Monday, October 13, 2014

Beach-going and New Friendships


Saturday, October 13th, 2014
Post by Kim

One aspect of living in the UAE that Adam and I are really enjoying is our weekends.  Unlike in Baltimore where we were bogged down with errands and additional work, every weekend here is yet another opportunity to discover new parts of a foreign country.  Making new friendships is also a breeze.  Back in North America, I tend to be shy.  Here and other places abroad, I feel like a different person; massaging my inner extrovert comes much more easily.  I think that socializing comes much more easily abroad partly because everyone has one thing in common: a certain sense of foreignness.  Because we have something in common and don’t really know our way around, we get to know each other and help one another.  We share tips and cool new places/services in the country.  We can also identify with each other when we share our pet peeves about the country.  Our common backgrounds and experiences bind us together, yet our differences enrich and broaden our lives.  It’s truly been fascinating learning about the personal histories and travel experiences of our new friends from different parts of the world.

This past weekend at a French Polynesian restaurant in Al Ain, Adam and I had dinner with Adam’s colleagues (some of whom brought their spouses).  All of them were very nice people from different places; there is one particular colleague that Adam and I would like to get to know further, who has a Laotian wife to be sponsored here.

On the following day, we went out to Corniche beach in Abu Dhabi city with a couple from Al Ain that we’ve gotten to be really good friends with, and another nice ADEC teacher in Abu Dhabi city (whose wife is temporarily out of the country).  The beach was wonderful!  You know when you go into the water and, usually, it takes a while to get accustomed to the cold?  You don’t get that in the Arabian (Persian) Gulf.  It’s like bath water, except that it’s salty so you float fairly easily.  The sand was also very fine, so it didn’t feel too harsh on the skin.  Here are some pictures of the beach; I couldn't help but take a clichéd one of our feet.



Also, for those who are wondering: yes, you can wear a bikini at the beach.  Or at least all the Western women do.  I don’t think there were any Emiratis at the beach – just expats.  We stayed at the beach until sunset – around 6pm.

 

 

Later that evening, our new friend kindly invited us for dinner at his flat in Abu Dhabi.  Beforehand, we went to the vegetable market in Abu Dhabi to get some produce for dinner.

 



We also went to visit the fish market.  Our new friend told us that you can buy fish market and go next door to the restaurants to have them cook it for you!


The food at both the vegetable and fish market was quite inexpensive.  It cost only around 6 US dollars to feed 5 adults!  Here we are, enjoying the food at dinnertime: fried sardines, arugula, cucumbers, carrots, seasoned rice, and mangoes.  Good food, good friends, good times!


We were also quite amazed at the view from the flat.  The residence is called Al Rheem, and it consists of three buildings on an island (called the Al Rheem island).  Here is a picture of the place that I found through a Google search.


A great number of ADEC teachers live there.  From the balcony, we could see the pool and children's play area.  Such a grand place!




All in all, it was a fantastic weekend in Al Ain and Abu Dhabi. From speaking with various people, we can see quite some variability in the extent that they are enjoying their time here.  From our experiences and circumstances here, Adam and I are quite happy; what makes this new experience in the UAE so wonderful is the opportunity to see new sights and meet interesting people.  Stay tuned for more adventures!

4 comments:

  1. A Vietnamese proverb said (.....), which I may loosely translate as "the further young people travel away from home, the more mature and wiser they become". I am very proud for both of you!

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    1. Thank you Dad for sharing that proverb with us! Adam and I certainly feel that we are learning a lot when we go abroad :)

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  2. i agree about being more social while travelling! on the few trips that i've taken, i've found myself striking up conversations with other travellers; while on an everyday basis at home, i don't usually chat with strangers.

    as we are now entering into cool autumn weather in montreal, your beach pictures make me miss summer already! your sunset pictures with the warm hues are particularly nice.

    can't wait to hear more of your upcoming adventures.

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    1. Thanks Pamela for all your regular comments! It's so nice to find out what readers are thinking when you write a blog. It helps me keep on writing :)

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