Singing Sand

aka Spring Break. 

The first part of break I spent in Sama, getting ahead on work, getting caught up on various TV shows, and hanging out with my friends who were still in the tower. I also had the best meal, (after an afternoon of Settlers of Catan), since getting to Abu Dhabi courtesy of some of the lovely inhabitants of 703 - Cleo, Sachi, and Mandy (and Jordan, the honorary roommate).  What was learned from the board games is that I can be kinda competitive.  Which apparently people didn’t really know.

Then I departed for the school trip around the Seven Emirates and Oman.

The first day we drove to Qasr al Sarab, which is a resort in the middle of the desert in Abu Dhabi about 15Km (~9Mi) away from Saudi Arabia. On the drive there, which involved going through the desert for quite a chunk of time, I kept thinking about spaces that humans are not meant to be- places that are so sacred and removed that the environment itself repels humans and our interfering ways.

Once there, we made the sand sing. I don’t know how, and I don’t want to know. Some things should stay a wonder.

Then we drove what was supposed to be a 5-hour drive. It was 7. I got just enough sleep to be awake when we got to the hotel. Later the same day, we got up for breakfast. And there was pork. Now, I don’t actually really like pork. But absence makes the heart grow fonder. Or hungrier.

Next we went to Oman and took a tour of the Wadi. The driver of our car was awesome, and we were blasting Rihanna, driving through the mountains.

Songs have memories with them. Up until this point, “All Star” was associated with Destination Imagination, our first competition, which consisted of a complicated mixture of baking soda and vinegar that we didn’t test beforehand and almost ended very badly. Now it has that, but also memories of dusty rocky roads, music, and friends.

That night Sachi (go VT!), Cleo, and I walked the beach. I love the ocean. And we didn’t go into the sketchy but interesting looking building site that was lit as though by embers.

Our hotel was really fancy. Too fancy for my sensibility.  But it was a last minute switch due to overbooking, and thought provoking.

The following day was the dhow cruise, except, unlike the last one I went on, this was the area that might be considered ‘dangerous’ – we were 50Km (~30Mi) from Iran. And we saw smuggling/pirate ships (that is what we were told, and it makes a better story, so I’m sticking to it). There were also dolphins who swam with our boat.

Later in the evening was perhaps the most remarkable part of the trip. We met with an Emirati youth group, who took us dune bashing (our car got stuck), cooked a traditional meal, and built a campfire. It was a rare glimpse into a life we usually don’t get to see.

But it was late. And I take that to be the reason my journaling about the trip dropped off after that point.

The final day was the Ajman Stud farm. I was homesick as soon as the smell of hay and horses hit my nose. The horses were beautiful.

After a meal, we made it back to Sama, to go to classes the next day.

Spring Break 2012

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