who have reasonable jobs and incomes.

I've purchased a stockpot so now can cook something like a soup or chicken.  We've been managing with one small frypan.  I likened it to student flat cooking, not that I've had any experience with it but with no oven it was a challenge to keep the mushrooms warm while the tomatoes cooked for breakfast, then the eggs.  For a toaster I've been toasting the bread in the frypan, one slice at a time.  So very resourceful still.

There are plenty of gas stoves for sale second hand at the moment due to the large outflux of teachers home at the end of their contract.  The funny thing is that most advertised haven't been used!  In our two apartment blocks we have gas fittings but no gas so all these teachers (our two buildings have only teachers in them) have purchased brand new ovens with all the trimmings then not been able to use them.  Some have clicked onto the fact that you can use a gas cylinder but most can't be bothered with the hassle of getting it organised.  So I may purchase an electric oven if I decide to buy one.

We had some excitement the other night.  I'm just getting ready for bed when the fire alarm goes off.  Nothing unusual there.  Then it stops which is normal.  Then starts again.  And keeps going, and going, and going!  Then the message says to evacuate the building.  Do not use the lift, take the stairs.  We waited and looked outside.  No-one seemed to be moving and I couldn't smell smoke.  Still it kept ringing and it is sooooo loud!  Eventually I roused my son from the couch and said let's go.  I grabbed a bottle of water, my bag & the keys and off we went.  Down the stairwell which is next to our apartment.  Still I'm wondering where the rest of the apartment dwellers are?  Lo and behold if it isn't dark in the stairwell.  Thankfully there was light coming through from each floor as we passed the door (they have a glass panel) but the lights in the stairwell didn't turn on, even though I hit the switch at each floor.  As we neared the 3rd floor the lights went out completely.  I was wearing a long dress and it was difficult to move quickly down those stairs and incredibly dangerous.  Funny what springs to mind.  It made me think of the Christchurch earthquakes and people trying to get out of buildings in the dark.

We finally reach the ground floor to find the watchman and 2 others.  Yes, 2 others!  The alarm was still ringing and I expected to find hundreds of people and a firetruck.  The watchman went off to check out the apartment where the alarm was and returned to say it was a false alarm.  Obviously they were doing something to set it off but the building wasn't on fire.  One woman went mad about having the alarm going but the other man said what if it was a real fire?  Well the 'debate' raged for about 1/2hr while I watched on in disbelief.  As there's been a few fatal apartment fires here since I've been here I think I'd much rather be inconvenienced than burnt to death! 

It made me conscious of how difficult it would be in a real emergency so (go on laugh...) I've now got my headlight torch hanging by the front door ready to grab next time. 
Once a Brownie, always a Brownie (Be Prepared!).

Getting out and about

Yesterday, being Friday, I headed down to the marina with another kiwi gal to try Dragon Boating.  It started at 8.30am and being the good keen girl that I am I was there 1/2 hr early so sat around outside in the heat looking like a lost soul.  Obviously you don't turn up to anything early here.

A few fit looking men and women arrived carrying paddles so I thought they must be the right people so I followed them into the Abu Dhabi Sailing Club grounds carrying  my new chilly bag full of water and eats and my backpack full of a change of clothes.  Having travelled by taxi I'd worn a pair of trousers over my shorts with my lovely long-sleeved kathmandu top over my togs.  I was pleased to finally get some wear out of the shirt as I'd spent a long time choosing it at the store in Otaki with my mum.  So it is now being put to good use.  Funny how I'd envisaged wearing it out in the desert but now I think it will be my swimming shirt.

So in I wander, looking like I was out of place as the others are all wearing skimpy wee tops over bikinis and shorts.  And did I mention fit!!!  They asked if I belonged to another club who were joining them for the days training but I said no, I was a newbie. 

Others arrived and we lift the heavy boat onto its wheels then push it into the water.  I'm given a short instruction in how to paddle then asked to decide which side I'd prefer.  I chose the left due to my sore shoulder as I didn't think I'd be able to keep it up for an hour while we trained.  I'm paired up with a good keen man who will instruct me during the paddle then off we go.

I think they forgot to tell me that this was a serious training and I later found out that the ones my friend at work had been to were womens trainings which were a lot  more casual and relaxed.  So I do my best but it was such an awkward manouveur that I 'rested' many times.  Particularly when they were doing the racing!  We paddled across from the marina (next to Marina Mall) to the Corniche which is the main beach at Abu Dhabi then we paddled along the main tourist beaches to showcase the sport.  I managed to paddle all that time so the boat looked good.

Then back around the water and over to the sailing club.  The training lasted an hour.  After we go the boat out of the water we had a swim while we waited for a motor boat to take us out to Lulu Island for a BBQ or picnic which had been arranged beforehand (hence the new chilly bag).

The water temperature was mild but the swim was nice.  Remembering this is 9.30am.  Then we headed over the road to the Marina proper which is where our boat was waiting.  Nice boat!

So we pile our stuff on board and the boat gets loaded up with goodies.  And I mean goodies.  I'm wondering how many people are coming with all this food arriving and numerous deck chairs and water.  I'm feeling very unprepared by this stage.  Luckily I was with a friend who I knew so I checked with her and she only had a sandwich and some fruit, like me.

Finally we head off with a full boat, many of whom hadn't been at the dragon boating.  I'm asking one of the dragon boaters who pays for this and who organised it?  She said they often have a similar event.  Off we go...

As we head out of the marina we are stopped by the Coast Guard who seem more interested in some jet skiiers than us so we are waved on after a brief stop.  The short ride to the island was similar to travelling i the Marlborough Sounds except the scenery was very different.  High rise building receding into a murky skyline.

We arrived in about 5 minutes to an expanse of white sand dotted with gazebos, many of which were fallen down.  Apparently the island is privately owned and used to have two ferries running to it 1/2 hourly with buses every hour.  So obviously it is accessable by land.  Then some dispute has resulted in all this stopping and people are now only allowed on the beach front so we couldn't venuture past the tree line.

We set up in one gazebo, out of the already blazing sun.  Even though it was about 38 degrees by now the sun wasn't burning like at home in NZ.  After unloading the boat we had a swim for a long time.  Then headed back into the shade to relax and chat.  I met some nice new people, most of whom were not teachers which was a refreshing change.

The boat left us there and I commented that it was the first time since I'd arrived in Abu Dhabi that there was quiet.  Only problem was I spoke too soon.  The man who seemed to be in charge cranked up a stereo he'd brought along then told us he had 20 or 30 kids arriving on the next boat for a birthday party.  You know that saying, "Nothing is free."  How true.

The boat returned an hour later loaded to the hilt with little kids and parents and nannies.  What an eye-opener.  How the other half live...   Someone back home would have slapped these kids long before I'd had enough and was ready to drown one in particular.  It was a long wait for the boat to return to take us back around 3pm.

During the course of the day I had many swims.  The water got progressively warmer but you could still find some cooler currents if you were lucky.  The channel we were in was secluded but the jet skiiers kept coming along for their thrills.  I wouldn't have wanted to swim across it as it was too busy with boats who weren't always looking where they were going.  On the other side of the breakwater was the Arabian Gulf.

I was a bit sunburnt when I got home and this morning I'm stiff with aches in muscles that haven't been used in a long time.  So today I'm relaxing and catching up on housework.  Some things never change.



View looking back towards the beach.  We could be anywhere in the world.  Oh, that's right, I am!

On the boat with Marina Mall disappearing behind me.

Lulu Island from the boat.

Daily Life

Life here in Abu Dhabi seems to have settled into a routine.  Pretty much like home really!
I'm also settling into the apartment and getting used to apartment living and the challenges it brings with it.

Work occupies most of my time.  Just when I think I've got it sussed in the classroom, the roof lifts with off-the-wall behaviours.  I'm beginning to see a pattern so am slowly putting strategies into place to reduce the blow-ups.  Who knows?  By the end of the term I may be able to work with these girls and get them to learn something.

Most of the girls have become used to me and my strange, foreign sounding English.  They, and many of the Americans, have difficulty understanding me.  Many of the girls have such poor English that I can understand the behaviour as they have no idea what they are being asked to do.  Then there's the other ones who love me to bits and when they say my name they sound as if they have just stepped off the plane from New Zealand.  Funny to think that we are all leaving such a legacy here.

I haven't managed to learn much Arabic myself, only greetings from the girls.  I'd like to learn more but it is a very difficult language for kiwis to learn due to the gutteral sounds required.  I notice the Arabs have difficulty making a 'G' sound so my name is usually spoken with a 'K'.  I chuckle to myself when I see the resources I've brought over with me or look online at our spelling ones as I can't imagine myself using them in the classroom.  These girls should be way past needing phonics training but they don't have the basics.  Yet, others can read, write and speak English extremely well.  These are usually girls from families who  have come from Egypt, Lebanon or other Gulf countries.

Last Thursday (end of the week for us) our 4th Grade had a trip to one of the Malls.  I'm not sure what it was about, just a fun day out I think.  Us English teachers aren't even told about these trips much less asked to go.  So I offered to go.  The Vice Principal thought I was mad then even more so when the other 4th Grade English teacher said she'd go too.

What a day!  We had to teach first period then at 9.30 we traisped outside into temperatures in the high 30s or early 40s while we waited for the bus driver to leave his little shelter and unlock the bus.   You'd think he'd have done this before we walked outside as he is on the same premises as us.  But no!  We are cooking, literally, and all the girls are moaning about the heat.  Then we board the bus.  3 classes of 24 girls each with 2 English teachers, 1 Arabic teacher and 2 bus monitors.  Of course it would be too much to expect that the airconditioning was on, wouldn't it?  So off we drive with hot air blowing out.  I'm sweating and even the locals were commenting on the heat.

We arrive at the mall and the kids head to the playground.  Well, I now know what they are talking about when they say they goto the mall to play.  Inside the family playground is every imaginable ride or activity to keep the kids quiet.  Well maybe not quiet.  The noise was incredible.  We were the first to arrive and had to wait for them to open up.  There was a roller coaster, 4D cinema, bumper cars, ice-skating rink, bowling alleys, face painting, sand art, food & drink galore, machines to waste money on, other fairground rides and loud music.  The girls went wild! 

I managed to get some iceskates to fit and headed out onto the rink with my classes.  The girls were impressed as I could skate even though I was pretty rusty to begin.  The last time I had skates on was in London with Julz.  I need some more practice to remaster the backwards skating so might have to hit the rink more often.  Several of the malls have them so need to look good before I head to Europe for a winter Christmas.

 Our apartment is stuck in the middle of nowhere and I'm finding living out here very different than being in town.  I'm lucky as I get a ride to work with my HOF who lives in the next apartment but often taxi home.  It is much more expensive as I'm way out of town now.  So I'm thinking about getting a car but trying to hold off as long as possible.  On main reason would be that it's sooooo hot when you leave the building and you  have to walk quite a distance to hail a taxi or to the nearest bus stop.  It's hard enough now in the heat and we've still got another 10 degrees to go, along with humidity that hasn't arrived yet.

I'm also finding it a challenge to carry shopping etc up to the apartment and lug it up from a taxi.  Last night a man pushed my trolley from the nearby shopping centre (over 2 main roads, numerous curbs, paving stones, then finally he left the trolley and hoisted the boxes of water onto his shoulder while we went cross country over the sand to the apartment).  I'm never sure how much to tip and either give way too much or not enough.  Talking to locals it should only be 2 dirhams (70c NZ) for the trolley boys, 2-3 dihams (70-90c NZ) for a delivery boy to the apartment, and maybe 5 dirhams ($1.70 NZ) for a major delivery.  I had another man carry home my purchases from the bathroom shop the other night.  As we live in the middle of nowhere, I always feel a bit silly having this man following me home in the dark!  I don't know what the doorman thinks...  I often say, "No.  I live in Danat B."  But the shops insist and send the men running.

Today I've had all my bathroom fittings installed which gives me a lot more storage for towels.  I can now hang up the handtowels, have a hook for my hairdryer, have two towel racks in the bathroom, a rail for the face clothes, and a soap dish.  In the kitchen I got a double towel rail put up for a hand towel and teatowel.  In the guest bathroom I got a towel rack installed which holds the hand towels and swimming towels.  So now more things can get off the floor.  Plus last night I scored three white coffee tables from then next apartment block.

I've also splurged on curtains for the apartment.  There was one curtain rail so I bought two more then got the man to come and measure and quote for making curtains.  They installed the rails onto the ceiling and the curtains are the most lavish I've ever owned.  I may have to bring them home with me but then I'd have to build a new house to put them in as they are 3 metres long and nearly as wide so huge windows here.  My room has a sky blue, my son chose black with a red stripe and for the lounge I've gone for an embossed gold fabric which looks luxurious.  The style is very much in keeping with the lavishness of the Arab world.  They were more expensive than buying ready mades but still reasonable compared to home.  For black-out fabric the bedrooms were 600 dirham each ($200NZ), and the lounge were more expensive as I added a black-out lining, 900 dirham ($300 NZ).
See what you think. (pictures below)

The heat has been over 40 degrees all of last week so am beginning to stay inside the apartment during the day and venture out at night. We have a 24 hour supermarket over the major intersection plus lots of little shops backing onto our building site (which never sleeps). The noise never stops and they have been pouring concrete at night for the last 10 days or so. At times there are 10 concrete mixers lined up with flashing lights waiting to disgorge their loads into the concrete pump which then pumps it up to whatever floor they are laying. Several nights ago I was awoken by bright lights in my room and the floodlights from two cranes were shining in. The other day in our closest crane, two men were fixing something on the end of it within 2 metres of our bedroom windows. There were no safety harnesses or anything like that and at one stage one of the men slipped. I thought we were going to witness a fall of 8 stories! Heart stopping stuff.


Lounge curtains

Bedroom #2

Bedroom #1

I'm just heading out to watch the local touch rugby competition.