Some moments in life are full of contradictions, and so was my week last week. While my dear friend L visited me from the United States, poor S got sick and M and I ended up alternating shifts watching him while I squeezed in quality time with my friend. Then in the midst of all of that, the Department of State fired over 1,000 people - including dear friends and mentors who have meant so much to me and given so much in service to our country - the same day my friend left.
I wanted to write a simple blog post about the joys of spending time with my friend (to whom I owe the pun in the title), but my heart is heavy thinking of my colleagues. I will continue writing that initially planned blog post, but I hope you'll read to the end where I provide a list of things I'm doing and you might consider doing, too, to support public servants who have been removed from service in State and elsewhere.
After a few days in Abu Dhabi, my friend L came to meet me at the iconic Burj Al Arab, a gorgeous tower that's not as famous as the Burj Khalifa but deserves to be (in my humble opinion). We meant to have tea at Sahn Eddar inside the tower, which turned into tea and desserts when we saw the desserts, and then turned into tea and desserts and ravioli when we had such a good time we didn't want to leave. I had a dessert made with tonka for the first time, and it was good. I don't know if I'd agree with the reviews that the flavor is "so good it's illegal" given it's banned in the United States, but it was tasty.
Then we did the Jumeirah Mosque tour (one of my favorite things to do with visitors as I did with my sister and her husband when they were here) and Etihad Museum. The architecture of the latter was striking and the history was so cool, but the exhibits were a little minimalistic for us. My favorite part was a film on display in one of the three (!) theaters showing documentaries where they interviewed older Emiratis about the incredible transformation of the country they witnessed in their lifetimes. (If you're interested in this subject, I highly recommend the book City of Gold: Dubai and the Dream of Capitalism by Jim Krane.)
The next day we visited Sharjah, the northern emirate neighboring Dubai. We stopped at an immersive art installation called The Rain Room where water falls from the ceiling and sensors turn it off where people are standing so you can be dry in the midst of the downpour. Or at least, that's the idea. My friend L was way better at staying dry than I was, even though I tried my best to follow the instructions not to move too suddenly. But at least the videos were awesome!
After that, we picked a random cute cafe to go to for lunch but on our way to the cafe we stumbled across a stunning restaurant with a beautiful gift shop and courtyard, so we spontaneously made a change of plans. The lunch we ended up having at Bait Elowal was extraordinary, with outstanding flavors, presentation, and service. Following our meal, I saw a sweet collection of children's books in Arabic about the relationship between a mother and baby written by Sharjah royal Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, and of course I had to buy a set for S. And he loves them!
The following day L and I were back in Dubai for the famous (or infamous if you ask M) Dubai Mall. We decide to book the Dubai Mall food tour by Frying Pan Adventures, which many other American women in Dubai had recommended to me. The tour was wonderful, introducng me to so many hidden gems at Dubai Mall I'd never experienced before. My favorite dish from the tour was the Dan Dan noodles at Zheng Dong Dan Dan Noodles in the food court of the mall's Chinatown section - though it really pushed the limits of my spice tolerance and I don't know if I could have finished without a sugary herbal tea from nearby Jasmin Time to help wash it down.
Once we finished the food tour, L and I went shopping in the mall for hours until we worked up our appetite again. Then we had a delicious dinner at Din Tai Fung, the Taiwanese restaurant chain famous for its soup dumplings, xiaolongbao. I never had it until I moved to Dubai, but L already knew about it and loved their dumplings.
After that, we booked it over to the Museum of the Future as the sun was setting. I had visited the museum for many work events but never explored the actual museum exhibits before. I insisted we go at night so we could enjoy the view of the exterior Arabic calligraphy lit up from the observation deck, one of my favorite photo spots in Dubai. (On the way up, though, they had a touristy mandatory green screen photo spot and the photographer tried to get us to hold each other closer until finally L exclaimed, "We're just friends!" The guy was very embarrassed and apologetic after that.)
Other highlights included a robotic dog that greeted guests on the ground floor as we entered, a rainforest room with amazingly fresh air, a cool visualization of a hypothetical future plant and animal DNA repository, and a random worker squealing, "Oh my gosh, is that Mark Zuckerberg?!" at my friend. (The best part about that last bit is my friend told me that kept happening to him, but that was my first time getting to witness it in real life.)
The next day we went to Dubai's Gold Souk, where I was quickly impressed by my friend's knowledge and skill at gold shopping. (He promised me he'd help me do a blog post on how to shop for gold later.) L bought a lovely gold ring and necklace, and then we were on our way to our lunch reservation at Orfali Bros, a Michelin-starred restaurant owned by three brothers from Syria.
This was the best meal I've had in years, and I will be thinking about it for a long time. L and I can highly recommend the tasting menu, but even after you finish that you have to order dessert. I had the best kabob of my life there and one of the most unique and delicious desserts that blended black sesame, yuzu, and tahini. I think dishes that combine unexpected ingredients for surprisingly delicious results demonstrate some of the most skill and creativity a chef can have.
Then, my friend went off to Al Maha Resort in the desert by himself for a few days. For what it's worth, my friend said the stay was amazing and a standout luxury experience. When he returned, we explored Al Fahidi Historical Neighborhood and then capped off his visit with dinner at a Filipino restaurant and Korean karaoke with some of my Dubai friends.
Before long, though, L had to head to the airport and we bid farewell. It was delightful catching up with my dear friend and spending more time with him than I have in years, even if I had to spend more time than expected coming back home to trade off taking care of our sick kiddo with M. I made such precious memories and was reminded of how much less lonely the Foreign Service life is when you can host people you love.
Thank you so much for reading this far! As promised, please see below some of the things I will be doing and I hope you will consider doing as well to support public servants who have devoted their careers to the American people:
- If someone you know shares that they were recently fired, send a kind note that you're thinking of them with no expectation of a reply. Many people who were fired were given very little notice and may be extremely busy organizing their personal, professional, and financial affairs - not to mention the emotional impact of being fired. Like in most cases of grief, though, I've found people often err on the side of being too scared to say anything and so those affected may miss the positive impact of others checking in and thinking of them.
- If someone you know has not shared that they were recently fired but you only heard a rumor that they were, do not reach out unless they tell you themselves or share the news publicly. You might mean well but do more harm than good. (I'm grateful to those affected who made this point in some of my Foreign Service groups on social media.)
- Hire them! These are extremely qualified and hardworking professionals. You will not find anyone more adaptable, mission-driven, or creative when it comes to problem-solving.
- Provide career support whether that's a resume review, reference, or even a simple informational interview. Sometimes it can be difficult to translate government jargon that we use such as "control officer" or "public diplomacy officer" into terms that will be understood in other fields, so help those who need it make the transition.
- Help with those transitioning, not just professionally but personally. For example, if you know someone moving back to your hometown after an abrupt end to their career in expensive Washington, DC, be a friend to them and their family. If you know of resources that might be helpful to them, share them.
- Contact your elected representatives in your personal time. (Please do not violate the Hatch Act!) For me personally, I'm letting my representatives know I believe that any reductions in force (RIFs, our term for firing) should be done in accordance with existing law, regulation, and policy and based on qualifications and merit - not where someone happens to be on an arbitrary date when many of us rotate positions so frequently. I'm also letting them know that there are plenty of qualified people who were just fired who can help us fill critical staffing gaps for positions that haven't been closed.
- Let those public servants in your life more generally know you appreciate their service and repeat that sentiment publicly. Many of us choose this career because we are passionate about and committed to serving our country. We forego more lucrative career options (and in the case of the Foreign Service regularly uproot our families and live far from home) for the chance to make a difference for the American people. It means a lot to hear our work matters.
- Listen when people who were recently fired ask for help or offer suggestions of what you can do.
Take care of yourselves and each other, dear readers. Until next time!
