Spring Break Part 1, Dubai and the 2015 Middle East GAA Championships

One of the negatives about the two of us working at different schools is the fact that we have had different spring breaks both years here in Kuwait.  This year Lindsay was able to take the first three days of the week off to be able to enjoy some of Joe's spring break and we had a whirlwind couple of weeks planned.  The break started with a flight to Dubai and the last Middle East GAA tournament of the year, the 2015 ME Championship.  The boys played hard and played well against some very strong competition and Joe achieved his goal of scoring in every tournament of the year.  He is a defender, so this was a big goal of his and he was able to accomplish the feat, scoring a total of five points and a goal in the four tournaments.  The year was a fun one for all of the Harps and we will write a blog post recapping it soon.

Once we enjoyed a day of gaelic football and the end of year gala, we spent Saturday checking out the Mall of the Emirates and the indoor ski resort located there.  If you have ever been to the Gulf region of the Middle East you know how much Arabs love their malls and this one is one of the crown jewels since it contains Ski Dubai!  After a couple of hours shopping and people watching we headed to our favorite spot in Dubai for a relaxing day at the Irish Village with our beloved Harps family!

Just before the throw-in to start the first match of the day against Abu Dhabi.

Joe about to lay out this Abu Dhabi midfielder!

Advancing the ball forward

This picture is with a team from Auckland, NZ that flew up for the tournament!

Scoring a point against the Arabian Celts from Bahrain.

Joe's team that he had the honor of captaining all year.

Walking off the field for the last time as a Middle East GAA footballer.

The 2014/2015 Kuwait Harps.