Chunking Things

Christmas in Dubai

2011-12-26T06:28:00.000-06:00

We had a lovely Christmas in Dubai. I was a little worried that it would be sad and pitiful. Last year, we were in a hotel room in Tunis and I got a little down. I hoped that this year would prove a little more upbeat...

Well, it did. I did a little (okay A Lot) of baking. I carried pounds of cookies and treats out to the port and lavished my culinary expertise on the sailors and Marines in port for the holidays. Volunteering for the USO was extremely rewarding and humbling. I'm going to keep doing it.

I made some candies from an old recipe. Halfway into it, I realized why I never do this. Such hard work. And my candies, although they tasted great, didn't look very pretty.

On Christmas Eve, two of the neighbor kids came by with their parents and I got to show them the NORAD Santa site. They watched the 'delivery' presents pop up and were fascinated to see where Santa would be delivering gifts next. It's too bad the live reindeer feeding feed works on EST. I think they would have gotten a huge kick out of seeing Santa feed his reindeer.

One of DH's coworkers invited us to share a sit down Christmas dinner with her family. We agreed. It saved us from cooking a turkey dinner for just the two of us.

The UK holiday traditions were a lot of fun. The meal had several courses and was a leisurely, friendly affair. We all had 'crackers' which you tug open with a tablemate. They 'pop' and inside, there's a prize. There are also tissue paper crowns which we wore for hours.

They baked a turkey which was yummy! All the sides were interesting and delicious. Where we usually have cornbread stuffing, we enjoyed their family's traditional 'mealies'. It was a stuffing made of ground oatmeal that was soaked/cooked in a soup that was served as a starter.

We even had a Christmas pudding which was a fig based, dense cake that you soaked in heavy cream. Not a bad tradition, all said. We enjoyed all of it.

We ended up staying way late playing cards with the whole family. Had a great time and a wonderful Christmas holiday! I'm so glad we were able to share the joy of Christmas with such a lovely family.

--Sandee Wagner

Phone Home

2011-12-23T13:56:00.001-06:00

My DH and I just served our first shift as USO volunteers at the port of Dubai. A big Navy aircraft carrier pulled in, disgorging over a thousand sailors into the compound built for their recreational use. It's a big square surrounded by trailers that house restaurants, laundry and other services.

We worked in the phone center for a four hour shift. The USO provides free cell phones for the guys and gals to use with their AT&T calling cards. You can imagine how many of the darlings wanted to get a hold of a phone and call home to touch base with loved ones over the holidays.

For the first hour and a half we were there, the network was down (at AT&T, some kind of satellite problem) and we had to turn all the folks away. Then it came back up and the crush started.

The USO has over 200 handsets. Small inexpensive, simple cell phones that will work all over the compound. So they can carry them off, find a little privacy and make their calls. They also provide walls of chargers and electrical outlets so the sailors can get on their laptops and Skype.

I wish I could show you pictures of the setup and all the guys making use of the facilities, but if I snapped ANY pictures at the port, the USO would fire me as a volunteer... not just in Dubai, but worldwide!! It's a big no-no.

So, imagine a bazillion (or thereabouts) trailers in a big square, all with stuff that young folks need and want. Buses and taxis are ferrying groups into town to shop or sightsee. The security station is intense. We have to clear both the port security checkpoint and the USO security that is provided by the military. Within this cocoon of concrete bunkers and look out points, sits this open square with tents and patio furniture. While the ship is in port, there's live music provided--a quite good cover band was performing tonight. The guys were roaming from place to place, exchanging money, hitting the tailors, grabbing Subway or Burger King, utilizing the charging stations, playing games in the rec center. It's like a small town that gets mobbed with a wave of people. When there are no ships in port, the vendors close up and it's just the office workers in the compound.

It's quite a set up. And it's a lot of work. For instance, the phone center is open from nine o'clock in the morning until two o'clock in the morning. They have volunteers that man the desks until 2 AM!! Apparently, there are better people than me working as volunteers, because I cannot see myself working that late a shift for free.

It felt good. It felt nice to provide those young people with a little taste of home. They are far away from friends and family and the holidays will be especially hard on them. So, if you think of it, offer up a little prayer for all the US men and women who are serving their country and away from family during the holidays. I won't be able to forget the smiles on some faces, and the tears others shed when no one picked up at the other end.

--Sandee Wagner

Maiden Voyage

2011-12-17T22:35:00.000-06:00

Santa Claus came early this year. The jolly old elf got DH a Fenn Swordfish surf ski for being such a good boy this year.

In Dubai, the surf skis come in a container and are sold out of a guy's front yard. When they're gone, they're gone. You have to wait until the next container arrives. The container arrived the last week of November, so we made arrangements to pick one up the second week of December. Merry Christmas, my love!

We had to get a roof rack to pick up the boat. We actually had to get cash out of ATMs for days to get the right amount of money to pay for the thing. It's an adventure not having a local bank. But don't get me started on that.

Finding a personal flotation device (PFD) suited to this form of watersport in the proper size was also a challenge. I'm guessing most of the ocean kayakers and other paddlers are small people. XL was hard to find. Imagine our surprise when the one we found was PURPLE!!

We took the surf ski down the beach this weekend for a maiden voyage. DH paddled both Friday and Saturday and seems as pleased as can be by the gift.

The first day was a lot of 'getting used to' and trying to figure out the way to remount after hulying. These light, skinny hulls are very tippy. The Swordfish is not a stable 'starter' boat. It's Fenn's intermediate hull. DH paddled on the local club's started boat all summer and decided when we purchased our own to go up a step. Each progressive hull gets a little narrower, and by extension, tippier.

The first day paddling was a familiarization. The second day paddling was all for fun and exercise. I'm wondering how long it will be before I get to try this one out!

--Sandee Wagner

Middle East Marketing

2011-12-12T23:58:00.000-06:00

Living in Dubai exposes one to a variety of cultures and languages. It truly is the "Paris of the Middle East".

I try to keep my eyes open and look at names on businesses. I look for things that are familiar and comfortable, like Tim Horton's restaurants which are native to Canada but new to Dubai. Then sometimes my eyes light on something I cannot believe.

We drove down the Jumeirah Beach Road yesterday and I saw a designer fashion resale shop called "Garderobe". Now I know that there is a dual meaning to this word, and that one of them can mean 'closet'. But the secondary meaning of the word, the Medieval meaning of the word is equivalent to 'toilet'. So, I'm guessing that in America, if someone suggested that name for a resale shop, folks would try to talk you out of it. "Think of another name!" "That one has a meaning you don't want to imply."

Marketing textbooks are filled with cautionary tales of products that fell flat because the local language was not considered when naming something. Chevrolet had the Nova in the US and tried, unsuccessfully to market it under that name in Mexico, where 'no va' means 'won't go'.

I spent a good little while trying to decide if anyone would call their upscale boutique the Outhouse with a kind of tongue in cheek nerve, but I'm not seeing it. Maybe the folks who named that shop are not students of history and the Medieval meaning was lost on them. Either way, it's a big leap of faith.

Before you ask, I did not stop in at the Garderobe.

--Sandee Wagner

'Tis The Season

2011-12-12T04:01:00.001-06:00

We got invited to our first holiday party here in Dubai. It was a Luau. No stuffed Santas and Tra-La-Las for this crowd. We had hula skirts and leis.

The Marines at the Embassy know how to throw a Luau, that's for sure. We drank pina coladas and good beer. We listened to great rock and roll and admired their physiques in abbreviated costumes. The fit young men dressed like Tahitian flaming knife dancers. Real eye candy for the females.

We ran into a very fun bunch. They scooped us up at the gate and escorted us to the party, then dragged chairs up to their table and entertained us all night long.

It was a group of folks from the local USO. Turns out that there's a regional office here for the Middle East. Not only are the workers who run Afghanistan and Iraq from here, they also run a port operation for the Navy boats that dock here.

Several of the ladies were full time employees for the USO and a couple were volunteers. Only one was a US citizen, the rest were from the UK.

All of them were having a great time. We not only hung out during the party and laughed until we were breathless, but we got invited to brunch the next day.

That's right, it's not enough to party hardy with the Marines, these folks also planned to share a glamorous hotel brunch the next day.

We agreed to meet them at the Intercontinental Hotel at Festival City, a large mall that boasts both an IKEA and an Ace Hardware.

The Intercontinental was bedecked for Christmas. Their lobby had a giant candle and floral display. Check out the tiny girl dragging her pink luggage--isn't she cute?

This centerpiece was really stunning. I know it wasn't just me who thought so because there were two other folks snapping pictures when I took this one. And before you comment, I know, I should have put the light at my back, but this is the best of the shots I took.

They also had a ginormous Christmas tree at the end of the lobby. Minimal decorations, but just the scale of the tree was tremendous. Because Dubai is very international, it's not unusual to see Christmas decorations. Most of the public spaces have trees, swagged garland or lights.

I'm loving the decorations.

I've even got ours up for the year. I didn't manage any way to hang the stockings, but all the rest of my boxed cheer made its way out of the packing materials and out to be enjoyed. We did lose a few things in the multiple container moves, but nothing that we can't live without.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas--if your Christmas includes mid seventies weather, lots of blue sky and sunshine. We are wearing flip flops and shorts, and eating our meals outside. Cheers!

--Sandee Wagner

November Lost

2011-12-07T01:00:00.001-06:00

If you read this blog regularly, and I guess that's about eight folks all told, then you know it hasn't been updated for a while. Novembers are hard on me.

For one thing, I try to do National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) each year. This is a self challenge where you commit to writing a 50,000 book in the month of November. I'm not sure why they chose November, perhaps because of the 30 days? Regardless, I've done the challenge for five of the past six years and it takes a lot of commitment to crank out that many words without stopping to edit. The same non profit organization hosts a Script Frenzy in April. I haven't tried that one yet.

The other reason I'm so delinquent is that we traveled home to the US for the Thanksgiving holiday. So, we were gone for a little over two full weeks. Had a great time, got to spend lots of time with friends and family, but it's still hard on the daily writing routine.

I love getting to spend time with my kids and grandkids. I'm so proud of how well they are doing, how big they are growing, and what fascinating things come out of their mouths. I find it all endlessly entertaining.

Over this holiday, I got to see my daughter skate in a roller derby bout. She's a member of the Oklahoma Victory Dolls. It was great fun. My suggestion to you? Find your local roller derby and go see a bout. It was a lot of entertainment for the bucks!

I think that deep down I thought of roller derby like professional wrestling. Staged somehow. But it was more sporting than I expected. The announcer explained the tactics and strategies and we had a great time watching my daughter and her friends skate three bouts. It was an action packed night of fun, fun FUN!

After the short weekend with my daughter in Oklahoma City, we flew to Huntersville, NC to spend the balance of the holiday with my son and his family. Queue the darling grandkids...

I love the fact that my son cooks with his kids. He lets them help stir things and he teaches them about what he's doing while he prepares their food.

Zack is a good teacher and ZJ is going to be a good cook one day too. These guys don't mind mugging for the camera whenever one is pointed at them.

In this picture, they are making sweet potatoes for the Thanksgiving meal. The secret ingredient? Bananas. Yeah, that's right. Bananas.

While he and his dad were cooking, Zoey and both her grandmas took her out for a girls shopping trip. Her mama came and met us for lunch. Here is a picture of Zoey eating some kind of blue colored ice cream sitting next to her mama, Kim.

We had a lot of fun shopping with Zoey. She ended up with hair clips that doubled as reindeer horns and a head band that keeps the mistletoe above her head all the time she's wearing it. In case you can't tell by the photo, she's a little charmer. But it's possible that Grandee is a little biased.

On our way home from NC, we stopped in Humble, TX. We got to have a sleepover with DH's sister Linda. We didn't get to see her husband or kids, so that was a bummer, but we were sure glad she drove down to see us.

I love spending the holidays with family and friends. We got to see our dear friend Sandy from Tulsa and we also spent a couple of days with the Burgess' in Humble. Catching up with friends and family is what the holidays are all about anyway.

So, November is over. It flew by quickly. We squeezed a lot of fun in that 30 days and I wouldn't trade that time for the world.

--Sandee Wagner

Space Age Mass Transit

2011-11-14T02:55:00.001-06:00

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!!

2011-11-10T00:32:00.002-06:00

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!

2011-11-06T06:55:00.000-06:00

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

2011-11-05T02:16:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-03T05:53:00.002-05:00

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!!

2011-11-01T10:23:00.001-05:00

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

Brunch at the Atlantis

2011-10-28T09:24:00.000-05:00

We went out with a group of work folks to a brunch at the resort Atlantis on the tip of the Palm Jumeirah.

It's a pretty impressive hotel and conference center. We had reservations at Saffron for the Friday brunch buffet, which is a pretty big deal. It cost a lot, but it was all you could eat and drink, bar drinks included.

So, you can imagine that the wine was poured and a good time was had by all participants. It's very nice to meet the people that your significant other speaks about on a daily basis. I like being able to put names with faces. It's a lively group. I'm hoping that they decide to get out monthly. It would give me something to look forward to.

We pulled up and valet parked the car and walked into a foyer. We entered the conference center wing, not the main lobby, so I don't know what that looked like. This small entry way was stunning.

The 'under the sea' theme is apparent in every aspect of this building. From the color of the marble underfoot, to each and every piece of art on the walls.

I was especially impressed by the ceiling murals and the light fixtures. Really a very interesting mix of form and function.

The restaurant was nothing special, but we did have a table on the patio overlooking a huge pool area. It was a tremendous feed.

I've been told that the aquarium at the Atlantis is worth seeing, so we'll have to go back another time to see that and the Dolphinarium.

The exterior of the building has shell shaped finials and fretwork everywhere. Nautilus shells and other organic forms topped all the crenelations and rooflines. Very pretty.

The landscaping was beach exotic and included the obligatory palm trees and some interesting specimens. The California folks might be used to seeing Birds of Paradise this big, but I found them a little startling. DH is six feet tall and these plants towered over him. They were sheltered by the hotel, but on the ocean side of the property.

This is a touristy destination for Dubai. There were buses full of folks off loading and on loading, so I think it must be part of some tour packages. We only walked into the restaurant and directly back out to our car, so I didn't see much of the inside, just the outside of the buildings.

I liked everything about the place. The colors were peaceful and relaxing.

The light fixtures were amazing. Too many styles to adequately document. Suffice it to say, there were shells and jellyfish, squids and mollusks aplenty.

I'd like to say it was schmaltzy and the "under the sea" theme from the Little Mermaid danced through my head, but it wasn't and it didn't.

It's high class and gorgeous. I'm going to need another couple of trips out there to check out the whole place. One of the gals at brunch today said she took her family out there for a four day weekend. There are some good deals, apparently. Even though it's only a few minutes from their home, she said it felt like a great vacation.

Maybe I should book us a couple of nights there so I can adequately explore all there is to see... under the sea.

--Sandee Wagner

Awareness, Dubai Style

2011-10-27T02:15:00.000-05:00

October is breast cancer awareness month. I am of the age that my general practitioner recommends an annual mammogram. And like a good little soldier, I do it. I got the referral and set up an appointment to get the thing done.

This is not the most comfortable procedure, but it's over fast. Last time I went, I lived in Tulsa. I got the test and went home with a smile. A few days later, I got a call that the radiologist "saw something" and I needed a retest. I called and made an appointment. The soonest they could get me in was two weeks. I sweated the entire time. You do. You fret. What will I do if it's cancer? You play out the scenarios in your mind. If you have a good imagination, you can work yourself up. I know I did.

Two weeks later, I went in. I had a couple more films taken. Then fretted for the better part of a week before I got a letter that said, "no worries. false alarm." I felt like I dodged a bullet.

This year, DH went with me to hold my hand. I expected the same kind of deal. It was scar tissue that set them off last time and that stuff doesn't go away. So, these guys would see the same thing, right? Then I'd go through the whole fret again. I'd worry, but hope that it was nothing.

Dubai is a high tech city. The diagnostic center is all digital. So instead of going in and then leaving, waiting days and days for a report, it was immediate. The tech did the scans. She sent them to the radiologist and he looked at them right then. He saw something, as I knew he would and ordered a close up of the area. The tech came back into the room and then took a couple more close ups. I sat there for no more than fifteen minutes while the radiologist reviewed the pictures. He said it was all okay and I breathed a sigh of relief.

Before I got my receipt for payment from the front desk, the tech had burned my images to a CD and presented me with the disk as I left the office. That's right. No waiting for days to hear good or bad news. No waiting for more weeks to get a retest. No fretting and nail biting. It was that easy.

I'm a big fan of digital now. I think all mammograms should be this easy. It's October. If you haven't already scheduled your test, do it now. I'm going to suggest finding someplace that has digital, it's a lot easier on your frame of mind.

--Sandee Wagner

Arabic Numbers Aren't Really

2011-10-26T10:48:00.001-05:00

One of my more recent surprises in Dubai is seeing that there is a different set of numerals in the Arabic language. All the price tags in the stores have numbers in English and again in Arabic. They look a lot like the flowing script used in Arabic writing. My confusion comes from the fact that all my life, math teachers called our numbers "Arabic numbers". As you can see from this grid, they are really "European numbers."

But beyond the nomenclature, there is not a lot of Arabic numbering going on. There are no street addresses around here. It makes finding places very difficult for newcomers. When you think it would be easy, it's hard. I drove around for two and a half hours looking for a landmark hotel one evening. Kind of gives a new meaning to the word 'landmark'.

When you get directions, it always includes landmarks because that's how folks navigate around here. And before you say it, Google Maps doesn't help. Every time I've tried to get driving directions on Google, it gives the bus and train routes. There is a 'default to public transportation' that is impossible to avoid. You can't get any 'turn by turn' instructions. I've tried.

So the next possible thing is to invest in a GPS. We have had mixed reviews for the local GPS and their maps. Everyone agrees that they will get you to the neighborhood where you are heading, but since there are no actual street addresses (that number thing again), they won't generally get you to a final destination. Except big places, like malls and shopping centers, which all appear to be waypointed on the maps. I've been thinking that we could waypoint our home, and then at least we could always get back home... this might be my next purchase.

--Sandee Wagner

Herd of Camels

2011-10-15T08:31:00.001-05:00

We went to the movies today. On the way out of the neighborhood, we saw some animals in a previously empty field. They were pretty far off from the road, but when I really looked, I could tell they were young camels. A herd of them.

We pulled the car over to the side of the road so I could take some pictures. I don't have much of a long distance lens, but I tried to zoom in as much as I could. I'll bet there were more than thirty of them. I didn't see a tender of any kind. They were behind a fence and back from the road on the other side of ditch. There is some kind of drainage or pipeline project along this stretch of road.

This was a fun surprise for us. When we got back from the movie, they were gone... that field was as empty as it has been for the past four months. Maybe camels are migratory animals?--Sandee Wagner

An Evening at the Al Qasr Hotel

2011-10-05T04:13:00.001-05:00

Last night we went out for dinner and drinks with DH's work crowd. It was a fun night.We went to the Al Qasr Hotel. Al Qasr means 'the palace' and this place was certainly designed to be a jewel in the crown that is the Madinat Jumeirah.Lining the drive up to the hotel are golden horse statues frolicking and prancing amidst palms and carefully uplit. It's lovely during the day and magical at night.We pulled up to the portico and left our ride with the valet. The outside of this hotel is beautifully appointed and authentic.

The fountain at the top of the hill continues the Arabian Horse theme. There's even a statue with a traditional Berber saddle up by the doors to the lobby. All glamorous tassels and deep russet reds. We arrived in late afternoon and left long after nightfall. In the evening light, the hotel is wildly impressive.

There are mosaic pools on each side of the entry with palm trees shading them. The blue of the tiles is reflective and provides a romantic backdrop for the classic architecture of the hotel itself. I find the entire Madinat Jumeirah an enchanting area, but this hotel is one of my favorites. Everything about it is restful and relaxing. It's like they managed to infuse the big structure with the homey feel of a large family estate. Now that the weather is cooling down in Dubai, I'm looking forward to exploring the terraces and outdoor restaurants and bars along the canals.--Sandee Wagner

Cat Got Your Tongue

2011-09-30T11:00:00.004-05:00

We went to the movies today and saw a romantic comedy. It was really great. While we were in the theater, we perused the movie posters and cardboard cutouts for the upcoming releases.

Imagine my surprise when I saw this one.

Instead of "Puss In Boots", the movie poster says, "Cat In Boots". I'm guessing that there is one of two reasons for this. 1) Puss is not a term that is recognizable for kitty cats in the Arab world; or 2) Puss is considered offensive. Either way, the title of this movie has been changed for release in the Arab world.

One of the reasons that I find this amusing is that the movie is in English, with Arabic subtitles. I'm guessing that throughout the dialog of the movie it will still say "Puss". Based on the Shrek movies, it will say it alot. They could have just replaced that word in the Arabic subtitles, but I guess that wasn't good enough. That's why I'm guessing that it was offensive to some censor somewhere.

In a country where they want you to cover up your shoulders and knees, it shouldn't surprise me that a movie is retitled. But it did.

Before you ask, we saw "Friends with Benefits" and it was really charming. Two Thumbs Up.

--Sandee Wagner

Building Codes

2011-09-28T23:52:00.002-05:00

There are some things that Americans take for granted. After living as an ex-patriot for a year now, I feel like I can comment on at least one of these. Building codes. We have them. Other countries, not so much.

Or if they have codes, they don't have codes like we are used to--which is more likely. Case in point: electric outlets.

In the states, most buildings have an outlet on the wall every 12 feet or so. In an average bedroom, you'll generally have a plug on each wall. Each of these plugs will have two receptacles where you can plug something in. In a kitchen or a bathroom, there will be GFCI rated outlets, which have fuses that will reset because of the nearness of a water source to that electric outlet. It's a safety issue.

When we first moved to Dubai, I noticed that the plugs in the rooms are a little different. It's a 220 volt, three pronged system. Okay, we need adapters but how hard can that be? Not hard, they make really robust adapters that take all plug types. So we bought a handful and thought we were set.

But them you begin to look around. In each bedroom there is only one or two outlets. And each of those outlets has a single receptacle. It's centered up on the wall where you are most likely to put a headboard. And that's it. If you want to run a TV at the other end of the room, good luck.

Each wall outlet has an on/off switch. You can cut off the electricity to the outlets you are not using. That seems like a very 'green' approach. Especially if you were not using some outlets...but when you don't really have enough outlets and you're using all of them, it's a wasted extra.

The bathrooms actually are the most stunning to me. When we first arrived in Dubai, I did a lot of furniture shopping. I noticed that the middle easterners bought a lot of dressing tables. It seemed like a furniture item that I didn't need, so I moved right past them. Then I realized that the outlet built into the wall of the bathroom (the single outlet in each bathroom) is designed expressly for men's shavers. It has a special receptacle. It will ONLY accept shavers or electric toothbrushes. You can't plug in a blow dryer or flat iron or curling iron. Not at all. No adapters allowed.

All of a sudden I can see why gals need a dressing table. I'm blow drying and curling my hair out in the bedroom... where there aren't enough outlets.

Dubai could use a building code that required a few more outlets. And perhaps a GFCI equivalent would make the bathrooms a little more blow dryer friendly. Just sayin'.

--Sandee Wagner

The Wharf

2011-09-24T06:16:00.006-05:00

In the Mina A'Salam hotel, there is a restaurant called The Wharf. Before you give me a bunch of back talk about eating at hotels, let me tell you a little something about living in 'the land of sand'. The ONLY restaurants that are allowed, by law, to serve alcohol are associated with hotels. So, when we make arrangements to meet someone for dinner (and drinks) the only destinations are usually restaurants associated with hotels.

The Mina A'Salam hotel is one of a line of properties that front Jumierah beach right next to the Burj Al Arab. They are connected by a canal and the local water taxis motor folks back and forth to the Madinat Jumeirah, the Wild Wadi water park and several hotel properties.

We drove up, parked the car and walked into the lobby. We were met with the most succulent fragrance. We walked to the center of the atrium and saw a fountain that had rose petals floating on the surface. The smell was fantastic. Later on we saw some wedding regalia, so I don't know if this was done for the specific event, or if it's a normal part of the hotel routine, but WOW! It was scrumptious.

We wandered downstairs and out the back doors of the hotel, alongside the canal. The Wharf was there, with lots of outside tables and seating. It's still a little too hot for that, so we decided to kill some time looking over the property before going into await our friends.

The beach was just lovely at sunset. The staff was furling the umbrellas and clearing up for the day. We strolled around to see the views, enjoy the sea breeze and architecture. They have a huge gazebo near the pool with a stunning view of the Burj Al Arab and the Palm Jumeirah. The hotel was designed to look like traditional Arab dwellings and is filled with art and furniture that appear antique and authentic.

It's a stunning place. I'd like to take some time to ramble around and really get the lay of the land. Or perhaps take one of the water taxis for a tour. The canal area had a few surprises. One was a built in water habitat for rehabilitating sea turtles. There was some signage promoting the Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project and we watched the water until we actually identified two sea turtles swimming around. It's an honorable effort and all the signs pointed out that sea turtles are completely protected by the Emirates. They also had satellite tracking of the turtles they'd released into the wild. It was a fun find while we were just killing time before dinner.

The Wharf restaurant was delightful. Based on an old English pub, the food was fun and flavorful. I got the fish and chips, which was delivered to me wrapped in newspaper (no plate!) Which is fine, until you spill your glass of water, then it's really less convenient than one might think.

Our friends had a discount coupon, so I'm not sure how much the meal would have cost without it, but it seemed to be very well priced and delicious. I would certainly go back. It also appears to be a place that would be great to take visitors. So, come on out and visit me in Dubai. We'll get your picture taken next to the camel. Yeah, just like the penguins in Tulsa, these things are everywhere.

--Sandee Wagner

Dinner Out

2011-09-13T01:10:00.007-05:00

We met some friends for dinner. They picked a restaurant in the Madinat Jumeirah called the Al Hambra. It's a Spanish themed Tapas restaurant.

The first fun option was riding the abra, a water taxi, to the hotel from the shopping center. We just had to show our reservation number to the abra skipper and he motored us right to the door. The waterway between the shopping areas and the hotels along this canal is lit up with fairy lights and lanterns. I am quite taken with the light wrapped palm trees.

The Madinat Jumeirah is designed to look like an authentic middle eastern dwelling. It's really impressive. Especially at night. Lights cast up the adobe walls and showcase the height and breadth of the edifice. After the quick trip from the shopping center over to the hotel, we navigated our way through the swanky hotel. It was quite a schlep to find the Al Hambra.

On the way, I enjoyed the amazing sights inside the hotel and it's environs. DH had a couple of meetings in this hotel and he wanted me to see the 'biggest chandelier ever'. It was super big. You get no idea of the scale on this picture, but it hangs in a three story atrium. It's gorgeous.

There is a big sweetheart staircase that descends down into a huge ballroom/dining area. In the center of the twining stairs is a giant fountain cascading down. It's a lovely sound. In the desert, fountains take on a whole new importance. Most major buildings have at least one. Many have multiple water features. It's very restful. Another thing that comes in abundant variety in the glamorous digs are flowers.

Lots and lots of colorful flowers.
Large scale flower sculpture and centerpieces fill the common areas. I had DH stand next to one so you could see that it's way taller than six feet. There were several of these lining the lobby area of the Madinat Jumeirah.

The lobby had glorious marble floors and columns. The colors were vibrant and eye catching. Over the top. I think in the middle east, they invented over the top design.

Oh, and dinner was really good too! The Spanish restaurant was nice. We had tapas and paella. There was hard cheese marinated in olive oil and rosemary served with crusty bread. Rustic and really tasty. All in all, it was a delightful evening with a really nice, welcoming couple. I can't wait to try some of the other restaurants in that area. Lots more to explore.

--Sandee Wagner

A Fitting Memorial

2011-09-11T01:43:00.004-05:00

Today is the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City. For my generation, it has become the 'where were you?' moment we all remember. I will never forget that day, watching as the news unfolded and witnessing the tragedy as the towers collapsed.

Since then, much has been made of the planned memorial, the fundraising, construction and even the invitation list for the dedication. Everyone has an opinion. I can remember when the Viet Nam Memorial was being planned for Washington, DC. So much fuss. So many people objecting to the black basalt wall inscribed with names. It was ugly and too modern and not suitable. But then it was unveiled. And the families and friends started coming. And photographs surfaced of veterans laying their hands on the names of their friends, sons and daughters rubbing an impression of their father's name. And hearts broke across this nation. Because a memorial has architectural structure, but its not the building or edifice that anchors the memories. It's the people. Now, no one cares about the controversy that the design caused, they just come. They remember.

Today, a memorial is being unveiled in New York City's Battery Park neighborhood. I don't know all the details. I remember some of the plans that were suggested. Some of the people involved wanted to build edifices on the site that were bigger and higher than the originals. They wanted to thumb their noses in the faces of the terrorists. Prove that we would rebuild, be better, higher or more opulent than before. What I've seen of the memorial is more park like. It includes two of the largest man made waterfalls ever constructed. They outline the footprint of the original two trade center towers. It appears to be a beautiful, peaceful place.

A memorial, a monument is just an anchor for the feelings, emotions and memories of the people who experienced an event. Nothing ever suitably replaces what was lost. No man made sculpture or building will ever make up for lives lost, families impacted or the long term effects of trauma. During that day, and months and years afterwards, people in New York City, Washington DC, and rural Pennsylvania faced the horror of terrorism and no one in our whole nation has ever been the same since.

We all experienced it. We might not have been there working like the EMTs, police and firefighters. We might not have been first responders or rescue aid workers. But we all watched, waited and prayed.

When I look back ten years ago, I feel the angst. My eyes well up with tears and I realize that we all lost a little innocence that day. We thought it couldn't happen here. But we were wrong. It can, and does, happen everywhere.

Monuments mark the spot. But it's the people like us who keep the memories. When you think about it, it's a fitting memorial. Talk to the younger generation, tell your stories. Explain your feelings. Make a trip to the 9/11 memorial and honor the fallen. The fight has been brought to us and it's up to all of us to remember.

--Sandee Wagner

Speaking My Language, Wait...

2011-09-10T05:02:00.003-05:00

One of my very favorite things about living in Dubai is that I could quit the Rosetta Stone French lessons. DH is still working on them, but he took years of French in school, so it's all a review for him. My accent is so dreadful, I had trouble passing through any lesson. I got as far as "my bicycle is yellow" and "that apple is green". When I said those phrases to the taxi drivers in Tunis, I got a lot of laughs. Everyone who travels extensively says that trying to speak the local language is always the way to go. I found that it at least broke the ice with the cabbies. So, my French sounded like Julia Childs and Rosetta Stone expected better of me.

English is prominent in the United Arab Emirates. Most signage is Arabic and English. All the advertising includes text in both languages. I can survive here without being completely in the dark. Bonus!

But then, I read the signage and wonder. Are they speaking my language? There are a lot of half built projects around this time. Apparently, there was a big surge in building, lots of stuff got started, then the world financial crisis caught up to Dubai, and the building halted. Most of the larger projects have tall fences erected around the base of them. This large wall provides billboard space for advertisement. Lots of the projects still have ads posted advertising their developments.

I drive by this one on the way to the hardware store. Each time I read it, I think, what? The words say: "This hoarding will not change for another year. After that, Media production will change forever." The International Media Production Zone stands behind the wall. So, they were advertising that when they were finished building, things would change in their field. I get that. I totally do. But 'this hoarding'? What does that mean?

So, I looked it up. And sure enough, way down in the meanings, there is a definition that says a hoarding is a temporary fence enclosing a construction site. Now, I get it. Boy, speaking the same language is supposed to make things easier, right?

--Sandee Wagner

El Dorado

2011-09-02T07:31:00.002-05:00

The City of Gold. Something Conquistadors from Spain traveled across continents searching for... also, an unattainable goal. Like good Mexican food half a globe away from Mexico.

In Tunisia, we found a nice Cuban cafe where all the food LOOKED right, but tasted wrong. It was like someone had pictures of popular Mexican and Spanish dishes but no recipes to follow. Or more likely, couldn't get the ingredients that made the food taste authentic. Either way, we ate there because it was good, it just wasn't right.

Today, we walked into Casa Maria in the Green Community in Dubai. It's a small place with just a few tables inside and out. When we first approached the door, it was 1230 and the signage outside said "Open Daily 11:00 am to 10:00 pm". We tugged on the doors, but they were locked. As we walked away scratching our heads, a waitress unlocked the doors and called us back. Apparently, they just forgot to open the doors.

An inauspicious beginning. I'll give you that.

The place was decorated like every Mexican restaurant everywhere, except maybe in Mexico. Exposed wood beams, adobe walls, bright colored paint and lots of hand carved wood furniture. It called to my Texan soul.

We perused the menu, poking excited fingers at our favorites and mulling our choices. Pages of the menu were devoted to explaining the 'terminology' for the unfamiliar. It gave descriptions of all the different types of chiles, the regional foods in Mexico and a biography on the two Mexican chefs who own and run the store. That's right. Authentic food. Right here in our neighborhood.

It was GREAT. I had chicken enchiladas with verde sauce and DH had a beef fajita burrito. Both were tremendous. The guacamole was a little shy of actual avocados, but I'm guessing they are imported just for that dish. All in all, my new favorite restaurant. I give it two thumbs up.

I can't wait to try their fish tacos. Umm... I don't really feel like I've found a lost city of gold, but I do feel like I've found a treasure.

--Sandee Wagner

So Shiny!!

2011-08-31T09:00:00.007-05:00

We ran a few errands today. We have a five day weekend to celebrate the end of Ramadan, so Eid Mubarak everyone!

First we went to IKEA for more bookcases, then we went to the DragonMart to see if we could find a step down converter for the electronics. We struck out on the converter, but oh boy did we see some shiny things!

First, we found a temporary display of garden art. Most of these were cast resin, but some were actual marble carvings. DH wanted to buy a pair of these lions to flank our driveway. We don't really have a drive worth flanking, but boy would these be fun to have in South Texas.

Next we happened upon a 'traditional' furniture store. Since I wasn't sure what that meant, I went in with camera raised. Traditional furniture is shiny. Very, VERY shiny. Let me draw your attention to the velvety fabric covering and the shiny buttons. Also, do you see the seat back is in the shape of a heart? And what home decor is not enhanced by precious metals?

But wait, there's more! If gold and blue is not your style, they had all colors and finishes. Maybe you fancy purple velvet and you're the queen of giraffes? They've got it all in this shop. One of the sets had a swan table and the legs of the chair looked feathered. It was oh, so classy.

Perhaps you're in the market for something dignified like a grandfather clock? Six feet of shiny, overblown ornate frou-frou? With ladies strumming lutes seated on the base? Oh, yes. They've got just the ticket for you. Now, as you might imagine, these were high priced decor items. The guy manning the shop was very proud of his glamorous wares. When I pulled out my camera to take pictures, he preened. Like a peacock. Like the lamps flanking the exit. Giant peacock lamps in two finishes. I kid you not. Seven feet tall and finished in living color.

The next shop that caught my eye was selling costume jewelry for that dressy occasion. I'm trying to imagine the dress that allows these necklaces to be pulled off appropriately and all I've got is 'basic black turtleneck'. There were four full windows filled with at least six or eight of these waterfall collars of faux gemstones. All colors and designs. The overriding similarity was the over the top size and scale of the neckwear. It was stunning. DH was not even tempted to go inside and buy me one. Even when I promised to wear it to the USMC ball. Of course, even with my ample bosom, these would have reached my waist. But with a necklace like this, you don't even have to worry about your gown! Who'd notice it anyway?

I know where to go for my shiny stuff. DragonMart.

--Sandee Wagner

Breakage and Bustedness

2011-08-28T23:16:00.004-05:00

After moving to Tunisia, staying four months and then packing up and moving to Dubai, I am probably lucky to have any household goods arrive at all. That container could have fallen off the ship. All my stuff could have been lost or stolen while it sat in storage for four months. But it didn't. Last week, it arrived here.

As the movers helped us unpack, we uncovered a lot of broken things. A LOT.

We had more breakage with this move than with any other move in our lives. It was frustrating. Each time I picked up a wad of paper and could tell that what was inside was rattling and sounding like shards of glass, I knew that some other piece of what I owned was busted.

It was kind of interesting in a sad, sad way. The majority of things that were broken were 25th wedding anniversary presents. I should preface this by saying that DH and I eloped. So we didn't have any elaborate china or crystal at the beginning of our marriage. We had a big 25th wedding anniversary party and folks gave us a lot of the lovely serving pieces and decorative pieces that you think of as wedding gifts. Cut glass candle holders, hand painted serving bowls. Lots of lovely things.

And the breakage tally included a high volume of those anniversary gifts. For some reason, it really made me sad. Each time I opened or was handed a busted piece so I could take digital photos of the item and the box number it came out of, a little piece of me grieved. It's not like losing the stuff negates 25 years of marriage, right? It's just stuff. Nice gifts that I truly enjoyed for the past seven years. Now they're gone. Basically irreplaceable--not the stuff, the memory of the gift. I can buy another one, close to the original but it won't be the gifted item anymore, will it?

It's a little strange but I'm so thankful that we didn't have MORE damage than we did. We moved clear around the globe. I'm thankful that we got ANY of our stuff. For a while, I didn't think it would ever be cleared out of Tunisia.

So breakage and bustedness is documented and will be claimed for insurance purposes. Life goes on. I've found a place for most of this stuff. Now I'm close to being completely settled. Just a couple more boxes.

--Sandee Wagner

Settling In

2011-08-24T07:47:00.005-05:00

Well, we got the container on Sunday and began unpacking. The movers came back on Monday and gave us a full day assembling and unpacking. They also took away all the trash. At this point, all we could think was, "they're going to need a bigger truck!" We are collecting up more paper and boxes and they'll come back by to pick up the rest.

It's surprised how much you can get done with a group of people helping you. We got all the large furniture placed. We even shifted a few after changing our minds and the guys never complained. With them pulling stuff out of the packaging, all I had to do was find places for it. In the kitchen, it worked great. With the books and decorative stuff, not so much. We did have a bit of breakage, more than any other move, but I'm not complaining. I kept my camera out and took a picture of anything broken or damaged and the label off the box it came in. It should make it a little easier to file the claim with the moving company.

The next day, DH and I hit it pretty hard. We found places for the books and glassware and hung up organizers for the brooms and stuff. Today we began hanging curtains and putting out the knickknacks. It's beginning to look a lot like HOME!

I tried to take pictures of places where there were just stacks of boxes before so you could share my joy in the unpacking... but it's hard to imagine how good it feels to finally settle in.

Once again, my biggest issue is more books than bookcases. DH has spoiled me with lots of built ins wherever we've lived, and now, I have to buy furniture to take with me! I'm trying to be judicious and eliminate some of the tomes I no longer need, but it's hard to part with books that I love.

I figure a couple more days of hard work and we'll be done! I'll post some more pictures when it's all clean and tidy.

--Sandee Wagner

Feathering my Nest

2011-08-21T12:33:00.004-05:00

After five long months of waiting, our stuff finally arrived in Dubai. It really only took two months for the goods to transit, three months of that time it was sitting in storage while the company worked diligently to produce a one page letter stating that we didn't owe any taxes to Tunisia before they'd let our stuff ship out. That's right. We waited three months for a one page letter. I'm not sure who's in charge of that department, but I personally would like to make them suffer.

Today, the container arrived. The moving crew actually arrived about twenty minutes before the truck got here. The company told us they would arrive between 1300 and 1500 today. The crew arrived at 1245 and the truck was here at 1301. Nothing wrong with that time estimate!

The guys were all hard workers and got the entire container emptied by 1600. Two of the guys stayed inside that oven moving the stuff to the edge of the bed, while the others hustled it into the house and put it in the right rooms. The guys working inside the container had the worst end of the deal. At one point, a guy got dizzy and had to come inside and sit down in the cool air for a while. I slapped a ziplock bag full of ice onto the back of his neck to help him cool down a little. Other than that, we had no accidents or injuries.

Except my pot. Of course, you never know what all is broken until you've opened all the boxes. There could be more. But this extremely fragile pot had some kind of issue because the carton showed the crushing. I slit it open and found my mirror mosaic project pot one third smaller than expected. DH thinks he can piece it together and glue or plaster it from the inside of the pot. The outside is already broken, so it won't show--at least it shouldn't.

The crew will be back in the morning to help us assemble and place the larger furniture. Then we'll spend the rest of the week unpacking boxes and finding homes for all our stuff. It's a good feeling, feathering my nest.

--Sandee Wagner

Labor Saving Devices

2011-08-20T01:35:00.005-05:00

I have moved into a part of the world where having a dishwasher is a luxury and having a dryer is very strange. The vast majority of the people here hang their clothes to dry and wash dishes by hand.

I didn't really give it a lot of thought, I just wanted my lifestyle to remain the same as I had in the US. I want a dryer. I'm not really willing to hang my clothes up to dry in the triple digit heat. I get that I'm using energy above the norm, but if I'm willing to pay for it, I should be able to do it, right?

So, when we rigged the house (and you have to buy ALL your own appliances here) we bought a Gorenje dishwasher. I understand that this is a brand made in the UK and we bought a middle line product, not top of the line.

I read the manual, figured out the controls and set it up to run. This unit is a self proclaimed 'energy efficient' model. When I set it to run, it runs for 2 hours and 33 minutes for regular, not heavy duty, cleaning. It does not do much of a heated dry cycle. The dishes are still completely wet when it's done running.

I had a GE dishwasher before. I've had a Maytag and I'm pretty sure my old house had a Kenmore. I don't think I've ever had a cycle go more than 90 minutes. So how 'energy efficient' can this be if it goes for a full hour longer??

Before you get the idea that I'm denigrating the BRAND of dishwasher, let me state for the record that the LG brand washing machine I have has the same issues. A load of laundry takes nearly three hours to run. And that's set for the normal, synthetic cycle.

I'm not sure what happens electrically. All these appliances run at 220v instead of 110v like in the states. But it seems to me that everything takes a lot longer. All the cycles take a longer time to run.

Maybe I'm just fooling myself, maybe it took this long in the states, but I don't think so. I've always thought that someone needed to make washers and dryers take the same amount of time to run, because it always seemed like the dryer took twice as long as the washer. Here, it's the exact opposite. My dryer loads come out in half the time the washer loads do. And the dishwasher takes forever.

How energy efficient can this be? If it's running for twice the length of time and twice the voltage?

--Sandee Wagner

The Power of Three

2011-08-17T04:58:00.003-05:00

I've recently read some "Weather Warden" books by Rachel Caine. One of the characters in the novels is a Djinn. During the exposition of this character, the author paints a reality where in order to get a true answer from a Djinn, you have to ask it three times. They have to tell you the truth if you persist in asking the question three times, but they will deflect and try to distract you from asking it. Interesting setup, really. It made for some good dialog in these books.

As I sit here in Dubai trying to acclimate to my new country, I'm reading a Culture Smart! guidebook on the customs and cultures of the UAE. Again, fascinating reading. But imagine my shock when it started talking about effusive praise and how to act when invited into an Emirati home.

One of the bits of advice given was that the host will demure, so thanks and praise should be restated (honestly) over and over again. The advice was to give at least three offers before giving in. The same type of suggestion was made for accepting or declining food during a large meal. If an Emirati declines, you need to continue to offer... you got it. Three times.

I am really amused by this. The fact that there is actual cultural background for conversational insistence that requires three repetitions is based in Arabic folklore. Or the folklore just represented the customs which are still in use today. Either way, I love it. I love it. I love it.

--Sandee Wagner

Video Bloggers

2011-08-16T03:09:00.003-05:00

Every once in a while, someone sends me a link, or posts a site on Facebook and I fall down a rabbit hole.

Today, my buddy Mike posted a funny video from YouTube by MrArturoTrejo called Interview with a 1 year old. It was hysterical. I watched more videos and found that I had lost HOURS watching these vlogs.

In one of them, he was complaining because his wife made him declutter and have a garage sale. She took the items that didn't sell to the thrift store. What made this whole thing funny is that another vlogger in the area saw the video and went out on a search for the lamp. Really. They found it.

Then, this couple delivered the lamp BACK to the original owners.

I don't know why this entertains me, but it does.

The internet has opened a wide window for all kinds of humor and views into daily life. I've spend the morning watch the Trejos, the Shaytards and then Ourlittleplanet. Just an all round extravaganza of interesting time wastage.

Even the music was entertaining. MrArturoTrejo uses music produced by his brother in law StephenJPresents. I clicked on several of his songs and he's done an amazing job on mixing some acapella pieces. I'm no musician, but his videos are pretty fun.

I find YouTube to be a fascinating site. But it sure sucks up a lot of time. Like falling down the rabbit hole and ending up in Alice's Wonderland.

--Sandee Wagner

Fun Construction

2011-08-13T00:13:00.004-05:00

Dubai is a new NEW city. Folks around here talk about how the Emirates are just 'forty years out of the desert'. That means that the majority of this whole city is less than forty years old. Certainly the money to build all the magnificent edifices downtown and in the marina area is relatively new.

So, imagine the Dubai skyline compared to NYC or some other metropolis. Those cities have hundred(s) of years of buildings, so some are old, some are new, and the architecture spans decades at the least. In Dubai, all the building is fairly recent and most is modern architecture. I love modern architecture.

So, as I ride around the city, I enjoy looking at the tall buildings and how each architect tried to push the envelope to make his building stand out. My personal favorite is not complete yet.

The building is a tall square that has been twisted around as it rises up to its height. The picture cannot do it justice. Certainly not with my crappy little digital camera.

I would not want to wash those windows. The curve of the twist is gradual enough that it's all flat surfaces, and those windows open. I'm not sure if it's going to be office space or residences, but I'm guessing office space. No balconies and it's got a sea view.

I took these two pictures from the Le Meridien hotel grounds, looking back toward the Dubai Marina area. This building can also be seen from Sheik Zayed road. I've been watching the building's progress since my arrival in June.

In a city where there are lots of lovely, modern buildings, the eye will always light on those that are unique and distinct. Each new building project allows another opportunity for an architect to delight our senses.

--Sandee Wagner

Eerie Stillness

2011-08-12T00:44:00.003-05:00

I know I've done a whole post on how strange I find the effects of Ramadan on the shopping public. But yesterday, it was really hammered home.

I did a whole blog on the beautiful Ibn Battuta Mall. I took pictures of the different areas and spent two whole shopping trips exploring the architecture. During that time, I found the whole mall experience to transcend international boundaries. There are the same types of shops, the same types of goods available for sale. The kiosks in the center of the aisles sell cell phone covers and women step into your way and offer you perfume samples. It's a mall. Like all malls.

Now that I've gone back during Ramadan, I have to say that one thing spooked me. The food court is empty. I've only eaten there twice, but this is one of those food courts that has lots of different restaurant selections and tons of tables. Every time we've gotten food, we've had to stand there with our trays and wait for a table to open up. Tons of selections and lots of people.

During Ramadan, only about 5 of the restaurants were even open. Those that were, only sold food packaged up 'to go'. Most of the ones that had glass barriers in the prep area so you can watch your food being made had temporary barricades or covers erected so nothing could be seen of the food and its preparation. Any practicing Muslim could walk through there and not be exposed to either the sight or smell of food or drink. No one was sitting around the Starbucks drinking coffee. There was black plastic taped up in the Krispy Kreme windows. You could take away a dozen donuts, but you couldn't see them loaded into the box.

It's kind of surreal. There is food. You can eat. Just not here. Not in public.

This food court is one of the places I actually saw groups of teen aged middle easterners doing the 'teen hang out' thing. You see lots of families out in public doing stuff, but this is one of the few places I saw teen aged girls with shopping bags tittering and comparing purchases. It made me feel like some things were universal regardless of zip code.

In the silent rows of chairs, I missed that lively interaction. I missed the families with strollers coaxing toddlers to eat something. It's all still. Quiet. Eerie.

--Sandee Wagner

What I'm Missing

2011-08-09T10:05:00.006-05:00

Dubai is an amazingly westernized place. It's pretty easy to live here and imagine you're in Phoenix or some desert place.

But I'm half a world away from all the people in my life who really count. My family.

I'm really missing my beautiful and intelligent grands. I have five grandbabies right now. And hopes for some more, because really, the genetics are just fine!

My oldest son and his lovely wife have given me two miraculous grandchildren, ZJ and Zoey. ZJ has a heart of gold, like his daddy. He's quite the outdoorsman and loves to look at bugs and plants and see what's going on right in his own back yard. He loves his school and his teachers. He also loves his little sister, Zoey. He's smart as a whip and catches on to things so fast, it makes my head spin. He's very deliberate. A deep thinker, our ZJ.

Zoey is a princess, except when she's not. She is quite the girly girl and has recently taken up mani-pedis with momma. Zoey loves to chat and keeps everyone around her entertained. She's also very mechanical and can be found following her daddy under the car when he's doing automobile maintenance. She's a cute little sprite who is turning into such a big kid!

They live near Charlotte, NC now. So even if I was in the US, they'd still be a long way from where I live. The great thing about these two is that they love to Skype with me and their Grumpy.

My second son has three wonderful children. His first son is a red headed wonder named Will. He wants to be an astronaut and loves all things to do with NASA and space. He's also focused on being a really excellent big brother to his younger sister and his baby brother. He's got a very demanding personality and truly is the child I prayed for his father to have... you know how mommas do that? They wish that their obstreperous child has a child just like them? Well, Will is my son's karmic payment. He is adorable! Just the smartest and most vibrant personality.

His little sister is Carolyn and when she was added to the family, it rocked his world. Carolyn is a free spirit like her momma. She's got the most beautiful hazel eyes and curly brown hair. She's so gorgeous, I think my son needs to be buying ammo to lay in for her teen age years. Carolyn is very independent and wants a full say in how she dresses, what she eats and where she goes. She is a strong little chica. She'd have to be to hold her own against two brothers!

Charlie is our newest grandson. He's a good baby and very laid back. He's just four months old and is rolling from his back to his belly and keeping the other kids entertained with his smiles and laughter. He's a good sport and it's a good thing since his momma has two other kids to chase around all day.

I know I'm biased. I think these children are about the cutest and smartest grandkids any woman could claim. I'm so proud of my kids and their parenting skills, I could just bust a rib. It's a tremendous thing to watch your adult children raising wonderful kids. The whole circle of life thing. If I don't ever do another useful thing in my whole life, I think I could look at my kids and my grandkids and still think I left the world a better place.

When I'm sitting here in Dubai, the only thing I'm really missing is the people in my life. My family. My friends. My grandkids. That's the hardest thing about being a world away.

--Sandee Wagner

Brunch with DH

2011-08-06T02:18:00.002-05:00

We woke up on Friday (our Saturday) and decided it would be nice to go out to lunch before doing our weekly grocery shopping. Only problem? It's Ramadan. What's a person to do when they are NOT fasting during daylight hours? Find a hotel. That's what.

Most of the hotels have lots of trapped paying guests and have to provide food for them during the daylight hours. So they have made architectural arrangements. That's right. They have built their hotels in such a way that there is at least one segregated restaurant where folks can dine and the average Muslim faster can avoid seeing them or smelling the good food.

We stayed right in our neighborhood at went to the Green Community's Courtyard by Marriott. There, the Cucina restaurant offered a wondrous buffet brunch. This restaurant is a circular room that juts out over a man-made lake, giving nice views of the water from almost every table. The spread was just glorious. The desserts were legion and we both ate and ate. DH's favorite part? Pizza guy and a stone oven going to town providing pies for the buffet.

We paid too much. Maybe not too much based on hotel pricing, but I think during Ramadan the prices reflect the difficulty finding cooks and servers. None of the believers will be on the payroll during this time. I imagine it's hard to staff a restaurant.

If I'd been on my game, I would have taken pictures of the food. I can tell you that there was a creamy veal dish that was lovely and some grilled vegetables that I want to try and recreate at home. We cheated on our diet and really enjoyed the experience.

Good times.

--Sandee Wagner

OKC Victory Dolls

2011-08-03T23:23:00.003-05:00

Congratulations to the new Oklahoma City Victory Dolls!

Each year, they have a sign up period and then a training class for all the women who want to try out the roller derby. This year, my daughter decided to give it a try. These 'Baby Dolls' are coached by the veteran skaters and taught minimum skills and all the rules of flat track skating and banked track play.

I'm pretty sure that I couldn't skate all out for five minutes. Probably after minute one, I wouldn't be able to lift a skate, but these fearless skaters threw themselves into the challenge and worked at all the minimum skills to make the squad.

This picture is from the Baby Doll's last practice. I don't know how many of them passed the skills test and found a spot on the squad, but I do know that they practiced three times a week and put their hearts into the effort.

Congratulations! I can't wait to see a bout.

--Sandee Wagner

Ramadan Mubarak

2011-08-03T00:04:00.004-05:00

One of the most consistent comments I've heard from other ex-pats is that travel back to their home countries is mandatory during Ramadan. I moved to Dubai in June. Almost every person I've met through my husband, and his work, mentioned that they were headed out of town to avoid Ramadan.

Since I just got here, that was not really a possibility for me. So, I did a little reading and tried to prepare myself for the festival. Because, you see, to the Muslims, it's a great time of reflection, prayer and introspection.

During the month long observance, Muslims do not allow anything to pass their lips during daylight hours. No cigarettes, no coffee, no water. We are in the middle of the desert and no one is allowed to drink water all day long... it boggles the mind. Since it is 'illegal' according to Islamic law, the businesses who do trade with westerners here in Dubai make few exceptions.

Imagine a mall where the openings to the Starbucks are all pulled down, except for one. That single mall entrance is draped three quarters of the way down with black cloth. You realize you could duck under that barrier and get back to the counter, then sit in the dark and sip your cappuccino. If you wanted to... Basically, the restaurants can serve westerners, but it can not be visible to the public. It's furtive and shadowy.

Imagine going into a movie theater and having the entire snack bar area shut down and unmanned. I was told once that movie theaters make their money on the popcorn, not the movie tickets. Now, when I looked at the closed snack bar, I could only project the lost revenues for the theaters.

The entire month of August is devoted to daylight fasting and evening celebrations. It's a time to feed the poor and celebrate God's blessings by giving and sharing. From what I've heard, most of the deprivations of the daylight hours are broken by large communal meals shared with friends and families. Breaking the fast after sunset is a meal called "Iftar" which is traditionally started with three dates.

During the daylight hours, the fast is supposed to be reflexive time filled with prayer. If you share your Iftar meal with others, it brings extra blessings. So providing a meal so that others can break their fast also blesses you.

I can't imagine going through a whole desert day without drinking a drop of water. No breath mints, no gum. It would be a great hardship. Because of the reality of living among people who are giving up so much, it's considered really bad manners to eat or drink in public. A westerner flaunting food or drink can be called down in public areas. Me? I'll probably stay close to home. There's no reason to slip inside a darkened restaurant and feel criminal for enjoying food and drink when most of the population is fasting. I go through most of my days sipping away at an icy beverage. I'll just do that in the privacy of my own home.

For the better part of the past week, there have been painters doing repair work on the outside of my villa. They've scraped and resurfaced some areas where the paint had bubbled and peeled. Then they sanded and repainted. Each morning, two of these wizened old men rang my doorbell and requested I fill their liter water bottles. I was happy to do so. Watching them out doing manual labor in the 100+ degree heat, who would mind? On the first day of Ramadan, they were out there working away and the doorbell never rang.

It's a very interesting custom. As a Catholic, I'm used to fasting before Mass, foregoing meat on Fridays, and offering up deprivation and suffering. But, I've got to give it to the Muslims who remain constant during a whole month of Ramadan. That's a great deal of sacrifice to offer up to God. It makes me thirsty just thinking about it.

--Sandee Wagner

Harried Potterisms

2011-07-29T07:07:00.005-05:00

I read all the books.

First, because of the buzz. Not because I had an age appropriate child in the house. So many people were talking about them, and plenty of the folks in South Texas were saying it was all about witchcraft so they wouldn't let their kids read it.

Whenever someone says a book written for kids will rot their brains, I always want to see if I agree. I think kids need to read, just for reading's sake. It doesn't really matter what they read, just THAT they read. But I digress.

So I read the books. And I found them charming. Nothing to ruin a perfectly well brought up Christian child, just a rollicking good tale where I found myself rooting for the hero. By like any really good book, it built a fan base. And those fans have opinions. They announced the movie would be made.

So I saw the movie. Was it the book? No. Was it a good movie? Yes.

At this point, there were probably four of the series in print and I was like everyone else--standing in line for the next installment. JK Rowling made money off me too.

Each successive book became longer and more intricate and each movie had more and more territory to cover. People became more dismissive of the movies and pounded the books saying they were superior.

People complained when the Dumbledore character from the first few movies changed. The actor died, and people complained that he had to be recast. Personally, I think
Michael Gambon did a fine job as Dumbledore.

What I never understood was the filmakers need to remove Voldemort's nose. I understand it made him appear 'snakelike' and more evil but that left me cold. Really? Noseless?

I have friends who feel like the story arc was 'rushed' somewhat and the Harry Potter with Dumbledore scenes were more deus ex machina than plot possibility. I understand the need for the mentor dying so the protagonist can stand on his own and fight the fight. But bringing back Dumbledore as advisor is a lot like having Obi Wan talk to Luke in his head. It takes a little getting used to.

The final installment in the story had to be broken into two movies. With the heft of that volume, it doesn't surprise me at all. Shoot, they made the Lord of the Rings into three movies and no one whined about that.

Here's what I think: the books were great. The movies were exceptional. They weren't the books by any stretch of the imagination and you did lose something, but they were good movies. The actors grew up making those movies and they did a great job growing up as characters on screen. The special effects were phenomenal and more and more intricate as the movies got darker and had more evil at play.

The final denouement between Harry and Voldemort was good. The last battle was big and all encompassing. There were unexpected heroes and heroines. I didn't cry, but I have friends who did.

I also like the 'years later' epilogue portion of the movie. I like knowing that Hogwarts would be rebuilt and that life will go on. They fought the good fight and now they get to have normal lives. We Muggles just get to peek through the window into their world.

I wonder what JK Rowling is doing now? Is she writing another book? I expect she never has to work another day in her life, but I have to report that I like the way her mind works. I hope she's got something else on the fire. It will give me something to look forward to.

--Sandee Wagner

Two Kinds of People

2011-07-27T02:36:00.003-05:00

That's one of those statements that always is followed by an ellipsis. There are two kinds of people in this world...

I'm big on the ellipsis and this morning I decided to enter the realms of those who try to quantify what two types populate my space.

The two kinds of people in this world are: people who can use superglue and people who only end up gluing their fingers together.

Care to guess which group I fall into? That's right. I've spent the past hour and a half alternately soaking my hands (notice, not one but both!) in fingernail polish remover and hot soapy water. I have a couple of skin tears and a roughness that's going to require a file to wear away, but I can bend all my fingers now, so it's an improvement.

You should have seen me trying to get the fingernail polish bottle open when both of my hands were glued into claws. Gads. What a life I lead.

And obviously, as my 'people who do and don't' example states, the two items I wanted glued together are not adhered. Oh no. After gluing the floor, my fingers and everything else, the two items are blissfully separate. Thus, my luck and defined world.

There are two kinds of people in this world, people who will laugh at me and mock me, and people who, at one time or another, have glued their own fingers together.

--Sandee Wagner

A Day At The Beach

2011-07-23T01:37:00.006-05:00

We went to the beach this morning to paddle with friends. We got up early and got to the beach at 0720.

The paddle club facility is located within view of the Burj Al Arab hotel.

By the time we left the beach at 0930, it was over 100 degrees, but when we first got there, it was pleasant. There was a light breeze off the water. The coast is shallow here, so the surf is light and the water is warm year round.

I did put my toes into the Persian Gulf to feel the temperature of the water. Like bathwater. I sat on the beach and visited with a gal from South Africa while her husband taught DH to paddle an ocean kayak.

The kayaks are like the OC-1's without an outrigger/ama. They are very tippy and DH went into the drink several times, but managed to right the boat and get back in, each time he hulied. The way they are paddled is completely different from outrigger canoeing. They use a two bladed paddle, and the pull is slightly different, especially at the wrist break. Like what we're used to, you have to sit up very straight and use your core, twisting with the paddle.

Like any other sport, ocean paddling has some safety rules and requirements. This club maintains a training program that new paddlers have to complete before they are allowed to use club equipment.

The next training class won't begin until September so we'll be dependent on the kindness of strangers--or we'll have to buy our own boat. Apparently, some of the leaving expats sell off their canoes, so there's a good chance of buying a used boat from a club member.

It's quite a schlep out to the paddling club beach, but I think we're going to enjoy the activity. The beach is pretty empty during the summertime (it's the off season for Dubai), but gets pretty busy during the wintertime.

I'm really looking forward to getting out. I'm hoping to see some of the well dressed Muslim bathers. I saw this in the mall sporting goods store yesterday and had to snap a photo. If this suit is UV A & B resistant, I'm thinking a pasty redhead like myself should invest in one!

If we end up paddling together, I'll need to be tougher so I can stay out as long as DH wants to haul me around. Lightweight coverage seems like a good idea.

--Sandee Wagner

Paddles Up!

2011-07-20T23:31:00.004-05:00

Some of you know that during our 'overseas tour' to Southern California with the USMC, DH and I took up outrigger canoeing with the SCORA club aboard Camp Pendleton--Kupa'a Mau.

We LOVED it! Made some great lifelong friends and enjoyed hitting the ocean with a boat full of friends several times per week. DH even paddled from Catalina Island back to the mainland in one of the 9 Man competitions. It was a highlight of his racing career. The paddlers were a gregarious, fun group and we miss them every day.

One of DH's coworkers mentioned that he saw a dragon boat in the marina full of paddlers. This has been like seeing the Loch Ness monster from what I can tell. Apparently, it's the off season. The boats have disappeared and so have the paddlers within them. So, with the patience of the Bigfoot hunters, we lie in wait.

DH went to a meeting and chatted up a total stranger sitting next to him. This guy mentioned that another coworker paddled with a club. When DH asked who? he pointed right across the table. DH was able to strike up a conversation and find out the scoop. This guy paddles a surf ski with a club full of enthusiasts. He invited us to meet him this weekend and give it a try. We can NOT wait!

We had another friend who tried these in Australia and she warned that they are super tippy! DH has dumped me out of every boat I've ever climbed in with him. He says it's my fault, but when he's not in the boat with me, I don't get thrown into the water...

We're going to try it this Saturday. The club has rack storage, but all the surf skis are individually owned, so we'll be using this guy's boat or borrowing. I can't wait to try it. I'm hopeful that if we get in touch with this group, we can find the elusive dragonboat team and do some group paddling too.

--Sandee Wagner

The Heat Is On

2011-07-18T23:41:00.004-05:00

Even though it's 111 degrees outside, we still wanted to grill. It's how you cook in the summer, right? So we made a foray down to Ace Hardware to buy a backyard grill.

First discussion was charcoal or gas. We've had gas in the past, because I'm way to lazy to always be buying charcoal briquets. I even switched from propane tanks to having the grill plumbed to the natural gas line. And that was my problem. Because the last grill was built in, we had to leave it behind when we sold the house.

Although DH was willing to do the briquet nonsense to improve the taste of the end product, we are now in a place where wood is scarce. And since charcoal is a byproduct of wood, charcoal is expensive too. But gas is cheap here. The cheapest I've seen. So gas grill it is.

We found a sale on one that appeared stout and good quality. Then I called the gas guys. There is no pipeline delivery of natural gas for home cooking. Each house has a tank (and some, a spare.) You call them when it's empty and they bring out a filled bottle. The deposit on the tanks is high, but the charge is not expensive at all. Since they provided the two bottles for the house, I called and arranged one for the grill. They were out to the house within two hours of the phone call and we were 'cookin' with gas'. I think the guy who hooked it up liked the grill too.

I know DH liked the grill. He warmed it up to burn off the stuff coating the grill for shipping. Then oiled the racks and threw dinner on the grill. We had a couple of hamburger patties, grilled onions and some Italian sausages.

It was wonderful--excellent tasting. It was hot out, and grilling was hotter. But oh, yum, it was tremendous.

--Sandee Wagner

Ace is the Place

2011-07-17T23:37:00.003-05:00

Dubai is a shopping mecca. All the western franchises are represented here. I can buy Buger King, KFC, and Papa John's. There's one of everything and two of some things.

On Sunday, we drove a ways down to the largest Ace Hardware store in town. I had my heart set on a barbecue grill. It's only 111 degrees outside, so why not fire one up? We needed to decide the age old question: charcoal or gas, and then pick out one that we could transport, assemble and use.

The Ace Hardware store that we went to looked so much like the ones at home, it almost made me tear up. Except for one thing.

The outdoor furniture section.
Don't get me wrong. There's a lot of the traditional looking chaise lounges for sunbathing, and a lot of that new plastic woven wicker-looking furniture. Lots of outdoor seating areas. And canopies. It's a desert, so shade is a big deal in the 'outdoor living' arena. But they also had a 'traditional' outdoor shade and seating area.

DH sat in it and said it was 'surprisingly uncomfortable'. The kicker on this canopy and seating area is that the posts holding up that tent were huge tubular steel pipes. I would have needed both hands to wrap around the frame. The fabric was normal too, not the 'high tech' outdoor stuff that repels water and doesn't mildew. You can't see them from this picture, but the corner posts were tied up with tassels that were fringed and beaded and intricate. More like interior draperies than outdoor stuff.

I didn't bother to figure out what this would cost in USD. I'm not really in the market for an outdoor room. But if I decide I need one, Ace is the Place!

--Sandee Wagner

Household Goods Update

2011-07-16T08:19:00.002-05:00

Up until now, I've been rattling around a mostly empty house. We have a basic rental kit (sofa, chair, coffee table, lamp, bed, chest and two end tables) but the house is a cavernous, echoing emptiness.

Night before last, I broke down. It finally got to me. I cried and when I prayed for strength, I included a plea to get my stuff. God is pretty busy. I don't generally waste his time with stuff like that. I want my family and friends safe and healthy. I want God to bring peace to troubled areas. My container of household goods was not the center of my prayers. Until my sloppy crying jag.

I apologized in advance for wasting His time, then asked Him to put in a good word to get me my stuff. I'd like to feather my nest.

After saying the prayer, I felt better. I usually do when I put my troubles into an expert's hands.

Yesterday, the internet got fixed. DH got through and informed me that the container was packed and either at the port awaiting a ship out of Tunisia, or actually on a ship on the way to Dubai.

Hallelujah!

So, the countdown is on. It's cleared Tunisian customs. It's all down to the carrier's schedule and the UAE's inbound customs. THEN I can get my furniture and set up my home.

It cannot come soon enough. Thank you God.

--Sandee Wagner

Timekeeping in the new millennium

2011-07-14T23:13:00.002-05:00

The thirtieth wedding anniversary is traditionally the 'pearl' anniversary according to Hallmark cards and other folks who want to sell you stuff. When my DH and I were coming up on that milestone a couple years ago, I became fixated on getting something pearl to celebrate thirty years of marital bliss and/or acceptance.

After scanning the jewelers and realizing that I already owned a string of very nice pearls, I saw watches with pearl faces and said, "that's it!" Then I drug my darling husband through jewelry store after jewelry store looking for matching watches with pearl faces.

What you probably already know, but I didn't know at the time, is that you can find a LOT of female watches with pearl faces, but it's a little more rare to find the man's watch set up the same.

We eventually found a set of matching wrist watches with mother of pearl faces and the bonus? Self winding. I was in alt! Never to buy a battery again! And it had the date and day of the week in a tiny window. Very swank. Very shiny.

It took no more than a couple months to realize my problem. My watch was always fast. At least 15 minutes fast after being reset within the past 48 hours. A nice watch purchased from a fine jewelry store does have a warranty. When I took it back, they assured me that this was not totally unusual and sent it back to the manufacturer for an adjustment.

That cut the advancing rate of time in about half.

I've been wearing this self winding watch for a couple of years now. Whenever someone asks me the time of day, I say, "somewhere around XX:XX but I'm usually fast". I look at my wrist and realize I'll make any appointment. I end up resetting this watch once or twice a week to keep the space time continuum from collapsing around me.

When I got up this morning, I realized it's more than forty minutes fast today. That's a significant chunk of time. Time to reset the little darling again. I'm beginning to wonder if it's me. Am I so spastic that the internal mechanism is just winding and winding it's little clockwork heart out?

I was so taken with this watch when I purchased it. It symbolized the great love of my life and it was truly the finest timekeeping device I've ever owned (if you don't count the Movado that fell off a truck that my BIL gave me). I was charmed by it. It made me smile when it caught my eye.

Now, I strain to see the tiny date in the tiny window. Half the time when I reset the watch, I screw up the date and the day of the week shows in Japanese or something foreign. Then it's really hard to get back in English.

Why is it that by the time I could afford a nice timepiece, my eyes were shot and I can't really see it well?

Most kids don't wear watches anymore. They have cell phones and when you ask them the time, they whip out their phone and give you the EXACT time. Synchronized by satellite. Timekeeping in the new millennium is simple that way. Being spastic doesn't affect it.

--Sandee Wagner

Glitterati

2011-07-08T06:31:00.006-05:00

So far, there are a LOT of things I like about Dubai. I feel the need to share some of the most fascinating ones with you. If you know me, then you know I like shiny things, glittering stuff and bejeweled ornaments. I won't apologize for my tacky taste. It is what it is...

Imagine my surprise when I left The Dubai Mall at night and saw all the palm trees wrapped in fairy lights! They twist them around the trunk really close together and then wrap the bottom leaves of the palm all the way to the tips. Then those branches sway in the breeze. I can't tell you just how pretty this is... my pictures do not do it justice.

I took one shot with the flash and one shot without, but it's a $60 camera, so this is what you get. I wanted to be able to show you how the whole street looked lined with these gorgeous palms all lit up at night. It's just lovely. And it's not holiday related, it's an all year long decoration!

In Dubai, they do things BIG.
I took this picture of DH standing next to a potted palm inside the Dubai Mall. These were surrounding an atrium on two levels. I'm pretty sure the pots were plastic, but you can see how tall they are when you consider he's 6 feet tall.

Figure one of the ginormous pots every ten yards in a giant half circle and you get the impact they made on the upper deck. There was a similar number of them on the lower, fountain level.

These faux potted palms surround the Oasis Fountain Waterfall and WaterFront Atrium. It's pretty impressive.

As you can see, it's about three stories tall. The water cascades down a slanted and curved wall that perfectly simulates a waterfall. Spaced across the face of this fountain are stainless steel divers caught in mid-swandive. Each of the divers is nearly life sized. And there are two of these walls of water. You can just barely see the second one peeking out the back of this photo. Plus, you can see how those giant potted palms are arced around the whole area.

Big. Shiny. Impressive.

--Sandee Wagner

DragonMart

2011-06-26T23:22:00.003-05:00

On Saturday, DH and I went shopping at the DragonMart. Imagine if you will, all the importers consigned to a single location. Everyone who's anyone that buys a container filled with whatever cheap product they want to resell, given the opportunity to rent a stall in a mall with like minded merchants. The only thing I can liken it to is an alley market in most locations. But in Dubai, it's shiny and glossy and upscale.

When you get inside, there are dozens of sole proprietors specializing in one thing or the other from industrial tools to plastic toys. All levels of quality and organization. It's a fascinating study.

The house we've rented is new and does not have overhead lights in most locations. We determined that we needed at least two overhead light fixtures and a couple of lamps. After perusing the malls and IKEA, we made a trip out to the DragonMart.

Here, store after store has light fixtures wired to overhead cage ceilings. There is a plethora of choice from quality to price. As DH and I were purchasing fixtures that would be left to our absent landlord, we opted for cheapness. We were warned that at DragonMart, you get what you pay for. Truer words were never spoken.

Most of the canny Chinese merchants at the DragonMart have accurately identified their demographic. They know exactly what their average shopper desires. Overall, the middle easterners like ornate, overblown stuff. In the glamorous shopping malls and upscale furniture stores, there is also a quantity of stylistic modern things, but a majority of their furniture, fixtures and decorative gear is what most Americans would consider gaudy. The Chinese merchants are truly locked into the wants and needs of the consumer.

That said, we had to look at a LOT of light fixtures to find some that we could A) tolerate; and B) afford. We found two chandeliers and two bedside lamps. The lamp bases we found were sleek and interesting, but were topped with shades that had dangling dingle balls from them. No kidding. I finally pointed to the bases and told DH to imagine them with simpler shades. He agreed on the lamps and we stepped into another shop that sold stacks of lamp shades. We appropriated a simple one and held it up to the lamp, then began to haggle with the stall owner.

Now, what you've got to know about the DragonMart is that it is HUGE. And behind this very large mall is an equally large set of warehouses. Most of the merchants have all their inventory stored there. So you can pick something out, wait a while, and they will have your purchases ready for you. Envision a bunch of guys with dolleys running back and forth in the heat and you've pretty much identified the operation.

After leaving a cash deposit on the lamps, we were told to wait half an hour and then come back. When our merchant produced the lamps from his inventory, the same shades with the horrifying dangly bits, had been replaced with simple angular shades of the same color as the originals. He had seen us plan to replace them with ones from across the hall, and he made the swap in the warehouse. This after assuring us that the shades on the example were the shades we had to take. I was quite taken aback. First, he said it was all 'as is'. But once he made the sale and had our money, he realized we were going to spend money with the guy across the way, and he relented and made a substitution. Nice.

I feel like I owe someone an apology for sticking them with those lampshades, though.

--Sandee Wagner

No Code, No How

2011-06-22T23:59:00.003-05:00

I have happened on a very frustrating issue while living in Dubai. It's not something I would have ever imagined, so it caught me unawares.

In Dubai, they do not deliver mail to houses. Not at all. No home mail delivery. On the one hand, no junk mail. So, bonus. On the other hand, no zip code.

That's right. No mailing code, no zip code. None.

Imagine if you will, pulling up to a pay at the pump gas station and sliding your card through the slot... it asks for the zip code to authorize against. What do you enter? Will I have to give a bogus five digit code to my bank and BEG them to assign it to me so my card will work in that instance? Right now, I can't pay at the pump at all. The minute that comes up, I schlep inside and hand my card to the attendant who assures me it happens to all the cards.

Because, I can promise you, nothing is set up to NOT have a zip code. I've tried to change my address online at my bank and insurance company websites. Guess what I can't do? I can't save an international address without a freakin' mailing code.

I even tried 12345, 00000, 00001, and 11111. Apparently, the web developers see that coming and don't let you do it. But what are they validating an UAE address against? If there are NO mailing codes assigned in this country, shouldn't they know that?

The most frustrating part of this is that we have been assigned a US based mailing address by the company. Once a week, they will forward our mail to us. So anyone can mail us a letter and only pay US postage. Kind of like an APO address for a military person, only sponsored by the very generous company. So I have a valid mailing address that includes a zip code. But then all the forms want a physical address too. And that's where I hit the wall.

I'm not sure how to resolve this issue. I guess I either need to become a mad hacker, or just write letters to everyone and make THEM change my address. Of course, I'll have to pay international postage to get my point across.

--Sandee Wagner

Cooking, Old School

2011-06-20T05:14:00.003-05:00

I missed my DH's birthday this year. We were separated and I had to trust other family members to make a fuss over him and give him cake and ice cream. When we got back together in Dubai, we agreed to celebrate our birthdays together this year. Since our birthdays are about 6 weeks apart, I suggested we pick the day that hits between the two dates. He laughed at me, I guess it was already past by that time.

I was still insistent that we share a birthday and have a cake together. So, this weekend, I crawled the stores looking for measuring cups, spoons and cake pans. Today, I pulled a recipe off the Internet (all my stuff is still in a container in Tunisia) and decided to make a cake from scratch.

I've never liked box mixes as much as cakes made by hand. Something about the texture and density, I think. Anyway, my favorite birthday cake has always been a carrot cake. Today I decided to make one from someone else's recipe. I've made mine often enough to recognize most of the ingredients, so the recipe I selected was close to the one I was used to.

But let me say one thing: don't underestimate your labor saving devices.

Case in point, the hand mixer. Holy cow. Until you have stirred a cake batter and then whipped up a frosting by hand, you don't realize how convenient a mixer can be. My arm is still aching. Creaming butter, cream cheese and sugar into frosting is hard work when all you have is an eating fork.

I managed to find all the conversions. That's right. It took MATHEMATICS. You see, a stick of butter is a standard measurement in the US (in recipes). It is not a measure that is easily translated when your butter comes in a 500 gram brick. I also had to figure out how to set the oven in Celsius. A lot more conversions than one might think.

I pulled it off. I baked a carrot cake. Not the best looking cake I've ever made, but I'm sure it will taste good. My right shoulder is aching. I think I'll wait until my household goods arrive before I try any more baking.

--Sandee Wagner

Ibn Battuta Mall, Part Deaux

2011-06-18T10:05:00.009-05:00

We went back to Ibn Battuta Mall to fetch some stuff. I managed to convince DH that I needed to walk through the areas we didn't get to on Thursday.

In the previous column, I showed pictures of the Indian Court and the Persian Court. The signage said there were seven areas that the great traveler documented for posterity. So, I set out to find the other areas in the mall. By my figuring, I needed to explore Andulusia, Tunisia, Egypt and Asia.

I found the Egyptian Court. Very classy. There were hieroglyphics and murals all over the walls. There was even a giant statuary display that Egyptian engineers and inventors in a confab beneath some kind of giant sized gyroscope. It was pretty impressive, I couldn't get the whole thing in one picture, it was that big. They had huge columns, palm trees and ornate carvings everywhere you looked.

Then I wandered into the Tunisian Court, which is co-located with the Food Court. So, bonus! We got a snack and then I snapped a few shots of the Tunisian area. Since we just moved from Tunisia, I kept hoping I'd feel more comfortable in that section of the mall, but not so much. One thing Tunisia had going for it (in the Ibn Battuta Mall) was the beautiful sky mural on the ceiling. It really was lovely. Realistic and restful. I wonder if it morphs to the night sky later in the evening?

The Andalusian Court of the Mall was the smallest section. Ibn Battuta traveled to Andalusia and apparently, learned to hang glide. Or maybe he learned to fly kites. I'm not sure. The architecture was not that interesting. I should probably go back and read all the signage. I was quite taken with this statue of the hang glider, though.

One of the most impressive parts of the Andalusian Court is the lion fountain. It's set in an impressive dome area. The fountain rests on the back of a pride of lions who face outwards and look a little angry. Maybe the weight of the bowl above them is onerous. This fountain is generally a resting place for people. I couldn't get a good picture without sitters obscuring the fountain itself, so I snagged this picture off the Mall's website.

The last part of the Mall that I found was the Chinese Court. It's possibly the most colorful part of the structure. In addition to the ubiquitous Pagoda entrance, they included a full sized Chinese junk.

The ceilings were ornate and featured all the oriental motifs normally seen in oriental art. Each different hall had a unique and colorful ceiling pattern. In the junk room, you can see the sky blue cross members with inset red squares filled with shiny gold medallions. There's a second floor in the Chinese Court that has an health club (for members only!) Interestingly enough, it only has escalators going up and down. No stairs. I guess the health conscious work out so hard, they can't make it down a flight of stairs without some help.

All in all, I think this mall is a wonderful landmark. There is a museum like quality to it that lessens the shameless commerce and makes you feel a little more like an invited visitor and less like a dollar sign. I guess I'm lucky that it's also the closest one to the house. I'll be able to read all the historical stuff over my next few visits.

--Sandee Wagner

Ibn Battuta Mall

2011-06-16T06:13:00.009-05:00

I went out to lunch today with DH and one of his coworkers. We decided to meet him at a local mall and select a restaurant from the food court options. Since the Ibn Battuta Mall is near the office, that was selected as our noon time destination.

This mall is most interesting because it has a STORY. That's right. It has some history. It has historic markers in it and signage to read. The mall is named for a famous Morroccan Berber Islamic scholar and traveler, Hajji Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Battuta . He traveled around the globe in the 1300's and documented his wanderings.

This mall devotes a court to each of the major areas where Ibn Battuta spent time. Since I only went there for lunch, I didn't get to explore the whole place, just the parts of the mall we walked through on our way to the restaurant of choice. We hit the Indian Court and the Persian Court. The elephant is a dead giveaway for the Indian court. So is the architecture of the arches, ceilings and moldings.

It's amazing, really. Like having shops in the middle of a museum. The attention to detail in the carvings, paint and decor is truly transcendent. You begin to feel like you are walking along in an Indian pavilion. It was all I could do to keep moving and not stop and gawk like a tourist. I started imagining all the malls in the US trying to find one that is unique, and they all tended to run together in my brain.

Sure, MN has the Mall of America and it is big. But it's not a documented travel through exotic lands like Ibn Battuta is.

The next area we wandered through was the Persian Court. Stylistically, Persia and its influences spawned some of the greatest carpets and ironwork of the past century--and the court in the mall didn't disappoint.
Pervasive use of the color of the sky is symbolic of holiness and holy places. The Persian Court had delicate mosaics that covered every wall and column. The pointed archways were covered with intricate designs. The chandeliers were lantern style punched ironwork scaled to fit the soaring spaces. The ceiling spaces were complicated and sophisticated wooden latticework.

The rich colors and ornate details made walking through the Persian quarter feel like a walk through a harem or a sheikh's palace. The whole feel of the area was completely different from the Indian Court. The stores are the same as stores in any mall. There are kiosks in the center of the aisles hocking all kinds of junk you don't need. It is a modern shopping mall. But Ibn Battuta has a lot of appeal going for it. It's just not an average mall. When I get the other five courts explored, I'll post some more pictures.

--Sandee Wagner

Exploring, Retail Style

2011-06-15T03:50:00.007-05:00

When one of my Scottish friends found out we were being posted to Dubai, she exclaimed, "You'll love it there, they're building a Spinney's" I didn't have the heart to tell her that I had no idea what a Spinney's was. Turns out, it's a western-style grocery store. The kind of market where you can get Vegemite, Marmite AND Peanut Butter.

If you have to ask what any of those food products are, then you have not lived expat. Seems like the things I hear folks complain about missing most all come in jars.

While camping out in my empty house, I'm trying to do some home cooking--with a set of rental pots and pans. There have been what I like to call 'usefulness gaps' in the rental kit. Like they don't provide a knife. Apparently, when you are cooking using rental stuff, you're opening cans and dumping it into saucepans. Warming up stuff.

In my attempts to get what I needed to cook, without spending a lot, because REALLY I own all this stuff, it's in my household goods shipment, right? I have found Spinney's, and Choithram's and today the Ramla Hypermarket.

The Hypermarket is close to our home and appears to be well planned. There is underground parking (which is exceptionally good in this heat) and elevators and escalators up through the three levels. The grocery is on the main level and they tout 50,000 square meters of fashion shops on the upper deck. I don't know because I didn't go all the way up. This trip was to the grocery. Ramla was a great store, kind of a WalMart type experience. A little bit of housewares, some beauty and health products, cleaning supplies and a big grocery. We found almost everything we needed. They do not cater to westerners, so no recognizable brands. If I want Hellman's Mayonnaise, I'll have to go to Choithram's or Spinney's. Most of the brands made it easy on me. One side of the label is in Arabic, one side in English.

I think I could have wandered the aisles for hours. Obviously, they cater to the imported workers. Lots of Indonesian and other eastern brands. If you want to cook Tiki Masala or any curry recipe, this place is ideal. All the spices, all the variety you could ever want. Most of the stuff had some English on the labeling, so I wasn't just blindly buying can goods, like I did in Tunisia.

I'm enjoying the adventure of finding places to do my daily and weekly marketing. Seems like I'll be able to stay pretty close to home and find everything I could possibly need.

Except pinto beans. They have all the dried beans and peas in the world. Dozens that I've never seen before. But none of the stores has dried pinto beans. I guess I'll give the Heinz Beanz a try. The label says that they have the exciting essence of Mexican spices. I'm as taken with the spelling of 'beanz' as I am by the exciting Mexican spices. In lieu of Ranch Style Beans, I'm going to give these a try. My other choice is to take white kidney beans and cooking them into cowboy beans. Not quite what I'm hankering for, but it will have to do.

--Sandee Wagner

Home Sweet Home

2011-06-14T02:49:00.002-05:00

Well, after my months long tour of the US and environs, I have finally followed DH to Dubai and taken up residence. When I left Tunis the last week of March, DH headed to Dubai and undertook the search for new digs.

Marriage is about trust, after all.

He outdid himself, I'll give him that. He's rented a house for us in a lovely community. It's a single story home. I think my fall down the marble stairs in the Tunis house might have played in his insistence on a single story abode. Of course, he had to schlep stuff up and down stairs too, so maybe it wasn't my clumsiness.

We have a four bedroom villa. It's in a nice, gated community with pools and clubhouses available to residents. We are in a newish block, so only a couple of the new houses are inhabited.

It's big and it's empty. That's right. Even though we were packed up the last week of March, our household goods have not left Tunisia. Is it only me, or does the phrase 'island time' sound appropriate? This time it is not the fault of any municipal government or customs agency. It's all on the company. They were required to provide some kind of tax form to complete the residency paperwork, and they did not do so. So here I sit in an empty house in Dubai while all my worldly possessions are in a container in Tunis.

Good times.

--Sandee Wagner

Sick Babies

2011-05-16T06:31:00.002-05:00

When you're staying in someone else's home for an extended period of time (read: homeless) you get exposed to a few of life's little problems.

Last week, my grandson ZJ was a little sick. The fever got high and then he started sounding strange. When his momma looked down his throat, she saw swelling and redness. A trip to the doctor later, and they explained that ZJ had had several cases of strep throat since starting pre-school. His exposure to other kids was limited in Texas because he attended a home day care. Now, he's bringing all the bugs home.

24 hrs on a strong antibiotic later, and he's demonstrably better. But by that time, his sister had been sneezed on, coughed on and drooled on.

Friday she was slowing down and by Saturday morning, burning with fever. Luckily, the pediatric practice they use has Saturday morning office hours. An hour later, the doctor determined to treat Zoey with the same antibiotic that ZJ was on. Zoey's cough is much worse, shaking her little body. But hopefully, she's on the mend.

The outset of this is that Grandee got to have one sick boy home from school for a day, and today is staying home with one sick girl. It's sad, but it's also a treat. You hate to see them suffer, but sick kids will sit in your lap and snuggle. Hey, a grandmother has to take what she can get!

When kids start attending school, they get exposed to all kinds of bugs that didn't circulate in their own homes. It's expected that the first year or so in school will be hard on children without exposure to lots of kids. It's just hard to be there seeing the outcome of that exposure.

I want the kids to get better. I'm hoping that I won't catch what they've got. But either way, I know to go right to the doctor if I start showing symptoms. Right now, I've got a girl to spoil and all day to do it.

--Sandee Wagner

NC is Great, But So Was MN and OK

2011-05-12T10:27:00.000-05:00

I've been on the road again. I went from my son's house in Chaska, MN to my dautghter's house in OKC. I flew down to Ft. Worth, TX for my Mom's birthday party, then on to my other son's house in Huntersville, NC.

I lived in North Carolina for five years when my kids were young and I loved it there. It wasn't that I was born in Cherry Point and felt some affinity to the state, or that I graduated from college with a bachelor's degree from North Carolina Wesleyan College. It's more like North Carolina has all the things I like about the South.

It's warm and humid. I said it before and I'll say it again, I like the humidity. It makes everything green and lush. The people are open and friendly. Some of the best friends I've made in my life I made in that five year stretch in NC. So, my memories of living there are colored by that experience.

I expected to like my son's new home. I'd seen the pictures and it looked great online. What I didn't expect was to really like the community. As I drive around, I enjoy the countryside and even the screwy way the streets are laid out.

I've been to my grandkid's school and to their doctor's office. Both were really nice and full of helpful people. All in all, a very positive experience.

It's nice when your kids land in areas that you love. In MN, my son and his wife have come to love the family oriented community where they make their home. They've run into 'like minded' couples and are making friends and developing relationships. In OK, my daughter is part of an extended family that is tied to the community in all ways political and generational. She and her husband search out new restaurants and bars, and try to support all the local businesses. Here in NC, my son and his wife are settling into new jobs and getting a feel for their new surroundings.

I feel very thankful that my kids are all happy with their lots in life. I'm blessed that I don't have to fret or worry about their futures. They've all made great decisions and I'm very proud of them. Getting to hang out with them has been fun!

--Sandee Wagner

Getting Used To The New Addition

2011-04-11T19:41:00.003-05:00

My grandson and granddaughter are having to make a lot of adjustments. They have a new baby brother and they are having to share their parent's attention with a newborn.

It's fun to watch the process. Seeing the little ones' curiosity with the baby. Watching how they see him work into the well oiled machine that is their home life.

Part of the reality of living in a big family is knowing that the world does not revolve around you. Your parents are responsible for more than just your needs and your desires. It's a tough lesson, but one that prepares you for life.

Will and Carolyn are fascinated with baby Charles. They react every time he cries and want to play with him when he's awake between feedings. And he seems to take all the attention very well. I think he's going to really like his brother and sister. They sure love him.

--Sandee Wagner

Welcome Charles!

2011-04-07T10:35:00.006-05:00

A new baby brother was born yesterday afternoon. Dad wore his 'sympathy belly' t-shirt to the hospital, hoping to give the labor and delivery nurses a laugh. I'm sure they were entertained.

Will and Carolyn were so excited to finally get to meet the baby that mommy had been talking about. Charles was born 9 lbs, 8 oz and 20 inches long.

A big boy. And getting born is hard work, so when we went to the hospital, he slept the whole time.

Will passed the time playing games on his dad's iPhone. Every few minutes, he'd run over and check the bassinet to see if Charles' eyes were open. Every time the baby kicked his legs, Will was sure that he was finally waking up.

But Charles slept on.

Carolyn is a momma's girl and she was so excited to see her. Carolyn crawled up into the hospital bed to give her mom a kiss, then reassured, she inspected the whole room in great detail.

She charmed the nursing staff with her 'big sister' shirt that sparkled. She also tried very hard to say "Charles". It was adorable. Other than trying to poke him, she was very pleased with the new baby. I'm not sure if she realizes he's an actual boy and not a play toy yet. That will come with time.

Like all newborns, Charles was wrapped up tightly in blankets. A regular 'baby burrito' to quote my son. I couldn't wait to get my hands on him. Who made the rule about 'never bother a sleeping baby'? I want to smack them. Charles slept the whole time we were at the hospital and I never got to hold him at all.

Mom, dad and Charles are due back from the hospital today. I'm sure they'll be glad to sleep in their own beds and get some routine back into their lives. I'm hoping that I'll get a chance to cuddle that little bundle of joy.

The camera is prepped with new batteries and I'm all set to take some more pictures!

--Sandee Wagner

Anticipation

2011-04-05T14:36:00.002-05:00

Well, it looks like tomorrow might be the day.

My DIL has been told to call the hospital at 0530 to verify that they have a labor and delivery room free for her before she heads up to the hospital to be induced. This is her third child and we are anticipating a regular birth. Both of her previous labors had to be induced. My son says that the kids hold on to handles in her uterus. Coaxing them out is the work of medical professionals.

The hospital is right down the road, and the doctors are close. All in all, a Wednesday during daylight hours after a full night's sleep seems like a perfect time to have a baby.

So, we'll welcome Charles Jacob Wagner into the family some time tomorrow. The kids cannot wait to meet their new baby brother!

I'm on babysitting detail, so I'll post pictures after they get back from the hospital. I'm sure we'll have time to take some wonderful shots of the darlings getting to know the new addition.

Also, on the home front, DH is house hunting in Dubai. He saw a house today that passes muster. He'll see another one tomorrow and probably make a decision pretty quickly. We want to settle in and 'feather our nest'.

Tomorrow is going to be a great day! I can't wait.

--Sandee Wagner

Como Park Zoo and Conservatory Trip

2011-04-02T14:50:00.010-05:00

My DIL wanted to go to the Zoo and walk around since it was 40 degrees and sunshiny today. She's due this week, so what she wants, she gets.

We got up, ate some breakfast and drove to the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory. This little treasure has got to be why Minneapolis and St. Paul consistently rank in the top ten places to live on all the lifestyle polls.

It's a great zoo. And it's free.

This being the first week of April, not a lot of the animals were outside, but there were inside exhibits for most of the animals. It's a compact zoo, but about perfect size for taking small children.
We looked at monkeys, giraffes, zebras, and all kinds of fishes inside. Outside we saw tigers, polar bears, arctic foxes, reindeer and mountain goats.

Once we trolled past the animals, it was time to take a look inside the conservatory. Boy, was that a surprise! What a lovely treat. And the native Minnesotans were out in force to enjoy the greenery.
One of my favorite parts was called 'the sunken garden'. It was where most of the blooming flowers were and you just have to imagine how wonderful it smelled in there.

There is a water feature down the center of the formal garden with raised beds down both sides. The koi were swimming and a fountain bubbled away at the end. The combination of the sunny, warm atmosphere and the formality of the hardscape made it a gorgeous showcase for all the blooms.

Most of the flowers were ones I've seen in southern gardens, so I imagine they're a little harder to grow at this latitude. All of this beauty is provided to the people of MSP for just a donation! Amazing. For the amount of greenhouse I saw, I would expect to pay $10-$15 for entry into an exhibit like this. It was a pleasure to walk through the humid warmth and see all the lovely and exotic plants.

We had a wonderful visit and I think the kids liked it almost as much as I did!
I'm guessing that with a value like free/donation, they will be making the outing to the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory a regular trip for the family. I know I would. Apparently, MSP is filled with family friendly venues so this is one of many. I'm guessing that my family will find a bunch of other places to spend a glorious sunny day. But this one tops Grandee's list.

--Sandee Wagner

Musical Talents

2011-03-29T20:31:00.006-05:00

I'm the youngest of eight children. When my oldest sisters started having children, and grandkids were an exciting part of any holiday season, my father encouraged his kids to bring the grandchildren home for Christmas by gifting musical instruments to any children who didn't make the big, family Christmas.

Looking back on that, it seems a little mean spirited, but it was funny at the time. We got phone calls from my sister and you could hear her two kids whaling away in the background playing discordantly. She did make it home for the next Christmas.

Last year, I bought my MN grandkids a 'bag of buggies'. Brightly colored, snap together toys with cartoon like bug bodies. My DIL told me that they still play with them all the times, they love the bag o' buggies. We went to Target today and they had a drum and musical instrument kit with the same buggy theme. I had to buy it.

If I haven't said this before, let me get it out of the way. Both my DILs are saints. They put up with my sons, for one. And they are the best mommas a kid could ever hope to have. My MN DIL told me she didn't mind the musical instruments, she doesn't even hear the noise after a while.

It's a good thing.

I taught my 3 year old grand son to whack the sticks above his head yelling, "one, two, three, four" and then hammer on the drum head yelling "rock on!" It's the cutest thing you've ever seen. My 18 mos old grand daughter has some mad marimba skills too.

It was fun trying to demonstrate rhythm to a couple of kiddos. Especially since I have never been accused of having any for myself. I showed my grandson the ubiquitous "shave and a haircut, two bits" rif and that's about all I've got. For now, the kids are entertained and so am I. Here's hoping my kids don't smother me in my sleep for arming their children with musical instruments.

--Sandee Wagner

All Ready Now

2011-03-25T06:25:00.002-05:00

I flew to MN yesterday. I'm in my kid's home awaiting the arrival of a new grandbaby. I'm hopeful that I can help out around the house and chase the toddlers enough to allow my pregnant daughter in law to put her feet up and rest a little bit.

Here's hoping!

International travel is difficult. One cancelled flight and my itinerary went from a 17 hour fly day to about 23 hours long. I felt like a zombie last night. Then my eyes popped open when it was still dark outside, so I know I'm riding the jet-lag now.

I love getting to enjoy daily life with a family with small kids. It brings back so many memories of my household when my kids were little. Just hearing the kids run around and play makes good memories ring in my head.

If you have young kids, enjoy them. Watch them play, grow and learn. Value each moment you spend in their company for the tiny slice of discovery that it is. Some day, you'll be remembering these while you watch the next generation at play. It's the circle of life, baby, and we're riding that Merry-Go-Round!

--Sandee Wagner

Promises, Promises

2011-03-18T04:53:00.003-05:00

A few months ago, I told DH that I'd follow him anywhere... anywhere with High Speed Internet. In the old days, when we were young married folks, I told him I needed a Taco Bell and a WalMart before I thought a town was truly habitable. Of course, we lived in a few that didn't even have those two institutions. But I thought the requirement for High Speed Internet was very clear.

Then I moved to a third world country. A place where 'island time' seems to exist without the actual islands. A place where most businesses are on a 'cash only' basis and you spend part of your time running around paying bills in cash. I told a friend the other day that what separates a third world country from a first world country is two ply toilet paper and ATMs. I still stand by that assessment.

In Tunis, household internet requires a working phone line. A hard line. So, I'm guessing it's DSL. Who knows? We never got it. We still don't have a hard line connected to our house. It's a nice house. It has phone jacks all around the place. But apparently, the wiring from the house to the exterior has some kind of issue. The phone company came and there is a pile of wire in the yard that looks to be 20 yards long. It needs to be connected to the house somewhere, somehow. Which falls to the landlord. Who doesn't speak English, or French. While we were assured that 'it would be taken care of', time slipped by. Now, I'm leaving in less than a week. So getting internet connectivity for the next renter is not real high on my list of priorities.

What I'm reminded of is how fate makes you eat your words. Maybe not fate, maybe God. But someone has a sense of humor when it comes to stuff like this. I laid down the one rule. Here's as far as I will go... and I spent the last six months living without just the thing that I said was a requirement.

I'm now convinced that I can do with less. It's hard not to be when you've lived among the deprivations of a poor country. The things that I 'require' are pure luxuries. Plenty of people live their whole lives without high speed connectivity. I can certainly go for a couple of months with access in public places. This time next week, I'll be on my way to the states. I can pretty much guarantee that I'll have high speed Internet everywhere I go. I'll probably also have a working cell phone, Taco Bell and WalMart. It gives me pause.

I love the USA. I cherish the freedoms and plenty that we enjoy there. Living ex-patriate has been eye opening for me, and I consider myself to be pretty well traveled. Being away from things that make our lives easier is hard, but it's not impossible.

--Sandee Wagner

Unpacking, Just In Time

2011-03-02T02:01:00.002-06:00

We received our new bookcases this week. When we arrived in Tunis in September, I dragged DH out shopping and we hit every furniture store we could find looking for bookshelves. I even memorized the French words for both bookshelves and bookcases so I could ask at every showroom. No joy.

Finally, we broke down and asked one of the locals to go with us. As soon as she realized what we wanted, she took us to a shop that builds to order. The guy came out to the house and measured the spaces, then we placed an order for five bookshelves. Two tall ones and three shorter ones.

What sold me on this carpenter was the funky modern design. He made these bookcases with slanted shelves that were just fun. They really appeal to my sense of the absurd. A little costly, but they'd do the job.

My theory is that we can place these anywhere in whatever house we're living in. I knew it wouldn't be the only bookcases we'd need, but I figured it would be a start. I planned to put these in the dining room to extend my storage for barware and decorative stuff as well as some of DH's business books.

They turned out great. Really solid, excellent finish and very sturdy. I can see handing these down to my grandkids.

So, I dragged in the boxes of glassware and decorative stuff that had been clogging up my front hallway and went to town. I unpacked and set up the bookshelves. And they look great! I probably need a couple more to hold paperbacks, but I won't be ordering them in Tunis, that's going to have to wait. Because we're moving again. The packers are coming on the 28th of this month to box us up, again. Word on the street is that we have a 50%-50% shot of landing in Dubai or Houston, but all people in the know are leaning toward Dubai. Either way, just about the time I get settled in here, I need to pack up and move again.

Oh well. Remining flexible is my new watchword.

--Sandee Wagner

Regency Romance Walk

2011-02-19T14:31:00.007-06:00

I only had a limited time to visit London with DH. He was willing to see whatever I wanted to see on our sightseeing day. I searched the web, took recommendations from my sisters and fretted over the tube stations and our possible routes into the city. What to see? You cannot see it all in a single day, so what were the primary sights I wanted to see?

I started to think it over and I realized that my idea of London is really based on the fiction I've read about the city. When I narrowed it down to that, I ended up thinking only of Sherlock Holmes, Jack the Ripper and Regency Romances. After a quick look at the map, I decided on the Regency Romance Walking tour of London.

We took the subway down to Green Park. In most Regencies, the hero and heroine walk in Green Park and ride in Hyde Park. A quick look at the map showed that in addition to those two parks being close, St. James Park and Buckingham Palace were all in the same area. So, that's where we started. We skirted St. James Park and walked through Green Park. There are tree shaded walks, gentle hills and on a rainy February, very little traffic.

Green Park is the smallest of the three parks and Buckingham Palace sits right on one of the corners of the park.
I didn't see the queen. I didn't stand around and wait for the changing of the guards. There didn't seem to be a point to it... it was raining. It was cold. We kept moving.

I had to explain to DH why I wanted to walk through these parks and a little about the books I'd read that featured these parks as settings. As I chatted about them, I looked around the paths and imagined the characters strolling, flying kites or witnessing balloon ascensions.

When we got to Hyde Park, it was a completely different feeling. Where Green Park is shaded walks with narrow trails for strolling, Hyde Park is big open green spaces. You can imagine horses galloping in the early morning and carriages filled with ladies and gentlemen parading around during the fashionable hours of the afternoon.

After touring the parks, I dragged DH along the roads in town, looking for street names I recognized. I found Oxford, Brook, Bond, and Germyn Streets; Berkeley Square and Grosvenor Square.

I painted a verbal picture of the dandies shopping along Bond Street. It didn't surprise me that Bond Street is still a big shopping district. Oxford Street still has plenty of traffic and is lined by high end businesses and glamorous store front shops.

While I walked through all these streets, trying to imagine what they looked like during Regency times, it was fun to see what they were like to today's society. These are vital parts of the London landscape filled with commerce and trade.

Walking down one street, I happened upon a jewelry store that advertised that they'd been in continuous business since Regency times. The windows were filled with jewelry that could very possibly have dated from that time. It was stunning. Stones of all colors, fitted into elaborate settings that included necklaces, bracelets, earrings and broaches. There were hair combs, hat pins and tiaras. All of them had that weight and presence that you don't get in today's mass produced stuff.

I was charmed by my Regency Romance walking tour of London. Even chilled, damp and tired, I'm still glad we were able to do so much in one day's visit. And I can only thank DH for being patient with me, and being such a good sport. Of course, now he thinks he knows the plot of every Regency Romance ever written. It will take a little while for me to live this down--but it was worth it.

--Sandee Wagner

An English Pub

2011-02-18T07:38:00.003-06:00

There's a really good reason why the British Empire spread halfway across the world. I'm convinced.

The folks from the UK that we've met are smart, engaging and hard workers. With just a short exposure to the capital city, I didn't know if my opinion would be changed, morphed or enhanced.

After spending a couple of evenings in English Pubs, I now know that my opinion is right. We had dinner last night in The Pilot. It's not a traditional English Pub. It's the next generation of genius. It's a small, local establishment. That's the expected--and normal--pub. Instead of a dark, close environment, we found a light, bright restaurant and bar. It was filled with the yuppie work crowd, and as the evening progressed, a few older people filtered in.

We enjoyed a perfect drink, a gourmet meal, and a lovely atmosphere. The walls had larged framed mirrors which reflected light around the dining room, and the floor was filled with antique oak tables and banquettes.

We grabbed a seat by the back door. We overlooked a patio area filled with tables, shaded by large umbrellas and fitted out with outdoor heaters to make it comfortable to the smokers who kept it hopping. The waiter rushed past and apologized for the fact that the kitchen wouldn't be open for another 30 minutes. It seems they had a private party being served and the kitchen wouldn't be able to focus on individual orders until the crowd was all served. Since we were there for the evening, we agreed and just ordered a drink.

At the point where they had to serve the big private party, they had to prop open the outside door. Then a parade of waiters and waitresses ferried food out, three or four plates a trip. The whole time they went back and forth, the door was propped open letting in a cold breeze. About three times, some other diner stepped over to the door, intending on closing it. I kept stopping them, telling them that the wait staff needed the door open until they got the whole party served. It stayed propped and they got the food served.

When they were done serving the big group, they got our order. Then the original waiter squatted down by our table and apologized at great length about the bother of having the door open. Then he tried to pay for our dinners. Really. It was the nicest that anyone has been to me in a restaurant in six months.

I had a lovely dinner. Salmon grilled to perfection atop a bed of fresh green beans, grilled tomatoes and steamed purple potatoes. DH had a traditional chicken pie. It was all beautifully presented and not your average bar food. Lovely. Brilliant. All the adjectives that the Brits use to describe the best stuff.

I can see having a place like this in the neighborhood and becoming a regular. The prices were reasonable and the food excellent. In the US, all we have in the neighborhoods, on the street corners, is fast food places. The English Pub is a much better alternative. Better than a drive through. A slow stroll down the block, a leisurely drink and nice dinner, waited on by attentive, thoughtful staff. A big win. These are the people that almost took over the world. Really.

--Sandee Wagner

Kew Royal Botanical Gardens

2011-02-17T10:17:00.005-06:00

Today, I left my hotel room and walked a mile and a half down the road to Kew Royal Botanical Gardens. It was cool and a little overcast, but no rain was forecast. So I decided that today would be a good day for a long walk through the park.

Kew Gardens is way too big to do in a single day, or a single trip. I had no chance of seeing it all, so I decided to do a tactical strike and just skim the top. I was a little worried that it wouldn't be fun because it's a cold February for the UK. How pretty would a garden be on a day like today? The answer: real pretty.

I totally underestimated how interesting a garden can be when the green stuff is just bursting out of the ground. There was snow on the ground just weeks ago. Today, the crocuses were flooding the ground beneath naked tree limbs. The light was just right.

There were still some leaves on the ground and most of the trees were just beginning to bud out. And all over the gardens, in swathes of color, tiny flowers were bursting up out of the green, green grass.

Full disclosure: I'm not much of a gardener. I don't like to spend time with my hands thrust in the soil, coaxing life to grow. I get sunburned and overheat in the bright sunlight. That said, I want a nice yard and I adore looking at a well planned garden. Just because I don't want to DO it, it doesn't mean I don't like it.

Kew Gardens has been continuously cultivated for over 250 years. Part of what makes it charming is that visitors are encouraged to walk on the grass, climb the trees and enjoy all the growing things. Not pick the flowers, mind you, but you are not confined to the walkways.

Throughout the giant property, there are greenhouses devoted to specific collections. One of the biggest is the Princess of Wales Conservatory which was hosting a Tropical Extravaganza. An orchid show. All month long.

I felt like I won the national lottery. I love orchids. I've never owned one. I know you have to work at keeping them healthy and getting one would be a guaranteed slow death for one, so I've avoided them. I used to have two employees who raised orchids as a hobby. They talked about it all the time. Did you know that they clone orchids? It's quite a passion for a lot of people. I know enough to know that I don't need to own one, but I dearly love to look at them. The Tropical Extravaganza was colorful, fragrant and glorious.

They displayed the orchids on huge pillars. Combined colors were cultivated on towering heights and different varieties mixed together. I could have spent hours just trying to decide which ones were my favorite. There were huge blooms, tiny blooms. Hanging baskets, wall mounted clusters. More orchids than I've ever known existed.

It was fascinated and beautiful. If you want to see ALL the pictures I took, check this out.

Some of the other highlights of the visit were the Palm House and its formal gardens and guardian statuary and the Davies Alpine House and the Rock Garden.

Like I said, you cannot see it all in a single day. All I could do was skim the big stuff and keep my eyes (and my camera) open to capture all the sights I could see.

Combined with the three mile walk getting there and back, I spent the whole afternoon toddling about, admiring the greenery. I lost count of the number of groups of school kids and 'explorers' wearing red hats doing specific tours. It was a great day to be out and about.

--Sandee Wagner

Toppling Governments

2011-02-15T11:10:00.002-06:00

I don't mean to do it. I promise. It just happens. Maybe it's karma.

Back in the 70's and 80's, my parents traveled extensively. They planned all year for the trips that they'd take over the long summers. Once they retired from teaching school, they traveled year round, going any where that interested them.

My brothers and sisters and I watched them go, and watched governments topple in their wake. They'd travel to some South American country, then weeks or months later, there'd be a junta and the government would be overthrown. I joked around that they were CIA operatives. Who would look closely at American tourists schlepping around with backpacks? It happened so often that we worried about them. Countries destabilized whenever they were near. Something might have happened to them. We had to make them check in with us weekly so we'd know they were all right.

In September of last year, I agreed to follow my husband on an international assignment. We were sent to Tunisia. The relocation specialist who took me around to see houses told me that their much loved president, Ben Ali, had been in power for 26 years. Less than three months later, his government has toppled and Tunisians will hold elections in six months to select a new government.

Last week, we went to Dubai. DH had a meeting there and I accompanied him. Today, a friend send me this news... Dubai has unrest.

Now, I'm sitting in London and my friends are begging me not to ruin the British Empire until after the Royal Wedding. I'm not sure I can control my powers to that extent. It seems to happen without any conscious effort on my part.

Perhaps I inherited the ability to affect governments just by my mere presence. It's hard to imagine how that gene is passed down, but it obviously has been handed to me.

I'll keep you posted on my whereabouts so you can track the effect and make your own decision.

--Sandee Wagner

Mall of the Emirates

2011-02-11T07:22:00.012-06:00

Today we played tourist again. We took a taxi to another mall, The Mall of the Emirates. Aside from being anchored by two massive hotels, this mall boasts an indoor ski slope that is operated all year long. It's the silver tube-like projection you can see jutting out of the back in this stock photo of the mall.

If I haven't said it before now, we arrived in Dubai during their annual month long shopping festival. People travel from all over to enjoy the shopping in Dubai. A lot of those people have a ton of money to spend. So, it's safe for me to say that this mall is upscale. Filled with designer stores. And because their demographic is people with money to spend, the entire mall is gorgeous and finished with the finest surfaces.

There's a lot of vertical space. The whole mall feels airy and large, even filled to capacity with a roiling crowd. It sprawls out in several directions and without the mall directories, it would be easy to get lost.

Three full floors with arching atriums and connection points that form central circles with spokes that jet out. It's sleek and modern but it feels lush and rich at the same time. All the floors are beautiful stone and each atrium area has a giant mosaic pattern that has to be seen from over head to appreciate.

I can't count the number of times we dodged to get out of somebody's photo opportunity. We even saw one chick who changed her shoes so that she was wearing designer heels for the picture, then swapped back into her comfy shoes to keep walking the mall. It's an amazing place. And I'm not just saying that because they had a Dairy Queen and I bought a dipped cone.

There was every designer store you can think of, but there were also import shops with stuff from all around the globe. Even some local artisans selling their wares. My favorite was welded sculptures of movie monsters. Some life sized. He had the Predator and an Alien that was bigger than DH. Every tiny detail was worked out with scraps of engine parts, bicycles and chains. If you look closely, you can see wrenches, nuts and bolts. I love to see art made from throw away waste. I'm trying to convince DH that we need the 7 foot tall Predator sculpture. It would make a wonderful Valentine's gift, I'm sure.

But of all the wonders that filled the shops in this mall, the biggest attraction is the ski slope. At the west end food court, you can sit down to lunch and watch the skiing antics through giant plate glass windows.

Kind of interesting, sitting and enjoying lunch while folks are playing at snow sports on the other side of a wall. They had little rides for kids, all kinds of toboggans and even one of the blow up balls you can get inside. They were putting kids inside of it and then rolling it down the bunny slope. All the while, the ski lift was taking serious enthusiasts up the hill so they could shush down the white stuff. An amazing tourist attraction.

When I saw the original pictures of this construction, they were labeled in such a way as to denigrate the builders as being oil rich millionaires with too much money, and not enough sense.

After seeing it, I'm convinced they were geniuses. The folks in Dubai might have made their money in oil, but their economy is not limited to the black gold. When that well has run dry, this stuff is still going to be attracting tourists from all over the region and the world. They have successfully moved from the desert to an oil based economy to a tourism based economy in less than 60 years.
The Mall of the Emirates is competing with a mall that has an aquarium in it. They have a ski slope.

You kind of have to see both of them to believe it. It truly is a tourist's heaven.

Oh, and I want one of these.

--Sandee Wagner

Well Dressed Muslim Women

2011-02-10T09:26:00.006-06:00

Our flight back to Tunis got cancelled. We're rescheduled, but we ended up with an extra day in Dubai. What to do? Well, the hotel sends free shuttle buses to the three big malls, so we hopped on one that has an aquarium and decided to make a day of it.

The Dubai Mall is about a fifteen minute drive from our hotel. By shuttle bus, making a few stops, it took considerably longer. We got there and walked in to a gorgeous, three story mall that is huge by any comparison. Inside this mall, they even have a Galleries Lafayette like the one in Paris! The whole place is upscale with lots of imported designers and recognizable brands.

Now, I'm not much of a shopper. I like a bargain, so the expensive designer stuff is really out of my price range. I treated this like a window shopping and people watching opportunity. One of the things I noticed that is really different from Tunis is the number of women who do the fully covered Muslim traditional dress or abaya. In a lot of cases, this includes a face covering that leaves only the eyes visible. In Tunis, a lot of women chose to wear the hijab, which is a scarf that completely covers the neck and hair. These are mostly color coordinated with their outfits, which cover their skin to wrist and ankle. It's a lot different to see women swathed in flowing black with only their eyes peeking out.

For some reason, I thought of ski masked robbers bursting into the stores, and "reach for the stars" kept echoing through my head. Thankfully, I kept that an internal monologue and didn't frighten the shoppers.

Let me just say, when the women were wrapped in black cloth, and their menfolk were wearing the galabiyyas, it seemed fair. It didn't seem right for the women to be covered with only their eyes peeking out and the guys walking along in tight jeans, muscle shirts and flip flops. Oh well. I'd better get used to the disparity.

Part of what makes this mall interesting is the two traditional areas. There is a Gold Souk that houses a bajillion jewelry stores. It's styled to resemble an authentic souk and the architecture is gorgeous.

You'd think the shiny, sparkling things displayed in the windows of the shops would distract me, but this part of the mall was truly magical. Gorgeous carved plasterwork. The colors were earthy and rich. The mosaic floors were intricate and flowing, rich with color and symbols. I can't say enough for the person who designed this and envisioned the final product. It is visually stunning.

After spending a little time rubbernecking my way through the Gold Souk, we called it quits on the mall and headed off to catch a taxi. We were directed to the Arabian Quarter to find the cab stand.

The Arabian Quarter is an entire section of the mall that is devoted to traditional dress and high end purveyors of same. So if you want a abaya, these are the stores to shop. What I found most interesting, is that these are traditionally very thin, all black fabric. So every woman looks exactly alike. But these stores have found ways to edge, trim and bedazzle these coverings in such a way as to make them unique.

The store next door sold only the headscarves.
Each one was colorfully edged. Most were bejeweled in such a way as to be distinctive. Some had just the corners encrusted with gems. Some had cuffs and seams colorfully dotted with shiny things. The rules require modest dress. They don't require everyone to look the same. Or at least, that's the way it's being observed at this mall.

One of the things that DH noticed was that in groups of women all swathed in abayas, it was easiest to tell them apart by their handbags. And boy, did they carry some expensive handbags! All you purse nuts out there who have dreamed of owning a Coach, Dolce&Gabbana or Gucci bag, or some other designer with sky high prices, then this is the mall to cause you angst. They are everywhere. I've given it some thought and if all you ever show the outside world is a flowing black covering, then you deserve a really expensive handbag.

--Sandee Wagner

Night Out in Dubai

2011-02-09T00:55:00.005-06:00

Most of you who know me have an inkling that my life is unsettled lately. We fled Tunis in the face of the civil unrest and spent a couple of weeks in Paris waiting out the ugliness. Now that Tunis is considered safe enough for the guys to go back to work, it's still a little dicey for a woman alone. So, instead of leaving me behind in a house that's been broken into (and not reinforced to make those windows secure), DH has decided that I will travel with him. The new house has no land line, Internet or TV. I am not allowed to drive the company rental car. So, being stuck in a house with no communication and no wheels is not attractive to me either.

This week, I've been enjoying Dubai with DH. He's had four all day meetings. Each evening, he returns and we've had a quiet meal and settled down for the night. Last night, he was invited out on the town by a coworker who lives in Dubai.

They chose to take us to a shopping area that is co-located with the Burj Al Arab hotel. This shopping center is a huge, rambling complex full of upscale shops and shiny things. It is designed to be like an old souk or medina only brand new.

We walked through the shops and looked around. Bought some Starbucks coffee beans to carry back to the Tunisian friends who can't get coffee in the stores.

The stores have a riverwalk area and boats cross the water to ferry folks back and forth to the Burj Al Arab hotel. It's pretty spectacular at night. The lush landscape is dotted with palm trees that are all lit up with white fairy lights.

We went to the Left Bank bar and had a couple of cocktails. Any restaurant attached to a hotel can serve alcohol, so you have to pick your nightspot carefully. All I can say is that I enjoyed two frosty adult beverages and my conversational skills were not impaired.

Then we went on to The Meat Co for dinner. It's a real steakhouse that a Texan can love.

We shared dinner with two of DH's coworkers and one of their spouses. A lively crowd with great conversation. From our table on the terrace, we looked out over the water and saw the hotel lit up in the distance. The Burj Al Arab is an impressive part of the cityscape. The light show is fun and interesting. Every half hour the color cast up its height changes. On the hour, a sparkling array of lights shimmers all over its surface giving a glittering lightshow that takes your breath away. Such fun.

I enjoyed my dinner with friends. An evening out on the town in Dubai gave my life a feeling or normalcy that was absent for so long. Trolling through shops, a nice Cosmopolitan, and a rib eye steak. It doesn't take much to make me happy.

--Sandee Wagner

Pigs and Eating Them

2011-02-06T22:47:00.002-06:00

Living in Muslim dominated countries has some interesting side effects.

Some are expected, some are not. I find that I miss pork products like crazy. Being denied something makes you obsess on it beyond your normal attraction. When I found the 'infidel meat aisle' in Carrefour, I was thrilled. It has pork and so I was able to buy some to cook once we lived in a house with a kitchen. At the Berges du Lac, if you ordered something with bacon, you got some weird tough meat that was burned beyond recognition. Kind of like ordering well done meat in a swanky restaurant, they ruin it to punish you.

When we got to Dubai, we ate at the hotel restaurant. It said right on the menu that they served no pork products. So, I was expecting more of the same. But last night, DH had a dinner meeting so I ordered room service.

The room service menu had a different variety of food stuffs on it. One was a club sandwich that said "pork bacon on request." So I ordered it.

Now, I've eaten at Hugo's in Claremore, OK, so I know that you can get too much bacon. There is a threshold that can be crossed whereby you receive way too much of a good thing. I was expecting a 'little' bacon on a "classical club sandwich" that the a la carte menu promised.

Instead, I got a sandwich that looked like a club (see the layers of bread) with the crusts cut off like a kid's meal. And dumped on the top of the plate, like a last minute addition, or a garnish, was a bunch of bacon.

It was a little off-putting. So was the addition of fried eggs with orange yolks as a layer in the sandwich. I expected the bacon IN the sandwich, not ON it. But, guys, bacon is bacon. So I munched my bacon garnish while I ate this very strange sandwich. Instead of any kind of sliced meat, it was made with chicken that had been hammered into thinness and then fried up. That and the fried eggs was the 'meat layer'. It had some very sad lettuce and shredded cheese to complete the sandwich filling. Strange. Not quite a classic club, but it was tasty enough. Should have been called a chicken sandwich or chicken and egg sandwich, but that's marketing.

It does make me wonder about who's cooking in the kitchen though. This is a five star hotel. In the entire city of Dubai, I haven't seen what I consider to be a 'local' working at anything. In every service position, there are Asians, Indians and Bangladeshi. I've chatted up all the hotel staff and none of them are from the UAE, they are all here on work visas.

So, where does this chef come from? Inquiring minds want to know. My best guess is Indonesia. It makes sense based on the fact that most of them are Muslim, and the workers appear to lean to ones from this part of the globe. The chef is Muslim--for sure--based on his treatment of the tasty pork products.

I won't order this one again--not because of the bacon, that was super yummy--but because there is a ton of other stuff that looks good and I want to try it all. If I find something else with pork in it, I'll have to try.

When we first got to Tunis, we heard the ex-pats there talking about smuggling bacon in their checked baggage to bring it back into Tunis from the UK. I considered local sourcing it before trying to figure a way to bring it in from the US. At least now I understand the fixation on the process. I'm developing the same obsession.

--Sandee Wagner

Dubai For The Win

2011-02-06T04:33:00.003-06:00

My DH has to attend a couple of meetings over the next few weeks. The first one is a four day meeting in Dubai. Since things are still sketchy in Tunis, he decided not to leave me behind. So, here I sit in a hotel room in Dubai.

I never thought much about hotels before.

Before I lived in hotels for four months of my life.

Now I have sincere and deeply founded opinions about what makes a good hotel. A year ago, I had no opinion about hotel mattresses. If you asked me, I would say, "You only ever sleep on them for a couple of nights, so what?" But my life is not about sleeping on a hotel mattress for 'a couple of nights' anymore. Nowadays, I stay for weeks at a time in tiny hotel rooms and I find I am emphatically opposed to hard mattresses.

We stayed in a hotel in Paris for two weeks. The mattress was 6" from top to bottom. Like a futon. Really. Hard like a brick. I thought I would be crippled for life before I got back to my own bed.

Now, here I sit in Dubai, less than a week later. The mattress is marginally better. But still not like my bed at home.

So, what's a girl to do about a hurting back with no end in sight to forced closeness with a hard mattress? That's right. Spa Day.

Tomorrow, I'm going to the resort spa here in Le Meridien. I'm having a massage. That's right. A decadent, two hour long extravagance. I'm going to pay too much money in the wild hopes that I will get some relief.

Wish me luck.

--Sandee Wagner

Marketing Faux Pas

2011-02-05T05:00:00.006-06:00

Since I've been globetrotting, I've noticed specific distinctions in marketing. There are things you see in Paris, that you'd never see in the US. This jeans ad was bigger than life. Now, first, biting a gal's ass is generally frowned upon in public areas. This is in an airport... where kids walk by all day long. So there's no attempt to be anything other than 'in your face' sexual about these jeans.

In the UK and Paris, there are more television commercials that contain nudity and sexual innuendo. The more risque ones run at night, but still.

In Tunisia, you see some things that are completely unexpected. First, let me preface this by saying that liquor, beer and wine are hard to find. The stores that carry them are few and far between. Alcohol that we are used to being 'cheap' or plentiful is very dear, indeed. I'm guessing it's because they are imported. There is local wine and some kind of fig based aperitif (yech.)

In Carrefour the other day, I decided to buy some rum or vodka for mixed drinks. I should have bought them in the duty free shop in the airport, but I thought we had some at home. Apparently, I've been hitting those bottles, or the looters helped themselves. Who knows? They were down to just a few ounces, so I went into the liquor section to replenish my supply.

In the airport duty free stores, we see all the brands of liquor we are used to and the prices are reasonable; however, in Carrefour, they just have what they can get. Check out this brand of rum. I'm guessing that this rum is not imported into a lot of western countries...

We like some marketing. There are some things that appeal to me regardless of the country of origin.After posing for this picture, we continued our run through the Orly airport and thought about all the businesses we've seen with DH's name in them. There was "Bert's Dirts" in Austin, TX. I had to buy a t-shirt from them to immortalize the business within our family. I bought my son a t-shirt from Jake's Fireworks and I tried to get him a Jake's Burger Joint shirt from Phoenix. It's all in the name, baby.

I know that marketing is not a science. It's more like voodoo or witchcraft. Those people who are good at it, have some kind of 'feel' that others lack. It's hard to know what will catch people's attention and command their purchasing power.

Oh yeah. I bought that rum. That photo is taken in my living room. I had to pay $37 Tunisian dinar for that bottle and it was a third of the price of the only other brand available. So, while I can get worked up about marketing that is detrimental or insulting to some group of people, I have to admit that, for me, price is still the defining reason why I purchase something. I can put a bag over this, or apply some duct tape to the bottle. I could even decant it into something else if I'm feeling offended. I'm guessing the more I drink, the less insulted I'll feel.

Around the world, there are all kinds of people trying to sell a product. If they are able to sell it, they won't change their branding. I guess I know I'm not helping when I buy a product like this, but sometimes you just need a rum and coke. Know what I mean?

--Sandee Wagner

An Evening In Paris

2011-01-27T08:45:00.003-06:00

When I was turning nine years old, I got the chicken pox on my birthday. It was July and we didn't have air conditioning. All I can remember doing for weeks is sitting in the basement because it was the coolest room in the house.

Now the great thing about being the youngest kid in a big family is having lots of older brothers and sisters. Well, older brothers are scummy, but older sisters know everything.

That summer, my big sisters got me some great birthday presents. I got a shiny green overnight case that I kept for years. At one point, I had every note I ever passed in school packed in that small suitcase. But the gift I remember the most, the one that made the biggest impression on my nine year old birthday brain, was The Evening In Paris perfume. I got a kit of the stuff. Two bottles of eau de cologne and toilet water. I was kerfluffled by the toilet water. Didn't use it for the longest time, because, HEY! toilet water.

Looking back, I know it was some cheap perfume, but it made me feel all grown up. And I was a miserable little stump that year, you can be sure of that.

Tonight, I will spend my last evening in Paris. Maybe some day I'll be fortunate enough to return and see all the things I didn't get to this trip, but whether or not I ever make it back, I want you to know this: it was worth the trip.

I didn't come here in a great frame of mind. I was scared, displaced and grumpy. I might not have given the French a fair shake. I'm not sure. But the city is amazing. Everywhere you turn, there is history and beautiful architecture. The Parisians embrace life and art. We were actually treated very well on all our walkabouts. I only heard one nasty 'Americain' comment and that guy was pretty easy to ignore.

I can't say I've become a huge fan of French food, but in the spirit of adventure, I did try some. I probably won't be ordering a lot of smoked duck in the future. Most of the pates are just too rich for my palate. Frogs legs taste like chicken. I did not even try escargot. French cooking has a lot of wine based sauces, yumm. Dessert is king--one word: profiteroles. That's pretty much the high points.

We're heading back to Tunis tomorrow morning early. I'm going to spend one last night enjoying the ambiance of Paris, France. I know I probably didn't get to see all the stuff, but I have some great memories.

--Sandee Wagner

Traveling Light, or The Bug Out Bag

2011-01-26T10:28:00.004-06:00

I have gained a new appreciate for disaster preparedness. I've heard other ex-pats talk about their 'bug out bags' but until this latest evacuation from Tunis, I never understood the importance of them.

We are in a small group of people who fled Tunis at the same time. We all had a similar instruction, "pack for three days at the hotel" and we've all realized that we forgot something.

Of course, we can just go shop for what we've forgotten. Unless, like one gal, you forgot your purse and bankcards.

The thing that bothered me the most? Buying more Q-tips. Do you know how many Q-tips I have at my house? It's got to be in the millions. I have bought them at Sam's and got multiple big packs at once. To have to buy more just seems like overkill. But you need what you need.

Before I left the states, I bought makeup. I figured that in Northern Africa, my skin tone might not be common. So I bought three of each of the colors I needed. When I got to Paris, my makeup held out for a week, then I ran out. I've got THREE of these things at home and I had to buy more. It's crazy making.

I managed to get out of Tunis with a relatively well packed bag. When we fled before a wildfire in SoCal year before last, we forgot the 'important papers' file. Had we experienced a loss, we would not have had our insurance companies and numbers. When we left the country this time, we grabbed those papers.

I'm thinking that if you 'stage' a bug out bag, then you have to have multiples of things that you use daily. It seems a waste. But when you throw stuff into a suitcase in a panic, you don't always remember everything. Of course, if you look online, the topic of 'bug out bags' takes on a more menacing connotation. The survivalists keep bags filled with gear you need if you have to live off the land and fend off looters during a post apocalyptic timeframe. I just had to live in a four star hotel for a couple of weeks.

I wonder if it would have been easier just to walk away with a purse and make a conscious decision to buy everything I needed. It would have been less stressful. And frustrating. Need a Q-tip? Buy some. Don't beat yourself up because you forgot to pack them...

I'm not sure how easy it is to 'travel light'. I think if I had been able to pack for a week or ten days, I might have made better travel decisions. Like close toed shoes. Three days at a local hotel is different from two weeks in Paris. The needs are different. But two weeks anywhere is probably the same, packing wise.

Since I'll end up with duplicates, I wonder if I could stage a couple suitcases and leave them packed and ready to go. I wonder if I really want to live anywhere where that seems like a reasonable idea??

--Sandee Wagner

The Heart of Design

2011-01-24T06:29:00.002-06:00

We are staying in the Mercure Hotel in La Defense 5, Paris, France. This is in the heart of Paris' modern business district. The hotel is a small, upscale place that is designed for business travelers who just need a bed and to be conveniently located to their workplace.

When we arrived a week ago, there were three bus loads of Japanese design students being unloaded and checked in. More than 300 but less than 500 at best guess. These are (for the most part) well behaved university students who are here for a 10 day trip to Paris. I quizzed the front desk staff to find out they were design students. But that actually didn't make me feel any better...because these kids are dressing WILD.

This morning, one girl left the hotel and the closest description I can give you to explain her outfit is that she looked like a Christmas tree. I know. It kind of defies description. And I'm a writer, I'm pretty good with words.

I have thought about surreptitously snapping photos of the more bizarre outfits, but it seems a little intrusive. And then posting them on the Internet without that "what not to wear" black bar across their eyes would just be wrong.

One of our dinner companions last night went on a rant. The major crux of his argument is if this is how they dress, what they heck are they going to be designing?? It made me laugh.

So, here in the heart of Paris, where art is king, students of design flock to learn and study. Some need more teaching than others, I'm just sayin'.

--Sandee Wagner

Louvred Out

2011-01-23T09:05:00.011-06:00

We decided to make a foray to the Louvre to see some art. One of DH's coworkers decided to go with us. We rode the subway down to the museum and got there about 1100. It was bitter cold and rainy. We joined the queue in front of the big steel and glass pyramid.

I can see why the addition of this underground entrance made of big glass pyramids made all the architect's heads spin. It's a very jarring addition to this ancient castle. I don't hate it, but we did stick around the outside of the museum taking pictures that showed the juxtaposition of the old with the new.

The Louvre Museum is so large that going in, we knew we couldn't see it all in one day. I got the big map of the Louvre and tried to make a plan. I wanted to see all the 'must sees' and give a pass to the exhibitions that didn't matter to us.

The guy who accompanied us on this adventure is the same guy who went to Kairouan with us and helped me buy my magic carpet. He's Egyptian. The minute he saw the signs for the Egyptian antiquities, he insisted that we start there, "with the real art". All day long, it was story after story about how superior all things Egyptian were.

I'm sure the Louvre's collection of Egyptian artifacts is not as extensive as the museums in Cairo, but Taher did say that it was all displayed well. One of the things they did that made the whole thing more impressive was putting a bunch of similar items together so you could see the minute detail differences.

From the very large pieces to the tiny pieces of jewelry and personal items, they would cluster a bunch of them together and you could see the quality of the finds. Some were better preserved, or of better workmanship. An interesting method, instead of just showcasing one excellent specimen. The Egyptian artifacts were amazing. The craftsmanship was astounding and many of the items were thousands of years old. It's one thing when it is made out of stone and it predates Christ by two thousand years. It's completely different when it's that old and it's made of wood or pottery. The fragile things that last that long are miraculous.

I dragged the guys through the Italian painters. Seems like a crime to go to the Louvre and not see the Mona Lisa, no matter how small that painting is.
She's lovely, but I found myself really paying attention to the building. The Louvre was a palace. It's been extended and built up over the years, but the overall structure has a lot of history. And it is BEAUTIFUL. I found myself taking as many pictures of the rooms and ceilings as I did of the artwork ensconced there. Besides the glorious stone floors and carved ceilings in the stairways, there were room after room where the ceilings had murals painted on them. The art on the ceiling was impressive. I wish I had a photo that did it justice. But you have to consider my tiny camera (and they had 'no flash photography' signs up all over) was not up to capturing something in that space and volume. But I did my best to get examples of the best of them. The beauty just went on and on. I found myself taking snaps of a floor grate (it was lovely!) and wainscoting on the wall. The carved doors were tremendous. The structure itself was so engaging, I had to be reminded to look at the art.

I loved the sculpture. Well, most of it. There were some big ugly modern art blobs that weren't worth the floor space, but I'm not an art maven, so what do I know?

In the Louvre, you have to pick your itinerary. I can't imagine being able to do this all in one day. It's just so huge. And I generally amble through each room, reading all the placards. Luckily, all the stuff is in French in the Louvre, so I didn't have to slow down and read stuff. Because, well, I couldn't. At that point, it was just pass through a room, look around, comment on the really impressive or pretty pieces and then move on to the next room.
Luckily the guys were on board. When they weren't on their blackberries making business calls. I could spend another couple days in the Louvre. I exhausted my attention span yesterday, but after a little rest, I think I could walk through again and see even more stuff. I'm pretty sure I missed the Venus de Milo. That seems like something I should have found.

--Sandee Wagner

Shopping in Paris...

2011-01-20T11:01:00.008-06:00

Today, the ladies wanted to make another foray into Paris. Instead of sightseeing, they wanted to do some shopping. After a little investigation, it turns out that the Galleries Lafayette is the second most visiting destination after the Louvre. So, we headed out for that shopping center.

We rode the subway to the Opera stop. We walked a couple blocks behind it to get to the shopping center. (It was easy, you just follow the trail of tourists beating feet to the designer outlets.)

On the way, we went around the back of the Metropolitan Opera center and saw the most unique wrought iron. These gizmos appear to have the prow of a Viking ship sailing out of the poles in four directions. If you look closely, you can see the carriage lamps sticking out of the top of the ship's prows. They are flanked with tall poles decorated with women. All that detailed wrought ironwork for a light fixture. There were two or three of these Viking ship bow lights alongside the building and between them, there were the scantily clad female light posts. It was quite stunning.

Then a block or two past that, we were at the Galleries Lafayette. This store is huge. We tried to climb to the top and work our way down, but I'm sure there were floors that we didn't even see.
The central dome is a stunning stained glass and wrought iron confection. I'm sure my pictures don't do it justice and I felt like a true goober standing in the center and taking pictures straight up. The colors of the glass are glorious. It's a colorful, intricate piece of art of which the entire country of France should be proud. It's a four story atrium. The center floor below this is the make up and perfume counters.

So there are a lot of perfectly coiffed women wearing a lot of black looking down on people trying to take a snapshot of this.

I'm used to seeing things like this in historical theaters or cathedrals. Never in a department store. To take these photos, I had to dodge those chicks who walk around spraying perfume on total strangers. If you look, you can see the carousels of clothing up on the floors around the perimeter of the dome curve. It was all I could do to continue shopping and not just stand and stare at the dome and all the detail.

The plaster ceiling that surrounds the arch is ornate and gold leafed. I actually felt like a higher class citizen shopping in these lovely surrounds. The rest of the store was just normal, modern fixtures. The only really gorgeous historical part of the architecture was this central dome area. But even though I was surrounded with lovely, high class decor... it doesn't mean that I have good taste.

Because THIS is what I bought at the Galleries Lafayette.

That's right. I must have been blinded by all that gold leafed splendor because these shiny gold combat boots called my name. And the 70% off price tag made it possible. I'm told with the right outfit, these will look great. I'm just planning on wearing them under jeans. I love, Love, LOVE these shiny gold boots. I arrived in Paris with just three changes of clothing. Two pair of shoes, one of which were flip flops. I had to buy something, right?

--Sandee Wagner

Sightseeing In Paris

2011-01-19T09:45:00.008-06:00

Paris was not on my 'bucket list'. I have never saved my pennies and planned a romantic getaway with my DH to take in the sights. It never called to me.

So, when the other refugee wives said they were taking a sightseeing trip out of the hotel today, I said, "I'm in." Not because I cared about seeing the sights, but more because I think it's good to get out of this tiny room whenever possible. You want to go to the mall? I'm in. You want to walk down to a restaurant? I'll come with. You see my plan?

So, this morning I dressed up warm, put on walking shoes and met the girls downstairs. All three of them have been to Paris on trips before. A couple of them love designer shops and were excited to see some of the things. They kept deferring to me because they assumed I had some agenda of sights that I 'must see' to call Paris done in my book. I kept telling them that I was along for the ride, or walk as it were.

We started out from the hotel and went down to the Grande Arche de la Defense. Not because we are enamored of modern architecture... not because we wanted to explore the dichotomy of old arches versus new ones. We went there because that's where the entrance to the train station was.

We rode down the line for a stop and got out, went up to street level and were less than a block away from the Arc de Triomphe.
I find it completely entertaining that these two edifices face each other across a few miles of Paris. The modern arch stands in the business district and the old arch down in the middle of town. It's a hoot, architecturally. At least it makes me smile.

Then we schlepped down the Champs Elysee. Possibly I should have been more impressed with all the glamorous shops, but it's really not my cup of tea. I'm not much of a shopper. Or I should say, I'm a 'hunter' not a 'gatherer'. We walked clear down to the end of the street and we passed a few things along the way.
There is a big museum of modern art that has an amazing roof. It has arcs of glass that look like atrium or sunrooms that wing off the basic structure. The front colonnade has this gorgeous sculpture gracing the top. I guess I should be more excited about the Monet exhibit, but since the rest of the gals weren't interested in going IN the museum, I contented myself with admiring the architecture outside.

We walked on down the Champs Elysees and it's like a long park. At one crosswalk, I noticed this wrought iron piece standing in pride of place.
Could be a fountain turned off for the season. Could be a trashcan, I just don't know. What impressed me was the ornate, detailed ironwork. And the fact that it's just standing there, unprotected. The gorgeous Grecian styled goddesses are running away from the center of the column and you can just see the joy on their faces. It's really a stunning piece. I still have no idea what it is.

We walked on down to the Place de la Concorde. That's a really large plaza known especially for the Luxor Obelisk.
The Luxor Obelisk is a grand piece of Egyptian art gifted to France from Egypt years ago. From this square, it was a few steps to the Tuilleries, which are gardens that lie along the Seine river. We walked up a few steps and had a view of both the Obelisk and the Eiffel Tower in the background. At this point, I'm two for two on sights in Paris I can tick off my list. But, oh yeah. I don't have a list of sights. Still, it's pretty cool to say I saw these two things. The prospect from this square is really nice. You can see right up the Champs Elysee to the Arc de Triomphe.
I liked the view up between the two horse statues. It's quite impressive in person. We walked a lot today. Went from this point down to the Place Vendome to see the Vendome Column. Okay. We really didn't go to see the column. One of the gals is a 'royal watcher' and she really wanted to see the Ritz hotel where Princess Diana spent her last days.

We did all this sightseeing by foot and riding the subway for approximately $3 US. We sat in a Parisian sidewalk cafe (COLD!) and drank hot drinks to warm up. We navigated the subways without getting lost. I even managed to do all the walking without getting a blister from my new shoes. So, all in all, a big win for Team Wagner.

I'll probably go back out tomorrow. If you want to see ALL the photos I took on the trip, they are posted in Facebook. Paris has really interesting architecture. I'm sure I'll find something to add to, then cross off, my list.

--Sandee Wagner

All The Best Train Stations...

2011-01-18T14:54:00.006-06:00

On Monday, we woke up in London after a very late arrival the night before. We thought we'd stay there for a while, that perhaps the guys would work out of the London office for a few days. In short, we thought we'd light there for a few days, not that we would be bum rushed onto a train.

We were booked on the Eurostar train between London and Paris. I've ridden a few trains in my life, so the prospect of riding a civilized transport appealed to me. Traveling so soon after the exodus did not.

Part of what makes traveling by train interesting is the train stations. They are big if they handle a lot of traffic. And the London stations do. We entered the train at St. Pancras station. The station is impressive. At one point in time, this roof was the largest one in the world. Now, I'm sure someone has built a bigger one... but it's still very interesting. This station was renovated and designed to be an entry point for the Channel Tunnel train.

The 'Chunnel' connects England and France with a tunnel under the English Channel. A high speed train allows passengers to transit from London to Paris in three hours. It was a smooth, easy ride. Comfortable seats. Civilized passage.

The station in Paris was equally impressive but for a different reason.
The Paris station is filled with ornate wrought iron. The posts, columns and even the rafters are detailed like you wouldn't believe. The only thing that kept me from goggling like a green tourist was the very real possibility of having my luggage snatched by a thief. You honestly don't see this extent of detail on support beams in today's architecture. I wish my pictures did the fretwork justice. I just don't have a lens capable of capturing the artistry of this ironwork. I kept looking up expecting to see a point where the supports became flat uninteresting iron. But they didn't.
Right up to the roof ridge beams, every one was detailed and decorative. Like I said before, my pictures don't do it justice. I found it on the Internet and looked at professional photos of the place. It's even more impressive when you aren't exhausted. And in daylight, probably. It was full dark and I was done in when I wandered off the Eurostar.

I'd have to be unconscious to not appreciate the Gare du Nord station, though. It was lovely. Old and used, but elegant and stately. I know that Paris is known for its art and architecture. I'm really looking forward to seeing more of this kind of thing.

--Sandee Wagner

Exodus from Tunis

2011-01-17T15:31:00.011-06:00

The company watched the political events and decided that we all needed to evacuate on Sunday. They organized rental car convoys and set up three waves to take all the people and luggage to the airport. We did it in waves so that everyone had a native Arabic speaker in case they were stopped in a checkpoint.

I'd like to say that it went off without a hitch. There were hitches, but they actually were not problems. We realized after the first wave left that we didn't need a third wave. We could fit all the luggage and people into the cars scheduled for the second wave. Only hangup? One of the guys was riding along with the first wave to translate, if stopped. He had planned to pick up his luggage and check out of his room when he came back.

But we didn't need him to come back for us. We could make the second run and all get there. So two of the guys went into the hotel to bully them into letting us into his room to fetch his luggage and check him out. Then we loaded, and launched for the airport.

On the way, we saw several burned out buildings. Most of them were large villas that could be identified as belonging to the ruling family's members. The commercial buildings that were damaged also appeared to be projects that were developed by the president's wife's family members, who run a large construction business. One of the biggest malls, Tunis City, was burned in the violence.

We didn't get stopped on the way to the airport. Although we drove through several checkpoints, they looked in the car and waved us on. The only time we were stopped was by the national guard members who controlled access to the airport. All they wanted to do was look at the luggage and make sure there wasn't anything in the vehicle that was dangerous. We managed to get there, get the luggage and people into the terminal in record time. We felt like we had pulled off a logistical coup!

When we got to the airport, we found it filled with people who were all trying to leave Tunis.
The overhead departure boards showed all the morning flights as delayed. In the Tunis airport there is no seating in the ticketing/check in area. It's just a big room with 50 or so desks. The board lists the numbered desk for your flight's check in and you go queue up to check in. So this room, with no seating, was filled to the brim with humanity. Many worried foreigners were sharing information about what they'd seen or experienced. Throughout the day, I realized that no one was losing their temper. There was no yelling, cussing or carrying on. When the kids got rambunctious and ran around, everyone looked on with smiles instead of anger. For a huge mob scene, this was decidedly well mannered.We all knew we were in for a long day. But I don't think any of us actually thought we'd be standing the whole time. After a while, one of the gals started what she called a 'scavenger hunt' through the airport. She snagged any chair she could find. Busted down office chairs that had been abandoned by airport personnel. Cafe chairs from the restaurant. Stools from the bar. Wherever she found one with no butt in it, she dragged it back to our circled luggage carts. We stood (and sat) for almost 14 hours. We were booked on five different flights. Some of us were going to London. Some were going to Paris via Madrid. Some were going to Paris via Geneva. A final contingent were returning to Algeria.

The whole group hung out and when the first wave of passengers were called and went through security back to the gate area, we were thrilled. The London flight was going to launch. Now, we were just waiting on Madrid, Geneva and Algeria to post on the board. The flights were all delayed for hours. The concern that we'd stay in the airport so long that we'd be unable to go back to a hotel--because of the enforced curfew--made many of us very nervous. It was agreed that at a certain time of day, we'd have to make a decision that could require us to sleep at the airport because of the time restraint.

Just moments before that time... one of the gals went up to the desk where the London flight was checked in. The gate agents were still there hours after our friends had left for security. She has mad French language skills, so she cadged a chocolate bar and offered it to the workers and then asked about some of the flights. It turned out that the London flight had not yet left, wasn't closed and had open seats. She tugged us all up to the desk and we were all booked onto the London flight.

We rushed through security and back to the gate area. Then we sat there for another hour or so... but SEATS were in the gate area. After a day on our feet, even those steel seats seemed like luxury. And eventually a plane showed up and we were allowed on board.

We arrived at London's Heathrow airport at 10:00 pm on Monday night. According to the customs officials who checked our passports, we were the first flight of people leaving Tunisia that they'd seen. I told them to expect a lot more based on the number of people populating the Tunis airport.

So, our first step on the Exodus from Tunis was completed. We got out of the country safely and together. Only one injury, one of the managers sprained/broke his ankle right as he got to the airport and was unloading his family's baggage. He was a trooper and self medicated--see the beer? He wanted to wait to get medical treatment in the UK. With his ankle swelling at an alarming rate, he got nagged to keep it elevated all day long. Last time I saw him, he was on crutches. By this time, he's landed in Canada and has his family safe at home.

The rest of the group continued on to Paris via the Eurostar train through the Chunnel. They'll work out of the Paris offices for the next week and will reassess the situation in Tunisia soon. If things get better, I'm sure we'll go back.

--Sandee Wagner

Command and Control

2011-01-15T04:16:00.003-06:00

This is the company's 'command central' at the Golden Tulip Hotel. Here is where the Tunisian contingent are planning the emergency evacuation of Tunis.

I could have shown you the bar or the lobby, but this seems to be more indicative of the seriousness of the matters being discussed. Do we stay or do we go? If we evacuate--is it temporary? Or do we set up operations in a new location? Heavy decisions. I'm glad I don't have to make any of those choices.

All the ex-pat company workers and families are gathering in the hotel, sharing information and telling stories. I've heard folks planning where they'll go, if they go, and who they'll live with. There is a lot of gray matter being expended on contingency planning.

The company folks are busy planning what to do. We have a group of guys headed out to the airport to see if they can catch their scheduled flights out today. We'll know more later. Interesting that they were directed NOT to check out of the hotel. They left their keys here with the guys. That way if they don't get a flight out, we'll still have a hotel room for them to stay in. The front desk is pretty much mobbed with folks looking for places to stay. Things are getting a little dicier.

I wish I knew what was going on out there. What the situation outside the hotel is like? What's happening in the capital?

Our landlord called us last night with the news that someone got into our house. They sent a guard out to watch the place. Am I upset that someone possibly went into our house? Yes. Then I started thinking about it. What are the chances that they unpacked some boxes while they were there??

We are safe. The 'smartest guy in the room' is busy making plans for our continued well being. I feel blessed to be a part of an organization that puts safety first.

More updates later.

--Sandee Wagner

Safety First

2011-01-14T08:40:00.002-06:00

There is unrest in Tunisia. A national work strike was organized by local student population. I've been told they have been protesting for the better part of the past two months. It's all become a powder keg. There have been riots and civil unrest.

Then today, the president who has been in power for 23 years, fled the country with his family. My DH's company gathered the troops and circled the wagons. And by that obscure Western reference, I mean that they got all the employees into a conference room at a local hotel called The Golden Tulip. Then they discussed the corporate evacuation plan and went home to get their families. By 3:00 pm, all the wives and families were checked into the same hotel. All of us, in one place, easy to contact and track. Then they determined a course of action and made plans.

First step, keep an eye on the situation. Which rapidly got worse and worse. Some of the fleeing families told stories of mobs in their part of town, and seeing the looting and property damage that started at, but was not confined to, the president's family's residences.

All of us gathered in the hotel lobby, then migrated to the hotel bar. The Tunisian news channel was tuned in on the overhead flat screens and the locals were telling us what was being said by the commentators. It got to a lot of the folks. People with kids were worried about when the school would be back in session and whether or not we'd be evacuated. The opinion seems to be split half and half. Most of the parents were hoping that things would just settle out and we could go back to our homes over the weekend with things back to 'normal' as soon as possible. Many of the less happy campers were hoping to be evacuated and making plans not to return.

I just want to be with my DH. If we're both evacuated, I'm okay with that. But I don't like the idea of 'the little women' being put on a plane and sent out of the country with the 'manly men' staying behind, braving danger. Really. These are business men. None of them have any excuse for staying in the face of danger. The company should know that.

I've had my head down, unpacking boxes in the new house for the past week. No working phone. No internet connection. No TV reception. I had no idea what was going on. I was surprised when I was directed to 'pack a bag for a couple days stay at the Golden Tulip'. After seeing the news for a couple of hours, I'm just surprised I was so clueless.

It's possible I could find myself in Paris tomorrow. Or, I may still be at the Golden Tulip. Hard to say. The wagons are circled.

--Sandee Wagner

Moving Day!

2011-01-07T10:56:00.005-06:00

We were so excited when they called to tell us that the container would be delivered to our house at 0830 on Friday morning. One of my Tunisian friends cautioned me that 0830 Tunisian time was more like 1030. So, we got up, dressed and made it to the house at 0820. On the way, we passed a container. DH said it was the color of our container... and it WAS!! They got there moments after we arrived. There were seven or eight guys from the shipping service and they got right to work.

They worked so hard. They never took a break. By 1130, the whole truck was unloaded and they were driving away. DH and I decided to get some lunch before we started unpacking. We drove to La Marsa, got a pizza and strategized how to attack the boxes.
We decided to concentrate on getting the major furniture pieces in place. If we get the bookcases and stuff in place, then we have some place to put things, right? It seemed like a good idea.

And we made a pretty good dent in it. We got the dining room and living room furniture placed. We put the master bed together and got some of the large outdoor stuff placed. It was a good start.

Tomorrow we'll get up early, go over to the house and try to see how much more we can get done. Oh, and guess what? The rug looks great with the furniture!!

--Sandee Wagner

La Plaza Corniche

2011-01-06T01:49:00.010-06:00

Several of DH's coworkers here are native Tunisians. One of the ex-pats actually attended college in Tunis, so lived here for several years before going abroad. This provides us with a lot of inside intelligence on the best places to visit, and the best restaurants to try.

The guy who went to college here--we'll call him Cedrick--waxed poetic about a hotel bar and restaurant he called La Plaza Corniche. The first time I went there, I was tired and jet lagged and NOT prepared for a meal to take three to four hours. I know better now. Their website makes this place look classy and elegant, but really it's campy and kitschy. I felt the need to document the flock of pink flamingos for my dear friend Marilyn. If she comes to visit, we'll take her here and get photo documentation.

We've eaten at La Plaza three or four times now, a couple of business meetings and one pleasure trip. Last night we took an outing with two other couples. This time, to try their specialty--fish steamed in a salt crust. I like a nice fish fillet. I do not care for digging out the bones, so I don't order a lot of whole fish. I was assured by my companions that if we ordered this fish, the waiter would do all the work and give it to us 'beautifully, with no bones!' So, it's worth a try.

We had drinks. Appetizers. Some good bread with harrissa. Then the fish was delivered. This fish is the local fish of choice called the durrod...at least that's how it sounds like it's spelled. I'm not enough of a master at language or fish to decide if it's sea bass, grouper or cod. If you say 'durrod' you get the same fish every time. And the locals rave over this one. It's always the best, the freshest, the chef's favorite. So tonight, we ordered it steamed in salt.

Preparation is a tableside production. The waiter/server begins by rapping against the fish with a small hammer or spoons. This is to crack the salt shell. Different servers have a little different technique. This guy picked off big chunks of the salt and set them aside carefully, clearing away the big chunks before going any further. At the next table, the server bashed it all into rubble and swept it away. Different techniques, same end result.

Once the salt chunks were cleared away from the top of the fish, the server carefully swept the fish using a fork and spoon. This creates a bed for him to work on. I'm told they are careful to place the salt away so that it doesn't fall back onto the fish fillets as they loosen the meat and present it to the customers. It makes good sense, that's just too much salt for anyone's palate.

Next, the server took his fork and spoon and just rolled the skin/scales up, stripping it from the fish in one rolling movement. It was the easiest thing I've ever seen done. He made it look easy, that's for sure. Then, he very gently filleted the steamed fish and presented us each a large plateful. I was a little worried about the bones, but the way he did it, our portions were just fish. And so succulent!
There were some side dishes. Some fried potatoes and small pieces of a local crustless quiche. But the star of the meal was that steamed fish. The waiter recommended a drizzle of olive oil. I also squeezed on some lemon juice because I love the taste with fish. Most interesting of all? It wasn't salty. Not a bit. In fact, there was hardly any seasoning or spices at all. Just a very fine white fish fillet, delicately steamed to keep all the moisture in. Lovely.

I couldn't resist taking a few more photos of La Plaza Corniche. Such a classy hang out. I guess it's really typical of the college crowd--the youngsters make it a popular hangout on evenings and weekends. To me, the dichotomy was marvelous. Here's a place that is just as tacky as can be, appealing to students and the young disco crowd. And it prides itself on great service and wonderful cuisine. Each meal stretches out into an event and the attentive waitstaff fill your every need and desire. Up to and including offering cigars after the dessert has been served and enjoyed. It's truly a nice place. It just doesn't look like it would be.

On our second trip to La Plaza Corniche, we hopped into a cab from our hotel. We got a nice cab driver who was taking English lessons and wanted to speak to us to practice his English. As he was quizzing us about our destination, we could see him stop and try to gather the correct words. Then he very hesitantly asked us, "Have you been to La Plaza before?" We responded in the affirmative. He appeared perplexed, then asked, "Are you aware that it's a discotheque and a lot of students go there?" We said yes. His brows were still knitted. Then he finally found the words to say, "Aren't you a little old to be going to La Plaza?"

Oh, good times.

--Sandee Wagner

Port of Tunis

2011-01-04T14:27:00.003-06:00

Today was the day that our household goods were inspected by Customs at the Port of Rades. We saw a lot of containers. We had high hopes that one of them would be ours.

The first surprise was taking the long, scenic trip out to the port. We can see it from our hotel. I've been across the causeway bridge, so I know it connects somewhere north of us in La Marsa. But our native guide headed directly into the downtown rush hour traffic of Tunis center then waffled her way out to the port taking approximately nine times as long as it should have taken. But she lives downtown and she only knew the way to the port from her known points of reference. Have I mentioned that this city could use some Google Maps, Mapquest or GPS details? Tunis needs that van to drive around with all the photography equipment and waypoint all the intersections... but I digress.

Once we got to the port, we met up with our shipping company representative, who looked at me meaningfully and began speaking very rapid Frarabic with our native guide. It seems that only DH's name is on the paperwork and he was convinced that I would not be allowed to accompany DH on the inspection tour of our goods. Dodged that bullet.

I rode back to the hotel with our native guide, leaving DH at the port to stand by manfully for 4.5 hours while all the papers were inspected, he was quizzed about certain items ("Do you use this air compressor for business?" "No, it's for personal use." "It's a very nice, very big compressor. Are you sure you don't use it for commercial purposes?" "No, I use it at home.")

There were some items that we were led to believe would be problematic--books, CDs and DVDs. All the horror stories we've heard revolve around those boxes being held and inspected for months. One lady said she thought they kept her DVDs long enough to rip them all. We have scads of books, fewer CDs and DVDs, but still... If it's going to be a problem, we had to 'own it'.

We discussed what we'd do and we wanted to tell them to keep all the boxes they were interested in, but please just deliver the rest of the stuff. That way we could move into our house, get settled. I can wait a while for my books to be delivered.

But it didn't come to that. They cracked open three boxes. One full of linens and sheets. One full of paperwork from our office files. And one full of empty software boxes and computer manuals. During this time, DH could see some of our furniture and the whole container was there, with the door open so they could pull things out and check the entire shipment.

We passed. DH admitted that at one point in time, one of the officials asked about what kind of books we had. When DH stated what types they were, he was told, "NO! You don't have romances. You have cookbooks, business books, and personal papers." DH, being the intelligent international guy he is, said, "Okay."

So, with my decadent collection of romance novels, I have entered the country of Tunisia. They'll never be the same.

--Sandee Wagner

Magic Carpet

2011-01-02T07:40:00.013-06:00

We took a road trip yesterday. We met up with another couple, Taher and Emma, and drove the two hours south and west to Kairouan. Depending on who you are talking to, Kairouan is touted as Islam's fourth holiest city. The article in Wikipedia said that some Muslims believe that seven trips to Kairouan is like a single trip to Mecca. Of course, the guy who accompanied us was Muslim and spent the whole day bashing this idea.

Our first stop was the tourism bureau where we had a scenic overlook of the cisterns and hired a guide to take us around and show us the sites.The pools are pretty impressive and still hold water after over 1000 years. The area around them is a big park-like place and lots of families were out enjoying the beautiful weather. These reservoirs, called the Aghlabid basins, are the only remaining parts of some impressive waterworks built during the time of Charlemagne. At that time Kairouan was a center of learning where Muslims built the first mosque by scavenging the ruins of Carthage and carting off the steles and columns.
The Great Mosque of Sidi Uqba is an impressive historical site and can only be visited when it's not open for prayers because it's still a working mosque. The center courtyard has a marble topped area that grades down to a perforated carved grate. The entire courtyard serves as a collector for the cistern below the ground. It wasn't open for visitors, but we were told there were over 100 columns holding the courtyard up. There are over 600 columns in this mosque and no two are alike.

The prayer room has a famous mihrab and minbar. The mihrab is the concave shaped niche that is sited to point directly to Mecca. It's where the imam leads prayers. The minbar is an eleven step raised pulpit that is used by the imams during high holidays. This one is hand carved from imported teak. Both of these are considered the finest examples of Muslim art from the period. Scholars are still arguing about where some of the tiles were made. The floor of the prayer room is carpeted by gorgeous examples of the local carpet makers arts. It is traditional for brides to gift the mosque with a carpet when they marry.

Kairouan is the center of Tunisia's carpet industry.They welcome visitors to town with a giant art piece which has carpets depicted on both sides of the enormous thing.And since my 32nd anniversary present was supposed to be a 'conveyance', I was searching for a magic carpet. This sculpture led me to believe I had found the right place.

One of the most amazing parts of the tour was going through the Mausoleum of Sidi Sahab, generally known as the Mosque of the Barber. This veneration place is dedicated to a gentleman who is said to have saved three hairs off Mohammad's beard. The walls of the shrine are covered in colorful mosaics. For years, these designs were the only ones that could be used for rugs.
There were courtyards and rooms and halls, all of which were covered by glorious, colorful tiles. No two designs were alike. Still today, the women of Kairouan go to these places to pray and get inspiration for the carpets they create. They do not use templates or patterns, they study the walls and then go make a carpet. There are different grades of carpet made here, the finest ones have 90,000 knots per square meter of carpet. No children or men make rugs in Kairouan, this is a woman's work.
You can buy rugs all over the country here, but in this place, the government regulates production and the very best quality workers are employed. Kairouan is very proud of their carpets. The Bey's house is a historic site that also includes an outlet for purchasing carpets that are locally made. When I indicated that I was there to get a carpet and was willing to purchase a magic carpet, I was assured that if I bought one, they'd tell me the magic word to make it fly. I completely forgot to ask the magic word, so I guess this rug will stay house bound.
In case you were wondering, it takes a village to sell a carpet. There were three guys scurrying around fetching rolled carpets from all over the mansion. There was one guy giving us the knot count, type of weave, and specifics on each carpet. When it came time to snap a photo, the owner of the business came out and posed with our crew. One of the guys complimented DH on bringing such a 'good lawyer' with him. I guess having Taher there to argue and negotiate pricing in Arabic was inspired on our part.

They started rolling out individual carpets and as I indicated I liked one, they kept it aside and brought out some more. I narrowed it down to styles, sizes and colors and eventually, selected the 32nd anniversary present. My magic carpet.

Today, we took the carpet over to the new house and rolled it out. It looks nice in the empty room. Here's hoping that it goes okay with the furniture. Regardless, I love the pattern and the colors. You don't see too many blue carpets, most are red or gold. This one really appealed to me.

Emma assured me that it was such a nice carpet that if it doesn't match the furniture, I can just get new furniture. I think we're going to be good friends.

--Sandee Wagner

Pictures of Casablanca

2010-12-30T04:18:00.008-06:00

If you're expecting something from Humphrey Bogart's time, you are not in the right blog. I've recently bemoaned the fact that my street address has not yet been assigned in the new house we're leasing. I've been told that the municipality could take as long as five months to come around and assign the street addresses. What to do until then? How do I manage a 'change of address' for American mailing concerns until then? It was recommended that the landlord NAME the house. If the house has a name, then the address can resolve. Or so they have led me to believe.

I'm thinking "Casablanca". By the pictures, you can see why.

Now that the house is ready, I'm just chomping at the bit waiting for my household goods to arrive. We've been told the ship is in port. Hopefully, they'll have an update on our container and some kind of timeframe for the customs inspection. I can hope, right?

The house itself has some surprises. The landlords lived in it briefly while it was being built and completed. They cultivated a bunch of 'money plants' on each tread of the staircase. Imagine my surprise when they left them for me! I like houseplants. But I think I'll trim up some of those trailing vines so I don't feel like I'm living in a jungle.

The house is small by Tunisian standards. Since the culture embraces multi-generational living, most houses are really large. I didn't want to rent a house where DH and I would just 'bang around' like marbles in a huge place. And, let's face it, I'd fill the rooms with furniture. That's how I roll. Then, when we left and never had a house that big again, I'd be stuck with a lot of furniture...

So, I shopped carefully for a small place and new construction was the ONLY way to accomplish this. Apparently, I'm not the only ex-pat looking for a few less square meters to keep clean. This house has five bedrooms, or four and an office. Two of them would barely support a twin bed. I don't need more than three bedrooms, so this works out for me.

The outside is white and Sidi Bou Said blue. Inside, color is concentrated in the kitchen and bathrooms.
The kitchen is shiny red. Luckily I love red. It will clash crazily with all my purple kitchen stuff, but who cares? It's a rental.

There are three bathrooms upstairs. One is brown and yellow predominantly. You can't see it in this picture, but they have very carefully painted the ceiling to match those yellow tiles inset in the walls. Canary yellow ceiling which matches the globe on the light dangling there. I hesitate to think what my makeup might appear like when I've applied it in that room. I foresee having to open the window for daylight a lot.

The other bathroom is yellow and orange--to include a tiled orange ceiling. Very mod. I'm thinking white towels... because, really, you can't go wrong with that, right?

Upon seeing the photo of the guest suite bathroom, my very dear friend Vangie said that all she could think was "Oh Behave!" with her Austin Powers accent. It is a little mod, isn't it? I'm afraid that voice will be echoing in my head every time I go into this bathroom for a while. "Do I make you randy?" Meh...

The house is two floors, also atypical of Tunisian construction, I schlepped up four flights of stairs looking at some of the houses we turned down. We have a large open living area that looks out over the pool, a small enclosed dining area, and a small kitchen.It's not a matter of 'will my furniture fit', it's a matter of 'how will it look in this space?' or 'will it fit in a way that makes sense?' I'll take pictures after I get us moved in and you can tell me if I did okay. We're going to have to invest in some rugs and carpets. We have miles of marble floors and the house echoes now.

I can't wait to settle into this place. Our landlords, Hammadi and Fatma, have been very kind. Their daughter, who's attending medical school, translated for them. They assured us that we were to treat this as our home. Do whatever we liked, make improvements, paint, whatever. Very nice. It's reassuring to know that I can make holes in the walls to hang curtains and pictures and not worry about the damage left behind. DH will point out that we've left every place better than we found it, and he's absolutely right. We're dream renters. I've got to keep reminding myself of that. I have a ton of pictures on Facebook. If you want to see something specific, let me know and I'll post the pics.

--Sandee Wagner

My Happy Place

2010-12-28T08:18:00.003-06:00

Today is the day that we meet the landlords at our new home, do a quick walk through and then get the complete set of keys to the place. Our new landlords, Hammadi and Fatma, are very nice people. They have already told us that if we want to make any changes to the place to go ahead and do so. According to them, "this is your house now!"

I find that a refreshing attitude. Not that I'm going to paint all the walls wild whacky bilious colors... but if I wanted to, I could!

We got a single set of keys a week ago. We've been running over to the house every couple of days to check on the progress of the work being done. Today, the finish work is ongoing and the cleaners are going to do a final deep clean.

Then it's our empty house. Just waiting for our personal effects to clear customs.

I've been waiting for the landlord to tell us the complete mailing address. I wanted to get it down exactly before I shared it with our friends and family. The house is new construction so it doesn't have a street number yet. Today I asked how long it takes before the street number is assigned... guess what they said? About five months before the municipality gets around to giving all the new houses in the neighborhood their street numbers. This is a far cry from the US where the plots in a builders' neighborhood have street addresses before anything else happens.

We are going to live in a neighborhood/town called Gammarth. You say that Ga-MART. Very French. We tell people we live near Gammarth Plage, which means Gammarth beach. Even the Arabic script on the signs looks like a Happy Face! Very upper crusty, isn't it? Doesn't sound like a place that can't be bothered to assign street addresses.

At this point, I'm considering doing a permanent change of address to DH's office address and not even try to get mail at the house. Seems like a better bet all around. I KNOW that mail gets delivered there every day.

We are just that much closer to being out of this hotel and into a new home. Keep your fingers crossed for me. I'm hoping that customs doesn't choke on my household goods and really keep us waiting!

--Sandee Wagner

Bricorama, Part II

2010-12-25T15:03:00.010-06:00

We went back to Bricorama today with someone who speaks French/Arabic. We found some shelves there that we wanted, but they wouldn't fit in our car. To set up delivery, we figured we needed some help, so one of the gals from Bert's office offered to go with us to help translate. We managed to get some shelving for the garage AND to capture the pictures I missed last time.
I wanted to show you the solid concrete, lamb shaped barbecue pit. From the front, it looks like a mild mannered sheep. Then, out the side, WHAM! Slide out grill.

If the irony of barbecuing lamb on a sheep shaped grill hasn't yet tickled your funny bone, then surely the gazelle shaped one will make you laugh. I don't know why someone wants a concrete animal for their garden. DH has always wanted one of those big buffalos, but I've held him off.
A gazelle is an animal that is at home on the African plains, the Serengeti. Why that seems like something to immortalize and put in your backyard is completely beyond my comprehension. But here you see it, almost life sized, in its natural coloring. The artist has gone to great lengths to make sure the detail is right, from the curly horns right down to the tiny hooves. And then WHAM! Slide out grill.
So instead of going to the zoo, or some kind of drive through adventure park, you can enjoy the wildlife right in your own backyard! Plus, if your gazelle is made of concrete, then no animal was harmed in its production, right? I don't know why I find the idea of barbecuing inside the chest cavity of an edible animal funny, but I find it HYSTERICAL...

It appears to me that the Tunisians love cats--there's some cat worship in the ancient religions, and the holdover in North Africa is that cats are like cows in India... no one harms them. Pheasants (yes, those birds were all pheasants--I asked) are birds you can keep in the garden with no fear of 'hunting season' attracting rednecks with shotguns. And noone finds irony in making a cooker in the shape of animals. They appear to not like dogs very much. In the signage department, I found one sign that made me laugh. I'm sure there's a real use for this one, but the "No Weiner Dogs" sign called to me. In case you were wondering, the 5.99 TD is about $4.00 USD. I don't know what other treasures I'll find at Bricorama. I need to not go back until that Chow-Chow puppy is long gone. He's a cutie, and so Norm-like.

--Sandee Wagner

Happy Christmas Eve!

2010-12-24T12:37:00.004-06:00

We got a great surprise today... while we were watching a movie in our room, there was a knock on the door. The hotel management sent up a hand signed invitation inviting us to attend a buffet dinner especially for Christmas Eve. How nice is that?

First came the scrolled letter tied with a big fat red satin bow. Then about thirty minutes later, the catering manager presented us with a special desert plate and wished us "Happy Christmas!"

I peeled the plastic off so you can see the yummy goodness.
In one dark chocolate shell are some chocolate covered nuts. In the other one, there are freshly made 'macaroons' which are more like meringue cookies. They just melt away on your tongue and they've flavored differently and colored them in all pretty pastel colors. Backing up the presentation is a dark chocolate bar made with a
Greek key pattern. They had it standing up vertically to keep the plastic from crushing the cups. And as the base for the whole thing is a honeyed hard shell candy circle. Really! The plate is edible!! Not the white china one, the base is though.

Amazing, really. I think it was very nice of them to go all out for Christmas when it's not even their holiday. What a nice gift on this Christmas Eve.

--Sandee Wagner

Bricorama

2010-12-24T02:00:00.005-06:00

We knew there had to be one, it was just a matter of finding it. And we finally did. The store in Tunis what most closely resembles a Home Depot or Lowe's is Bricorama. This store is situated right next to Tunis City which is the biggest mall/shopping center in all of Tunis.

DH and I made a pilgrimage to Bricorama looking for curtain rods. We know we have some in our household goods, but I was sure that we didn't have enough long ones for the windows in our new living/dining areas. So, we went to find curtain rods. And we found them. Checked that off our list.

But we also took time to look around and see what else was available in this store. No surprise that there is a lot of 'flat pack' furniture that gives an IKEA-like analog for inexpensive storage items. There was also the largest selection of 'build it to suit' closet systems I've ever seen. Which makes sense, because there are NO closets in any of the older homes. Everyone uses wardrobes here.

What I wasn't expecting was the livestock.

Probably, it's safe to say that I never expect live animals. Although they did have three puppies for sale (wildly overpriced in my experience) they did have the most interesting birds for sale.

This guy was a good looking bird. I have no idea what kind... whether you eat him or turn him loose in your garden as a pet. There were four or five very pretty birds in the cages, but I can't say whether they were pheasants or what. They did have long tail feathers and they were not at all chicken-like.

Another interesting device that I didn't snap a photo of were the concrete cookers. They have giant (life-sized) animal sculptures of sheep and other four legged mammals. They stand in your garden looking decorative. But they have a surprise! A drawer slides out that you can fill with charcoal or wood and set ablaze for a barbecue. I had to laugh. If the cooking surface hadn't been so small, I would probably have purchased one just for the 'conversation piece' value. Next time I go to Bricorama, I'll try to get pictures.

--Sandee Wagner

Just When You Think It's Safe...

2010-12-22T02:43:00.002-06:00

I'm a hugger. I'll admit it. I'm kind of 'touchy feely'. My husband has even warned me that I'm too touchy for actual workplace standards. I own that. I see that not everyone is a hugger like me.

When you move to a new area, where you have no friends and acquaintances, that falls by the wayside. You have to build new relationships to get to the level where you feel comfortable hugging or touching.

But not the Europeans. They've brought touch into brand new meetings. In the US, my friends and I would call it an 'air kiss'. You lean in, press your cheek to their cheek and make kissy noises right at their ear. Any heavily made-up woman has done this at one point or another just to save their lipstick.

The Europeans have adopted this as a greeting, like Americans do handshakes. We reach out our right hand, expecting to have it firmly shaken, and they pull your upper body forward and press cheeks, making kiss-kiss. It takes a little getting used to. Even for a touchy feely person like me.

When I finally got used to it, we met a new guy. A Norwegian.

Now, I am not good at geography. I'd have to pull up a world map to figure out where most of these folks come from... I don't even think I could find Norway on the map without a lot of searching. I know it's north, has some Arctic Circle in its borders so that might help me locate his home.

This guy is urbane. Like a Bond villain. He wears ascot ties and speaks seven different languages. His parents were ex-pats so he was raised all over the world and it shows. He enjoys conversation and fine wine. I like him. He's friendly.

When I 'went in' for my European kiss-kiss, he threw yet another kink into my routine. The Norwegians add a third kiss. That means you push your head to the left, air kiss, right, air kiss, then BACK to the left and do it again. You think that didn't throw me off my game? Well, it did.

At this point, I just want to wrap my arms around his neck and press my body up against him and surprise the snot out of him... Who makes up the rules to these social conventions? I just laughed and he explained to me that the Norwegians add in the third kiss. He smiled and did the cosmopolitan gentleman thing to ease us out of an awkward situation. He's my new best friend.

Yesterday, one of the Americans I met at the embassy ran by to pick something up at my hotel. I ran downstairs and handed off the package and was surprised when she pulled me into a hug. She wished me Merry Christmas and said she'd see me after they get back from their family Christmas celebration in the Alps. Yeah. I know! Skiing in the alps. It's close enough that a family can plan something like that from here. Go figure.

Anyway, as I'm navigating the deep waters of how to get along in North Africa, I'm finding myself struggling to figure out the conventions. When to hug, when to kiss, when to shake hands. DH told me just to shake hands and if they want to air kiss, they'll tug you in. Men never have to balance on high heels, they just don't get it. I don't want to be 'that guy' who isn't friendly, or doesn't give the correct or appropriate greetings. So, I'll continue to try to work this out. Give the Europeans the kiss-kiss, the Americans the hug, and the Norwegian guy the kiss-kiss-kiss.

Try to keep up. There'll be a quiz.

--Sandee Wagner