Yes, you may wonder what Turkish coffee and strawberry tarts has to do with BEHIND THE CAMERA ... well it pretty much summarizes my day - the photographer. 
As you probably know , the airline which my husband works for, has still failed to provide us with our permanent villa even though it stated on his contract that we would be moved to one after a week of arriving in the country. Well that was last April (2008) and we are currently living in a villa due for demolition, on bare concrete floors that have heavy glue deposits from the previous tenants carpets which a not so bright spark in the Accomodation Dept had ripped up . So we have covered the floors with a tasteful typical South African combination of black plastic garbage bags and cardboard in true SOWETAN fashion :)  
So, I went off early this morning to Arabian Ranches to look at a villa to rent ( with the paltry allowance offered by the company who hopefully won't change their minds which they seem to do on a daily basis!) - and ended up having breakfast with the landlord (LL)who brewed an exceptionally strong cup of fragrant Turkish coffee Sharjah style, served with ice cold water and apple slices which would have been impolite to refuse  . Despite drinking the coffee which even had the estate agent's eyes watering, and having to view the villa in my socks with the LL's family still fast asleep in their beds ( yes , we tiptoed into and around their rooms ) the LL would not drop his price so I drove sadly back to the dump we have to call home, villa-less for yet another night and I realised just how much I miss SA and my friends and my beautiful home in Cowies Hill. 
But the day improved ... maybe the coffee kicked in but I spent my lunchtime in a wonderful meeting with 3 delightful girls at Pauls at Mercato ... and ate  a divine strawberry tart ... a truly seventh heaven culinary work of art of sweet red fruit, syrup and pastry... who could resist? Not me - I did not have the will power. The girls were great company, animatedly discussing their requirements for photography for an upcoming traditional wedding  and they certainly succeeded in reminding me why I agreed to come to the UAE - to experience new things, to meet new people and to learn to value and to appreciate the differing cultures of the world which I encounter on a daily basis here in Dubai. New things to capture from behind my camera... a different and enlightened perspective.
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