So, yesterday's post was cut off rather abruptly, as expected. I would only have started a rant on the quiet streets, emptying schools, idiotic landlords clinging to false profits as rents start to slide, and conflicting statements from pretty much everyone in authority.
Instead, I'll focus on some of the positive moments recently:
1. Passport switched on its homing beacon and is back in it's rightful place. I finally collected the 17 documents required by the police to register it lost, turned up, he typed my passport numer in to a computer and said - "no need for paper. Passport in airport". He then gave me a small yellow post-it covered in Arabic writing, sent me off to the airport, and - lo and behold - they gave me my passport.
2. Spring has arrived - clear crisp air, showers and sunshine. Love it.
3. I bought myself my birthday present (3 months late) with the money mum and dad gave me. Bought a fab olympus camera that is waterproof to 10m. Actually getting in the pool with it was a bit nervewracking, but it worked! It's really for diving, so I still need to buy a case as I rarely stop at 10m (average dive is 25m), but still pretty damn cool.
4. Went to my first Emirati wedding on thurs night. Ladies only in the Grand Hyatt, there were easily 600 women there. There were some amazing gowns and displays of dripping diamonds - unfortunately the computer (evilly colluding with the new camera) has eaten my photos. Interesting form - basically she sits, posed, on her own on the stage, and table by table you have to proceed along the catwalk to go and congratulate her and have your photo taken. There are no speeches, or MC'ing - you just chat amongst yourselves, eat, and gaze at the bride. At about 1am the groom comes in, family go and queue up again - at which point I was falling over so left. Basically the whole point of an Arabic wedding is to demonstrate, and really prove, your new status to the community. In our culture, the point is to witness the promise, then celebrate that. A subtle difference, but results in quite a different affair.
I should really do some work now, as my laptop appears to have decided to work.
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