Sand, Sorrows, and Shadows: Part 2

Z: Hello again!  We informed you how our lives were leading up to departure. We still haven't recovered from all the emotional stress as we haven't had time to relax or take a break to recuperate. We had to hit the ground running. I managed to come down with a cold the day before we flew. The flight was miserable. I coughed for nearly 14 hours and had terrible leg cramps. I don't know how many of you have flown overseas or even across the country, but being trapped on a plane with little room is not fun. I've been to Thailand twice so I can manage long flights, but this one was different. We arrived around 7:30 p.m. UAE time on Friday, September 5th. After meeting with ADEC representatives, we proceeded to retrieve our checked luggage, only to find out two of our bags and Braxton's car seat was missing! Still to this day, we can't locate his seat. We hopped on a bus, headed to our hotel, grabbed some dinner at our "favorite" and crashed immediately. We were able to rest on Saturday and visit a few malls (we'll talk about the malls in a later post) to pick up a few essentials for our week-long stay in the hotel. Back to the sickness...I still had a cold and felt horrible. Well, Sunday rolls around and guess who finds himself in the ER? This guy! Much to my dismay, two kidney stones (11 mm and 4 mm) were camping out and decided to take a hike late that night. They operate a little more naturally here so the pain meds I was given weren't too effective, but thankfully the pain subsided after the stones took a break from their mountainous trek up and down my intestinal river. I apologize for any imagery. In short, it was a painful night. Things didn't get better from there. I suffered through that pain for nearly a week; all while I went through debriefing and orientation. By the following Thursday, I had no pain. I was free...or so I thought.  That next Friday, we attended a church service and I began feeling nauseous.  For the next two weeks, (yes two entire weeks) I went through a bout of food poisoning and some kind of stomach bug. It wasn't until my birthday, October 1st, that I felt somewhat healthy and had energy for the first time since our arrival. Happy birthday! At this stage in life, it was one of the best gifts I could ask for. I learned my lesson: leftovers aren't any good here.

There are many options for food here. There is more variety than in the States. We've come across Indian, Arabian, Egyptian, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, American, Mexican, European, Brazilian, New Zealand, Australian, Lebanese, and much more. We haven't come across anything, as of yet, that hasn't catered to our taste buds. Everything is seasoned well and the ingredients are fresh. That is, of course, leaving McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, and many other fast food restaurants we're accustomed to in the States out of the discussion. We've tried to venture out during the week for dinner and try something new each night to get out of our American comfort zones and experience the different cultural tastes. We have been pleased thus far. On Friday's, we've started a tradition, however. Every Friday, we visit one of the local TGIFriday's where we reflect on the week and indulge in one of our favorite American meals or desserts. This is a picture of my first Friday, traditional meal: Texas Burger. Half a pound, in all its glory, smothered in chili, queso, cheddar cheese, onion straws, barbeque sauce, and cooked to absolute perfection!

TGIFriday's is not necessarily our favorite because of the delicious, comforting food. It's our favorite because of the environment. We know the staff by name and they know us as well. They all treat Braxton like royalty! They're rather hospitable to us too. I'm hoping we are able to carry the Friday ritual on for as long as we are here. There is some symbolism involved with "thanking God for Friday". Friday is the start of the weekend here and more importantly, for the culture, it is an Islamic holy day. Christians and other religious bodies tend to hold their primary services on Friday, also. 

 

We've tried to stay in the "Shadows" and play things conservatively up to this point. We are truly seeking to build relationships with the entire culture and all those around us whether Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, or any other person with a certain belief.  We are firm in our faith and that will not waver, however, we are interested in learning about the beliefs of others. Our God has us in His hands and nothing can pluck us away.  We know we have a purpose here and are confident God is going to use us to bring glory to Himself. There are some things right now, though, we just want to stay in the shadows about, including our dress, the way we talk and conduct ourselves, and the way we live in some aspects. We feel God has something in store, but we don't want to rush or become impatient, even when the world around us is moving so quickly.

 

Well, friends, it's about that time. 6:00 a.m. means I'm late getting ready for school. It's not officially a holiday any longer, but from what I hear, less than 10% of the students will likely show up today. Michelle and Braxton are going to Oman for a border run so I'll likely have the afternoon to myself where I'll finish the blog. Until then, take care and God bless!