Stuffed Grape Leaves

Wara Einab/ Dawali/ Grape Leaves (Vegetarian)

 

Tools:

Two large bowls (one for rice, one for leaves)

One large pot with cover

Sharp knife

Spoon

Ingredients:

·      3 cups short grain rice

·      2-3 small tomatoes, finely

·      2 small onions, finely chopped

·      ½ can (~½ can) chickpeas, chopped

·      ½- 1 small can tomato paste

·      ~½ cup chopped parsley

·      ~1-2 tbsp lemon juice

·      ~2-3 tbsp olive oil

·      1 jar grape leaves

The following spices, to taste:

·      salt

·      cumin

·      nutmeg

·      all spice

·      turmeric

·      dash of black pepper

·      pinch of curry powder

Directions:

1.     Soak rice over night. Rinse rice day of. Place rice in large bowl with plenty of extra room.

2.     Remove grape leaves from jar and rinse with warm water. Be careful removing leaves from jar, as tearing leaves will render leaves useless.

3.    Add chopped onion, tomato, chickpeas and parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, tomato paste and spices to bowl of soaked rice.  Stir in between adding every few ingredients to check the consistency and ratio of rice to non-rice ingredients.  Taste after adding spices and tomato paste to be sure you’re at a desired intensity of spices.  Add more of whatever flavor is lacking.

4.     Sit at a table with a cutting board or place mat of any sort in front of you. Place a grape leaf flat on the cutting board, veins upward.  Carefully tear off the stem if it is too long.

5.     Place about 1 tablespoon of the rice mixture in each leaf. Place the rice in somewhat of a horizontal line close to the bottom of the leaf. (Do not place it in a heap in the middle of the leaf.)  Though leave a small space at the bottom and to the sides of the rice.  Fold up the leaf below the rice, using your thumbs, holding the leaf with both hands. Tuck the sides of the leaf inwards while continuing to roll forwards. Be sure to keep all parts of the leaf tightly woven.

6.     Place any unusable or tattered grape leaves on the bottom of the pot.

7.     Place rolled leaves in a pot, with the “tab” of the leaf on the bottom (so the roll doesn’t come apart.) Place rolled leaves tightly next to one another in the pot in an organized fashion. When there is no more room, create a second layer.

8.     When all useable leaves have been rolled, fill pot with enough water to cover the rolled leaves.  Place a heat-safe plate on top on the leaves to keep them all submerged in the water.

9.     Boil water and keep on medium to high heat for about 45 minutes, or until rice and leaves are cooked all the way through.  Add more water if necessary.

**To avoid burning, you can also place leaves in a steamer. Follow same directions, but do not line the bottom with grape leaves and dump any excess water after cooking. 

Maqloobeh/ مقلوبه

Maqloobeh, or "upside-down," is probably my favorite dish that I've tried while in Jordan.  During an after school English conversation club back in November, one of my 11th grade students was telling me about how her mother is the best cook.  Joking with this student, I said I couldn't believe her until I tried her mother's food. So sure enough, this young woman invited me to her house to try her mother's delicious cooking. This was the first time I tried maqloobeh, and I've been in love ever since.  I asked her mom how to make it, and wrote down the instructions that she dictated to me in a note on my iPhone.  Her mom would not let me leave without taking the spices used in this dish, so I had no choice but to put them to use and try out the recipe on my own.

This dish is a little more complicated than ouzi, but well worth the time and effort. 

Main Ingredients for Maqloobe:

One whole chicken, cut into 4 pieces
3-4 cups of rice (long or short grain)
2 medium sized eggplants
2-3 yellow onions
1-2 whole carrots 
1-2 cups of almond slivers
Frying Oil

Optional:
2-3  potatoes
Head of cauliflower


Spices for Broth: 
2-3 cubes chicken bullion
2-3 Bay Leaves
Salt and Pepper to taste 
7 Spices (a common spice mix found in Jordan which claims to includes all spice, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, rose and cardamom)

Ingredients for Yogurt Salad:
4 cups plain yogurt
3-4 cucumbers (chopped)

Kitchen Utensils:
1 very large pot
1 large pot
1 pan
Sharp knife for cutting vegetables
Strainer for separating chicken from broth
Metal tongs/ spatula for frying eggplant
Large serving dish (diameter of at least 1.5 feet)
Paper towels to collect extra grease 

STEPS:

1) Wash eggplant and cut into slices thin enough for frying. Lay the eggplant on a flat surface and shake a generous amount of salt over the slices of eggplant.  Tilt the flat surface so that is slanted and the water from the eggplant can drain. Let sit for a few hours or overnight.

2) Clean the chicken using hot water and vinegar if necessary. 

3) Fill one large pot with water and set over high heat.  Add the cleaned chicken (include even unwanted parts like the neck and liver). Remove any foam or unwanted residue from the chicken (feathers, for example) that floats to the top. Then add the bay leaves, chicken bullion cubes and spices. Also add one whole or halved onion and 1-2 whole or halved carrots.  Turn down the heat and let the chicken cook and broth brew while you prepare the rest of the dish. 

4) Using paper towels or clean kitchen towels, pat the eggplant slices dry of any excess moisture and wipe off any excess salt. 

5) Fill a frying pan with about 1 inch of frying oil and put over high heat. When the oil is hot (do not put eggplant slices in warm or cool oil, as they will soak up a disgusting amount of oil), fry each eggplant slice individually until both sides are golden brown. Do not crowd the frying pan with slices, as this will lower the oil's temperature and cause the eggplant to take longer to fry and soak up more oil in the meantime. After each slice is fried, set it on paper towels to soak up the excess oil. 

Fried eggplant slices laid on paper towel to soak up excess oil.

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS:

• Roast the eggplant slices in the oven (instead of frying) with a thin layer of oil on top until they become golden brown. 

• Slice a few potato and fry the potato slices. These fried potato slices will be added to the dish alongside the eggplant. 

• Fry cauliflower. This cauliflower could be ADDED to the fried eggplant or used INSTEAD of fried eggplant.

6) Empty the majority of excess oil after frying the eggplant (and potatoes/ cauliflower if you choose), but leave a thin layer coating the pan.  Use this thin layer to saute the chopped onions.

7) When the chicken has cooked all the way through, place a strainer over another large pot and pour the chicken and spice broth over the strainer. (Do not be absent-minded like me and pour the broth down the sink.)   

Separate the chicken from the broth.

8) In the largest pot that you have, layer as follows: chicken pieces and whole/ halved onions/ carrots on the bottom, then eggplant/ cauliflower, then potatoes, then the diced and sauteed onions, then pre-washed rice over that. Then add as much broth as you need based on how much rice you used.

9) Cover and let cook on low heat until the rice is done. 

10) While the rice is cooking, clean the frying pan, add 1-2 tablespoons of corn or vegetable oil  to it (can be reused and heat oil.  When the pan is hot, add almonds and shake pan/ stir almonds so that the the entire pan and all almonds are covered lightly in oil. Stir constantly on medium heat. When almonds begin to appear light brown, cook for maybe a minute more then turn off the heat and remove almonds from the pan immediately. (If you leave it on the stove, the almonds will continue to cook and burn).  Place almonds in a bowl/on a place covered with paper towel to soak up excess oil. Save the almonds to place on the dish after you've flipped it onto the large serving pan. 

Toasted/sauteed almonds.

This is how the dish should look before flipping it onto the large pan.

11) When the rice is done cooking (all the water is absorbed), flip the pot onto a large serving pan.  (Check out the video below to see how its done!) Then sprinkle almonds on top. 

 

 

12) Enjoy! Also check out this video that a friend created about Maqlube.

Ouzi

It's been some time since I've written anything about Jordan, so to get back on track, I thought I might share with you all a dish that I have learned to make while here. It's a simple, yet delicious rice and meat dish called Ouzi.  Please note that I've taken my own creative license in making this dish so this may not be the exact traditional Arab dish. I also make up the quantities of the ingredients because I don't measure when I make the dish myself.

Main Ingredients for Ouzi:

3-4 cups rice (both short grain and long grain work)
1 pound ground beef
3-4 large carrots  (chopped)
Small bag frozen peas
1-2 cups golden raisins
1-2 onions (chopped)
2 cups slivered almonds OR pine nuts (pine nuts are expensive, but also more delicious. take your pick)

Spices for Rice and Meat:

Necessary:
Chicken Bullion Cubes (amount you use based on how much rice you're making)
Pepper
7 Spices (a common spice mix found in Jordan which claims to includes all spice, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, rose and cardamom)

Optional:
Cardamom seeds (delicious addition, but not necessary since they're expensive in the US)
Cumin
Salt 

 Ingredients for Yogurt Salad
4 cups plain yogurt
3-4 cucumbers (chopped)



Kitchen Utensils:
2 large pots
1 pan
Sharp knife for  cutting vegetables
Strainer for draining peas and carrots and raisins
Large serving dish (diameter of at least 1.5 feet)


STEPS:

1) Boil water for the rice and add spices to this water. The intensity of the spices is up to you, but I usually put about 3 -4 tablespoons of the 7 spices mix in 6-8 cups of water.   As for the chicken bullion, follow the instructions on the package (usually 1 cube per 2 cups or water or so). I don't add salt since the bullion has a lot of salt in it already. Also at this time,  pre-soak your rice and put another pot on the stove to begin boiling water for the peas and carrots. 

2) While water is boiling and rice is soaking,  saute the chopped onions in olive oil. When the onions are cooked and slightly golden brown, add the ground beef and about a tablespoon or two of the seven spice mix. Cook the meat until it's done and set aside this onion/ beef/ spice mixture in another bowl. You will need to clean the pan so you can use it again to toast the almonds in a few minutes.

First saute the onions and then the ground beef in the same pan.

Then put the cooked meat and onions in a separate dish for now.

3) Add rice to the spiced boiling water. Of course, follow the 2-1 rule when adding rice. I usually use 3-4 cups of rice to 6-8 cups of water.  Cover and let cook on low heat.

4) Boil about 2 cups of water using whatever method you'd like (kettle, microwave, stove, etc).  Soak the golden raisins in this boiling water for 20 minutes, or until the rice is cooked.

5) Add chopped carrots to the PLAIN boiling water (not spiced boiling water for rice).  Cook for a while, then add peas to the mix. Carrots usually take longer to cook so I add the carrots first and peas later. Boil until cooked all the way through. Be sure to strain the peas and carrots as soon as they are cooked, as they tend to lose flavor if they sit in the water. 

6) Add 1-2 tablespoons of corn or vegetable oil to the clean pan and heat oil.  When the pan is hot, add almonds and shake pan/ stir almonds so that the the entire pan and all almonds are covered lightly in oil. Stir constantly on medium heat. When almonds begin to appear light brown, cook for maybe a minute more then turn off the heat and remove almonds from the pan immediately. (If you leave it on the stove, the almonds will continue to cook and burn).  Place almonds in a bowl/on a place covered with paper towel to soak up excess oil. Save the almonds to place on the dish in the last step.

 

7) When the rice is done, the peas and carrots are ready and the raisins have been soaked for some time, add everything together in the rice pot and stir together.

Add peas, carrots and raisins to the rice and stir. (Raisins not pictured here)

8) Layer all ingredients on the large serving dish. First, the spiced rice (with peas, carrots and raisins mixed in). Then, the ground beef and sauteed onions. Then, the sauteed almond.

9) Add the chopped cucumbers to the yogurt and mix together. Put this yogurt salad on the side of your ouzi.

10) ENJOY!

Students from Low Income Backgrounds and Higher Education

This was my 500 word answer for a recent job application. 

Why do you think more students from low-income communities do not attend college?

Though this question merits an answer that covers a long history of political and societal limitations placed on minority groups both at home and abroad, I see three main factors which presently limit students in low-income communities from attending college.

Firstly, the low expectations that students face limit their chances of attending college.  When a community is inundated with crime, hunger and poverty, it is seen as a miracle for students to make it to high school graduation given the multitude of adversities they suffer from an early age.  For this reason, parents and teachers become trapped in the mindset that “if they just pass” or “if they can only make it through this year,” that is enough.  And though both groups want the best for their students, this mindset is harmful to academic progress.  If we expect our students to “just pass,” that is what they will internalize as their top goal. But if we push our students to explore their many talents and to reach their full potential, they are likely to do exactly that.

Secondly, a lack of financial stability and literacy prevents access to higher education. When a family is struggling to put food on the table or pay rent, trips to prospective colleges or SAT prep classes are far from their mind. Though these preparatory activities may be small steps on the path to college, they are ones that greatly increase a student’s chances of successfully choosing and enrolling in a university.  In addition, a lack of knowledge about loans, grants and scholarship programs may deter students from beginning the application process in the first place.

Finally, a limited knowledge of the higher education system limits access to it.  When one considers the amount of paperwork, correspondences and payments that must be submitted in the years leading up to college admission, it seems that these efforts are no less than a winding, confusing maze.  And for those who do not have an older family member or academic mentor to guide them through it, it is certainly less likely that these scholars will reach the reward waiting for them at the end of this maze.

Austria Again

So there are some days in life where I think " I don't deserve any of this.  I did not actively do anything in my life to have the opportunities that I have right now."  And today is one of those days. 

I spent three short days in Bad Gastein,  Austria, but the things I did while there are things that some people can only dream of.  My hosts were incredibly busy because January is high tourist season in the Gasteinertal valley, and they have their own practice which cares for sick and injured tourists. And believe you me, when you have drunk Brits skiing in the Alps, there is no shortage of sick and injured human beings.  So because my hosts were at work all day long, I mostly took things easy, but had the opportunity to do some cool thangs. 

DAY 1:  I went to  the Felsentherme, a natural thermal spa.  Aside from being an incredibly relaxing afternoon filled with several different saunas, steam rooms and thermal pools, being in this environment got me a-thinkin'.  This is something I experienced and I believe wrote about several years ago, but the phenomenon never ceases to amaze me.  That is, I live in a country where women must cover as much of their bare skin, and sometimes even their hair, to avoid verbal harassment and an unending stare from men on the street.  Even in "high class" places like the gym that I pay $80/month to go to, men absolutely cannot help but staring at women working out in the mixed gender area.  Even in the womens-only locker room of the gym, it is clearly posted that nudity is not allowed. This is something that I have come to accept, and therefore, am sure to wear the "appropriate" wear for wherever I go.

  But at the Felsentherme, things are quite different.  It is of course a place where people swim, so swimming suits are worn. No problem.  But the locker room there is mixed gender.  They do have changing rooms, but its not uncommon to see a boob or ball here or there.  But then, when you enter the sauna area, there is a sign with a picture of a swimming suit... with a big X through it. So being of the mindset "When in Rome..." I shed my swimming suit so that I could enjoy the varied saunas.  And sure, some eyes wander, and once when I was in a sauna relaxing with my eyes closed, I opened them to catch a man across from me quick avert his glance (which, by the way, makes it even more obvious that you were looking).  But on the whole, most people mind their own business and after catching a glance at someone's privates, move on their merry way to the next sauna without batting an eye.   

  How can two societies be so incredibly different? In Jordan I wear pants and a long sleeve shirt and men at worst pull their cars over thinking I'm a prostitute or at best hoop and holler out of their car windows. (Good one guys...women are really attracted to those who express themselves best in grunts and shouts)   But in Austria, I walk around naked amongst dozens of other people and no one manages to even to raise an eyebrow.   Women in Jordan aren't even comfortable dealing with nudity in a women's only locker room.  It's human body for heaven's sake! If "God" created a human body a certain way, why would "he" also mandate that people cover the whole dang thing from head to toe.  While I not an avid nudist nor pious nun, I just can't understand the mindset that just one patch of showing skin can be sexually suggestive.  If you get so aroused by a low cut shirt or a lower-leg baring skirt that you can’t handle yourself, then sorry, that’s your problem. Let me just end this internal dialogue by saying that I would love to bring a Jordanian to the  Felsentherm simply to see them keel over because of either a heart attack or spontaneous orgasm.  

DAY 2:  I went cross country skiing.  No insightful thoughts bubbling up because of this one.  It simply felt great and the scenery was beautiful.  I had not been cross-country skiing for 6 years, but I picked up where I left off and did two loops at the base of mountain for about 1.5 hours.  

DAY 3:  I went downhill skiing in Sportgastein, another area of the Gasteinertal valley.  And with the help and training of my hosts, I skied down an Alp. Twice. I will spare you an overly detailed description of the landscape, but let's just say that there were several times that I stop and wipe the tears from my cheeks before they froze on my face.  These were not tears of happiness or sadness, but rather the kind of tears that fall when you look at something, and have a hard time imagining anything more glorious than what you're looking at, and then because of this mental frustration, your brain is not sure what emotion to feel, so instead just produces tears.  You kna whadday mean?

So in the last month of my life, I have been so fortunate to see the world in so many ways.   After feeling like there was no good in the world when I was stuck in a classroom experiencing more failure than success for 2 years, this was both figuratively and literally a breath of fresh air.

While I understand that this could be considered bragging, you, the reader, have the choice to read this or not.  Make that choice now.  And in the meantime, if I may...

In the last month, I have:

-seen the Pyramids

-walked into a Pyramid tomb

-sat on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea 

-explored Petra

-bobbed  in the Dead Sea

-ridden a camel

-driven the entire length of Jordan

-snorkeled in the Red Sea 

-seen the Sea of Galilee and the Golan Heights standing in one spot  in Jordan

-drank Spanish wine

-eaten Spanish tapas

-seen the Roman Aqueducts 

-drank Belgian beer

-eaten Belgian chocolates 

-drank Glüwein in Germany

-drank beer and ate a pretzel in a park in Munich

-skiied in the Alps

And this is not to mention the fact that I have done the majority of these things with incredible people who are all in some way a huge part of who I am.  Thus, the phrase, " I don't deserve any of this."  BUT, at the same time, I am incredibly thankful for it all. 

Deutschland for a Day

Disclaimer: This post was written in a train somewhere between Germany and Austria in mid January.

In an interesting turn of events, I spent just under 24 hours in the Bavarian city of Munich.  In Brussels, I purchased a DeutscheBahn train ticket for 100 Euro which would take me from Brussels to Frankfurt, where I would switch trains and carry on directly to Bad Gastein.  But a problem arose when there were unexplained "technical difficulties" on the first train and my arrival in Frankfurt was delayed by just over 2 hours.  The DeutscheBahn info people told me to hop a train to Munich where I could catch a connecting train to Bad Gastein.  But when I got to Munich, it turns out that the earliest direct train to Bad Gastein would be the next day.  I chose the latest train, leaving at 6:30 PM from Munich and arriving in Bad Gastein at 9:41 PM, as I was supposed to on my original trip the day before.  This would be good for my host, as she was busy with work and as it would give me the entire day to sightsee.  

After getting my ticket adjusted, I tried to find wi-fi so that I could sign online and find cheap hostel somewhere in town.  Seeing as how there was no free wi-fi anywhere at the Munich main train station, I went to the DeutscheBahn "servicepoint" and asked if they had any recommendations for hotels, as my delayed train caused me to be stranded in Munich overnight.  Hearing that the delayed train caused my problem, they hooked me up with a free hotel voucher for a hotel across the street from the train station!  I lugged my things across the street and checked in so I could leave my luggage and head to find a place to eat. 

I took the S-Bahn downtown to Mariensplatz and found the least touristy, most crowded eating and drinking establishment I could find.  By this time it was 10:00 PM so I was both starving and parched from my day of travels. I promptly ordered 2 Paar Weissewurst over a bed of sauerkraut, which was both the cheapest thing on the menu and really the only thing that I could figure out what it might be.  Even so, I was still slightly off. 

When I finished eating, was on my second 1/2 liter of beer ( I would have asked for something smaller, it's just they didn't have it. And I surely could not have ordered a water or diet coke and come off as the prudish tourist) and when I had completely exhausted the entire USA Today which I snatched from the front desk at the hotel, I spotted (and overheard) an English speaker across the way from me. Seeing that both he and I were alone, trying to make it look like we were busy on our (dumb, as in opposite of smart) phones, I invited him to join me.  "Sure, no problem, then" was his answer. 

 He turned out to be a nice, slightly balding Irish lad (named Patrick) who just arrived in town to interview for a job.  He's spent the last few years teaching English around the world before he met his Kiwi fiancee in South Korea and moved to New Zealand with her where she then became his ex-fiance. 

Sucks.  

So enough  putting nice ol' Patrick on blast.  He and I had a nice chat about everything from vestiges of colonialism in Ireland (which I brought up) to the dangers of living in Jordan as a Westerner (which he brought up, and to which I was sure to deny that there was any at all).  Afterwards I headed back to the hotel to get in a few hours of rest before hitting the cobblestone the next morning.  

The next day I basically spent walking, drinking, eating and photographing.  I took no public transportation and spent 9 AM-5 PM traversing the city.  I consumed one glass of gluwein at a cute cafe in the middle of a market , one white beer and a pretzel with mustard in the middle of the English Gardens (a park in the north of the city), and  one bowl of spatezel and one dark Haufbrau beer at the Hofbrau Haus in the city center.  I think I have finally reached the point where I am satisfied with the amount of beer I have getranken before returning to Jordan.  

Then at 6:27, I got on a train to Austria. 

Dubai

So I’m quite a bit behind on updating about my travels, but here’s a post about my trip to Dubai in mid-November.

In November, I went to Dubai.  My friend Anna who I met on my program in Egypt in 2006, was working there as a consultant.  For a 24 year old, she had a pretty sweet deal going on.  Hired by the DC office of her company, she was on loan to the Dubai office, but worked on a project in the neighboring country of Bahrain.  This meant that during the week she lived Bahrain and stayed in her own apartment that she rented there. But because of "security issues," her company paid for her to fly back to Dubai each weekend and to stay at the Park Hayatt whilst there.  Oh, and did I mention that they paid for all meals and transportation as well?  Though of course I was happy for my friend to have such a lucrative job, I was also happy for myself to be able to live in the lap of luxury for one weekend.  

Arriving in Dubai late on a Wednesday night (Thursday was the Islamic New Year, and therefore, a holiday in most Muslim countries), my two friends and I hopped in a shiny white airport taxi which was parked quietly in the taxi queue.  When our South Asian driver turned the key and started the digitized meter, I knew I wasn't in Kansas anymore. I had come from a country where order means organized chaos and landed in a place that would turn out to be a Disneyland without walls.  

On the way to the Hayatt, my friends and I marveled at the perfectly groomed everything- highways, shrubs, turn off signs, traffic lights, grass, the list goes on. This was just a introduction of what was to come in this strange land called Dubai.  

The taxi dropped me at the hotel and my friends continued on to where they were to stay for the weekend. My friend Anna had added my name to her room so I checked in as if I were a paying guest.  Sometimes it's difficult for Americans to allow others to serve them, but at this point I had gotten over that feeling and was very happy having handsome young men open doors for me and take my luggage off my hands.  It was even one guy's job to brush the carpet tassels straight after guests walked over them.   Hey... someone's gotta do it. 

Anna had to work the next day, so I took my time getting up, making myself an espresso with the in-room espresso maker and checking out the grassy patio which opens out to some body of water. As I saw a group dressed in pastels pass in a golf cart, I thought for a moment that  I was in my grandparent's gated community in Florida.   

After showering in the honeymoon style shower (read: great for couples, not-so-great for friends spending the weekend together), I headed to the most luxuriously delicious breakfast buffet I have ever seen, complete with fresh baked bread, exotic fruits, gourmet yogurt in tiny glass containers and the like.  Heading into town to meet my friends, I simply hailed a hotel taxi and billed it to Anna's room (with her permission, of course, and at this point only because I had no local money to pay a regular taxi).  

Though my South Asian taxi driver said that he knew where my destination was, we spend about 1.5 hours finding it.  In Dubai, most "low class" labor is hired from other countries, meaning that it's likely that who ever is serving you has just arrived to the country.  This not only means that his language skills will be lacking, but also that he could be directionally challenged.  This is coupled with the fact that Dubai is expanding rapidly, which means that new places are popping up all the time.  This is what happened with the location that I was looking for, as it was apparently a new area and an even newer apartment building where my friends were staying.  My taxi driver stopped several times to ask other South Asian workers if they knew where my destination might be located, though unfortunately none did. I finally called the woman who was renting the apartment to my friends for the weekend (though aerbnb.com) and she was able to give me directions which I was then able to relate to the taxi driver (since she could not understand the taxi driver's thick English accent).

That's something else about Dubai.  The only time I spoke Arabic was in the airport at customs. The guy at customs was dressed in the traditional Gulfi garb and asked me several questions in Arabic, most of which I answered incorrectly simply because I misunderstood what he was saying.  After that, English was everywhere. It was such an international city that with English as today's  lingua franca, that was the only way everyone could communicate.  Though I felt guilty because I had to make no effort whatsoever, I definitely enjoyed this aspect of Dubai.

So when I finally met with my friends, we headed to Dubai Mall, one of Dubai's several incredibly large and over-the-top shopping centers.  In addition to every single store and restaurant you could ever imagine (H&M, Zara, Bershka, Promod, The Cheesecake Factory, Potbellys, TGI Fridays, and Red Mango to name ONLY a few), there was a aquarium, skating rink and Arab style "souq" dedicated only to displaying high end and high fashion shoes. Outdoors there was a huge pool not for swimming, but instead for decoration and for a water and music and light show which took place ever 30 minutes.  (This place is not to be confused with the Mall of the Emirates, the mall with the indoor ski hill)  My friends and I spent several hours both shopping and sight-seeing in the mall before I met up with an "old friend."  

 It turns out that Karim, my high school boy obsession, was living and working right outside of Dubai, and came to the city every weekend because the city where he lived was so boring.  The last time I saw him was 6 years ago when I visited him in Germany (and when he ditched me at a 5 story club in downtown Frankfurt on New Years Eve).  It was strange and nice to see him again, and though he was an important part of my life for about 6-8 months, I was reminded why we broke up and why that was a good decision all around.  

Later on in the evening we went to a dinner with my friend Anna, her coworkers, my friends from Fulbright/ Jordan and Karim.  This was also a strange moment, as it was an intersection between so many periods in my life. Anna knew about Karim because I was dating him when I spend 6 weeks with her in Egypt in 2006, and though I had more contact with Anna over the years (meeting her in DC and NYC several times with other students from our program), I knew Karim better and for longer, as I spent most days of the last semester of my senior year driving 30 minutes from Waukesha West High School to Kettle Moraine High School to pick him up after school and spend the evening with him.  Then add in the two girlfriends who I met through Fulbright in Jordan. Somehow, the last 6 years of my life blended together in a Middle Eastern city that I was visiting for the first time. 

To add to the peculiarity of the evening,  we met at a lavish Argentinean grill where there was really nothing on the menu for under $20.  I ordered a meatless pasta dish and nervously refused most side dishes and refills of champagne that Anna's coworkers were generously pushing my way.  By the end of the evening, and after being unable to refuse the champagne, sides and subsequent three rounds of shots, I was prepared to shell out something like $200 as my share of the bill.  But when the actual bill arrived at the table, Anna and her coworkers immediately grabbed it and discussed what part of the $1000 tab each one would " expense" to their work accounts.  Oh, to be young and a consultant. 

Karim had called this one, as he said that living in Dubai is all a show of who has money and power.  He even told me a story of being at a club and lamenting to his friend that he wasn't getting any attention from the ladies.  His fabulous friend responded to him "Honey, you're not rich enough to be cute in this city."  I've heard before that life isn't a beauty pageant, but in Dubai this phrase takes on a little bit of a different meaning.  

Speaking of the money and power show, we left dinner and headed to a club where I was quite certain my friends' and my presence added to this show.  We were invited to a private table with bottle service by Anna's friend and when we arrived, we were the only girls amongst the group.  We were immediately offered drinks by "the help," or in other words, a short and undoubtedly Brown man standing there like a fly on the wall until he saw someone's drink was empty or someone empty handed.  I graciously accepted this offer, as I knew I wasn't paying.  We partied and danced on into the wee hours of the morning before we hailed a cab back to our exorbitant hotel.   For me, this was an exciting break from the monotonous and quiet Jordanian nightlife.  But to think, this is every weekend for some people. 

The next day we rose early (read: 10 AM) to visit the tallest building in the world- the Burg Khalifa.  At somewhere between $20-25, the entrance fee was a little steep to cover a 3 minute elevator ride and a walk around a glass room, but worth the experience I suppose.  It's only an incredible experience because of the incredible circumstances surrounding you in that moment.  First: you are in fairy tale city which was built up from nothing in a matter of years. Second: you are on the 125th floor of a building. Third: you look down and wonder how they keep this place going, seeing the tops of other skyscrapers below you surrounded by perfectly groomed parks, gardens, parking lots, pools and ponds, and knowing that is sprang up out of a desert. 

More than anything, the Burg Khalifa is a symbol of Dubai's wealth, real or feigned.  I believe it was Karim who told me the story that it was supposed to be called "Burg Dubai" until Dubai had to borrow money from Sheikh Khalifa of Abu Dhabi to complete its building.  And I can't remember where I read it, but Dubai's sheik or prince said something to the effect of " We can't wait for the future to build the future," which I guess means "We shall win in this international, architectural dick-measuring contest even if it means we have to borrow money."  But don't quote me on any of the last 3-4 sentences, as I have zero sources to cite, though Wikipedia does agree with me on the first part. 

For the rest of the weekend, my friends and I relaxed at the Park Hayatt's pool and went out for a low-key dinner in the Marina area. Overall it was fun to get away from the garbage-littered streets of Amman and into this fantasy land for a few days. Whether Dubai's wealth is real or fake, its a fun getaway for a weekend.  If you ever wanted to know what it feels like to be rich and famous, Dubai is the place for you. ( Just bring either a large stash of money or several well-connected friends.)

And an after thought: 

When it comes to places like this, and many places in the Middle East in general, I question myself how I ever came to be in place where I can do the things I do.  It makes me question what I have in the past purported as my beliefs and values.  For example, I am undoubtedly and completely against slavery and the subjugation of Brown and once-colonized peoples.  This is an idea which is very easy to write and talk about in classes and to argue about with friends and family at holiday gatherings. But when it comes to putting it in practice, it's a little more difficult to hold true to.  Because in today's world, things like slavery and colonialism is not as flagrant as it maybe once was.  Nobody is physically forcing the Pakistani man to drive the taxi, but how much is he getting paid for his work?  Does he have time off?  How often does he see his family?  What are his living conditions?   I think it is fair to say that Dubai was built on the backs of underpaid and overworked South Asians who continue to be integral to the success of Dubai's tourism sector and economy in general.  I don't know the exact statistics on their living conditions or their contributions to the economy but I think it is also fair to say that that there is not a positive correlation between the two. So when I am riding in these taxis, buying from the companies who legally hire these workers, I am supporting these institutions which perpetuate a system of indentured servitude and perhaps cultural and economic imperialism.  It's too easy to forget because it's fun to be served. And it's even more fun to be served for cheap. But I suppose the true value of things cannot always be determined by their price tag.  It's cheap to me, but what has it cost someone else?