Miranda

So the champagne was on ice and finally, the woman I had fallen in love with while living in the Caribbean was arriving in the Middle East to live with me.

The first five weeks I was in Abu Dhabi were memorable but very lonely. I started my job. I found us a place to live. But somehow, I was sure everything I knew about this city and my life here was about to change. At least that's what I predicted while I put on my most 'dapper' clothes and took a taxi to the airport.

Her flight was delayed, which gave me more time to pace around the modern Abu Dhabi airport where public displays of affection were somewhat overlooked. Ahh, the comings and goings of life. At the airport terminal. Probably one of the most-overplayed final scenes in any movie, besides the beach.

But this would not be the final scene to my Middle East experience but the opening act. How else would you explain it when the hairs stood up on the back of my neck the first second I saw this gorgeous woman walk through the electronic arrival doors and back into my life?

Yes, Miranda was a big reason why I knew we could take this Abu Dhabi challenge head on together. During our twilight on St. Thomas, we had many discussions on where our future was headed.

Then we had some more discussions. And a few more.

While in London, Detroit, and even in Toronto, we gabbed about our prospects, our priorities and our dreams.

Somehow, we ended up in this desert oasis, where tropical palm trees line the city streets and the dirhams don't get soggy in your bathing suit pocket while you canoodle at the swim-up pool bar.

I can say with certainty that if Miranda didn't want to or couldn't or wouldn't -- take your pick -- travel with me to Abu Dhabi, then this chapter in my life would have been passed over.

The fact is that we knew we couldn't live without each other and when you can recognize that, nothing else really matters. Having a cool job and living in a unique city on the other side of the world is just a bonus.

*   *   *

I apologize for the lapse in blogs. See, when Miranda came into town, everything did change (so much more for the better) and we started to explore right away.

In the meantime, we went on a desert safari, saw the camel races in person, visited the Emirates Palace (a few times) and discovered pristine beaches that would rival the finest in the Caribbean.

So I have some catching up to do and it starts right now...Cheers.

 

For your viewing pleasure

As Miranda and I sauntered through Marina Mall, one of the many gaudy retail fortresses that are peppered through out the city, I kept a keen eye on all the different signs.

First of all, malls – especially ones that look like circus space ships – usually make me nauseated. The lack of directories in this particular one frustrated me even further.

But on our way to the movie theatre, I took note of the signs because they had all your typical ones...

"Restrooms"

"Food Court"

"Prayer Room"

When we got to the "Cinema," there were many options. Unlike on the islands, where anything from Tyler Perry stayed in the theater for months, all the newest flicks were already out here.

We settled on Zero Dark Thirty, the new Kathryn Bigelow flick about the U.S. build-up to catching Osama Bin Laden and raiding his safe house in Pakistan.

So imagine this: We have two white people living in a Muslim country and watching a movie about an Islamic extremist who launched a Jihad against America, and the U.S. assault to take him down. Sounds pretty safe, right?

Well, tempers inside the theatre immediately boiled over when the fuzzy flick began and viewers were asked to put on their 3D glasses. The cinema guys messed up and started Life Of Pi, which opened with the pretty scene of a luscious forest.

"This doesn't look like Pakistan," I whispered to Miranda as pissed-off Emiratis went charging for the exit to try and correct the problem.

A few weeks earlier, I also saw Sean Team Six: The Raid on Osama Bin Laden, which was the junior-varsity version of the Bigelow flick but it also featured the rapper Xzibit and he wasn't pimping any rides in this one.

During that particular movie cinema experience, I was by myself and on top of that, I was the only white person in the theater. Once again, it was an interesting environment.

Now don't get me wrong, I love America but I'm not going to be one those guys who hoots and hollers when the Navy SEALs kick some ass on the big screen (especially while in a Muslim country). At the same time, I really didn't like seeing all those college kids cheering in front of the White House like it was New Year's Eve when the Bin Laden news broke.

After the movie ended both times, I have to admit there was a slightly-heightened sense of what I was doing and how even my body language may be read by those around me.

I think it all really comes down to respect.

If you don't have it, then visiting or living anywhere in this particular part of the world is not for you. Luckily, in the UAE, there is more tolerance and a bit more acceptance of Western culture, which clearly sets it apart from the rest of the Middle East.

That, and the malls. There's an indoor ski slope in one of the Dubai malls. But that's a story for another day.