PINK Walkathon

A few weeks ago, I organized 32 members of my school community to participate in the Safe and Sound PINK walkathon supporting breast cancer research. It was an amazing event! I like participating in these kinds of events in Dubai because this city often gets the reputation of being superficial, selfish, and snobby (which is true sometimes!) In this light, its good to know that 12,000 people here in Dubai are willing to give up a Friday morning to support a good cause. :)

The View From the TOP!

The world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, is the tallest building in the world with over 160 stories! It contains corporate space, 900 residences, and is surrounded by a beautiful park. This incredible structure was the brainchild of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai. I was very interested in the information about the wind testing during the Burj's initial construction. The "stack effect" was studied by architects in Canada to design the building in such a way that the wind speed was equalized on every part of the Burj. Here's the view from the top:

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My Birthday Dinner!

For my 28th birthday this year, we visited the Souk Madinat in Jumierah. It is an indoor shopping baazar with traditional clothes, jewelry, art, and many restaurants such as this Emirati joint called Al Makan.

We had a huge mixed grill and delicious appetizers! Afterwards we went to the souk's basement, which has been converted into a club. Happy Birthday to ME!

The US Navy gets SCHOOLED!

The USS George H.W. Bush came to the American School of Dubai to play our volleyball teams on their few days of leave. Hmmm... does that ship name sound familiar? Oh yeah I remember- Lt. Ashwin Corattiyil of the US. Navy spent much of his military career coordinating the building of this very vessel! Therefore, it was a really special event for me, and I took some of my students to the game with me (can't picture them here, sorry!) The ASDubai team beat the Navy in a landslide victory (thought there is still some debate as to whether we were allowed to win out of pity.)

Hookah Nights

The hookah tradition, dating back at least 500 years, originated in the Middle East regions of the world. Countries cited for the first use include Egypt, India, and Turkey. It is a favorite activity here in Dubai!

For those who don't know, a hookah is a water pipe used to smoke tobacco through cooled water. The tobacco is heated in the bowl at the top of the hookah and the smoke is filtered through the water in the base of the hookah. There are a variety of shisha flavors including apple, plum, coconut, mango, mint, and strawberry (this one was watermelon I believe.)

In my opinion it is best enjoyed with a cup of turkish coffee...

Indoor Ski Slope in the Desert???

Oh yes, there is :) Its called SkiDubai, and it is 85 meters high with slopes up to 400 meters long. The temperature is a cool 1-2 degrees Celsius, which is quite a dramatic change when you consider the outside temperature of 35. Between the skiing, large human-operated "hamster ball", and tobaggans, we had a great time!

My apartment!

Here are some pictures of my place in Al Barsha, Dubai. It is a really nice apartment, just slightly far a way from downtown and in the desert haha :) Enjoy!