Heat, Shopping and Rainbow Chickens



Rainbow chickens.... no words.


Tajine - Moroccan Cuisine


Very hard not to buy one of these
gorgeous lamps!
Camel. I'd recommend it, but not this
particular dish.
Souq Waqif, Looking towards the Cultural Centre (the spire).
22/8/11
The boys and teacher entrance to Al Jazeera Academy.
Last night we went out to Souq Waqif (above) which sells all manner of traditional items and is beautifully organised into areas (fabrics, spices, jewellery etc). We left about an hour after sunset and it was still unbelievably hot. After an interesting experience with the taxi's we made it to the souq and picked a Moroccan restaraunt 'Tajine' for dinner. I tried eating camel but it was not overly exciting, and tasted similar to lamb. Unfortunately, i imagine it would have tasted better if it had not been overcooked. After dinner we wandered around the souq. The animal section was fascinating. They were in cages that were too small and the kittens and rabbits were exhausted from the heat, but it was not even close to the worst that I have seen. The chickens that had been bred into rainbow colours were amazing.

Today we had our first look at the school - it is going to be so confusing! The segregation of the high school is very particular - the boys use one entrance and the girls use the other, and all the connecting doors are locked, and the hallways are strictly staff only. I was assigned a Year One class (NZ Y2) but after talking to the vice principal it is looking likely I will be able to have a Year Five class, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

26/8/11

So I'm still adjusting to the time difference, and it's not helped by a lack of routine. Apart from the induction day we don't need to be at school until September 5th, mainly because of Eid ul-Fitr (The week marking the end of Ramadan) when most businesses close down, so the days are currently a bit hard to fill. We are still waiting to get our medical done, without which we cant get our residency. As the days are hard to fill and I'm still a bit out of sync, there have been a few daytime naps - and it was just after I fell asleep that the doorbell rang. I was expecting notification about the medical, so it was important that I answered it, so I very quickly threw on a dress and answered the door, hair everywhere. To my horror it was the school vice principal and the principal of the primary school at Al Jazeera, and the dress I was wearing, while fine in NZ or around the house is not modest enough for my visitors. I had to ask them to wait in the hall while I composed myself and then they came in (thank goodness my place was clean and tidy!). The primary head is as new as I am, and was introducing himself to the staff as well as updating us with our year level. To my absolute pleasure, I was confirmed at Year 5 (11 years old). I was so pleased, especially since I had been wavering about seeking out the vice to ask for a different level - and if i had not i would have been stuck with Y1.

The other night we went to the 'Thursday Friday Souq', which, despite it's name, is open every night. It was rather underwhelming, but some of the girls I was with found some traditional dresses and pashminas they were very happy with. We also began to learn about haggling, which really does not come naturally to me. Vellaggio is fast becoming a favourite haunt, and I haven't been in many shops yet. The call of Topshop and Marks and Spencers and H&M and a Mac Cosmestic store and a Virgin Records.....etc is very strong, but the call of India is louder. I am trying very hard to not go in at all.

Outside Villaggio with Australian Ben at about 2am.
Tonight we went to the movies - it was a very intriguing experience as I had seen the movie at home (Horrible Bosses) and was therefore able to detect the bits that had been removed (though this was not hard - it was crudely done). They seem to be ok with any swear words, and mentions of bits of anatomy, and vague references to sex, but any blatant images or references were cut. It was hard to understand their reasoning and we were all surprised at how little was taken out. The malls and shops are open extremely late and are very busy. The latest I have stayed out is about 2am and the queues we the longest I have seen. The thing I find really hard to get my head around is the amount of children out and about at this time also.

Carrefour is the New World of supermarkets, but its in the big leagues and while slightly more expensive its range is impressive. I got overly excited tonight as I needed mouthwash and salt, and they had Pink Himalayan Rock Salt which is nigh impossible to get in NZ. Nomnom. Quality meat is hard to come by so far, but I am hopeful about finding markets in the weekends that sell fresher meat and fruit and veges.

I'm still hunting for contents insurance. The crime rate is so low here a lot of people do not bother with it. I have heard a story about a man who owned a convertible and left 5000 riyal (NZ $1600) on the dash with the top down for hours and came back and someone had added money to the pile. However I am unconcerned about theft, I am concerned I will drop my phone on the hard tiles, or into the toilet again! The trouble is finding a company that insures only for private property. So far I have found a policy that will cover the items inside my house and thats all - so if i drop my phone on the stairs outside its all over.

One for the boys - there is talk of going to the rugby bar tomorrow to watch the Tri Nations game and it looks like il be the only kiwi to represent. Il do my best!
As dark as it gets at night - there is a permanent heat haze,
and I have yet to see a star.

For all those who I discussed "pests" with the verdict is cockroaches. Some people seem to have out of control infestations, but I've only got one dead one in a light so far, so fingers crossed. The compound has heaps of cats, but they are timid, scrawny little things, that Napoleon would mistake for rats.

I am holding up pretty well with missing home - I got a bit nostalgic when Skyping mum and dad, when they rang back because kitten had come in. I miss him a lot. And i was watching the Lord of the Rings, and the Beacons of Gondor scene, where they have these huge panning shots of heaps of different NZ landscapes was quite moving, but i have always loved that scene and it makes me very proud to be a New Zealander. I know I have more to say, but I have forgot, and this is quite long enough to be getting on with! Lots of love! x

Comments

  1. Missing you tor glad it's all going well. Kate xoxox :) :D

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