City Seasons Hotel, Al Ain

... 8217;Allah”. Or, one could say to an employer, “I’ll have that report on your desk by tomorrow morning, Insha’Allah.” Basically, it is a very relaxed culture and what doesn’t happen today, will surely happen tomorrow. Or the next day. Or the next. As is the case with our housing accommodations. We were informed today that our accommodations would not be ...

... most of the students are nationals. The girls and boys have seperate entrances, corridors, recess time etc., so that they never see each other. I'm excited to start teaching, but I am nervous about teaching a grade that I am not certified for (I'm certified for 4 - 10). The school is also crazy strict about learning. All responsibility rests on the teachers for the success/failure of the students. No ownership is placed on the students for motivation, completion of homework ...

Al Ain is a very clean and spacious city in the province of Abu Dhabi. It's the site of an oasis that would have vitally served desert dwellers before the advent of desalination plants now transforming the Arabian Gulf into drinkable water. The area was a nice change from the endless construction, hustle and traffic of Dubai. We performed at Al Ain's technical university where students from the various Gulf states competed against each other and compared their technical ...

Team Buyao, that intrepid lot of travellers who cut their teeth on places such as Yangshuo and Harbin (China) came together once more to celebrate Claire's 50th birthday in Dubai. From China to the Arabian Sands, there is no stopping us. Claire, Richard, Hannah, Lucy, Sue and Kym, already residing in Dubai, were responsible for the team program which inevitably included intrepid travel, eating, drinking and making merry, with a ...

I'm writing this quick entry in a shady square next to the coffee pot roundabout in Al Ain. Al Ain has approximately a million roundabouts, and many of them are themed. For some reason. Anyways, Al Ain is a mid-sized city located in the mountains adjacent to Oman, and it's a little more Omani than the rest of the UAE. I'm not sure what that means; they do wear slightly different head coverings, I guess. Anyways, there have been three stops on the agenda ths morning; sadly, the ...

... I was going with were safe since I was going alone. There was a couple waiting across the way that I thought might be on my safari trip, but wasn't for definite till the tour guide came in and we all gathered at the entrance of the hotel. Turns out that they were just friends that work together for the airline Etihad. The girl, Bomi, was from Korea and he was from Singapore. Also along for the ride was a man, his wife and son ...

... the two cities. Al Ain is noticeably far more laid back then Dubai, traffic was a lot less of a problem and people just seemed more chill. I took a bus there from Dubai, it was about a 90minute ride, most of which I slept. Immediately adjacent to the Al Ain bus station was a nifty little museum, so I ducked in there for some refreshment. It was quiant, had some awesome coins and other ancient relics. There ...

... and surely enough there is groundwater there, enough to grow a sizeable oasis. I was kind of confused about the oasis actually. There was a sign on the entrance that said something like "No Tresspassing (except residents and tourists)". I decided I was a tourist, so I walked on through. There are a lot of lined paths, walled-off areas, and run-down houses. I don't know WHO lives there, and why ...

... 3 days we will have the results." (This may or may not be true, of course.) The insurance rep told me he would call me when they come in; I took his mobile and office phone numbers and told him I would call him if I didn't hear from him on Wednesday morning. So, more waiting. I called him on Wednesday and he said the results were in my folder, just come to see the doctor, who would record them onto my forms. I used my lunch hour to go to the ...

... 3 days we will have the results." (This may or may not be true, of course.) The insurance rep told me he would call me when they come in; I took his mobile and office phone numbers and told him I would call him if I didn't hear from him on Wednesday morning. So, more waiting. I called him on Wednesday and he said the results were in my folder, just come to see the doctor, who would record them onto my forms. I used my lunch hour to go to the ...