Long time no post

Ok So I haven’t wrote in my blog for a little over two weeks so this will take some catching up to do.

I am not going to write about work over the past two weeks because that would just bore anyone who reads this out of their minds so I will talk about some of the experiences and places I saw.

On the 20th of June I had another Sunday night soccer practice at the same field I had mentioned before except tonight was a heck of a lot cooler than it was last time. Tonight there was a market/festival thing going on right beside the field, and when I say right beside the field I mean it literally. There were tents and everything set up and the people were selling everything from toys to clothes to cameras and cell phones. It was your typical slum market in Dubai but it was different because it was right beside the field where we were practicing. So not only could I smell food the entire night, I was also in amazement at all the people who just sat around and watched us practice and scrimmage. This was no high profile game no world cup by any means and yet they loved the game. This just truly exemplifies that soccer is indeed the world’s sport.

The week held the usual dinners and world cup games. We left work early on 23rd to watch the US play. We got to the restaurant and it was filled with Algeria fans…just my luck. However, I calmly kept my mouth shut, and sat there with my USA soccer shirt and dress clothes on. The game seemed like it was going to give me a heart attack and then in the 91’ minute I believe I did. The Algeria fans had been yelling all game and I was waiting for the right moment to burst and when Donovan put that goal in I jumped in the air and shouted and then the place got silent and the only person yelling was me. I didn’t have a care in the world though because that qualified the US into the second round and I was now a happy camper and I didn’t care what happened the rest of the night.

The 24th was Joe’s birthday and we were planning a dinner but that got moved to Friday so we had to make a little change of plans. We went out and got some grub with his uncle and his aunts and had a good time. Then I and Joe went out to the Mai Tai bar on the beach for some beers and the world cup. It wasn’t bad actually the place was pretty packed and the beer was relatively cheap, in Middle East terms. However, we were extremely tired so we didn’t last too long on the night and eventually retreated back to the house for the night. On another note, we brought cake into the office for everyone today. It is a cultural thing that when you are celebrating something you bring the office some sort of desert or sweet. This is the entire office as well, so I and Joe had to go get two nice sized cakes. The cakes were delicious and the office was very appreciative of the thoughtfulness. Just today I received a Cadbury chocolate bar because one of the Customer Service reps downstairs passed his driving exam.

Friday the 25th was probably the best day I have had in Dubai so far. We woke up around 11 had some brunch and then I went over to the gym for a little workout. After a round of lifting and some abs I returned to Joe telling me to get in the shower. At first I’m like ok can I sit down first and he said no that we were heading out. So then I started to ask him questions and then he turned around and tossed me three toboggans and said pick one or you’re going to be cold. After that moment I knew we were heading for an adventure down the indoor mountain. We got there changed got our skis and headed into the icy cold temperatures in the middle of the desert and I have seen this place on TV but it actually felt like you were out in the mountains of West Virginia after a fresh snow. I had a heck of a time after my first run. I am not going to talk about my first run because it wasn’t pretty. Let’s just say I cleaned out the cobwebs more than once on that first run. For two hours I forgot I was in the middle of the desert and felt a little bit closer to home. That was until I saw the Arabic writing on the slow down signs ha-ha. It was a great start to the day and the perfect warm up, or should I say cool down, for the festivities that would ensue.