Space Age Mass Transit

Dubai is putting in a big Metro rail system. It's the first in the Middle East.  In the downtown area, it's below ground.  On my side of town, it's elevated on viaducts.  It's a fully automated system--no drivers or attendants.  Right now, two of the five proposed lines are operational.

While I was downtown yesterday, I got an opportunity to get up close and personal to one of the train stations.   It's pretty impressive.  The entries and stations are very high tech looking.  It makes me think of the 'city of the future' designs published in the 1960's.  It's a streamlined, space age design.

The trains run every ten minutes or so and from all reports, they are really convenient.  They've done some pretty interesting things with these stations.

You see how the windows swoop down around the triangular roof?  They have 'sold' this as advertising space on some of the stations.  So you can drive by and see one where there is a graphic of the roller coaster at Ferrarri World going down and then up this glass.  I'm pretty sure it's the film stuff like they wrap buses in.  It does make an effective advertising space.  All these stations that I've seen are paralleling large roads and next to major areas of commerce, buildings and industry.

The scale of these structures is immense, but it also is very iconic.  You know exactly what you're looking at and you don't mistake the building for anything else.  I think I prefer this to the entrances to the subways in London or Paris, where if you miss the signage, you're liable to miss the place.

The viaduct system with the raised tracks moves the rail passengers and cars above the street level and really provides a clean, contemporary look to what is a useful urban transportation system.  In this picture, you see the tall, tall buildings preferred in Dubai and how little real estate is actually taken up by the rail line in front of them.

I haven't ridden the trains yet.  I'm sure I will soon.  We live so far out, that we'd have to drive to get to a station to ride the train.  We might find some destination where it would be preferable to park and ride, but so far, nothing has come up.

I think the economic crisis that has plagued Dubai for the past few years has affected plans for the additional lines.  I hope they get around to finishing off this system, it seems to be very well used by commuters.  And I've been told that it really reduced traffic on the major highways.

I'll take more pictures of the inside of the stations when I get a chance to ride a train.  Also, there's supposed to be a monorail that goes out the length of the Palm Jumeirah and actually goes over the ocean.  That might be a fun one to take.  Very touristy destination.  Now that the weather has cooled off some, I'm going to get out and start seeing the sights.

--Sandee Wagner

Happy Birthday Marines!!

Happy 236th Birthday to the United States Marine Corps

As many of you know, not only am I the daughter of a Marine, but I joined the Marines and married a man who became a Marine.

My entire life has been affected by Marines and those who love them.  Once a year, we take the time to celebrate the founding of the Corps and remember the great history of this premier fighting service.

All over the world, the USMC birthday is celebrated with balls and parties.  This year we didn't get to attend one, but I made sure we were on the mailing list for next year.

If you know someone who served in the Marines, tell him Happy Birthday today.  It's always appropriate.  A handshake and a "Happy Birthday, Marine!" will make their day.

If you have some time, take a few minutes to see the video of the commandant's message on this anniversary of the founding of the United States Marine Corps.  2011 is a historic year, it's 70 years since the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and 10 years since the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City.  The Marines have always responded when the nation needed them.  Today's Marines continue that tradition of selfless service.

I am proud to be the daughter of a Marine.  I am proud to be the wife of a Marine.  I am proud that I served as a Marine.  Semper Fidelis and Happy Birthday, one and all.

--Sandee Wagner

Check, Please!

One of the things that is different about living overseas is how you're treated in restaurants.

In a US restaurant, most likely there is an expectation that each table will be sat multiple times through the course of the evening.  You've got your early diners, dinner reservations during the peak hours and then late night folks who come in after shows or other events.

In both Tunisia and in the United Arab Emirates, eating out is more of a long term avocation.  There is no speed to the drill.

We have yet to EVER have a check set down on the table, with a 'whenever you're ready, here's your tab' comment.  You have to ASK to get your bill.  Every time.

In Tunisia, they only ever expected to sit the tables a single time in an evening.  Eating out is a long, drawn out affair.  They fully expected us to stick around for hours and hours.  We always seemed to be in a bigger hurry than that.

Dubai appears to have a similar attitude about settling in for the long haul.  You never feel pressured to leave, you are actively encouraged to stay and have one more glass of tea, one more cup of coffee.  Of course, part of that is no free refills, but regardless, it's a much lower stress activity.

I'm getting used to asking for the check.  One of the UK gals told me that as long as a menu was open anywhere on the table, they'll assume you aren't ready to order and keep passing you by.  So from now on, I'm making my selection and closing the menus.  And I'm going to remember to ask, "check, please!"

--Sandee Wagner

There's an App for that

I recently bought a smart phone.  For years, I carried what my kids referred to as 'the Nokia brick'.  I didn't get a flip phone until they were passe.  But when we moved to Dubai, I told DH I wanted a phone that would do 'tethering' so I would never be without Internet access (for months!) again.

So, I marched into phone stores and quizzed the very nice customer service people about the phones, plans and capabilities.  I decided to buy an Android phone, specifically for the tethering capabilities.  I know you can do a lot with the iPhone, but you do have to hack them to get to some of the more useful functionalities.  Also, over here, they are way expensive.  I'm not a hacker.  In fact, if I never had to pull the back off my phone to switch the battery, it would make me happier.  And I'll admit, I'm pretty cheap.  Or conservative, that's it.  I'm conservative.

I bought a Samsung Galaxy S, which is a pretty nice all around touch screen phone.  It takes a little getting used to--DH much prefers his Blackberry--but I'm figuring it out little by little.

Between the Android Market and the iPad Store, I've been exposed to a lot of applications, apps for short.  When Apple launched their phones years ago, there were commercials with "there's an app for that!" taglines that I mostly ignored, not having an iPhone.  Now, I find myself listening when folks discuss the apps that are convenient or make things easier for them.

Today, I updated my iPad apps.  Routinely, I just go in and download the updates and bug fixes to the apps that I currently have.  While flipping through to the screen, I passed one called TieSight.  Between the name and the icon, I just wanted to know what it was.  It's an application that uses the built in camera to project an image showing you how to tie your tie correctly.  I was really flabbergasted.  Some programmer spent hours developing this software and is selling it online.  As I scratched my head, all I could think was, "aren't Dads supposed to teach their sons how to tie a tie?"  Are applications going to replace parents?

I'm envisioning an app to show you how to shave, how to shape your eyebrows and pin on a boutonniere.

I'm guessing there's probably an app to teach you how to knit, I KNOW there are apps that walk you through recipes step by step.  So, now life and life lessons become programmatic.  I can't decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing?  If you spend time with your kids, they will learn these things from you.  If a kid doesn't have a good role model, he can still learn these things from apps.  So is that a benefit, kind of a 'it takes a village' mentality, or are parents sidestepping some of the milestones in their kids' lives?

Hard to say, but I'm sure I will continue to be impressed with the apps that are available for sale.  And what they do.

--Sandee Wagner

Cultural Differences

I know you think I'm going to take the opportunity to wax philosophical about the differences between American and Middle Eastern cultures, but I'm not.

What I'm noticing most is a difference in business climate.  For instance, I'm a big internet shopper.  I always have been.  Since the introduction of the Google search engine, I can count on one hand the number of times I've opened the Yellow Pages.  If I can look it up on the internet, I do so.  If I can email and avoid a phone call, I do so.  This much of technology I have embraced.  A modern business cultural response, I think.

Here in Dubai, fewer of the businesses maintain an internet presence.  I can look things up online, but it's really not the best way to find a vendor or a tradesman.  But I have found a few online.  One of the stores I found online is a specialty fabric store and upholstery shop.  They came highly recommended.  I drove across town and looked over the stock, saw examples of their work--they actually allowed me out on the floor to inspect some works in progress.  Then I went home, made some measurements, sketched a picture of what I wanted and drove back across town to deliver the sketch.  They took my phone number and email address.  They said they'd email me the next day with an estimate.

That was two weeks ago.  Once a week, I've gone online to send them an email query.  "Remember me?  I brought in a sketch.  I'm waiting for my estimate?"  They have yet to respond to an email that I've sent.  I don't know whether to be mad, or not.  I imagine that if I walk back into the shop, they'll be all apologetic and rush around trying to find my sketch and "what ever happened to that estimate?'.  But at some point, I find I just want to take my business elsewhere.  Back to square one... find a good upholsterer and fabric shop.

I've done some quilting to fill my days.  I pieced a king sized quilt out of scraps.  We're not talking keepsake here, or artistic quilt made with gorgeous fabrics that all coordinate and blend.  We're talking old fashioned, simplistic, use up your fabric scraps quilt.  I'm not going to spend my arthritic hands hand-quilting this thing, so I found the local craft/sewing store and went there.  I purchased the batting I need for the quilt and then asked if they knew of any long arm/machine quilters in the area?  Yes.  They had two they could recommend.  They handed me two brochures and I looked them both over.  Then I selected the one with the most reasonable prices and sent her an email.  Nothing.

I waited a week and sent the other gal an email... same response.

If someone doesn't want to answer their emails or do business that way, why print the emails on their brochures?  Just don't include that information.  If I don't have an email address, I'll probably call on the phone.

Either everyone around here has so much business that they can afford to be choosy, or my money doesn't spend as easily as local money does.  I don't know.  I really don't get it.

I have searched out the businesses, I have money to spend and I can't find anyone willing to respond to an emailed query.  It's very frustrating.  I guess I'll have to pick up the phone... geez.

--Sandee Wagner

Happy Halloween!!

Yesterday was Halloween and today the pictures were up on my DIL's blogs.  So I had to snag my favorites and share.

Here are the NC Wagners, ZJ and Zoey.

ZJ got to see Captain America at the movie theater with his father, so I'm pretty sure this costume was one he couldn't live without.

And what little girl doesn't want to be a Disney Princess?  Zoey is rocking the Snow White dress, I think.

Both of them look glad to be dressed up for Trick or Treating!  According to their parents, a neighbor had a block party on Saturday and they got to Trick or Treat on Monday, so they dressed up twice and had a great time.  I think their school also had costumes one day, so it was a pretty big week for both of them.

Their folks carved pumpkins and they had some stick in type plastic stuff so they did a 'potato head' kind of pumpkins.  Pretty cool if you don't want to give your kids sharp knives.

The MN Wagners, Will, Carolyn and Charlie also had a great Halloween.

Will got to dress up for school one day and his teachers loved his costume.  Then all three kids (and their parents!) went Trick or Treating with another couple of families.  Their neighborhood is a small circle and they managed to get enough treats for the little kids, and still get back to the house and hand out treats.

Will is a robot.  Carolyn is a beautiful butterfly and Charlie is a skunk.  I love the costumes.  In the frozen tundra, they need them to be warm. These outfits appear to fit that bill perfectly.  Plus, how cute are they?

I was hoping we'd get some Trick or Treaters this year.  I stocked a bunch of candy and turned on the porch light and waited.  But no.  No kids rang the bell.  Most of the moms said the schools had carnivals or one of the friends had a Halloween party so the kids must have just done that in lieu of knocking door to door.  I have to admit to being a little disappointed.  I love Halloween.  I love making the costumes and seeing the kids dressed up.  I'm sorry to be so far away from these little muffins.  I'd like to be following them around and admiring all the loot they collect.  Well, there's always next year.

--Sandee Wagner