Category Archives: Dubai

!رمضاب كريم (Ramadan Kareem!) A time for reflection, regardless of religion

As the new moon approaches, you can feel the anticipation as Muslims around the world are preparing for Ramadan, the ninth month in the Islamic calendar. (Update: as I finish writing this post, the crescent moon was spotted and confirmed both by Saudi Arabia and the UAE. It has happened before that the countries will call the month or holidays differently, as in the Middle East, the moon still needs to be physically spotted). 

The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, with 11 months. Each new month begins with the first sighting of the crescent moon after the new moon. When you think about it, measuring the passing of time using the lunar calendar makes a lot of sense, as the moon continues to repeat its cycle consistently. (I mean, scientifically, I understand why the year in the Julian calendar is 365 days, as it takes 364.25 days to orbit the sun, but still, having 12 months of differing lengths isn’t the most intuitive!) Continue reading !رمضاب كريم (Ramadan Kareem!) A time for reflection, regardless of religion

Mini Escapes Volume 1

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At the beginning of this school year, I made a promise to myself to explore Dubai and the surrounding areas more. I also decided that I might as well drive in style, in a leased 2018 Mini Cooper Countryman 🙂 I must admit, it was purely because I wanted to drive a mini that I splurged, but I absolutely LOVE driving it! Follow me now on my adventures of everywhere the Mini can take me in the UAE (I can’t drive it out of the country). In this first edition, we will be looking at different events and places that I have been within the Dubai Emirate.

Activities

To start us off, I decided to try Glow in the Dark 3D mini golf for my birthday at the end of August. This was a blast, and so trippy! If you wear neon, you will be sure to glow in the dark. We discovered that my shirt also gave a 3D illusion, with greens and blues receding and yellows and reds jumping out to the front. The Glowing Rooms Dubai

Another fun option, once the weather starts to cool down, is a cruise along the waterfront. It was a friend’s birthday, so a group of about 15 of us pooled together to rent a yacht (complete with captain and crew) for a 2-hour cruise from Dubai Marina, along JBR towards the Palm. After reaching Atlantis, we turned back to enjoy the sunset before stopping for a swim. Unfortunately, at this time of year (September) there are a lot of jellyfish in the water, and I was not taking my chances!

Another thing that I am trying to do this year is to meet people outside the teaching world, by going to InterNations events. The first one I attended this year was the InterNations birthday party on the Queen Elizabeth 2. This was not one of my favourite events, as there were too many people and not enough space. The ship itself was also not as fancy as I was expecting, but it was really interesting to learn about the history of the ship.

Spas and Relaxation

Another fun feature of Dubai is all the hotels and spas. Using a 2-4-1 coupon (Gems Rewards, similar to the Entertainer), I decided to treat myself to a Turkish bath at the Anantara Resort and Spa on the Palm. It was lovely! I highly recommend treating yourself to this or any other treatment using these offers.

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As many people discover, Dubai is an expensive city. However, this is not always the case. In a future post, I will highlight some of the free activities that you can do here in Dubai!

Welcome to the UAE!


Well, I have been here for 2 weeks now, and there has been a ton of info that has entered my brain. It has caused one sleepless night (just couldn’t shut off my mind), but otherwise, I am back to waking up around 5:30-6 am with the sunrise. And at that time, I can also hear the call to prayer from the nearby mosque. (*Update: I am back to my Canadian hours of midnight to 8:30-9 am, which is not so good when school starts at 7:40…) Continue reading Welcome to the UAE!