Tonight after work I went for a walk, something I've been trying to do in my first nights here to get a feel for the neighborhood and surrounding area. It's hot as heck out, but I went further than usual, down some alleyways where there are never ending shops selling never ending stuff. I don't know who's buying all the stuff they have in their stores, but they seem to be doing business. From that perspective Abu Dhabi still reminds me of a third world country, but from other perspectives it's way beyond that.
I was sitting in a Burger King, eating a #1 value meal, which is the same as at home. Whopper, fries and a drink. I was reading an English language newspaper watching traffic at a major intersection, the corner of First Street Zone 4 and Hamdan Bin Mohamed Street and watching all the the foot traffic. There is a movie theater down the street showing Book of Eli, Invictus and some movies in Arabic and Hindu. Not much different than sitting in Boston, NY or Chicago except for the look of the people, the street signs and the business signs all being in English and Arabic. Oh yeh, Burger King, Subway and all the food places deliver right to your home or apartment.
So after a few days of somewhat spicy food I broke down and went for the Whopper. On the way back I wandered through a Home store to take a look at furniture since I'm going to have to outfit an apartment or condo in a few months and I wanted to get an idea on price and style. It was a lot like Art Van in Michigan where the sales people seem to swarm you like mosquito's. I did see two other NYU employees in the store and talked to them briefly.
I'm told it will be hot and muggy through September then the weather gets nice all the way into April. No snow for me this year unless I go to Dubai (100 kilometers down the road) to go skiing. There is actually an indoor ice rink here too and if I wanted to play hockey I could on a team.
If you're interested, you can spend some time looking around our website www.nyuad.nyu.edu to get an idea what this school is all about. It's exciting being part of a start up academic institution. It's exciting being around people who love coming to work because they love their jobs and what they are doing.
Stay Cool,
Wayne
Be still my heart! Yeay, yeay, yeay!!! SO glad you're blogging, WEY! What an adventure!! LzA
ReplyDeleteFather,
ReplyDeleteI noticed a few spelling/grammatical errors in your post. I expect more from the man who used to correct my teachers' newsletters and send them back to school with me. Please see me. (Also your profile could use some work. That is not the best picture of you, I mean really.)
Otherwise, I'm glad you're blogging - it's very interesting to read!
Thank goodness no fast food places deliver here! I'd be in serious trouble... I'm addicted to nuggets.
ReplyDeleteIt is pretty fascinating to learn about another country through you. I'm glad you're adventerous and sharing.
And, I agree with Rachael, the profile could use some help. I still have that picture of you with hair, ha ha!
A Home store....sounds like fun. I had my eye on a certain plate pattern for my new house. I have been watching them and found them at Macy's about a month ago. They were priced incredibly low and I could not resist. I haven't had new plates in 20 years. Decorating your new place will be fun and give you a chance to explore your creative side. Sounds like your living quarters will be more charming than your living quarters in Iraq.
ReplyDeleteI'm just curious...have you met any students yet? I believe I understand that most, if not all, will be coming from other countries around the world...but are there any local students? It would be interesting to have some local students mixed in with the truly international students. It'd sort of be like my son attending Western Michigan University, since he knows his way around town and we've been on campus so often.