My Dive Buddy Was Bit By A Shark (one of them...not the girl)

Dec 15, 2007

So,

It all started... well over a month ago, but that has already been said. No, this one kind of started last week. I was suppose to go last weekend to dive, but with that huge swollen eye and my finger getting bit by the spider I just didn't feel like it. So we put it off until this weekend.

I went diving.
Like I have several times in the past two months.

This morning I got up and got ready, putting 50 SPF sunscreen on before getting dressed. I remembered to put in my contacts and to bring my cell phone for the pictures. Then I took off all my shineys. My rings, my jewelry, everything that glimmers or shines. Cause, I'm not that stupid. You just don't dive with shineys.
I stuck my sickness patch behind my ear, climbed on the boat and sailed out to sea.
I got my gear ready, putting the BCD on the tank, followed by the regulator, checking my air, getting my mask and fins, making sure I had my weight belt. I was set.
Today was the deep water dive. The final dive for my PADI certification. I turned my air back off and set it to the side (secured) until we arrived at the dive site.

Then we go back up on deck and start chatting with the crew. And boy am I ever glad that we waited until this week. Last week there were 5-6 foot swells. I know that I would not have made it on a day like that. The dive would have been overly short and not much fun for me.

Thank you little spider.

Anyway, after a bit we arrived at the dive site and were able to go down and dive. I started to feel a little ill. Not a good sign. It made me a little nervous. I got into my gear and we slid into the water fairly quickly. It wasn't until I was in the water and feeling the waves lift me up and down, up and down, up and down, that I finally had to puke. So I did. But it was nothing like before. Nah, this was more like a Lance Armstrong spew to feel better. Then I worked my way over to the chain and we started down.

It was nice.
I had to wear a glove on one hand in order to work my way down the barnacle covered chain to the sunken ship. We made it down to 18 Meters/60 feet. It was glorious. Okay, not as great as the sea turtle (whose video and picture are now on my photos page) but pretty darn awesome. I had the chance to hold a sea cucumber. I still get a thrill from it, from running my hands on a living creature in it's own environment and then putting it back and leaving it to it's existence. Possibly to talk to it's freinds about the close encounter with the strange white fleshy kind. I also had the chance to hold this weird seaweed like thing. I don't know what it was. It was kind of like a strange flower but it really clutched at the skin when I held it, and it was cool. I have a picture of that too.

Now to the part you really wanted to hear about, since you are reading this and probably read the title first. One of the ships crew, a really nice guy that we have come to know after so many dives, decided to do a dive today too. And he didn't take off his shiney. Probably forgot that he was wearing it. He was really nervous and hesitant about going down. Took him almost 20 minutes before he finally sank into the murky waters. Ok, so visibility was a little low. not that bad though. I could see plenty of fish, as you will see from the photos. It is called the Al Saud Wreck, so look in that folder for the pictures. Anyway, He was wearing a small ankle bracelet and it was shining nicely. Which is why the ladder shark decided to take it from him. Got him but not bad enough to freak anyone out. In fact, he asked us all very nicely not to tell his boss.

It was a memorable experience and a great reminder as to why you need to follow the rules, and remember the rules while you are at it.

I had a great time, wasn't sick after we got back up and went out to lay in the sun. My other buddy lay out in the safety net below the bow and took a little nap. It was a glorious trip and I had a great time. I would recommend the dive company to any and all people in this particular area.

It is called Arabian Diver. I really recommend their dive at Snaper Ali. You can see the photos of that in my folder as well. I am not as big a fan of the Al Saud Wreck dive, but it was still a blast. Even with the shark bite.

Right now, I still think it was just a cool experience.

I am tired and going to go take a nap. Have a great day!

The Shayla (head scarf)

Dec 8, 2007

This last weekend was UAE's National Day celebration, which is technically close to 4 or 5 days of celebration.  Thursday (the end of the week in the UAE) was National Day Celebration Day at my school and at the kids school.
Remarkably, I was able to attend all of the required functions for work and still make it to see some of the festivities at the kids school.  I dislike how often I am unable to attend school functions and activities with the kids, so you can imagine how happy I was to see my kids in their own setting.

For National Day  the teachers were ALL required to wear national dress to show solidarity with our students.  So I went shopping and found the cheapest dress I could possibly find that I would be willing to wear.  I found a lot of beautiful dresses, but when it came time to ask prices I found them to be so high it reminded me of trying to bargain in Xi'an. Nasty high.  And the workers had a certain expectation of my bargaining abilities, which means they were shocked and appalled when I turned around and said I was appalled at the quality or insulted by the prices and would walk out of the store.  I even had one guy chase me down the street begging me to come back. It was fun to be back in that mode, especially when so many people here had said that it wouldn't be like that in the UAE.
Baloney!  You just have to expect that they are tripling the prices when you start and work your way to a price you can both be happy with.
Instead, I found a shop where a national was making a purchase and payed attention to the prices being payed.  What made it a delight was that they man did NOT mark up the price when I started asking. It was exactly the same pricing that he had offered the national.  And less than a third of the price every other shop keeper had asked.  So I made up my mind to find something, anything, at this mans store.
I did.
When it came time to wear the dress, I wore it with a little purfume (a tradition here) and I went to the school.  Everyone was dressed like me, but most of theirs were far more expensive.  At least one person I know dropped more than $500 U.S. on one of these dresses. 
I spent $10.  yeah, you read that right. $10 U.S. dollars on a dress in the UAE.  I had planned on sending it to my mother for the fun of it, but I think I will try to get her one of her own instead.  From the same shopkeeper of course.
Anyway, I get in to take attendance in my classes (we had to take attendance and then send the students out for festivities... kind of silly) and my girls present me with a shayla.  A shayla is a long scarf worn wrapped around the head to hide the hair.  It was lovely, just the kind I would get for myself if I had to wear one.  So I wore a shayla for national day.  Then I walk over to my other class to say "HI" to my other students.  They chose to present me with a burkha.  A burkha in the UAE is a small metallic looking mask that covers the nose.  The longer ones cover the mouth as well but the one that I was given only covered my nose and eyebrows, or close to it.
A freind of mine saw me in the teachers lounge and snapped a photo of me in the outfit, so I am posting it here. 

I blocked out the view of what was behind me because it was not a pretty view, and I put both pictures side-by-side so you could get the full effect. The burkha is actually too high up on my face in the photo. It is suppose to cover the eyebrows too.
I wore the burkha for about 20 minutes. Then I noticed that my hands were turning purple from where I had adjusted the little mask.  So I went into the restroom and low and behold, my face was purple.  It turns out that a new burkha has a die in it that will turn the skin bright purple until it has been worn regularly.  Since I am not expecting to wear it very often, I have a feeling it will always turn me purple.  But that just meant that I took it off a little later and continued to wear the shayla for the festivities.
After the festival at work I went to the kids school.  I continued to wear the shayla, but I wore it loose and more scarf like at Will's request.  He rather dislikes the way it makes me look.  I think he is so adorable. We had a great time finding the kids, going out to lunch at the mall (yes I wore the outfit to the mall.. it felt like halloween all over again... and you know how I love halloween). and finally home. 
Now the national dress hangs forlornly in my closet, where it will hang until I can find a new one to hang next to it for next year.... or for gifts to send home.  They are not flattering at all, but they are loose and comfortable and some of them are intricate enough to wear to a formal occasion, but it looks very Hollywood to wear some of them. They really are elaborate. Even my $10 one is rather decorated, even if I do think it looks like I am wearing a bedsheet with a hole in it.
(My coworkers couldn't stop laughing when I told them that... apparently they don't like being told that they must spend money on an outfit for one day a year either.)  

Jonas the cat says hello

Dec 1, 2007

I want to talk to you a moment about Jonas.

In China, we got a Jonas. I bought him for my family as a way to make us all feel a little more at home with where we were living. We had to ask for special permission (and we got it, despite the rumors to the contrary) in order to have him in our home. There were a lot of hoops to jump through to get him. He became and important part of our family. It was painful to say goodbye to him, but regrettably he could not come with us to Japan.

In Japan we talked about getting a cat. I refused. It just didn't feel right at all.

When we arrived in the UAE I asked if it was acceptable to get pets. The response was a resounding YES. More than that, we were encouraged to get pets. From the first day we arrived there were people who were offering to help with finding dogs or cats if we wanted them. So for my birthday, Will got me a tiny little piece of fluff with gigantic ears.


It took a long time to name him (possibly her... we still don't know). We started with Sassy... and while he is a very sassy little fluff ball, it just didn't seem to fit at all. We tried out patches, boots, mouse-y (that was Rae's contribution) and many more.Then one day he ran out and attacked my left leg from under the couch and I said "Jonas" in that rather musical way that only a mother or child can say it. (hear yourself saying Mo'om in your head.... that was how I said it). It was reflex. After having Jonas in China for so many months it just came out. and it stuck. The kids started calling him Jonas and he started to respond to it.

 Well that was two months ago. and he has certainly grown into his name.  He is just as lively and loving, just as attacky and vibrant, and he is definately one of us.  

I would like to take this opportunity to share with all of you my newest family member... he has made it past that rough patch where we were a little afraid that he might not make it.  After all, he was an abandoned kitten when we got him.  He had been left at 3-4 weeks old (very young!) and we were really worried that this little fluffy thing with a swollen belly and giant ears would not last long.  He is a true champion.  He made it. And now he is about 2 months older and a whole lot bigger.

Jonas says "hello".



Edit 2010-  Jonas is a resounding GIRL.  and doing just fine, thank you.