I have been back in Dubai for one month since my holiday to the states. Jim and I have
been living in Dubai for one year on October 8. Julia is in her last year at UW Stevens Point.
Next semester she starts an externship and then graduation. Hanna finished her training in
Boise, went to Ecuador on a medical missions trip, returned to the states, moved back to
Wisconsin and is planning a return trip to Ecuador to work, then Ethiopia in January or February.
After that, who knows what she will do. Prayer for both of the girls is coveted as they both
have big changes and decisions coming up.

I must make a correction to one of the previous chronicles regarding housekeepers.
When I spoke of the people knocking on my door looking for extra work, it is illegal if
they are sponsored by someone else. Yet, they post signs at the grocery store seeking
part-time work.I found this out first from one of the neighbors. Her husband will not hire any
help at all,for fear of it being illegal.
To hire a housekeeper illegally means huge fines and deportation. When I
returned to Dubai I found a newspaper article on this topic. It was so informative. I am so
grateful to have found out these details before making a huge mistake. Last week a worker
came to the door and asked if we would sponsor him and his wife.They would live and work here
but wanted the ability to work for others. Of course Jim told him,"No." Again, if he were
to get caught working for others, we all would be in trouble. So,my question is, "Do these
housekeepers know that what they are doing is illegal when they go looking for work with other
people?" I was never informed of such a thing. I thought it was harmless and acceptable. I will
probably try to call one of the agencies in the future, especially when we have company. I can only
hope that the agency is legal.


The weather is changing. Planting and growing season is upon us. The temperatures have dropped.
Our days are in the mid 90's and the nights are in the low to mid 80's. The funny thing is that it
is hotter at night due to humidity. The real temp. may be 88 degrees, but the feels like temp.
is 105. Today was the first day that the real temp. was 99 and the real feel temmp. was 98.
Being outside during the day is not so uncomfortable now, and it is only going to get better.
Lilly and I have planted some sweet potatoes and they are growing like crazy. I have started
to replace some of the plants that burned up during July and August. I am so pleased that
we lost only a few things.

So excited as the fly over has just been completed over the big round about by the Dubai
Investment Park. Work was being done when we moved here last Fall. It may seem silly,
but I was so excited that Jim took me for a drive on it. To go toward the city without
having to work our way around the round about was truly amazing. The round about by us
is very large. I think it to be the largest in Dubai at the moment. At times a taxi
driver will ask if we live by the big round about, if they are not positive of the Green
Community or the Dubai Investment Park.

While on holiday in the states people were asking questions that I just did not know
the answer. But, alas, I bought a magazine that had some of the answers. So, here it goes.

Are there bugs, spiders and snakes? Yes, to all of these. Now that the days are cooler
we will have lots of flies and mozzies(mosquitoes) To keep the flies under control we use,
brace yourself, wet dung bags around the yard. Yes, dung bags and they work great. The smell
will turn your stomach, but they work marvelously. Mozzies are kept back with burning coils
and citronella. The mozzie bite can be painful for days. We use Tiger balm to sooth the itch.
We some have spiders and such, but I have not seen any real big ones. In the desert the spiders
and snakes are very big. We do have little lizard like critters at night. They are harmless and
the kids love to catch them.They do change colors from light to dark. I guess that the city and
communities use various methods to control the insects and snakes so they aren't seen too much.
I know that mice and rats are around. So, garbage and yard waste must be gathered and diposed
of properly right away. Most communities have laws regarding how much stuff can be laying around
for how long.

Is there a clothing police? I have never seen nor heard of such a thing here. Sharjah
is more conservative so they may have one. Just because I have not seen it does not mean it is
not true. As I have said in the past, walking around the Malls and assorted other places, a few
people are somewhat vulgar in what they wear. Suggestions for dress are posted in numerous places,
but I have not seen them enforced in anyway. Honestly, I wish that some of the dress codes were
enforced. It is an embarrassment to women in general and to themselves. These are my chronicles
and I will say what I wanna. It is not my intention to get under the skin of others, but my
beliefs are how I see the world around me and it makes my chronicles mine. My heart goes out
to men in so many places as women show so little regard as to how men are hard-wired and then
they(women) complain about men staring or other behaviors.

How much do we pay for fuel? The average cost of fuel is Dhs1.70 per liter. Remember,
3.68 Dhs per dollar.

What is the population of Dubai? The population is expected to reach or surpass 2 million
this year. I do not know if this means the city of Dubai or the emirate. When the economy crashed,
the population decreased by one-third. It is slowly building back up.

What types of foods are available? Brunch season has begun! I do not know the significance
of this, but the magazine I bought; first time ever buying this magazine, mentioned numerous
brunches through out Dubai. So, with that came a list of cuisine available. The list begins:
Arabic and Lebanese, Argentinian,Asian, Australian, British, Chinese, Filipino, French, German,
Greek, Indian, Irish, International,Italian,Japanese, Korean, Mediterranean, Mexican, Pakistani,
Moroccan, Persian, Russian, Spanish, Thai, Turkish, Vietnamese, Burgers,cafes, Seafood,
Steakhouses, etc. For more listings go to,"timeoutdubai.com" Foods from these places can be
found in supermarkets. Some markets do cater to one nationality over others,depends on the
location of the market. American food is available and it is good, but it does not taste the
same. Even if the label says,"Real American Taste." Can you imagine that even Oreos taste different?
What can beat Oreos, on a fork dunked in milk? I always thought an Oreo was an Oreo and it will always
taste the same when properly eaten. Not bad,just different. Jim and I went to Hardee's last night.
We believe the food taste most like home. There may be more American places to eat that taste almost
like home, we just have not found them. Which is a good thing, we need to try different foods and if
it all tasted like home, we probably would have missed out on Arabic food.
"What is Brunch Season?" You ask. For three months the restaurants will host brunches
with a variety of foods and drinks. This I think is to draw people out of the homes, spend money and
enjoy the weather. Prices for brunches vary from place to place and what one wants to drink. The
most expensive brunch will include some forms of liquor or bubbly, then the prices drop depending
on the drinks. It seems to be very popular here.

"Is Dubai beautiful?" That is a hard question for me. I see nothing beautiful in a city
as a city. Yet, to look at Dubai, all of the unusaul shapes, building materials,sizes and colors
of the buildings is interesting. The climate here is so harsh that to keep a city that large clean
is a feat in itself.
The lights at night really accentuate the geometric shapes of and on the buildings. I must admit;
when looking at the sky line and viewing buildings in pairs or triplets, the eye just keeps moving
from one place to another. The various architectural designs keep the eye moving and the different
colors with in the narrow ranges of tones that can be exposed to the elements is captivating to say
the least. Space between buildings is filled with colorful plants, trees, flowers, fountains, etc.
the lines tend to be graceful and contrasting, again, drawing the eye from one place to another.
Too look away is a hard practice of self-control. So, the city is visually stimulating,and invokes
a sense of awe. I hope that is a fair and satisfying answer. If not, come visit us and see Dubai.


Went to work with Jim the other day. We went a different route so I was writing directions.
When home, I was reading over what I had written: At mosque round about right;
round about, straight; stop light, right: round about straight.... Jabel Ali Free Zone Gate G8
round about 9, left, round about 10 left. You get the idea. Trust me. This makes sense.
Just a different mind set to driving and directions. I would be very proficient in getting
myself to the the office following those directions. If I get off of the trail, then I
would truly be in a world of hurt.


It seems that the media stateside is really good at sharing bits of information but not following
with facts. So, just in case the news mentioned a fire yesterday and did not follow up. I am going to
give you the facts as I know them. Yesterday a chemical plant burned down on the far side of
Dubai Investment Park 2. It burned for hours with a number of explosions. It was fairly close to us
as we live in Dubai Investment Park 1. At that time, we did not know what was burning, just that
something near was.Tehra did not feel well that night and the following morning I had an odd
taste in my mouth. Later that morning we found out what had been burning. Schools in the area
sent the children home in the morning as the air was contaminated from the released chemicals.
The news suggested that parents keep the children inside today.
I am sure that this sand storm will blow everything out to sea. We are all fine.


As I was typing this a sand storm blew in. The day was sunny and very pleasant, then it happened,
wind picked up and so did the sand. So, we ran around the house locking all of the doors and windows,
then outside to catch any toys that may blow away. I love sand in my teeth, eyes, ears, wrinkles,pockets,
hair, ... The weather may be nicer in general, but it seems that the sand storms are worse during
the winter months.

It has taken me a week to type this, so I believe it is time to send it. I hope that you
all enjoy it.