Buildings With the Shades on the Outside

 With the hot desert sun always a consideration in Abu Dhabi, combined with the unique architectural competition seen throughout all of the newer buildings and structures, a plausible and creative solution would be a building that could shade itself against the sun when needed and open to the landscape when the sun were not so strong.

I don't know what these buildings are called, but that's exactly what they do! In the top photo you can see that it is evening, and if you look closely, that the shades are opened. In the bottom photo it is morning and the shades are closed.

Burj Khalifa Downtown Dubai New Year's Celebrations 2014

Fireworks start at 1:39 and water show at 8:30. Except that one seems to have been removed by YouTube. Perhaps this one will work (including scenes from the Palm Jumeira): or this one: Happy 2014 to you!

10 Favorite Things About Winter in the Desert:

1) It's 70* degrees instead of 120*. 

2) You can open the door without your glasses fogging up and feeling like you're trying to breathe under water. 

3) Ben gets a good December break. 

4) The irony of watching people native to the desert put on thick coats for 60-70 degree weather is humorous. 

5) Kids can play outside for more than an hour without the risk of heat stroke. 

6) It's easier to stay hydrated while pregnant. 

7) Butter doesn't melt between the store and home a block away.  

8)The air conditioner actually goes off sometimes and we can open the windows! 

9) It's the growing season for tomatoes! 

10) They take the umbrellas off of the baby palm trees because they don't need as much protection now and they're prettier that way.

Dancing Fountains, Burj Khalifa and Friends in Dubai

Dubai Mall has some really cool things, including the dancing fountains in the videos below.

Of course, none of the things were as nice as spending time with my friend. This was the first time to get to see the fountains from the balcony of a restaurant instead of in a crowd of many people by the gate down below... which was relaxing. We arrived right before sunset and were able to see everything well before it merged into a light-studded silhouette of buildings and shop windows. It was nice that we were right across from the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world currently, since our guest was interested in seeing that also.

Good food, good company and good entertainment makes this one of my favorite memories from this part of the world.

Elias Turns 2

Elias turned 2 this December, man that is hard to believe! Right now he is really interested in tools, trucks, airplanes, trains, babies and giraffes. Talia thought we should make him a giraffe themed cake, so we looked to see what we had in the pantry after Thanksgiving.

We decided to go with pineapple chunks for the "spots" and chocolate cake for the "skin" to make a giraffe print look... well, sort of.

I used Laura Vitale's chocolate cake recipe for the cake, but did a pineapple upside down thing first, to make a "2" with pineapple pieces. We had leftover cherry pie filling and whipping cream from Thanksgiving, so we decided to make a chocolate whipped cream filling and layer it with cherry and the rest of the fresh pineapple. This way, more of the sweetness came from the fruit than icing. The flavors balanced perfectly. Talia picked out a giraffe to print and tape on a skewer to help decorate and she made him a really nice birthday card.

For his birthday we found a jungle-themed lego set with a giraffe... that was his favorite piece to play with!

Thanksgiving in Abu Dhabi 2013

Since moving to Ruwais and not having as much contact with other Americans, celebrating American holidays has been a little different. Neither Ben nor I am very big on tradition, but I would at least like for our children to know what the traditional holidays from their culture are about. Especially Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday. It doesn't have so much commercialization or controversial roots and has more focus on family and appreciating our blessings. So, for Thanksgiving this year, (now that Talia's writing well and Elias can color... sort of,) we made a Thanksgiving tree to think about things we are thankful for.

Our colors ended up more bright and, um, non-traditional for a fall tree this way, but it was fun to hear what Talia was thankful for and what she thought Elias was thankful for... (eggs, bananas, colors, oxygen, and all of our family's names all made it on the tree.)

I was excited when we were invited to celebrate Thanksgiving with some other families in Abu Dhabi city! With most of the main dishes taken care of, I searched my favorite recipe website for inspiration for vegetables and sides that I could make without canned things that are both hard to find and not something I prefer to use anyways. I ended up making green bean casserole with homemade fried onion topping, dinner rolls, tres leches cake, and a vegetable pot pie. My favorite (from these recipes,) and my husband's, was definitely the vegetable pot pie with the homemade pie crust... (and he really likes meat.) However, the tres leches cake was also another awesome recipe I will go back to.

We had a really nice time with friends who have become like family abroad. It was definitely a time surrounded by things and people we are thankful for.

U.A.E. 42nd National Day, City vs. Desert

Yesterday, a year ago, we were in our apartment on the Corniche. There were fireworks and an airshow visible from our balcony. Cars were gridlocked around the entire block for a full 12 hours trying to get to the Corniche to see the special decorations for the, then 41st, anniversary of the U.A.E. as a nation. We could hear people partying and see dancing and drumming in the parking lot waaaay into the night and next morning.

This year is different. In Ruwais, they have decorated with lights and the number 42 to celebrate, but the night was quiet and you could go without knowing anything different was going on. No airplanes have roared overhead spewing out colored smoke and no midnight fireworks were heard or visible from our villa. Except for the sound of construction during the day, everything is peaceful.

It's a big contrast, and for the most part, it leaves me thankful to be in a more country-like setting.

Some photos from the parade in the city can be seen here.
Here's a photo of the stunt planes shooting colored smoke with the Palm Jumeira in the background. (And here at a stadium and another in front of the Burj Khalifa.)

Figuring out Transportation and Community in Ruwais

One of the hardest parts of moving every year or so is the adjustment to the loss of community and the need to rebuild it. This is easier in some places than in others. Abu Dhabi city had several easy transportation options: many taxis, buses, lots of things within walking distance.

Ruwais is different. Taxis are supposedly available, but the one time I called one he said he'd be here in 40 minutes and after 2 hours passed he said he'd be here in 15 minutes and after a few missed calls and another hour said he was lost and gave up. We will have to see if calling the main number gives better results next time. There are buses, but I still need to figure out where to get a map for them or figure out a good time to drag everyone out when Ben's available to see if I can get a driver's license. There are a few things within walking distance: park, little market and a recreation center; but mostly there are millions of villas that look identical to each other all tacked together in rows and rows of neighborhoods. Very few of the women I've met, (and I don't see many out during the day,)  have spoken English, except for the Filipino cashier at the market... so, we're still figuring out the whole community thing at the moment.

When a good friend visited from the States, we took the opportunity to get registered at the hospital (in case of an emergency so we don't have to fill out all of the paperwork before getting treatment) here and check out the beach a short drive away, since she could drive with a U.S. license as a tourist, but I can't legally as a resident.

Some issues this presents at the moment is a difficulty getting to the hospital if I were in labor, and a lack of people to leave the children with. Since Ben works an hour away, I should be able to labor pretty well at home until the last minute to avoid interventions at the hospital and give him time to get here.

Being here a month has brought up things like these that we are still figuring out. There's always a new type of challenge, everywhere we move.

Wind/Sand/Rain/Hail Storm in the Western Region

Yesterday a really strong sandstorm had Ben's bus pulled over on the side of the road a few times on the way home from super-strong winds and super-low visibility. The wind was strong enough to blow sand in between the doors of the bus. They managed to outrun it for a little bit and then it overtook them again. He finally made it home an hour later than usual. Being a bus driver in these conditions must be really stressful!

Later that night very strong winds blew into Ruwais and following the sand storm was crazy rain and really strong lightning and thunder! I was surprised to hear hail following. Our electricity went out for a few hours, and this woke me up and I laid there remembering how Guatemala often had these drippy sounds running in the background of daily life during the rainy season.

Today it has continued to rain, at a much calmer pace and without as much wind, all day, but the destruction (mostly to the vegetation) from last night's wind is still visible.

Camels in passing

Seen in Abu Dhabi: 20

Kids Unscripted: Chapter 21

Talia: (Pointing at an advertisement) "Mama, what's that? Is it an alien or something?"
Me: "I think that's called a minion."
Talia: "It's very sad that it only has one eye! He can only blink, but never wink."
Me: "No?"
Talia: "No, you need two eyes to wink... except some people have two eyes and still can't wink. Maybe they're allergic to it or something."
---
Talia: "What if you were lonely and you didn't have any family or husband or kids so you bought a baby otter!?"
---
Elias crawls in my lap and says "back?" asking me to rub his back.
---
 Ben: "When I was little, octopus had 12 legs."
Talia: "Nooooooo.... they're made with only 8!"
Ben: "Yes, and they were called 'duo-deca-puses'"
--- 
Talia: "Mommy, sometimes I grow new favorite colors."
---
Talia: "These cookies are super yummy, but I couldn't eat a thousand... and, actually, we made less than a thousand anyway."
---
 Elias is learning new words every day. His recent additions are "Stop!" Especially "Stop, Talia!" and the letters "I, G, B" and "H." Talia has taught him "T says 'tttt'" also and that "Talia starts with T" so many times he says "T! tttttt! Talia!" He calls himself "Lee-us" and seems to be constantly yelling "cracker!" because it's so hard to keep him full! My favorite, though, is when he tries to sing: "ay yi yi, mi amor..."

Seen in Abu Dhabi: 19

Pregnancy in Abu Dhabi

We have gotten moved to Ruwais and, in addition to unpacking and a figuring out where things are around here, I'm needing to learn about birthing options in Abu Dhabi. Birth with a medical professional or trained midwife at home is against the law here, so the only other legal option is to try to find a natural-birth friendly doctor (which sounds like a paradox, but I'm hoping it isn't) and hope for the best in a hospital. If one goes in with a doctor-signed birth plan stating some basic necessities of birth like: no IV, no epidural, freedom to move around, no episiotomy and no shots for the baby, I've heard that it is able to carry a lot of weight, but you definitely need someone to support you there so you don't have to fight for a natural birth at the same time you are in labor. 

Whatever your position on birth, the fact that an intervention-free, natural birth is greatly inhibited in a hospital surrounded by the medical mentality is something I find undeniable. The fact that it's not even a choice at home is a complicated issue: sex outside of marriage is illegal here, thus, birth without a proper marriage license can send both the mother and the baby to jail. Because hospitals are institutions where this sort of paperwork is checked out, and turned in to the police if necessary, a home birth would make the government assume that there were legal reasons for avoiding the hospital. If a baby is born before one could get to the hospital, the parents have to go through the court, or to the nearest hospital after the birth and prove that 1) the mother and father were married and 2) that the baby actually came out of the mother's body, sometimes meaning placenta testing.

A friend gave me this shirt which reads: "Pregnant is the new skinny" Ha.

There's a lot to think and pray about. If there was one thing I did not want to do in Abu Dhabi, it was to give birth surrounded by this mindset. I am hoping that my midwife can come anyways and, if not, that between Ben and a doula the hospital will leave me alone and just let me birth my baby they way a body was created to. Obviously, there's only a limited amount of this within my control, and the part that isn't I'm trying daily to leave in God's hands and to be excited about this new addition to our family in late April. I'd appreciate your prayers as well. :)

First trimester is closing this week! It's nice to have some energy back!

Seen in Abu Dhabi: 18

Don't forget to get your:

I think these are toasted green wheat berries. Aside from stuffing inside of poultry that one would bake, I'm not sure what other things they can be used for... but the name makes me chuckle.

Seen in Abu Dhabi: 17

Hallway at the Ghayathi Hotel.

Kids Unscripted: Chapter 20

Talia: "Mommy, I can reach the milk without even a chair! I'm getting taller! Yay!"

---

Talia: "Three hours?! That's even longer than two hours!!!"

---

Talia: "I don't ever want any sort of confection!"

Me: "I think you're meaning 'infection'."

---

Talia: (playing fire truck) "Here comes the person else seeing if there's a fire..."

(She meant 'another person'.)

---

Talia: (drawing a sea monster) "So if you ever find yourself in pretend water with these pretend creatures, be careful!"

---

Talia: (Running away from Elias who has a play syringe from a play Dr.'s kit)

"He's trying to 'shot' me!"

---

Talia: (presenting a plate of pretend truffles) "Be careful! That's a Caramel Wiggle truffle and it'll run away if you're not watching!"

---

Talia: "I'm building a church for birds (with blocks.) I'm leaving these holes so the bugs can get in because you need lunch at church!"

---

Me: "Your shirt says 'Park Ranger.'"

Elias: "Woof!"

Me: "Park, not 'bark.'"

---

Talia: "Mommy, all of my icktertaliens (ick-ter-tay-lee-uns) are sitting on the floor outside."

Me: "What's an icktertalien?"

Talia: [holds up a creation made from clothespins] "They fight bad! So if you ever want to fight an animal you should fight a monkey or something, not an icktertalien."

---

Hot Water or Hotter Water

In Abu Dhabi cold water is stored in tanks, usually on the roof. In the summer months this can make for some almost boiling "cold" water. So, there are a few ways people combat this problem. If they have their "hot" water stored in a tank underground or in the building, they then just switch off the hot water tank and it becomes the cold water and the sun-heated "cold" water is plenty warm!

In some places, like in the hotel in Ghayathi, they have a water cooling machine to re-cool the water before it enters the building. (Except it was broken, so between sunrise and sunset any shower you took might leave you boiled. Ben found this out the hard way.)

The benefit of this is that if you normally use gas to heat your water, you can now just use "cold" water for anything that requires hot and not use the gas for water during those months and save some money.

Or, you could just leave them both on and have a choice between hot or hotter water. (Particularly gross for brushing your teeth.)

Kids Unscripted: Chapter 19

Talia: "All of our tigers are sweet ones that hug."

---

Talia: (after falling off of her bike) "one thing that doesn't need a friend is a scratch, those are better off lonely."

---

PawPaw: "Maybe we can save the shoes that are too small for Elias for a baby brother or sister."

Talia: "If there's another brother or sister, it's going to be mine. Elias will have to wait for another one."

---

Aunt Chel: "Turkeys don't say 'quack!'"

Talia: " They do in my pretendment."

---

PawPaw: "Who's this?" (Pointing to Talia)

Elias: "Talia!"

PawPaw: "Who's this?" (Pointing to me)

Elias: "Mama!"

PawPaw: "Who's this?" (Pointing to himself)

Elias: "PawPaw!"

PawPaw: "Who's this?" (Pointing to TeMaw)

Elias: (blank stare and then pointing to a Pepsi can.) "Pepiiii!"

---

Talia: "Mama, what do snails eat?"
Me: "Plants and things like bird poop."
Talia: "We should use them to clean cars!"
---
Talia: (to Elias) "You are funny! You are Elias and you are a boy and you are funny!"
---
Elias: (pointing at Talia's chocolate shake from PawPaw) "BIIIIIIIIIITE!"
Talia: "Elias, you can't always get what you want. Leave me alone, I am trying to ENJOY my shake."
---

Talia: "What do lions say when they yawn? 'Rawr or RAAAAAWWWWRRRRRR!'"

---

Me: "Look, Elias, there's a baby cow drinking its mama's milk."

Elias: "MMMMMMMMMM!"

Fig Preserves

I

My parent's neighbors received a fig tree start from my dad a few years ago. This summer it's a nice sized tree with more figs than they could handle, so I got an invitation to pick figs. I easily got over a gallon, but didn't know what to do with them. Google and YouTube gave me a fig preserves recipe and canning instructions. I only added lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon and pectin. They turned out well, reminding me of an apple pie flavor.

And they made pretty good tarts too.