Eid Mubarak!

Tomorrow is Eid, celebrating the end of the Ramadan.  Thijs and the girls have three days off.  Great!  The weather is getting better (i.e. cooler) so we will be spending some days by the pool.  Below an article from the Gulf News paper explaining Eid.

Dubai: Astronomy calculation indicates that today may be the last day of Ramadan and tomorrow the first day of Shawwal and Eid Al Fitr. The estimation is mainly based on moon-sighting and Saudi Arabia is the authentic reference for officially announcing the end of the fasting month.

In general, preparation differs from one person to another - sometimes people start to pay attention to the details from the first week of Ramadan in order to avoid the hectic rush right before Eid, while others postpone shopping until the last week of the holy month.

Emirati men and women make sure they buy everything new from head to toe such as new outfits, abayas and shailas. Preparations sometimes include revamping homes and furniture. Islam demands hygiene, good fragrance and paying attention to overall appearance, taking Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) as a perfect example.

Emiratis greet each other by saying "Eid mubarak" meaning "happy Eid."

Eid is synonymous with joy and generosity and it's a three-day celebration. However, the first day is the most crucial, when Muslims from each corner of the globe perform Eid prayer at what Muslims call "Musala Al Eid". This is a large place where men gather in the early morning. Right after prayers are offered, the men congratulate each other on the occasion and a huge line of them head to salute the Shaikhs in the front row and afterwards return to their families.

Commonly, small families pay several visits to their relatives, starting with the elderly, and the rest of relatives gather there as well to have lunch together. Emiratis spend the second and third days doing activities such as taking their children to public entertainment areas such as water parks, concerts, and movies, while some even go abroad for the holidays.

Children have the lion's share of the celebrations because most of the gifts, trips and the rest of the entertainment are planned around them. Not to mention the "Eidiah" - an amount of money given to children during Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha. Emirati children wake up early in the morning and put on their lovely outfits, then greet their parents and siblings, and of course eat some cookies and later, at around 9am, meet their companions. They walk in groups and tour the neighbourhood to get Eidiah. It's a delightful atmosphere of generosity and caring that joins the whole Emirati community as well as the rest of the neighbouring and other Muslim countries.

For the occasion, Emiratis prepare a variety of traditional sweets such as lugimat and khanforoush and main courses such as khabisa; assidah and muhalla. International cuisines are also present including delicious pastries, cakes and chocolates.

After the three official days of Eid, the Emirati community resumes duties and life goes on as usual.

Ramadan Rules

Op de valreep (de Ramadan is bijna afgelopen) de regels die gelden in de UAE tijdens Ramadan.

The Ramadan rules to know.

Here's what to do, and not to do, during the holy month

• Don’t smoke, drink, chew gum or eat in public in the hours between sunrise and sunset. It’s offensive, and flagrant flaunting of the rules could also get you a warning from the police or even result in you spending the rest of the month in jail.

• Don’t dance or sing in public at any time. Not that you should have many opportunities – there will be no live music gigs and only background music in bars.

• Don’t expect to have the kind of blow-out clubbing weekends you might be used to. Most major nightclubs will be shut, but many bars and pubs will be open after 7pm. A few may open before that time, but they will not serve alcohol until sundown.

• Don’t play loud music at any time in your car, on the beach or even at home. If it’s audible to others it may offend.

• Don’t wear revealing or tight clothes in public, even when you’re heading out for a night on the tiles.

• Don’t blaspheme or swear in public. Doing so is frowned upon at the best of times, of course, but during the whole month of Ramadan it’s particularly insulting.

• Do listen to your iPod if you want your music fix – so long as the music is inaudible to others you should be OK.

• Do make the most of the community spirit and food to be found in the iftar tents at the city’s hotels. It’s a great opportunity to relax, play games and experience traditional Arabic entertainment.

• Do eat at home before heading out for the night – restaurants and tents will be packed.

09.09.09 at 09:09:09 PM - The Dubai metro is open!

Today the Dubai Metro has been opened by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, vice president of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

I think the stations are really beautiful, haven't seen the inside yet but we will report back once we have taken a trip.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai’s ruler, called the metro a vital component to the nation’s infrastructure. “It's the start of something,” he told reporters before the operation’s launch. “It is like when the first plane flew for Emirates (airline) and the first container ship arrived into port.”

There are over one million automobiles registered in Dubai, amounting to a car for every two residents. This has lead to unbearable bumper-to-bumper traffic in the growing city.

While the opening date was meant to imply symbolism—09/09/09—Wednesday’s opening seemed rushed. As of now, only 10 of 29 stations are functioning. Some stations won’t open until as late as June. The project, moreover, is nearly 80 percent over budget.

Nevertheless, the new metro is among the most technologically advanced in the world. It is entirely driverless and controlled by remote controls. A screen barrier between passengers and the track keeps the stations air conditioned, while Internet is anticipated in the future. In line with cultural considerations, each five-car train has separate compartments for women and children. A ride on the new metro will cost 1.8 dirhams, or about 50 U.S. cents, while the gold-class trip will cost 13 dirhams, or $3.55, each way. RTA anticipates 200 million passenger trips annually

Funny

While browsing the internet I found a website on which a lady is complaining about Dubai (one of the favorite activities by the way of the average expat lady). I am not so much into all this negativity but there were 2 (out of 20!) that I thought were quite funny and just wanted to share them here with you.

There is no standard address system making mail-to-the door delivery impossible. In fact, it makes anything nearly impossible. The taxi driver, here for only two days, and having learned English from old Beatles albums has no clue where your house is. He won’t tell you that of course, he’ll just keep calling and saying, “Okay, okay. Yeah, yeah.” When you purchase something that requires delivery they do not have an address line, but a box where you are expected to draw a map. Not able to draw a map? Explain like this: I live on the street after the airport road, but before the roundabout. Go past the mosque and make a U-turn.

It is really hot outside. Not Florida in July hot; Hot as if you were locked in a car in Florida in July with sufficient humidity to make it feel as though you are drowning. Hot as in 120 degrees with nearly 100% humidity. Do not look to the wind for relief. This is the equivalent of pointing a hairdryer on full blast directly at your face. Pour fine moon dust-like sand over your head as you do this and you get the picture.

Eerste schooldag

Eindelijk was het zover! De eerste schooldag voor Floortje en Famke weer terug naar de Dubai British School. Erg spannend allemaal. 's Ochtends eerst nieuwe uniform jurkjes aan, lunchtasjes maken, bookbag pakken en hoed op tegen de zon (gelukkig konden we redelijk rustig aan doen omdat we vanwege de Ramadan een uur later beginnen op school). Fam ging vrolijk naar binnen om te beginnen met year 2 met nieuwe juf Ms Turner, no problem! Bij Floortje waren er wel een paar traantjes maar na een paar minuten bleek verven toch wel leuk te zijn. Floortje zit in de Foundation 1 Cheetah klas met juf Ms. Burgess. Allebei hebben ze een leuke dag gehad en Floortje vertelde me 's middags: 'mam, morgen ga ik niet meer huilen hoor'. Lief!