Traditional Chocolates

Traditions for life events in the UAE are very different from in the USA.
When you have a baby, get married, have something good happen for a family member, you don't receive any gifts… YOU GIVE chocolates.
A big, honking, gaudy, gold and/or silver tray filled with them. You set them out for others in a common area or you walk around and share them with everyone in the building (at work).
So the day I returned the rental car (the day after I picked up my new car), my friend said "Now you need chocolates."
What? Why do I need chocolates?
"You got a new car, you have to get chocolates".
OHHHHH you are right. I want a big tray of them, shaped like a car, in blue wrappers.
We laughed and drove to the chocolate shops.

Be wary when there is a red carpet ushering you into the shop of chocolates. The prices will be hefty and the service divine.
As we looked for a car shaped display (there wasn't one) with blue wrappers (only on the ones for newborns) a small serving tray of chocolates followed us (carried by one of the sales people). When we asked what was in the chocolate (filling? nuts?) we were told "corn flakes". We bit into the creamy deliciousness only to find it had something like Rice Krispies in one and nuts in the other. That is when I remembered that all cereal here is referred to as Corn Flakes by the locals. Corn flakes = cereal.
Finally, after deciding on a tray of a variety of shapes and sizes with no outer wrappers (tray was covered in shrink wrap) and paying, they put it in a huge shopping bag with handles and carried it to the car for us, we felt like royalty.
The next day at school when there was a lull, I walked around to share the chocolates with others. It was so interesting to see the different responses. All the western teachers were curious what kind of car I had purchased and the color. The local teachers were either not interested in knowing anything or they were excited for me but didn't ask what kind of car (remember, they drive really high end vehicles I could not have afforded even if I wanted to). It was very sweet for some of them to share in my excitement and showed me who is truly a friend and who is merely someone I work with.

Another traditional experience I had the opportunity to enjoy.
I will appreciate the trays of chocolates from others a bit more now.