It's Official....we're moving

It looks like our family will be moving.

Brian applied for a job back in August and after several months of working through the governmental process he was officially notified today that he was offered the position.

There is a chance Brian will be leaving sometime in April or May and we will follow sometime in June or July after the kids get out of school.

We will be gone for about three years and our hope is to return to Ferndale.

We will be moving to Abu Dhabi, UAE. I have been researching the area for months and am a lot more excited about it than I first was.

FAQ
CLOTHING: No, I will not have to wear a Burqa. I can wear shorts & a tank top if I want to but in certain areas it will be best to cover my shoulders and knees.
LANGUAGE: Plenty of people speak English.
DRIVING: I can drive (in fact we are planning to have our car shipped over there)
SCHOOLING: The kids will be registered at the: American Community School (http://acs.sch.ae/acsvipers) The kids will be bussed there and we won’t have any tuition for it.
HOUSING: The government will provide a furnished home for us (similar in size to what we have now). It will most likely be a villa in a compound with a pool and with Americans nearby.
MEDICAL: There is a doctor & nurse at the embassy that we will be able to see and if we need more than what they offer we can get in with a doctor at the hospital the same day.
CURRENT HOUSE: Our plan is to rent for the three years we are gone.
WEATHER: Yes, it’s unbelievably hot there in the Summer. However, it’s a wonderful 75 degrees in the Winter. There are more than 330 days of sunshine a year.
ACTIVITIES: The kids have soccer, gymnastics and more available there.
ENTERTAINMENT: Countless. There is the largest indoor amusement park there and the fastest roller-coaster (http://www.theyashotel.com/area-attractions/ferrari-world-abu-dhabi) There are dune buggy rides in the sand (http://www.emiratesadventurestours.com/tours.asp)
GYM: Yes, I will have a gym – yeah! Granted, there’s more to it than my gym here…. http://www.adhfc.com/index.aspx , unless I can find something else
MY TIME: Ummmm – obviously I can’t get involved in local politics and I don’t have a desire to spend all my time doing high fashion shopping (http://www.abudhabi-mall.com/) so I’m not sure. There are mommy & me coffee groups and maybe I can get involved at the school and go to the gym. I guess I’ll find out.
FOOD: It looks like we can get lots of American stuff there (from McDonald’s & Starbucks to Ritz Crackers).
ROXIE: Considering we are moving to a place which is unbelievable warm and humid and Roxie is an outdoor dog….we will be looking for a temporary home for her (this is Brian’s mission)…..if anyone is interested though, let us know!

There are lots of wonderful things about the area. It is very safe and clean and there are clearly plenty of things to do. I am working hard to focus on the positive and not the idea that I’m leaving wonderful, amazing, friends (and my MOM) behind Isabella is very excited and ready to start packing right now and Alexander is not looking forward to leaving his friends either. Brian’s new boss actually has a son Alexander’s age who will be in his class so we are hoping to get them connected before heading out there.

We will share more information and details as we have it but this is what we know for now.

Love to all,
Connie