These are the kids who are my life in Dubai: J (reluctant Brit; UAE government civil servant and speaker of 12 [!] languages), M (Egyptian-American Jersey Girl; economist extraordinaire for an investment bank), and E (would-be boyfriend [if I dated Americans and he dated women]; real-estate finance mogul and should-be professional chef). Know them and love them because they will rock your world when you come visit (they certainly rock mine).
Hardcore paintball strategizing in Sharjah - why did NO ONE in my life ever think to tell me how much I would looooooove this game? I totally pretended to be Jack Bauer the whole time.
This is what happens when you play paintball outside in 115 F and 95% humidity. Whatever, we felt no pain.
M's birthday. We share a mutual fascination/horror/obsession with the Arabs' ability to bedazzle anything they can get their hands on (cf: Swarovski crystal-covered mobile phones; sequin-laden abayas; the entire interior of the Burj Al Arab). So when her birthday rolled around, I knew I had to...
... bedazzle her a cake!
Tonight we drove to the desert and went for iftar at Bab Al Shams. I love how even when you're not fasting, Ramadan is an excuse to go out for really nice, elaborate dinners every night. The iftar package included camel rides, which we were only too happy to indulge in... please note (a) the expression on my face (it is SCARY when that camel rockets itself six feet into the air to stand up) and (b) the fact that I am riding a camel in 3-inch stilettos.
Iftar also included belly dancing. Since it's Ramadan, however, we were treated to a male belly dancer, since having a female dancer during the Holy Month would be unseemly. There are no words - NO WORDS! - to describe the experience, but that's okay because I think this picture says it all.
I'm now going to try and forget the above image (forever etched in my mind) and get some sleep.
