Grateful for Birdsong and Sunscreen
From the moment I stepped foot off the plane in Dubai, I have been so warmly welcomed here. Farooq met me at the airport and drove me to Ras al Khaimah (at 1 in the morning). He called me madam the entire car ride. He is from Pakistan, where his wife and four children live. He works in Ras al Khaimah as a tour guide and driver. He misses his family and hopes to return to them permanently in the next few years. We spent the hour in the car talking about how great it is to meet people from different cultures and the way the world and humans are interesting and amazing. I marveled that he married his wife when she was 16, and he marveled that I am nearly forty and have no children of my own. We talked about the beauty of the natural world, and how being a human can be such a strange experience.
After a little snafu with the hotel reservation, which was handled so gracefully by the gentleman at the hotel front desk, at 2:30 a.m., I settled into my room and enjoyed some very deep sleep.
After a little snafu with the hotel reservation, which was handled so gracefully by the gentleman at the hotel front desk, at 2:30 a.m., I settled into my room and enjoyed some very deep sleep.
Later in the morning, I woke to a symphony of unfamiliar bird sounds, which filled my heart with excitement and wonder.
At breakfast, I had the following conversation:
Staff member: Hannah? That’s an Arabic name!
Me: Is it?
Staff member: Yeah! But you’re so white! What happened?
Me: Umm. I was born this way…?
We laughed together. It feels good to connect with people over a smile and a laugh.
It will surprise no one to know that after breakfast, I spent two hours sitting by the pool admiring these guys. My camera attracts some attention, and I had some fun and interesting conversations with a few people at the pool about the birds.
Mid-morning, I was greeted kindly by Dr. Tiffany Smith from the Al Qasimi Foundation. She took me to the office, where I met many of the staff here. They are incredible and so helpful with offering suggestions about how to navigate my way around RAK and the rest of the UAE.
She took me to lunch at a little restaurant on the corniche, and kindly let me use her computer to call my bank, who despite travel notifications galore, froze my cards due to suspected fraud. Frustrating, but after six (yes, six!) phone calls and several trips to the ATM machine, it’s all sorted out. We enjoyed our time together discussing the educational programming for the festival next week, and she gave me some history and information about RAKFAF and the Al Qasimi foundation. I’m looking forward to meeting the students here next week.
I had the afternoon to myself, so I took a taxi back to the corniche, where I wandered slowly, breathing in all the sights and sounds of this new, beautiful place. It’s quite warm at midday and the sun is intense (so much sunscreen), but there is a nice breeze, and the early morning and later evening is lovely.
Jet lag hit me with a force about 4 in the afternoon, but I kept myself busy wandering until sunset. I’ve never seen the sun quite like it looks at sunset here. I enjoyed a delicious dinner in the hotel bar, where I randomly sold a photograph to one of the staff here, who struck up a conversation with me (!!!!). It’s such a strange feeling to know that one of my photos from Washington will soon be hanging in someone’s flat here.
After a few more phone calls to the bank, and another three ATM trips (I remain forever grateful to Dana from OnPoint CU for her patience and help), I collapsed into bed and enjoyed many hours of very solid sleep. I woke this morning with mounting excitement for Artists’ Night, where I’ll get to meet the other 159 artists who are here for this festival!
But first… a kayak trip through the mangroves of RAK.
