How many trashcans are there?

If that doesn't make any sense to you, here is the background story:

When I was young, my sister went away for summer camp one year.  My mom was helping me write a letter as I was too young to write.  The first part of my letter probably contained some of the typical questions: how do you like camp? do you like your bunkmates?  Maybe there was some information about what I had been up to.  Then my mom asked me what else I wanted to include in the letter.  And for some reason, I wanted to ask 'how many trashcans are there?'  It's kind of a weird question.  But i remember that my sister wrote back and had actually counted!

My sister had kept the letter and we found it years later.  We had a good laugh wondering why I cared about the number of trashcans at her summer camp.  But since then, when one of us goes on a trip we often either ask or tell about the number of trashcans.  Well,  I'm not sure how many trashcans are here, but I can tell you (and show you) they are quite pretty!  PS I looked like such a weirdo taking pictures of trashcans around the city.

It's my birthday and I can go to the beach, ride an abra, and dine in the tallest building in the world if I want to

Well this post is a bit late, but mainly because our internet is awful!  So here is how I spent my birthday abroad:

Birthday Breakfast

First Ben made a delicious breakfast of a variety of cheeses, fruits, and freshly baked bread.  We had brie, goat, feta, and cream cheese.  We also had strawberries, raspberries, grapes, and apple slices.  Since we can't get Champagne (but we did pick up raspberry vodka from the airport duty free) we ended up making breakfast screwdrivers instead of mimosas.  It was delicious!

Enjoying the weather and the view at Umm Sequim Beach

We then headed to Umm Sequim beach.  The weather was perfect!  It was sunny and just a little below 80*.  We also had a great view of Burj Al Arab.  The water was most certainly too cold to get in, but was beautiful to gaze at.

The Arabian restaurant on Dubai Creek

Arabian food

Fruit and ice cream. yum!

We then went to Dubai Creek for lunch.  We went to an Arabian restaurant and order some eggplant dip, bread, and kebabs.  It was very good.  It was nice to sit outside and watch the boats go by on the creek.

Abras on the Dubai Creek

One of many golden window displays

While buying a silk scarf, the guy somehow got Ben into this for a picture!

After that, we road on an abra, which was a crazy experience.  It was chaotic to the point of boats running into each other because they were either in a hurry or trying to be the next in line to seat customers.  We hung out at the gold souk for a while, tried on a couple things but did not buy anything yet.  We also visited a nice silk store.

We are standing close to the very bottom of Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world

The Foie Gras

Next we needed to head to the apartment to freshen up and get ready for dinner.  We had reservations at the At.mosphere Lounge in Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world.  We drank and ate on the 122nd floor!! They had very interesting cocktails and appetizers.  I had a balsamic strawberry martini and a honey apple with basil martini.  Odd, but tasty.  For an appetizer we decided to be adventurous and get the foie gras.  It was interesting... but I probably won't be ordering that dish again. anywhere.

The fountain from 122 floors up in the sky

Watching the fountain at ground level this time

The next amazing part of my birthday was watching the fountain outside of Burj Khalifa!  We got to watch it from the 122nd floor and then again on the ground right next to it.  It was so beautiful!

second dinner

We went to have drinks and light fare at a restaurant in a building that you can't even get to unless you have a reservation or live there.  We ordered artistic drinks and food.  But yet, we were still hungry afterward.  So what did we do?  We went to the food court at the Mall of the Emirates, which is connected to Burj Khalifa, and we got a BBQ pizza and fries.  Even funnier- our table/order number was 25! 


It was a fabulous birthday though I missed everyone back in the states!

Ben is safe

So just to keep everybody updated about ben's whereabouts- he is here in Dubai with me.  He was originally scheduled to leave for Kabul on Saturday the 18th.  His flight was cancelled due to bad weather in Kabul.  He flew out on 20th after the airline appearing to be unsure if they were going to make the trip. Well, they really couldn't make the trip, but decided that only after circling above Kabul for 30 minutes.  Ben then called me Kandahar (not Bagram, like I may have said to some people....) saying that he was still on the plane and about to started heading back to Dubai.  Since then, he has given up on trying to get there and back before my birthday.  and now that there are riots, he will not go to Kabul until it calms down.  I'll keep you all updated on his travels when we know more.

Dates

Dates are a very popular fruit in Dubai and many other areas of the Middle East.  Dates are very sweet and have a high sugar content, but also contain many essential vitamins and minerals.  Plus they are a good source of antioxidants and phytonutrients.

When picking out dates at the grocery store, look for those that are fresh, unwrinkled, single-colored (caramel hue).   Older dates may be drier, have wrinkled skin, and may have some paler areas on the skin. These are still ok to eat, but will not be as juicy, and will have a chewier texture.  You may need to chop off the very dry, pale areas for better overall taste and texture.

To eat, be sure to remove the elongated oval-shaped pit on the inside.  The rest is edible.  Dates can be used in baked goods: cookies, muffins, breads; salads; covered in chocolate; added to fruit salad; and used in many savory dishes.

I decided to make a chicken and date salad.  This had a good combination of sweet and savory.  Many chicken salads get their sweetness from added sugars.  In this recipe,  I only used dates and yogurt to add sweetness.  Many recipes also often use full fat mayonnaise and/or sour cream to add creaminess.  However, plain fat-free Greek yogurt is a good, nutritious substitute.  See recipe below.

What you'll need:
- 1 chicken breast
- 6 dates, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped red onion
- 1/2 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

What to do:
1.  Fill a medium sauce pan with water about 3 inches deep.  Heat water over high heat on the stove and let come to a boil.  Add the chicken breast and reduce heat to a simmer.  Cover pot.  Cook about 8-10 minutes until done.  Check for doneness by cutting the chicken in half crosswise.  If there is any pink- it is NOT done and will need to cook for longer.  If the chicken is cooked, place on a plate or drying rack to cool.

2.  While the chicken is cooking and cooling, combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl.

3.  When the chicken has cooled, pull the chicken apart with your hands and/or a fork. Pull apart to create small strings of chicken.  When done, add chicken to the yogurt mixture.  Serve cold.  You can wrap in a leaf of lettuce or top on some delicious bread.   Recipe makes 3 servings.

Nutrition Information per serving:
63 calories, 0g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 16g carbohydrates, 2g fiber, 6g protein

Some variations:
- use fewer dates to make it less sweet
- add celery to add some crunch and some bitter flavor
- add slivered almonds for crunch and a bit of nutty flavor
- use less vinegar and lemon juice to decrease acidity and tartness

Settling in

Well we have started getting used to our hotel and the area around it.  We know how to get to my school, to ben's work, to the metro, to the mall, and to the grocery store.

Our hotel apartment is working out pretty well, aside from a few unfortunate set back.  Plus side: has some kitchen equipment, fairly spacious, has a pool and a gym, and its right next to the grocery store and the metro.  Down sides: were are super far away from my school and ben's work, the internet has been really unreliable, the room keys repeatedly deactivate for no reason, the parking garage attendant cannot seem to remember us and will never let us in the parking garage.  So really the main downside is that its too far from where we need to be.  So we will be looking for some places that are in a better location.

Here are some pictures of our apartment:

The living room
  We have two small comfy couches and a TV.  Behind the window is a balcony that we off limits.  The balcony on the second floor of a hotel is too dangerous! Why did they build it?  We also have a breakfast table to the left (not in the picture).

Pretty nice bathroom

Kitchen/half of a laundry room
We have a sink, stove top, coffee pot, microwave, small fridge, some pots and pans (2 saute pans and two pots), minimal utensils (1 knife, 1 spatula, 1 large spoon); 1 clothes washer (but no dryer)

We were very happy to leave the cold weather!  The weather here is perfect.  That is, unless there is a sandstorm.   The first two days were 75-80 degrees and partly sunny to sunny.  Day 3 has been extremely windy.  A little wind on a 90-degree day would sound nice.   Until you realize all land that does not have a building on it has sand.  And that sand is very light and gets lifted into the air with the smallest effort from Mother Nature.  So the scenery today: not so great.  The skyscrapers are completely blocked from view unless you are up close to it.  Even the sun looked like it was hiding behind a cloud.  Walking to and from the metro I got sand in my eyes, my ears, my hair, my clothes, everywhere! It was not very pleasant.  Hopefully the sand storm will pass soon.  See the difference:

Burj Khalifa on a mostly clear day

Burj Khalifa on a sandstorm day
(and this was taken closer to the building than the other picture)

 

The ride over to Dubai

Have you ever flown Qatar Airlines? Well, I never had until this trip and I am impressed. They’re meals consist of an appetizer, main course, and a dessert. They give everyone hot towels, not just those in first class. They passed out candy and ‘refreshing towels’ multiple times. It also has free booze for the whole trip! They also handed out a pouch containing socks (how thoughtful!), sleeping mask, toothbrush with toothpaste, and earplugs. They give you everything you could possibly need! As an extra bonus, we got ice cream in the middle of the night!

The bag containing socks, toothbrush with toothpaste, earplugs, eye mask, and refreshing towels

I thought 13 hours on a plane was going to be the worst thing ever. But luckily, Ben and I both slept for most of the plane ride. Unfortunately, that does make it more difficult to get on the right sleep schedule in Dubai. I am actually writing this right now to keep myself awake because 5 minutes ago I was falling asleep watching TV. And now it is time to go cook dinner. We’re having chicken kabobs with rice and salad. Luckily we have some pots, pans, and a stove so we can cook our own meals.

The day has finally come!!!  Tonight, Ben and I leave for Dubai!  How does a person pack for a 3 month trip?  I found myself asking weird questions like "how many Q-Tips does a person use in 3 months?" Hopefully I have thought of everything, but  I'm not really sure how prepared a person can feel about going to live in a foreign country for 3 months.  Well, I am off to pack just a few more items before heading to the airport.  My next post will be made from my apartment in Dubai and , of course, will have some pictures!