Saturday, April 29, 2006

On Forgetting the Camera

So you may start to notice a pattern whereas I forget to bring my camera at important moments. Or I don't think I will need my camera and then wish I had brought it. Like last Saturday when I shook the First Lady of France's hand. Of course, me not having the camera evokes mixed emotions. The first is "Damn, I wish I had my camera." Then, ever the optimist, I think - well - I don't look so hot today - so better that I'm not having my picture taken.

So to get back to Bernadette (Chirac, Jaques Chirac's wife), she came to Dubai to inaugurate the new French Lycée which was just opened up in January. Since this entire blog entry is about me forgetting my camera - there will be lots of links. Click here to see the school that my children will not go to (having left Dubai before attaining High School age.) The note sent home with the kids invited all the school population - kids, parents, teachers etc... to come see Bernadette and they closed the school down for the occasion (Elementary and HS). Antoine was phsyched to go and I'd never been to a political, PR type event with a big name figure - so I decided to take them... and NOT my camera - I know what Bernadette looks like, I'm not a huge fan and I didn't think I'd get an opportunity to get up close.

Well, whaddya know. There I was, standing around minding my own business, and she literally came up to me and said "Bonjour" and shook my hand. I was under the impression that this was not supposed to be happening - I was expecting a security guy to come and shove me away (they HAD tolds everyone to move away from the area - but it was shady, so I didn't). So I tried to be as discreet as possible and get it over with ASAP. SO, even if I DID have my camera, I wouldn't have asked her to pose with the kids for a snapshot. And thank God a picture of this did not make the Gulf News, because I was really not dressed for the occasion.

Moving on, but to a moment where I did have my camera - Maxime's school play. Tibili, the little boy who didn't want to go to school. It was set in Africa and Maxime played a spider. He had the longest line of anybody and the teacher said he knew all the kids' parts by heart. A future Thespian?

And, last but not least, our weekend getaway to Ras Al Khaimah, emirate on the west coast, where I indeed forgot my Camera. We stayed at the Hilton, went to the Dreamland Water Park, and visited the Dhayah Fort. Now, who needs a camera? Insert images of my family in all those pics and there you have it.

Monday, April 17, 2006

Happy Easter

It's funny how living in a Muslim country makes you want to celebrate Christian religious holidays more intensely than before. So, yesterday we colored eggs to get ready for the Easter Bunny.

I went to the grocery store to get the supplies and the Philippino cashier was oohing and awing (ok if anyone knows how to really spell that, tell me) over the cuteness of it all. She asked me, "why do they symbolize Easter with a rabbit over here." If anyone knows the David Sedaris sketch about the discussion of Easter tradition in a French for foreigners class in Paris, you'll know why I started giggling uncontrollably.

David never really answered the question and all I could think of was the symbolism of "spring, life, babies, doing it like rabbits" but somehow couldn't formulate it appropriately in the time it took Josephine to ring up my purchases. I settled for a shrug and left it at that.

The trick to hunting for Easter eggs here is to get the chocolate ones left in the yard before the sun melts them. My kids were up for the challenge and were outside at 6:30 in their PJs. Ming even got in on the action.

By the time I got downstairs - they had gathered up all the loot and bit into the ears of the chocolate bunnies. We just had enough time to snap a few pics and yell at the kids about eating SOMETHING for breakfast even though they were already full on Chocolate and jellybeans, before Philippe had to go to work.

This afternoon we're going to mass with all the Philippinos (boy those are churchgoing people!!). I figure it's time for the kids to start learning about their Christian heritage, before they start to think they actually ARE Muslim and that "God" is just another way to say "Allah." Tonight we'll have the traditional French Easter meal - lamb, lima beans, more chocolate and of course, Champagne - sorry Allah!! Posted by Picasa

Friday, April 14, 2006

Discovering Karate

Antoine is taking Karate classes at school. He doesn't want to take Violin lessons anymore. This is a disappointment to me as I love music and it is a big part of my life. I always just assumed my kids would take up the interest as well.

BUT, we're into Karate now. First we had to search Dubai for a place to buy a uniform. After trying several sporting goods stores, I got a tip that we could find one in Karama (a neighborhood of cheap stores and fake designer goods). The search was tedious and just as I was about to give up, we spotted the Karate studio. Following the signs to the back alley stairway that would take me up to the studio, I was thinking "All this for a stupid Karate uniform" and trying to convince Antoine that he could take classes in a t-shirt and sweatpants. The studio looked like something out of a movie about a down and out Karate coach bringing a hopeless kid to glory. 60 Dirhams later, Antoine had his uniform and he wore it till it was time for bed.

Two months later, the school fair is to be the venue for the Karate demonstration. Of course, I forget my camera, but Antoine is ready for the 4:30 meeting at the basketball court. About 15 6-8 year olds line up - all in Karate uniforms in varying shades of white, one girl - and the teacher starts to bark out short, staccato commands. Miraculously, Antoine turns into some sort of little buddha warrior. His concentration is unfazed, his movements clean, precise while his round cheeks turn red under the desert sun. I swear he was the best one in the line up!! How proud was I? Just as proud as I was last year, when his violin teacher raved at how good Antoine was at the violin. Ok - so he enjoys beating up his classmates in a controlled environment while breathing deeply through his nose and yelling out chinese profanities. For now, at least. Maybe one day he'll reconsider the violin, but I'm sure that in any case - I'll be just as proud.