Update, Schmupdate

Ramadan is finally nearing its end, which means that summer is almost over as well.  People will start returning from their holidays and hopefully it'll start cooling down (ok, maybe not for another month or two...)  Ryan and I have almost made it through our first summer in Dubai.  I'm kind of glad I started with the most difficult season so that the rest of the year will just seem awesome.  And I've heard the winter weather here is just perfect.

Not many exciting things have happened recently, but here are some highlights.

-Ryan and his friend Dan took a 4x4 desert driving class.  We both have Land Rovers and the boys wanted to learn how to get them stuck, and unstuck, in the desert.  From what I understand it was a lot of fun.  I stayed home and slept.  Ryan's driving gives me panic attacks on man made roads (so does my own.)  I didn't think I could handle feeling like I was going to tip over a sand dune in the middle of nowhere.  Oh, and there was this thing about needing to bring a shovel so we could dig ourselves out?  Not my scene.

-Had a girl's night with some US Marines.  It sounds worse than it is.  The AWA girls were invited to an 80's party at the US consulate hosted by the Marines who live there.  Three of us girls got dressed up and went a week or so ago.  It was a lot of fun and the people there were so nice.  I hear they are a regular thing, so hopefully I can attend some more.  Thursday they had a toga party but we weren't able to make it.

-I found Miller Light!!!!!  And, wow, was it expensive.  This might be my only case of Miller Light for a long time.  Too bad I still can't find Coors.  I miss crappy watered down American beer.

-I went to Dragon Mart with my friend Amber.  It's a giant indoor flea market.  The building is literally shaped like a dragon.  It was pretty cool.  They had pretty much everything you could ever thing of in one shop or another.  I got some crazy nail polish and a super cheap knock off wristlet purse, which will be perfect for going out at night.  I hope to drag Ryan there soon to get some more items for our house.

-Tuesday I'm finally heading to an Iftar dinner.  The AWA book club I joined is having their monthly meeting at a place called The One.  I'm assuming it'll be smaller than some of the other Iftars held at hotels, but I'm looking forward to it.  I mean, it's a buffet.  I love buffets.

-The rest of my time has been spent working on the AWA Gala.  We have a committee meeting in early September and I'm ready to really start working on the "fun stuff."

-Most importantly, Ryan and I are planning a trip to Europe!  I've never been anywhere in Europe, and Ryan's never had a proper vacation through work (thanks for nothing, Mesa) so we're taking advantage by spending TWO WEEKS driving an RV through Germany, Amsterdam, Brussels, Vienna, and anywhere else we can fit in during that time.  We'll finish the trip with three days at Oktoberfest.  Any recommendations/tips/warnings you have for any of these cities, let me know!  I'm really wondering if we should dress up for Oktoberfest or if we are OK wearing whatever?

I'm on a boat

I can't tell you how many times in my six years of living in Chicago I said, "I need to make a friend who has a boat."  And it never happened.  I spent six summers enjoying Lake Michigan from the shores of North Avenue and Montrose Beach.  Sad, I know.

Luckily, Ryan met our Australian friend Dan pretty immediately in his training class, and he was kind enough to buy a boat that we can go on while in Dubai.  Thanks, Dan!

We've been out twice with him so far and it's so much fun.  We have to go early, which is pretty tough for Ryan, (he generally wakes up around noon) but it's nice to get out before it gets too hot.  The sweltering heat, paired with the fact that it's Ramadan, means we pretty much have the water to ourselves.  Dan has water skis, a wake board, and now a tube (which the weird Australians apparently call a biscuit.)  I haven't tried the wake board yet, but I love the water skis.

Dan about to "surf" on the kite board.

Me, holding on for dear life.

Ryan on the water skis.  What a background, right?

Burj Al Arab from the water.

Another fun thing I've done recently was visiting Dubai's only Hindu temples.  The temple complex is located in Bur Dubai.  We were only able to tour one temple, the Krishna Temple.  The line at the Shiva temple was way too long and we didn't have time.  I really wish I could have taken some photos, but we were asked not to take any within the temple.  Our tour guides were amazing.  Extremely kind and generous, genuinely wanting to share their space with us and teach us about their religion.  We saw two different services, both of which were very interesting.  Lots of chanting, a beautifully decorated altar, and we were even able to participate in the purchasing and offering of gifts - flower garlands.   I can't even begin to pretend I know even a little about Hinduism, but I am grateful I was given the opportunity to tour the temple and learn a bit about another religion and culture.

Tonight I'm heading to the American Consulate for an 80's themed party that the Marines there are throwing.  I'm going with some AWA girls.  Thanks to H&M we were all able to get some good costumes.  Pictures to come!