Sick, Sicker, Sickest

I think being sick is my bodies way of saying it would rather be on vacation. Last night by the time I got to the hotel I had chills and a fever of 103.8. I was beginning to think my cold was turning into a bacterial infection. My lungs were full of that "snap, crackle and pop" sound, and it was uncomfortable to breath. Which, of course, made me worry about my kids. Who cares if I have to go the hospital and get hooked up on ventilators and the like. But not my kids. So I had Dave call the front desk at midnight to book a doctor first thing in the morning. He came at 9, much to my delight, and gave me an anti-inflammatory shot, some antibiotics (yeah!) and some cough syrup. Only this cough syrup was made from Thyme. Yip, thyme. Who knew such a tasty herb was also terrific for your lungs! The Doctor-- Lebanese by birth, also a Muslim, but married to a Jew (funny what you learn about people in only 15 minutes of meeting them)--said he thought it was viral, and not bacterial and that my lungs actually sounded good (the babies too), but would give my antibiotics, particularly because I would be traveling and thought it could turn into something bad later. I thought his diagnosis was off, and that I already had an infection. But who am I? I told Dave this, and told him I should be a doctor and be able to prescribe my own medication, to which he laughed and said I was crazy. So, being sick, Dash and I had a "mommy day" in bed for the morning, and Dave and Declan had a "daddy day" and went exploring the city and went to the Gold Souk. I told them to surprise me with jewelry from the Souk, and he and Declan returned with a very beautiful necklace and earrings they picked out together, which made it even more special. I kept the sliding doors open all morning and listened to the birds while I slept. They weather was great today, overcast and breezy. The perfect temperature and humidity really. Last night it poured, which is really unusual in Dubai. In fact, a hotel employee today said he's been here 6 years and it's the first time in 6 years it's rained. Can you believe that? Anyway, it made our time here very comfortable, and a nice place to thaw out from the European wet cold.



By the afternoon I was feeling pretty good and back to myself. My mom has a friend, Darcey, from Houston, who lives here who told her, through Facebook, that she lived here now and would love to host me for a play date with our kids while we are here. So I took her up on it in the afternoon and she came to pick Declan and I up and take us to her house where Declan could play with her daughter, Jordan. She also has a daughter who is 20something days older than Dashel, so we let the little ones play, too. It was fun to get out of a hotel and into someone's home. It was also fun to make a new friend. We chatted and had tea and cupcakes and talked about Dubai, and what it's like to live there as an American. It was lovely. She talked about how expensive it was to live here. How clothes cost 30% more here. How private school is absorbetant. Of course, up to now, all I've seen is hotel prices, and like most hotels, the prices for things in hotels are always absorbetant. She had asked two nannies to come over and help with the kids while we were there. Both of the women where from Asian countries and had two boys of their own. They lived here and their kids lived in their home countries. They were here to get money to send back home. As Darcey said "we have no idea the sacrifices other people make". It's true. And here in Dubai, there really is no middle class. There's a great divide between the ones who can afford to live here, and those who have to be here to get money and live very simply.

And like here, as in the other countries I've visited, I've noticed that the people who clean the hotel rooms are not from this country. Is there a country out there where this is not the case? In Scotland the help is Polish, in America it's Hispanic, in Dubai it's mainly Asians. If you can think of a country where the citizens, and not an immigrant, actually clean your hotel room, let me know.

I also noticed on my way from the airport yesterday that Dubai seemed like a mix between Las Vegas (on steroids) and Miami Beach. It felt very American--not European, but American in the way things looks and the way highways were set up. Of course, there's the Islamic and Arabic influence which is undeniable. But not overwhelming like in some parts on the world. Even the airport arrivals termail felt like an American airport, albeit a super nice one. Actually, it felt more American than any airport I've been to outside of the US. Well, it felt American up the point where you go through passport control and you're really not supposed to make eye contact with Arabic men (no joking). Okay, so that didn't feel very American at all. But everything else did. Kind of funny, though, when some women are in full Hajib black dress with only their faces or eyes showing, and others are wearing tight leggings and heels and busting out all over. Such a dichotomy. In the hotel there were sister, one wearing a full covering with her face showing, and the other looking more like a street walker. Very bizarre. Oh, and there was this one girl walking around with two other fully covered women, only she was carrying her covering. No kidding. Just carrying it around. I know I wouldn't last one day as an Islamic wife. The second I was told to put on a full covering by a man, I'd say "you first".

And Dave had an interesting encounter today with a taxi driver. He said there were Islamic tracts in English--much like Christian tracts--in the back of his taxi cab. It was basically a tract about Islam answering the basic questions of meaning and life, where we come from, why we are here, what our purpose is in life. It gave Dave the heebeegeebees.

One last word tonight about our hotel. The Mina A' Salaam Madinat Jumeirah is on Jumeirah Beach and is a gorgeous hotel. Actually, the beach is pretty lovely too. White sand, green blue water. The Mina is heavy on Arabic Architecture and decor, which I personally really love. It's a huge hotel, but well planned out. The food is delicious, and so far we've gorged ourselves on Arabic food. Really tasty and healthy. But, like all hotels in Dubai, it's expensive and more expensive. Actually, really expensive. Too expensive.