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4:29 PM

"Baaaa" and Malls

Wrote: American Muslima Writer |

Last Friday was fun for our family. Since this month in Homeschooling is Farm Animals, Farming Crops, Gardening, and Weather I begged my hubby to go see some goats and sheep at a local farm or selling market. He said there is one right near our house! So we drove just a few minutes down the road. For those in Al-Ain it is right near the oasis downtown. We entered a large area lined on both sides by trucks full of sheep and goats. It was amazing.
Every truck had about two or three men sitting in front of it and as we pulled up everyone stood and started talking to us to come see their animals to buy. My husband had to keep waving them off nicely and finally they figured it out we weren't buying. Maaaaan I was soooo upset I didn't bring my niqab because they were all staring at us and especially me. So I just tried my best to pretend they didn't exist as I got my kids out of the car and let them check out the goats and sheep. They wouldn't go near the rear of the truck so we could pet them which was disappointing cause I wanted my daughter to feel the difference of their fur. But we talked about what they eat and why they look different and she got to hear how funny they sound bleating. The lambs cry are soooo sweet awwww~! I wanted a little goat or lamb for my garden and we wished really hard we could afford one. On the way out I saw a beautiful red and cream baby and was like awww please!!! So hubby asked how much and was told 300dhs $81USD. Our hearts sunk. Too much for us. So we declined.
We took a quick drive through the Oasis to get back to the main street (near out house lol) and then went South towards the Hilton Roundabout then continued South to the New Mall Built called Bawadi Mall. So we got there and they had some spacious parking not like Al-Jimi/Carrefour Mall. So we easily got a spot and went inside. they had a cute small fountain that sprays up in the air in rhythms then surrounding the elevators is an optical illusion where they have like fishline string going down in rows with water dripping down each line making it look like water is dripping from the ceiling three floors up tot he small pool at the bottom. They have it roped off but I think the wall should have been built higher because small kids could easily climb up and fall in.
So then the top floors were sectioned off while they finish building it. The only thing open was the Carrefour shopping food mart (Kinda like Super Wal-Mart) and a coffee shop. I told my family we should celebrate going to the new mall lol and so we had some very low priced coffee and cakes which were tasty. The cheapest cafe I've ever been too. Then while Hubby prayed at the small masjid there I went into Carrefour and bought some sorting accordion files. It will be better when they open the rest of the mall. It's nice living between two malls now. The new one will feature the largest Play place for kids in AbuDhabi and also stores we don't have yet in Al-Ain like Ace Hardware...oooh i love ace!

One thing that makes me hate malls though is they always only put like two SMALL elevators for all the lazy people who don't want to use escalators, the mothers with strollers who can't use the escalators and the people with Shopping carts that can't and the handicapped people who can't use escalators. Hello a lot of people need elevators but they always ONLY put two!!! ARG!!! They need some hospital sized elevators for malls! Not these dinky-can-only-fit-2-strollers-max ones. AND what is with these PEOPLE who can't walk six more steps to the ESCALATORS (flat escalators too,-slidewalks) and free up the elevators for others. They are young people too that do this. Not elderly. Like I've seen whole families at Al-Ain Mall rush to the elevators cutting in front of wheelchairs and strollers to get in first! MAKES ME FURIOUS!!! HELLO! the escalators would be faster if you're in that much of a hurry! Then pouring out of the crowded escalators are two more families that could have taken the escalators! AAAAARRRRRGGGGG!!!! The other day at Al-Ain Mall I had to wait like 15 minutes to get from the second floor to the third floor because all these people kept cramming in and I had a stroller I couldn't take the escalators! Stupid architects really!
Al-Ain Mall Elevators

But all in all it was a great day and certainly informative for my kids!

6 intelligent thoughts:

Yasemin said...

What a great idea for a homeschool lesson! I think it's wonderful that you are homeschooling. I'm amazed at your ability to multi-task so well with school, husband, writing, cooking, etc.

Dubai looks like so much fun. A real first world country quite unlike out second world country here.

We're having the same problem here in Austin with elevators. I don't know what the deal is, but at that age I was in cross country/track and was happy to run up the stairs instead. It's just a sign of the times Brandy, that these youngsters in America and Dubai are lazier I think. No wonder our American child obesity rates are so high!

iMuslimah said...

Hey AMW!

I am so sorry for my prolonged absence (see recent posts) and I had some trouble with IE and loading your blog, but now its fixed. I dont know what happened. Quite bizarre.

Thank you for all the effort you put into journal, and into the All Muslimah Project, its pretty dang cool!!!

It seems like you are well, and that your children are thriving. Inshallah you and your family will continue you on this path.

How many entries have you written since youve begun blogging????

Be well & Assalamu alaykum ;)

iMuslimah

Anonymous said...

Nice mall! I would love to go to Ace and find all the litte do dads for the house.

I really can't stand those ppl who take the elevators when they dont need to. I have had to take the stroller on the escalator many times because I would have been waiting a long time just to go to the next level.

Anonymous said...

the "flat escalator" is called a travelator.....
and don't blame it on the architect, sometimes its boils down management's budget.

chloe, al ain

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