Lunchtime

When the weather is nice here (October - May), I like to go outside at lunchtime and enjoy the sunshine. I usually bring a salad from home and find a bench in one of the nearby parks. And there's usually time for a quick walk as well.

But the summer poses challenges when it comes to lunchtime, since it's too hot to spend much time outside. In June, July, and August, the temperatures reach over 40 degrees Celsius (100+ Fahrenheit). We have a small café on campus where we gather most days. But sometimes I feel claustrophobic staying inside all day on the same floor of the same building. Here are some ways my coworkers and I have been creative in doing things a little differently this summer:

• Drove to Kitsch Cupcakes to pick up treats for a coworker's birthday.
• Went out for Indian or Lebanese food.
• Ordered Jones the Grocer sandwiches-- best in the city in my book!
• Walked to Costa, an Australian coffee house chain. I used an umbrella to block the sun.
• Headed home to use the time to pray.
• Held a Library Open House for the campus staff. Balloons and sweets wooed people to stop by and learn about the library's resources.

Now that it's Ramadan, we're not taking full lunch breaks because our work days are shorter. It's also illegal to eat or drink in public during the day, though we can still eat in the café because screens block the view. I'm looking forward to the weather cooling off soon... then I'll be outside again mid-day every day!

Not our average method of acquisition

A few weeks ago, Christie's auction house of Dubai contacted us at the NYUAD Library, asking if we'd like to acquire some of their old catalogs. My boss thought they'd be good additions to the collection because they can contain beautiful images and hold research value.

So yesterday afternoon a Christie's employee, Osama, was passing through Abu Dhabi anyway, so the plan was that he'd drop the catalogs off at our campus. Easy? Not quite. Here's what transpired:

~ 2 pm : Osama calls from the car asking for directions. I pass him off to my colleague Ron, who knows the city street names better than I do.

~4 pm: Osama calls me again, having lost Ron's phone number. I do my best to give directions, but he's still several miles away, so he plans to call when closer to the city

~4:15 pm: I go online trying to figure out best directions to give him. Truth is, the campus isn't that hard to find, but it's really hard to explain when there are three street names for the main road you need to turn onto: 2nd Street, Old Airport Rd, or Sheik Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum Street. And I couldn't remember what name is listed on the signs!

~4:25 pm: Osmama calls me again. I try to give directions, but he's hesitant to follow them because he has to get to the palace for a 5 pm appointment. He asks if I can meet him somewhere...

~4:30: I hop in a cab and get to the Hilton quickly. Cab takes off.

~4:38: Try calling Osama but get a "cannot connect" message.  See a large SUV parked in front of me with an Arab man inside. Smile hesitantly. He rolls down the window and I say, "Are you Osama?"

~4:40: Thankfully I'm correct and haven't sent an unintended message to a stranger. We shake hands and he says, "Where's your car?" I explain that I took a taxi, while he opens up the back of his SUV to reveal five piles of catalogs! I'd envisioned a small bag full that I could carry easily, but there are about fifty catalogs I need to get back to campus...

~4:42: Run out to the Corniche Road and try to hail a taxi, even though there's not a taxi stand there. Several cars honk while they pass by-- either because they want to make sure I don't cross the street or because my skirt is a little too short. Finally, after about five minutes, find a taxi.

~4:46: Osama, the taxi driver, and I load catalogs into taxi trunk. Osama will make his appointment at the palace after all.

~4:55: Return to campus and unload catalogs with the help of our mailroom attendant. Tip the taxi driver nearly 100% for his help.

I sure hope someone uses those catalogs sometime!

WOMAD

The weather is perfect these days-- 80s during the day and 60s at night. Lovely for a day at the beach or dinner outdoors. Last weekend (April 7-8), Abu Dhabi was treated to the WOMAD (World of Music, Arts and Dance) festival on the Corniche beachfront. I can't imagine a better way to spend an evening than hanging out with friends while dancing to music on the beach! Heavenly.

 

Dr. Jimmy Cliff from Jamaica

Bands traveled from all over the world: Mali, France, Senegal, Iraq, Hondoras, UK, Egypt, South Africa etc. These musicians represented a wide range of styles and skills. 

The crowd itself hailed from an even broader spectrum of countries and socioeconomic backgrounds.
 
My favorite moment of the weekend came on Thursday night when listening to the Colombian band LA-33. They played great salsa music that I couldn't stand still to. So as I was clapping and swaying to the music, I noticed two young Emirati girls nearby. They kept watching me and started clapping with me. At first the girls stayed close to their father, too shy to dance. But over the course of the next 15 minutes they inched closer to me, and soon we really dancing together! Clapping, smiling, twirling. The girls invented a game of burying our feet in the sand and then almost falling over from dancing. Such joy! Music transcends language and cultural boundaries like nothing else. I'm grateful for the opportunity to soak in the diversity of this city.