Abu Dhabi - 1 week down

I stayed up way too late last night talking to my friend Denise from back home. I think we were on the phone for 50 minutes. Felt like were just blocks away....... Can't do very many long calls like that. Have a plan with 250 international minutes a month, we'll see if that's enough!

Got an email from my mom yesterday and she's booked her flight for November!!!!!!!!! Woohoo. She'll be here through Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's.

Slept in a bit and got a later than normal start.

We headed out around 12 to meet Brian at the Embassy for lunch. You're not allowed to take pictures there so I have none to share.

Lunch was good and cheap. The Embassy is big and I feel like the kids have to behave extra super and be extra quiet.

After lunch, I had my picture taken for my ID and I had to attend my orientation.

I'm glad I didn't have to attend this before Brian got the job or I wouldn't have wanted to come here.

As much as I like knowing what to expect the "what-ifs" are enough to freak a gal out!

They covered a bunch of stuff that I can't talk about and Don't chat with a taxi driver or they'll think you want to go home with them, don't be too friendly with a taxi driver or they'll think you want to sleep with them (Not taking a taxi - ever), don't walk in certain areas alone at night, etc....ACK

(Brian will have to read the above paragraph that is currently 7 lines long....we'll see how much he let's me leave in).

I met a few other new people.

Then we headed to an area for me to pick up an application for Abu Dhabi Mums. It sounds similar to MOMS Club with activities and get-togethers for little ones so I hope it works out well.

So, we tried to leave this huge complex (Zayed Sports City which also has a skating rink, soccer stadium, tennis club, gym, bowling alley, etc....) and I had trouble finding the way out because the signs suck and it was hot and we were all cranky and exasperated. It took forever with me hitting dead ends and driving in circles. Ugh!

So, instead of heading to the grocery store we headed home to air conditioning and snacks.

The kids are obsessed with the geckos and want them as pets so they caught the baby.











I made them set it free.


Then,
Brian called and we found out that BELLA GOT INTO ACS!!!!!
Thank God!!

Eventually Brian came home and we had dinner then I got to go out (with one of the two friends I've made here) for mani-pedis. It was at a place called Tips and Toes and they were great!

We had manicures with a lovely arm and hand massage and a great pedicure with foot rub, leg massage, serious foot scrub down and a polish. The cost was 194 dhs for all so about $53. There is no tax here and the tips are more like 10% for good service as opposed to 20%.










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My toes are not my asset, appreciate the color and ignore the freaky toenails, k?

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Abu Dhabi - Day 5

Today is Alexander's 11th birthday. We would've loved to be able to go somewhere great like Ferrari World but since it's the holy month of Ramadan things are really low-key during the daytime.

So, we headed out ice skating. We were the only ones there.


































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Hard to see but a lady from the counter helped Cameron the whole time and gave him a mini lesson. Customer Service people are really friendly and call me Madam over and over. It's a little weird but I'm getting used to it. "Excuse me, ma'am....". "Yes, madam. How can I help you madam. No problem madam"











After ice skating we headed home for lunch and to swim (thank goodness for an indoor pool in this weather!). We live about 5 minutes from the ice skating place but it took me 20 minutes to get home. I ended up driving over a bridge and then back again and I got stuck in two different roundabouts going in a full circle before finding my way. Sigh.... I'll get the hang of it the more I drive.

After swimming, we showered and dressed and headed to the store to buy a Garmin GPS. I felt much better after that!

When Brian got home from work we relaxed for a bit before heading out to church.

I was excited to learn there is ONE Catholic Church in Abu Dhabi. It's called St. Joseph's Church.  According to their website, they have 100,000 members and numerous masses in different languages. I found a Children's Mass in English and was thrilled to go. I thought it would be a great way to meet like-minded individuals and be around some Americans.

Not a Bit!! I left in near tears. I was looking for comfort and walked away with another reminder that I am a minority and there aren't a lot of like-minded people. It was crazy packed and different.

The website said it started at 6, but when we got there it was half over and it turns out it starts at 5:45. There were two different masses happening at once in giant rooms across each other in a courtyard and they were packed with East Indians and Phillipinos and maybe 2 other Caucasions. The host tastes different and they don't even shake hands for peace....they just bow to each other with clasped hands. I love the "peace be with you" part of mass, it makes me feel so connected to others. They do another Children's mass on Friday morning and I'll give it another try......

After mass, we decided to head out for Alexanders birthday, He picked Fuddruckers at the mall.

Yep, we are in another country with tons and tons of exotic foods and cool places to eat and he wants to eat American food at the mall.

At 7:00 pm, Muslims "break Iftar". This is breaking fast during Ramadan. So, when we went to the mall in the daytime the other day it was almost empty and lots of stores were closed. At 7:00 everyone comes out and several of the stores open at 8:00 pm (just during Ramadan it's like this). So there were people everywhere.











Cam calls the building behind the mall "the Space Needle". It's like a little piece of home!










Here is a shoe shop window.










There is a cool waterfall in the middle and every now and again it plays music and the water shoots out in rhythm.











Trees are decorated for the holiday time too.









Years ago, Mohammed broke his fast with water and dates before a big meal. Fuddruckers served us water and dates as soon as we sat down before ordering.










Alexander got to pick out some candy as a treat and I tried my best to take a photo of the woman in the traditional dress walking behind him.











Here are some people in different clothes heading to the mall.










Cam loves this car in the wall on the drive home.



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Abu Dhabi - Day 4

We've acquired an unwanted pet gecko. Supposedly they don't bite and they catch spiders so I'm leaving it alone.








Jet Lag caught up with us today. Cam woke me up (from a cruddy sleep on a cruddy mattress) at 7:30 am to nurse (yes, he still nurses and no I don't mind and no I haven't tried to wean him with all the changes going on in our life).

We followed with breakfast and a nap.

I woke up again and started feeling antsy to get out of the house but the big kids were sleeping and did so until I woke them at 12:30 pm. We were all feeling sleepy and slow moving.

Decided to head out to check out the gym. There are only a few choices with childcare (they call them a "creche"). We went to the gigantic and all-encompassing Abu Dhabi Country Club.








Services offered:
Nail Salon
Men's haircuts
Pizza place
Fine dining
Kids sports club
Fitness Classes (4 separate rooms)
Indoor pool
Outdoor pool
Squash courts
Wind Tunnel (??)
Steam rooms
Sauna
Gym (co-Ed)
Separate women's only gym
Another restaurant
Creche

The basic gym price just for me isn't bad at $130-ish per month vs the entire family for almost $500. But, the childcare is another 10 dhs ($4) per hour. The nail salon prices are great at $13 for a basic pedicure and on up. You can get a day pass for fitness classes or to use the pool so we'll probably just get a Membership for me and bring the kids now and again for other stuff.

Then, we drove a few minutes across town to go bowling. It was huge with 40 lanes and totally empty because of Ramadan. It cost only 60 dhs ($15) for shoes for 5 people and one game.















It was at a huge facility called Zayed Sports City. It really was like a little city. It had a giant "football field" (soccer) and other smaller football fields, an ice skating rink, bowling alley, gym and more. Everything is so overwhelming and big and there's so much to look at when we drive around.

Then, we headed home for swimming, dinner and another movie night.

Here are a few pics of our complex too.







It looks like the entrance to an office complex.








No garage - just a carport with the rental car in it. A little nervous about where all our stuff is gonna go....








Here's the front of the clubhouse, three doors down from our place.








Clubhouse lobby.








Indoor play area upstairs in the clubhouse.








The pool and hot tub. Water temps vary everyday. Sometimes the pool is warmer than the hot tub and the hot tub jets shoot up rather than from the back. It was like an ice cold enema the first time I turned them on - surprise!








The kids being silly in a "triple bunk bed".

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