Ah, the smell........

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/fashion/31smell.html?pagewanted=1&exprod=myyahoo

I've spent a lot of time around tweens (boys and girls). My oldest munchkin is now in that particular group. And, as boys and girls get older, a bit of deodorant is a wonderful thing!

I have to tell you, I totally get where these kids in this story are coming from. One, smelling a certain way makes you feel 'cool.' For me as a kid, it was Este Lauder's 'White Linen'. Second, the worst thing is when people talk behind your back at how much you stink.

One of the nastier moments of my pre-university days was sitting in class and hearing some of the 'popular' kids talk about how much I smelled (in a bad way). Say what? I bathed each morning including washing my hair. My clothes were always clean. I wore good deodorant and antiperspirant. After that was about the time I started wearing White Linen. It was a 'cool' new fragrance, and it was not cheap. That totally ended the nasty talk.

To this day, I still love to wear perfume. I have some inexpensive stuff I love; I have some pricey stuff I love. And being in the Middle East, perfume is a big deal here. My guess as to why? I think when women cover up so much, they like to do something that leaves an impression maybe? The perfumes here are fabulous! Am I still insecure about smell? No, but it is fun to wear different scents.

Peace.

Decadence and the Real World

I had to make a trip into Dubai the other day. I had the opportunity to visit the Atlantis. This very large glass sculpture was in the middle of the main lobby. The place was simply packed. I couldn't tell if it was packed with hotel guests or people there just to see the place. Regardless, it was packed.

Living the life of an ex-pat, I feel like I'm not always living in the 'real world.' As an ex-pat, you're suddenly living this crazy decadent luxurious lifestyle. Little things, like wearing grubby old clothes to go to the market, driving a modest car can help. Basically, remembering to live within your home-country means helps 'keep it real.'

Along the lines of keeping it real, have a look at this link:
http://www.cypgulf.org/Christchurch%20Aden/yemen/Ras%20Morbat%20Clinics/Index.htm
I'm not posting this link to advertise the organization that provides so much to these clinics, I just want people to see a bit of the 'real world.'

Peace.

Sleeping in economy? YES! NOW! PLEASE!!!!!

I almost always travel with the two munchkins. It would be beyond bliss if we could stretch out a bit when we fly coach/economy. I would so happily pay the few extra hundred dollars or whatever to fly this way:

http://gulfnews.com/business/aviation/air-new-zealand-adds-beds-to-economy-1.573783

I am someone that does long haul flights on a fairly regular basis. These seats would be beyond bliss. I must admit, that the one time I got to fly first class, I still didn't sleep very well. But, I certainly wouldn't mind being able to stretch a bit more in economy/coach.

I have flown many of the U.S. carriers. And frankly, I think they are going the wrong way. The U.S. carriers are pulling frills to save a few bucks. And yes, there are times I just want to fly cheap. I don't mind flying 'cattle class' when the flight is only an hour or so (when the munchkins and I fly 'cattle class' - and you know the airlines I mean - we moo as we board the plane. MUCH to the delight of the cabin crew who always get the joke!).

I flew one U.S. carrier when Munchkin #1 was only a few months old. I'd paid for two seats to have some extra room and to keep my baby safe in his seat in the event of a crash. My journey involved changing planes in a major airport, walking across a tarmac, and climbing stairs with a stroller, a nursing infant, my backpack and a small diaper bag. I notified the airlines that I would need some assistance boarding the plane. I was refused assistance. On the flight home, because of a bit of a snafu, I didn't have a meal on the plane (a 4+ hour flight), and I was a nursing mother. I will NEVER fly that airlines again. That was over 10 years ago. I can't imagine what it's like now.

I feel like the travelers who keep the airlines in business are the frequent fliers like myself. No, I don't usually fly first class, but when you refuse to help a nursing mother who has paid for two seats? Well...think about it. Would you be raking in the money?

Air New Zealand - go for it! And you other carriers - quit taking the frills. The best frills when you fly with kids: space to move, candy bars, kid meals, unlimited access to games and kid movies. You have to be comfortable when you fly. Will I pay a touch extra for this stuff? You betcha! Cheaper isn't always better.

Peace.

Dreams, travels and family

I had the most bizarre dream the other night. I dreamt my only living grandparent, my grandmother, had passed from this life into the next. In the dream, I knew she had passed, and yet I couldn't get to her body. I went from one dark room to the next. Finally, her husband, my grandfather who passed some years ago showed up. He and I chat. He tells me not to worry that she is ok, and that things in general will be ok. He and I continue to talk: about my life, his travels when he was alive (especially Turkey), and about my travels. He looked young (late 50's early 60's) and vibrant. Still, the next day I had to call my grandmother just to hear her voice. It was not a particularly bad dream, just different. When you are down to one grandparent (especially when you were so close to all four), you take nothing for granted in that relationship.

The husband has been doing a great deal of traveling lately. Within the course of a month, he is or has traveled on business to Norway and Germany with a layover in Istanbul, Turkey. He loved Istanbul, and we hope to go back as a family.

In a brief bit, I am traveling to Larnaca, Cyprus. I'm going to take part/observe meetings there over a 5 day period. While there, I will get to see a few 'sights,' and I'll try to post pictures if I am able. Frankly, I'm just deeply honored to have the opportunity to attend these meetings. I'm also packing my wetsuit and snorkel gear in hopes of doing a touch of snorkeling and photography.

Peace.

Sigh...... Trailing spouse?

Well, things are settled to a basic schedule. I sat down at the computer this morning and realized that writing a post was something I had forgotten to add to the 'schedule'. I've been reading the news as usual, but there's nothing in particular I want to talk about. Frankly, I'm just so tired of and depressed by all the horror currently in the news. Yes, I have much to be thankful for. But wow, I hope there's some good stuff happening in the world that is newsworthy.

I have noticed a very strange phenomena living here. For those friends, buddies, and acquaintances who are moving away from here either by choice or because they are forced to do so due to job situation, they really dislike this place. They constantly trash-talk about where we live. For those who know they are here long-term because of choice/work situation, they are happy here. They talk about what they like about living here, or they just live and not say anything. It's extreme opposites. And what makes this so interesting? Well, I know people who are 'happy' here until they have to leave because of job loss etc. Then, the trash talk begins.

And thinking about trash-talk, how about a trash word? There's a term that I hear quite a bit - 'trailing spouse'. This term means that one spouse follows the other because of the work of the other. Usually, the wife is the 'trailing spouse' (but I have met one husband 'trailing spouse'). I've tried out this term a few times, but I don't like it. Yes, I moved here because of my husband's job, but that's just a tiny piece of the story. I also moved here to try something new, to have new experiences, to continue in a partner relationship with my spouse. I DO NOT feel like I'm trailing along behind my husband. If I worked full-time, there is no way I could make the income my husband does just because of the nature of my work. He's 'management'; I'm not. End of story. It makes sense in terms of the happiness/stress level of our family for me not to work full-time. Does that mean I'm 'trailing'? No, I don't think so. Does it mean I'm provided support and stability while the husband is providing income? Yes, totally.

Peace.

Love and fireflies

I love my kids. I love my husband. I desperately love my family. As long as I keep my priorities straight, I'm ok. When I forget those priorities, things just don't go well.

There's a song out that is very popular here. I think it's getting some serious playtime in the homecountry as well. It's a fave of the munchkins. Here's a youtube link (sorry - if you're offended easily; please don't read the comments on the video on youtube's site. I'm not responsible for others' nasty four letter comments): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zr9EKJatJvA

Because of the region we live in, my family was intrigued by the home website for this music:
http://www.owlcitymusic.com/home.aspx

At any rate, I love 'Fireflies' because it reminds me of childhood, chasing fireflies with my kids, and it's fun to sing it with my munchkins when we're stuck in traffic.

Peace.

Ah, the ups and downs of life

First, the downs....I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of a colleague from the place where I go and help out on occasion. I actually filled in for this colleague for 2 months while she was on leave. My heart goes out to her family and all those with whom she worked. She will be greatly missed.

Second, some of my readers tend to enjoy hearing about everyday kind of things here. I was walking out of one of my fave coffee places yesterday. I had a ways to walk since parking outside is difficult to get. I was in a long sleeve, high necked shirt, and very long loose pants. A man (not well dressed, a bit unwashed looking) made some strange sounds and comments as I crossed the street. Whatever he said, it did not sound good. I'm just thankful it was in a language I did not recognize/understand.

Now, the ups. Well, this isn't really an 'up'. It's just kinda interesting. I would never take a picture of someone I didn't know, but hopefully it's ok to discribe a stranger's appearance. With that being said....

I had to go into town and was at a valet parking stand (yes, valet is kinda norm in the region). There was a small group of three ladies waiting for their car (all in their 2o's?). The first lady was in Western dress - tight shirt, tight jeans, very high heels - all very designer label type stuff. The second lady was in a beyond elegant abaya but no head covering. She was also in high heels - very designer label looking. The third lady was in an abaya and her face was fully covered by a veil. But, you could tell by the way she carried herself, she was a lovely lady. Peeping out from under her crystal covered abaya was a pair of very high heeled leather boots - the kind you usually would only see between the pages of Vogue magazine. The three ladies climbed into a very expensive black SUV with highly tinted windows and drove off. Talk about a glimpse into another world.....

Peace.

What do you do?

(Many thanks to JA for this lovely snap from the winter holiday.)

It's been a good day today, but I had some thoughts that woke me during the middle of the night last night (my jet lag probably didn't help either). I love traveling. I love trying new things. I love helping people. But, how do you know you've 'crossed the line' and have passed from being 'adventuresome' to being just not safe? And, what do you do if people you know and care about are crossing that line in your mind and opinion but not in their's? I'm a born worrier. Even as a person of faith, the hardest thing for me to do is 'give up my worries.'

I guess I just need to hop off the computer, clean out Daisy Rat's house, and attempt yet again to 'give up the worries.'

Peace.

Back in the sand again

Well, after an amazing visit to the home country, we are back. We are watching the unfolding situtation in Yemen. I still feel safe in my current country. For my family concerned back in the States, if I ever felt not safe, I would hop on a plane out right away.
Peace.