Going Local

I just realized that I did, in fact, average a weekly post during my first year in the UAE. Thanks to those of you who read, replied, and sent your positive vibes our way.

What you notice though, after a summer's absence, is how well you've settled, and adjusted to the new surroundings. First of all, you get braver. You get braver on the roads, and at the same time, less outraged at the recklessness, and more likely to go the wrong way (on purpose) up the exit ramps, and circumnavigate blocked intersections during power outages by hopping medians and staring down semi-truck drivers in your way.

You also get detached from your safe and beloved brands. Hertz rent-a-car, for example, was the only name I recognized (or trusted) when I needed a long-term rental last August. This year, however, with visitors coming and the need for another car, I asked around the office and secured a reservation at 'Orient Trading'. I didn't even sigh when I received in an email the basically hand-drawn scanned map to the location of Orient Trading, on a rock-strewn sand road in the ugliest and most industrial part of Sharjah. Who can complain when it comes at half the cost and the same coverage? To top it off, the lovely Indian Keralites in the rental office insisted I stay for tea, provided by their sweet-faced 16-year-old Chai Guy. And seriously, this was the best chai..

Finally, if you check out my 2-week-old Hyundai you'll see the seats are still sporting the plastic factory seat-covers, to preserve my sand and dust-free seats as long as possible. I couldn't help but grin when the Pakistani dealer guy asked if I'd like them removed and I said, 'Nope, I think I'm going local'.