My First Desert Safari – October 2010

Several adventurous friends decided to take a trip to the desert – Arab style  – in new SUVs! We departed Al Ain in the afternoon, but four members ditched the trip before we arrived in the desert. They were afraid to be in the car with a crazy driver??? Ha!

We drove to an area known as Margham, which is 30 km south of Dubai, and then we proceeded to have an exciting dune drive!!! Oh my, my … it’s not for the faint of heart! After the exhilaration of riding a sand roller coaster, we reached our first destination, a camel farm located somewhere in the middle of the desert. Camels are so sweet and sooooo cute!  Afterwards, we continued to drive or should I say sail across the desert. Imagine 100 or so SUVs atop sand dunes and sliding literally down the side. We stopped to watch the beautiful sunset over the desert before reaching our campsite where we had the opportunity to have a camel ride and try out a henna design on our hands or feet. We enjoyed a delicious barbecue dinner and shisha (the famous Arabic water pipe which I love!). The evening came to an end as we watched a belly dancer perform her show around the campfire by starlight.

If you ever visit the Middle East- this is a MUST DO

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! See for yourself!

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Palace Museum Field Trip- December 2010

Our first field trip for the Al Taqwa Kindergarten students was to the Al Ain Palace Museum, which is the former birthplace and private residence of Sheikh Zayed, the late president who is recognized as the founding leader of the UAE. Sheikh Zayed had the foresight to propose and support the education initiative that is presently being implemented by the Abu Dhabi Education Council (my employer).

The Palace museum is a  majestic fort which lies in the center of town at the edge of the Al Ain Oasis. It is a beautiful place to take a quiet walk and explore the gardens, courtyards, long corridors, gorgeous carved wood windows, paintings and photographs of former leaders and historic Al Ain.

The students enjoyed seeing the “old” kitchen and the many rooms which were decorated historically as a tribute to their culture. I enjoyed visiting with the guards <wink>.

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Special Moments in Time- November 2010

I was so proud of my daughter, Lauren, when she walked in the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Walk in October 2010. Three thousand very brave women and men committed to walk 60 miles in three days through Atlanta to help raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research. What an accomplishment for Lauren and her friend, Holly. I was there in spirit! As she said, “this event changed me as a person, as a woman… I will never be the same!”

Look through the pictures below and see those sweet shoes, cute little bones, and that wonderful daughter of mine!

Unfortunately, I had to miss the Atlanta Walk due to my move to the UAE.  When I became aware of Dubai’s Pink Walkathon for Breast Cancer Awareness, which is held yearly in late October and sponsored by Burjuman (one of Dubai’s mall conglomerates), my friend Kate (from New Zealand) and I committed to walk the 3.8 km. The Sheikh from Ras Al Khaimah, one of the seven members of the United Arab Emirates, died on October 27th so the event was postponed to November 7th. We got up very early that morning and drove to Dubai, which is only 120 km from our home.

What a glorious event! I shared the streets of Dubai with 8,000 people living in/around the UAE, who came together for one cause.  Our walk began and we were directly behind these students. Their 3-minute Facebook video says it all …

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=499472571473

Click on video tab.  Click on RIS Burjuman Walk.

My pictures do not give justice to the exciting event  (last row above). Like my Lauren, I experienced many different emotions throughout the walk … exhilaration to be among so many people dedicated to one cause, the  joy of seeing a concerted effort, but, most importantly, the knowledge that this journey was a “life changing” experience. Maybe this is the year that YOU dedicate your time to a worthy cause …

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