GOPs are Red, Dems are Blue, I'm Confused, How 'Bout You?

When we got up this morning and turned on CNN we were just in time to hear Anderson Cooper and his panel of pundits analyze the latest Democratic debate. One of the funniest things I've noticed about myself is that now that I'm living on the other side of the world I pay much more attention to what is happening back in America than I ever did before. How do gas prices impact truckers on the Jersey Turnpike? Ask me, ask me! Post- 9/11 discrimination in US schools? Heard all about it in a This American Life podcast (which I faithfully download every week--I love you, Ira Glass!).

But just because names like Obama, Clinton, Huckabee and Giulani (I just had to ask Google how to spell that and I'm still not sure I got it right) are all over the news doesn't mean that our proud democratic process of electing the next leader of the world's only superpower makes a lick of sense to anyone outside of America.

Born on that--to some, the correct--side of the Atlantic, I thought I had an innate understanding of how the machine clicked along. (This despite the best efforts of the student teacher in my senior year Government class who spent a good hour arguing with me about her belief that there was no inherent difference between Republicans and Democrats...) But when my inquisitive Dutchman watches CNN by my side I am now and again forced to give an impromptu civics lesson. And I'm starting to feel a bit, well, unprepared. For instance:

• Why was Iowa so important?
• Now that Nevada picked Hillary, is she the Democrat's candidate?
• Why does America use the Electoral College?

I came up with semi-decent answers to the first two but I have to agree with the third question. And while I'm sure Al Gore is with me on that one, I'm starting to get a little panicky about what else I will have to explain. I'm just glad Bas isn't a rabid fan of college basketball. There is simply no way I could explain March Madness.

This is How I Roll

Check it out! This is my fantastic Christmas present, which finally landed in our parking garage on Sunday. Of course, considering the weather I've had only a handful of chances to drive it. But today was beautiful so we went for a spin.


I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that we've lived here more than a year but haven't visited more than one of the city's major parks--yes, such things actually exist in the desert. We spent most of this afternoon wandering around Creek Park, which is unbelievably green and has such a nice vibe. It also has some amazing views of the city.


It was a perfect day to have the sunroof open and we must have looked super cool buzzing around town. I'm such a good sport that I even let Bas drive...

Snow Day!

Well, okay, so it isn't really snowing. But it has been raining for the past few days, which basically has the same effect. The roads are a disaster (lots of flooding and accidents because people continue to drive like their white robes are on fire) and its generally just gloomy. And all of this at the exact same moment the US President arrives in the UAE. What's a forward-thinking Middle Eastern city to do?

Wait, I have it! Let's shut down every major road, government office, bank, school and private company and have a day off. Oh, and let's announce it at 4 pm the day before.

Unbelievable. We went to Abu Dhabi today, thankfully via the only free road in the city, but every possible turn into Dubai was blocked by police barricades. Bas talked to a friend who lives on Sheik Zayed Road, which is the main artery of the city, and he actually couldn't leave his flat because the entire road was blocked. You have to love a country where rain and the arrival of someone important forces a snap decision like that.

Anyway, as a way to cheer myself up, I am posting some long-awaited pictures from our trip to India in November. Better late than never, right? These were sent from our friend Jalpa, who invited us both to give presentations at the event.

These are before and after shots of us eating a fascinating palate-cleanser that involved coconut, rose petals and various other things wrapped in some sort of leaf. As you can tell, the results were mixed.

Next, we have some action shots. That tiny person behind the podium (immediately below) is me. Before I started speaking Bas was afraid that no one would know where my voice was coming from. I showed him--I wore heels! And there's my boy, working the crowd.

And finally, here we are at the tradeshow. Power couple of the flower industry? We're talking to our friend Ravi (Jalpa's husband).And that's all I have for the moment. Its time for me to go out and play in the rain.

Lena's First Football Match

Happy New Year, everyone! We kicked off 2008 by attending the Sheik Mohammed Bin Rashid Football Tournament last night with a big group of friends. We were there to support Amsterdam's own Ajax (pronounced "eye-axe" for those of you automatically thinking about cleansers) against Inter Milan.

As many of you know, sports isn't exactly my forte, which is why I've only ever been to two Cubs games in my life. So in my head, a professional sports event involves Chicago-style hotdogs, having beer spilled on you by complete strangers and ice cream. Turns out this isn't normal, at least if you're talking about a sporting event in the Middle East. We all sipped from juice boxes (orange or mango, including something called "identical artificial additive") while nibbling on sunflower seeds. The braver fans selected hamburgers from sea foam green styrofoam containers or individually wrapped shwarma. For a zillion reasons, we chose not to be brave.

Oh, another difference. Halftime. No midriff-bearing cheerleaders or fuzzy-headed mascots throwing promotional items at the crowd. Instead, we were treated to a drum group leading a procession of people on stilts. Which makes sense to me. Somehow.

In any case, we had a great time. I picked up a few new Dutch phrases, most notably "Zet hem op!"--which sounds suspiciously like "Set 'em up!" but apparently means "Go get 'em!" But the boys of Ajax weren't impressed and they lost to the Italians. Maybe I should have shouted louder...

Bas' Other Girl

She may be a 6-hour flight north, but Bas' dog Botas is never far from his mind. Here, our little girl frolics in her Aalsmeer backyard on one of the colder days of the winter.