From: 
Sent: Sun 11/29/2009 1:46:12 PM
Subject: Report # 112: Crutches, eid, apt hunt

Hey everyone!

I lost the apt because the landlord and management company can't get along on some points. They will probably resolve their issues after Eid / National Holiday a 10 day vacation. This holiday is messing me up every year! Last year I lost my passport just before Eid and nothing could be done for 10 days!

So I'm on crutches trying to find a new apt. Fm again back to looking at shit. I figured out that what is "luxury" to some people is a ghetto to me. Even though Fm willing to pay AED 100,000 ( $28,000) / year for a poorly done studio and pay cash upfront, ifs still difficult. As a matter of fact, studios in that price-range are harder to find because most of them are rat-holes for a lot less.

When I told a real estate agent that the groundfloor of a convened school with windows smaller than in prisons, he asked if I wanted to look at the basement. When I was done giving him a murderous look, I said: "Do I LOOK like I would live in a basement? Don't be ridiculous."

Candidate Weekend rocks when you have a sprained foot! I was just in a suite watching DVDs, ordering room service and getting my colleagues to get me stuff! Our New York-colleagues flew in and entertained me. I got the New York nurse to check my foot. We all had a nice thanksgiving dinner at the Sheraton. Oh...and the students...when they dropped by the hospitality room I told them it would be a lot more hospitable in their own rooms...

Last weekend I went to a camel race at 6:30 am on Friday! Since it's now forbidden to use little 5 year old boys to race the camels, they use robots. It looks hilarious! What's even more hilarious is that once the camels are off, there's 30 SUVs following them around the track! It's actually more of a SUV sport than a camel sport.

Two brave, female colleagues jumped in to an SUV to take them around the track. I said we'd better take down the license plate number if the SUV never came back with them...

Afterward we went to a Camel Souk where they sold nutrition and gear for camels. I mean, you just can't make that stuff up.

Don't get any sprained ankles!
Cecilia