Planking in the U.A.E

I'm a bit of a child sometimes. I find really stupid things funny. Planking is one of these things. Here are some pictures.


Bars
In a bar. This was a great night as it was ladies night. This meant that women only paid 1 AED. (20p) for a cocktail. It was one of my favourite nights here as not only was I getting free drinks but I didn't have to go to the bar all night.
All night I had girls bringing me drinks from the bar. Suffice to say, I got very drunk and was in a brilliant mood. So I planked.

Ladies nights happen all over the city and there is one on every night of the week. This means that girls can pretty much drink for free every night of the week. And if I tag along, so can I. :) I love Abu Dhabi!

This is also in a bar. Surfing on top of me is my Habibi Andy. He likes to get involved and it makes planking more fun if an American is going to surf on you.

Hotel team plank

Planking is contagious. These are my new friends Kirby and Cory. They are great plankers and I hope to be planking with them again soon.

This was after a heavy night out in the lobby of a 5* hotel. Planking is more fun where people don't expect it. The concierge thought it was hilarious. (To our faces)

Water based planks

Planks don't have to be on dry land!

You can hardly see me in this one - but if you look closely. I am planking on an inflatable, water based climbing wall.

Nightclub plank

This is my favourite one. It is a shame you can not see the reactions of the people stood around.
Basically, there was a dance off going on and people were break dancing in the centre of a circle. I ran up, told people to stand back and to clear a space - I then made a show of psyching myself up, deep breathing as if I was going to do something spectacular. Then planked!

and finally....

The camel plank

I know, I know, I am not in a proper plank position. But the camel kept moving and I had to do it quickly or I may have got into trouble. (Thanks to Cathy for distracting the Bedouin for long enough)

My next post will be serious. Maybe

Bedaya

Today was the first official day at work and it was pretty eye opening. All 6000 teachers from Abu Dhabi were put into a room and were given a talk by the head of education. This was quite possibly the biggest room I have ever been in.

The speech, although long, was a little bit inspiring. The ADEC (Abu Dhabi Education Council) told us all about it’s aims for the next 30 years. They, in a nutshell, want all the Emirati students to be equipped for life in the 21st century. They want us to raise the standard in ‘Critical thinking’ and to equip students for jobs that have not been invented yet.

They want to invest in people for when the oil has run out (expected to be in 100 years) and would like to be leaders in future industries such as nanotechnology, robotics, bio-engineering, augmented reality and environmental conservation.

I am very impressed with what I heard and saw over the past few orientation sessions. Yes, it was self-congratulatory, but it is also extremely ambitious and I was impressed at the scope. It is not like England where things are talked about and not implemented. Here, it seems they really listen to educational experts and don’t let politics get in the way of progress.

They are mindful that the old ways were not going to be sufficient. There is no point in teaching kids to memorise facts and figures because all they need to do is look it up on their Ipads or smart phones and it will be in front of them in seconds. Who knows, in the near future we may have a computer chip in our heads as an implant with all the world’s acquired knowledge on it.

What we, as educators, are needed for is instilling a curiosity for new information, but even more importantly, how to judge the information (is it sound? Who says? What is the opposing view? How many people in the sample?) for validity.

The most important thing at all though is teaching them how to use the information once they have it up on their smartphones.

That, it seems, is what ADEC want to do, along with fostering social skills and working creatively with others.

That can only be a good thing right?

On the other hand, this was all talk at this stage. I have yet to teach a day in a school and I haven’t even spoke to a teacher who has. That will change tomorrow when I actually go into the school that I am working in and I am really hoping that ADEC’s views and ideas are being used rather than just paying lip service to them.

Prostitutes

It was my understanding that prostitutes would not be in residence in this very conservative, Muslim culture. They are. In abundance.

It was surprising to go to a bar the other night and realising that the patrons were either on the game or looking for a night of loving.

What annoyed me though is that it seemed everyone was being approached but me. Has my Abu Dhabi bulge gotten so bad that even a working girl will not look at me twice? Of course, I wouldn’t have one if I was propositioned but it was a bit embarrassing that I didn’t even get offered. Everyone else in the bar was, even gross old men.

It seems that there is a blind eye being turned in Abu Dhabi towards the girls, as they were pretty blatant about plying their trade. The bar I was in was more like a brothel than a bar to be honest and I wont be going back, I cannot get too much on my high horse though as we stayed for a couple of hours drinking beer. (The charge to get in included beer tokens so it would have been a waste to leave. That’s my rationalisation and I am sticking to it.)

Insha Allah

Insha Allah is a phrase that gets used a lot here in Abu Dhabi and it translates as ‘God Willing’ and it is, by far, my favourite part of this country and culture.
It basically means you don’t have to commit to absolutely anything, which, for those of you that know me, is a perfect fit to me.

I get pretty annoyed when I have to commit to things that are more than a few hours away because I don’t always feel like doing it when the time actually comes. (or I prefer to do something else)

Insha Allah gets me out of this because I can say ‘I’ll be there at 8pm insha allah’ and that means I may or may not be there and it’s up to God’s will and people are not offended if you don’t make it as it is part of God’s plan. Perfect.

Now, of course this comes with a price, if I want my furniture installed, it will be done on Tuesday insha allah. If someone doesn’t turn up to meet me at the right time – insha allah!

I can see how that may be irritating. But I think I will just use it when it suits me. And hey, when in Rome!