Jet lag

Hello all… It’s 9:30am here, and I’ve been up for almost 7 hours. Yep, woke up at 2:30 this morning and haven’t been able to sleep since then. Other than that, I am happy to report that all is well! My flight here was easy. Surprisingly easy. I highly recommend noise cancelling headphones for any flight, especially 12 hour flights. I was able to sleep without any distractions, and although it was 12 hours, it felt much shorter than some flights I have taken in the US (like the Portland to Atlanta flight I recently took). My arrival in Dubai was also surprisingly easy – minus the mile walk from the gate to passport control. The only thing I had to wait for was my luggage (which all arrived in one piece) – there were no lines at passport control or customs.

I am now realizing how difficult it is to put such a new and exciting experience into words. So many things to talk about, so much I don’t understand, even more I want to learn. It is almost overwhelming, but it is good too, I like my brain to be happy and busy. Where to start? I guess the most obvious thing is to talk about the insane climate. I first felt the heat while getting off the plane in Qatar and boarding a tram to the terminal. As soon as you step outside, it’s like hitting a wall. A stagnant, thick, wall of heat. It really does take your breath away. Since being here, I have learned the sheer necessity of air conditioning. The crazy thing is that it doesn’t really feel like it cools down outside as evening sets in. The temperature does, but the humidity continues to rise, which makes it feel warmer well into the night. The coolest part of the day, no doubt, is early morning. I actually drug Garren out of bed this morning to run at 6am (I was getting ansy – I’d already been up for 3+ hours). The heat and humidity didn’t bother me too much – it felt much like running in Ohio on a hot, humid afternoon. However, I do have to say that we ran for about 30 minutes, and that was probably about as much as my body would allow right now. Baby steps…

What else? I think the Arabs are beautiful in their abayas (women) and their dishdashes (men). I am so intrigued by their culture and am excited to learn more - I bought a book on Islam yesterday and am looking forward to reading about the faith of my new home. I’ve eaten Iranian food and shwarma, both were excellent. The hummous here is amazing, and the flatbread is even better. I think I could eat it for every meal and be happy. I tried smoking shisha yesterday, which is basically a flavored tobacco. Smoking anything is new to me, but I do like the premise behind it. It’s definitely a social thing, very relaxing - and supposedly during Ramadan, there are shisha tents everywhere.

English is widely spoken, and although it may be limited, you can communicate fairly easily with just about anyone. Arabic is a whole different story. It appears to be such a challenging language – I also bought a book on basic Arabic yesterday. I’ll let you know how that reading goes….

Driving here is a bit scary. It is the absolutely perfect place for Garren and his R32. There are basically no rules and great, open stretches of well manicured pavement. Each man for himself. Lane lines? Ha! Speed limit? Stop signs? Let’s just say those are all merely “guidelines.” Garren says the best defense is a good offense. I have to agree. I think I will wait awhile to start driving…

Apparently the social thing to do here is go to the mall. There are malls everywhere, and with this heat, I can understand why the mall is the place to be. There really isn’t much else to do, and everything you need (including the grocery store) is at the mall. There is even an Ikea, movie theaters and cute little restaurants in the mall, in addition to the food court. I’ve been to 3 malls already, in less than 48 hours. Luckily for Garren, I’m all shopped out – I did some damage in Ohio and don’t feel the need for more things right now. Especially since all my stuff is still sitting in suitcases….

I guess that’s about it for now. It is great to be with Garren again. I love his apartment and his car. We are starting to plan some trips for the next couple of weeks, so I will have much more to write about, and hopefully some pictures for you to see. Ma is-salaama (goodbye)!