Birds

The first thing that I noticed my first morning in Al Ain (exactly three years ago this week) was the song birds. This was immensely comforting. I knew then that I wasn't living in a completely alien place. I actually was surprised by how many and how loud the birds were. I tried and tried to get decent pictures of birds while I was in Al Ain, but they always managed to fly off before I could get close enough. I especially regret never getting a shot of the parrots that stayed in our neighborhood for a while. (Of course, sometimes things like parrots flying free while pet stores sold squirrels did make me feel like I was living in a completely alien place.) These were the best bird photos that I ever got in Al Ain:





For comparison, here is a bird from South Carolina:



And here is where squirrels belong:



Not pet stores. Or here:

More Fence Images

This one was on the fence that separated the Sheikha Salama Mosque from the sidewalk:



That fence, along with the mosque, have been torn down now (here, here, and here for more about the demolition/reconstruction).

This one is at what used to the be Clock Tower Roundabout. That is Al Ain's main Emirates Post branch in the background. I took this while waiting at the stop light.



This one is, of course, an incense burner (and I have a mental block about what these are called in Arabic - I have been told numerous times but for some reason I can never remember it). I think that this photo is from the street that Carrefour is on.

Downtown Fence

Most of the major streets of downtown Al Ain are divided (by direction of travel) by fences like this. The artwork on the fence varies, sometimes a della like here, or incense burner or mosque.

New(ish) Al Ain Blog

Blogging since February, let me belatedly welcome Mr DtP, blogging at The Whinging Expat in Al Ain.

The Happiest Place on Earth in the UAE

OK, it isn't Disneyland, Vanuatu, Denmark or even Tijuana, but according to a recent survey, Al Ain (along with Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain) is the happiest place in the UAE, with 56% of people reporting that they are happy. What is really interesting is that people in Buraimi, just across the fence in Oman, are happy at an 88% rate, despite having less money. I guess that it is true that money can't buy happiness.

Just a guess, but these people were probably in the 44%.

Settling In

Just a quick update for anyone who is interested:

I started working at East Carolina University (the very same place that I worked prior to Al Ain) about three weeks ago, though I'm no longer in the library. This is the first time in more than 12 years that I haven't been working at a library, so it is quite strange. Bss and the kids are finishing school this week in South Carolina and so should be moving up here in a week or so. I'm still trying to adjust to not saying insha'Allah and alhamillah.

Last Call (for now)

I just heard my last call to prayer here (I'll be on the way to the airport when Isha is called). It is really sad to leave, and I have to admit I had a tear in my eye as I stood there listening. This place and its sights, sounds, and smells get into your soul.

Thanks to everyone who has stopped by with comments and support and even those few who have criticized. I've had a great time. I'll still post things here when it strikes my fancy.

Here's one (actually a twofer!) for the road:

New Al Ain Blogger

Telephone, newly blogging at Existential Al Ain, commented here the other day. Welcome to the neighborhood and thank you for stopping by.

I Sure Hope So or That was Awful Fast

I'm not sure that four days is really enough to draw conclusions, but:

Traffic offences and accidents have dropped in [Al Ain] - with police saying drivers are being more cautious following the implementation of new unified traffic laws.

The police have not recorded a fatal accident in the city and its surrounding areas since Saturday when the law came into effect.

The cynic in me says that this is just more of the same old, same old, but then my taxi driver this morning remarked how he didn't run through a yellow/red light because of the new fines, and two of my co-workers noted (without my asking) how the new laws are making them take extra care.

Of course, my inner cynic also wonders how many thousands have died needlessly, if these sorts of rules would have made traffic safer over the years.

Last Week

One week from now, at this time, I'll sitting in the airport waiting for my flight that will take me home to Bss and the kids. As I expected, I'm feeling very conflict. I want so much to be back with my family, but in a way I feel like I'm leaving home here too.

These last three years have flown by so fast. I keep thinking about all the things that I wanted to do but put off because there was always time later to get to them that I'll never get to do. Never visiting Hatta and Fujairah (the only emirate I never made it to) at the two biggest misses.

On a Happier "Note"

This map of the world made out of musical notes is might cool.

A Dark Day in Al Ain

Blaze claims two children in Al Ain [Warning: there are some gut-wrenching details at that link, so you may not want to read the whole story. I suspect I may have trouble sleeping tonight after reading it myself.]:

Two Emirati children - Hamad, 4, and his brother Mansour, 2, - died in a fire that broke out in their house in Zakhir area in Al Ain on Friday...

The source said the fire might have been started due to a short circuit in one of the air-conditioners.

The aunt of the victims said the children were playing inside a room. Suddenly, the other family members heard the children’s cries and rushed to the room. But the fire had already engulfed the room.

"Our neighbour who rushed to the house and we tried to rescue the children but could not see them due to the fire and heavy smoke," she added.

The family are blaming the deaths on "the delay in the arrival of the rescue team" but the police head says otherwise. I only know that when we had our fire, it took the fire department a very long time to find the house.

Crash: Car overturns killing girl [second story on page]:

A teenage girl died and her mother sustained severe injuries when their car overturned yesterday in Al Kharis [sic - should be Al Khrais] district.

A traffic police official said the car was driven by a Syrian woman, identified as N.M., who was accompanied by her two teenage daughters. The woman lost control of the vehicle while she was negotiating a roundabout.

Since the other daughter was unhurt, it seems possible that she was the only one wearing a seatbelt. Of course, she could also have just been very, very lucky too.

(Speaking of which, it is good to see that the Dubai police are launching a two-week campaign to encourage seatbelt use for children. I agree with the experts in the story, it is not enough, but a start is better than nothing.)

Then, to top everything else off, we are also apparently facing a stray dog infestation:

Residents in Al Ain have been complaining about the rise in the number of stray dogs in the city that is famous for its quiet and clean environment.

The stray dogs, they feel, are a traffic hazard as they can cause accidents by running across the streets unexpectedly.

Mohammed Al Mahdi, a resident, said the stray dogs disturb his family as well as the neighbours, especially at night. "Sometimes, the dogs attack the passersby," he added.

Ashraf Sharif, another resident, said the stray dogs seem to be diseased and urged the local authorities to initiate measures to protect the health of the public, especially children.

It isn't clear if the disease that these dogs have is rabies, which would be a big concern. It would also explain why these dogs seem to have turned aggressive suddenly. Everytime I have seen a stray, it avoids everyone like its life depends on it.

Dellas

The della, the distinctively shaped coffeepot, is the symbol of hospitality and tradition.



These dellas are located in the Al Ain Palace Museum.



The coffee was cooked over coals, as in this brazier. The bowl-shaped object in the left foreground was used to grind the beans and mix in the cardamom used for flavoring.



If you are wondering, the cone-shaped objects are woven mats for plates of food to sit on, and woven covers, to keep insects off the food before it was served.

No One Likes the New Taxis

It seems like the residents of Abu Dhabi have the same reaction to the new taxis that I did:

Residents in the Capital are dissatisfied with the new taxi services that were launched a few months ago.

While speaking to several commuters, Khaleej Times found out the reasons for their disappointment. Most of those spoken to were unanimous in their views that the taxis’ fares had doubled, registering an increase of 100 per cent compared to the old taxis.

I agree wholeheartedly. It is interesting to note that some of the people interviewed said that they are now walking as much as 4 kilometers because they cannot afford the new fares. So you have to think that this decision could quite easily increase the pedestrian accident rate, especially as the roads here a very unfriendly for pedestrians, not to mention the potential for heatstroke when the temperatures increase.

In response to these complaints and demands, Lieutenant-Colonel Mohammed Maiouf Al Kotbi, manager of drivers’ licensing and vehicles in the General Headquarters of Abu Dhabi Police, said the decision of the new taxi services came as a result of the demands and requests of the Abu Dhabi residents, as they frequently complained about the behaviour of many of the old taxi drivers. "We received so many complaints from people that the drivers of the old taxis refused to stop for passengers or that they refused to drive outside the city centre or in crowded areas," said Lt-Col. Al Kotbi.

"For these reasons people demanded a new taxi system and the Abu Dhabi Police responded by launching the new taxi service, which aims to solve the problems," he added.

Lt-Col. Al Kotbi also pointed out that the new taxi project allows for more confidence between passengers and drivers, who are trained to be cooperative and friendly. "The problem of doubling the taxi fare is unacceptable and the passengers are entitled to get a receipt for the payment and, in case of increasing the fairs, they should come to the police," he said.

As I pointed out before, the new taxis are also charging by the hour, which seems, in my limited experience, when combined with the increased milage rate, to be the cause the doubling.

I'm not sure exactly why the two systems cannot run together either; if one wants to pay extra for a cleaner car with a more courteous driver, great. But for those who cannot, why get rid of the older system? For that matter, why make us change in Al Ain for problems that we were not having? I have never had or heard of a driver refusing a fare to anywhere in Al Ain. Has anyone ever that this experience?