Sunshine and Christmas tree

The last 10 days were very eventful. I do not know where to begin; Dubai won Expo 2020, and little did I know I would be right in the middle of the celebrations with my husband, sons and friends. It was a beautiful winter’s evening where I sang outdoor with my band surrounded by cameras and media. Everybody was wondering if we would win the big Expo 2020. For those of you who do not live in Dubai , U will wonder what all the fuss is about… very simple, Dubai is on its way back and plans to make it the hub of the world are well and truly on the way I can see it everyday. And here I am wondering, in the middle of the fireworks and celebrations, how it all happened. There is a reason why, because Dubai deserves an outright win. I do not think any other city deserves it better than the Dubai. What I have seen accomplished here in 2 years is beyond belief. Plus, everything is done in harmony. So looking forward to the next 7 years.

To give you a glimpse of what living in Dubai is like, we have become very fond of an area in Dubai known as Satwa. I cannot describe to you what this little village is all about, behind the towering skylines of Dubai lies this crazy 24/7 town. The hustling and bustling, chatter and car horns and sounds of mosques gives it this incredible unique atmosphere.   We buy lots of things from freshly made bread to every nick and knack that u can possibly imagine from these lovely, friendly people. They now have become accustomed to the red head and the Arab. For example, the hustling and bustling that took place while buying our Christmas tree was a script for a Hollywood film. We were escorted from the main shopping street through back doors, backyards and alleyways to a waiting truck that had just arrived from Scandinavia full of the most beautiful Christmas trees. Now people from Dubai know there are a lot of easier and luxurious ways to buy a Christmas tree. But my god you cannot beat this experience. After all the wheeling and dealing we eventually agreed on a price to a great cheer as we managed to drop it from 1,200 to 550 dirhams (120 euros). A great day’s work. Here is a picture of it now.

Thank you so much to all our friends in Satwa….. Happy Christmas.

We also attended our very first Thanks Giving with great friends. What shocked me most about this experience  is all the politics and war that is happpening  in the world at present, I have never sat with a more genuine, kind and peace loving people. At the table we sat Syrian, American, Czech, Palestinian and of course, Irish. How I wish there was a fly on the wall to record the events of this memorable evening. The stories that were told from all different cultures were hilarious. One in particular was our friend who was working in Africa and visited a top restaurant and ordered a roast chicken. The chicken arrived at the dismay of our friend missing a leg. When he questioned the management he was quickly informed “sorry sir, this is way the chicken arrived’. Another hilarious story was when they asked the maid to wash the dog. Soon after, they ran to the sound of the dog barking only to see the maid scrubbing the dog on the washboard. The poor maid had never washed a dog before , but happily both the maid and dog lived to tell the tale… woof woof. The best thanks giving ever. For the first time in my life somebody spoke more than me ha ha.

On the following Monday Dec 2nd we celebrated national Day . We experienced the biggest fireworks display I have ever seen. The actual sky lite up. Not only in celebration of national day but also the win of Expo 2020. Kids were off school and a great holiday feel. People ask me do I miss Ireland at Christmas and of course I do. I miss Christmas Eve with my closest friend Pat Conway and his yummylicious Irish Coffees, old familiar faces , great sing songs  , open fires and that Incredible Christmas spirit……but you know what I have created my very own . God help my lovely Emirati neighbours who by now for sure could sing you every Christmas song that Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland have ever sang. But it is all in good Christmas fun. One thing I can be very certain of .....I  am dreaming of a White Christmas.

Just before I say good bye till the next time, there is one other subject to share with you; an Irish friend of mine, Toni Leslie, posted on her Facebook page a wonderful story on how the Muslims helped the Irish during the great famine under the reign of Queen Victoria. Enjoy the read here an incredible story. http://abiggersociety.com/how-quickly-we-forget-how-muslims-helped-ireland-during-the-great-famine/

My Irish friends in Cork, I miss you all dearly and hope very soon you will meet my new ones.

One last note; we have lost one of the greatest men of modern history this week. Nelson Mandela. If we were only touched a little bit by his greatness, the world will be such a great place. Nelson, may your soul rest in peace. I hope you dance to this in heaven https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgtcTVDcjH0&feature=youtube_gdata_player