Lunch with the Crown Prince

Well, we decided to try church yesterday...yes, church on Friday is a bit different.  Anyway, we got ready, grabbed our directions and off we went.  We drove and drove and drove, until finally we found the church.  We were, at that point, 45 minutes late, so we didn't go inside!  We'll try again next week!  After looking for the church we decided to have brunch at a great little Australian place called Jones the grocer http://www.jonesthegrocer.com/.  They have yummy food and lots of gourmet foods.  The kids were especially impressed with their selection of mini desserts.  We were also rather surprised to dine with, well almost dine with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, HH General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and the Vice President, HH The Emir Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum !  Apparently, their offices are above Jones the grocer, and they eat/drink coffee there almost daily.  The kids thought it was pretty cool to see royalty!

Have I mentioned that there are no physical street addresses here???  A city of 1.5 million and growing, and not an address to be found...makes for interesting driving.  If you are giving directions to a cabbie, you must use land marks.  If you buy appliances, as we did today, you must draw a hand written map!  Crazy! 

Speaking of crazy, I went for my first drive today.  It was fine, no issues.  I was a bit nervous going around the roundabouts, but there wasn't too much traffic today.  Tomorrow on the way to school will be another story.  Oh, and if anyone has a wreck with an Emirati, a local, it is the fault of the non-Emirati person...no matter what!!!  If that won't make you pay attention, I don't know what will!

That's all for now!   I will post more pictures soon.  Love to all!  Bloom where you're planted!!!!

Paperwork and Other Things

Well, I guess I'm official.  I have applied and paid for my Emirates I.D., and have gotten my driver's license.  No more excuses...it's time to drive!  Have I mentioned the drivers here???  Frightening!  There are roundabouts all over the city and seemingly, you must close your eyes and put the pedal to the metal to survive one!  I may try my first outing today, after Joe gets home from work...we'll see.  We only have one car here, but it seems to be working out so far.  So, as I was riding home yesterday in a cab with the kids after school, my phone rang.  It was the cabbie who had taken me to school.  He asked if my money was ok.  I accidentally paid him 500 Durhams, instead of 50 Durhams.  I wouldn't have realized it for days, I'm sure.  He then told me he would bring the money to my house, which he did!  Thank goodness for an honest cab driver!  I tipped him well and thanked him profusely!  I guess I need to pay a little more attention to my money.  Can I still blame it on jet lag???

The boys are settling into their new routine.  Neither will really admit to liking it though.  Jonathan pointed out that he actually goes to school for another full day here, as their day is an hour and 10 minutes longer than it was in Port Saint Joe.  We went to the school last weekend for Family climb.  The boys loved climbing the rock wall, and I have a feeling we'll be doing that regularly.  Third quarter after school programs start next week.  Jonathan is signed up for Fun Field Games once a week and Everett is signed up for Arabic Conversation, Games and Songs...we didn't sign up in time to get him into the Lego Club.  Darn!  In a few weeks, their PE time will be swimming.  I think they will enjoy that.  I couldn't convince them to sign up for the swim team though.  I'm also excited about a program the school offers called "Author in Residence".  This year's author is Naomi Shihab Nye.  She will be visiting the school from Jan. 23-27, and will be working directly with the elementary and middle school students.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naomi_Shihab_Nye
You can read more about her by clicking on the link above.  What a neat opportunity for the boys! 

I don't have any grand revelations to share today, but wanted to let you know we're doing fine.  I'll post details of my first driving experience.  I pray that it will be a good one!  Love to all!  Have a great day, or night!

A Few More Observations

First of all, the boys are doing much better in school. Everett has a new friend named Sanjero from the U.S. and Jonathan has friend named Trevor from Montana. This makes me happy! Jonji must be doing better, as he received a "warning" at school yesterday for calling out answers. Those of you who know Jonathan, know that this is "normal" for him! This too, makes me happy! Above is a picture of the boys at school in their PE uniforms.  They alternate PE, Music, and Art, each day.  I wish they had more PE, but am thrilled that they have Art and Music.  They also take Arabic every day and have learned to write their names.

We've made more friends in the neighborhood, or compound, and Lila and I have had a couple of play/coffee dates! This is good. We have a neighborhood coffee gathering tomorrow.

A few things I have noticed:

The culture here is extremely family oriented. There are numerous parks throughout the city, which seem to stay very busy with lots of family activity. On Friday afternoons the parks fill with families, who take grills, blankets, etc. and picnic all afternoon and well into the evening. The only downfall to that, is that they seem to leave their garbage. I guess it's all about change and awareness. I remember as a child, seeing lots of people throw their garbage out the window while driving. You don't see that in the U.S. much anymore...thankfully! Hopefully that will change here as well over the years. Back to the family...everywhere you go here, families are together, from the Dr. office, to the park, to the grocery store, etc. That's nice to see.

The kids and I went for a drive with Joe yesterday afternoon to look at a job sight called Saadiyat Island (I've spoken of it before). As we looked across the Arabian Gulf (aka Persian Gulf), we talked about the fact that Iran is just about 50 miles across the water. Many Expats here have traveled to Iran, obviously not the Americans, and say that it is a very nice place to visit. Not to worry, we won't be going there. It's just interesting to think about.  I think overall, their people want freedom just as we do, they just can't have it without being willing to die, and even still, may not be able to obtain it. We are so fortunate. When Joe first mentioned moving to The Middle East, I said "Are you kidding? Is it safe?" After living here, and exploring for just under two weeks, I feel that we are every bit as safe here as we are at home. The many people we have come across thus far, have been very friendly and helpful. I think one of the most amazing benefits of this adventure will be the "eye-opening" for the children, as well as for Joe and me.

That's all for now.  Lila and I are heading to the store, via cab, as I still can't drive.  Oh, and one more thing...To all of our dear PSJ friends:
Thank you all so much for the kind words that you wrote in our going away book.  I made a point not to read it until we got here.  I can't tell you all how much we miss you and our PSJ family.  You all made PSJ really feel like home for us and we feel blessed to have called it home for  six years.  Maybe some day we'll call it home again!  Love to all!

We Survived Our First Week!!!

All in all, we had a great first week! We've finally adjusted to the time change and are feeling a little more energetic, so we decided to explore the desert. W e drove about two hours South into the desert called the Empty Quarter. What an amazing experience. It was definitely like nothing we'd ever seen before, and couldn't have imagined such a place. The pictures won't do it justice. When I'm a little more tech savy, I'll post more pictures! We drove to a resort called Qasr Al Sarab. It is another development by TDIC. It is literally a beautiful oasis set smack dab in the middle of mountainous sand dunes. It was very sureal. We had a fantastic meal overlooking the dunes, then headed out for a little desert hike. The kids loved running up and down the dunes. The weather was beautiful, but I can't imagine how hot it will be in a few months! We saw lots of camels along the drive...pretty cool. The kids would yell periodically, Camel! I can't really even try to describe this place, it was so incredible.

Apparently the hotel has a whole separate villa reserved strictly for Emirate royalty. What a life! Oh, and we saw who we think was Naomi Campbell at lunch, but we're not 100% sure!

Today, we took Lila to the doctor for a rash. Here, appointments are made mostly at hospitals. I was very pleased with our service as well as the facility. The pediatrician was very pleasant and we will probably use her again. After the appointment, Lila and I walked next door to a park to play and wait for Joe and the boys. She had a great time running around. We walked to KFC for lunch, to find that the floor inside is marble and tables are flanked by leather sofas, stools and chairs. Too funny! I wish I had taken a picture.

The boys start school tomorrow. They are sound asleep. I hope their day will go well. I think they are both a little bit excited and ready to get day one over with. All three had their first play date on Thurs. so we're making progress!

Love to all!

Hurray!

This just in...we met some really nice moms and lots of kids in the neighborhood last night. Apparently all the kids and moms meet outside at about 5PM every evening. The kids ride bikes, scooters, play ball, etc. When a car comes through the neighborhood, you hear a string of yells, CAR! CAR! CAR! I think the kids felt better after meeting some new friends...I know I do! There's a neighborhood coffee a week from tomorrow. Lila and I will look forward to that. Today's agenda involves looking at and selecting our new unit. Our shipment should arrive in a couple of weeks. That means getting busy buying a washer, dryer, fridge, etc. Love to all!

Adjusting to Abu Dhabi time!

Well, we're going on day 5 now, and the kids and I had one good night's sleep night before last, but Lila and I were up again last night...this time change is rough.  I feel like I have a newborn again!  Anyway, enough complaining! 

The kids and I ventured out yesterday for several hours.  We took a cab into downtown and went to a big city park, which reminded me a bit of Piedmont Park in Atlanta, in the sense that it is surrounded by tall buildings. We had lunch at a good ole American favorite, Subway.  Except of course, here there is turkey ham, instead of regular ham. Oh, and Lay's potato chips come in flavors such as French Cheese and Ketchup.  We tried them both and they're pretty tasty! The kids enjoyed getting out and about.  I was a bit nervous heading out with the kids solo, but got over that quickly.  Everyone we have encountered so far has been very pleasant. Our neighborhood seems pretty quiet so far, but Joe assures me that there are other children here. 

Speaking of other children, the boys start school on Sunday.  Yep, Sunday.  Our weeks here go Sunday to Thurs, with church on Friday.  The boys say they are not at all excited about starting school.  I know they are nervous and I'm nervous for them!  Getting the first week of school behind us will be good.  For those who don't know, the boys will go to an American School, called ACS, American Community School http://www.acs.sch.ae/ .  I think it will be pretty great, offering lots of after school activities, such as a climbing wall, pool, chess club, Lego club, etc!  BTW, we sure loved our St. Joe teachers and will miss them terribly!  Lila will start school at ACS as well in the Fall. 

Here are just a few observations:
Kellogg's Frosted Flakes are called Frosties here.  They don't use fitted sheets here, or a top sheet, just a flat sheet over the mattress with a duvet and cover.  Eggs yolks are literally orange.  Waking up to the call to prayer at 5:30AM and hearing it several times throughout the day (5), is a good reminder for us to say our prayers.  We have daily cleaning service while we live in temp. housing...nice.  All gas stations are full service, and gas costs about 70 cents/liter. 

That's it for today...nothing too enlightening.  Hopefully I'll have more soon!  Have a wonderful day!

Our journey to Abu Dhabi

Well, where to begin...I'm no writer, but several of my friends and family members have urged me to write about our journey, so here we go!

In October of 2010, Joe took a new job in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates with a development company called TDIC www.tdic.ae .  After a quick visit here, Joe and I decided that this was an opportunity that we would be crazy to pass up.  We began sorting and purging...Wow, I didn't realize how much junk I had accumulated!  Joe left for Abu Dhabi on November 18.  The kids and I stayed to finalize things in Port Saint Joe, said our very sad goodbyes to dear friends, and headed to Texas, Beverly Hillbilly style!  We spent a few days in Belton with Grammie (Joe's mom) and then headed to Fort Davis where we spent Christmas with my family.  The kids had a great time in Texas, as always!  The boys each shot their first dear and were thrilled!  Thanks Tio!  We spent lots of time with Gran, Tio and Tia, Tanner and Trent, Poppi and LeeAnn, and the Whitesell clan.  It was a great Christmas!  Finally, on the 29th of December, after two more days of packing, we headed out.  Our day began with a three hour drive from Fort Davis to El Paso, where we got on our first flight, which was three hours to Chicago.  From there, we had a two and a half hour layover, and then a 14 hour flight from Chicago to Abu Dhabi.  Needless to say, we were all rather exhausted upon arrival!  The kids were excellent travelers and didn't complain...they must have sensed that I NEEDED them to be on their best behavior!  After lots of hugs and kisses for Joe, we headed to our new home in Al Maqta Village.  On Friday, Dec. 31st, my birthday, Joe surprised me with a three hour spa service at Chi Spa at the Shangri-La Hotel.  What a great treat!  We also have tickets in Feb. to see one of my favorite bands, TRAIN, at the Dubai Jazzfest!  We didn't go out New Years Eve, but did visit our new grocery store, which stressed me out a bit.  I think I was just tired and overwhelmed...next time will be better!  On New Years Day, we lazed around until mid afternoon, then headed out to see some sights.  We drove all over town...I don't know if I'll ever find my way around!  We had a nice dinner at the Saadiyat Island Golf Club, a TDIC development, then headed home.  That's about it, so far.  The kids and I still haven't adjusted to the ten hour time change.  Today, Jan 2, has been a very lazy day.  Joe is at work and the kids and I haven't left the house.  The boys, at 4:30PM are still in their p.js.  Tomorrow, we plan on venturing out to Marina Mall for a movie.  I'll let you know how that goes!  We'll go by cab, as I don't have my driver's license yet.  Joe tells me this will probably take about two weeks!  Well, I could ramble on, but don't want to bore everyone!  We miss you all so much.  Please come visit!!!  I'll post pictures very soon!  Oh, and the weather is very nice right now.  It's in the mid 70's during the day and cools off nicely at night.