ok, so i've been slammed. i've wanted to write so much, but our workload is so high right now that i can pretty much only work and sleep. it's a great experience, for sure, and i'm learning so much. but i don't have time to write! and the internet is a challenge...sometimes it is terrific, other times it is not. welcome to the UAE.
gosh, where to begin?
well, i met with Her Royal Highness, the daughter of the Crown Prince of the UAE, probably the most powerful woman here. And she is about 30 years old, soft spoken, and wears a nicely tailored black burka...but had fancy pink chunky high-heeled shoes on underneath...you can always tell youth, wealth, status by the accessories in a country where most of the women cover themselves in burka's. look for the shoes, the bracelets, the watches - OH the WATCHES! every arab man has an incredibly huge, expensive, glitzy watch. well, every arab man we work with, who are all members of the CPC (Crown Prince's Court). it's actually pretty cool that men and women here are a mixture of traditional and modern...most wear the traditional dress (burka for women and kandoora for men), but many do not. and many women wear short skirts, tank tops, high heels. it's all accepted (within reason...not sure Brittany Spears would go over well here, for example).
one of my favorite discoveries here is arabic coffee, served the traditional way, with saffron and cardamom. It is served in tiny, beautiful, delicate porcelain cups. you get a couple of sips per cup, then a re-fill. and it is always served with dates. the intent is to sit around, chatting with your colleagues, constantly pouring and drinking coffee all day. getting business done, gossiping, whatever. and traditionally you would have been in the middle of the hot desert, around a small fire (to keep the coffee hot), protected from the wind and sand by a thatched-wall made of palm fronds. luckily this is not how we do it today. we sit in the marble lobby of the beautiful five-star hotel, chatting with the international hotel staff. or, sipping from one the cutest, tiniest little to-go cups on a tray in the lobby of the hospital next to the stadium as we brace ourselves against the wave of heat walking back to the stadium from our lunch break. (we take lunch at the hospital cafeteria...with all of the doctors, nurses and admin staff. it's kind of hilarious...but it is the closest and best place around. and they do self-serve arabic coffee in the lobby, with to-go cups!) this is my favorite thing so far.
that and the "Keep Calm we Still Have Oil" poster in an art shop here in the city. absolutely hilarious. I love the Emirati. great senses of humor, great intelligence, great generosity, lovely people. very high class, at least the one's we've met. and they were smart...Sheikh Zayed, who founded the country - brought the different family groups together to form one nation 44 years ago, was a savvy business man. according to our clients here, the only way he would agree to a business deal is if he (or the Emirati making the deal) owned 51% of the company. and because they had oil, and everyone wanted a piece, international companies agreed. and the wealth poured in. and the city of Abu Dhabi (like all cities here) grew up over the course or 50 years from a dusty, primitive, nearly impermanent trading post to one of the most modern and financially robust cities in the world. seriously, look up an image of Abu Dhabi from 1966. it looks like it should be 1766. it is unbelievable how quickly industry and buildings sprang up here.
anyway, i am going to take myself to bed now. another meeting with Her Highness tomorrow to get her blessing on the show and final creative approval. thank goodness i brought my blazer! it's formal attire for meeting with her and her court.
lots of love to everyone and i hope you are all enjoying a lovely autumn wherever you are. it is still 95 every day here. yikes.
gosh, where to begin?
well, i met with Her Royal Highness, the daughter of the Crown Prince of the UAE, probably the most powerful woman here. And she is about 30 years old, soft spoken, and wears a nicely tailored black burka...but had fancy pink chunky high-heeled shoes on underneath...you can always tell youth, wealth, status by the accessories in a country where most of the women cover themselves in burka's. look for the shoes, the bracelets, the watches - OH the WATCHES! every arab man has an incredibly huge, expensive, glitzy watch. well, every arab man we work with, who are all members of the CPC (Crown Prince's Court). it's actually pretty cool that men and women here are a mixture of traditional and modern...most wear the traditional dress (burka for women and kandoora for men), but many do not. and many women wear short skirts, tank tops, high heels. it's all accepted (within reason...not sure Brittany Spears would go over well here, for example).
one of my favorite discoveries here is arabic coffee, served the traditional way, with saffron and cardamom. It is served in tiny, beautiful, delicate porcelain cups. you get a couple of sips per cup, then a re-fill. and it is always served with dates. the intent is to sit around, chatting with your colleagues, constantly pouring and drinking coffee all day. getting business done, gossiping, whatever. and traditionally you would have been in the middle of the hot desert, around a small fire (to keep the coffee hot), protected from the wind and sand by a thatched-wall made of palm fronds. luckily this is not how we do it today. we sit in the marble lobby of the beautiful five-star hotel, chatting with the international hotel staff. or, sipping from one the cutest, tiniest little to-go cups on a tray in the lobby of the hospital next to the stadium as we brace ourselves against the wave of heat walking back to the stadium from our lunch break. (we take lunch at the hospital cafeteria...with all of the doctors, nurses and admin staff. it's kind of hilarious...but it is the closest and best place around. and they do self-serve arabic coffee in the lobby, with to-go cups!) this is my favorite thing so far.
that and the "Keep Calm we Still Have Oil" poster in an art shop here in the city. absolutely hilarious. I love the Emirati. great senses of humor, great intelligence, great generosity, lovely people. very high class, at least the one's we've met. and they were smart...Sheikh Zayed, who founded the country - brought the different family groups together to form one nation 44 years ago, was a savvy business man. according to our clients here, the only way he would agree to a business deal is if he (or the Emirati making the deal) owned 51% of the company. and because they had oil, and everyone wanted a piece, international companies agreed. and the wealth poured in. and the city of Abu Dhabi (like all cities here) grew up over the course or 50 years from a dusty, primitive, nearly impermanent trading post to one of the most modern and financially robust cities in the world. seriously, look up an image of Abu Dhabi from 1966. it looks like it should be 1766. it is unbelievable how quickly industry and buildings sprang up here.
anyway, i am going to take myself to bed now. another meeting with Her Highness tomorrow to get her blessing on the show and final creative approval. thank goodness i brought my blazer! it's formal attire for meeting with her and her court.
lots of love to everyone and i hope you are all enjoying a lovely autumn wherever you are. it is still 95 every day here. yikes.
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