As my weekend winds down, I am mentally preparing myself for another week here. There are so many things that need to be done at work....I have been so well received, yet I have not returned on the investment that my company has made in me yet...I am feeling pressure, but it is so far from within, I hope to keep it that way.
I posted on my facebook status today that I was suffering from withdrawals from baseball and football (American not soccer)...One of my favorite people from my favorite restaurant posted a message back, that I was missed...nice sentiment Alex...The guys and gals from Hendels,(Awesome restaurant in Florissant, MO) I grew to love. Nate, Alex, Jimmy, Alli, Christine, Kenny, Steve even JoAnne their SYSCO rep....I enjoyed calling on them, and being a part of their success - I miss them and my other customer friends/Knights of Columbus, Wang Gang, Amarillo Tex's, and Jack's Place...those and others made my job fun even on bad days...Believe it or not, I have made friends at each one of those accounts that are following this boring blog...That part of the job here has yet to be realized (there are a couple of customers that I think I will develop that kind of relationship with) but hopefully it will be soon. So I miss that group of friends....
I miss the work friends that I spent so much time with, Todd and Chad especially so.
Most of my lifelong friends like Fred, Janie, Danno, Lee, Amy, Linda and many others I rarely saw, but I miss being able to just pick up the phone and call. I do speak with my mother and Fred (power of attorney and American bill payer) regularly - although being so far away makes it more difficult.
This blog maybe a way for all of you friends from work and school keep up with me, but I think it is very therapeutic for me...I am a long ways away and I won't be returning to the States until Late July/Early August 2011.
I miss good ole American TV. I do get Fox news, and National Geographic (in HD!) I know everything I ever wanted to know about sharks, alligators and Dinosaurs (yes, even when they fought each other-like a bad Scooby Doo episode to make the link). I missed a chance to watch a baseball game last night, the Reds/Cubs were on live at 3:05 in the morning. I woke up at 5:30 and saw the highlights...what a let down.
I missed watching Big Brother this summer, and my favorite show Survivor should be about to start. Even the silly show's like Wipeout and especially the shows on HBO/Showtime like True Blood, Entourage and the like. There are so many Arabic stations here, I get Al Jazeera 1 & 2 and ten channels of Al Jazeera sports (I think its all soccer and be headings...) ;-) Just seeing if you are paying attention.
Now let's chat about what I don't miss...I don't miss Taxes...You don't realize how much farther your money goes when you don't pay sales tax. If dinner is $19.95 it's $19.95! Tipping here is 10% or less, although I tend to tip more than 10%. So in America, if dinner was $20. you have taxes of usually around 7% and then a tip of 20% on top of that. So it ends up being $27 plus...here it would be $22....money goes further.
I don't miss Federal Income, state and Fica tax. I was averaging about 40% in the States...need I say more.
I don't miss rude servers and salespeople. This is a service driven market where you are greeted with friendliness and extreme courtesy-however that is spelled).
I don't miss $2.75 gas...I spend about $25 a week on it here...I don't miss American Banks, I am drawing interest on my checking- with no fees, even my credit card is no charge and I get generous Airline miles.
Oh well, I don't mind conforming to rules, so the Muslim presence here doesn't bother me, in fact I find it very interesting to learn about their customs and practices.
This weekend has been a little lonely, Sandy is headed back to the States as we speak, so I get to start doing things with Bob again. Dominic had another party Thursday evening...I attended, and yes I am older than dirt, I felt so out of place with 40 plus under 30's and me...I spent all weekend trying to recover...
Busy day at work tomorrow, so I need to hit the hay! Thanks to all of my friends and family both named and otherwise for hanging in there with me. Hopefully we will all see each other within the next year....come visit, my contract runs through December 2013.
God Bless you and God Bless the USA!
Your Friend,
John
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
The weekend is here!!!!
TAIT!
A very long week at work is now over. I was proud of myself for taking a lot of photo's and posting them on facebook this week. If you don't have facebook and want the latest photos - just let me know and I will email them to you.
This is going to be a "loose ends" blog. Lots of small things that have come up that are not worthy of a blog topic. Sandy is still here visiting Bob, so it has been a lonely week. I hear she is loving her stay and will return to Atlanta this Saturday night.
I have had a few of you inquire about visiting. I would encourage you to do so. I am so grateful that when Janie & Rodney(friends from college) were stationed in Hawaii and a Alaska that they let me visit them. Alaska was awesome, and I probably would never have visited the state if they would not have been there. When are you ever going to have a better opportunity to visit someplace like the United Arab Emirates...besides, I miss my friends and am a little homesick for America...a round trip ticket can be had for less than a thousand dollars...I promise to help keep your spending down when here. I plan on my parents Birthday/Christmas/anniversary present to fly them over this February...so that won't be the best time to visit.
Speaking of traveling, I plan on returning to the states for a vacation next August. I probably will fly in around August 1st and spend some time with friends as well as time with the folks in good ole Lebanon, VA.
Sometimes (ok lots of times) I have spelling gaffes on here, well my Arab filter on my laptop really messes up spellcheck. When I click on it, every word shows up as mis spelled...sorry...
Dominic, my German neighbor on the 32nd floor is throwing another party tonight. I plan on dropping in, believe it or not, the half drunk girls want to ask lots of questions about America...it amazes me how many people claim that I am the first American they have met. I often wonder about the impression of America/Americans I leave them with.
Living an interacting with the people here I am beginning to have my favorite nationalities...The kindness of the Indian people may be tops on the list. The Sri Lankens, Banglideshians and Filipino's tend to be very friendly also. Amongst the Middle Easterners, Jordanians and Egyptians are very nice. The Lebanese tend to be very proud and somewhat prejudicial, while the Bedouins would in general rather I leave them alone. Now as far as Beautiful women go, the Lebanese women are stunning...although the Russian and Serbian women seem to be very approachable, if you know what I mean...of course the above is an "in general characterisation" and there are many both good and bad that don't fit these stereotypes.
With 85% of the population being a citizen elsewhere, there is always something to strike up a conversation about.
I do plan on visiting the Europe and other middle Eastern countries while I am here. Turkey is an inexpensive ticket and about a four hour plane ride, Egypt is less than 4 as is Lebanon.
I have a business trip scheduled for Paris in early October...have I mentioned how fortunate I am to be here?
I bought more furniture for my apartment and bought curtains. I hired a couple of handymen to put the furniture together and hang my curtains.
I still have a dry cleaning service for my dress shirts and slacks. It costs about a $1.75 per shirt and $2 for slacks. That does include them picking up and dropping off.
Ok, enough of the inane rambling, thank you so much for the emails,,,it is very comforting to know that you are all here with me...
Here's to a late night...lol...Happy Tait to you!
John
A very long week at work is now over. I was proud of myself for taking a lot of photo's and posting them on facebook this week. If you don't have facebook and want the latest photos - just let me know and I will email them to you.
This is going to be a "loose ends" blog. Lots of small things that have come up that are not worthy of a blog topic. Sandy is still here visiting Bob, so it has been a lonely week. I hear she is loving her stay and will return to Atlanta this Saturday night.
I have had a few of you inquire about visiting. I would encourage you to do so. I am so grateful that when Janie & Rodney(friends from college) were stationed in Hawaii and a Alaska that they let me visit them. Alaska was awesome, and I probably would never have visited the state if they would not have been there. When are you ever going to have a better opportunity to visit someplace like the United Arab Emirates...besides, I miss my friends and am a little homesick for America...a round trip ticket can be had for less than a thousand dollars...I promise to help keep your spending down when here. I plan on my parents Birthday/Christmas/anniversary present to fly them over this February...so that won't be the best time to visit.
Speaking of traveling, I plan on returning to the states for a vacation next August. I probably will fly in around August 1st and spend some time with friends as well as time with the folks in good ole Lebanon, VA.
Sometimes (ok lots of times) I have spelling gaffes on here, well my Arab filter on my laptop really messes up spellcheck. When I click on it, every word shows up as mis spelled...sorry...
Dominic, my German neighbor on the 32nd floor is throwing another party tonight. I plan on dropping in, believe it or not, the half drunk girls want to ask lots of questions about America...it amazes me how many people claim that I am the first American they have met. I often wonder about the impression of America/Americans I leave them with.
Living an interacting with the people here I am beginning to have my favorite nationalities...The kindness of the Indian people may be tops on the list. The Sri Lankens, Banglideshians and Filipino's tend to be very friendly also. Amongst the Middle Easterners, Jordanians and Egyptians are very nice. The Lebanese tend to be very proud and somewhat prejudicial, while the Bedouins would in general rather I leave them alone. Now as far as Beautiful women go, the Lebanese women are stunning...although the Russian and Serbian women seem to be very approachable, if you know what I mean...of course the above is an "in general characterisation" and there are many both good and bad that don't fit these stereotypes.
With 85% of the population being a citizen elsewhere, there is always something to strike up a conversation about.
I do plan on visiting the Europe and other middle Eastern countries while I am here. Turkey is an inexpensive ticket and about a four hour plane ride, Egypt is less than 4 as is Lebanon.
I have a business trip scheduled for Paris in early October...have I mentioned how fortunate I am to be here?
I bought more furniture for my apartment and bought curtains. I hired a couple of handymen to put the furniture together and hang my curtains.
I still have a dry cleaning service for my dress shirts and slacks. It costs about a $1.75 per shirt and $2 for slacks. That does include them picking up and dropping off.
Ok, enough of the inane rambling, thank you so much for the emails,,,it is very comforting to know that you are all here with me...
Here's to a late night...lol...Happy Tait to you!
John
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
The Road to Abu Dhabi
Sorry that I have been a little slack with my updates. I have been worn out since I stayed up all night this past weekend participating in my fantasy League football draft. I am not too optimistic since I have not been able to see any exhibition games and the sports news is basically what I can find online. Oh well, hopefully Dubai cable will allow me to see some games...Same is true with baseball, I have only seen one game since I got here, the Reds are finally having a good year, I think I'll be able to see some playoff games.
Monday, I spent the day in Abu Dhabi. They are building a new theme park on Yaz Island just this side of Abu Dhabi. The park is called Ferrari world and yes believe it or not will be the worlds largest indoor theme park. It is scheduled to open in October. I took a couple of pictures (hard to be tourist and business man) and will post them on facebook in the next 24 hours. Yaz Island is a new resort, they have a new Crown plaza and 3 or 4 other hotels all adjacent to a Marina and this new theme park. There is also a Marina there.
We went on into Abu Dhabi after our appointment and met with the Chef at another 5 star hotel. Bob actually had worked with this chef during the Olympics in Atlanta. It's a small world, and yes we should pick up some major business. On the drive back it occurred to me I have not talked about the "Interstate system" here.
The roads are in a constant growth status. On my 12 minute drive to work there will be at least two different places that road crews are either doing repair work or expansion. There are virtually no pot holes since we have no winter. The roads have different speed limits from 60 khm to 120 khm. (not so fast to pretty darn fast, I should have paid attention to metrics in school- I remember saying "Why waste time on this we will never use it" lol,,,). They enforce the speed limits with radar photo boxes that are in the median that are moved regularly. The fines are from 250 Dirhaims on up, and they don't care how many you get as long as you pay them. Of course you can go to court. It is called the "Rulers Court" - Good luck with that.
Drivers hare are just the opposite of everything else. They are extremely aggressive and very uncourteous. They will merge without a blinker causing you to slam on your brakes. At lights they absolutely lay on the horn at the slightest delay. They will make illegal turns right in front of you and they Love speed. On the other hand the penalty from running a red light is a large fine and 6 month loss of license, so nobody runs them. On Monday, I had my cruise control at 135 khms and I was in the left lane, a SUV came up from behind me and before I could get moved over it passed me on the shoulder....this is a 4 lane highway. Defensive driving is a must. Now the penalty for flipping someone off can actually be deportation, but if you are lucky and it is your first offense 30 days in jail will suffice. On a similar note, if you are involved in a physical altercation, no matter who starts it, deportation is in order. Conform you are in paradise, don't conform get out...pretty clear message.
The most common political discussions going on right now are the Palestine/Israeli situation and Israel/Iran nuclear conflict. Most expats (Non-citizens) are concerned about the possibility of war and what could happen is Israel takes out Iran's Nuclear reactors. Remember, Iran is just across the strait of Hormuz (less than 100 miles at its tightest place), and that is the area Iran has threatened to cut off the worlds supply of oil if they are attacked. Along the coast many ships make daily trips across the straight delivering goods to Iran breaking the embargo. It is big business here. Bob and I are planning on registering with their US Embassy shortly, so that we can be easily found in the event of a regional crisis.
Keep your fingers crossed that everything is resolved peacefully.
Catch up with you soon....
John
Monday, I spent the day in Abu Dhabi. They are building a new theme park on Yaz Island just this side of Abu Dhabi. The park is called Ferrari world and yes believe it or not will be the worlds largest indoor theme park. It is scheduled to open in October. I took a couple of pictures (hard to be tourist and business man) and will post them on facebook in the next 24 hours. Yaz Island is a new resort, they have a new Crown plaza and 3 or 4 other hotels all adjacent to a Marina and this new theme park. There is also a Marina there.
We went on into Abu Dhabi after our appointment and met with the Chef at another 5 star hotel. Bob actually had worked with this chef during the Olympics in Atlanta. It's a small world, and yes we should pick up some major business. On the drive back it occurred to me I have not talked about the "Interstate system" here.
The roads are in a constant growth status. On my 12 minute drive to work there will be at least two different places that road crews are either doing repair work or expansion. There are virtually no pot holes since we have no winter. The roads have different speed limits from 60 khm to 120 khm. (not so fast to pretty darn fast, I should have paid attention to metrics in school- I remember saying "Why waste time on this we will never use it" lol,,,). They enforce the speed limits with radar photo boxes that are in the median that are moved regularly. The fines are from 250 Dirhaims on up, and they don't care how many you get as long as you pay them. Of course you can go to court. It is called the "Rulers Court" - Good luck with that.
Drivers hare are just the opposite of everything else. They are extremely aggressive and very uncourteous. They will merge without a blinker causing you to slam on your brakes. At lights they absolutely lay on the horn at the slightest delay. They will make illegal turns right in front of you and they Love speed. On the other hand the penalty from running a red light is a large fine and 6 month loss of license, so nobody runs them. On Monday, I had my cruise control at 135 khms and I was in the left lane, a SUV came up from behind me and before I could get moved over it passed me on the shoulder....this is a 4 lane highway. Defensive driving is a must. Now the penalty for flipping someone off can actually be deportation, but if you are lucky and it is your first offense 30 days in jail will suffice. On a similar note, if you are involved in a physical altercation, no matter who starts it, deportation is in order. Conform you are in paradise, don't conform get out...pretty clear message.
The most common political discussions going on right now are the Palestine/Israeli situation and Israel/Iran nuclear conflict. Most expats (Non-citizens) are concerned about the possibility of war and what could happen is Israel takes out Iran's Nuclear reactors. Remember, Iran is just across the strait of Hormuz (less than 100 miles at its tightest place), and that is the area Iran has threatened to cut off the worlds supply of oil if they are attacked. Along the coast many ships make daily trips across the straight delivering goods to Iran breaking the embargo. It is big business here. Bob and I are planning on registering with their US Embassy shortly, so that we can be easily found in the event of a regional crisis.
Keep your fingers crossed that everything is resolved peacefully.
Catch up with you soon....
John
Friday, August 20, 2010
TAIT!!!! Thank Alla it's Thursday...
The weekend is here and I am bushed....I hope you saw my face book picture of Sham and I. He's such a good guy, although a sneaky one. You have read earlier about Sham conning me out of pasta...now he's trying to tell me he does not know meat...too funny...
The fasting that I am indirectly participating in is very tough.....limited food options and no fluids...how do they do it for a month, I just don't know.
Well Sandy arrived here yesterday to spend a few days with Bob. They make a great couple. Consequently, I am free to do whatever I want.I started tonight....
I was invited to Dominic's party. He had about 20 people to his apartment on the 32nd floor. His boss was there, along with a great friend of his from college (Dominic is approaching 30 years old.) Dominic has purchased a special license from the government which allows him to buy alcohol...15 under thirty people, yes another hot Russian, and an even hotter Serbian....Actually a very diverse and friendly group...Germans, French, Swedish, and Lebanese. I spent an hour sharing views with this Serbian gal, she told me not to worry about voting, the US elections were decided in a smoke filled back room...she said " you actually think they count the votes"? I really enjoyed speaking with her....Back to the pool in the morning, it will be the first time back since I roasted myself last weekend, Then Bob wants us to take Sandy to hyper panda for grocery shopping...quite the romantic...
I am slacking in my fantasy baseball league, it is just so hard to keep up with, I am drafting my fantasy football team tomorrow at like 4 in the morning,sigh...
Sorry for the short blog... but I am dog tired....the weekend is here, time for me to hit the hay....
Enjoy your weekend....
The fasting that I am indirectly participating in is very tough.....limited food options and no fluids...how do they do it for a month, I just don't know.
Well Sandy arrived here yesterday to spend a few days with Bob. They make a great couple. Consequently, I am free to do whatever I want.I started tonight....
I was invited to Dominic's party. He had about 20 people to his apartment on the 32nd floor. His boss was there, along with a great friend of his from college (Dominic is approaching 30 years old.) Dominic has purchased a special license from the government which allows him to buy alcohol...15 under thirty people, yes another hot Russian, and an even hotter Serbian....Actually a very diverse and friendly group...Germans, French, Swedish, and Lebanese. I spent an hour sharing views with this Serbian gal, she told me not to worry about voting, the US elections were decided in a smoke filled back room...she said " you actually think they count the votes"? I really enjoyed speaking with her....Back to the pool in the morning, it will be the first time back since I roasted myself last weekend, Then Bob wants us to take Sandy to hyper panda for grocery shopping...quite the romantic...
I am slacking in my fantasy baseball league, it is just so hard to keep up with, I am drafting my fantasy football team tomorrow at like 4 in the morning,sigh...
Sorry for the short blog... but I am dog tired....the weekend is here, time for me to hit the hay....
Enjoy your weekend....
Monday, August 16, 2010
Meals on a Monday...
I guess it might be interesting to talk about food in the UAE. This being a Muslim nation all protein must be Halal certified and have expiration dates....If you buy eggs in the UAE every egg has both a pack date and an "expiry" date. Every food product is labeled with the acceptable dates and there is a large fine associated with knowingly selling an expired product.
Halal certification is different, first Muslims do not eat pork. It is a big time sin. Beef, veal, chicken, game meats, virtually everything that breathed before it was harvested is covered by Halal. It assures that the animal was killed humanly, bled out properly, prayed for or blessed and has some kind of Muslim financing. Fish are not included, but all other meats must be so certified.
Now if a store or restaurant gets a special license they can serve pork to non Muslims. Very, very very few take advantage of that. Bob and I have had a pork week...lol. Saturday we went downtown to a grocery store that had a pork room. We bought some sliced ham to make sandwiches with. Well, as you may recall during this holy month (Ramadan) we can not eat or drink or even chew gum in front of a Muslim from sunup til sunset, with the penalty being possible jail time and deportation for multiple offences. Restaurants are closed during the daylight hours. So on Monday we packed Ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch, and went downstairs and ate them in an empty break room. It seems like we were double breaking the rules by not fasting and having pork for lunch. Tonight we had dinner at an American style restaurant (owned by a gentleman from Texas) We both had baby back pork ribs. We are catching up for lost time.....
Alcohol is not allowed for Muslims either. The UAE does allow non-Muslims to drink at international hotels. There is a zero drinking and driving tolerance. If any trace of alcohol is discovered while you are driving it is 30 days in jail followed by deportation. I don't mind being the designated driver, the risk of losing job and resident visa is just way to big to take a sip of a beer or wine.
You can get American beef (my company sells it) here. It is Angus and well aged. virtually all the produce comes from Iran and Europe. The bread at the market is fresh and very affordable. A three foot long baguette runs about 45 cents. Arab bread is even more affordable (about a nickle a pocket) and is made fresh daily and is very tasty. As I m mentioned the soda's taste like hell, almost everyone drinks bottled water with their meals. The water is mostly pulled from the gulf of Hormuz and is desalinated in a large plant. The water is not drinkable out of the spigot. So lots of water coolers and bottled water (lots of American water-like Aquafina, Dansai) are served.
Well tomorrow is Tuesday (hump day) here and I am very tired...I did get a picture of Sham and I together and I will try and post on here and Face book tomorrow.
Have a wonderful day!
John
Halal certification is different, first Muslims do not eat pork. It is a big time sin. Beef, veal, chicken, game meats, virtually everything that breathed before it was harvested is covered by Halal. It assures that the animal was killed humanly, bled out properly, prayed for or blessed and has some kind of Muslim financing. Fish are not included, but all other meats must be so certified.
Now if a store or restaurant gets a special license they can serve pork to non Muslims. Very, very very few take advantage of that. Bob and I have had a pork week...lol. Saturday we went downtown to a grocery store that had a pork room. We bought some sliced ham to make sandwiches with. Well, as you may recall during this holy month (Ramadan) we can not eat or drink or even chew gum in front of a Muslim from sunup til sunset, with the penalty being possible jail time and deportation for multiple offences. Restaurants are closed during the daylight hours. So on Monday we packed Ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch, and went downstairs and ate them in an empty break room. It seems like we were double breaking the rules by not fasting and having pork for lunch. Tonight we had dinner at an American style restaurant (owned by a gentleman from Texas) We both had baby back pork ribs. We are catching up for lost time.....
Alcohol is not allowed for Muslims either. The UAE does allow non-Muslims to drink at international hotels. There is a zero drinking and driving tolerance. If any trace of alcohol is discovered while you are driving it is 30 days in jail followed by deportation. I don't mind being the designated driver, the risk of losing job and resident visa is just way to big to take a sip of a beer or wine.
You can get American beef (my company sells it) here. It is Angus and well aged. virtually all the produce comes from Iran and Europe. The bread at the market is fresh and very affordable. A three foot long baguette runs about 45 cents. Arab bread is even more affordable (about a nickle a pocket) and is made fresh daily and is very tasty. As I m mentioned the soda's taste like hell, almost everyone drinks bottled water with their meals. The water is mostly pulled from the gulf of Hormuz and is desalinated in a large plant. The water is not drinkable out of the spigot. So lots of water coolers and bottled water (lots of American water-like Aquafina, Dansai) are served.
Well tomorrow is Tuesday (hump day) here and I am very tired...I did get a picture of Sham and I together and I will try and post on here and Face book tomorrow.
Have a wonderful day!
John
Friday, August 13, 2010
Friday in Dubai
It's news here that President Obama is hosting a Ramadan dinner at the white house, funnily (or not) both Kenyans that I have befriended here swear that he was born in their home country, I would imagine that Matt Drudge could have a field day reporting from here...
On the not so political front, it has been a good day in Dubai. I got up this morning and worked out (lightly, have to build up)...then Bob and I enjoyed a light lunch in his apartment (made tuna salad with good ole SYSCO light chunk tuna in water)...
I decided it was time to enjoy the pool today. I met a couple of young ladies (mid 20's) from Hungary. One of them spoke almost perfect English...it is fascinating to me how many people here speak English really well. The other thing that continues to amaze me is how fortunate we Americans are. I see the servant classes working so hard here to achieve the dream of a better life for their family's. Whether it is the Indian and Pakistani workers working all night on the office buildings being built in downtown Dubai (It is estimated that 20% of the worlds skyscraper cranes are here in Dubai.) or the Philippine servers in the restaurants that are so courteous. I continually over tip, I think it may be a little guilt that I feel. I know I am who I am in a large part of that is based on where I was born...how fortunate to be an American...and here you are treated with such respect. so many of the people here express their dreams of going to America. I was speaking with a manager in a different department at work, and she posed a question that took me back a little bit, why would anyone from the United States want to come to the Middle East to work when so many from here would give up so much for the chance to come to the United States. I didn't think I wanted to explain almost 10% unemployment, taxes nearing 45% of income, and high crime rates that plague our cities while here no taxes, unemployment under 1%, and a city with virtually no crime...don't get me wrong, I cherish my citizenship and freedoms, but being a citizen of the greatest country in the world, while working abroad is not so bad...
Bob is mad at me, he says I messed up cable for the entire Emirates. In an earlier blog I shared that FTV on our late night cable had racy nudity...well the next day the channel disappeared...No joke, hopefully it was not from my blog, but don't expect me to share any more censurable tidbits...lol.
At the pool today, I also befriend a young man from Germany named Dominic. He works for AIG and got here at the same time Bob and I did. It was great sharing our tales of life here and dining and shopping places that we enjoy (Bob and I like Hyper-Panda for groceries). He invited us up to his flat for a couple of adult beverages (code for the authorities..lol). I really enjoyed my time with him and hopefully I have made another friend. That is one of my favorite things about being here, with 85% of the population being foreigners from all over the world (really like the Russian girls-may or may not share more-the authorities and mom read this :-) it is really a great place to share. Americans are rare here, so the people are always interested in sharing their story with you.
I am watching the American PGA championship on the pay sports channel. It is nice to see live American sports. I have been here 5 weeks and I Have only seen 1 baseball game (Reds game) and I am curious to see if I'll get to see any of my beloved Cowboys games this fall.
Saturdays plans include working out in the morning, pool time until lunch afternoon trip to the mall and dinner.
Please drop a note (jbruck1022@aol.com) or post a comment to let me know whats up or what you want to know about or that you are amongst those that are hanging in there with me...
Hoping your weekend is great,
John
On the not so political front, it has been a good day in Dubai. I got up this morning and worked out (lightly, have to build up)...then Bob and I enjoyed a light lunch in his apartment (made tuna salad with good ole SYSCO light chunk tuna in water)...
I decided it was time to enjoy the pool today. I met a couple of young ladies (mid 20's) from Hungary. One of them spoke almost perfect English...it is fascinating to me how many people here speak English really well. The other thing that continues to amaze me is how fortunate we Americans are. I see the servant classes working so hard here to achieve the dream of a better life for their family's. Whether it is the Indian and Pakistani workers working all night on the office buildings being built in downtown Dubai (It is estimated that 20% of the worlds skyscraper cranes are here in Dubai.) or the Philippine servers in the restaurants that are so courteous. I continually over tip, I think it may be a little guilt that I feel. I know I am who I am in a large part of that is based on where I was born...how fortunate to be an American...and here you are treated with such respect. so many of the people here express their dreams of going to America. I was speaking with a manager in a different department at work, and she posed a question that took me back a little bit, why would anyone from the United States want to come to the Middle East to work when so many from here would give up so much for the chance to come to the United States. I didn't think I wanted to explain almost 10% unemployment, taxes nearing 45% of income, and high crime rates that plague our cities while here no taxes, unemployment under 1%, and a city with virtually no crime...don't get me wrong, I cherish my citizenship and freedoms, but being a citizen of the greatest country in the world, while working abroad is not so bad...
Bob is mad at me, he says I messed up cable for the entire Emirates. In an earlier blog I shared that FTV on our late night cable had racy nudity...well the next day the channel disappeared...No joke, hopefully it was not from my blog, but don't expect me to share any more censurable tidbits...lol.
At the pool today, I also befriend a young man from Germany named Dominic. He works for AIG and got here at the same time Bob and I did. It was great sharing our tales of life here and dining and shopping places that we enjoy (Bob and I like Hyper-Panda for groceries). He invited us up to his flat for a couple of adult beverages (code for the authorities..lol). I really enjoyed my time with him and hopefully I have made another friend. That is one of my favorite things about being here, with 85% of the population being foreigners from all over the world (really like the Russian girls-may or may not share more-the authorities and mom read this :-) it is really a great place to share. Americans are rare here, so the people are always interested in sharing their story with you.
I am watching the American PGA championship on the pay sports channel. It is nice to see live American sports. I have been here 5 weeks and I Have only seen 1 baseball game (Reds game) and I am curious to see if I'll get to see any of my beloved Cowboys games this fall.
Saturdays plans include working out in the morning, pool time until lunch afternoon trip to the mall and dinner.
Please drop a note (jbruck1022@aol.com) or post a comment to let me know whats up or what you want to know about or that you are amongst those that are hanging in there with me...
Hoping your weekend is great,
John
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Ramadan or not, here I come...
Well it's Fat Tuesday in Dubai, Ramadan should start tomorrow. (the Sheik's will figure out if it starts by studying the Celestial bodies tonight...)so you are wondering exactly what is Ramadan...and how does it effect your ole buddy John...
Ramadan is the Holiest time of the year for Muslims. It is a time of sacrifice and getting one's soul in alignment with God. The month long atonement. involves strict adherence to fasting rules. The observing Muslims (have not met one yet that has said they are not observing) can not let anything pass their lips from sunrise to sunset during this month. That includes water, food, gum, mints anything....they are not even allowed to use an eye drop because it enters the system as a fluid....Now I don't know about you, but I think not drinking a drop of fluid when it is nearing 120 degrees in the shade is downright scary. They are also not allowed to be intimate with their spouse during this month...they have special prayer rules so that they are up most of the night in deep prayer. They do eat a predawn breakfast and generally have a large dinner at night.
As a non-Muslim living in a Muslim country there are strict rules for me also. I am not allowed to have anything in my mouth during the day in front of a Muslim. No drinking, gum chewing food or even a toothpick. The penalty if I do can be actual jail time. Our offices are adhering to special hours. there is no music allowed to be played as background noise and you are forbidden from dancing or singing. Almost all of the restaurants are closed during the day except for some of the hotel dining establishments and they must cover their windows with black curtains so that you can not be seen inside. Now they are not expecting me to observe Ramadan just respect it. I can go to the backroom and drink water. I can run home and have lunch in my apartment and that is perfectly fine. If a Muslim has to drink water for health reasons or even take medicine. their fasting time is increased day for day and they can never be forgiven but they can mitigate their sin by doing charitable work for the poor...
My department at work is majority Christian (the company is not) so I think I will be able to cope and mitigate the effect on myself...Our friend Sham shaved his head to help get his mind right for the approaching month...We will see how it goes, I will do my best not to get arrested....
God be with us all,
John
Ramadan is the Holiest time of the year for Muslims. It is a time of sacrifice and getting one's soul in alignment with God. The month long atonement. involves strict adherence to fasting rules. The observing Muslims (have not met one yet that has said they are not observing) can not let anything pass their lips from sunrise to sunset during this month. That includes water, food, gum, mints anything....they are not even allowed to use an eye drop because it enters the system as a fluid....Now I don't know about you, but I think not drinking a drop of fluid when it is nearing 120 degrees in the shade is downright scary. They are also not allowed to be intimate with their spouse during this month...they have special prayer rules so that they are up most of the night in deep prayer. They do eat a predawn breakfast and generally have a large dinner at night.
As a non-Muslim living in a Muslim country there are strict rules for me also. I am not allowed to have anything in my mouth during the day in front of a Muslim. No drinking, gum chewing food or even a toothpick. The penalty if I do can be actual jail time. Our offices are adhering to special hours. there is no music allowed to be played as background noise and you are forbidden from dancing or singing. Almost all of the restaurants are closed during the day except for some of the hotel dining establishments and they must cover their windows with black curtains so that you can not be seen inside. Now they are not expecting me to observe Ramadan just respect it. I can go to the backroom and drink water. I can run home and have lunch in my apartment and that is perfectly fine. If a Muslim has to drink water for health reasons or even take medicine. their fasting time is increased day for day and they can never be forgiven but they can mitigate their sin by doing charitable work for the poor...
My department at work is majority Christian (the company is not) so I think I will be able to cope and mitigate the effect on myself...Our friend Sham shaved his head to help get his mind right for the approaching month...We will see how it goes, I will do my best not to get arrested....
God be with us all,
John
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Saturday chores and treats....
Well the weekend is winding down, and I still have a few things to get accomplished to get settled in. As you may recall, in Dubai, Thursday is Friday, Friday is Sunday (Holy day) Sunday is Monday, Tuesday is hump day and Saturday truly is Saturday. So as I write this on Saturday evening, in the back of my mind is that I have to go to work in the morning.
My buddy and boss Bob and I were quite domestic this weekend. I just returned from his apartment on the fifth floor where we dined on fresh green beans, rosemary potato's, and a bone-in prime rib roast. It was delicious. We also had a fresh baguette, the bread here is plentiful and very affordable (fresh baguette cost 90 fills (30 cents). We have a little market in the base of our apartment, but we have discovered that it is more affordable to drive 10 minutes to the "Hyper-Panda" to get our groceries (Mideast Wal-mart superstore). They are having a "Ramadan" sale. Ramadan starts this week, and it is interesting although not the best of times for a Christian to be here...look forward to Ramadan news....
Those of you that know me really well, know that I have an addiction to Diet Pepsi. I drank way too much of it....well not anymore...the Mideast version is not good at all. like a bad diet big K cola....my consumption is way down, and I fear I may have to switch to Coca Cola Light...earth shattering to say the least....
I bought plates, bowls and flatwear today, I still need a couple of tables and lamps and maybe a rug or two. Next weekend I want to be finished with this. I did take my first real pictures and posted them on Face book. I tried to post them here first, sadly technology is on my long list of weaknesses.
Work was not smooth last week, the reason I am here hit me upside my head. Sunday, I am traveling for the first time to the Capital of the UAE - Abu Dabbi (spelling on that challenging list also). It is the second largest city and the capital of the UAE, but is not as developed. It is about an hour and a half drive on the "Shek Toll road".
The heat is borderline unbearable. It is averaging 115 degrees during the day and at night it plummets into the low 90's. The heat peaks in late August, I hope I don't melt....3 months of hell heat hopefully will be offset by 9 months of "resort" temperatures. When you come and visit me (hint hint) it should be between September and May.
I am getting used to cable TV, it is government run and controlled and censored. Although on the movie stations you may see an occasional bit of nudity. They are rerunning "True blood" the HBO series that I really enjoy. they are in the middle of Season 2 here (Season 3 is half over in the states) but I have discovered that my "sexy vampire show" isn't quite as sexy without as much nudity. Just as funny, the International version of FTV "Fashion TV" is not at all censored. Too funny....
Time to go, hopefully I am not boring you to tears....
Best Regards,
John
My buddy and boss Bob and I were quite domestic this weekend. I just returned from his apartment on the fifth floor where we dined on fresh green beans, rosemary potato's, and a bone-in prime rib roast. It was delicious. We also had a fresh baguette, the bread here is plentiful and very affordable (fresh baguette cost 90 fills (30 cents). We have a little market in the base of our apartment, but we have discovered that it is more affordable to drive 10 minutes to the "Hyper-Panda" to get our groceries (Mideast Wal-mart superstore). They are having a "Ramadan" sale. Ramadan starts this week, and it is interesting although not the best of times for a Christian to be here...look forward to Ramadan news....
Those of you that know me really well, know that I have an addiction to Diet Pepsi. I drank way too much of it....well not anymore...the Mideast version is not good at all. like a bad diet big K cola....my consumption is way down, and I fear I may have to switch to Coca Cola Light...earth shattering to say the least....
I bought plates, bowls and flatwear today, I still need a couple of tables and lamps and maybe a rug or two. Next weekend I want to be finished with this. I did take my first real pictures and posted them on Face book. I tried to post them here first, sadly technology is on my long list of weaknesses.
Work was not smooth last week, the reason I am here hit me upside my head. Sunday, I am traveling for the first time to the Capital of the UAE - Abu Dabbi (spelling on that challenging list also). It is the second largest city and the capital of the UAE, but is not as developed. It is about an hour and a half drive on the "Shek Toll road".
The heat is borderline unbearable. It is averaging 115 degrees during the day and at night it plummets into the low 90's. The heat peaks in late August, I hope I don't melt....3 months of hell heat hopefully will be offset by 9 months of "resort" temperatures. When you come and visit me (hint hint) it should be between September and May.
I am getting used to cable TV, it is government run and controlled and censored. Although on the movie stations you may see an occasional bit of nudity. They are rerunning "True blood" the HBO series that I really enjoy. they are in the middle of Season 2 here (Season 3 is half over in the states) but I have discovered that my "sexy vampire show" isn't quite as sexy without as much nudity. Just as funny, the International version of FTV "Fashion TV" is not at all censored. Too funny....
Time to go, hopefully I am not boring you to tears....
Best Regards,
John
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
All work makes John a dull boy....
Seems that there is some interest in what I actually do. Well I am working for a very well established Lebanese company that distributes groceries to retail stores all over the Middle East. There is a fledgling food service side of the company that my very good friend Bob was brought to Dubai to give systems and growth to using the SYSCO model. He had an immediate need for a protein guy, well it was a good fit...So Bob and I took the same plane to Dubai and it has been a new challenge everyday. We have been working 12 plus hour days. I am responsible for all aspects of growing our meat business, including training, purchasing and selling the products,
Well my loyal friends you will be happy to know Sham got me Monday. We are trying a new pasta line and had samples in our department, Sham came over looking all pitiful and said "what is this?" He claimed he had never seen spaghetti noodles before. So I spent the next 5 minutes explaining pasta to him and how to cook it....then he wants to try it, so of course I get him about a pound of it to take home and try...Within 15 minutes the department is laughing at me, because I believed him...well when I questioned him on Tuesday he gleefully rubbed it in...he got me and the free pasta, never trust your office boy!
Oh well, I have to pre clean my apartment so that the three person crew tomorrow will have no obstacles in their initial cleaning. I promise to attempt some picture uploads this weekend. Sales meeting tomorrow, got to prepare tonight...Tomorrow is Thursday!
TAIT!!!!!!
Warmest Wishes,
John
Well my loyal friends you will be happy to know Sham got me Monday. We are trying a new pasta line and had samples in our department, Sham came over looking all pitiful and said "what is this?" He claimed he had never seen spaghetti noodles before. So I spent the next 5 minutes explaining pasta to him and how to cook it....then he wants to try it, so of course I get him about a pound of it to take home and try...Within 15 minutes the department is laughing at me, because I believed him...well when I questioned him on Tuesday he gleefully rubbed it in...he got me and the free pasta, never trust your office boy!
Oh well, I have to pre clean my apartment so that the three person crew tomorrow will have no obstacles in their initial cleaning. I promise to attempt some picture uploads this weekend. Sales meeting tomorrow, got to prepare tonight...Tomorrow is Thursday!
TAIT!!!!!!
Warmest Wishes,
John
Monday, August 2, 2010
The Good Life
As Monday comes to a close I have been reflecting on the "good life" that I am enjoying. I have been here for 3 weeks as of tonight. Materially, I have been set up in a good situation, I am in a 35 story Apartment in downtown Dubai, I have mostly furnished it with decent furniture at reasonable prices. I have been welcomed by coworkers and have a good job. I feel as safe as I have living anywhere because there is no crime to speak of. My apartment has an extraordinary number of Europeans and young professionals...is very clean and appears to be well maintained. The job is an awesome opportunity where I have been brought in as a Senior Manager, I am compensated generously,and have tremendous growth opportunities. And I have been here for 21 days and have not paid a cent in taxes! Please, no pinching in Dubai...
Yesterday, the cable guy came, he was late and he messed things up, unfortunately there are things that they mirror the United States in. While hanging out waiting for furniture, cable and TV a neighbor from down the hall stopped by to visit. Her name is Estelle, she is married with no children and wanted to share with me her house cleaning secret. She was excited that a European/North American was moving in, while the former tenants were polite, I gather that they used a lot of curry while cooking...but I digress, she uses a cleaning service that charges 30 Dirhams a visit, comes up to 3 times a week, will do ironing and cleans windows, bathrooms and floors...as you may recall from your earlier math lessons that is $8.18. Yes, you are right I booked them for Thursdays...I'll let you know.
I bought a new camera and I played with it on Saturday night. I was trying to take pictures of the Burj (Worlds tallest building) from my pool, but I was too close. More interesting there were white spots all over the picture....it looked like big snow flakes. I discovered that this was sand blowing in the air, during the hot summer months the sand blows so much sand that the skyline looks like LA's during a high smog day. I will try and upload some of these pictures tonight. I am told that from October through April, that it is very clear and beautiful, and that on a couple of days we may even get rain...We first have to survive August where days in the mid 120's with humidity hovering near 80% are normal...First night of TV tonight...I miss Entourage, True Blood and yes sadly Big Brother...The Internet is censored, so I don't know which loser Ali ended up with...lol, God Bless you and the US...
Thanks for reading....
Yesterday, the cable guy came, he was late and he messed things up, unfortunately there are things that they mirror the United States in. While hanging out waiting for furniture, cable and TV a neighbor from down the hall stopped by to visit. Her name is Estelle, she is married with no children and wanted to share with me her house cleaning secret. She was excited that a European/North American was moving in, while the former tenants were polite, I gather that they used a lot of curry while cooking...but I digress, she uses a cleaning service that charges 30 Dirhams a visit, comes up to 3 times a week, will do ironing and cleans windows, bathrooms and floors...as you may recall from your earlier math lessons that is $8.18. Yes, you are right I booked them for Thursdays...I'll let you know.
I bought a new camera and I played with it on Saturday night. I was trying to take pictures of the Burj (Worlds tallest building) from my pool, but I was too close. More interesting there were white spots all over the picture....it looked like big snow flakes. I discovered that this was sand blowing in the air, during the hot summer months the sand blows so much sand that the skyline looks like LA's during a high smog day. I will try and upload some of these pictures tonight. I am told that from October through April, that it is very clear and beautiful, and that on a couple of days we may even get rain...We first have to survive August where days in the mid 120's with humidity hovering near 80% are normal...First night of TV tonight...I miss Entourage, True Blood and yes sadly Big Brother...The Internet is censored, so I don't know which loser Ali ended up with...lol, God Bless you and the US...
Thanks for reading....
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