outdoor yoga and the quest continues

One of the many benefits of this climate is all the stuff you can do outdoors. Today it was yoga in the garden of the Hiltonia looking out on the water. Pretty spectacular for January 11. I'm feeling the pain a bit now, but it was well worth it.

Now, some of you may remember from the other blog that one of my good friends challenged me when I moved to Abu Dhabi that I must befriend a local who wears an abaya. But really make a true friend. Since I'm not working and the few Emirati families that have children in school with mine are not often at the pick up gate, my opportunities for meeting locals are few and fewer.

But last night we had 'step 1'. It's almost embarrassing just how cliche this is....I met someone while walking the dogs. In fact, I was studiously avoiding crossing the street with the dogs to pass in front of the group gathered in lawn chairs outside one of the neighboring villas. There were two older women in the traditional burkha (face covering) and a younger one who was veiled but not in black, plus a few kids. They were outside chatting and catching the evening breeze as two maids hovered and passed around cups of arabic coffee.

I was avoiding them not because I didn't want to talk to them, au contraire! Snuggy had yet to 'preform digestively' and I didn't want her to do that on the sidewalk at their feet (she LOVES an audience). But the older woman shouted to me to come over (I surmised) and kept it up. She immediately started saying coffee, coffee. This is a big point of pride with the Emiratis (to be hospitable and always offer coffee and tea). I took the coffee (although it was 7:30pm and at that hour if I have arabic coffee I need serious downers (read: wine) to get me to sleep before morning). And she called her daughter out to translate to me. She seemed so happy to have us there. The first question she asked...."Where's your mother?" Very interesting. After that, she wanted to know where my villa was and when I'd come again. She was very sweet. Unfortunately without her daughter we can do little more than nod at each other, but I'm determined to redouble my arabic language efforts.

The quest continues...but I'm chipping away at it!