Turkish Coffee and Chocolate Cake

Last week I was walking to the corner grocery with Ethan when a 62-year-old Iraqi woman stopped in her tracks and said, "I like you--you come to my house for tea." So today, I did. I am smiling as I think about her. She is sharp and vibrant. She actually looks almost identical to my late Great-Grandma Schell. Maybe that is why I felt so comfortable accepting an invitation from a complete stranger. Ethan and I made our way to the top floor of our apartment at 10:00 this morning. When we arrived to her flat we were introduced to her sister who is visiting from London and battling cancer and a Palestinian woman with her 3-month-old daughter. Miriam, the host, was quick to point out that we were to greet each other with three alternating cheek kisses. So after one awkward practice, I was greeting like a pro. Then it was to the sitting room for tea. Miriam loaded my plate with all sorts of pastries and cookies and said, "You are thin, you can eat." I laughed and said, "I am not thin," and she said, "OH, you are fat? then you can still eat." So we did. Next came the tea, then the candy to go with the Turkish coffee and finally chocolate cake for dessert. Turkish coffee was actually pretty good. I was expecting it to taste like espresso, but it was more like very black coffee with a strong smell of clove. It is served in little glasses, so I suppose there must be a lot of caffine in it. I liked it. But most importantly, I enjoyed friendly conversation and learning about their families. It was interesting to hear their stories of immigrating from Iraq 15 years ago and how they had to leave everything behind and completely rebuild their lives from nothing. It was also interesting to hear about how their families remained so close even though they are dispersed throughout the world and about her family's struggle to find the balance between their culture and the environment of their new homes. If all I get out of living abroad is a morning coffee with a kind elderly woman, it would have been worth all the effort. I had a fantastic time.

We're getting even BIGGER!

Just as their bodies grow, so do their smiles. It seems that Avery has gone from six to eight in the last few weeks. He has been seeking justice for those who had 1/2 of their candy bars stolen, stealing the remote and changing the channel when you turn your back, and said what he is most thankful for is his baby brother. Ethan is very much six months old with his toothless giggles, his "storytelling," and his determination to stick anything that looks appetizing into his mouth. My little boys are growing up!!!

CoCo the Red-Nosed Clown

This is what happens when you are juggling a 6-month-old, a sippy cup, and a digital camera. Anyhow, it was a great Christmas program and I was very surprised to see that it was actually about the birth of Jesus...I'm not sure where CoCo fit in to the story, but everything else in the program really did. Avery is in the front row center, right above/behind the brown bouffant hair. Enjoy!

Alas...friends.

This week I have felt a shift in my attitude and energy. All of the sudden I have this desire to entertain and to meet new people. At first I was embarrassed to invite people to my apartment because our furniture is far from comfortable and everyday I sit in it I think that this apartment is really depressing. What I am learning is that without friends and company, it is sort of depressing...So out of my shattered pride comes a great lesson.

No matter what your home is furnished with...if you invite them, they will come and you may have more fun than you bargained for!

I have made a standing date with Marta, a Colombian woman whose husband works with Jason. On Wednesday mornings she comes to my house at 10:00 for donuts and English lessons. You see, she lives next to a Krispy Kreme and I know English...so it is a great trade off. I'm even improving my broken Spanish in the process. I really miss teaching and this is an excellent way to keep practicing and to get to know a wonderful person in the process.

I also have an evening walking partner "En Shala," which means that as long as there is no other obligations, I can count on my friend "Hint" to show me the city by foot. She is a UAE national and has been a huge blessing to meet. We have a lot in common including our favorite TV shows, Lost, Prison Break, and Desperate Housewives. Here in Sharjah the city streets are busy and there are no sidewalks in many areas, so an evening walk is interesting to say the least. She is so proud to show me her city and even holds my hand when we cross the streets. I feel like a schoolgirl again, and am constantly amazed at how much we are actually the same even though we come from different backgrounds.

Though I love staying home with my children, it is good to get away for an hour in the evening to clear my mind. Also it feels so good to laugh again--not like the "Avery you are so silly" or "Ethan you are so cute" kind of laugh. But the kind like girlfriends do. When you can get together, share experiences, and laugh at yourself. Really I came here to experience other cultures, grow closer to my family, and to learn about myself. Finally I can see that it is coming together. Everyday I am crossing paths with women who are sharing my experience and are far from their friends and families. I feel like it is my turn to extend the "Come" and really invest myself into some great relationships here. In the end I think it could be a lot of fun.

Holidays

Christmas at IKEA...

I heard Christmas music in the mall yesterday. I can't believe how fast the time is going here. Usually this would be around the time we go on that great search for the perfect Christmas tree. It seems that every year our trees have gotten a little bigger. I think we had to whittle down last year's tree by a third. Truth be told, it was so cold we had to cut the first tree that didn't have any major deformities. I'm a little sad that our tradition will be on hold this year as there are not any blue spruce trees to be found here. Maybe the day after Thanksgiving we will make one out of construction paper, tape it to the wall, and let Avery go nuts making little decorations. I guess we could string up some lights on a date palm. Anyhow, I'm definitely in the mood for the holidays.

Share with us-

How will you spend Thanksgiving?

Let it Rain!

You can't imagine how excited I was to wake up to the sound of thunder and the trickling of rain to my window yesterday. Though it had all dried up by the time we made it outside, it has cooled the weather considerably. It is now ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL here. (For at least a few months anyhow.) This would be a great time to visit...

Our Apartment

If you would like to see pictures of our apartment, click here.

Just say "YES"

I wanted to write about this because it stood out in my mind as a turning point in our stay. The days had gotten quite long and the weather was still hot. Ethan and I had not yet been out of our apartment on our own. Avery returns home from school with a handwritten invitation "cordially inviting me to breakfast with the other mums" the following morning. It was from a mother I had met at the birthday party the day before. At first I thought, "How could I possibly get this together by tomorrow." For starters, I was still wearing my maternity shirts and was only a week out of my first horrific haircut experience. I wasn't exactly feeling social. Plus Ethan and I had grown accustomed to sleeping in on school days. Could we really get anywhere in this traffic on time for breakfast? I was seriously doubting that it would work out.

In order to accept the invitation, I had to make sure that Ethan and I would have a way to get there and back. It wasn't as easy as it sounds. Leaving in a Taxi would not only be very expensive, but also really unpredictable in this traffic. Many Taxi's in Sharjah won't even take you to Dubai in rush hour and vice versa. What if I couldn't make it back to meet Avery's bus? Three phone calls, and some networking later...I was able to arrange to have Jason drop us off at Avery's school (about an hour drive from our house) then another "mum" met us there and gave us a ride to the villa in Mirdif (about 20 minutes away). Then I would ride with a different mum back to the school and then share a bus ride home with Avery and ANOTHER mum that lived in the corniche as well. So our plan seemed fool-proof, the next step was to feel confident enough to actually go...alone.

Sitting here thinking about anticipating the party, I am giggling to myself. Here I was picturing the Stepford wives, all perfect in their high heels and party dresses. I could see them laughing at my WalMart shirt and flip-flops and of course, my really, really bad hair. You can only imagine how suprised I was to find a room full of caring, knowledgable, and exuberant women from all over the world...all with very similar experiences to my own. There was even another baby just a few weeks newer than Ethan.

I can't explain how good it felt to hear these women talk about their experiences as if were speaking of my own. It wasn't just a big "complain-fest," they really opened up to me and answered my questions, gave me advice, and listened to my concerns. It felt so good to laugh about our experiences together, the good and the really bad. I have never been in a place where I have felt so understood. It was an invitation that I am so glad that I accepted.

Birthday Parties

Birthday parties are a BIG deal here. With the hot climate and the long days, this is pretty much the only time that the kids get to play together outside of school. Avery's been invited to four this school year. One invitation even went as far as to say "RSVP if you will not be attending" and they had invited both first grade classes! (around 40 kids) The birthday parties we've seen have been "MC'd" at amusement parks, restaurants, hotels...etc. We even overheard an "American Idol" style birthday party when we were out for Planet Hollywood on Jason's birthday. Most houses/apartments here are not big enough to have a party, but I think it is just easier to have a "pre-made" party. Some have a magician. All have dance parties, tons of food for kids/parents, and contests. And all parents try to choose a different venue from the last party. I suppose this would get quite difficult if your child's birthday is at the end of the year. I love that we get a chance to meet other parents and to meet Avery's school friends. The parties themselves have been quite loud and a little overwhelming for Avery, but the company is fun and he's found that he's really enjoyed them in the end. I'm not quite sure-but I think the kids are trying to figure out how the confetti came out of the machine in this photo.

The flu and other icky things.

Last week was a rough one at our house. Avery finally made his dream trip to Wild Wadi but on the way home got sick in bumper to bumper traffic in downtown Dubai. Was it food poisoning? Heat exhaustion? We soon came to the conclusion that it was the flu, as it systematically took another victim every 12 hours.

It was a creepy feeling being sick and not being able to locate any of the comforts of home here. I checked three grocery stores for saltenes, applesauce, popsicles, and instant soup only to be left feeling dissapointed. I tried but I couldn't figure out what people eat here when they are sick. There just isn't a substitute for the replenishment of a Lipton cup-of-soup. I kept having fever visions where I was entering a Target store and walking directly to the items I was craving. We finally found some overpriced Gaterade at a shop down the street. We really do take for granted the little things we depend on for comfort in life.

This picture is from our last memory of health. I promise you...that was not a chicken burger and Avery does not recommend the hotdog sandwich.

We wish nothing but health and happiness to your home in this fluey season...

Back in Business

Our computer is on its last leg here in Sharjah. I don't know if it is the heat or just its old age but what should take 10 minutes to update our blog has been taking over an hour. We finally updated our internet speed and purchased an external fan to help cool it down. Things seem to be running a little smoother these days. Here's hoping there are many more updates to come.

The saga continues...

The only cure for a hideous haircut??? Another hideous haircut. I'm totally over the last one. I guess I'm bringing back the mushroom. Life goes on...

Another year wiser...

Happy Birthday Jason!!! We love you.

The Perfect Gadget.

After nearly three months of wonder...I've finally found the perfect use for that bidet thingy next to our toilets. If you are like me, and do not know what a bidet is, it is like a shower head that is next to the toilet to be used for any projects that would need... a little warm water I guess. Since I haven't been trained in their usage, I feel a little akward using anything but Charmin to clean up. Avery likes to use it to play "firehose" and sprays it into the toilet before he flushes, or sometimes in place of a flush. I, on the otherhand, had a *brilliant* idea. And in the process developed a new favorite chore...cleaning the bathroom.

I slapped on my heavy duty gloves, took out the French dish soap that really turned out to be Soft Scrub, and rubbed it top to bottom on all of the porcelins in the bathroom. Then I confidently grabbed the bidet and methodically sprayed. Avery was like, "Can I help you clean the bathroom?" And I was like, "No, I've got this one." Then with a light squeegy down the drain in the middle of the floor, our bathroom has never smelled so good or *sparkled* quite so bright.

Camel Crossing

#1 question asked, "Have you seen a camel yet?" Besides the mysterious camel walking on the beach in Ajman we haven't seen any "wild" camels yet. I've seen the camel crossing sign, and plenty of saddled-up ridable ones. We've even seen mechanical camels at the mall. It was like a nativity scene out of moving camels. I thought they were real, but then was told we should go have our picture taken with them because they weren't. So real camels don't smile at gawkers in the mall? Every time I see them at the roadside carnivals I think, "Would I actually ride one of those? I bet they're pretty stinky." I'm actually a little scared of them. I don't know if I should even let Avery ride it. They're much bigger in person than on TV. But then again, my mom let me ride an elephant at the Shrine Circus and I survived. What would you do?



Camel crossing photo borrowed from: members.virtualtourist.com

The haircut.

Everyday I wait patiently for Avery to get off the bus, we walk up to our apartment building, and I glance over to this cute salon across the street past our back alley. I think, "Man, I really really need a haircut." I've met the stylist in the single-operator salon, she seemed nice enough. And everyday, I walk back up to my apartment and forget about myself and carry on with the evening. That is until the day Avery talked me into an ice cream run after school.

This time we had to walk directly past the salon to the corner grocery, which is really like a convenience store, minus the gas. Avery's equipped with his Neopolitan Ice Cream bar, I with my Cadburry Caramel sticks, and Ethan with his binky. Three big smiles. We start to push the stroller home, when I have a *brilliant* idea. "We're all fed, happy, and somewhat clean. Why don't I see if she has time to cut my hair now? Afterall, its right here. What's the worse that could happen."

Rule #1: Talking to yourself nearly always leads to trouble.

So we enter the salon and I ask how much it is for a haircut and an eyebrow wax. She says 60 dirhams which is the equivalent of $18. As I scan the small salon, I conclude that she has effectively passed my three criteria...the salon was cute, clean, and cheap.

Everything is going good, Avery is content with his ice cream watching Dora the Explorer in Arabic and Ethan is watching Avery, making munching motions with his mouth dreaming about the ice cream.

She says, "like this" tilts my head back, and pulls a long string out her ball of thread and starts rolling it all over my face as my facial hair is magically whipped away. I didn't know if I should panic or laugh. It didn't really hurt, just kind of tickled really, but it took me off guard as I was expecting a "wax".

Halfway through the threading, Avery, covered in ice cream, becomes discontent with Dora and says, "Excuse me, this is in Arabic" and the lady said "I will find English." She hands Avery a Kleenex and takes about 6-7 minutes channel surfing looking for something in English for Avery to watch. It was obvious that she had not worked with children before as I was thinking their patience would soon run thin. So after the run through the satellite, she comes to the conclusion that there is no English, and she finds the next best thing. A racy Indian Soap Opera. So sticky and bored, Avery does his best to be patient on the couch.

It is hard for me to tell just what is left of my eybrows because the lighting was so dim but I trusted that she had done this many times before. She kept saying, "You love this. This perfect for you" so I just kept smiling.

It's time for the haircut. She divided my hair into four parts. She says, "Same thing" and I say "No, I just want a little off."

Three squirts of water and "crunch." I hear her dull scissors cut through 1/4 of my hair and I see it curl up to the bottom of my ears. Immediately my "Warning" sensors go off, and I could tell it was going to be a rough road out of there. I feel my hair and say that it was "too short" and I signal to make the sides get longer, trying to salvage the cut." She says, "No worry, I make you nice haircut." So, thinking there's nowhere to go now that its half cut, I let her finish.

Rule #2: Don't get your haircut with two small children.

The sweater unravels...

Meanwhile, the sugar kicks in. Avery asks for some paper to draw on and finds a notebook. She says, "That notebook not for you, sit down." So, bored out of his mind, Avery is hanging in Ethans face, and Ethan starts screaming. Then Avery tries to comfort Ethan with kisses. It doesn't work. Ethan screams louder. Then she says "Your baby wants eat. You feed him, no problem." Feeling a little frazzled with half a haircut, I try to feed him. She keeps cutting. Ethan's still crying, so she takes off my cape thinking it was bugging him and keeps cutting. My entire front, back, and baby was filled with hair. He could not be comforted, so I asked if we could take a break to comfort him, and she says "two more minutes" and yells "You sit down and be good boy" at Avery...twice.

Not knowing what else to do, I set down Ethan and let him cry so we could get out of there as fast as we could.

Rule #3: If it feels like its going to get worse, get out while you still can.

Someone else enters, and asks how much a haircut is, and tries to barter the price. She keeps cutting.

She says, "bangs here?" (Eye length) I say, "No here. (Chin length) She says, "No, not nice." And cuts them to my cheeks. Just as I was getting used to the length in the sides she cuts them shorter so they actually go up a bit from the back like a horseshoe. I said "Why did you cut the sides? That is the way I wanted it." She kept saying "I make you nice haircut".

Finally, I just had to go. The boys were both going crazy, and I could tell that no matter how many times she tried to fix the crooked sides, eventually, she would run out of hair to cut. I politely declined the blow dry she was pushing. She looked at me and said, "You like?" and I said, "It is too short." and she said, "Oh, I guess I no understand."

And that's that. I left with floating Betty Boop eyebrows and a bob/shag that will take a year to fix.

I got home and was overwhelmed by the whole experience. I broke down and cried.

Avery says, "Mom, Why are you crying?" I say, "Because I look hideous."

Avery, wise beyond his years says, "Being ugly isn't a good reason to cry."

Does this qualify as a bad haircut?

Coming soon...

The haircut

and

The birthday party (Not Avery's)

and

You are cordially invited to Brunch with the OTHER mums...

Hope

Things are slowly coming together here. We officially have cell phone service in our apartment! What we were told would take 2 weeks, only took 11. The midnight run down our elevator into the alley to get reception will not be missed. And now, I have one less major inconvenience to groan about.

Two days ago it was 102 degrees. So many people were saying that it cools down in October, but I was starting to seriously doubt that. At it's hottest it was a comfortable 95 degrees today, and by the time I jumped into the pool at sundown I was actually cold! It got down to 81 this evening. I've never been so excited for a season change. I am ready to enjoy the 4 months of perfect weather I've been promised.

The last two days have been my lowest to date. I can't tell if it's the realities of culture shock or just awkwardness of figuring out how to be a good housewife that's bugging me. The line of discontentment has been blurry. And I really really hate being discontent.

There have been times when I've gotten overwhelmed in life. Usually it's when I am uncertain about what is going to happen next. This is when I believe God sends specific events just for me for encouragement. I'll call them "I think I'm going to be OK" moments. It is something that happens that doesn't necessarily fix the problem, but it brings about a sense of peace to help navigate through it. I've only had a few moments like this in my life. Things were getting so bad here, he had to send two in one day.

Yesterday while I was waiting for Avery's bus to arrive, I noticed that for the first time I could clearly see the skyscrapers across the corniche. It really looked beautiful. Stunning actually. It was the sort of skyline you would see on a postcard for Miami Beach. The sun was hitting the water at just the right angle to illuminate the buildings in a way that made them appear to be glowing. The palm trees along the walking path in the forefront looked so inviting. I couldn't stop looking at it. I kept thinking, "I stand at this spot everyday, and I've never noticed how beautiful that really is."

Later that evening as Avery and I were swimming, I watched the sun go down over the Gulf. I have never seen such vivid colors of Magenta and Violet. It reminded me of a cheesy sunset I saw on an old 80's T-shirt. Palm trees swaying in the breeze and all. The sunset on the Arabian Sea was so mesmerizing, I watched every moment of it until the last drop of color fell from the sky. Then for the first time since July, I felt cool breeze hitting me off the Sea and I thought, "Maybe this is the turning point. Maybe this could really work."

Of all days to forget my camera.

Culture Shock

"Yes! I am experiencing a little culture shock these days."