Eid Mubarak

Interestingly, I blog so infrequently here that I forgot my password for the account. I just spent about fifteen minutes trying different passwords before I gave up and set up another one. Argh. I just don't have the same incentive to blog, to be honest. I have, however, started my Eid break. We don't start classes until the 27th, so until then it'll be late mornings and nights. Since it is still Ramadan, stores are not open nor can we eat in public. So I am finding that most people just stay indoors until after iftar and the weather cools. The store hours are also pretty odd - they'll open from 8am to 1-2pm, and then close until 8:30pm-12am. This explains why traffic is horrific around that time. That's when life is breathed into the city again, with everyone riding their carbohydrate-high. Good times. An evening drive just isn't the same without a Land Cruiser or the like cutting in front of you, forcing you to break just before your face is planted onto their bumpers. Weirdly, traffic gets worse during Ramadan, post-iftar. Argh times two.

In the end, I didn't end up traveling for Eid. I had contemplated it but decided that I'll wait until the next Eid, inshallah. I don't know exactly where I'll go but I'll use this time to figure that out, hopefully. To be frank, I have been feeling lazy as of late. After cleaning most of my flat, I've lost the incentive to try and clean up the rest, namely one of my bathrooms. One thing I did accomplish, however, is signing up for the gym which will be available for me in October. I haven't really worked out since June (tee hee) and it's about time I go back. I know I've gotten soft since then and want to tone up again. One good thing though, is that my back isn't as bad as it was before. I have been trying to keep up with the exercises that my chiropractor (in Toronto) had recommended I do. So I have been doing them and I have to admit, my back seems stronger. Yay for my back! Double yay for my chiropractor!

The new cohort of teachers are here and I've met a few of them. A lot of them seemed shell-shocked but I completely empathize. I can still remember what it felt like to first arrive here, especially if you've never been to the Gulf. Others seem pretty well-adjusted as well, but you can't help but notice the ones who look slightly terrified. Whenever I see them, I wonder how bad I looked when I first got here. Anyway, that's neither here nor there... They'll eventually get the hang of it and move on. Inshallah.

That's my update for now. I'll try to post pictures when I can. I'm trying to find new things that I can go to/take pictures of. I can only post so many photos of the skyline, right?