Night

The times that I've been out after dark in Abu Dhabi durring the summer, I've noticed a lot more people out than during the day.

As you can see, from these photos, there are beautiful parks and walkways. (The photo on the right is from my friend's website, Abu Dhabi Daily Photograph. You should definitely go to his website and have a look around. His photography is way better than mine. You can also click on the link on the right side of the page to access the latest photo. The photo on the left is of one of Abu Dhabi's many parks at night. It can be found on this website. I have no idea who that guy is.) What the photos don't show are the vast number of people out after sunset.

Whole families with young children will be out until 11:00 or 12:00 at night. I've been out with my family at a park on a day when I have to work the next day and no one will be at the park despite the beautiful weather. As we're getting ready to leave around 4:30, people will start arriving with their barbecues ready to start socializing. Sometimes when driving past these places on my way home at night, I'll see the whole place packed out and cars all over the place with all of the parking taken.

Also, I'll get up to go running at 5:00 am and there will still be people around sitting in the outdoor cafes chatting. When I see that, I have a better understanding of why my students are always sleepy in their 8:00 am classes. I guess that the mystery to me is why the UAE doesn't shift its schedule to a more nocturnal one. I understand the climate makes socializing and working in the evening hours more comfortable. I have to wonder why the students and employees are required to be somewhere at 8:00 am when most people prefer to stay up until the early hours of the morning.