Hi everybody. It has been a long time since I last wrote. I thought I’d give everyone an update on how I am doing. We are still homeschooling. Most of my classes are online. I like sleeping in and doing my school work in my PJs… well mom doesn’t usually let me wear my PJs but sometimes I get away with it. My French class is super duper easy and I don’t have to do it everyday which is kinda lame. I guess my teachers thought the French class was too easy for me too. They just skipped me a level – so now I have to start a whole new French course. I don’t mind though because I like French.
In September I am going to a regular school. Well, I would not call it regular… There are kids from 53 different countries at this school. Oh and the school has a pool! They’ll soon have two pools because they are building a bigger indoor one. The school is called Scholars International Academy. I’ll have to take the bus to school but that sounds kind of fun. We will have to wear a uniform. I’m not to happy about that but at least I don’t have to worry about what to wear. I get to take French classes there and Arabic classes! i’m not sure about the Arabic classes but it might be fun. Insha ‘Allah.
We play a lot of sports and exercise quite a bit here. Tomorrow I am competing in a duathlon. Thankfully I’m not doing the whole thing by myself just the biking part. My friend Miriam will be doing the running… actually roller blading. I have to bike 5km! It won’t be too bad though because we do a fun run or bike every month. I play soccer too – its called football here. I was the only girl on the team! My friend Sakina just joined too! Oh and we go still go to the Epicenter everyday after school. You can read my brother’s earlier post to learn about the Epicenter – it is pretty awesome.
We do a ton of camping here. Its is pretty fun to go exploring in the desert. I like to
One of the little frogs we found.
climb the giant sand dunes and ride the boogie board down them. You do end up with a lot of sand in your pockets though. We also go looking for swimming holes in Wadis. Wadis are riverbeds. Mostly they are dry but dad says when it rains they get really flooded. Last time we found some orange looking frogs.
Frogs I can handle but we’ve also found scorpions and really ugly spiders. The scorpion was kind of cool though.
This spider was on our friends tent – it is missing some legs.
I am having lots of fun here in the UAE. There is lots to do and I’ve made quite a few friends. We are going to Oman again in a couple weeks on a camping trip. It is our spring break. I miss all my friends back home. I hope you are all doing awesome. Until next time. TTYL.
I mentioned in my last post that we spent some time recently at Wadi Shawka. I’m not sure exactly how to spell it because I’ve seen it spelled multiple ways including several different variations on signs in the village by that name you pass through to get into the Wadi. The best Wadis all seem to be in Oman but Wadi Shawka in the UAE has some great things about it. For one, it is very easy to get to from Sharjah and our home at the American University of Sharjah. The drive is only about an hour from AUS. You’ll want a little SUV to drive right up to the wadi but a car can easily make it within a few short kilometre hike to the pools. You can practically drive right up to the first of the permanent pools. The first pool is an algae filled swamp but right around the corner is a beautiful little pool perfect for swimming. The rock around the pool looks brittle and sandy but in reality its much like cement. This makes for some fun climbing and bouldering.
This second pool is really the only one worthy of a swim but a little hike deeper into the Wadi presents some interesting views and some good fun. The easiest way to get past that first pool is to swim across but you can climb over the rock face to the right. This is a pretty easy climb, in our first trip out with folks from AUS there were 4 year olds climbing over it. For those afraid of heights though there are a few tricky parts.
Jaron relaxing in a rock hammock soaking up some sun.
You can easily spend hours around this natural pool, swimming, jumping from the rock faces, bouldering around the outside of the pool or just plain relaxing. There is a tiny bit of graffiti and as usual a little trash. The next time we go out we will take a few garbage bags and spend an hour or so combing the place. Surprisingly, compared to other places we’ve been and considering how accessible this spot is, the trash is at a minimum. It may have something to do with the large sign at the entrance to the Wadi proclaiming large fines for littering. Somehow I doubt that though. I expect a few locals spend a little time taking care of it. So, “thank you” to whomever works to keep this place an enjoyable spot.
Camping is possible close to the pools but you’ll only find space for one or maybe two small tents. We had a much larger group. We setup camp under that no littering sign which is about 3 kilometres from the wadi. It has plenty of room for many tents and its right off the gravel road so you can pull right up. Wood is sparse so you have to bring your own for a campfire. We found a hollow 4 foot chunk of palm tree that we got started with a little lighter fluid. It burned beautifully and for hours. It took a while to really get going and we actually rolled it away from our fire pit because we thought it was only going to smoulder. Then we ended up dragging it back.
Lisa took enough video that I thought I’d see what I could do with iMovie. So here is a little video of our fun.
It has been a few event filled weeks since I last wrote. They have included a couple trips out to a local Wadi and the dedication of the first purpose built LDS chapel in the Middle East. I want to begin my post with a few words about that dedication and the visit of Elder Jeffery R. Holland. To do that I need to start with a little background.
The new LDS chapel in Abu Dhabi
Twice a year the LDS church has a worldwide conference broadcast from Salt Lake City. The first weekend in April and the first weekend in October are the dates for these conferences. Strangely, they are some of my favourite weekends every year. The LDS people have, in part because of these conferences which have been happening for just shy of 200 years, developed an interesting love of the spoken word and beautiful music. As I write this I am listening to a long running LDS program called, well… “Music and The Spoken Word.” This program features the iconic Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Orchestra at Temple Square. Check out their youtube channel. This is what I’m listening to right now:
So, at each of these conferences we generally hear from each of the members of the quorum of the twelve apostles and the first presidency of the church, among others. Members of the quorum of the twelve apostles and the first presidency serve from the time they are called until their death. The longest serving member of the quorum becomes the president of the church. It is actually a fascinating form of ecclesiastical government. What I am getting at here is that we hear from these men quite a bit. Some of them have been serving as apostles longer than I have been alive! I’ve heard them all speak many times. My favourite among them is Jeffrey R. Holland. The content of his speeches and his delivery consistently combine to inspire me and to draw me in.
I was more than elated to find out that Elder Holland would come to dedicate the chapel in Abu Dahbi. Not only did we get to hear from him during the dedication but that evening he was the main speaker at a small devotional in Dubai. A rare opportunity to hear from him twice in one day and in such an informal setting. He did not disappoint. More than any words he could have uttered though was the sermon of his actions. Elder Holland is one of the younger members of the quorum at 72 but I expect he only arrived in Dubai the night before (that is a long flight). He not only spoke at length in the morning he returned to speak at length in our intimate devotional. We packed as many as we could into that little villa in Dubai. He spoke and then hung around to shake the hands of every member.
I debated whether to get in line to shake his hand. You could tell he was tired. Personally I’d have blown off that meeting and gone to the hotel for a nap if I was him. Eventually I decided I’d better go shake his hand. I may never have the opportunity to stand face to face with an apostle again. I was shocked at the power in his grip. He was still shaking hands when we left around 10pm. His schedule for the next two weeks will take him to a different country in Europe every day. I’m sure he will stick around to greet the humblest of members at every meeting. I’m struck by the love he has for the saviour. I think of Peter when Christ asked “Peter, lovest thou me?” and then counselled him to feed His sheep. I could not help but think that Elder Holland is doing what the saviour would have him do.
I should pause here to say that every one that spoke that day did an incredible job. The dedication of the Abu Dhabi chapel will rest in my memory as one of the most spiritually poignant experiences of my life thus far. This chapel represents answers to many prayers. I could not help but feel that God was pleased and smiling upon these people. May it ever remain so.
So what was it that Elder Holland said in the two sermons he gave? A good deal. I’ve mulled over his words these last couple weeks. In the devotional he recalled a conversation he’d had with Hugh Nibley at Brigham Young University many years ago. Brother Nibley suggested that all we really need to do in life is repent and forgive (slightly different than pay taxes and die). Elder Holland expanded on that sentiment, his first reactions to it and his growing understanding of it over time. I thought it a fitting message in an Islamic country – though I’m not sure that he planned it that way. The word Islam means submission to the will of God. From dictionary.com we learn that Islam comes from the “…root of aslama “he resigned, he surrendered, he submitted,” causative conjunction of salima “he was safe,” and related to salam ‘peace.'” So with our Islamic friends we wish to utterly submit to the will of God or repent and forgive. There is simplicity and power in this approach to life.
Elder Holland expounded on many beautiful doctrines that day. In the end I came away with the message to repent, forgive and enjoy. Though he did not say those words exactly, much of his message, I think, is summed up in that phrase. Should we endeavour to live the first principles we should have the privilege of enjoying all of life. This does not mean that life will be without upset, difficulty or long stretches of darkness. Yet, through submission there is at least peace.
So on to the joy of life. I played a game with the kids the other day and now they beg me to play it every night. Indeed we’ve played it nearly every night for the last few weeks. We call it Mission Impossible. Before bed the kids arrange the furniture in the dinning room and living room and then shut out all the lights. I take my place with a flashlight on the back of the couch at one end of the room and the kids begin after the count of 3 on the other end of the room. They try to sneak through the room to a pillow resting at my feet. If they can touch the pillow they win the game but if they are caught in my flashlight’s inner beam they are out. When I shine the flashlight I can’t move it around the room and the kids have to freeze while it is on. When I turn it off again I have to count to 3 slowly and out loud before I can turn it on again. The kids let me know if I’m counting too fast. Of course, the idea is to move from hiding place to hiding place during those 3 seconds. Then when you are in reach make a dash for the pillow.
The kids love this game and like to argue over who gets to deign the “course.” If you play this with your kids be warned that they are moving about in the dark rather quickly. We’ve had our fair share of banged heads and stubbed toes. Lilli got a bloody nose yesterday. They insist on playing despite the injuries. We’ve also found that it is no fun to be caught out too quick. The kids get at least a couple chances. If I catch them they have to spell a word properly before they get a do over. Well, the spelling test has actually given way to singing and dancing… they love that! Indeed, Lilli would probably be bored with this game by now if the singing and dancing in the flashlight’s glow hadn’t begun. She is probably the least successful at reaching the pillow.
We spent the night out at Wadi Shawka last weekend. It was spectacular. A great fire with good friends. Joe brought his Ukelele and we sung late into the night around the camp fire. We had a big group out again for this camping trip. Watching a near full moon break over the horizon to dim the view of a starry sky was as usual breathtaking. The next day we hiked into the Wadi and spent hours swimming in the biggest pool and bouldering the rock faces around it. Jaron and I went exploring a ways up the river bed and then made the brave or possibly foolish move of taking an alternate route back to the pools. Jaron insisted that we climb up the mountain and follow the thin goat track along the cliff face inches from sudden death. I naturally can’t refuse my children anything. That little experience has demonstrated that Jaron is as reckless as his old man. He has the same “whats on the other side of that hill” fascination. I couldn’t help but think “is this what my friends have put up with all these years?” How many times have I led people into difficult situations because of my insistence that that mountain could be climbed, or that ravine ought to be explored…? I can only hope that it works out as well for my son as it has for me. Geez it is kind of annoying though – sorry guys.
Lisa took all the pictures and she is in Abu Dhabi tonight as a leader at the church youth conference. Hopefully, she’ll write a little more about the wadi and post the pictures and videos she took. We wish we could share all the great times we are having with friends and family at home. You are all missed.
