Homesick

This being Sunday night it is the beginning of my third week here.

I do have pangs of homesickness. It's the inability to pick up the phone and call that gets me. I think I'll have that ability once I have a non-hotel internet connection but that's still weeks away.

For the most part I've kept busy enough that I haven't had to time to be homesick.

E-mails and commenting on the blog, help, by the way!

Hint, hint.

Iowa

My students were very interested in knowing more about where I am from.
"Are there mountains?"
When they found out I grew up on a farm one said, "So you stayed in a boarding house during the school year?" They were amazed a school bus came to my house each morning!

"Do you get to surf?" I laughed hard at that one.

It's all one big learning curve

First day of class?
This morning I commented to a colleague that I'd like to get a class list. He looked at me puzzled, "Why?"
"So I know the names of my students."
"There is no need," I was told, "because it will change."
I still jumped through several hoops to get the class rosters.
**********
Imagine starting a class of 30 students with 3 sitting in the classroom. I thought, "But they can't even know if I'm a bad teacher yet!"
As more trickled in I came to learn the story:
1. The schedule is different for Ramadan. Since Ramadan starts tomorrow students didn't know if the Ramadan schedule was in effect.
2. Apparently the first week is getting schedules, picking up syllabi, meeting your professors, etc. It's not supposed to be for covering serious content. They don't even get their textbooks until next week.

"Oh," I said, "In the United States we call that orientation!"

Food poisoning

The homeless faculty are divided into two groups. One group is at the Hilton and the other at Intercontinental. (I've come to calling them Shelbyville - a reference Simpson fans will get.)
On Friday I met Ann and a few of her friends at the Intercontinental for lunch. Right after lunch I didn't feel so well. It got worse. Next thing I knew I was spending all my time in the bathroom with full born food poisoning.
Ann got a mild case of it. The other two women who ate with us didn't get it but they didn't eat the same food we did.
Fortunately, antibiotics are OTC here. Ann was able to purchase Cipro. It worked fast.... Although I've had nothing to eat today (Saturday) and I'm not hungry.

On the bright side, maybe I'll lose some of the weight I've gained since I've arrived!

This is what I get for going to Shelbyville.

Bad idea that lives on

I'm old enough to remember pull tabs in the US. I remember walking the beaches in Corpus Christi and seeing pull tabs everywhere. They were a bad, bad invention. It took a couple of iterations of pop-tops to kill the pull tab, but thank God they did. (Early pop-tops would cut your finger as you opened the can. Smart.)

You can get your very own pull tab Coke for as little as a single Dirham.

"Then you must be from New York"

A great quote from John Lithgow's character in Terms of Endearment. The check out girl was rude to Debra Winger's character. John 's character intervened:
"I know the manager from the country club and he wouldn't want you treating customers so rudely."
"I didn't think I was rude."
"Then you must be from New York."

***********

My future apartment would be very nice for someone living in Manhattan.

So to appreciate the place "you must be from New York."

On the bright side...

In a departmental meeting today we were told that we were expected - expected! - to attend a conference at some point during the year.

Please let me know if you know of a midwest conference that could be justified in management/business. I'm sure I could tack some weekend days to the trip and make it back to Cedar Rapids...

Ann and I are considering a proposal that would send both of us to Chicago in April for the Higher Learning Commission conference.

I am more excited about this than I should be. Maybe it's because this news came right after we visited housing.

On the not so bright side...

We went to see our future housing. It's small. The call it 1 and a half bedroom. I call it a small bedroom and a room too small for a bed. I lived in a Coe apartment one summer that reminds me of this place... And that was OK for a college student. It's not so nice for an adult. I'd estimate it to be 1/5th the size of Ann's place.
Ann and Mike are going to help me look for a different place...

Thank you, Hillary!

If she had given that speech in Iowa in 2007 she'd be the nominee now.

Another first

Drinking from a coconut at a faculty reception in the hotel lobby...

Blog question

I am new to blogging and blogger. Can someone explain why I can add posts, log off and when I log back on and come to the site it doesn't show the new posts? I assume I need to refresh the page. No help. If I click on the archive "august" THEN it shows the new posts.
The next day I'll log in and it goes to the correct posts.
Does blogger only update once per day?
Bottom line for readers: If you want to see new posts click on the August on the side of the screen.

Biden

I am following politics almost as closely as if I were back home. I don't intend for this to be a political blog but I thought it might be interesting to pass along the Arabian response to the choice. In summary they don't like it.

I've read two editorials criticizing Senator Biden for his proposal in 2006 to divide Iraq into three federal states. Both said it forced Iraq to come up with a government proposal faster than they would have otherwise.

My response: One more reason to like Biden.

Mistakes and answers

I've been corrected on my spelling of desert. Oops. Double consonants have always been my weakness... particularly words like "tomorrow" when I can't remember if it is two m's or r's.
Also, I must have confused the Bellagio with the Venetian. I think it's a good thing I don't know Las Vegas casino's that well!

I have been asked a lot about the food. The buffet at the hotel (that I've come to know so well) tries to present food from around the world. I suspect the Irish wouldn't think much of the Irish stew. And I doubt the Japanese would rave about the sushi. My biggest complaint is temperature. I don't like eating room temperature eggs, room temperature meat, etc.

This summer I stupidly allowed myself to gain weight. Why? I was sure I would lose it when I arrived. Wrong! While the hotel food is not great, the desserts (hope I have the right spelling) are amazing. Cheesecake, strawberry shortcake, chocolate mousse, fresh fruit... The first couple of nights I went to town. Now I limit myself to two desserts per night. Oh the sacrifices.

To the taste of Coke. It's different than Coke in America but not bad. Coke Zero is identical and given my desire for the desserts I will probably drink more Coke Zero. The price of Coke? A can costs one dirham... meaning 25 cents. They also sell an 8 oz. size in glass bottles that are not recyclable.

I was asked why non-Emiratis don't dress like natives to get better treatment. The answer I've received is that nobody would ever impersonate another nationality and, besides, once the person spoke it would be clear they weren't native.

I appreciate comments and e-mails about the blog. There are some topics I'm not willing to discuss in a public blog but those of you who know me know my e-mail address.

Great day!

I got keys to my office. That's not the great part. My office looks more like a prison cell with a single window 8 feet off the ground. I hope to move to a better office. I'll save the descriptions until I can provide some pictures. Let's just say that the area where my office is located has been nicknamed "Guantanemo".
The "great day" is getting the textbook for my class and seeing the classrooms. While my office is third world, the classrooms are excellent. The class sizes are reasonable. It's a four day work week. The text for the class is one I've taught from before. And, unlike many of my colleagues, they didn't spring any new classes on me. I get to teach multiple sections of one class: Principles of Management. Having taught the class 30+ times in the past this will be the easiest term in my academic career.

Time for bed. Thanks to the time difference, CNN coverage of the prime time Democratic Convention starts at 5AM.

Yep, I'm that much of a political geek.

Rain and sand storm!

It moved in quickly and left quickly but I had time to run out into it and get wet. Unlike rain in Iowa I was also covered with a fine layer of sand. I love walking in the rain back home. This is the first time I had to take a shower after walking in the rain!

One week

It does not seem possible that exactly one week ago right now I was sitting on a crowded 747 flying over Baghdad en route to Dubai. Everything that's happened over the past 168 hours seems like a month, not a week.
By the way, we did fly right over Baghdad. On the plane they show a map of the route and the current position. The flight plan was interesting. It seemed we purposefully flew east over Turkey to avoid Syrian air space and then SSW down to Dubai. That track took us right over the Iraqi capital. What was this plane's flight plan in 2003? Did they book in an extra 2 hours to avoid Iraqi airspace?
Here's my question for you to answer in the comments section: Do you pay attention to the airplane you fly on? Ann makes fun of me because I knew the Airbus model I was on from Chicago from to Frankfurt and the Boeing I was on from Frankfurt to Dubai. My response? Don't you want to know what to expect? The new Airbus had a great per seat LCD to watch what I wanted. The old 747 had a community TV. BIG difference. So, back to my original question: Do you pay attention to the airplane you are flying on?

Everything is in English. Sometimes the translation doesn't work. For example, there's a restaurant in the mall offering "phlegm". I have no idea what they meant to say. I can't bring myself to order it to find out!
Here's Ann with a funny one yesterday... (If you can't see it well double click on the picture.)

Dubai

Ann had some work to do in Dubai. Her husband Mike and I spent the day visiting various shopping malls. I got some amazing deals but that's not the point of this post. One of the malls we visited has the indoor ski slope. They truly recreate winter in the middle of the dessert. Patrons are able to rent ski's, ski suits, etc. Mike asked me if I wanted to go in. I said, "After the Iowa winter of 2007-08, it will be a long time before I miss winter."

Gus

I have only been gone a week but I already miss my family and friends. It's not by coincidence that the previous farthest move of my life was only across the border in Nebraska.

I more than miss Gus. Why? I was able to say goodbye to friends and family. I was able to reassure them that I'd be back in January. Gus has no clue what has happened to me. He had no idea when I was holding him at the airport that I wouldn't be doing that again for five months. In his world I have abandoned him.

And that is tearing me up inside.

But it's a dry heat...

Sympathetic friends tried to assure me that living here wouldn't be too bad. 105 wouldn't be that bad because "it's a dry heat." For the most part they were right. Standing in direct sun for even a few minutes is not fun. The heat builds very quickly. Walking around, however, isn't too bad... even in the middle of the day. There is a constant breeze that keeps everything cooler. At night the temps drop to the 80's, which with no humidity, isn't bad at all.
I guess I came with the attitude of "dry heat my ass it's going to be hotter than hell. " It turns out that it's really not that bad. Of course, I didn't arrive in the middle of July when it was 10 degrees hotter than it is now.
Stepping out of the swimming pool is an interesting experience in a climate this dry. There's no need for a towel. In less than five minutes I was completely dry. The swimsuit took ten minutes more.
The downside of all this is my contacts. I've been wearing glasses for the past couple of days. I don't know if I'll be able to wear contacts in a place this dry. I've avoided lasix surgery but I might have to get it if I want to continue living here!

Friday update

Today is a relaxing day. It's the equivalent of Sunday back home. The university sponsored a bus to travel to Dubai for shopping but what's the point in shopping for furniture when you'll be living in a hotel room for the next couple of months?
Last night I went with Ann and some her friends to an Indian restaurant. The food was great (and I don't usually like Indian). Total bill with tip was 100 dirham (less than $30) for four people. We walked around a shopping square with a water fountain that does a choreographed dance to lights and music. The last time I saw a show like that was at the Venetian in Las Vegas.
Walking around at night is warm but not disgustingly hot.
The hotel pool has a swim up bar and a water slide. Add 3 meals a day and living here for six weeks might not be so bad. I'm glad Gus didn't come with me. I don't know what I'd have done with him while I'm living in a hotel.

Blog title

Why true blue Iowan? Because I love Iowa. The ridiculously cold, snowy winters. I can no longer say ridiculously hot summers, but ridiculously humid summers still applies. Iowa will always be home.
I will probably migrate this blog on to my website once I buy the latest version of FrontPage. I'd prefer to blog behind a password protected shield because I'd like to say what I really think... and saying what I really think has gotten me into trouble in the past!

Thursday update

The agenda was health screening. The UAE tests all workers for HIV, TB, Hepatitis, etc. Sounds simple, right? I'm gaining an understanding that nothing is "simple" here.
We were loaded up on a bus to head to the hospital. We were supposed to be fast-tracked through the system... and we were... and it still took six hours. (Ann would interject here that she warned me and said I should go with her to the private hospital where I would be out in a half hour for only 100 dirhams more.)
Every day I'm here I see the class system at work. I wonder if it will ever cease to amaze me. As a white westerner I have a rank. The rank is below Emirati but above most everyone else. That doesn't mean anyone bows to me. It simply means that when a Sudanese has been in line since yesterday and I get to cut in line in front of him, the Sudanese guy just accepts it as the way of the world. Imagine that in America. Actually, I don't want to imagine that in America.
Oh, I should make it clear, I don't cut in line... I am placed in line front of them.
One humorous (hopefully) note: The guy running the blood pressure screen tested us and we were all coming out high. I tested at 160 over 119. Now, I have high blood pressure. I didn't bring any medication with me. But even 3 pots of coffee wouldn't get me to 160/119! After several of my colleagues also registered ridiculously high we were all ordered to come back after we've had time to relax. There was no thought that maybe, just maybe, the machine might not be callibrated right!
Sooo, Ann and Mike took me a local clinic to get blood pressure medicine. The waiting room was separated by men and women. The men were, well, lower social class. The doctor who saw me was new to the country. He spent quite a bit of time with me. I reached the point that I felt guilty taking up so much of his time. I started to get up because I thought everything was done. He said, "Please don't leave. If you leave they will send in another patient." Alrighty. I sat down and we talked some more. I understood his thinking. He'd spent the past hour at least dealing with illiterate/low functioning patients. I guess talking to me was a break of some sort.
The upside of today was that it gave me a chance to bond with some of my colleagues. I'm happy to report that the old extroverted Steve is back. Here's a question: You and 20 of your colleagues are sitting in two rows of chairs facing each other. You know you are going to spend the next two hours staring at each other before you go anywhere. (Noboby brought reading materials because we had been assured we'd be in and out.) Do you: 1. Stare blankly off into space? 2. Engage the person sitting closest to you in polite conversation? or 3. Find humor in the situation and try to engage as many others as you can? Obviously, I chose 3. Another woman and I were the outgoing ones trying to engage the others. 15 of the 20 simply sat in silence.

I guess the bottom line is that I've been here three days and I've already gained a reputation for talking a lot...

Wednesday update

* I might be living out of the Hilton for the next couple of months. There is a severe housing shortage in Al Ain because people are commuting from Al Ain to Dubai and Abu Dhabi. (That's like commuting from Iowa City to Waterloo... which people are willing to do because 1. Gas is cheap. 2. Rental prices in Dubai are high. And, finally, the traffic within both cities is so ridiculous that traveling to work from here is not much more of a time committment.)
* It appears I did NOT get the extra $14,000 raise. From ridiculously well paid I will now just be well paid.
* If I am going to be in a hotel for a month or two or more the University will have to make a deal with the hotel on Internet fees. The cost to use the Internet is $35 per day! Even if I was "ridiculously well paid" I wouldn't spend a grand a month on internet.
*****
Update: The picture above is taken from my hotel room balcony. Al Ain is much more green than I expected. In the background you can barely make out a mountain. At night one can see a well lit road to the top of the mountain. I'll be going there later this week for a BBQ.

Arrival in UAE

I made it in safely. Thanks to the University, upon arrival in Dubai I was able to bypass very long (and not very pleasant smelling) lines.
Ann and I went shopping this morning and I really couldn't think of anything I couldn't find. In other words from really cheap red onions to stew meat I found every non-pork product I was looking for...
Ann said cabs were cheap. Imagine a 15 minute cab ride for $1. Roundabouts will take some getting used to but the traffic is not that bad.
Anyhow, I'm in and alive. Everything went smoother than I could have expected.