Happy 41st birthday, UAE!

It's always easy for us to remember how old the UAE is for a couple of reasons:

1)  All the decorations all along the roads are updated each year with the correct birthday year and
2)  Jake and I are the same age as the UAE!

It's a big deal here - similar to the 4th of July but bigger and more coordinated and elaborate.  Emiratis decorate their cars, adorn their with lights and giant flags, the Corniche is abuzz with people, celebrations, car parades, fireworks and silly string (seems to be a big tradition to spray each other with silly string along the beach!).  Even expats get into it and dress up and sometimes decorate houses or cars (albeit a bit more modestly than the locals).

Both Anna's preschool and the big girls' elementary school had big National Day celebrations.  Traditional Arabic foods, henna and LOTS of red, green and white.  Regan was selected to do a book talk at the school assembly and told the whole elementary school (plus parents) all about the Arabic explorer Ibn Battuta.  She could probably teach us all a thing or two about him or two since I didn't know much about him other than a Dubai mall is named after him (well, I did read a little about him in some Arabian history I've read but I still have a hard time keeping all the names straight).  We were amazed at Regan's poise in front of a group of over 500 people - even when her microphone went out.

There were also Arabic songs and dancing by the third graders and the native Arabic classes.  The auditorium was a sea of red, green and white - with traditional dress, UAE t-shirts and fun hats and scarves.  It's fun to see kids and teachers from all over the world get into the National Day spirit.

Our Emirati neighbor always has a big National Day celebration at his house.  This year there were the traditional dancers and music that he normally has with the addition of Arabian horses and a bouncy house!  It's a traffic stopper as people stop in the middle of the road to listen and take pictures.

Also only in the UAE is one of the sheikh's able to send everyone in the country a text message wishing us all a happy and prosperous National Day.  It's not that I feel so special to get a text from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum - I'm just impressed that they could figure out how to get it out to all the citizens and residents (in both Arabic and English).

Happy 41st Birthday, UAE!

Anna getting into the National Day spirit

Traditional Arabic dancing at our elementary school.  These are
the 3rd graders - so none of my girls up there.

Regan and Layan (another 4th grader) giving a book talk
on the explorer Ibn Battuta

How great is this shot??? (Full disclosure - I didn't take this
gem of a shot but, yes, very Abu Dhabi!)

At our neighbor's National Day celebration.  These are the
Arabian horses (I guess they are - not really sure!) that did a little
prancing dance.

He clearly doesn't mind getting his picture taken!

The traditional Arabic dancing

Traffic jam!  This is from one of our balconies and later this whole
roundabout was all jammed up due to people watching.

   

A decorated car at our other neighbor's house.  This one is rather
tame but feather boas, pictures on the windows of the various
sheikhs and different flag decals all over are very common.

Fighter jet air show.  They did lots of fast fly overs in formation
and made some designs in the sky in UAE flag colors.  We
could only see what they were doing up high but I'm sure it
was much more spectacular along the Corniche.

Nighttime decorations outside our window.  We can see what is
known as the White Palace from our balcony and they had a
colorful light show shining on its walls this year.

We usually have a nice view of the fireworks from our 3rd floor
balcony but we learned sadly that the new villas across the street
(where the black line is) block a good bit of it.  Phooey - it
was so nice seeing the fireworks from the comfort of our own home
as it takes people 2 hours to get home if you are at the Corniche
this time of night!  Oh, well, we could see enough of it to get
the gist of it and enjoy the colors.

And how neat is this - UAE's National Day was the
google-doodle for the day!

This is Regan giving her book talk on the Arabic

explorer, Ibn Battuta.  There are 500+ people

listening to her and she did amazingly well!

Our Emirati neighbor hosts a big National

Day party each year.  Here are the traditional

dancers dancing to the traditional Arabic music.