And the verdict is: it's hot. And I haven't even gone through a summer yet (I suspect that people here count their time in summers, just as in Ithaca people counted it in winters). September and October were very hot and humid. I can hardly imagine what June, July, and August are like. Well, actually, I can: hotter and even more humid. However - and this may be a pointless, overly minute distinction - the extreme heat is mitigated by the fact that everywhere has AC. EVERYWHERE, including the little guard shacks on campus. Heck, even the bus stops (in Dubai, at least) have little air-conditioned enclosures.
So in a way, that softens the UAE climate down to the level of, say, Egypt or Syria, where the summers are not as hot temperature-wise, but you can't always count on having AC everywhere you go (including your own apartment). You'd probably end up sweating the same amount in Cairo in August as you would in Sharjah when it comes right down to it.
Now, let's move on to the UAE winter. It's a curious thing. Right around November 1 (last year, at least), it cooled down markedly. I distinctly remember sitting outside with Jeremy early one November evening while the girls played at the park and there came a moment when we looked at each other and simultaneously realized that we were not sweating profusely. It was a real turning point. For the last few months, it's been mostly sunny, with some overcast days, and some rain (and even a few fleeting storms), and a crisp, pleasant chill in the air throughout the day and night.
It was never truly cold, though, not really. Sure, you'd see people walking around in sweaters and coats and even hats sometimes, but that's more because if you don't wear your sweater/coat/hat in January, when WILL you? (The answer is: never.)
I think the winter is over now. The temperature is creeping back up and the chill that I enjoyed so much is gone, at least from the daytime hours. Which means that November, December, January, and February are officially going to be the months where I make sure to soak in all the moments of bleakness and cold we get, and then store it up so it can last me all summer long. I'll have to dole it out in very small pieces, I suppose, on only the sunniest and hottest days.
The strangest thing about not having highly contrastive seasons is that time seems to stand still. Honestly, I have to look at a calendar here to remind me what month (not day, MONTH) it is more often than anywhere else I've lived. Looking out my front window gives me absolutely no indication of the time of year. It could be July. It could be December. Does this make me sad? A little. But I don't focus on it, or at least I try not to.
And so, today, March 1, to spring/summer, I say: bring it on.