Greener Grasstures
You know that feeling when you happen to come across an old pair of shoes or an old piece of clothing that you just loved, was amazingly comfortable, and fit just right? You'd been missing them for so long, and you're so happy to have them back. You put them on again to try and get that exact feeling again that you used to have when you wore them and to fill that ache that's been inside of you ever since you lost them...They feel great, and you feel warm and fuzzy, but it isn't the same. You've changed; you've grown. The clothes or the shoes seem tattered or worn, and they're out of style now. The fit isn't quite right. You take them off and put them away to sell or give to someone else. You don't need them anymore.
That's what it felt like to come back to the UAE. To come home. Hardly anyone has the chance to revisit an old place like I have. It was good for me. I needed to do it. I have been living a year of pining and aching. Or perhaps it's been more like I've had one leg stuck in the past and one leg in the present doing the work of two legs and also one hand in the future!
It did truly feel so warm and comfortable to return to Sharjah: the old apartments, the school, and other haunts. It made me realize that DC has never become a home to me like the UAE was. (or even Lancaster, of course!) I roamed about and felt all of the old ways fall back into place. It made me remember many of the old frustrations that you somehow get accustomed to: Oh yeah, sweat is an accessory here. But not to worry, everyone else looks sweaty too. People in shops will most likely not understand what you're saying. I had high hopes that the pharmacist behind the counter would understand my important medical questions about Advil (I'm BIG on asking questions in shops).But, no, not unsurprisingly, I was met with a blank stare. Also, I got lost searching for a friend's apartment, which isn't unusual, but in my search, I asked many people who didn't know English for directions. One responded "No English". And I hadn't been speaking English, for heaven's sake! The name of the building I was looking for is an Arabic word. But, I did get a chocolate from the nice man in the chocolate shop. How kind to offer a breathless sweaty foreigner a chocolate who's bursting into your store to ask for directions. At least I was rewarded for my arduous journey. Also, for some reason, the wind is up in Sharjah. A windy day there is probably the worst thing that could happen. There is no escape from it. And the sand is so light and dry; it happily follows the wind's pull. Unfortunately for everyone, Sharjah's sand isn't what you'd find on a nice lovely quiet beach. It's a city placed in the desert with no kind of real planning (no grid system, etc.). It's kind of a conglomeration of tall apartment buildings and little shops against the sparkling backdrop of the inlet and beautiful blue sky interspersed among large areas of rocky dirty sandy areas called parking lots? cricket fields? trash dumps? vortexes of hell? Who knows-people will do what they will with them. So, back to the wind. It will pick up this sand, intermixed with baby diapers, feral cat poop, trash, frayed toothbrushes, old hangers, fast food paraphernalia (you get the idea), and blow it straight into your eyes. Even though you're wearing sunglasses, you will end up with at least 20 grains in each eye 5 steps after you get out the door. And oh yeah, it's in your mouth too. A nice little tooth covering. Perhaps that's the real reason for the hijab (head covering) and the niqab (face covering-where just the eyes show). How sensible of Islam. It must know how dirty the sand is. So, you become deathly afraid of some horrible disease as a result of ingesting this stuff (or maybe that's just me), but instead you receive an immune system of steel! Thanks, Sharjah.
Anyway, American efficiency met with eastern relaxed attitudes once again. I went to a shop around 2:30 for an ID photo, and as I pulled on the door of Titanic Studio (Hmm...), it did not give way, and I spied a sign that said "Closed". A man coming out of another store carrying a heavy box yelled over to me and say "break time!" I asked, "Do you know when they'll be back?", and he shrugged his shoulders. No surprise there. Why should I expect someone to be at their place of business at 2:30 in the afternoon? From what I could gather from that English/Arabic sign on the front, they were not to return until 5pm that evening. Good grief.
Moving right along...I went into my old school (Yay, Scholars International Academy!) to meet all of the old teachers and my old students. Wow, that was such a gift. To see people's eyes widen and faces brighten at my surprise visit was such a delight to me. That is something wonderful about this place. A friendship or even just warm feelings can still remain even thousands of miles away and months later. To be recognized and have my name remembered left me feeling warm and teary-eyed. My favorite part was to see my old students and seeing them act excited, yet awkward at my arrival. I felt a twinge of jealousy and possessiveness as I looked at their new teachers, hoping they were caring about them enough and helping them grow. Those children helped make me who I am today. What a precious moment to be able to see many of them again. It was all exactly as I'd hoped. But, two things were on everybody's lips: Are you coming back? (No, I'm good, thanks.) and We're going to miss James so much. He's so great. (Now that's a wonderful thing to hear about one's partner, and I was exceedingly proud of him.). Despite leaving a number of good friends at SIA, James and I are so ready for our next adventure. Taiwan is calling me to it; it's so close!
All in all, it was a wonderful vacation: out to dinners, ladies night, brunch, a water park, the beach, walking along the corniche, seeing James, old friends, students, and colleagues. It was just what I needed. I would definitely recommend this area to anyone looking for a great vacation. And when I say area, I mean Dubai. Not Sharjah. You must never go there. Or if you do, bring eye protection.
That's what it felt like to come back to the UAE. To come home. Hardly anyone has the chance to revisit an old place like I have. It was good for me. I needed to do it. I have been living a year of pining and aching. Or perhaps it's been more like I've had one leg stuck in the past and one leg in the present doing the work of two legs and also one hand in the future!
It did truly feel so warm and comfortable to return to Sharjah: the old apartments, the school, and other haunts. It made me realize that DC has never become a home to me like the UAE was. (or even Lancaster, of course!) I roamed about and felt all of the old ways fall back into place. It made me remember many of the old frustrations that you somehow get accustomed to: Oh yeah, sweat is an accessory here. But not to worry, everyone else looks sweaty too. People in shops will most likely not understand what you're saying. I had high hopes that the pharmacist behind the counter would understand my important medical questions about Advil (I'm BIG on asking questions in shops).But, no, not unsurprisingly, I was met with a blank stare. Also, I got lost searching for a friend's apartment, which isn't unusual, but in my search, I asked many people who didn't know English for directions. One responded "No English". And I hadn't been speaking English, for heaven's sake! The name of the building I was looking for is an Arabic word. But, I did get a chocolate from the nice man in the chocolate shop. How kind to offer a breathless sweaty foreigner a chocolate who's bursting into your store to ask for directions. At least I was rewarded for my arduous journey. Also, for some reason, the wind is up in Sharjah. A windy day there is probably the worst thing that could happen. There is no escape from it. And the sand is so light and dry; it happily follows the wind's pull. Unfortunately for everyone, Sharjah's sand isn't what you'd find on a nice lovely quiet beach. It's a city placed in the desert with no kind of real planning (no grid system, etc.). It's kind of a conglomeration of tall apartment buildings and little shops against the sparkling backdrop of the inlet and beautiful blue sky interspersed among large areas of rocky dirty sandy areas called parking lots? cricket fields? trash dumps? vortexes of hell? Who knows-people will do what they will with them. So, back to the wind. It will pick up this sand, intermixed with baby diapers, feral cat poop, trash, frayed toothbrushes, old hangers, fast food paraphernalia (you get the idea), and blow it straight into your eyes. Even though you're wearing sunglasses, you will end up with at least 20 grains in each eye 5 steps after you get out the door. And oh yeah, it's in your mouth too. A nice little tooth covering. Perhaps that's the real reason for the hijab (head covering) and the niqab (face covering-where just the eyes show). How sensible of Islam. It must know how dirty the sand is. So, you become deathly afraid of some horrible disease as a result of ingesting this stuff (or maybe that's just me), but instead you receive an immune system of steel! Thanks, Sharjah.
Anyway, American efficiency met with eastern relaxed attitudes once again. I went to a shop around 2:30 for an ID photo, and as I pulled on the door of Titanic Studio (Hmm...), it did not give way, and I spied a sign that said "Closed". A man coming out of another store carrying a heavy box yelled over to me and say "break time!" I asked, "Do you know when they'll be back?", and he shrugged his shoulders. No surprise there. Why should I expect someone to be at their place of business at 2:30 in the afternoon? From what I could gather from that English/Arabic sign on the front, they were not to return until 5pm that evening. Good grief.
Moving right along...I went into my old school (Yay, Scholars International Academy!) to meet all of the old teachers and my old students. Wow, that was such a gift. To see people's eyes widen and faces brighten at my surprise visit was such a delight to me. That is something wonderful about this place. A friendship or even just warm feelings can still remain even thousands of miles away and months later. To be recognized and have my name remembered left me feeling warm and teary-eyed. My favorite part was to see my old students and seeing them act excited, yet awkward at my arrival. I felt a twinge of jealousy and possessiveness as I looked at their new teachers, hoping they were caring about them enough and helping them grow. Those children helped make me who I am today. What a precious moment to be able to see many of them again. It was all exactly as I'd hoped. But, two things were on everybody's lips: Are you coming back? (No, I'm good, thanks.) and We're going to miss James so much. He's so great. (Now that's a wonderful thing to hear about one's partner, and I was exceedingly proud of him.). Despite leaving a number of good friends at SIA, James and I are so ready for our next adventure. Taiwan is calling me to it; it's so close!
All in all, it was a wonderful vacation: out to dinners, ladies night, brunch, a water park, the beach, walking along the corniche, seeing James, old friends, students, and colleagues. It was just what I needed. I would definitely recommend this area to anyone looking for a great vacation. And when I say area, I mean Dubai. Not Sharjah. You must never go there. Or if you do, bring eye protection.
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