The Arrival

Well, I've arrived!  I had every intention of writing the day after I arrived, but I was lucky enough to get right into it and hang out with a few people.  After the smooth trip over here from Philly to Chicago to Abu Dhabi, we got off the plane only to be greeted by representatives of the travel agency with our visas in hand.  We were walked through the eye scan, customs and over to bag check where we picked up our bags, loaded them onto carts and pushed them out into the 100 degree heat along with (I would have to estimate) 90% humidity.  For those of you who were so quick to say, "Oh, well, it won't be that bad; it's dry heat", it's not dry.

After having our bags loaded onto a bus for us, we drove (in a nicely air-conditioned coach) to The Yas Hotel, located on Yas Island in the United Arab Emirates.

--This is where I pause to explain something to you.  This hotel, like many things in this grand country, holds incredible qualities unique not only to this country, but the world.  Firstly, it is the world's first hotel built directly over a Formula 1 race course (which runs directly under my balcony).  Secondly, there is a 'veil' that lays over the hotel (in the shape of a whale) that acts like a sun shield during the day and a neon purple masterpiece in the evening.  Finally, it is rated as one of the world's top hotels.  The staff cannot do enough for you and the interior is what hotels rooms will look like ' in the future'.  Although this explanation does the hotel no justice, I think you have the idea that this hotel is like nothing many people have seen or experienced.  I am lucky enough to be graced with the Abu Dhabi hospitality experience for the next 17 days.  Yee Haw! --

Anyway, after checking in, I had my bags brought up to the room, and crashed.  The next morning a few people took a  trip to a supermarket where they had a better selection of toiletries than we do (what happened to "Pack a lot of toiletries, they have none"??).  We picked up a few odds and ends for our mini fridges and headed over to the roof-deck pool for a few rays.  At this point I found out quickly that the sun in the Arabian desert is strong.  So, be advised, wear sun block.  Needless to say, the pool was something out of a L.A. Yogurt commercial with the beautiful woman in her white Chanel bathing suit, eating her exotic imported yogurt that was extracted from a rare newborn goat; spouting how smooth and creamy the yogurt was and only contains 1 gram of fat!  The pool, location, snack room, infinity pool, towel boy and cushy chairs were well-suited to my liking :) .  Anyway, enough about the pool.  That evening we went to Marina Mall, the largest mall in Abu Dhabi, where I quickly purchased a Starbucks and headed over to Carrefour for a cell phone and then we all went upstairs for a bite to eat.

Since then, I have been filling my days in with a small orientation where we spoke with the head of the Abu Dhabi Education Council, received our bank accounts, paid a visit to IKEA (may have made slight fools of ourselves), went over to the other roof-deck pool on the other side of the hotel and I even ordered up some room service.  Today was capped off with a four and a half hour visit to the health screening office (patience is more than just a virtue in this country, it is a requirement) for our physical and the upcoming week with be an 11pm visit to the police station for our fingerprinting and background check, along with a guided city tour of Abu Dhabi.  Next week, we get down to business with the official orientation and then off to our towns and schools!

Right now it is Ramadan, which involves a lot of prayer, fasting and traditions.  We can eat in  the hotel, but only in the designated areas and not out in public.  This includes water, gum and snacks.  It really hasn't been a big deal.  I even heard the fast breaking prayer at sunset in the IKEA.  Neat...

Above all of this, I think the most important part of the trip has been the intense and amazing immersion into this mysterious, exotic, sensitive, yet deeply rooted culture.  After stepping off the plane, I quickly saw how many foreigners there really are, here in Abu Dhabi.  I feel like the majority of them are Indian, so seeing a local Emirati man or woman is a treat.

As far as dress is concerned, the men seem to wear a white robe (Kandura) with a white head piece (Guthra) that has a black rope (Egal) tied around it.  You will see other Muslim men walking around wearing variations of this, and sometimes this indicates what countries they are from.  For instance, a Saudi man may wear a red and white checkered Guthra instead of the white one worn here.  The women are typically wearing a black robe (Abaya) and a head covering (Shela).  There are variations of the head pieces, depending upon what the lady desires.  I may be incorrect in the names or descriptions, so please don't hold me to any of this information!  I was also told by a woman who married a Muslim man that it is usually the choice of the women to wear the Muslim clothing.  I am assuming they choose to do so for many reasons like religion and culture, along with the fact that it is what they are raised with and are used to.  I have to say (putting aside my personal opinions) that after seeing it with my own two eyes, especially in this environment, it really struck me as having an element of beauty to it.

Before coming to the UAE, my job agency was very good in providing us with culture information and a short do's and don't's list, in order to make our transition into Abu Dhabi and our schools, smoother.  It will definitely take some getting used to.  It's advisable to try not to insult or give the wrong impression to a local, especially with how hospitable everyone has been so far.  When a local Muslim man or woman walk by, they have such a pace and presence about them, that it is still hard, after four days, not to look an extra second longer.  The women are beautiful and the men have such a different and more 'Arabian' (I know, cliche') look about them than any other Middle Eastern people I have seen.  It really is so different to Muslims we see in the states or on T.V.  A few Muslim girls from the U.K. even said how different it was than back in England.  I am looking forward this...

Well, I am going to try and attach some pictures I took over the past few days.  Be warned that I have not really done a tour of the city yet, due to the jet lag I am still dealing with.  Please feel free to comment on anything I've written.  If you have questions or are more interested in the cultural experience, please don't hesitate to ask.  Unfortunately, it is forbidden to take pictures (just think of the Amish), so people pictures are out.  However, I will be posting others as the days, weeks and month roll on.  Enjoy!

My room looking towards the balcony

The race track under my balcony (you can see the shield as well)

My room looking towards the bathroom

The small gallery in the hotel

Room Service

The Yas Hotel

The Yas Hotel, Marina and Formula 1 track