October 10, 2008

First, things in general are settling down here in Abu Dhabi now that Ramadan and the holiday week for Eid al Fitr have passed. People are working normal hours; and shops and restaurants are open during the day again. The weather has cooled considerably, with a high yesterday of 97° Fahrenheit. My calling 97° cool should give you an indication of how hot it was over the last two months.

Our (new faculty) living situation is not very good right now, and we have asked the school to find us more suitable accommodations. I will miss the large and very bright flat I’m in now, but not the neighborhood. No moving date (or place) has been announced yet.

Back home, Charles is frantically packing and repairing and driving things from place to place, and…and…everything, (Charles is also working on his master's degree in education, something we are very proud of him for) because we’ve sold our house, which is rather miraculous in these times. It’s not over, yet, either. After closing, I will heave a big sigh of relief and celebrate with a nice…cup of coffee, because I don’t have my liquor permit yet.

I don’t have a driving license yet, either, due to some “misplaced” paperwork, but now all is in order and I should be able to drive again next week. As soon as I get the license, I’ll start shopping for a car. I was planning to buck the trend of buying giant SUVs and Jeeps, but I’m being heavily influenced by the forces of gas-guzzling evil. I haven’t seen a single hybrid car here, by the way…

In other news, I was planning to volunteer for the Middle East International Film Festival - Abu Dhabi 2008, but got my information in late (what else is new?), so they didn’t need me. This, however, gives me more time to actually see some films. There’s one documentary about the making of A Chorus Line that I really want to see: Every Little Step.

Many of the films are from the area and are in Arabic, but it is a truly international festival, and filmmakers are participating from all over the world. Sir Ben Kingsley will be here to attend the first Arabic-dubbed screening of Gandhi. The festival closes with Ridley Scott's latest film, Body of Lies, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe. I don’t know if any of them will be in attendance. Apparently, Antonio Banderas has been in Abu Dhabi for a few days now, teaching a master class, and will be at the festival's opening night.

Check out the MEIFF on the web; Abu Dhabi should also be getting international press for this event. The main venue is the incredible Emirates Palace Hotel.