Reflections

First, a story:
I was pregnant with my son Chris during the summer.  He was born at the end of July.  I CRAVED fruit, mainly peaches, strawberries, and watermelon.  Oh, and one Baby Ruth bar a day.  It didn't matter what size, so I normally ate the small ones.  There was a guy, Rusty, who had a fruit and vegetable truck that came down our street twice a week.  He had a standing order to leave a watermelon on my porch twice a week whether I was home or not.  We would settle up later.  My midwife laughed at me and said that watermelon is nothing but water and iron so I could eat as much as I wanted.  The Baby Ruth didn't matter at all since I was only eating one.  Even now, one of my favorite pictures of Chris is him sitting on the tail gate of Rusty's truck eating a banana from the truck that "made" him.

I thought of this story every morning that I ate breakfast at the Beach Rotana Hotel in Abu Dhabi city.  They had a bowl of fresh watermelon every morning (along with other types of fruit), and I really enjoyed it.  I would have potatoes, sauteed mushrooms, croissants, and two juices (orange and apple) every morning. Sometimes I might add a vegetable (corn, peas, or green beans), a selection of different cheeses, an omelet, or a selection of different meats (smoked chicken or turkey, turkey bacon, grilled fish, or steak.  There was also yogurt and a variety of Indian, Asian, and Arab foods that I had never heard of, but tried to try them to say that I did.  The always full coffee or tea cup was also a delight, but if I wanted a latte all I had to do was ask.  This was all done with a great smile.

The cleaning staff was also awesome.  They provided water, slippers, and a robe.  They would clean your room every day, then come back in the evening to turn down the bed, set a bottle of water and a glass on the nightstand, and your slippers by the bed.  There was always a plate of fruit on the desk.

My stay at the Beach Rotana is a pleasant memory that I will always cherish.

Now I am staying at the Mirfa Hotel in Mirfa.  It is a beautiful hotel on the Arabian Gulf.  Controversy about Persian and Arabian Gulf.  Iran took over some islands that belonged to the UAE.  This is how Wikipedia explains it:

"The name of the gulf, historically and internationally known as the Persian Gulf after the land of Persia (Iran), has been disputed by some Arab countries since the 1960s.^[12] Rivalry between Iran and some Arab states, along with the emergence of pan-Arabism and Arab nationalism, has seen the name Arabian Gulf become predominant in most Arab countries.^[13][14] Names beyond these two have also been applied to or proposed for this body of water".

Anyway, back to the Mirfa Hotel.  This hotel is not as opulent as the Beach Rotana.  The rooms are bigger and the plate of fruit has more fruit on it.  The cleaning crew (2 guys) just came inchanged the bed, but didn't vacuum the room.  Both hotels provide water bottles, robes, and slippers.  Although they both have balconies, the Mirfa Hotel's balcony has two chairs and a table so that you can relax and look at the Gulf.  All of the rooms face the Gulf.  The breakfast buffet reminds me of the US with a few local cuisines mixed in.  But the essence!  This is the ultimate in de-stressing!

Although I am a little concerned that this is Tuesday and I see my class for the first time on Sunday, and I haven't gotten close to my school yet, I'm not going to stress about it.  I still haven't gotten to my apartment to clean or set