Madain Saleh

My weekend in Mada'in Saleh

• Ten hour drive (was supposed to be six)
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Quaint ancient village full of date palms







• Didn't see one woman in the village







• Bus got stuck in deep sand in the middle of nowhere. Taxis eventually brought us back to the hotel.

• Gorgeous rock formations dripping and pourous

Homes, Tombs, and Temple

• Climbing, fresh air, and nature!

We drove back through the "holy" city of Medina. Signs along the way marked the border of Haram (forbidden) territory. Non-muslims are not allowed in the city. Just driving through presented a level of uneasiness I can't describe. On the journey, we had a couple of proper "abaya checks", and were escorted by police most of the way. Just outside of Medina, we stopped to get some food, when (after only ten minutes or so) police demanded that we reboard the bus. Apparently, due to the mingling of sexes from our group in public.

Even though I am exhausted now, this trip was absolutely amazing; the most cultural experience I've had here yet. See Facebook for more photos...it takes too long to upload here. If you're interested, I'm posting a link with some info about the history...http://nabataea.net/quikfax.html

Dubai

Eid Al Fitr marks the end of Ramadan. Families have a week off, travel to see one another, give gifts and celebrate, much like Christmas to much of the world. Since we observe Saudi holidays, we also had the week off. So, I jumped on my new friend Corry's bandwagon to Dubai where she has a friend with whom we could stay. Although our first travel arrangements didn't work out, due to the airline going under and ripping us off, we bought new tickets through Gulf Air.

Travelling out of Jeddah (often pronounced Ji-duh)

is quite an experience, especially after Ramadan.

Millions of people from all over the world make their pilgrimage to Mecca through this international airport. Corry and I arrived early for our flight out, to see hoards of pilgrims camped out in the airport with piles of luggage and giant bottles of holy water. Most notable are the conditions in the bathrooms and the array of smells throughout. Two words adequately describe the experience: vomit and body odor..well, I guess that's three.

On a positive note, the gentleman working for Gulf Air could not have been more accommodating: When I enquired about which gate we should pursue, he ushered me to the front of a very long line of impatient looking thobed men to have the man behind the counter print boarding passes and direct me further. I heard one man saying to another man behind me, "it could be worse.." I should mention that the guy behind the counter knew my name before I handed him my information. This is not the first time this has happened.

Once in the gateway, it was breathtaking just to look around and see people from Africa, Asia, and all countries between, with soiled feet and very tired (but satisfied) faces. Again, the bathroom was quite an ordeal. Women who don't seem to know the concept of a line aggressively pushing their way right in front of the stall door, knocking on it and shaking the handle until the person inside comes out. Ladies were claiming their stall by literally holding on to the handle. At one point, a little old lady made a gesture to me to just get on in there and claim a spot, so I just pushed right in and held on to a handle, boy. I must say, though, that most of the people I ran into were sweet and friendly; smiling and making eye-contact is something every language can understand.

Due to the short notice ticket purchase, I sat in business class on the flight from Bahrain to Dubai. That was a treat. A full meal on real dishes, a hot towel, and yes...my first glass of real wine in almost two months! It definitely feels different being a single women travelling in the Middle East. While it's not always required, I often feel more comfortable covering my head. Showing hair out here seems similar to showing cleavage.

Turns out, Corry and I have a lot in common. She is the music teacher for the primary grades. She's lived abroad in China and Africa, but Canada is her home. Her friend Obdulio (we call him Fonseca) has only been in Dubai for several weeks. He's teaching Spanish and originally from Costa Rica, so I immediately connected with him, but soon realized just how rusty my Spanish has quickly become. Fonseca took us to the world's seventh largest mall: the Dubai Mall. On facebook you will see a photo of the giant aquarium in the mall, which was a little overwhelming; things were high end and overpriced because people like to drop money in Dubai.

Outside the mall is the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. It looks like it reaches the height of a mountain and is very hard to capture in one frame. Apparently we got lucky and saw it on a clear day.

Fonseca also took us to a great local Arab restaurant where I became well acqainted with Fatoush, a cucumber and tomato salad with greens and fried pita on top. We drank fresh squeezed fruit juice (one thing NOT lacking here in the Middle East) and smoked mint shisha.

Corry and I spent the rest of our time exploring Dubai, while Obdulio had to work. We got around by taxi. First, we went to the Atlantis hotel, ate a perfect Italian lunch, and rode the metro down the spine of the "palm", a man-made island in the shape of a palm tree with condos and resorts. Another day, we went to the creek, in historic Dubai. On the creek were many boats for transportation and streets lined with vendors (souks) selling tapestries, electronics, gold, indian clothing......you name it! It was too hot to shop outside so we went to the museum and got a taste of old Bedouin life. Dubai as it looks today is younger than I am. In fact, construction in everywhere! The oil discovery was only in 1971.

We had a great afternoon at the Burj Al Arab (the sail-looking building on the horizon below), which is apparently the tallest hotel in the world. Just to go in, reservations with a minimum purchase are required. We sat in a luxurious asian lounge, drank a couple of adult beverages and sampled some snacks. The Burj turned out to be quite accommodating, as the concierge took great care in helping us book a desert safari.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xhu3OVpXRo

Obdulio was very generous to have us stay in his home (and sleep in his bed) for five days, especially because it was his first week of school. It was nice to start each day with some tea and end each day with good company in a cozy neighborhood home.

Our last evening was certainly the climax to a wonderful time away: we went off-roading through an endless see of sand dunes! Our driver was friendly and asked us if we wanted to go slow or fast. Well, of course we wanted to go fast!! It was a little scary and I think we all sreamed at different points along the way, as the jeep would seemingly tip to one side and slide down a dune, while creating a wave of sand higher than the vehicle itself. At one point, we pulled over to just get a look of the land and the driver offered us a snow-board to ride down the dunes. Woohoo!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n48ESbF6HWE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1UqThld-T0

After the off-roading, we went to a camp to ride camels, eat some authentic Arabian food, smoke some shisha, get our hands painted with henna, and hang under the stars. Did I mention the belly dancing? It was a magical evening and I'm so blessed to have shared it with two fantastic people: Corry and Obdulio. Unfortunately, my photog skills were lacking on this trip, but what I haven't posted here, I will post on facebook.

The beginning of a new school year

Remember Conan O' Brien's skit, "The year 2000"? Well, when I was ten, I looked at the year 2000 as the future. And here I am, in Saudi Arabia, starting the 2010-2011 school year at one of the top graduate universities of science and technology in the world. One might start to believe we are in the future when an orientation to teaching early childhood includes terms such as 'paperless school', 'digital student portfolios', 'i movies', and 'smart tables'.
After three weeks of various introductions to technology, reality has set in. I am one of many pioneers working to establish even the most basic foundations at this new school. Turns out, while the funding exists for Smart Tables, I've yet to see one. Instead, our team is busy organizing bus schedules, starting classrooms from scratch, and meeting new families for intake.

My roster is up to thirteen students: five girls and eight boys. Six of my students speak limited to no English, but rather Arabic. After the Eid, (a holiday ending the month of Ramadan) I'll surely go up to fifteen students. My assistant, Adora, is from the Philippines. This is her first experience working full-time in a classroom. She is a licensed audiologist and her husband works here on campus. The first week of school was a challenge, getting to know the nuances of this community. This place definately has a distinctive flare, so I had to adjust my teaching approach quite a bit. My students and I are acclimating just fine.

This weekend, Lisa, her son Dylan, Corry, and I took a taxi through Jiddah to Jareers bookstore and mall. Surviving the mad traffic, where everyone competes to make it through intersections and doesn't have a concept of a "space cushion", we saw some amazing tea sets, gaudy nick knacks, and ornate abayas at the mall, which seems to be more 'in the neighborhood'. It was the first time I've seen people begging, including some children.

I'm looking forward to Ramadan's end, so I can openly carry my water bottle around during the day. And I'll be going to Dubai for four days!

My favorite thing so far: one of my little boys said, "Ms. Miranda, one day you can put on your abaya and come to my house to see my room." No child has ever said this to me before. Yes, I am in Saudi Arabia.

First days at the University

The trip into Jeddah on Wednesday went better than I imagined it would. After the long flight, I was escorted by a gentleman who brought me to the front of the custom check-in lines and helped me with my baggage.

I was not searched, questioned, or hassled in any way.

Since that night, I've walked around and discovered that it takes me about 15 min. to get to the grocery store and my workplace. And while my house is not on the water, as some, I am a couple of minutes from the town square, university, and gym. Yay! The architecture is phenominal here, especially at the university! The photos displayed are of the mosque on a canal right behind my house and the walk toward the Red Sea, which takes about five minutes. The mosque is huge and this is just the side that faces my house. I'll post more photos soon!

Yesterday we started orientation at the school, which officially starts Aug. 28 (during Ramadan). It's exciting to meet so many people who come from so many different places.

I made it to Jeddah on Friday. We went to the mall of Arabia. I didn't have to cover my head, but most women were covered or fully veiled. It was a great experience to see different cultures and stores, as well as many familiar places, like Starbucks. The mall of Arabia has an amusement park and ice skating rink. We experienced a couple calls to prayer; when shops close and people stop for a half an hour. Many women crowded into the large, ornately tiled bathroom, some praying, some eating, and many adjusting their veils. The whole trip was much less intimidating than I thought it would be. The people here are really gorgeous and gracious.

One more day

On Tuesday, I will be leaving Tucson through Chicago, switching planes in Amman, Jordan; then, at last, I will arrive in Jeddah. I've been so fortunate to have spent time with all my family and friends before I go. While I'll miss everyone, skype will make it fun to reconnect throughout my time in Saudi. So, if you're not on skype yet, download it and we'll chat!