Imposters

So is it Pluto or is it the astronomers?

I'm inclined to say the astronomers...

It's so stupid sometimes.

What they call science gets in the way of logic.
What they call science gets in the way of truth.
What they call science gets in the way of a tiny planet.

I'm sort of joking about the last one...but not the first two.


Bye Pluto.

Dune bashing!!

On Thursday morning we went into the desert at 4 AM....

Mr. B is an awesome off-road driver, so he took a bunch of us girls from the youth group, and a few other families followed in their SUVs. (Oh, it's so funny.....I haven't met anyone here yet who doesn't have an SUV, particularly a Land Cruiser. All down our compound, every single person has one parked in their spot.)
We drove to the desert outside of Dubai...about an hour. We went on a few dunes, and then stopped to make pancakes and let air out of the tires.

The other two cars got stuck and we had to tow them out. We had ten people in ours! It was crazy....it's fun sitting in the very back because you can feel every thing. Oh, and there are no seatbelts most of the time....


We didn't do any jumps, but it was such fun!!! Better than a roller coaster. Going and down the dunes, and speeding to the top and sharply turning down the same way. Mr. B said I was a fun passenger because I screamed so much ^_^

My friend Lisa drove us for awhile, and she was quite good as well.
We climbed Camel Rock, a gargantuan dune with rocks and caves on top.

By nine we packed up and drove away, as the heat begins to grow unbearable at that time.

All the way home we played Five Iron Frenzy, Hillsong, and Johnny Cash, and sang....

Instead of taking all that time to try and get pictures working, I'll just paste the links in here.

All of us girls

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/9111/allusgirlsms2.jpg

Inside the LC

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/3779/insideqs9.jpg

Camels on the way home!!

http://img226.imageshack.us/img226/8533/camelsrz6.jpg

Sunrise from camel rock

http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/8111/sunrisecamelrock1yn6.jpg

LCs below

http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/8302/lcsbelow2ih6.jpg

Climbing

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/1083/climbingfu2.jpg

Ride home

http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/391/ridehome2io4.jpg

Dune ridge

http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/7690/redsandaw4.jpg


Desert
http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/56/desertkg7.jpg

Footprints

http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/1607/sandtracksej2.jpg


Yesterday after church we went to Ibn Batutta mall for lunch. It has many courts, and each is desgined (inside and out) like a different country. There is Tunisia, Egypt, Persia, Andalusia, and China. It's beautiful!

love, me

songs...

This song has the best lyrics I have ever seen. It is my favorite hymn of all time.

Before the Throne
Charitie Bancroft

Before the throne of God above,
I have a strong, a perfect plea
The great high priest whose name is Love,
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on his hands,
My name is written on his heart;
I know that while in heaven he stands,
No tongue can bid me thence depart,
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see him there,
Who made an end to all my sin!
Because the sinless Savior died,
My sinful soul is counted free!
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me,
To look on Him and pardon me.

Behold him there, the risen Lamb,
My perfect spotless righteousness!
The great unchangeable I AM
The king of glory and of grace.
One with Himself I cannot die!
My soul is purchased by his blood!
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ my Savior and my God,
With Christ my Savior and my God!!!


And now a silly one!
Walking With A Ghost
Tegan and Sara

No matter which way you go
No matter which way you stay
You're out of my mind
Out of my mind
Out of my mind
Out of my mind
I was walking with the ghost
I said please, please don't insist
I was walking with the ghost
I said please, please don't insist
No matter which way you go
No matter which way you stay
You're out of my mind
Out of my mind
Out of my mind
Out of my mind
I was walking with the ghost
I said please, please don't insist
I was walking with the ghost
I said please, please don't insist
No matter which way you go
No matter which way you stay
You're out of my mind
Out of my mind
Out of my mind
Out of my mind
I was walking with the ghost
I was walking with the ghost
You're out of my mind (I said please)
Out of my mind
Out of my mind
Out of my mind (I said please)
You're out of my mind
Out of my mind
Out of my mind
Out of my mind
Out of my mind
Out of my mind
Out of my mind
Out of my mind
I was walking with the ghost
I was walking with the ghost
I was walking with the ghost
I was walking with the ghost
I was walking with the ghost
I was walking with the ghost


love, me

P.S. we had a girl's night with the youth group today...we played agame where everyone has a character or celebrity's name, and you have to call someone else's out whenever you hear yours, before you get banged on the head by the person in the middle. It's pretty hard! (I was Oprah. *gag*) Anyway, Sharon said, "Hey, don't some guys think when girls get together all they talk about is hair and nails and stuff? Well, here we are hitting each other and yelling like crazy!" It was funny...

8.20.06

We did celebrate my birthday yesterday....I got a speaker dock for my iPod, so I can listen to music in my room. Yay!! Now I won't have to buy another CD player.

Also Sense and Sensibility (Willoughby!) and a devotional, For Such a Time As This.

I was just reading over some old posts and realized I said nothing about St. Andrews!!!

It was three days before we moved; my last day with the band and my last competition.

It was a blast, but very hard to say good bye. The band did well, and placed third.
I got first solo!!! I was so surprised, cause I wasn't very happy with my performance. That was Grade III. Some friends in the band, Heather, Tim, and Nicole, also got firsts in their repsective grades of instruments. Raya, my dear partner in crime, did well too!!

I feel so bad to have forsaken the three musketeers...I suppose they are now the Bobsey Twins again. Grr. Just when we were all having so much fun.
The disappointing part was that a good friend could not come, and now I don't know when I'll ever see him again. But, I know he would have come if he could have.
I got to talk to Andrew Bova for ahwile, and saw some other camp people.

Iain Macey wasn't there though. Darn. I need to make a tape to send to him....haven't done that yet. It's strange to do piobaireachd by correspondence. Oh, well, I'm just grateful to have someone like Mr. Macey! I don't think I could ask for better.

SO....I miss Cabar Feidh but tomorrow night I'm beginning with the Dubai Pipe Band! Yay!! Only band in the Emirates....wooo!!

hmmm

Yesterday was church again and then we went to the B's house. I won't use last names on here, but we've known the B's since we lived in Jordan. Also the Bl's. The Bl's were at the B's house with us. It was lots of fun.....

Tonight we might be celebrating my birthday as a family, since we were still home. without dad, on August 1st.

Some people living in Belize on vacation here might come over then. They're a sweet family.


Oh, there goes the mosk I believe. It's 12:30 PM.
The call to prayer is usually the hour before dawn, dawn, noon, and then sunset and an hour after sunset. Or something like that. I used to wake up to it in the middle of the night in Jordan as a little kid, but now we live right in between two huge ones and it doesn't bother me.

It's actually quite pretty when they have a good Muez-zin. Yeah.

Lah dee dah. I'm bored at the moment. I still need to practice my pipes...I've only been doing chanter. Bad girl, I know.
My mom and I have been working out at the compound gym. It's a nice one, and I like the Elliptical.
What else is there to tell you all.....

Dad has two days off of training. Yay! His simulator last night wasn't very satisfactory to him though.

Oh. Guess what. I've decided to be Emirates cabin crew when I turn 21. I've always wanted to be a flight attendent, and it would be something fun and interesting to do until I am married. Plus, I am very impressed with this airline company. If they are half as good in six years, I'd jump to work for them. Not to mention all the references and referrals I could get, living in a compound with 50 Emirates captains!!
The only thing I have against them is that you practically have to be a model to be on cabin crew. It's sad.
BUT that's what I plan on doing when I'm 21, after I work at Starbucks when I'm 18. Yep.

Starbucks is twice as expensive here. It's a terrible tragedy because I am very attached to Starbucks and feel ashamed buying coffee anywhere else (which I must do).

Ok, well, I will go now.

Dancing is survival.

youth group

This is the essence of Dubai in reality.
Though it is not a quarter as strict as KSA
Though it is very materialistic
Though it aims to be the party city of the gulf
Though Emirati women wear open abayas with skin-tight jeans and 8in heels peeking out, bangs showing under the hijab, designer sunglasses, and seem to have mobiles to their ears at all times
Though these nationals are incredibly rich
Though there is beauty in modern architechture as well
Though they gave a block of land for five churches
Though there is religious tolerence

Islam still reigns, and I can hear the loud and eloquent reminder five times a day.
These people have a need, and it isn't for all the amazing "stuff" that the 34 malls have.

Geometrically beautiful, otherwise fallen.
(mosk right outside our compound)


For Heather! Wafi City SHopping Centre is designed Ancient Egyptian style, inside and out. Everyone usually calls it just "the wafi pyramids" because outside it has three little glass pyramids on top, and there are two big one sbeing built connected to it, meant to be hotels. There is already a pool. It's an alright pool, but not as nice as the Aviation Club. It's still better than any I've ever seen in the US though!

I like the youth at DECC church. This week I finally got to go and it was very fun.

This is from our tiny yard, looking up the high ladder to the roof. (ceilings are extremely high here)

These are what most of the flowers here look like. They are on trees.

...I get tired of subjects...

Well, I shan't be able to post pictures here very often because the stupid thing won't let me....oh, well. I will just have to paint better word pictures

Yesterday, Friday, was church, as the weekend here is Thursday-Friday. Soon it is changing to Friday-Saturday though. Church will still be on Fridays. It's confusing...

I plan to memorize the music before I join the Dubai Pipe Band, but I'm not even sure how it will work because currently there is something we have to attend on Monday nights when they practice, though both might change after the weekend switch...we'll work something out....

Oh, and I've been looking into belly dancing. My parents still think I'm joking though, so I don't know if I'm really allowed! It would just be for fun and excercise, I would never perform even if the studio did recitals. Belly dancing is a lot more fun than pilates, and just as good excercise. Plus, I've got to do some form of dance to survive!!

Emails from friends are flooding in and I love that. Today has been boring so that has kept me from moping about. One of these days I will have a chance to think, but I don't plan on breaking down. I truly like it here, and I will just have to get used to missing people and emailing them. Grr, that's hard though. I especially miss the band though; Cabar Feidh. Also my best friends....Sara, Aubrey, Alley, and, of course, AJ.

Aubrey's beginning tenor drumming I think. Anyway....


The haze here is geting on my nerves. I want to see that gorgeous, rich,blue desert sky!! And tis all covered in a blanket of humidity, pollution, and raised sand from the construction (which is EVERYWHERE).

Yay!! Some pictures just appeared. Maybe I will just have to be patient. But in the meantime, I will be updating a photo page on my other site. http://thevintagepiper.piczo.com It is usually where I just put my poems and things for my friends to read, but it's easy to get photos up there.

This thing is ALL OVER. It's rather annoying...in the airport, in the shopping centres, and I am assuming in the malls although I haven't been to any yet....it's the "Dubai Summer Surprises" character thing. Blehwhatever.

I took this from the Emirates plane.

There were many lovely clouds...I couldn't open the window much though because people were sleeping. Thankfully, I got a little sleep as well. I'm almost over jet lag now. At least, I think so.

It is so hot! Like being in a sauna constantly, except that you cannot get out f it. Inside it is quiet cold, though. My room is chilly at night because we don't want to turn down the AC too much because it heats up quickly when the sun rises. Still, the AC is such a blessing and very effective.

All our compound is pilots, most are westerners. I love all the accents. When driving out there are many buses of laborers. None are Emirati; they are all Pakistani, Indian, Asian. Most maids are Asian or Pakistani. The Emirati people are very wealthy, and usually wear traditional dress, but very fancy. (such as, for ladies, abayas with diamonds on them, and the women are allowed to fix their head coverings in public and let their bangs show)

It is the non-western expats who do the construction, and there is so much of it! The tallest building in the world is being build here, and at a rate of a few stories per week! There are things being built everywhere....shopping centres, housing developments, hotels.

We pass the Burj al Arab often. It's so pretty....I've seen the inside on a tourist film, and that's probably all I'll ever see! It's a 7 star hotel.

I haven't been to the beach yet. It's very hot to swim in, but it gets chilly in the winter (if you are climatized, which we won't be for some time!!). For us the winter will be like summer back home, at least the first year.

The pool in our compound is very large and nice, but is usually used in the winter because it doesn't have a cooler (!!). I swam in it last night and it was very warm, and so it's not fun for very long.

Perhaps when I get out more I will be able to write more comprehensive and interesting thoughts. Hopefully pictures will work more soon too....

-me

P.S. To Tim, Heather, Raya; all of those who were on myspace...sorry, I can't get to it here. The government blocks a lot of sites. Oh, well, you'll just have to email!!

We're Here!!

Hello! I have about a million more pictures than this but after the tenth time trying I haven't been able to upload more at the moment....here goes:

Light tunnel to international terminal in Detroit....

Last glimpse of the US.


Dubai from the air:

This is a Target-type store.

See, in the house was the interesting cutting board.
Pizza delivery guy...in the background you can see part of the sail-shaped Burj al Arab.
This is what you see from the back of the villa.

I will post much more later but right now I have to go!

SO

I am moving out of this state of Michigan in five days.

To the magical land of Dubia.

Dubai.

Not Dubia.

A friend calls it Dubia.

It's quite entertaining.

Two more days to St. Andrews.




Yay for competition!

Yay for Cabar Feidh!

Yay for OSAS people!

Yay for 12 hour long airplane rides!!



Oh. I get to see Lady in the Water tomorrow. I have been dying to see that movie.... but theatres are a rarity. I am going with the Aubreyful. She makes everything funner.