Quick post for today but I have confirmation that my mom is reading these, so this is now my way of showing her that I’m safe even though the closest countries to me are Iran and Saudi Arabia…
Today’s fun update – the realization that when you’re 11 times zones away from where you live – just about halfway around the world – your body clock hates you. It’s Sunday in Dubai, and I’ve spent the day:
3:45am – woke up, realized that Michigan had played football at midnight and the Tigers were playing a playoff game that started at 2am. Checked my phone for the results (Denard! Verlander! Oh My!) and spent the next hour-plus trying to sleep but tempted to pick the phone back up for ESPN Gamecast of the Tigers.
5:15am = Tigers win! Brian realizes that the 5:30am wake up call to hit the gym…is ambitious given that I’ve only slept for 4 or so disconnected hours.
6:40am – the new alarm clock time. Wake up from the deepest sleep I’ve had since 1978 in Dallas, Pennsylvania. Disoriented as anything. Snooze button, shower, breakfast over the Arabian Gulf, teach for 7+ hours.
5pm – like an idiot, check out this Club Access scenario I have here at the hotel, let the friendly hostess talk me into a beer.
5:45pm – sit down on the balcony of hotel room, admire view of the Gulf and Palm Island.
5:50pm – it’s hot…90+ degrees and I’m still wearing dress clothes.
5:52pm – change into workout clothes, sit on couch for pep talk
5:53pm – 9:30pm – accidental nap
9:31pm – present – venture back to Club Access room, drink wine and watch Tigers on ESPN Gamecast and my fantasy football teams on the Yahoo Stattracker.
Summary: In one day in Dubai, I’ve now watched over 10 innings of Tiger baseball from Detroit, but at the oddest possible times. It’s now the Seventh-Inning Stretch, Detroit is down 2-1 and The Death Panel is behind in fantasy, I’m about to order another drink, and my chances of a good night’s sleep are dwindling now that it’s 10:15 and I’m wide awake.
On Deck For Tomorrow: Dubai Mall, which isn’t as teenybopper as it sounds. Tallest building in the world, fountains to match the Bellagio in Vegas, and some of my students psyched to show it all off. Also on deck – I’ll teach Reading Comprehension and Geometry.
One Last Update For Today: Algebra was this afternoon’s lesson, and Algebra was invented in the Middle East (well, discovered here…but it’s an Arabic word). Tall order to teach this stuff to the people who invented it. But I pulled it off – the one dude from Abu Dhabi who had already taken the test, at least a few times mentioned “I saw multiple questions like this and now I know what to do”. Score one for the Midwest playing a road game in the Middle East. Now for the Tigers to win a home game…
See Me Squeegee 
Let me know what you think about the mall (and the fountains). We checked it out on a stopover during our honeymoon – it’s like a bigger, richer Sommerset with more chain restaurants.
Really funny timing on that Kristen – I got this comment on my phone an hour after getting back from Dubai Mall and the fountains. I’d say similar – the brand names are insane (made me kind of uncomfortable actually) and just the whole scene is over the top with the Bellagio fountains, the indoor waterfall, the Burj Khalifa next door, etc. I’m actually going back tomorrow to Wiz my way to the top of Khalifa…
But the oddest thing to me – the covered Muslim women shopping and carrying those Prada-ish bags. Everything about their public existence screams “anonymous” yet there were tons of them in the mall, surrounded by branding and excess. Just a crazy scene, with immediately next to them dudes in tank tops and hos all hooched out. East meets West. Just fascinating people watching.
I’ll blog this with more – I actually visited another mall yesterday (Mall of the Emirates) not because I love malls but because that’s where you ski indoors (so fun) and where my students wanted to show me their favorite restaurants (all American).
That’s awesome you got to spend a little time here. Such a wild place…
How do you fail to mention things like, oh yeah, I’m going to Dubai next week, when I see you? Be safe!
Honestly…I just don’t think it came up. I actually thought about it since I know you’ve been shocked at other trip photos that have shown up on Facebook, but it’s weird to just run up to someone yelling “guess where I’m going next week”, particularly when that same someone might give birth any minute and I’d say that creating new humans is more newsworthy. But, yeah, Detroit last week, Dubai this week. What a life…