Larnaca Cyprus

We stayed in the town square next to the Old Church and within minutes walking distance of great restaurants, shops and the beach. It was sunny & low 70's every day. Not bad for the 1st week of December!

Cyprus

During the last week of November, we took a 5 day trip to Cyprus, the only place in the world with a split capital. Nicosia/Lefkosia is half in Greece and half in Turkey. We stayed in Larnaca and took day trips to N/L, Ayia Napa and Limossol/Lemesos. It is a fun yet relaxing place with nice beaches, great food, and very friendly people. I will upload some photos soon!

Driving in Dubai

First, a little video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-0J9TwZeMc&feature=related

If you don't have to drive here, DON'T! But since the metro is not fully running (more on the slick Dubai Metro later), and my job is in another Emirate, I have no choice. Having driven since 1984 in many many places, Miami, Bogota & LA were my former Top 3 worst. Now, it's Dubai, Sharjah & Abu Dhabi. There are numerous reasons:

Speed

Young inexperienced males

Unlicensed drivers

Sportscars

Traffic

Construction Zones

Cab drivers

South Asians

Fog

Young inexperienced unlicensed drivers who weave their sports cars at high speeds through heavy traffic and construction zones full of South Asian cab drivers in the fog...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nzIBJMvYPA

We are presently looking to buy a tank...

UAE Weather

The first 3 days we were here were completely overcast - but not by clouds. It was a dust storm that blew in from Iraq and covered the entire Arabian Gulf area. Since the sun was blocked, it never got above 90. Then the sun came out. And it was 118F. And humid. And at night, it rarely fell below 95. This lasted all through August and into September. We went to the beach and the water was over 100F. It felt like a hot tub. I never sweated in the ocean before. Very odd sensation. The heat continued through October and into mid-November, when the days were still frequently over 100, and the nights around 80. Then 1 woke up to dense fog 3 mornings in a row...a definite sign of change!

Then last Friday, the skies grew cloudy and the wind began to blow. There were thunderstorms in North UAE and a few showers at the beach by our house. By Saturday, November 21, the skies were crystal clear, and it failed to reach 80! The days since have been upper 70's to low 80's with nights in the mid 60's! We've turned the air off and are loving it. We went to the beach and the usually flat sea was crashing 3-6 footers on the beach! Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera. By 12 noon, the lifeguards put up red flags and closed Jumeriah Beach! Seas continued to rise to more than 10 feet by Tuesday. The water was so many colors it was amazing.

Last Sunday, we had between 2 and 3 inches of rain. There were floods everywhere!

Qatar Airlines

As many of you know, I am no longer the happy jet-setter I once was. For some odd reason, I am really afraid to fly and avoid it as much as possible - a major problem for someone who lives and works overseas! BUT, I am ok under the following conditions...

1. Very short flights

2. Day time flights

3. First or Business class

4. Very short day time flights in First or Business Class.

Hummm, the only way to do this was to fly from Tucson-Chicago (3 hrs), then to Toronto (1 hr) with a 3 day layover. Toronto - JFK (1.5 hrs), JFK - Doha, Qatar (13 hours), then Doha - Dubai (1 hr). I have flown both business and 1st class before, but never at the level of an airline like Qatar, which claims to be the world's only 5-star airline. I don't know what was going on back in coach, but this was the way to do it. When we got on the plane, I felt as if we were sitting in a large living room. There were 6 large recliner seats in pairs. There was cool lighting, mood music, and I counted 1 flight attendant for every 2 people! There was so much room for my feet that I couldn't stretch my legs far enough to reach the seat back in front of me. The menu was ridiculous. You could choose a multi-course meal at a set-time or a la carte when you were hungry. The choices were steak, chicken, fish, salads, vegan, etc for the multi-course, and things like pasta, personal pizzas, grilled hamburgers, ice cream sundaes, and freshly-baked cookies for the a la carte choices! Wait, there was also a wine, beer and liquor/liquer menu! I was so overwhelmed. Ingrid kept telling me to stop talking so much, or they would know this was our 1st time in such posh seating. I think they knew when I started video-taping the cabin, and asked a flight attendant to take our photo! Anyway, if that wasn't a clue, my inability to work my seat, which not only laid flat into a 180 degree bed, BUT also had multiple massage functions, clearly gave me away. The buttons were so sensative that 1 moment I was sitting up straight watching my 13" flat screen tv and the next minute I was reclining fully out of control to a flat position, hitting buttons, getting massaged in places I didn't need or want, and activating the flight attendant assistance button. Ingrid offered no help, acting like she had just met me on the plane. Thanks, Joanne!

So the 13 hours flew by. We slept for 7 or 8 hours. I ate and drank Bordeaux the rest of the time. Did I mention I was given Godiva chocolates every time I went to the bathroom? I could have flown to the moon and not complained. We landed in Doha in a thick dust-storm, with visibility only a few hundred feet. As we deplaned, there was a bus waiting for us to take us to the 1st class terminal. Not a 1st class lounge, but an ENTIRE TERMINAL! There were marble floors, crystal chandeliers, a hot & cold buffet, HOT TUBS in the restrooms, and wait, OPEN BAR. I thought we were in the Middle East?!? See http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news06/2811-QatarAirways.shtml It was at this point that I realized we were moving to a place that would always be full of pleasant surprises.

Toronto

After sweating in Madrid and Tucson for most of May, June & July, we thought it would be a "cool" ideal to spend a few days in Canada. (Actually, the real reason was the fact that it cost the same amount to fly Business class from Canada to Dubai as it did to fly coach from Tucson, so I got creative in my travel planning, "forcing" us to spend 3 days in Toronto!) The city is amazing - kind of like New York or Chicago, only MUCH cleaner, safer and with friendlier people. We stayed downtown at the One King West Hotel & Residence - perfect location. We walked all around, ate at great restaurants, and saw the musical Jersey Boys - The Frankie Valli story, which we highly recommend. http://www.jerseyboysinfo.com/

Happy Thanksgiving 2009!!!

Hello Everyone! Finally, after 4 months of absence, I have been able to figure out the Arabic blogger page, so I can access, upload and update this site. A special muchas gracias to Robert Martinez of San Antonio, Texas, who sent me the link. Well, it has been a great adventure since we stepped on the plane to leave Tucson last July 28...and the next several posts will be about the amazing experiences since we departed: Toronto, Qatar Airways, the weather, getting settled in Dubai, learning how to drive all over again, my cool job @ HCT, our 1st visitors, bowling club, big waves, UAE National Day bus trip around Sharjah with 1000 female students on 28 buses, why it takes 10 people to change a tire, and our apartment. Ingrid & I hope you all have a Happy & Safe Turkey Day 2009!

TUCSON!!!

After exactly one year, we came home to Arizona! Our house was in 1 piece, the plants & pool needed some TLC, and we were happy to see all our neighbors and former co-workers at Cybernetics Research Labs and the University of Arizona. No one was surprised when we told them we were leaving again in a week for the UAE. My parents, sister, Victor, Aunty Ronnie, Uncle Jack, and cousin Michael all came for a family reunion.

4th of July Weekend in Sarasota

We spent the holiday with my parents, sister Michelle, her new bf Victor, & Ingrid's parents.

Old Neighbors

We spent an evening visiting Joe, Gloria and the "kids" Jonathan and Natalie, whom we hadn't seen in 5 years! Obviously, they ain't kids any more!

Miami Wedding

Hi Readers! Sorry for the LONG delay beween posts. We've been bouncing around the US visiting and trying to get everything wrapped up before our departure next Tuesday! Here are some pics from Ingrid's brother Mauricio's (& Tamara's) wedding.

Farewell Madrid! Saturday June 20

The evening started out with a nice dinner hosted by James & Carmen, then ended with a surprise Italian dinner given to Ingrid & me at around midnight by my favorite Saudi students.

A Night to Rememer - Madrid - Friday June 19

SLU hosted a nice adios party for us in the afternoon, then the usual gang met at Parthenon, our favorite Greek restaurant, before heading out to Castellano 41 and finally Joy Eslavia. We had a GREAT time!

CESL - UA Wedding!!!

I just got an email informing me that one of my former CESL labbies, Matt, and my ELL - SLAT colleague, Jin, were married this past February. They were nice enough to send me video links of the wedding...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdBn2cuKIsY&feature=channel_page and
https://www.email.arizona.edu/horde/services/go.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DTbxdBI-5uLU%26feature%3Dchannel
BEST OF LUCK TO YOU BOTH!!!
Love, Robert & Ingrid

Hello New Readers in UAE!

Welcome to my personal blog. I wish I had known it was going to have new readers who are unfamiliar with the author and his writing style, so I could have provided some background information beforehand. But better late then never, so here goes...As part of my advanced writing class in the Spring of 2008, I required students to post comments in response to our often controversial class readings, films and discussions to our academic blog - http://www.cesltalk.blogspot.com/. At the end of the class, which used the book American Ways, 2nd Ed (Althen, 2002), when I told the students that I would soon be leaving for Spain, all of them laughed and teased, "Now, Robert, YOU can experience what WE have gone through as foreigners in YOUR country!" One student suggested writing a new blog, so they could read about my awkward moments in a new land. I had also taught these students that certain writing styles are required for certain audiences. This blog, whose primary purpose was to entertain, is a written version of the Italian-American oral narrative style (see Coté, 2005; Falassi, 1980; Gardaphé, 1996; Malpezzi & Clemens, 1992; Moramarco & Moramarco, 2000). I was "telling" stories of my experiences as an outsider in a new culture. Of course, there was some embellishment, but all of the stories are true. More importantly, they were written to show my students that even their teacher, who is well-traveled and in an inter-cultural, dual-language marriage, was living exactly the same mistakes, embarassments, and social faux-pas that they all new so well. As I told them time and time again in class, this is the risk we all take when we leave the comfort zone of our homeland. Too often, my international students become so self-conscious of their "foreign-ness" that they withdraw from the host society, sacrificing both their linguistic and cultural development, the entire reason they went abroad in the first place. So my hidden agenda was to show my vulnerabilities as a foreigner to the students so that they know it is OK to say and do "stupid" things, and see these actions as funny, not cause for embarassment. If we can't laugh at ourselves, who can we laugh at? I just hope some of the stories did not offend anyone. I cleaned up the language and deleted two that were, perhaps, not appropriate. In any event, I invite you to say hi, comment, respond to this or any of the posts, and most importantly, Welcome to my world!
Sincerely,
Robert

A Day in Pedraza

This is one of the most beautiful towns we have visited. It is about 90 minutes by car north of Madrid, near Segovia. All the buildings are made of colored stone. They also have the BEST lamb, cooked in an old brick oven.

Where Are They Now?!?

Our chaotic life keeps everyone asking, "Where are they now?!?" Here is a tentative schedule:

Madrid til June 23, except Barcelona June 12-14

Travel to Miami via Zurich June 24

South Florida June 25-July 3

Sarasota July 4-8

Tucson July 9-28

Toronto July 28-30

Travel to UAE July 30-31

Arrive Dubai Aug 1

I will keep you all posted on these plans, as well as new address and phone numbers as I get them. ¡Hasta Pronto!

Our New Home?

We had the opportunity to chose our new place, so we opted for a top floor apartment in Wafi City, in the center of Dubai. It is 2/2.5 on 11th floor, with a BIG kitchen, cool looking LR/DR, balcony, pool, gym and underground parking. Though I will be working in Sharjah, the flow of traffic is opposite if you commute from this part of Dubai.

Dubai Day 2: Higher Colleges of Technology

I spent the day touring the facilities of the HCT campus in University City, Sharjah. It was very impressive. Everything is new, technologically advanced and spotless, not to mention well-landscaped. The 1st pic is of the entrance. Everyone was very friendly and professional. Later in the day, my future boss, Anne, picked up Ingrid and me at the marina behind our hotel and took us on an incredible boat ride around Dubai Creek just in time for sunset over down-town Dubai. Cheers to her husband Rob for his boating and catering skills! We saw wild flamingos and had to compete with a school of flying fish to get back to shore where I took a photo of our hotel at night.

Dubai...Again!

Well, here we go! We went to UAE to check out my job offer at Higher Colleges of Technology in Sharjah, which is the Emirate directly east of the Dubai airport. We took an extra suitcase to leave with Fabien just in case we made a decision to return - no sense flying suitcases to the US in June only to take them to Dubai in late July. Well, no one told us we were limited to 1 suitcase each, so Swiss wanted to charge us $700 for the extra suitcase! NOT! So we took a cab BACK home at 80 mph, dropped off the suitcase, rushed back, paid the $90 fare, and ran to the gate. Where the plane was no where to be found! It was delayed more than an hour. We could have taken the metro for $6.50! AHHH! When we finally got to Zurich, our Swiss flight had already left, so they rebooked us on Emirates. WOW! Best coach experience ever. Large personal tvs, hundreds of channels, great food and super service. By the time we got to Dubai, it was almost midnight, but still 90. Here are some pics of us on the plane and around the hotel. We stayed at the Crowne Plaza in Festival City. It is on Dubai Creek and connected to a HUGE mall. On Saturday, it was 113F! But is was a dry heat. Yeah, right!

Batman Strikes Again (or Deja la China!)

Quick story...Since I always do my part to take a bite out of crime, a few weeks ago, while I was riding the metro with Uncle Leo & Aunt Carol to take them to the Prado, I noticed a Japanese couple get on the train loaded with camera bags, backpacks, violin case and suitcases. Talk about overkill. A few stops later, a teenage Romany girl got on the train. She started casing the Asian woman - looking at all her stuff, and then pretending to need to get close to where the metro map was, right next to the woman. Well, little ladrona didn't know I knew what she was about to do, so I stroll over with my big fat wallet in clear view in my front pocket and stand across from the thief and the Asian woman. The thief looked directly at my pocket, and then back at the Asian women's backpack, and I said, "Chica, yo se que estas haciendo. Estoy te mirando. Deja la China! Necessitas salir en la proxima estacion, si estas intelligente, ladrona." ("Girl, I know what you're doing. I'm watching you. Leave the Chinese woman alone. You need to leave at the next station, if you're smart, thief.") She was so surprised that I think she actually got scared. Her eyes darted around, she moved away from the woman towards the doors, and as soon as the train pulled into the next station, she was outta there! She probably robbed someone else on the next train, but at least I saved La China!

A Sunday in Madrid

If there's one thing a colder than normal winter is good for is great spring roses. All of these pics were taken in the Rose Garden of the Parque del Oeste...

Erica & Andrew Marchese

After 5 long years, we saw our friends Erica & Andrew from Aventura, Florida! We spent time walking around Madrid, visiting El Escorial and the Parque del Oeste, where we took the teleforico to the other side and had a pizza & beer picnic.