Alright. Time to try to finish up the posts about my Abu Dhabi trip. My last post finished telling about the Desert Safari. The following day was our first training day at Al Ain. This is a much more rural town (in the desert!) and more traditionally Muslim even than what we had seen in Abu Dhabi. We trained at the University where they have a U shaped facility. One side is women only and the other side is men only. The bottom of the U contains a lecture hall that allows each group to stay on their own side but still hear a single speaker present. The sides are mirror images. Both have their own library as well as their own mosque.
Our class was on the "women's" side. Our group was wonderful to work with. They were extremely appreciative that we were there but they are, obviously, fighting a lot of political battles that are keeping them from achieving credentialing as quickly as they would like. They are very passionate about their jobs and their programs. They were a pleasure to work with!
Following training, we just spend an evening enjoying the resort. Amanda and I wandered around, took pictures and had a "romantic" dinner at the hotel buffet under the stars. Afterward, we wandered over to the Sheesha bar where we enjoyed some more sheesha and just relaxed.
The next day was our last day of training. Following training. We went to the Bawati Mall. We shopped for several hours and didn't even make a dent. The stores were mostly "western" stores but there were a few local and European shops mixed in.
After arriving back at the hotel, we packed for our long journey home. The following morning, the airport transportation picked us up at 5am for the drive to the Dubai airport. Our 16 hour flight took off at 9am.
Travel home was uneventful (except for the screaming baby that they took off the plane from Houston to Cleveland!) it was just LONG!!! Due to the time change, our Friday was 32 hours long and 28 hours of it was spent in cars or airports. The first/business class travel arrangements were super luxurious but 16 hours on a plane are still 16 hours on a plane. I will be spending the rest of today and tomorrow recovering!
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Abu Dhabi Part Six
Where did I leave off? Oh yeah. The Desert Safari. Following all of the activities in the sand, we entered the "camp" where tables were all placed around a large stage. The tables were very low to the ground and they were surrounded by large pillows. This is where we ate dinner. But there were still more activities before dinner. We drank more Arabic coffee, tried on Abayas and Burkas (and took pictures) and got henna "tattoos." Dinner was a large buffet. I can't say that the food was fantastic but I have filled up on humus, tabbouleh (I might have to fix this spelling) and pita bread at every meal!
Following dinner was experiencing a sheesha. This is a water pipe that produces a flavored water vapor. Next, was a belly dancing performance and then sitting in the pitch black for 10 minutes to look at the stars.
Overall, although it was a bit touristy, this was a magnificant experience and a wonderful evening!
Following dinner was experiencing a sheesha. This is a water pipe that produces a flavored water vapor. Next, was a belly dancing performance and then sitting in the pitch black for 10 minutes to look at the stars.
Overall, although it was a bit touristy, this was a magnificant experience and a wonderful evening!
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Abu Dhabi Part Five
Wow. This day will have to be divided into several parts because it is entirely too late for me to be able to write about everything tonight! For the first time during this trip, I got a really good night's sleep last night. Previously, I hadn't totaled even 10 hours of sleep for the first three nights but this morning, I woke up completely refreshed and jogged for about 40 minutes on the treadmill. Soon after I returned to the room, Amanda and I learned that Dr. Blackwell needed us to go with him to SEHA, which is the headquarters of the Abu Dhabi government health services, to do a demo of New Innovations. While there, we met several of the most important people of this department including the CEO, CIO and others that I'm not sure of their title or position but they were important! During our meeting, a waiter came in and took drink orders. They served cappachino (I'll fix the spelling later) with fancy decorations on top as well as tea and water. During the course of the meeting we learned that the CIO of SEHA actually grew up in Stow! Ohioans really are everywhere!!!
Next, we packed our luggage and traveled to our next location which was about a 2 hour drive. We're now in the city of Al Ain. It's beautiful at our hotel. Our hotel is on the top of a mountain overlooking the city. We checked into our rooms and headed back out to drive about an hour back the way we came to go to a desert safari. This safari was amazing!!! The first thing we did was drive off road in a group of about 15 Toyota Landcruisers. When I say "off road," they actually call this Dune Bashing. We were up and down HUGE sand dune at really high speeds. Sometimes we slid sideways down the dunes and other times road the crests of the dunes. It was like nothing I could ever imagine. Along the way, we stopped to see a herd of camels and then stopped to take sunset pictures. Eventually, we made it the "camp." Next up were camel rides - these were just a couple minutes long. They were really just meant for photo opportunities but it was still great fun! Amanda rode a snowboard down a huge sand dune. They also had 4 wheelers available but I'm not sure if anyone in our group rode on them.
That's where I'm going to end for the night. We train at our second and last location tomorrow and Thursday and I'm going to try to get another good night's sleep tonight!
Next, we packed our luggage and traveled to our next location which was about a 2 hour drive. We're now in the city of Al Ain. It's beautiful at our hotel. Our hotel is on the top of a mountain overlooking the city. We checked into our rooms and headed back out to drive about an hour back the way we came to go to a desert safari. This safari was amazing!!! The first thing we did was drive off road in a group of about 15 Toyota Landcruisers. When I say "off road," they actually call this Dune Bashing. We were up and down HUGE sand dune at really high speeds. Sometimes we slid sideways down the dunes and other times road the crests of the dunes. It was like nothing I could ever imagine. Along the way, we stopped to see a herd of camels and then stopped to take sunset pictures. Eventually, we made it the "camp." Next up were camel rides - these were just a couple minutes long. They were really just meant for photo opportunities but it was still great fun! Amanda rode a snowboard down a huge sand dune. They also had 4 wheelers available but I'm not sure if anyone in our group rode on them.
That's where I'm going to end for the night. We train at our second and last location tomorrow and Thursday and I'm going to try to get another good night's sleep tonight!
Monday, October 11, 2010
Abu Dhabi Part Four
Today was our second and final day of training at our first venue. Overall, it went really well. After training, we went to a Heritage Center where they had some small displays about what life used to be like for the people living in this area when it was all dessert. It was about 103 degrees and about 110% humidity. We had our suits on from training and we were all completely drenched after this stop! I can actually see the Heritage Center from my hotel window. If you compare pictures, you'll see the big UAE flag from the window of my hotel room and then again when I took it while we were at the center.
Next, we came back to the hotel, changed out of our wet clothes and then Amanda and I went to into downtown Abu Dhabi. We went shopping at the Madinat Zayed Shopping and Gold Centre. Wow! This was DEFINATELY a taste of local culture. We were just about the only non-muslims shopping here. The Madinat Souk was filled with textile stores where you could buy already tailored Abayas or just the fabric to make them yourself. They had other things as well, such as tableclothes and bed linens.
The Gold Souk had - you guessed it - GOLD! Probably at least 150 gold and jewelry vendors. The prices were good but even good prices for gold were too high for me. We sure had fun window shopping though!
Tomorrow is our day off from training. We transfer to our second location which is about 2 hours from here. It is further inland and in the desert. Our guide is telling us that it is much less humid. Our tentative plans are to visit a grand Mosque on the way and then after checking into our new hotel, we're off to a desert safari.
Stay tuned. More adventures to come!
Next, we came back to the hotel, changed out of our wet clothes and then Amanda and I went to into downtown Abu Dhabi. We went shopping at the Madinat Zayed Shopping and Gold Centre. Wow! This was DEFINATELY a taste of local culture. We were just about the only non-muslims shopping here. The Madinat Souk was filled with textile stores where you could buy already tailored Abayas or just the fabric to make them yourself. They had other things as well, such as tableclothes and bed linens.
The Gold Souk had - you guessed it - GOLD! Probably at least 150 gold and jewelry vendors. The prices were good but even good prices for gold were too high for me. We sure had fun window shopping though!
Tomorrow is our day off from training. We transfer to our second location which is about 2 hours from here. It is further inland and in the desert. Our guide is telling us that it is much less humid. Our tentative plans are to visit a grand Mosque on the way and then after checking into our new hotel, we're off to a desert safari.
Stay tuned. More adventures to come!
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Abu Dhabi Part Three
Whew...
I really need to get in bed. It's going to be another EARLY morning and another crazy, busy day but I really want to get caught up here before I forget everything!
So, we got up early this morning - 5:30am local time. If you're keeping track - that was 9:30pm ET so, yes, I was getting up for work before most of you even went to bed! No one rally wants to hear about the work part so I'll keep it short. I'll just say that we didn't get off to a very good start. We were almost two hours late to the training because of a ride situation. But, we're professionals ;-) We recovered rather quickly. By lunch, we were back on track. But I had to tell this part mainly to emphasise how wonderful the people are here. There were about 30 people in our class and they were SOOO patient and kind. At the end of the day, one of the men even apologized to US for the difficulty that we experienced?!?!?!
After training, we rested up a little. Amanda and I ate dinner together and then went with 4 others in the group (Mel wasn't feeling well and stayed behind) to the Emirates Palace Hotel http://www.emiratespalace.com/en/home/index.htm
I really need to get in bed. It's going to be another EARLY morning and another crazy, busy day but I really want to get caught up here before I forget everything!
So, we got up early this morning - 5:30am local time. If you're keeping track - that was 9:30pm ET so, yes, I was getting up for work before most of you even went to bed! No one rally wants to hear about the work part so I'll keep it short. I'll just say that we didn't get off to a very good start. We were almost two hours late to the training because of a ride situation. But, we're professionals ;-) We recovered rather quickly. By lunch, we were back on track. But I had to tell this part mainly to emphasise how wonderful the people are here. There were about 30 people in our class and they were SOOO patient and kind. At the end of the day, one of the men even apologized to US for the difficulty that we experienced?!?!?!
After training, we rested up a little. Amanda and I ate dinner together and then went with 4 others in the group (Mel wasn't feeling well and stayed behind) to the Emirates Palace Hotel http://www.emiratespalace.com/en/home/index.htm
This place was amazing! I have never seen so much gold and crystal! One of the most fun things was the gold vending machine. Put in some money and get out some gold! It's right on the beach with amazing pools and restaurants. We saw all the plans for the new "island" that they are building off of the coast here. Unbelievable! I also tasted Arabic coffee which is made with cardamon and tastes like licorice.
I'm exhausted now and it's another 5:30am wake up call in the morning. As I remember more details about the last few days, I'll be sure to do some editing!
Abu Dhabi part two
Wow! Ok. I finally navigated the Google.ae site and figured out how to make a new post. So where did I leave off? Oh yeah. Several days ago (was it really only two?) when I boarded my business class flight on Emirates Air to Dubai after doing quite some damage in the VIP lounge at George Bush airport.
Upon boarding the flight, we were greated with champagne. We located our "pods" which consisted of a huge seat that fully reclined into a bed. Pillows and blankets were waiting for us. As we were settling in, the flight attendants brought us puffy mattresses for our seats, a pouch that contained a toothbrush, toothpaste, cologne, comb and brush combo, mirror and I forget what else! Next, they brought socks and eye shades. Then came the food. I saved the menu so here's what I ate for dinner:
First course was a "selection of cold canapes"
Second course was "Marinated shrimp - marinated in ten different spices with a corn and jicama salad, drizzled with cilantro oil and fresh lime."
Third course was "Goat cheese tortellini - with caramelized onion filling, fresh pomodoro sauce, a drizzle of Alfredo sauce and parmesan cheese."
Dessert was a slice of red velvet cake.
After dinner and a bottomless glass (and it WAS glass mind you) of wine, we watched some movies (on our individual TVs) and then they turned out the cabin lights and with stars projected on the ceiling, some people slept. I barely dozed.
It was only dark for a couple of hours on the flight so all of the window shades were lowered but in the morning, as people started arousing, the flight attendants brought around coffee and breads and then gradually lightened the cabin. We had breakfast (yes, I still have the menu!) I had: Yougert, fresh fruit, croissants and a cheese omelette "served with sauteed fresh mushrooms, grilled tomato, fried hash browns and chicken sausage."
Several hours later, we landed in Dubai. It was just about 7pm local time but it was already dark. Riding in the dark car for about an hour to Abu Dhabi was when the exhastion first started catching up. By the time we got our rooms, luggage and a bite to eat, it was 10:30pm local time and we had to be up this morning at 6:30am to begin training.
Stay tuned for the next installment!
Upon boarding the flight, we were greated with champagne. We located our "pods" which consisted of a huge seat that fully reclined into a bed. Pillows and blankets were waiting for us. As we were settling in, the flight attendants brought us puffy mattresses for our seats, a pouch that contained a toothbrush, toothpaste, cologne, comb and brush combo, mirror and I forget what else! Next, they brought socks and eye shades. Then came the food. I saved the menu so here's what I ate for dinner:
First course was a "selection of cold canapes"
Second course was "Marinated shrimp - marinated in ten different spices with a corn and jicama salad, drizzled with cilantro oil and fresh lime."
Third course was "Goat cheese tortellini - with caramelized onion filling, fresh pomodoro sauce, a drizzle of Alfredo sauce and parmesan cheese."
Dessert was a slice of red velvet cake.
After dinner and a bottomless glass (and it WAS glass mind you) of wine, we watched some movies (on our individual TVs) and then they turned out the cabin lights and with stars projected on the ceiling, some people slept. I barely dozed.
It was only dark for a couple of hours on the flight so all of the window shades were lowered but in the morning, as people started arousing, the flight attendants brought around coffee and breads and then gradually lightened the cabin. We had breakfast (yes, I still have the menu!) I had: Yougert, fresh fruit, croissants and a cheese omelette "served with sauteed fresh mushrooms, grilled tomato, fried hash browns and chicken sausage."
Several hours later, we landed in Dubai. It was just about 7pm local time but it was already dark. Riding in the dark car for about an hour to Abu Dhabi was when the exhastion first started catching up. By the time we got our rooms, luggage and a bite to eat, it was 10:30pm local time and we had to be up this morning at 6:30am to begin training.
Stay tuned for the next installment!
Friday, October 8, 2010
Abu Dhabi Part One
We're on our way! We completed the first leg of our trip. It was our first class flight to Houston. We're now, comfortably seated in the Emirates VIP lounge typing up this blog.
When we got to Cleveland, we were hungry for lunch so we got a sandwich to eat before our flight. As soon as we got on our flight, we were seated in the front row and greeted with cocktails. I had a Bloody Mary and Amanda had an Amaretto and Sprite. Then, the food came. Our snack was FANCY whole cashews (not those crushed, unrecognizable nuts that you get in coach) and another drink. This time, we both had water.
Lunch followed. Amanda had a hot chicken wrap while I had a ceasar salad with shrimp. Both meals came with bread and butter, corn chowder fruit a brownie type dessert and wine.
Now, we're in this lounge with food as far as the eye can see and we're stuffed. We have a couple hours yet until we board our 15 hour flight to Dubai though so I'm sure we'll find something to munch soon!
When we got to Cleveland, we were hungry for lunch so we got a sandwich to eat before our flight. As soon as we got on our flight, we were seated in the front row and greeted with cocktails. I had a Bloody Mary and Amanda had an Amaretto and Sprite. Then, the food came. Our snack was FANCY whole cashews (not those crushed, unrecognizable nuts that you get in coach) and another drink. This time, we both had water.
Lunch followed. Amanda had a hot chicken wrap while I had a ceasar salad with shrimp. Both meals came with bread and butter, corn chowder fruit a brownie type dessert and wine.
Now, we're in this lounge with food as far as the eye can see and we're stuffed. We have a couple hours yet until we board our 15 hour flight to Dubai though so I'm sure we'll find something to munch soon!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Abu Dhabi pre-trip
This blog doesn't get used very often but I'm hoping to spend the next week posting about my business trip to Abu Dhabi.
A short version of the back story is that the company that I work for maintains a web based software suite that helps medical residency programs meet their common program requirements for accreditation. The ACGME is the accreditation council. The ACGME has recently launched an International branch to accredit foreign residency programs. Several International clients have begun using our software to track their requirements. Our latest International client is the UAE - specifically, four institutions in Abu Dhabi are going to pilot the software. Two of us who work in training and support will be traveling to Abu Dhabi tomorrow to work along side with 5 people from UTMB in Galveston, Texas to educate the Abu Dhabi clients about the ACGME-I and our residency management software.
I'm excited and nervous all at the same time! My co-worker, Amanda, will be picking me up at 9:30am for the first leg of our trip. We'll drive to Cleveland Hopkins Airport where we'll board a Continental fight and fly First Class to Houston's George Bush Airport where we'll meet up with the 5 others from Galveston.
As the song says... my bags are packed and I'm ready to go! Just a few last minute details and before I know it, we'll be on our way!
A short version of the back story is that the company that I work for maintains a web based software suite that helps medical residency programs meet their common program requirements for accreditation. The ACGME is the accreditation council. The ACGME has recently launched an International branch to accredit foreign residency programs. Several International clients have begun using our software to track their requirements. Our latest International client is the UAE - specifically, four institutions in Abu Dhabi are going to pilot the software. Two of us who work in training and support will be traveling to Abu Dhabi tomorrow to work along side with 5 people from UTMB in Galveston, Texas to educate the Abu Dhabi clients about the ACGME-I and our residency management software.
I'm excited and nervous all at the same time! My co-worker, Amanda, will be picking me up at 9:30am for the first leg of our trip. We'll drive to Cleveland Hopkins Airport where we'll board a Continental fight and fly First Class to Houston's George Bush Airport where we'll meet up with the 5 others from Galveston.
As the song says... my bags are packed and I'm ready to go! Just a few last minute details and before I know it, we'll be on our way!
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