I am happy to introduce Lindsey to the blog.  You will note that she is a much better writer than I.

A weekend apart

A few weekends ago, Lindsey took off to go to a professional development conference in Dubai.  We thought we would give you a side-by-side account of our weekends.  While this hasn’t been the first time that Lindsey has been away from Simon overnight, this was definitely the longest.  I joked with Lindsey about being a single parent.  Perhaps a better term would be ‘solo parent’.  Before recounting our tale, mad props to all of those single parents out there!  You take the weight of the world on your shoulders and I am amazed at your patience!!

Thursday

Before moving forward with our weekend, just wanted to explain that our working week is from Sunday to Thursday.  That is because Friday is the holy day in Islam.  It takes a little bit getting used to, but it really isn’t that bad.

Kevin and Simon

Thursday was a pretty standard day for us.  It started with picking Simon up in the creche after school.  Recently, he has decided that he no longer wants to leave with us and clings to his teacher.  That usually ends with some disagreement and tears. I use the term disagreement loosely since Simon still doesn’t have many words.  The disagreement is mostly whining from him (and sometimes from me!)

Once we got in the car, everything was fine.  Simon likes to point out when the traffic light turns green and say, “IT’S GREEN!”  We even had time to take a selfie! (Not pictured: Llama Llama Red Pajama)

Our favorite past-time at the moment is going to the hotel and riding the elevator.  We can usually do this for a good 30 minutes (usually until mommy or daddy get sick of it).  Since the hotel is 5 floors, we usually go from 1 to 5 and back down.  Sometimes, we take the stairs to 2 and then up to 5 and back down to 1.  Depends on our mood a bit.

Today we decided to change things up.  We went to 3!  We found amazing sights to behold on 3!  We spent most of the time (which had a large carpet space) spinning in circles to Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side”. (especially the non-PC part)

I didn’t feel like cooking anything, so pizza from room service it is! BBQ Chicken for me and 3 cheese for Simon (one of the cheeses being blue cheese!)

Afterwards, Simon decided to drink some yogurt.  You can see the end results below.

After a night of some tv (needed for my sanity), jumping on the bed, and books (see Simon’s book review here), we went to bed (A bit late)

Lindsey

The school bus took the whole group from the school in Jubail to the Dammam airport which is about an hour away.  After security, which is a very Saudi experience in itself because there is a ladies-only line, we had another very Saudi experience at the money exchange counter.  After about 15 minutes of waiting in line, which didn’t move, we were told that counter was closed and had to move into another line in which we waited another 15 minutes before changing our money to UAE Dirham (AED).  The exchange rate is pretty much equal with the Saudi Riyal.

I had tried to relax on the bus, but Saudi roads make it difficult, so I started to try to unwind while waiting at the gate.  I didn’t like leaving my boys alone all weekend to fend for themselves. What if someone got hurt? What if they ran out of diapers?  What if they couldn’t find the fridge? But ultimately I decided it was unlikely either would spontaneous combust for the 48 hours I would be away.  So I was able to relax as much as any mother is every able to relax.

I never minded flying near the back of the bus until I started flying internationally.  Back of the bus means back of the line when you get to customs. It wasn’t too bad because we were in line as a group.  The most experienced traveller among us snuck in with a family with children he knew and got through more quickly. This was to all our benefit later when it came to getting a cab to the hotel.  He was able to have a cab waiting when we got to the curb. The great thing about flying most places in the middle east is the family lines. Small children who have just gotten off long flights do not need to wait in line.  No one wants that. Anyway, I was once again able to demonstrate my incredible skill of picking the slowest line, but we all made it through unscathed.

The cab ride to the hotel:  One of the scariest of my life.  Our driver was obviously working under some sort of quota.  We were coming from Saudi, a country which harbors some of the most imaginative and resourceful drivers on the planet, and still this man’s driving impressed us.  The comments started as the occasional, under-the-breath, “Geez,” and “Wow,” from all of us. Somewhere near the beginning as we were realizing just what kind of ride this was going to be, I helped my coworker next to me fasten her seatbelt.  As the drive progressed, and I estimate the whole drive was about 10 minutes, the comments became progressively louder as we had clearly decided we didn’t give a damn about the drivers feelings because he clearly wasn’t concerned with getting us to our destination safely.  As we pulled in front of the hotel nearly all of us were belly laughing, in part because of the sheer ridiculousness of this man’s driving and in part out of the relief that we had survived. To sum up, the final comment in the car was, “You win, buddy!” And indeed, he had won.  I hope he met his quota.

Most of us stayed at the Crowne Plaza in Festival city.  That evening we dined in the Belgian Cafe. It was nice being in public without an abaya, listening to some music and people-watching.  I had sliders and crepes.

The room was very high-tech, very Dubai and for some reason everything at the hotel came in its own leather box:  silverware, remote controls, and all the amenities one typically sees in a modern hotel, everything had its own box.  The water pressure left something to be desired.

Friday

Kevin and Simon

Friday was always going to be the longest day.  Most shops open up late, and it requires a full day of not stop parenting. (Hey at least it is not the deadly man-flu, so much worse than child-birth)

Friday is usually grocery day in our household.  Because there is very little to do in the Kingdom, going to Lulu Supermarket is the highlight of the week (sad I know).  We did a pre-emptive shop mid-week just in case Simon decided to have a lousy disposition.  Luckily for me, he has in a fine mood, so off we went to Lulu for a few of the essentials (milk, yogurt, toilet paper).  We even continued our tradition of going to Tim Horton’s (aka Canada’s finest export)

Simon particularly liked his chocolate TimBit!

We spent the rest of the morning doing the usual: jumping on our trampoline, playing in our sand table, visiting the neighbors, watching a bit more tv than usual. (His favorite show at the moment is Little Baby Bum) Also had leftover pizza for lunch.

Thankfully, for daddy, we also had a nice long nap!

We also visited Simon’s friend, Archer.  I also learned a much needed parenting-hack.  If all else fails, make them do manual labor! We had Simon and Archer fill up a kiddie pool by hand with plastic cups.  They were quite happy to go back and forth from the hose to the pool an inifinite number of times.  They never did get to swim in it!

The highlight of our afternoon was our trip to Baskin Robbins.  Of all the 31 flavors, we preferred Peanut Butter N’ Chocolate. (Thank God this kid is not allergic to peanut butter!)

Our night was fairly productive.  Simon has been the typical toddler and not wanting to take a bath for mommy.  Luckily, daddy had no problems!  We also worked on our oral hygiene!

Bedtime has fairly anti-climactic.   A little bit of fussing but not too much.  This allowed me to finish watching Alien: Covenant on HBO.

Lindsey

The breakfast at the hotel was included and had indoor and outdoor seating options.  I chose outdoor and the view of some of the buildings reflecting in the water was calming.

Then the work part of the trip began and from 9-4 I learned about formative assessment from specialist Dylan Wiliam.  But that’s boring for anyone not interested in formative assessment.

After the first day of the conference, we went walking along the water, did some people watching and took some pictures. 

 I had a pedicure at the Intercontinental Spa, which is connected to The Crowne Plaza. It was very relaxing but different from what I’m used to in the states which is massage chairs, water hook-ups at the pedicure stations, and walls of colors to choose from.  

The Intercontinental is connected to a huge mall, which is still small by Dubai standards.  After my pedicure I tried to find the mall. The way to the mall was, I thought, clearly marked. I followed the signs and I found myself outside, on a walkway high above the mall.  There was a construction site. I didn’t feel I was supposed to be there so I turned around and headed back inside. On my way I passed a man who was headed outside. He was talking on his phone.  

When I headed back inside, I rechecked the signs, thought of the man outside and decided to try again to find the mall.  Maybe I hadn’t walked far enough? I passed the man again as he was headed back inside. I walked a while and decided again that, no, this is the wrong way.  Perhaps the man was just outside to make the call. So I turned around and passed the man again who was headed outside again. I sat and thought. He seemed to know where he was going, so I resolved, once more, to keep walking to the mall and turned around again.  Again, I crossed paths with man on phone. We made eye contact and quickly surmised we had both been doing the very same thing, trying to find the mall without looking like we have no idea where we were. We teamed up and found the mall together. He was Paul from Texas.  Thank you Paul from Texas.

I entered the mall.  This was a mistake for someone with a limited sense of direction such as myself.  I decided I was trapped until I found a map (surprisingly or unsurprisingly difficult to locate), so I shopped around a bit, bought some toys for Simon and then entered the food court.  A man with a menu told me I should “eat here” so I told him to order food for me. I had apparently agreed to eat what, at home, I would call Lebanese or “Mediterranean” food. I had the nice man point me back in the direction of my hotel and enjoyed eating my feast in bed which I capped off with a room service ice cream dessert.  The nice man delivering it to me addressed me by name.

A side note about the middle east: Say what you will about some things that may seem backwards to Westerners, but when it comes to your name and information,this region has it covered.  They scan your license plate, they call you by name when you drive up to the booth. At medical appointments, you give them your ID and NOT ONCE do you have to re-write the same information on ANY form.  That day-to-day frustration had been e-teched away.

Saturday

Kevin and Simon

Saturday was the Spring Spectacular at school.  This was like a school carnival and international fair all in one.  Because we didn’t have a particularly American outfit, Simon wore his Hawaiian shirt.

The school had the crèche open from 9:30-12:00 so that teachers could help volunteer; however, by the time they decided to open the crèche, all of the volunteering spots were full.  That meant a bit of a sanity break from Simon (only for an hour or so) Also, to be fair to me, I did go around and ask if anyone needed help.

The Spring Spectacular is a mixture of games for the kids, bouncy rides, bazaar (selling decorative things), and international foods.  In an international school with over 40 nationalities represented, this was a site to behold!

The food was amazing, and each country seemed to try to out-do one another.

Recently, we haven’t been quite sure how Simon will react in big crowds. The school recently had a sports day and he freaked out because of the loud music blaring.  He has never liked crowds that much.  Luckily, after a few moments of uncertainty, we did join the spring spectacular a bit.

We particularly liked the Bounce House.

It was a bit hot that day, so we didnt stay bounce for too long.  We decided to walk around the school and see the sites.  We visited the music room and played on the piano.

And also a duet

After such an eventful morning, we had another great nap.  This time, I was able to watch my guity pleasure Gold Rush from the Discovery Channel.

The afternoon was spent exploring the hotel.  We played some foosball (I kicked Simon’s ass!)

Lifting weights in the gym.

And some sliding.

No bath tonight.  A bit more TV (Simon was being a grouch) but bed at the normal time.

All in all, not that bad of a weekend.  It was pretty exhausting.  I am thankful that he still naps quite well.  I was able to keep my sanity a bit and relax, but I literally did not do anything else but watch Simon.  At least I kept him alive!

Lindsey

The next day was again 9-4 of work.  The last few hours were of some trouble for me as I had some belly issues.  We’ll just leave it at that.

After the conference was over, we again took advantage of the modern mall, I bought a few books and a stuffed camel for Simon, as well as a few novelty knick-knacks, and had dinner outside with a view of the water. And while I didn’t take full advantage of much of what Dubai had to offer, like indoor skiing, I did enjoy the opportunity to talk with adults and have warm meals while not having to worry about who is getting peanut butter on what upholstery.

The cab ride back to the airport was mercifully peaceful and security was quick.  Then came to journey to the gate. C11. I won’t be forgetting C11 any time soon. I had lost sight of my traveling companions after security but I figured the gate couldn’t be too far, I’ll catch up with them soon.  Oh, how I was mistaken. You see, C11 is about 2 miles from security. I felt lost in the Space Balls: The Desert Scene. I thought C11 must be a secret, but at long last, I discovered it, as did the rest of my group.  

The plane ride home was uneventful and we landed around 9:30 PM.  So close to home and yet so far away. The sea of people at passport control sent an audible groan through the group.  Luckily, I was in line with a coworker and we had an enlightening conversation about how the global economy would change if the matter-energy transporter technology from Star Trek became reality.  We decided that about 30 years after its induction, the Nissan Sunny would make a massive comeback due to the hipsters of that generation.

The sweetest part of the trip was lying my head down on my own pillow at 1 AM knowing I would see my sweet boy, asleep in the next room very soon, perhaps a bit too soon as my work week started 4 hours later.