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Something I love about the UAE: The Metric System

I used to think the metric system would be something I’d never get. What is so special about this “universal” measurement system that the rest of the world uses it? The lack of fractions is appealing, but beyond that the appeal was lost on me. I mean really, if the meter corresponds to a yard… and the centimeter corresponds to the inch… what corresponds to the foot? I was sure that the metric system would fall short without a corresponding intermediate unit like the foot.

I’m a convert. I LOVE the metric system.

Being an engineer with a lot of time on site where contractors are constantly measuring, cutting, digging, filling, etc. I’ve had to figure it out pretty quick.

But why the sudden “metric-love?” It’s simple. It allows for as much (or as little) precision as you need with minimal effort. It’s scalable. It’s adaptable. It’s flexible. It’s… universal.

When the rubber meets the road and you are out in the middle of an airfield trying to explain a dimension to a poor laborer from Bangladesh, who’s had no formal education in their life, metric is teachable. Even when they are speaking Bengali and you are speaking English. I couldn’t imagine trying to teach someone to work with Imperial units out in the field, especially across a language barrier.

Final thoughts for any “rebellious” American’s out there who are thinking “To heck with the global standard, we are America and we do it our own way!” What’s more individualistic and symbolic of our Yankee nature? Sticking with the Imperial system, so named for it’s universal nature during the height of the British Empire, or bucking the old ways (just like we bucked the POHM’s) and pursuing the most efficient and scalable measurement system the world has ever known?

Selected Photo

An assortment of shoes lined up in one of the booths in the India section of Dubai’s Global Village.

Salam Street in Miniature

Saw a really cool video on the net, shot in tilt-shift photography style. This basically makes the whole scene look like it was shot while observing miniatures. Think a small model railroad for example. So I did some tinkering and came up with the following:

This is the late Salam Street in Abu Dhabi, shot from our first place of residence, Asfar Hotel Apartments. I say the “late” Salam Street because it is currently torn up as they are making it a tunnel road with interchanges.

Installing a doorknob

Our flat (apartment) is part of a villa (house) that has had some random walls and doors installed so that the owner can lease it out in sections to multiple tenants. The main entry to the interior hallway/stairwell previously had no way of staying closed. It had a knob, but no latching mechanism. The knob didn’t even turn, it’s was just a way to grab hold of the door in the event you wanted to open/close it. The front door existing in this state for at least as long as we’ve lived here… over a year.

A few weeks back the landlord (not to be confused with the owner) was sweeping out the hallway prior to showing an empty unit. He was complaining about the amount of dust that had come into the hallway during a recent sandstorm. I told him that the door needed a proper handle/latch so it could stay shut. He agreed. He said he’d take care of it after the weekend. Nothing happened.

Silly me… I thought maybe he was waiting until the next time he had work out here. He’s been out here countless times since. One of our “neighbors” even mentioned something to him. Nothing happened.

A week ago I was in Musaffah (that’s a whole blog post in and of itself) picking up a plumbing hose for under our kitchen sink (another blog post) and finally bit the bullet. I bought a handle/latch/lock assembly for AED 80 (about $21 US) and intended to take matters into my own hands. Yesterday I did just that.

There’s been pretty hardy winds as of late and the dust/sand has been everywhere except, I’m happy to report, the hallway of our building. It’s amazing how much gratification I’ve taken from installing a doorknob. Back in the States I’d have to build my own shed or change an axle-shaft bearing to get this kind of satisfaction. Now all it takes is a door knob. You know why? Because it takes as much effort on my part to get that done here as it would to get those other jobs done back in the States.

Things I Miss – #236

Picking a book of the Bible to read, jumping on Amazon for a commentary, and having my commentary in hand a few days later as a supplement to my reading.  Note, it’s the jumping on Amazon and having the commentary quickly part that I can’t do here… can still read the Bible at will.

There is nothing new under the sun: FASHION!

I was thinking for the thousandth time the other day, “My goodness! The eighties are coming back! What am I going to do?” I was a child of the eighties, just old enough to remember the fashions but not old enough to appreciate them, which is why I’m so confused that they are making a come back. I am taking a survey for Newport-News.com and they are asking who my favorite designers are and have given me a list to choose from. Instead of just picking at random just to get the $10 off coupon I decided to do my research. My thinking has only been confirmed. As I’m working my way through the fashion internet, I am seeing: leggings, leg warmers, puffy sleeves (super sized), tight pants (for guys this time), collars up!, pink is in! (for men), the colors are getting wild and comic book like (some reminding me of Oscar the Grouch), lace everywhere, oh and the shoes! The accessories! I’ve seen bright as the sun, glossy, yellow pumps, long necklaces and bangles, the thicker the better thank you.

All of this to back up a theory that’s been formulating in my mind. There is nothing new under the sun: Fashion repeats itself. It just seems to come back bigger and scarier than the last time.

Christian V Siriano (my favorite so far)

Fashion tip for the week: Looking for a cheap way to fit in this fashion season? Check out all the eighties fashions on ebay. Simply search under “1980” or “80’s” you might just find some wildly modern looks!

Desert Imprint – Intro

No man can live this life and emerge unchanged. He will carry, however faint, the imprint of the desert, the brand which marks the nomad; and he will have within him the yearning to return, weak or insistent according to his nature. For this cruel land can cast a spell which no temperate clime can match.

- Sir Wilfred Thesiger, Arabian Sands

It was a close friend of ours that first suggested we “move to Dubai!” as my next career move. It sounded exotic and adventurous, but I wasn’t sure I was ostentacious enough to hack it in the capital of exorbitant wealth and construction.

I had a contact whose company had a presence in Abu Dhabi (120 km south of Dubai) and I gave him a ring. One thing lead to another and within 6 months there’d been an interview, a brief visit to the UAE for my wife and I, and a signed contract. On December 1, 2008 we arrived in the UAE as residents.

The prevailing UAE-expat wisdom says that you come for one of two reasons; no one will hire you in your home country or… the money. We came for a third reason; we felt called to move to the Middle East, live among Arabs, and stretch ourselves. We are the silly, idealistic ones.

Over the last seven months I’ve become hooked on the mystery, solitude, and vastness of the desert. I’ve discovered a people of that desert who can not deny their Bedu past even as they struggle with their oil-rich future.

(this is the first in a series of posts trying to articulate the impression the desert is leaving on me)

The dot, not the feather.

We were invited last weekend to the Tandoori Corner restaurant to celebrate Travis’, one of our friends, 25th birthday. Since “Bollywood” was the theme of the night two girlfriends and I decided to go Indian style. We headed downtown to the Indian fabric district, picked out material and had shirts custom made for the evening. Here are the three of us, Amy, Amy and Beth in our fabulous shirts. (I was trying to go for an Indian pose)

We insisted that our husbands go Indian style as well. They each have their own flavor. Don’t ask me how I did it but I talked Joel into dying his hair black. Below is Amy’s husband Dave, Beth’s husband Tim, and then Joel with black hair. He was introduced to Travis as Tim’s friend Mike. It took travis a good 30 seconds to realize it was Joel and that was only after Joel spoke. Haha! It was fun.

Kirsty did an awesome job putting this party together and the food was excellent! Thanks Kirsty!

Travis and Kirsty.

Wealth and Poverty

I read an article today that concluded Americans, for all their egalitarianism, don’t truly want everyone in the world to be treated equally. The premise of this was that Americans know that microwaves, iPods, housewares, you name it, aren’t naturally cheap items to produce. They are cheap to the western world because there are men and women, hidden from our view, who make outrageously low wages to produce these items for us.

This got me thinking about wealth, poverty, and the distribution of wealth.

Prior to leaving the US I never really grasped the idea of poor. I’ve worked in missions, soup kitchens, etc., but never truly seen the poor. Here in Abu Dhabi I work with men who make 500 AED per month… that works out to about $137 US. I make almost two orders-of-magnitude more than that! For some of these guys though, this monthly salary is an improvement over what they made in their home country.

The funny thing is that until I left the US, I never really grasped the idea of rich either. Now I’m working on converting an airbase to a VVIP airport for Sheik’s and other dignitaries. In addition, I’ve seen things here that just blow me away in terms of wealth.
Case in point… the Lamborghini Reventon. There are only 21 of these cars in existence and they carry a $1.4 million price tag. Here’s a pic of one we saw, right here in Abu Dhabi.

Note the license plate number… 10. Here in the UAE the locals will pay exorbitant amounts of money for unique numbers on their license plates (12345, 444, 121, etc.). This number, 10, almost certainly represents a member of the royal family.

In the US I’ve seen Ferrari’s, Lamborghini’s, etc., but not nearly with the same frequency as I have here. Not to mention the fact that I’m certain I’ll never see a Reventon in the US. This single car captures the extreme wealth of some people here in the country.

There’s not really a point to this post… just sharing some thoughts and observations. I will say that we Americans, for the most part, don’t seem to get a chance to witness true poverty or true wealth as it exists in the world.

UAE Pictures…

We’ve created a webpage capturing the photos of our last 7 months in the UAE. These is far more comprehensive than those we’ve posted on Facebook. Check it out at our main website, EricsonRanch. Enjoy!