Desert Safari Weekend!

This weekend, Novemeber 24-26 was the wicked adventure weekend.

Friday:

• went to Church, feeling refreshed
• went to the desert safari
• drove about an hour out of Abu Dhabi
• they dropped us and we had the choice to do activities in any order we wanted to (great!)
• 1 - falcon holding. we held the blind-folded falcon, which was a little bit scary but cool.
• 2 - camel riding. apparently camels are very angry creatures, and I can't blame them. They are really tall and so they have to lay down every time somebody wants to get on. They also have what I imagine to be a tight saddle strapped around them. So, the camel groaned for almost the whole time and I felt scared/guilty. Poor camel. it was cool, though. good times
• 3 - dune surfing. We tried to surf down dunes on sleds, but apparently sand has a lot more friction than snow. It was still fun, though. The sand was so soft and warm. It was great to play in.
• 4 - sand dune photo shoot. we rode the sand dune, jumped high in the sky, and make awesome shadows on the dunes.
• 5 - henna! we all sat around while this amazingly fast lady gave us each henna painting on our hands (and some people's ankles too). It was fun and looks great!
• 6 - dune bashing! We got into SUVs with these crazy dudes who have been dune bashing since they were about 7. The dune bashing was a mixture of fun and terror as we seemed like we were about to tip many times. It was quite hilarious.
• 7 - dress-up. We got to wear some traditional Arab clothing and do a mini photo shoot.
• 8 - dinner. We sat on pillows and ate at a low table with some british friends who were celebrating a surprise birthday. It was fun to be in on the secret.

Saturday:

• Skirt Party - Lisa, our Australian friend, hosted a skirt party. Her friend makes wonderful skirts and had many of them there for us to try on. I think almost all of us bought one. Of course, mine needs massive tailoring because I am a walking pear, but I am excited to see it turn out.
• Date Festival - we ate and ate and ate. dates. every kind of date, dates in chocolate, date milk, date ice cream, dates stuffed with nougat. too good. This weekend was the first time I tried a date. I think I may be hooked. yum!
• Surprise engagement party for 2 teachers at our school - We got new patio furniture and a BBQ on our roof which made a great place for a party! Our social committee (which I get to be part of) arranged the party and I must say that it was a success. It is also cooling down nicely here so we needed to wear sweaters on the roof. Yay! It is like Summer in Canada pretty much. Good times were had by all. There was way too much good food consumed.

That wraps up the awesomness that was my weekend. God has really blessed me with opportunities to experience new things and meet new people. I am learning like I couldn't have imagined. LIfe is wonderful.