Newsletter 3 - Jul 16, 2005

Jul 16, 2005 12:16 AM
Newsletter 3

Hi Everyone,

I've learned that if I come to the library early on Saturday morning (first day of the work week) I can access Yahoo email; if I wait until later and or anytime during the rest of the week, it's blocked. So, attached is the latest installment of my newsletter, #3. I hope you enjoy it. BTW, I've signed up for dial-up Internet access from home and hopefully soon will be able to send future "issues" in a timely way. I really want to catch you up to date on my doings so I can then send updates at regular intervals.

Best to All,

Pat

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It’s Friday afternoon, June 3, and I’m in Al Ain, UAE, the city where I’ll be living and working. I’m in my Hilton chalet bedroom watching a Muslim prayer service on an Egyptian TV channel. I just returned from the Hilton Friday Brunch, were I had mango juice, hummus, a salad of chopped greens, fried shrimp and fresh fruit slices topped with mango sauce and vanilla sauce, some strongly flavored white cheese cubes, and fresh raw vegetables with dip - including tiny narrow asparagus, corn cobs and parboiled cauliflower.

Since I wrote last, I boarded the plane to Dubai without even a screening of luggage, got an aisle seat with two seats between me and the window. There were again individual interactive screens at each seat. I watched “Harry Potter I” while mainly dozing and even sleeping (a miracle for me)! During the flight there were two meals; for the first, the main dish was a chicken in sauce & rice dish; the second, shortly before landing, was a wrap with cheese and something green which was quite good. I drank quite a bit of water during the flight and walked about the plane several times after I’d slept. My legs and ankles were swollen a bit and the skin felt tight. I removed my shoes (I’d forgotten to do it earlier) and put on warm ankle socks because the air conditioning was too cold for me. On my walks, at the back of the plane, I’d ask the flight attendants for water. That way, I got more than I would have otherwise. Adequate water intake is supposed to lessen the effects of jet lag.

Near the end of the flight I began to talk to the man sitting next to me, who spoke English. He was from Sri Lanka and told me about his country. He is in their navy and was going home on leave, with Dubai being a stopover on his continuing route home. It was just after 11:000 PM when the plane landed. After exiting the aircraft, I followed my fellow passengers into a brightly lit modern airport, and wended my way with the crowd up several flights of escalators (or stairs) to the “visa level.” Upon entering that large area, I saw a Marhaba (Welcome) desk. Since the UAEU representative was to meet me at such a pace, I looked at the list of names posted by greeters at the desk but mine wasn’t there.

All around were women wearing long dresses, head coverings and sometimes veils. Some wore all black, others wore colorful sari-type outfits. Men were wearing long robes, many all white, and head covers in either white or another single bland color or red-and-white checked; other wore turbans or skull caps. A few people in western clothing, like me, were scattered about.

I went to the “visa collection” desk. There was a short line and it went fast. I had folded up a copy of my scanned visa and put it (I thought) in my Guatemalan pouch under my top blouse and wasted several minutes trying to retrieve it without success. Finally I opened my shoulder bag, pulled out my “document portfolio” and flipped it open to another copy of the visa, in a sheet protector. Immediately after glancing at it, the attendant retrieved the original and handed it to me. Then I went up another escalator to the “passport” area. I chose the shortest line, at a distance from the escalator, and waited only 5 – 10 minutes to have my passport and visa checked and passport stamped.

I then followed signs in English and Arabic leading to the luggage pickup area and there, holding a sign with the UAEU logo and my name in large letters, “MISS PATRICIA FRATANGELO” was a youngish, bearded Arab man wearing a cream-colored dishdasha (long Arabic robe) and head covering. I smiled at him, he smiled back and I walked up to him. I said, “Assalam alaykum,” (peace be unto you) and he responded, “Wa alaykum assalam,” (and peace be unto you) and we shook hands. When I asked his name he said, “Sultan.” He took my wheeled carry on bag and led me to the baggage area.

He got a baggage cart and put both my carry on bags on it. We then waited for my checked bags to go past on the luggage carrousel. The first two bags came quickly but we had to wait a while for the largest one. When it came, he piled it on top of the group on the cart and he pushed it, leading the way to the last hurdle of air travel, a final baggage screening.

For some reason, one of the officials waved us through without checking the luggage, or even sending it through the scanner. I’d told Sultan I needed to change money (I intended to change some travelers cheques) so he led me to an exchange booth in the hallway near the exit. There on the cashier window was a sign, “No traveler’s cheques or credit cards.” So I exchanged $45 of the $50 cash I'd brought for 160 dirham (dur-HAMs). Not much, but better than nothing!

Then we went out of the airport into an open area where large numbers of people stood, moved, talked and gesticulated, and where crowds of “waiters” stood behind barricades watching for sight of the travelers they had come to meet. That’s where I first saw numerous groups of women dressed in traditional black long robes, head scarves and veils or partial masks over their faces and innumerable men in white robes and shawl-like head covers. Sultan stopped, greeted and shook hands with a nearby policeman, then headed across the drive to the parking garage. Not far inside was a white parked car featuring the UAEU logo

Sultan opened the trunk while I picked up my sweater and shoulder bag from the bags on the cart. Then he opened the rear passenger side door for me. I got in with my bag had he shut the door then placed my other bags in the trunk and stowed the luggage cart. As we drove away from the airport, I saw my first sight of Dubai – in the dark of night - date palm trees lining the road and a large body of water off to my right. I saw the “sailboat hotel” (Arab al Burq, distinctive for its shape like the sail of the traditional Arabian dhow –sailboat – located on a manmade island) that Gina likes so well and admired the brightly lit, well-designed freeways having great signage. Then we were on the open road across the desert to Al Ain – at 173 kilometers per hour

The car’s air conditioning was on high and going full-blast. I put on the sweater, frontward, scooted down a bit to be out of the way of the icy blast and prepared to try to sleep during the 1-1/2 – 2-hour drive. Sultan must have seen that because he turned down the a/c blower. Soft Arabic music was playing on the radio. I watched the freeway signs for a while and then tried to sleep. It felt like I kept dozing but I must have slept because when I finally gave up trying and opened my eyes to see what I could see, there was a freeway sign reading, “Welcome to Al Ain.” I’d arrived in my new hometown! I sat up and started to watch with interest.

Immediately I saw my first distinctive roundabout (R/A), a circular place in the road having three lanes going round a beautifully landscaped circle of land, designed to keep traffic moving and enabling left turns, right turns or continuing on the same road without the need of traffic lights. This was one of the “Coffeepot” R/As. It had a giant reproduction of Arab-style coffee pitchers and coffee cups. Lovely! Then came what looked like an area being built up, with shopping strips, homes and buildings in process of construction and placed at distances from each other. The beautiful Arab-style architecture with arched windows and doorways and other details was fascinating to see.

Then we were in a more populous area and I saw highway directional signs for several places I’d read about, the Oasis, the museums, etc., then a UAEU sign! I caught a glimpse of what I think must be the main campus. We were going very fast and it was dark outside, being about 2:00 AM, so I didn’t see much. During this time, on the radio came an outpouring of Arabic words, sounding flowery and formal. I thought it must be the Muslim call to prayer. When I heard, “Allah” (God) several times, I figured I was right.

Finally Sultan drove up to the Hilton Resort! I was amazed because I’d been expecting to stay in the much more modest university Guest House. He brought my wheeled carryon bag from the trunk. I got my shoulder bag and we went inside to the reception desk. The lobby was huge and spacious with marble walls, floors and reception desk with few furnishings. Then there was a problem. The hotel was full. Sultan called someone on his mobile (pronounced with a long “I” sound) phone, then handed it to the desk clerk, who took it to a corner to talk but was speaking so loudly we could hear all he said – but it was in Arabic, so I didn’t understand a word! Then he came back and explained – in English - the problem, the hotel was full, but said he had solved it! I would stay in a chalet behind the hotel for one night. If I liked it, I could continue to stay there; if not, I could move to a room in the hotel itself the next day. I said that was fine and said, “Shukren” (thank you). He gave me the key to the chalet, No. 1019, and then a hotel worker (bell hop?) got into the car with us and we drove around behind the hotel to the chalet. The man took my bags, I thanked Sultan and bade him farewell, “Shukren. Maasalema.” (Thank you. Good-bye) as he left.

The chalet is part of the Hilton Resort, as I later realized and is part of a set of accommodations set at various angles into a long, low two-story white stucco building in Arabic-style architecture. There are several of these buildings grouped artistically around a central green area with date palms, grass and other vegetation and similar landscaping in front of the building. There are red tile stairways. The door to my chalet was up a short flight of stairs going up and then to the left. Another chalet door was up another short flight of stairs going straight ahead when mine turned left. My bedroom is large with a huge bed, a desk and chair (where I’m sitting writing), easy chair and small table, luggage table and two night stands – both with lamps - a phone, dresser of shelves with a TV on top, There is a small area with two closets with mirrored-doors facing each other that leads into the bathroom. The doorway has an Arabian-style arch, pointed at the top. The bathroom is large and has a flush toilet, bidet, tub/shower (I have to step high to get into that tub!), and a counter with sink and mirror on the wall.

The main room has a mirror beside the front door with a small window beside it with sheers and heavy lined drapes. There is also a balcony (!) with a table and four chairs that overlooks the other chalets in this lovely, well-landscaped, lush resort. I’ll get out there later, if I can figure out how to open the sliding glass doors. The air conditioning was gong full blast and it was freezing but there is a control on the wall and I adjusted it to be warmer as soon as the man left after depositing my luggage.

I was so tired I was moving slow. I got out my night clothes and did my ablutions but forgot to floss my teeth! Said a long, heartfelt prayer – I had a lot to be thankful for and wanted to ask blessings on family, etc. Then I adjusted the curtains to shut out as much light as possible, closed the bathroom door to shut out light from the frosted gloss window, put the blanket from the closet and my sweater on the bed, got into bed, put on the sleep cloth (a gift from Zane when he was about 18 months old and very effective) over my eyes after checking the time – 2:30-ish. Lay down, got up to put two pillows under my feet to prop up those poor swollen appendages, replaced the sleep cloth and lay there, hoping for sleep.

I guess sleep came because when I finally and reluctantly came to, it was nearly 10:00 AM! I was groggy and wanted to continue sleeping but forced myself up on the theory that if I immediately adjust myself to day and night here, I’d be better off and might stave off severe jet lag. The Hilton had graciously furnished two complementary bottles of “Al Ain” brand bottled water in the room; I’d drunk one bottle the night before and now started on the other one to also help avert jet lag. Moving very slowly, I got out fresh underwear, took a shower using the shampoo and body bath gel provided by Hilton (in long narrow bottles held by a custom holder on the shower wall), got dressed and went in search of information, food and post cards.

I went to the reception desk in the hotel, arriving at the hotel proper in a round-about way through the resort that included walking along curving walkways, crossing a wooden bridge over a rushing artificial stream beside an artificial waterfall, past a swimming pool and sunning, bathing-suit clad people including three young women in exceedingly brief bikinis (something I hadn’t expected to see here), through a dining room and across the marble lobby to the desk.

The clerk, when I had identified myself and asked, explained (she had obviously been informed of my situation) that it was the hotel’s fault there had not been a room for me. I could stay in the chalet if I liked it or move today to a hotel room. I just wasn’t’ up to moving my stuff again so soon and, besides, I liked the chalet, so I said I’d stay there. I asked where a gift shop was located and was directed to my right across a sitting area. There, I bought 10 postcards, stamps to send the post cards to the US and a phone card to use for making long distance calls. Each was 30 dirhams (postcards 30, stamps 30, phone card 30). I gave the clerk my 100 dh bill and received a 10 in return. I’ll have to get more dirhams soon! I wrote out one postcard while waiting for the Friday Brunch to begin. I still have to do the others. Then I went into the Flavours dining room which had just opened for brunch and took in the spread (quite something!), all set out in chafing dishes, with starched white tablecloths and napkins on the serving and dining tables, and dug in, as explained before. UAEU is paying for the room and three meals per day; any other expenses I’ll pay!

O the way back from eating, I thought I’d walk about the resort. There’s a kid’s pool with spray feature and a curving water slide, tennis courts, small golf course. I wanted to follow all the walkways among the chalets but the sun was so ferocious, in spite of my sunhat and sunscreen, that I felt a headache coming on and realized sun stroke was eminent! I walked back to my chalet as quickly as I could, turned up the air conditioner a bit, drank almost one-half liter of water, closed the drapes, put a cool wet washcloth around my neck, turned on the TV and sat on the bed with a pillow to my back against the headboard to, literally, chill out. I’ve drunk about another liter of water since and am feeling better now. I want to make some phone calls, including, hopefully, two to the States, and write the rest of my post cards.

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Well, the attempts at making phone calls were a disaster! After several tries to call Gina from the phone in the chalet using the instructions on the calling card, I called the hotel operator who told me an entirely different access code was needed when calling from the hotel room. But even that didn’t work although I attempted it several times until I finally gave up. I was so upset that I’d wasted 1 dirham per attempt and still hadn’t completed one phone call that I came close to crying (something I almost never do). It made me feel discouraged and upset.

Not long after that, the phone rang. It was Mary Kay, who has been my contact at the UAE libraries from the time I applied for the position, calling to welcome me to Al Ain. When I told her my woes, she offered to call Gina and let her know I’d arrived safely and give her my hotel contact information. I gratefully accepted. She also invited me to join Rebecca, the Collection Development Librarian, and her for dinner if I felt up to it but as I’d been experiencing some diarrhea (sorry for the gruesome detail!), I regretfully declined.

I went to the hotel restaurant later for an early dinner then returned to the room to iron the three outfits I’d brought in my carry on suitcase and wrote the rest of my postcards, addressed and stamped all 10. I got ready for bed. After praying, I set the alarm for 6:30 and realized loud music had begun playing next door. I was so tired I decided to try to go to sleep anyway. It was about 11:30. I did fall asleep but was having odd dreams when I was awakened by several voices yelling either outside my room or in the next room. It continued long enough that it woke me up completely. I didn’t know if the hotel would do anything about it so I didn’t call right away. Loud music and voices, sounds of heavy furniture being dragged across the floor and other loud noises continued and then a baby began to cry. I called the desk and was told, “I will get on it immediately.” Within half an hour the noise had died down but I was wide awake, At 2:30 I turned on the TV and watched the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra for a while. The Sultanate of Oman is one of the countries bordering the UAE and in fact is just a few kilometers from Al Ain. There were many women musicians in the group. The men wore tuxedos but the women wore green abayas (long-sleeved floor length dresses) and red head scarves trimmed in gold circlets. The flag of Oman, shown in the upper right of the TV screen (because I was watching an Oman station) war red, green and gold!

Sleepy again, finally, I turned off the TV and slept until the alarm went off at 6:30 AM.