Shakira & Amr Diab Concert

Summer in Dubai - An Emirati Wedding, Dissertation Writing and a trip to Turkey

The 2010-2011 school year has finally come to an end. The years seem to be flying by faster and faster - a sure sign of age. Overseeing 50 teachers and 2000+ students obviously keeps me very busy. Surprisingly, I was able to present at 2 conferences - 1 in April on the Perceptions of the Spoken Dialects of Arabic in Jordan and another in May on Classroom Observation and Feedback at the British University in Dubai. And just last week, I got my first book REVIEW published - Varieties of English in Writing by Raymond Hickey. At least I don't feel so isolated from academia any more. Ingrid & I will be spending most of the summer here, so I can work on my dissertation, which I really need to finish, and we can get a bunch of doctor's and car appointments out of the way. We are also invited to an Emirati wedding in the UAE city of Fujairah (pic above), on the Eastern Coast/Indian Ocean. One of our co-workers will be wed on 7 July. Unlike last year, the weather has been quite comfortable. So far, we've only had a few really hot days (110+) and a couple of humid ones (dew points in the low 80's and humidity 90%). It's still nice enough to go to the pool and beach. Let's hope it stays this way. Then on August 2, for Ingrid's birthday (Aug 9), we are going to Bodrum, Turkey for 2 weeks! We rented an apt right on the beach where you can take a 20 minute boat ride over to Kos, Greece. It should be an adventure...

Carter's Bar & Pulse Nightclub

After a great dinner of lamb steaks, Moroccan lamb tagine and fish & chips (ok, that was me) at Carter's restaurant in Wafi Mall, we went to check out Pulse in the Movenpick Hotel. These 20-somethings ran Ingrid & me into the ground, but they also made us feel 20 years younger! I forgot to add that the waitress remembered us from last time and asked if we had any coupons, which we did - 2 in fact! ha ha

A Day at Wild Wadi Water Park

Dubai Mall Lakes/Fountains & Burl Khalifa

Burl Al Arab...Again!

When I called to make the reservation, the guy on the phone said, "Oh, Mr. Robert, you are visiting again so soon. Would you like to join the points club?" I asked, "Is it free?" (some things never change). The guy said, "Yes. When you get here, fill out the application." So I told Ingrid & Vick and was all psyched. By the time we finished off our wine, I had forgotten all about it. I asked for the the check and had my cc ready. When the bill arrived in the leather case, I opened it and found a plastic card. I said, "Oh my God, we got the VIP card!" Ingrid was like, "Really?!? Let me see!" I picked it up and looked closer. It read Southwest Airlines: Varun Shah - to which I responded, "WTF is this?" Vick was laughing hysterically. He had slipped the waitress his cc when I wasn't paying attention. It was soooo funny! Needless to say, I never filled out the VIP points club application, but I did manage to get wined and dined at the World's Most Expensive Hotel without paying for the second time in as many months! Who's the fool now?!?

Abu Dhabi

Just another day in the capital city of the UAE w/Vick, Ingrid, me & Mo.