Jusoor at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

Last night I managed to convince Linnea to come along to do something I've been wanting to do since we've been here - participate in an Iftar at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. This year they  launched a new initiative at the SZGM called 'Jusoor', which has taken place every Monday during the month of Ramadan.
'Jusoor' in Arabic means bridge, and this programme had been designed to build bridges between people of various cultures, ethnicities and beliefs, all in line with the Year of Tolerance.

There was a large group of us participating last night. The evening started with a short lecture about Ramadan and a guided tour, which took us to see the Ramadan cannon.
They only fire a cannon in two places in Abu Dhabi during Ramadan, at Qasr Al Hosn and here at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque; just like in the old times. Traditionally it gets fired for the first time to announce the beginning of Ramadan, then on a daily basis the firing is announcing the time of breaking the fast in the evening. The last cannon fire is for the Eid celebrations at the end of Ramadan.

It is so beautiful around the SZGM now, with all these intensely red flame trees in bloom.

To end the 'Jusoor'-programme, we got to volunteer in one of the Ramadan tents, and help out with distributing some of the meal boxes that are served here. The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque feeds more than 30,000 people daily (!) during Ramadan, it is considered the biggest mass Iftar in the UAE.
We got equipped with plastic gloves and mouth covers, got a few instructions and then it was time to get to work:

Linnea got right into it, placing the food boxes, laban drinks and salads. Each of these tents can take about 1500 people, but thanks to good team work, we were quickly done with the set up.

Then we were invited to sit down together with the worshippers to break the fast together. 

We waited to hear the cannon fire, and then we could enjoy our meal consisting of dates and laban, rice, lamb and vegetables with a cold salad, an apple and drinks. 

As we are getting close to the end of this lunar month, the SZGM is getting bluer by the day. It's so, so beautiful.

I was really happy that Linnea decided to come along, as she seemed to enjoy the experience as much as I did. It was interesting for me learning even more about the Ramadan traditions, and finally getting to get involved in these activities at the Mosque. I got quite emotional as it was rather overwhelming to see so many people of different backgrounds coming together.
I am so grateful my children get to grow up in a society so rooted in coexistence.

Thanksgiving 2018

After the Christmas Market, we continued the festive celebrations at our ex-neighbours (now in Motor City, Dubai), with celebrating Thanksgiving.

Chad and Kristen have had us over for Thanksgiving for many years now, sadly this year Nathan missed out once again, but the rest of us sure ate for the whole family..! The menu was extensive, as always... and very... bourbon infused...

It was the usual suspects, with a few new additions. It's nice to see them every now and then, unfortunately a lot less often since Kristen & Chad moved to Dubai, but still.
It was the first time I saw their new place, which they moved into over the summer. I got so, so jealous of their amazing balcony, look, it was huge!

Aiden had read about Thanksgiving and wanted us to go around the table and say what we were grateful for. Everybody had very nice things to say, but Linnea touched me the most when she said: "I am grateful for my friends and family, and I'm grateful I have everything I need".
She made sure afterward I knew she still wants Christmas presents, ha ha, but it felt really good that she has clocked the difference between 'needing' and 'wanting' and was able to put that difference in words.

As the sun set, there was "Cornhole"-games being played while we tried to digest the main course enough to be able to enjoy some lovely desserts.

Om, nom, nom, nom! The dessert table, with amongst other things, Chad's famous Maple Bourbon Bacon (Oh yes!) ice cream, mmm!

And we all even got given take-away boxes ready made up for us, with artwork by Aiden - 4 years old. I particularly liked our one, that's Nathan on the right, Lucas next to him with the flat hair, then Linnea and on the far left with the big head - that's me! Cause obviously - I'm the boss!

Thanks guys - we are thankful for you!

Happy Easter

We have celebrated Easter in many different ways over the years, depending on where we have been at the time. We have spent Easter both in Sweden and NZ, and over the years there have been outside egg hunts, inside egg hunts, Easter parties, Easter parades and just celebrations at home.

Usually the kids get their eggs, whether they are chocolate or the traditional Swedish paper eggs with gifts, on the Saturday morning, which is called Påskafton in Sweden.
This year both kids had friends for sleepover on the Friday so I decided to wait a day with their Easter eggs. But of course Linnea is always on the ball so she got disappointed when there was no eggs, and decided to text Mormor to tell on me, ha ha!

-"Happy Easter"
-"Can you talk to Mummy and tell her she needs to give us Easter eggs"
-"Yes I will. You need Easter eggs."

Gotta love it!

In the right direction

School timings have changed for our school this year and the kids are starting their school day slightly earlier than last year. It's only changed by 15 minutes, so it hasn't affected us much in the mornings. We were already leaving that little bit earlier because Lucas now being in Secondary, have to be in his Advisory room straight after the first bell.
Our school is growing so with these new timings, they are able to stagger the lunch breaks for the students, so it wont be too crowded in the canteen and the playgrounds.

We leave for school around 7.20 in the mornings, and this morning when we came outside to get in the car, Linnea said:
- Oh Mummy, it's a bit cool outside today!

Well, while it was still 32 degrees so "cool" might not quite be the fair description, it was for sure cooler than last week, when it was already 37-38 degrees that early in the morning! But she was right, the wind was actually not hairdryer-warm this morning, so I guess the temperatures are going in the right direction, and rather fast too! Yay!
Won't be long now, and we will have some lovely 15 degrees in the mornings again!

Aunty Nikki messed up...

We didn't have much luck with remembering our things on this trip.
Aunty Nikki forwarded us this funny email conversation she had with Linnea, while we were sitting on the train from Aberdeen to Edinburgh. (Start from the bottom)

===============

From: Nikki White
Date: 27 August 2015
To: Boel Watson, Nathan Watson

Oops, guess Aunty Nikki messed up.

Sent from Nikki's iPhone

===============

Begin forwarded message:

From: Linnea Watson
Date: 27 August 2015
To: Nikki White
Subject: Re: Hi

I no that is why I asked you to tell her pls and if you do don't tell her that I told you.

Sent from my iPad

================

On 27/08/2015, Nikki White wrote:

Oh no you are gonna be in trouble!!

Sent from Nikki's iPhone


On 27 Aug 2015, at 14:45, Linnea Watson wrote:

Hi Aunty Nikki I forgot my glasses at your house can you tell my mum that I forgot them in your kitchen.

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Ha ha, poor Linnea, she got busted! She had to learn the hard way that us grown-ups stick together and we will find out!
Although, no biggie. We had ordered a few things that didn't arrive before we left, so as Nikki will forward them on to us, she will add the reading glasses into that parcel as well.
Good thing we saw the 'Inside Out' movie while in the UK, so we could use that to talk about the "honesty planet" with Linnea, for future reference! Hmmm, little minx.

Today is a gift

While walking around Frederiksberg, I pointed out a few places for the kids and told them about where Nathan and I used to live, before we had them; where we used to shop for food, and go and eat, and get our coffee etc.

After a while Linnea asked me:

- Mummy, why are you telling us all these things about what you and Daddy used to do??

- Well, I thought you might think it would be fun to know..?

- Nah. I'd rather live in the present!!

- ...