Grits! My Kingdom for Grits!

The United States has conquered the world. “How is that?” you say? Okay, maybe not completely, but if we do we will with the help of Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and any other English speaking nations I may have forgotten. English is universal it seems. I have had little to no trouble anywhere on this planet being a mostly-English speaker. And this has been in Spain, Germany, France, Morocco, Portugal, Korea and here in Arabia.

And making it all so much easier for me is the conquest of the world by American food. For instance Kentucky Fried Chicken recently celebrated the opening of its 100^th restaurant in the United Arab Emirates. Additionally, I can eat at Chili’s, Fuddrucker’s, Ponderosa, McDonald’s, Hardees, Subway, as well as Popeye’s and Dominos, to name just a few.

The ONE crack in the wall is the multitude of Chinese restaurants. But, that's another subject.

You’re NOT going to find much in the way of pork ribs or good pulled or any other kind of pork in restaurants here, but one can find as much pork as you’d like to cook at the back of any number of stores here – back in the Non-Muslim Only section. Bacon, pork bellies, ribs, bologna, Vienna sausage, Spam, pepperoni and pork chops. Additionally, there are a number of wonderful liquor stores here where you can get any alcoholic beverages you like, as long as you have your liquor license. Here you need a license to BUY liquor.

If I do have any frustration, it’s that there are a number of products here that are rare or impossible to find in any store. Grits for example, are a rarity. I was here ten months before I found my first package, and that was Quaker Instant Grits. Thankfully, though, I found them at exactly the right time to cook up a reasonable facsimile of shrimp and grits for the Newcomers Dinner at church.

Now, while I have trouble finding grits, on the other hand ramen, kimchi, haggis and anything curry are a cinch. And while I’m not a great cereal lover, I do like Special K Vanilla and Almonds. I have found it twice since arriving, though every other Special K flavor seems readily available, as well as Fruit Loops. The last time I found my Special K, I bought four boxes. It wasn't enough. I've been out for four months now.

And for some reason, Pam cooking spray is another rare commodity. I found some and bought six cans. If I can find Bizquik, I’ll do the same. As one colleague said, living in the United Arab Emirates will make you a hoarder.

Why this trouble in finding these foods I can’t understand? There are a number of major stores here including European megastore Carrefour, the UK’s Spinneys, and local giant LuLu. I tend to wonder if they buy from one distributor?

Interestingly, for those of us who like our food spicy hot, the variety of sauces here is mind-boggling. Tabasco, Louisiana Hot Sauce, Frank’s Red Hot and numerous other brands American and otherwise are readily available. EXCEPT Texas Pete. I have asked many people why Texas Pete is unavailable, but no one seems to know. All I can figure is that perhaps some guy from Texas, or someone named Pete made a Royal Family member mad. Maybe a Texan named Pete. Who knows.

But, I can get chickpeas. Lots of chickpeas. Shelves and shelves full of chickpeas. Chickpeas are used to make hummus, and hummus is a staple in the Middle East. So, yeah, I can find chickpeas. And haggis. And Brazilian pork rinds. And South African boersvor sausage. And stuffed grape leaves, And raw grape leaves for that matter.

Oh, for some grits.

Oh, yeah. The grits were gone from that store's shelves within days, if not hours. I have friends and colleagues here who bring grits back in their luggage from the US. Next time I’ll just hoard them. World conquest or otherwise.

Go Mulattos! Rah, rah, rah!

It’s early morning in the United Arab Emirates, and I’m watching my “TiVo” broadcast of South African Currie Cup Rugby. One of the teams competing in the Curry Cup is the Griquas.

South African Rugby has made great strides since the lifting of the Apartheid boycotts in the 1990’s. Many more Blacks and Coloureds (mixed race citizens) are participating as players and as fans. The major domestic club competition is the Currie Cup. And here in the UAE I can watch the competition on the OSN network. This is a wonderful joy for me, a rabid rugby fan.

There are a number of rugby clubs out in the world with some really interesting and unique names. Rabbitohs, Saracens, Scarlets, Rovers, Rowdies, and the Griquas. I was intrigued and decided to find out just what a ‘griqua’ was. And I was surprised.

Griquas were a group of mixed-race pioneers who settled north central South Africa in the area around the great, historic, diamond-mining city of Kimberly. Wow! In South Africa where for YEARS being white was the only way to be, a major sports teams was named after a lower caste. Imagine, if you will, the New Orleans Quadroons, or the Atlanta Mulattos? Of course in America, we do have the Fighting Whites, Fighting Irish and the Redskins. Of course, the difference in America is that we have that certain group of ‘politically correct’ people who object to naming sports teams for proud, warrior groups that attempt to demonstrate the warrior spirit displayed on the field of play.

So, I have to say “Go Griquas!” And if I ever get the opportunity to form another sports team or club, I’m gonna name it the Octoroons, Aboriginals, Mustefinos, or Half-Breeds. What is the shame? None, unless you’re ashamed of your non-white ancestry.

It seems tragic to me that one should be so ashamed of one’s ancestry that you WOULDN’T want someone to name their organization for you. The ONLY group I could ever believe would be shameful to name your team for would be the ‘Nazis.’

Aviation in the UAE

Here in the United Arab Emirates I work as an aviation contractor. It’s exciting because of the policies of the country, which include making the UAE a major aviation and commercial hub bridging Asia and Oceania with the Western World. They have been very successful with the two major carriers here, Emirates and Etihad, ranked very highly by passengers and aviation professionals. To top[ it off, they are both profitable.

These two airlines have become major players in the aviation world, with Emirates, owned by the Emirate of Dubai, being one of the first customers for the Airbus A380 super jumbo jet. They also are a major operator of the Boeing 777. In 2013 Emirates was voted Airline of the Year by the airline rating company Skytrax.

Etihad Airways also frequently wins those major airline service awards and boasts a large fleet of Airbus and Boeing aircraft. Etihad is supposedly the fastest growing airline in history and is the flag carrier of the UAE, owned by the Abu Dhabi government. Both airlines are listed as two of the top ten in the world in size and in a number of other categories.

Additionally, the UAE’s air forces are also fascinating in their relative size, diversity and modernity. These forces are split among the Air Force, Army, Navy and Coast Guard, as well as Search & Rescue and Special Operations forces. Nearly 400 aircraft make up the fleet and include aircraft built in Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, and the US. This fleet nearly constantly updated, modified and renewed. All this in a nation the size geographically and in population the size of US state of South Carolina.

The tip of the UAE’s spear is its fighter squadrons. Consisting of at least 60 French-built Mirage 2000 and 80 US-built F-16 supersonic fighters the squadrons are modern and capable. Emirati F-16s and Mirages deployed in support of NATO’s Operation Odyssey Dawn enforcing the Libyan No-Fly Zone, and AH-64 attack helicopters support NATO operations in Afghanistan. This reflects a national military goal of making the UAE military operationally equivalent to NATO forces. This goal includes all the UAE’s air, ground and sea forces.

What is most fascinating so far, at least to me, is the idea that the most elite of the UAE’s combat organizations is the Apache squadron. All AH-64 combat crews are Emirati and include a smattering of personnel from all strata of Emirati society. UAE Apaches fly alongside US and British AH-64s in Afghanistan. Larger than the equivalent US Army battalion, the unit is an army organization, although it began life as a UAEAF squadron. Command, staff, flight and maintenance personnel are Emirati, though civilian contractors are very active.

I have found in my experience so far that the personnel in the Emirati military are patriotic, conscientious and professional. And they are fully cognizant of their place in the world, especially in the strategic and social senses. Iran is literally just minutes away from the UAE, and the Emirates and Iran are still arguing frequently and vehemently over the Iranian occupation of three islands long claimed by the UAE.

This not insignificant. The UAE, despite its strategic location and total population of somewhere between six-and-eight million, has an indigenous population of around 900,000 Emiratis. The Iranian military has on active duty 545,000 troops. So, you can see why the Emiratis might be nervous. They are trying to counter numerical superiority with technology and solid, realistic, effective training and international cooperation. The UAE has taken a solid leadership position within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), an organization modeled after the European Union. Additionally, there are US, British and French forces based in the UAE as well as frequent NATO and GCC deployments here. Despite the relatively large military footprint here, one almost never sees a military uniform here in public.

With this international flavor, perhaps it isn’t surprising the frequency of my efforts to drag up my old, high school French, as well as my recently acquired German skills. Just the other day I conversed in French, “Hello!”
            “Hello, how are you?”
            “I’m well, and you?”
            “I'm okay.” We then moved to English to discuss business.

On a side-note, I have also been attending monthly Stammtischen sponsored by the Goethe Institute Abu Dhabi where I get to work on my German language skills. My first invitation to a Stammtisch came from an Emirati friend who spent some time at a technical course in Germany and has worked hard to develop his German language skills.

And, my Arabic is SLOWLY coming along, too!

So here I am, in an Arabic country as a civilian for the first time in my life (I’ve been here twice before as a soldier), and it seems I’m still on the front lines in some way. I pray for the peace and prosperity of this little country. The UAE is a peaceful, modern, prosperous, and liberal country in a sea of violence and intolerance. The Emirates clearly see aviation as an extension of commercial and political power. And it’s also clear that Emiratis understand that military readiness and power are the things that ensure peace and prosperity.

Of Traffic Suggestions and is it Lexuses or Lexi?

It’s been seven-and-half months since my arrival in the United Arab Emirates, and the things I have encountered and the very short (41 years) history of this small country are interesting and intriguing.

Barely four decades ago, the UAE was a backward, third-world nation with a population that was generally subsistence fisherman and herders, and illiterate. The north of the country, famous today for the city and emirate of Dubai, was the wealthier area, and all seven of the emirates were and are controlled by an individual sheikh and his ruling family. These emirates were connected by a tenuous and primitive network of roads. Reliable transport was mostly by coastal dhow (a small, wooden sailing ship) or by camel train.

Today, the Emirates are linked by a modern, exceptionally well-engineered series of limited-access highways that would make the US Interstate and German Autobahn Systems proud. Motorway E11 between Abu Dhabi, the national capitol, and Dubai is a 6-lane, heavily fenced, fully-lit speedway for the 130 kilometers (80 miles) between the cities. The trip from Abu Dhabi to Al Ain that took 7 days by camel in 1965 now takes about an hour.

And while the speed limit is 120 kilometers per hour (km/h), there are signs at frequent intervals warning that the absolute maximum speed, governed mind you by radar, is 140 km/h, or about 86 mph. The problem is that it is well known that you are pretty safe, ticket-wise, unless you exceed 200 km/h, or about 124 mph. Anything over that and you can, and in many cases had, have your car seized and your license suspended.

Yes, the UAE police not only seize your license, they seize your car!

Confession time now: I have gotten a ticket here in a speed trap. 105 in a 60 zone! That’s 65 mph in a 36 mph zone. The offer was exceptionally polite and friendly, assuring me that the fine wouldn’t exceed 200 Dirhams (about $53). And then, a few days later, I received a text message stating,

 “You committed a traffic offence in ABU DHABI ON 07-04-2013 (7 April 2013) that has been registered to (my drivers license number). You are kindly requested to observe the traffic rules.”

Interestingly, expatriates of certain countries have a very easy time getting their Emirati Drivers License. With your UAE residence visa (another story separate from this one), drivers license, a translated copy of said license (which costs about 150 Dirham at a certified translation center), and a 200 Dirham fee, you become the proud owner of an Emirati license at your local DMV!

There are a few interesting differences here. One example is the stop lights here which signal red for ‘stop,’ green for ‘go,’ and yellow for ‘caution.’ But, between the green and yellow signals is a flashing green that warned of the coming yellow light, which doesn’t stay illuminated long. And people here follow the stop light signals firmly. It's about the only traffic law that they do. Everything else is apparently considered to be "traffic suggestions."

Since being here I have encountered or heard of some awful accidents on the roadways. One that occurred soon after my arrival was an accident where a large tractor-trailer hauling sand overturned onto a bus full of construction workers enroute to work. Twenty-two workers died, mostly of suffocation from being buried in sand! And many deaths here seem to come from a severe lack of seatbelt and car seat use. Just last week, a family of ten lost both parents and five children in a single-auto accident. No statement was made on seatbelt usage.

In that same vein, I have seen some AMAZINGLY poor driving here. Nothing that would equal the ineptitude of drivers in Korea or North Carolina, but pretty bizarre and dangerous nevertheless. I will state that of all the drivers here, the ones I most fear are those who drive Lexuses (would that be Lexi?). Without a doubt, Emirati Lexus drivers are the most, aggressive, obnoxious and rude drivers in the country. I have had Lexus drivers attempt to run me off the road, pull out in front of me, cut across four lanes to make an exit barely missing me and other cars, passing in the emergency lane, and pulling up on my bumper to try and have me pull over into another lane even though that lane is occupied by trucks! Obnoxiousness in spades.

Another curious thing to me is the popularity of what we in America would call exotic cars. Dubai, in its bid to host the World’s Fair has bought a group of exotics that include a Lamborghini, a Bugatti as well as others. Porsches, Maseratis, Mercedes, Infinitis and BMWs are common here, and I see most of these drivers operating their machines responsibly, though a 19-year-old died recently from wrapping his Maserati around a pole while apparently sober. The most amazing thing, though, is the apparent lack of factory-provided turn signals on these machines. If you live and drive in the Carolinas, you can appreciate what I mean.

Double parking isn’t uncommon here, despite an apparent policy here to provide fairly large parking spaces at every public parking area. Here at my apartment building, where parking is not plentiful, I do my level best to show my displeasure by parking as close as I can to said scofflaws, making every effort to stay within the lines. Heh, heh. My car’s a rental.

And speaking of rentals, I must give my little Hyundai i10 a big thumbs-up. Small and just a 4-cylinder, I’ve had it up to 140 km/h, and the pick-up and acceleration are quite good. It is surprisingly comfortable for a subcompact, and the clutch and stick shift are easy and comfortable.

So far, except for few aggravations, driving in the UAE is not unlike driving in the States. And, compared to Korea and Spain, and possibly North Carolina, quite a bit more pleasant.

Crisis Follow-Up

It has been four months since my last post. In it I lamented a crisis of faith. Since then, there has been a turn-around and I am now solidly where I need to be, or so it appears. In the interim my wife has visited, I've run into a number of old friends and colleagues, and have learned a huge amount about my faith and the life of Jesus.

I invite you to continue to monitor this continuing narrative, and I will try harder to tell you more about this corner of the world, as well those other things I write about. And this includes a new post following this one.

 

Faith and Doubt

I have never understood those people with the bumper sticker on their car proclaiming “In Case Of Rapture This Car Will Be Unmanned.” I’ve never had the courage to proclaim that I can know God’s will for me or for anyone else.

I am a Christian. So, what does that mean exactly? That I am a perfect person? That I always treat people correctly? That I volunteer tons of time to charity? That I go to church every Sunday and Wednesday (or in the case of where I live, every Friday and Tuesday). Well, no. And I’m currently encountering a crisis of faith. I truly thought that God sent me to Abu Dhabi to do His work. But,l now I’m unsure of why I’m here, what I’m supposed to be doing, or even if God is the one who sent me here.

And I know that we Christians aren’t perfect. And any Christian who is honest with themselves and with others understands that, above all, they are sinners. In the Biblical verse 1 Timothy 1:15, Paul states rather emphatically that "…Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief." And there’s the rub. I AM a sinner. Of that there can be no doubt. I curse, despite my best efforts not to, taking the Lord’s name in vain. I certainly have a habit of ignoring the Sabbath, despite the fact that I love the liturgy of the Eucharist (for my Baptist friends out there that’s the Lord’s Supper service). I have certainly stolen on occasion, and I still covet. BUT, I am sure of one thing. Jesus is my savior, and through Him I can meet him after my time on Earth.

I’ve heard that to be a Christian means never having to say you’re sorry. I have to disagree, as least in the sense that BECOMING a Christian means having to look back on all your sins, wrongs, misdeeds, and even attitude, and realizing that you could have found peace, strength, love, kindness, forgiveness, and all those things that can give you peace a long time ago. It took me 48 years to figure it out.

But, right now, I’m confused and frightened. I came here to the United Arab Emirates capitol with the intent to do all I did for the glory of God. And I’m afraid I’m failing. Now I spoke with the rector at church and I tearfully asked for his prayers and guidance. I had a good cry. I think I understand Pope Francis’ desire for prayers.

The rector recommended that I, like Gideon, ask God for a sign. I’m seriously contemplating this, praying a bunch, but I feel that I would be challenging, testing God, and that scares me like you wouldn’t believe. Even so, I’m having difficulty coming up with a definitive request that wouldn’t be insulting or demeaning to the greatest being in the universe! Gideon asked for two signs from God: to wake up with the fleece he laid out to be wet and the ground dry (he wrung out a flask of water from the fleece), and then to have the fleece dry the next morning with the ground wet from dew. With these two signs he was sure God did in fact want him to perform the task of war and completely destroy Israel’s enemies.

And I guess that’s the issue. I’m not here to destroy an enemy, as far as I can tell. I’m here to work on helicopters and to do my work and live my life for God’s glory. How does that possibly equate to Gideon’s task? How does my problem possibly equate to Gideon’s doubts? My greatest concern is that I fail in the task God has given me. But moreso, I’m more concerned that I’ll fail to know and understand what the task is that God has given me.

I’m frightened and I’m scared that I’m not on His path. I also want to be that good son, and that good father, and that good husband, and brother, and uncle. And I definitely want to do the work that God wants me to do.

But, then again, maybe this is all a part of having faith. A need to question one’s faith, to ask the questions that will strengthen one’s faith and one’s knowledge of the Lord and His word.

I pray so.

Friday Is Now My Sunday

Church today! When I was here 13 years ago the weekend was Thursday-Friday, with Friday being the Holy Day. Since the West‘s and most of the rest of the World’s weekends are Saturday-Sunday, and considering the time differentials, there was a lot of potentially lost business. With the UAE trying to move away from it's all-petrodollar economy, the weekend was changed a few years ago to Friday and Saturday in order to try to align it closer to the rest of the world. The day of worship wasn't changed due to, as I understand, a popular backlash to moving the Holy Day to Saturday, in line with the Jewish Holy Day. So unlike in the US, you go to church on the first day of the weekend.

I am an Episcopalian, which means that I am a member of the worldwide Anglican Communion. There is a very vibrant Anglican community here in the United Arab Emirates, as well as in the national and emirate (think ‘state’) capitol Abu Dhabi. The UAE is a small nation just slightly larger than South Carolina and made up of seven emirates. St. Andrew’s Church is one of seven Anglican churches in this country of between 7 and 8 million people made up of Muslims, Hindus, Christians, Buddhists, and I’m sure many others.

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the late ruler of Abu Dhabi, and the founder and first president of the UAE, dedicated St. Andrews Church during its beginnings some years ago. And there is also a very large evangelical church on the next block as well as one of the larger mosques in the city just next door. Additionally, there is also a very large Roman Catholic church here in the city. The St. Andrew’s compound takes up about one-quarter of an American city block and is the site of or is used by over forty other congregations that include Greek Orthodox, Mar Thoma (Indian St. Thomas church), Ethiopian Christian, and a host of others. I'm told that the compound is full from 6AM to midnight.

The St. Andrew’s congregation is amazingly diverse with Africans, North Americans, British, Indian, Pakistani, and at least one Dutch congregant whom I met today. It is a wonderful mix. Not only that, our chaplain has been honored by Queen Elizabeth II as a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, an order of chivalry some steps below a knighthood. The children’s ministry is very active and today they performed a play during our service for the Fourth Sunday of Lent on the Prodigal Son. It was interesting, funny, and full of a mix of British humour and American humor.

We're currently raising money to send a mission to India to help paint and maintain a boy's orphanage that we have adopted. This effort is headed by a Chicagoan, a die-hard Cubs fan (perhaps he should be added to some prayer lists just for supporting the Cubs!)

Much like America 30 years ago, nothing opens in the morning of the Holy Day, and many stores and shops are closed all day. It is quaint and actually quite comforting for a man raised in the old ways. And it’s actually nice to be able to relax and go worship the first day of the week, and then do all the other stuff the next day to spool up for the work week.

The UAE is an amazingly liberal nation here on the Arabian Peninsula, socially and religiously. I would encourage anyone to visit if you have the time (the flight is a killer – 13 hours non-stop from Chicago). But, if you do, please look us up and attend church here with us. You'll likely be amazed!

If you'd like to see more: http://standrewauh.org/

More Ruminations on the Emirates

I’m sitting down and ruminating on some of other things here that make this nation, the United Arab Emirates, unique in this part of the world, and perhaps anywhere else in the world.

There is certainly a dichotomy here that emphasizes the differences between the rich and the poor. I have read in at least a couple of places that the Emir of Abu Dhabi, the largest of the seven emirates that make up the UAE, is one of the wealthiest men on earth, worth an estimated half-a-trillion dollar. Whether that is true or not, I can say that the federal government here is using those billions of petrodollars to build a strong, vibrant nation that will hopefully one day not NEED oil money.

Now one thing that MUST be understood about this small country is that it is an absolute monarchy; or rather a federation of absolute monarchies. This federation is ruled by a National Ruling Council made up of the emirs (or princes in a European sense) of the seven constituent emirates (or principalities). For those who may not understand the differences: larger nations ruled by a monarch tend to have kings, queens, or some other top-of-the-line title such as Tsar or Kaiser (Russian and German for ‘Caesar’), or Emperor. Smaller monarchies, those that may have the royalty and trappings of a monarchy, but want larger neighboring nations to understand they aren’t any threat have leaders that accept titles of Duke (who rule over a ‘duchy’ like Luxembourg or Liechtenstein) or Prince (the Principality of Monaco). It is much the same here on the Arabian Peninsula where Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE are ruled by Emirs (and Oman ruled by a Sultan), with their massively larger neighbor the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia being ruled by a king.

Anyway, these emirs were brought together by Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa al Nahyan and convinced that they would be stronger and fare better as a united country rather than as a collection of smaller ones. Qatar and Bahrain disagreed and went their own ways, but Zayed was successful in convincing the other six emirs of what is now northern UAE. The UAE’s Constitution makes the emir of Abu Dhabi the president, the ruler of Dubai is the VP, and all seven compose the National Ruling Council. This was no accident of negotiation. Abu Dhabi is the largest and wealthiest of the Emirates, making up about 2/3 of the country and easily has the majority of the country’s oil. Dubai is the next largest and second-most wealthy, though it can be argued that Dubai and the other five emirates (Ajman, Fujairah, Ras al Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm al Quwain) have longer and deeper history. But, as they say, money talks.

Nevertheless, the whole of the nation has benefitted from the great oil wealth here and the Emirates have embarked on a program of planned business, infrastructure and population growth perhaps unprecedented in the world. In 1965 there was not a single doctor or nurse in Abu Dhabi. There was one mud-paved road, a single lane asphalt road that linked Abu Dhabi to Dubai less than 100 miles away. To get to Al Ain took a seven-day trip by camel, or 2-3 days by four-wheel-drive. In 1965. Today, Al Ain and Dubai are barely an hour away by car on divided highways that are clearly modeled after German autobahns and US interstates. The roads are also fenced in the same way as autobahns and interstates in order to keep camels from straying on to them. Camels are large, heavy animals that have a tendency to go through windshields when struck at 120 kilometers-per-hour (nearly 75 mph).
But, I digress.

Just this week I heard that aviation now makes up nearly 30% of the Gross National Product here, which is in line with the nation’s efforts to become an international crossroads. Emirates Airways and Etihad Airways are now major, PROFITABLE, international airlines flying Airbus A380’s and Boeing 747’s and 787’s, among others. Additionally, the UAE has become a major freight hub, to the point that there are two parallel superhighways between Abu Dhabi and Al Ain – one specifically for cars, the other for trucks. And I can attest that the major highway to Saudi Arabia, E11, is crowded with truck traffic moving between the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Today, though, the nation is building the initial phase of its new national freight rail system, planned to be around 1200 kilometers (835 miles) long, and planned to be linked to Europe by 2016. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman are joining in to build the link through the Peninsula to link into the Iraqi and Jordanian systems, which themselves link to Europe. The Etihad Railways are being built to heavy-duty standards the likes of which are only seen in North America and Australia. A high-speed rail system is to follow in the near future.

And, yes, “Etihad” is a popular term here. It is Arabic for “union” or “united.” So, yeah, TECHNICALLY there ARE two "United"
Airlines out there!

It is also said that fully 20% of the world’s construction cranes are to be found in the UAE. Currently home to the world’s tallest building and (opened just last week) the tallest hotel, the building continues. Huge malls are quite popular, and it seems every new one built is touted as the largest in the UAE. This is part of an effort to encourage immigration to build upon the Emirati population of around one million. Emiratis are now a minority in their own nation, surrounded by around 7 million foreigners. Arabic is a language that is heard frequently but not always, and I have yet to NEED to know Arabic in the two months I have been here. English is the language of commerce, and the UAE is being built on commerce.

Many of those immigrants are laborers, construction workers, though many like me are skilled workers. Emiratis today tend to be business owners and entrepreneurs, and Emirati women are making huge inroads into the work force. The local women I have dealt with tend to be kind and polite to a fault, and very efficient and professional. The men I have dealt with are professional and friendly, though like people everywhere, you do bump occasionally into the jerks. My worst encounters have been with Emirati Lexus owners. I’ll just leave it there by saying think of the worst New York taxi driver you’ve ever seen in movies. Yeah.

Customer service here though is all over the map. I do enjoy the gas station attendants. I know my Mom would recognize that kind of service where the attendant asks you what grade and how much you want, and takes your money or card at your car window and gives you change and a receipt. I remember that kind of service from when I was a very little kid. You can get it here today. And gas here is about $1.80-a-gallon!

Government services here are quite quick and efficient from my experience, though there does seem to be a fee for everything! This efficiency may have to do with the Emirati women who seem to man every service desk at government offices. These women apparently feel that they have something to prove in the middle of the Arab world, even if they are wearing abayas (the long black robes), as well as the occasional burqa (face cover). Emirati women serve as police and soldiers, as well as in other pursuits, including doctors, lawyers, etc.

But in other places, customer service can be trying. I have been in my new apartment barely a month and have had electricians here four times to fix wiring construction issues. AND, deliveries and services are not unlike back at home – “we’ll be there between 8 and 5.” On the positive side (maybe), EVERY time a check clears, I withdraw money from an ATM, or I use a credit card, within five seconds I have a text message on my phone telling where and how much has been charged! It’s hard to steal and use checks or a debit or credit card here without the owner knowing!

And all these immigrants are here for one thing – to make money (although I admit that I’m here because I found it difficult to find work back home.) And they come from all over the world. The closest I can equate this place to in the US is Hawaii, where whites and the native population are minorities, and there is an eclectic mixing of people from all over. It’s very much the same here. I am working with American, Emirati, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Indian, British, South African, Filipino, Canadian and a myriad of other peoples. I have met a Lebanese-Venezuelan woman who runs a restaurant here, as well as Nepalese cab drivers, Indian electricians and Kashmiri salesmen, Australian engineers, Belarusian stewardesses, Filipina maids, Indian neighbors, a Kenyan security guard, Thai masseuses, Italians, French, and on-and-on. And we all speak English!

And generally, the Emiratis are quite proud of what their nation has become. It’s an exciting place.

Driving (so far) in The UAE

One of the interesting and perhaps surprising things here in the United Arab Emirates has been the road system and driving I have encountered.

The roads are highly engineered and use very restricted amounts of entry and exit onto the main roads. This means that if you miss your exit, settle in to your seat and enjoy the drive till the next exit or post U-Turn entry. I am a victim! In one case, a 27 kilometer (16 mile) ride. The major highway linking the majority of the country is E11, which would be equivalent to I-95 or I-80, say in America. Keep in mind, though, that if the UAE was a US state it would be the 40th largest in land area between South Carolina and Maine. Here in Abu Dhabi, E10, E11, E20, E22, and E33 all come together here and form an amazing jumble with huge, sweeping junctions of bridges built in artistic, curving forms. These highways all are protected with barriers and tall curbs, and camel fencing (See a previous post on camel fencing).

Abu Dhabi is the capital of the UAE. Today a fairly well master-planned city, just 50 years ago it was a dusty, sandy island approximately 30 square miles aligned approximately northwest-southeast with palm-frond (“barasti”) huts and but one masonry building – the emir’s fort and palace(an emir is equivalent to a prince). It boasted a single mud-packed road and a dusty air strip. Today, it is a major city of glass- and video-fronted skyscrapers, 2-, 4-, 6-, and 8-laned roads, an enviable electronic infrastructure, in addition to parking garages, industrial ports, and major shopping and social districts. Broad, green, tree-lined boulevards grace the city as well as a corporate airport, beautiful mosques and churches, schools, major sporting facilities and all the accoutrements of a major world capital – government buildings, dozens of embassies, and red tape.

Navigating Abu Dhabi can be aggravating for a newcomer or visitor. It has been for me. But if getting lost helps one learn new surroundings, it means I am learning quickly! I have found and remember how to get to church and to the exquisite (for an American at least) rugby facility here. Also, Abu Dhabi city boasts at least four major malls, three of which I have visited so far. Happily, though, for those with short visits here, the taxi and bus systems are excellent and amazingly affordable. As an example, one day here before I got a rental car, I had to use taxis all day to go into, around, and out of the city. My total taxi tab for the day amounted to around 100 Dirhams (abbreviated “AED” for ‘Arab Emirates Dirham’), or approximately $26.

One of the more interesting quirks of the Emirati driving scene is that the traffic light flash green before turning yellow, and then to red. This equates to a very fast caution light, though, before turning to red.

And traffic here is not unlike the US, though I find it more akin to North Carolina, which in my humble opinion has the worst drivers in America. But, that’s another blog post altogether! There seems to be a special lack of turn signal usage, which is also rampant in America, but is aggravating anywhere.

If there is anything the Middle East should be famous for, besides oil and camels, it is speed bumps. They are frequent and varied, but fortunately are usually marked with speed limits and “hump” signs. These are needed because it seems that some of these speed bumps occur in really odd or unneeded places.

And tunnels. Major traffic tunnels are used in Abu Dhabi in a number of places, which I thought surprising considering the size and low altitude of the island. But this has not been too big a problem as the tunnels are large and deep and heavily used. They bypass large sections of city traffic and funnel traffic through more congested areas. Interestingly, though, the need for the major downtown tunnel may have been somewhat alleviated with the opening of E12 east across Saadiyat and Yas Islands, and bypassing the whole of the city from the Corniche, the westernmost waterfront of the city and island, toward Dubai and the northern Emirates.
Speed limits are as high as 140 km/h, or 87 mph, which is comparable to what I encountered in Europe.

Cars here are varied, though there seems to be quite a few more “exotics” here than we see in the US or even Europe. I’ve seen Lamborghinis, Ferraris (there is even a Ferrari store here in one of the malls, selling shirts, hats, fobs, etc.), Mercedes-Benz, Infinitis, Lexuses (Lexi?) and more than a few Porsche Cayennes, alongside an ironic mix of Kia Picantos, Hyundai i10’s and Daewoo mini-trucks. American cars are popular, too, with hundreds of used American machines ending up here. Chrysler products are popular here, with Chargers and Challengers frequently seen. I even found a 1963 Plymouth Fury for sale here! And the cars all come with a CarFax report at reputable dealers. Dark-colored cars are rather infrequent here - no surprise when summer temperatures regularly hit 45C/120F.

And a correction to an earlier blog: While pickup truck ownership WAS illegal for years to foreigners/expatriates, that is no longer the case, as my new Emirati colleague Mahmood has informed me. Apparently in the past there was a severe smuggling problem with expatriates crossing the border with a variety of products in small trucks. To combat this, trucks owned by foreigners were illegalized. The smuggling issue had apparently died down, so the law has been overturned.

So, driving here has been comfortable enough for me. The highways are wide and well engineered and generally drivers are not too aggressive or passive. I hope to get out of the city area soon and explore Al Ain and the western desert, as well as the east coast to view the Indian Ocean, and lastly to travel to Oman and the mountains along the border regions.

When I do, I will post updates.

My Valentine, My Wife, Darlene

I awoke this morning, rolled out of my bed, got dressed and decided to skip breakfast. Three of my colleagues and I went out last night and had supper at an all-you-can-eat, cook-to-order steak and seafood buffet at the Crown Plaza Abu Dhabi Yas Island last night, and I was honestly still quite full this morning.

So, off to work I went here in Abu Dhabi at one of the United Arab Emirates’ major air bases. It was well into the work day before I realized what day today was. It was then that I was embarrassed, and perhaps a little ashamed, that I had forgotten Valentine’s Day.

I met Darlene, the beautiful, young woman who would eventually become my wife in March 1978. It wasn’t love at first sight, but it took me less than three months to propose. Thirty-eight months later we were married. In the nearly 35 years (seriously – THIRTY-FIVE YEARS) since we have been together we have been through better and worse, richer and poorer, togetherness and separation, children and the empty nest, and hard work and unemployment, and through it all, I know that there is no other woman who I would ever want to do it all with, and likely no other woman who would have put up with me.

And if I had to do it all again, I would do it all with Darlene. And that’s why I know that I should NEVER forget Valentine’s Day. I can’t ever imagine sharing our family, our home, our life, our children, our bed, with anyone else.

So, while this year I didn’t send flowers, or candy because I simply forgot, and certainly wasn’t able to take her out to a romantic dinner or getaway, I can’t deny that she is my valentine and has been for nearly two-thirds of my life now. She has given me a wonderful daughter and son, and she somehow still loves me.

Darlene, I love you and I miss you every day that I can’t be with you. I cherish waking up next to you and I know that my last thought on this planet will be of you.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

"The Gun Is Civilization" by Maj. L. Caudill, USMC(Ret.)

I've made the argument for years that an armed society is polite society. My thought has always been that if everyone is armed, then a person is much less likely to do something rude or belligerent, fearing the potential consequences. I began to believe this about three decades ago when certain idiots, especially in California, were shooting at people in episodes of "road rage."

My brother was driving through Atlanta on Interstate 20 during this period and someone pulled up beside him and brandished a .38-caliber snub-nosed revolver. My brother, though kept our grandfather's .45-caliber Colt M1911 service pistol in his truck and made a show of holding the weapon in full view and chambering a round.

The next thing he saw was a cloud of blue tire smoke as the guy next to him hit his brakes. There was no problem after that.

So, when I saw this most well written confirmation of my argument I've ever encountered, I thought I should share this:

"The Gun Is Civilization"
by Maj. L. Caudill, USMC(Ret.)

Human beings only have two ways to deal with one another: reason and force. If you want me to do something for you, you have a choice of either convincing me via argument, or force me to do your bidding under threat of force. Every human interaction falls into one of those two categories, without exception. Reason or force, that's it. In a truly moral and civilized society, people exclusively interact through persuasion. Force has no place as a valid method of social interaction, and the only thing that removes force from the menu is the personal firearm, as paradoxical as it may sound to some.

When I carry a gun, you cannot deal with me by force. You have to use reason and try to persuade me, because I have a way to negate your threat or employment of force. The gun is the only personal weapon that puts a 100-pound woman on equal footing with a 220-pound mugger, a 75-year old retiree on equal footing with a 19-year old gang banger, and a single guy on equal footing with a carload of drunk guys with baseball bats. The gun removes the disparity in physical strength, size, or numbers between a potential attacker and a defender.

There are plenty of people who consider the gun as the source of bad force equations. These are the people who think that we'd be more civilized if all guns were removed from society, because a firearm makes it easier for a armed mugger to do his job. That, of course, is only true if the mugger's potential victims are mostly disarmed either by choice or by legislative fiat--it has no validity when most of a mugger's potential marks are armed.

People who argue for the banning of arms ask for automatic rule by the young, the strong, and the many, and that's the exact opposite of a civilized society. A mugger, even an armed one, can only make a successful living in a society where the state has granted him a force monopoly. Then there's the argument that the gun makes confrontations lethal that otherwise would only result in injury. This argument is fallacious in several ways. Without guns involved, confrontations are won by the physically superior party inflicting overwhelming injury on the loser.

People who think that fists, bats, sticks, or stones don't constitute lethal force watch too much TV, where people take beatings and come out of it with a bloody lip at worst. The fact that the gun makes lethal force easier works solely in favor of the weaker defender, not the stronger attacker. If both are armed, the field is level. The gun is the only weapon that's as lethal in the hands of an octogenarian as it is in the hands of a weight lifter.
It simply wouldn't work as well as a force equalizer if it wasn't both lethal and easily employable.

When I carry a gun, I don't do so because I am looking for a fight, but because I'm looking to be left alone. The gun at my side means that I cannot be forced, only persuaded. I don't carry it because I'm afraid, but because it enables me to be unafraid. It doesn't limit the actions of those who would interact with me through reason, only the actions of those who would do so by force. It removes force from the equation... and that's why carrying a gun is a civilized act.

Welcome To Abu Dhabi

It has now been three weeks since I left my home in South Carolina and after 27 hours of traveling landed at the Abu Dhabi International Airport. The appointed driver was there and I was whisked to the hotel on Yas Island just to the east of the United Arab Emirates capitol.

If the Emirates were a US state it would be ranked 40th in size between Maine and my home state, and it has double the population of South Carolina, or about 8 million. Incredibly, only about one million are Emirati (the term used for citizens of the UAE), and the population here doubled between 2005 and 2010. There are seven emirates, equivalent to European principalities, of which Abu Dhabi is the largest and the wealthiest by huge margins. Despite this, Dubai is the more well-known city in the UAE.

Despite being on the sea, it is a desert land full of low-lying islands, salt flats and mangroves. The fauna can be interesting. I was told that up until a few years ago there were frequent collisions with camels on the main highway between Abu Dhabi and Dubai. So, in that vein, it’s a bit more like Maine and their moose collisions than South Carolina. We only have collisions with deer, and deer don’t typically come crashing through windshields like moose and camels do!

Interestingly, just fifty years ago, the only paved road in the country was apparently a one-lane asphalt road between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. And in Abu Dhabi there was but one paved road in 1965. Full independence in 1971 from Great Britain saw Abu Dhabi emerge as the capitol of this nation and a planned building effort eventually emerged for the city. Today, Abu Dhabi boasts a world-class skyline, branches of NYU and the Sorbonne, and currently under construction are branches of the Louvre and the Guggenheim museums.

The native language here is Arabic, but I have yet to find a single person who does not speak or refuses to speak English! IKEA, Ace Hardware, KFC, Popeyes, McDonald’s, and Starbucks are just a few of the stores here. Oh, and don’t forget Bloomingdales! And of course Sheraton, Holiday, Ramada and Radisson are prominent.

There are a few things here that do need explanation. For instance, a foreigner cannot own a pick-up truck here! I’m not sure how this redneck boy is supposed to survive! The SUV market is wide open and I even found a beautiful, red 1963 Plymouth Fury! If it’s still available in two months I may buy it! If not, there are a wide range of Fords, Jeeps, Mercedes, Mitsubishis, Range and Land Rovers, and Toyotas.

I’ve found banking here to be quite interesting. There are a variety of banks, both Emirati and foreign (American, European). I’ve chosen to bank with Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank and have gotten amazing service, quite honestly, that most American banks can and should learn and implement. An example is that any time I use my debit card I get a SMS post on my phone within ten seconds advising me that my card was used for the amount paid or received at the ATM.

Housing is a bit high, though, and one must pay six months rent in advance. Fortunately my employer allows an advance of 6 months of my housing allowance. Utility costs are low, though.

Abu Dhabi has been proclaimed the world’s wealthiest city, and I have nothing to prove them wrong. It is an island city, laid out efficiently in a grid pattern. Traffic is heavy, but there is an efficient and cheap bus and taxi service. I went all over the city for most of one day and paid a total of about 100 Dirhams (abbreviated as ‘AED’), or about $26.

I’ll continue this commentary in the future as I see and learn more about my new home.