This current entry is clearly an avoidance tactic. We got the key to the storage unit (several days later than we had hoped) and we have quite a few boxes that need to migrate there. I asked about using a building owned trolley/hand truck, but apparently there isn’t one in the building right now – you have to request it at least a week ahead. I’m leaving for BE in the wee hours of Sunday morning, so any such requests won’t be made until after I get back. The only real problem this presents is that Sarah’s room won’t be set up – at least not to the degree that I’d hoped. Luckily our office/den is and there is a sofa bed. Sarah will just have to cope (and help schlep boxes when she gets here in August). 😉

One topic that I haven’t hit on yet is finding a place to live and the getting one’s UAE temporary residency. Coming as a visitor from the U.S. is quite easy. Just show them your passport at immigration inspection. A visa is required, but a 30-day visa is stamped in your passport upon entry.

For those who are here long-term, residency is the key that opens all of the doors. This has been quite different than our move to Belgium, as Richard’s office helped getting the visa, but after that we were on our own. The Human Resources office here has been a guiding light in acquiring the residence necessary to settle in here.

Renting an apartment – We really have no idea if finding a place to live is the same experience for everyone. What is the same is that one cannot officially rent a place – apartment or villa – unless you are a resident or your company is willing to front the money for you. We fall into the second category. If you have to wait for your residency to rent, then you must find some type of temporary housing – either short term monthly rentals or perhaps a place your employer provides – a friend who used to live here lived in a hotel suite (of the employer hotel chain) until her husband’s residence came through. Residency aside – a very real reason we needed the backing of Richard’s firm is that the rent for the year (!) is due upon signing the lease – or at least the guarantee for it. The guarantee is provided by paying one third of the annual rent and then two more checks (from your bank account that you can’t open until you are a resident) for the next two payments. In a word, YIKES! This is a lot of money that most of us don’t have – especially if your child is enrolled in a liberal arts college in the U.S. That Richard’s firm put up the money (we pay back rent in monthly installments deducted from his check), made moving in possible.

As far as finding a place, we’d contacted a real estate company in January and we came to look for a place in February. We were a little surprised we were only shown two places – luckily the second one is pretty much what we had hoped for – a very view of the Dubai Marina, garage parking and lucking out with a garage area storage unit (that came open yesterday) – and we have a view of the building where we didn’t rent as part of our view across the marina! We chose the Dubai Marina because as I’ve said, this was a concession to me and it’s got the easiest access to the main road to Abu Dhabi from central Dubai. Our landlady is quite helpful, which we appreciate. She’s invited us for lunch in August, which we are looking forward to – homemade Indian food – Yum!

Residency – unlocking the UAE door – Richard’s firm fast-tracked his residency. The visitor visa is good for 30 days. If the residency process isn’t completed within the 30 days allowed on this visa you need to leave the UAE – a drive to scenic Oman will be on your agenda – not being funny, it actually is nice. The re-entry will give you another 30-days visa and then start working on the process. Make sure you have the proper documents before you leave if the process has started (to prove you have it in process). If you don’t then you have to start again. The best is to just stay in the UAE long enough for the process to be completed.

Richard had to be a resident before I could be one, unlike the U.S. when families can process at the same time. He is my “sponsor” and his name appears as such on the new document in my passport. I’m also not allowed to work – that’s not such a difference for temporary residence in other countries – BE and the US included. Most of the process is done by the “sponsor” (with help from his office manager and his connections). I only had to show up for the biometrics (photo and fingerprints, x-rays and blood test) at the end of the process. It takes about a month for the process to be completed.

It certainly is nice to be designated a “VIP” when finalizing your residence. I have NO idea how this really works, nor does Richard. I met someone from Richard’s Human Resources office and took a taxi to the office/clinic where the blood test and x-rays were taken. We arrived and another man who met us just inside, took my forms with “VIP” stamp on them, talked to someone at one counter and then pointed me towards another counter. I then went to the room where blood tests were taken, then over to the x-ray waiting room. The waiting rooms are separate for men and women, so my “escorts” waited outside. I’m afraid that I’m showing my age, because the x-ray technician asked my age before I went in. The only other person she asked was a woman that I would have thought was in her 70’s, sigh… I was told that my test results would be available in 3 hours.  Escort I said that someone from the office would pick them up.

We then left this office and went – in Escort 2’s car – to the biometrics center. Both of these men were either Indian or Pakistani (I apologize for this cultural faux pas, but I really don’t know any sub-continent languages) and chatted away happily with each other. I’ve long ago decided that it’s just easier on everyone if I don’t torture people who speak limited English by making them speak English (the driver/Escort 2 really didn’t speak much at all) and just go along for the ride. We arrived in a neighborhood, rather than the more official looking area of our first stop, and walked over to another building. Escort 2 took my papers, walked down the street with a man who was standing outside. Escort 1 and I went in and waited in the waiting room, he on his side of the room, me on mine. The woman at the reception desk noticed that I hadn’t given her anything, but Escort 1 explained that we were waiting for the papers. Escort 2 comes in with them and we hand them to her a few minutes later. I had my “just in case” sweater along to cover up my arms. It wasn’t important how I was dressed for the clinic visit, but there is a request that you are properly dressed for the photos, i.e. long sleeves (or at least not showing your shoulders) and long pants will do. The young woman who took my picture asked me to remove my glasses for the photo – no problem. She then told me where to sign, but didn’t seem to realize that I’m legally blind without them and really did need to put them back on to be able to do so – ah youth…

Again, I have no idea how long this would have taken without Escorts 1 and 2 to guide me along, but this was a rather painless process that was just over an hour. If I include the waiting time, the roundtrip metro time was only slightly less. The card has been delivered to Richard’s office.

In case you were wondering – because of her age, Sarah is not included as a family dependent on Richard’s visa/residence. The powers that be know she exists, but when she enters in August it will be on a 30-day visitor visa. This is fine as she heads to her Japanese study course in Osaka before the end of that month.

Driving – I’ve also touched on this in the Public Transportation post. Yes, I can drive – well, will be able to do so once I get my UAE driver’s license. Residency is also required to get a UAE license. I have a valid U.S. license and this has been translated (again by the very helpful HR office at Richard’s firm). I won’t need to take either a written or behind the wheel exam. That’s as far as I’ve gotten as we’ve put the process on hold until I get back from Belgium in August.

 We have leased a car, but Richard uses it quite a lot for the commute to Abu Dhabi, so I have limited access to driving. The very good public transportation gets me where I need to go, so it’s not likely we’d get a second car.

 Banking – We met the HSBC bank representative during our house-hunting visit, so all of the paperwork was filled in prior to our move. Within the first two plus weeks, Richard was a resident, so he was able to open the checking account. HSBC is an international, not UAE bank, so it is only allowed to have eight offices – in the country! This past week when my name was added to the account – because I’m now a resident – the bank representative came to our building for me to sign the papers. His job is to travel around Dubai to see clients at their place of work or residences as there are already eight offices established and we do not live close to one. Bank machines are plentiful, but not branch offices. We have bank cards and the balance is automatically deducted once a month. Apparently when there was the economic crisis several years ago, a lot of credit card balances went unpaid, so this automatic balance debit system was put in place.

Checks are still used – mainly for large amount payments, as in the paying of the rent. They look pretty much the same – but the signature line is not the lower right corner, but the bottom line (okay, it’s not rocket science, but we really weren’t sure and Richard has only written checks for said large amounts. We hadn’t thought to ask at the bank, because the check book came by courier after we opened the account).

Phones – Some “perks” can have a downside – Until you are a resident, it’s a pay-as-you-go system for a cell phone/gsm. I will be changing over my phone plan once I get back from BE in August. I still have money on the phone and will lose it when I change over, so I’m not in a hurry.

We have a land-line that’s working now. It came with the cable and internet hook-up – again which can only be installed if you are a resident. A different phone cable is needed and I only got the right one the other day.  We haven’t really worried about this being connected as we have cell phones. I guess I should learn the number! 😉

Richard’s office gave him his phone. The positive side of getting a company phone is that you get a postpaid phone account right away. The downside is if the guy who had the phone previously owed money and left the country owing said money. The creditors are very conscientious about calling and reminding you – but it’s a pain in the butt if it’s not your debt. It took Richard several weeks and quite a few conversations with the office manager to straighten this out. In case you were wondering, the guy is no longer with the firm and he will be arrested if he tries to re-enter the UAE without having paid this debt.

Mail Delivery – Residency is also required in order to get a Post Office Box. I’ve touched on this in one of the other posts. Mail delivery is difficult because only a limited number of buildings and homes have direct delivery. Residents of the Dubai Marina need to go to a central post office area for their mail. There are very few street addresses. Lots of nice residential buildings, but without street names and numbers for the most part, mail delivery is nearly impossible. There are no postal/zip codes. We’ve opted to get mail at Richard’s office in Abu Dhabi. I’m slowly but surely changing over our change of address with the various banks/credit cards, etc. This may take some time – and understanding of this part of the world…

 

Do I drive? Not yet, I’m in the process of getting my driver’s license. My “sponsor”, Richard, the kind man who is also responsible for making me a resident here as of last week, has gotten the process started. Something is supposed to happen later this week. We leased a car, but I have never driven it. I have limited access anyway. Three or four times a week, Richard drives it to Abu Dhabi. He tries to work in the Dubai office on Thursdays, as this is the beginning of the weekend and Thursday night traffic is the same as Friday night traffic anywhere outside the Middle East. Richard claims that most drivers aren’t that bad and actually has more complaints about the problems due to the construction of the new tram in the area – it’s supposed to be completed by November of this year – a rather optimistic projection.

So, how do I get around? Mostly on using my two feet, which isn’t a bad thing, I certainly can use the exercise. The grocery store is within walking distance (although I try to go before noon or after 4 pm due to the ever increasing temperatures).

As we live in the Dubai Marina (yes, get used to saying both words, one just does even if it’s obvious you are in Dubai and not in Abu Dhabi). The water bus is only costs two Dirham (about 50 cents) and gets me to the (Dubai) Marina Mall, which while not one of the fancy ones, has what I need and the closest cinema.

A couple of weekends ago, we took the Dubai Ferry, which is more of a tourist boat than what one normally thinks of in terms of a ferry. It takes you from either the Dubai Marina or Dubai Creek, into the Gulf – Arabian or Persian, depending on who you talk to, i.e. Arabs or Iranians and ends at the other side. It is only one way, so you can take the metro or a taxi back.

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The metro is mostly above-ground, at least the Red Line, which is our line. It runs the length of the city, which is rather long as it runs along the coastline rather than deep into the desert. The closest station is only just over a block from the front of our building. The metro trains do not have drivers; it’s all electronic. Kind of weird, but it is fun if you are in the front car and get to see what is up ahead. The metro runs daily until 1 a.m., except for Friday mornings, due to this being a time of prayer. It opens for the day at 1 p.m. Richard uses the metro on the days he works in Dubai.

When we took the ferry, we had to take the Green Line which runs parallel to the Red Line, but a several streets inland. The Green Line is newer and has traditional Bedouin scenes and style at its stations. The Red Line is very modern and the stations can easily be spotted by the large, shiny covering. I think they look like large beetles. Richard disagrees.

One can buy a card similar to an Oyster Card (on the London Underground) and add money onto it as necessary. I’m not exactly sure how much the fares are as it seems I’ve gone to a different station each time I’ve taken it. We opted for the “Gold Card” which makes it possible for us to ride in any of the cars on the train, including one that is exclusively for Gold Card holders. The seats are nicer and there is space for luggage – although I’ve seen more people stand in it to get out of the aisle than luggage occupying the space. I should qualify the “any car” statement. Women with Gold Cards can ride in any car. During the work week, Sunday through Thursday afternoon, there is a car reserved for women and children only. Richard didn’t know this the first time and dashed for an open door when the train pulled in. Poor guy was mortified to find himself the only male in the car! He changed at the next stop.

Taxis are quite cheap (especially compared to those in Belgium, the home of the most expensive taxis in Europe) and the only transportation that runs on Friday mornings before early afternoon. The only problem with taxis is that you need to know the specifics of your destination if a private address. Due to the rapid construction, the naming of streets did not keep up with the being able to assign actual addresses to buildings and streets. The GPS only works if you know the right landmark – most taxis don’t have them anyway. Delivery people constantly get lost – there is a heavy reliance on cell phones and your ability to give directions. Sometimes it helps to give the name of your building, but not always. While the taxi drivers are nice people, it is usually an adventure to go to a private building. Landmark buildings, the airport, etc. are no problem.

A side note to the lack of addresses – this is why there are only post office boxes in a central neighborhood location. I understand some areas have home delivery, but this isn’t possible in the Dubai Marina yet. We therefore decided that our mail is going to go to Richard’s office in Abu Dhabi. Just makes life easier…

Progress has been made – my photo posts through Facebook links worked! I’m working on a nicer looking layout so you can see them in this, but I fear my old PC may be on its last legs, so I’ll limp along this way until I can see if I can change things over using another computer – Sarah be warned – this means your laptop!

While we were still in Abu Dhabi, we decided to go see an exhibit of “A History of the World in 100 Objects” put together by the British Museum. It includes a variety of artifacts from around the world from ancient times to the present – including the first Sharia approved MasterCard – whatever that means. It was actually quite interesting and impressive as to what the British Museum loaned for the exhibit.

It is at the Manarat Al Saadiyat on Saadiyat Island through the end of July. This is one of the main man-made islands that make up the city of Abu Dhabi. The exhibit is one of the ones that are leading up to the grand opening in 2016 of the Zayed National Museum. The nickname for Saadiyat Island is “Museum Island” because in addition to the National Museum, there are plans for satellite museums of the Louvre and the Guggenheim (complete with a Geary design). There is a model of the grand plan for the island – museum and cultural buildings, as well as residences and hotels. I’m hoping that the National Museum, although I’m sure it will be grand, will not keep people from going out to Al Ain to see where modern Abu Dhabi really started.

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The construction of the buildings on Saadiyat Island in particular has made the news as far as foreign construction worker abuses. I’m guessing it’s because of the involvement of high profile museums, the British Museum, the Louvre and the Guggenheim, in the project. Clearly this is not a pretty situation, and it certainly exists. Some say it’s better than it used to be, but what amounts to indentured servitude for construction workers and housekeepers is still present in the UAE and other parts of the Middle East. This issue and charges of bribery is making FIFA revisit the awarding of the World Cup to Qatar.  I often wonder about this as I look across the marina watching a building going up. It is my understanding that during the hottest months construction workers are not supposed to have to work between the hours of 12-3 in the afternoon. I really don’t know if this is enforced; it looks like they work through the night from the way the site is lighted at night.

Not all workers are abused. Only fourteen percent of the population of the UAE is Emirati – thus it’s pretty clear that foreign workers are vital to the economy, so it behooves Emirati employers to keep guest workers happy – international trade attorneys included ;-). Seriously, literacy skills (so one knows what they are signing) and education level makes the difference. The taxi driver who took me to the airport last month is from Sri Lanka. He worked in Saudi Arabia for 4 years, first in a Burger King, then in a telephone call center. He says that he only got one vacation during this period, but in the UAE he is able to work for eight or nine months a year and then can go back to Sri Lanka for a long visit. Of course, comparison of labor abuses throughout the Middle East doesn’t make the situation in the UAE better – there are virtually no labor protection laws – a definite downside of the race to progress here

 

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

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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).

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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!

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Shahrazad II? Not likely, but I do like to write and Facebook friends encouraged me to give this a try, so I am. The thousand and one nights is an approximation of what currently is a two-year commitment for Richard to work in the Abu Dhabi (and a couple of days a week in Dubai) office of his law firm. Our first international move in February 2000 was to Belgium. There, a three to five year assignment in the Brussels office became fourteen(!) as of February 2014. We can easily see being here more than two years, so 1001 nights could happen. 

We had a great time living in Waterloo – Sarah earned her stripes graduating from a francophone Belgian Lycée in June 2013, we experienced the introduction of the Euro, saw Bruges and climbed the Butte de Lion more times than I can count, met lovely, interesting people and saw some pretty great things during our travels around Europe and the Middle East.

We’re now entering our second month here in the UAE. We moved to Abu Dhabi on 8 April to temporary housing – a nice apt/hotel in the center of the city and not too far from Richard’s office, where he works 3-4 days a week. Our things cleared customs by the end of the month and we moved to an apartment with a great view in the Dubai Marina Living in Dubai was a concession to me by Richard – a man who hates to commute – I AM grateful.

Unpacking has taken quite a bit of time as the movers packed parts of things in different boxes – and apparently didn’t ship some things at all – a mystery we have to work on solving. The apartment looks like home now. To finally rid us of the remainder of the cardboard forest, the extra packing material will be taken away this weekend and as of 10 June, we will have access to a garage area storage unit. I took a break from the unpacking in early May, as I took a 10-day trip to the Pacific NW to help Sarah move out of her dorm after her freshman year at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon – a direct flight from Dubai to Seattle (on Emirates Airline) – who knew? She’s now in Waterloo for a summer job/internship. I’ll be there starting 15 June. Richard will join us in early July. We’ll be back in the UAE in August.