Isaac and Jenni Marshall: Global Village

On Friday evening we decided to venture out to Global Village with a group of friends. Global Village is a 3 month festival, beginning in mid-December. Vendors from all over the world bring goods to Dubai, which they set up and sell in country-themed pavillions. Attempting this outing near the end of the fesival AND on a Friday night was completely crazy! We spent more than 2 hours on the road with other Global Village goers, and the drivers were even more insane and pushy than usual. When we finally arrived, we had to park 1/2 mile from the entrance, but the walk was a nice break from sitting in the car. The crowd was immense, and at times we felt just like cattle, trudging along slowly in lines (I'll even admit it, I moo'd once or twice). We visited numerous pavillions, including Iran, North Africa (Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya), Yemen, Morocco, East and West Africa, and Nepal. There may have been a few more stops, but I don't remember! Despite the crowds, we had a great time exploring and examining the artwork, foods, and trinkets from all of the countries. If we go again next year we will avoid the crowds and arrive right at opening hours!

We finally made it!

A 9-11 rug in the Iran pavillion... definitely a thought-provoking piece

Iranian pottery... each piece is hand-painted on copper, and virtually indestructible. The vendor even demonstrated their durability by running his keys over the finish!

Steve teaching Jen about Iranian pottery

There was even a carnival portion of the venue

These adorable little baby outfits were in all of the African pavillions, and I just love them! No babies to wear them yet... maybe Bella?

Isaac took over the photography duties for the rest of the night... =) He is a true artist!

Spice souk in the Yemen pavillion

We caught this adorable vendor's attention while we were snapping pictures of him from afar. He was so good natured about being our subject, and even tried to stage some photos=). Of course being a salesman, he didn't pass up the opportunity to show us his collection of old silver. Old silver is a term used to describe antique silver pieces that are no longer manufactured. I found a beautiful silver ring...

Here our friend is helping me select earrings to accompany my ring=)

And here we are, ceremoniously bagging up our purchased treasures! This is one of the "staged shots." Our new friend was so proud of himself for coming up with this idea.