This entry is going back to the beginning of our stay in the U.A.E. This is a repeat with slight editing to make this easier to read. Several of FB friends urged me to start a blog.
The site is definitely a work in progress. It IS much easier to do this on the PC and type with ALL of my fingers instead of plugging away in the iPad. I am having a few uploading problems along the way, but I’m working on making this more interesting and hope to have a “theme” and be able to add photos directly – instead of my FB links. I figured I needed to get started though as time marches on. DO click on the FB photo links to see the photos that go with the particular entries.
10 April – First impressions of Abu Dhabi (where we will be until our stuff arrives) Much more business oriented vs. tourist oriented as in Dubai – It was nice to see Arab women working (more than in my first impressions of Dubai anyway- in banks, pharmacies, etc.).
As expected the Gideons have NOT been here – Koran and prayer rug in a drawer in the apt/hotel instead.
Bring a light-weight sweater regardless of outdoor temperature – They really crank up the AC indoors.
“Service” has a whole new meaning (BE has its good points, customer service isn’t one of them). People in stores are nice about giving information/directions. The grocery bag guy was ready to carry my stuff back to the hotel(!) when I told him I didn’t have a car – a different dimension of “home delivery”.
Have to constantly remind myself that I am “Mrs. King” despite not having ONE document with me to prove that I am.
In the rapid construction of buildings, planners failed to give all streets names and numbers for individual addresses. We need to learn the names of nearby landmarks/fancy sky scrapers and the main (named) roads NOW.
Currency – bills are pretty easy, but remembering coins could take some time…
Stay tuned…
13 April – Okay, so FB is asking what is on my mind…I probably should do a “real blog”, but today is not that day…
Richard has to remind me that the weekend in the Middle East (not just the UAE) is Friday and Saturday (although BE and US don’t seem to care). So, yes, today is the beginning of the work week.
I’m getting hooked on the articles in The National (Boys are being encouraged to take education more seriously. Young women are not interested in husbands who are not well educated), the English print newspaper (which isn’t published on Saturday, as BE papers didn’t come out on Sunday, nothing new there.)
We visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque yesterday. Worth its own entry – really beautiful! We arrived in full sunlight, but saw it at dusk, the natural lighting on the white stone was fabulous! – Almost forgot my shoes the cool floors felt so good! 😉 (see photos in FB link below).
The grocery stores are interesting in what they do and don’t carry – the same with how this apt is furnished. We are in (what we think is central) Abu Dhabi – there is a two-floor store on the lower level of the Abu Dhabi Mall (about a 5-10 minute walk) with one of the levels being a grocery store. There are plenty of “familiar” brands and products, so finding familiar “basics” is easy enough. The cooking oil section seems disproportionally large compared to other items. Fruit juice selections and combinations are impressive, but so far no V-8 for Richard (update – found it this latest visit, but it seemed to be the only vegetable juice). White bread has some variety, but not as much with the whole grain breads, but then we did get spoiled by choice and quality in BE. Rice is clearly a staple, as is tea. Our (apt/hotel) room has a hot water pot, tea pot, but the coffee available is instant, i.e., no apparatus for making “real” coffee is provided. Pre-weighed vegetable packages have LOTS of small cucumbers, peppers – and new food discoveries are “fresh” almonds and ”karela” (in the chiles section – will revisit these once we move in.) Not to worry, we are not going into alcohol/brewed coffee withdrawal. There is a posh hotel right by the mall (the Beach Rotana) with restaurants that all serve drinks (I didn’t know that there were any Trader Vic’s still in existence!). The mall has Caffé Nero and (surprising to me) Seattle’s Best. I know there is a Starbucks by our place in Dubai, so I’m not worried about my caffeine fix. More later…time to finish watching the O’s game…
15 April– A blog may happen, but probably not until I can type and post photos on my PC – which has arrived (in our shipment container), but it will be sometime next week before we move in to Dubai. We have a meeting with the landladies (mother and daughter) on Friday, so hopefully we will be that much closer to having things set up when move-in day arrives.
Today was Richard’s first official day in the Abu Dhabi office. Felt a little like he was going off for his first day of school, having gotten his hair trimmed and a big box of BE chocolates in his briefcase. 😉 He’s officially a resident, officially can open the bank account and has started the process of getting his driver’s license, and figuring how much commuting he will have to do. Once he has the license, he’ll lease a car.
Life in the malls… Storefronts are a little deceiving as the ones on the street tend to look closed because of the tinted glass used (for obvious reasons, but some are really dark). Also the shops tend to be small businesses with furniture, hair salons, coffee shops, tour companies, banks, appliances – some clothing, but generally gender neutral products/services. The malls which the UAE is famous for is a whole different matter. The one across the street, The Abu Dhabi Mall, isn’t as grand as some, but you really wouldn’t know you are here and not the West, but for the significant percentage of people in (I think this is the right word) “bisht” (men) and “abaya” (women – burkas cover your face). So like many residents and tourists, I find shopping in a very air-conditioned mall preferable to braving the ever increasing heat of the day. Both US and European store chains of all types – food, clothing, etc. – are well represented, although maybe not the same ones in every mall. The grocery store we’ve been shopping at is a co-op, which I find interesting, but it’s an Abu Dhabi business, so I think it’s the high-priced Waitrose for once we move. It is interesting to see thriving Borders, Hardee’s, GO Sport and others that are closing their doors in US and Europe.
After spending yesterday afternoon filling out the shipment insurance forms (one of life’s little tests of marital harmony), we ventured out to the Abu Dhabi Marina Mall for dinner as it has a restaurant (and coffee shop on a lower floor) with a revolving floor (reminiscent of the Space Needle) and a view of the city. The “Tiara” Restaurant had very good food (fish dishes anyway, no alcohol, but good “mocktails”), taking their menu more seriously than other “attraction” restaurants where we’ve eaten over the years. The elevator to the restaurant only has a couple of stops – most of the way up is a “normal” elevator with glass and you then see the mall below – THEN it goes up through the roof of the mall to the tower section. We’re talking Willy Wonka’s Great Glass Elevator! The mall also has fancy fountains, a small ice skating rink and a giant Carrefour attached to one end, but the tower is what you go there for.
Well, Richard is back, so time to look for dinner…
17 April – Slow day on the “What’s New” front.
My “rationale” for watching as much TV as I seem to is to try to see if I can decipher any Arabic (not that it’s absolutely necessary, there are lots of variations in the language so it’s hard to know just what you are hearing, plus just about everyone you need to deal with speaks English well enough to accomplish the task at hand. Does seem appropriate to try to learn some though.) I ended up watching the local version of “Master Chef” with the contestants’ task being to make a chocolate fondant. An hour or two ago I probably could have told you the word for “whisk” as apparently serious manual high speed whisking is called for to beat the eggs and sugar for this dessert (and the observers who apparently are friends and family used it quite a bit while urging the cooks on.) Truthfully, the only word I recognised was “chocolate” 🙂 I am pretty sure I saw an ad for an Arabic version of “Top Gear” with three guys with their ears to the highway trying to guess what kind of car was speeding towards them (the BBC version also is broadcast with Arabic subtitles). Other than the understanding the germ killing capabilities of certain cleaning products and the ads for fast food, I’m still pretty low on the learning curve. I’m sad to report that commercials are interspersed during programs as in the US. Can’t say I missed this with the between programming ads on the BBC and BE TV. The movies on TV and in the cinemas tend to be action movies, a few rom-coms and animated films. Indian films, Bollywood and action films (or both rolled into one), also are popular. Censors try to block the “F-word” but with limited success. I read that one of the Dubai cinemas has French films a week a month, so there may be hope for some diversity. (Some films are dubbed, but a couple of TV movie channels that show films in English and most American/English movies in the cinemas are subtitled in Arabic. Commercials are all in Arabic, however). I caught up on BE news this afternoon as French TV5 has about an hour of Belgian (in French) news. Rather enjoyed this!
So far our favourite print ad is one from a bank – “Dream Home? Dream Loan!” The house pictured as far as we can tell is Monticello.
We’ve been eating dinner at the various restaurants at the nearby Beach Rotana (hotel). Hotels and some clubs are the only establishments who can acquire liquor licenses. We’re not lushes, but it’s nice to have the option. Now that Richard is a resident, he can apply for an individual one so he’ll be able to buy alcohol for home consumption. The “sin tax” is steep though – I’ve heard anywhere from 30 to 50% added to the rather already high prices.
The hotel has an Easter Brunch, but clearly it’s for tourists as it is on Sunday (before you say, “well, yeah!” Remember Sunday is the first day of the work week.) It also looks like the celebration involves colouring eggs and child related activities. I fear we would look very out of place. The shops carry some bunnies and a few chocolate eggs, but clearly nothing like the holiday chocolate competition that BE chocolatiers carry on! I bought a small bag of chocolates at a shop anyway. 🙂
Haven’t forgotten about telling you about the Sheikh Zayed Mosque – it’s coming…
22 April – We had to make a trip to Dubai on Friday and now have access to the apartment (and keys to every room therein). Our stuff is here but we are still working on getting the utilities, internet and move-in date set up. I’d forgotten what a different place Dubai is from Abu Dhabi. Dubai is the right choice (but for Richard not being a commuter), but quite different than what I’ve spent the past couple of weeks getting used to…
Before we take up residence elsewhere, it’s a good time to talk about Abu Dhabi. It’s the largest of the 7 Emirates that make up the UAE (Dubai is the next largest, with the other 5 significantly smaller in size). The capital and largest city, also Abu Dhabi, is situated on several of natural islands, connected by 7 bridges. A LOT of places, roads, etc. are named after Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the late first president of the UAE and the one who united the seven Emirates to make the modern country in 1972 (Oman and Qatar opted to remain independent states). His son, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahan (bin = son of) now runs the show. The Vice President is the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Some other pecking order with the sheikhs from the other Emirates exists, but I have no idea what that is. Needless to say, these are not elected positions.
I must admit Abu Dhabi is larger than I thought it was (please don’t ask for actual size), but as in Saudi it has a rather extensive “Empty Quarter” that is well, empty. No doubt there are serious territorial reasons for the particular lines in the sand that were drawn, but we have no clue what they were. Now that you know who Sheikh Zayed is, it makes a lot of other explanations easier. His is the dominant portrait on banners everywhere, even though he died in November 2004 – his son/current president and whatever male relative is the heir apparent also are often seen on banners as well.
We took a tour yesterday to Al Ain (also the name of a popular bottled water company). Sheikh Zayed was ruling this area (about an hour and a half away from the capital) when his older brother died and he became ruler of Abu Dhabi. This area has an oasis, date farms, is the center for camel racing and breeding, as well as hot spring and two museums that bring quite a bit into perspective as to how much has happened here in the last 50 years. One of the museums is Sheikh Zayed’s former palace, which is a large, but simple series of buildings made of smooth mud walls with areas for visitors, separate meeting areas for men and women and a private family area. (Cultural note: Arabs don’t talk to outsiders (or even each other if only business associates) about their families, so don’t ask – it will only create an awkward situation). The palace is beside an old fortress where the forebears of the current Abu Dhabi royal family once defended their territory (and water rights). This area is closed for renovations so we didn’t see it.
The Al Ain National Museum has more history with ancient artifacts from the region, but what I found very interesting are photos from the area in the late 1960s – which but for the vehicles – could have been from the time of Lawrence of Arabia or much earlier. Before the oil, Abu Dhabi was known for pearls (but when the Japanese developed cultured pearls, this nearly killed that source of national income). Clearly Sheikh Zayed is rightfully credited with bringing his region into the 20th-21st Centuries3
Though his palace was relatively simple (no skyscrapers in Al Ain), the Grand Mosque that bears Sheikh Zayed’s name (back in the capital now) is anything but. It was ten years in planning and they are still finishing the gardens. The mosque itself is finished and the jewel of anything I’ve seen here so far. Seriously, it looks like the palace of “Agraba” from the Aladdin movie. They built the ground up so it is high enough to be seen from three of the seven entrances into the city. You don’t have to think twice about what you are looking at when you see it in the distance. In an effort to make it “internationally” representative, building materials, designers and architects from all over the world were consulted. The call to prayer throughout the city is broadcast from the Grand Mosque, which is good news for all of us. This means there is only one voice (and on key) which makes the hearing this 5 times a day a whole lot better and clearer. Okay, I normally sleep through the pre-dawn call, so it’s only 4 times for this infidel. When the one of these days when “the when have my PC back blog” happens, I’ll put in photos (fyi – no photos of the Sheik ‘s tomb, the Koran are permitted at all and other people only with permission, the latter a general rule here). If you are curious about the mosque details guide books will give you the stats (we got ours from a guide – take the tour, btw – times are on the mosque website).
Time for today’s non sequitur closing thought. Are the painted hand rails not as hot as I think they should be because they know something about paint we don’t OR am I acquiring asbestos hands?
Hope you are having a very Happy Easter!
24 April – Moving in this weekend, so I’ll be saying good-bye to Abu Dhabi for at least a month. Richard will be here when I go see Sarah in a May. Hope that the utilities and water will be hooked up (it’s in the high 30sC/90sF already). We are going to arrange for the landline, internet, cable and my cell phone on our way to Dubai tomorrow. We have a temporary car and Richard has his UAE license, so progress has been made! We will start my residence process once I get back mid-May.
Latest observations – development seems a little “uneven” – Less smoking in public than anticipated. A new non-smoking law went into effect mid-January. Seems it’s working. Public smoking is in designated areas – smoking/non-smoking areas in restaurants, no smoking if dining or driving with children under the age of (I believe) ten years of age. NONE of the fine jewellery stores (Tiffany’s included) take their displays out of the windows at closing time. This must be a reflection of the severity of Sharia laws on thievery(?). Not as many “super cars” as one would have thought, but we are quite certain these cars have all of the fancy options. Gas is cheaper than diesel. Gas is per litre is .35€/$.49. More than in Saudi I’m told.
New words via another cooking show – cheddar, tortilla and quesadilla! The TV cook was showing a version of a quesadilla with meat – using things you can find in markets here. I’m assuming the idea is to broaden food horizons and it did look good – although as I grew up with really great MX food, so am a bit of a snob about being able to call her version “Mexican”. (I was pleased that I could pick out a few words!) 🙂
No seatbelt laws – despite statistics of the number of children who die in car accidents. (Cars do have seat belts). According to the paper, government is promising more schools and pedestrian friendly walkways – hope so!
Recycling is “new” and limited – mostly non-existent. I have seen public recycling containers in the Dubai Marina area (where we’ll be moving), but I don’t think our building has it.
Wish us luck on the move! It will take about three days as the container truck is too large to be permitted on city streets, so it will take several trips with a smaller truck to move us in. Looking into possible blog sites – suggestions?
30 April – Note to self – the “coffee break” trips to Starbucks are getting to be a habit (and not the intended treat to break up the moving in monotony)… BTW – can anyone tell me what’s up with the square- shaped donuts they sell at Starbuck’s here?
3 May – Unpacking on hold for just over a week! Time for me to help Sarah move out of the dorm, bake her a belated birthday cake (in my sister’s kitchen – thanks, Ann) and have a little quality mother/daughter time (going to the M’s game on Mother’s Day!).
17 May – Note to uppity girls (late teens?) -Your perfect nails, designer handbags and flowing abayas do NOT give you the right to take cuts in the lavatory line at the mall. Icy stares from store clerks, women with children (some who were also Emiratis), and at least one irritated ex-pat silently reminded them of this. 😉
22 May – Best birthday dinner EVER! “Culinary Flight Dinner” at the Burj Al Arab. 5 stops throughout the hotel for dinner and drinks. And another birthday cake!
Judy and Richard - 1001 Arabian Nights 