Again, let me apologize for the lack of posts in the last couple of weeks. For those of you that do not know, I have moved into my apartment. The downside is that the building is not yet equipped for Internet access. Hence, no posts.
I am currently watching The Wire and enjoying some hommus, so I thought I’d catch you up on my life.
We moved into the apartments the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I am living with another woman from work. Our apartment is furnished, but quite sparse at the moment. Other than spending WAY too much money at IKEA to furnish my room, my other “big” purchase for the apartment has been a juicer. I have been enjoying all the fresh juices here, and thus loving the new juicer (although it is very messy).
After moving into the apartments, we had a shortened week due to National Day. The UAE celebrated its 37th year as a nation last week, December 2nd. The ENTIRE city was and still is decorated in twinkle lights that say “UAE” and “37”. Entire buildings are decorated to look like the Emirati flag and other complex designs.
Since National day is a national holiday, we did not have work last Tuesday. Starting Monday evening on the way back from work, everyone seemed to be driving a little crazier than normal. Perhaps it was just excitement for the upcoming holiday, but perhaps it was the fact that all of the cars were completely covered in UAE paraphernalia. I mean so much decoration that people could not see out of their windows. I saw some cars draped in the Emirati flag with a hole in the flag so the license plate could be seen. We even saw an accident caused when 3 teenagers were on the hood of a car and the driver tried to change lanes and clipped the bumper of the car in the other lane. It was a crazy place.
There were tons of fireworks, but I mostly used the day to rest. I did some great people watching at a café near our apartments on the Corniche (essentially the Boardwalk). It was quite an exciting experience.
As for this week…
We also have several days off this week for Eid (pronounced Ede, like Eden without the ‘n’). So I have Sunday through Tuesday off during this week. I wanted to travel during this time, but it didn’t really work out. I’ve been hanging around here.
I went to Dubai on Sunday. We went to the Gold Souk and the Spice Souk. I bought some fun spices, which will be very useful when we are able to cook in our apartment. We had lunch at a Pakistani restaurant that was a VERY local place. The food was good though. Very different, but I liked it. We also went to the Mall of the Emirates and saw the indoor ski slope. We did not however try it out.
Finally we saw the Burj Dubai again, the Burj Al Arab (which is the iconic sailboat-looking hotel), and we drove onto the Palm Jumierah and drove to the Atlantis hotel. It was very cool. It’s crazy to think that I was on what many are calling the 8th Wonder of the World.
Mind-blowing.
Anyways, I hope that all is well with all of you. I have enjoyed the updates to all of your lives ☺. And hopefully I’ll get some more pictures posted soon. Miss you all!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
A Thanksgiving Abroad...
Happy Thanksgiving!
I apologize for not posting sooner, but several events transpired over the weekend that prevented me from fully explaining to you the wonder that was … “A Thanksgiving Abroad”.
To start, I’d like to give you some very well know, but easily forgotten (and without a doubt, crucial to the story) facts about Thanksgiving:
1. It is a completely American holiday. (That means no one else remembers or celebrates the “day” that pilgrims brought diseases from the old world into the new world and then slaughtered some Native Americans, or you know, we all sat around the table and gave Thanks for the new world.)
2. It is a holiday devoted ENTIRELY to eating. Now it may not have originally started as an eating holiday, but now it most certainly is. (Meaning that it is a marathon, not a sprint, as some non-Americans quickly learned.)
3. Finally, it is the ONLY holiday in the entire year where every American (unless they opt otherwise) regardless of religion, gender, race, etc. observes a family oriented holiday (because the 4th isn’t an entirely family oriented holiday– which I will get to in a later post – and New Year’s isn’t either).
Now perhaps from the fact reminders that I have just laid forth you can guess certain parts of the coming story…
I started Thanksgiving this year by…going to work! It was definitely a weird experience to be far away from the U.S. for such a fundamental holiday. But unlike Election Day where everyone around the world was so enthralled by the election and there was still an intimate connection with the U.S. on that day, Thanksgiving seemed MILES away. Fortunately, as Thanksgiving falls on a Thursday, it was the beginning of the weekend here.
As a large office group, we went to the Beach Rotunda Hotel for a Thanksgiving buffet. The U.S. Embassy had reserved several tables for the meal and we attempted to turn an original reservation in the Embassy section of 8 people into a reservation for 18 (we had an additional reservation for the buffet but not in the Embassy section). We were not successful.
However! Through some skillful haggling and yelling by one of my co-workers, we all received the Thanksgiving special that the U.S. Embassy group had (it included a free glass of sub-par wine).
As this is a holiday devoted to eating, the buffet was a lovely spread filled with typical Thanksgiving food. As a group of Americans, what item do you think we went for first? Turkey? Stuffing? Cranberries? Wrong!
SUSHI! But that statement by itself is what made it Thanksgiving. We indulged our completely American pleasures and went for sushi first, as the buffet also had non-typical Thanksgiving food like sushi, Arabic Traditional, as well as an extensive seafood buffet (which consequently allowed me to try caviar for the first time – not bad…).
The turkey was ok, a little dry. The mashed potatoes were delicious and there was even a garnish of crispy garlic pieces on top (several of my favorite foods rolled into one). I also had some delicious cold potato soup from the seafood bar. The wild rice wasn’t great (I definitely missed my mom’s wild rice as well as her broccoli puree thing…yum!). Finally, the cornbread was apparently horrible. And the stuffing looked like an uncooked Tollhouse roll of cookie dough.
As for dessert, the pumpkin pie looked remarkably similar to some sort of tart. I went for the flourless chocolate cake with small currant berries. It was just as good as it sounds.
To finish off, we had a couple additional glasses of sub-par wine. All in all, it was no Thanksgiving in the States, but I got my mashed potatoes and wine, so I was a pretty happy camper.
We did have a couple Brits join us for dinner who upon completion of the meal, realized that they had not paced themselves enough and felt slightly ill (rookies).
I hope that everyone’s Thanksgiving was as wonderful as they hoped it would be. But please know that I missed all of you immensely!
I apologize for not posting sooner, but several events transpired over the weekend that prevented me from fully explaining to you the wonder that was … “A Thanksgiving Abroad”.
To start, I’d like to give you some very well know, but easily forgotten (and without a doubt, crucial to the story) facts about Thanksgiving:
1. It is a completely American holiday. (That means no one else remembers or celebrates the “day” that pilgrims brought diseases from the old world into the new world and then slaughtered some Native Americans, or you know, we all sat around the table and gave Thanks for the new world.)
2. It is a holiday devoted ENTIRELY to eating. Now it may not have originally started as an eating holiday, but now it most certainly is. (Meaning that it is a marathon, not a sprint, as some non-Americans quickly learned.)
3. Finally, it is the ONLY holiday in the entire year where every American (unless they opt otherwise) regardless of religion, gender, race, etc. observes a family oriented holiday (because the 4th isn’t an entirely family oriented holiday– which I will get to in a later post – and New Year’s isn’t either).
Now perhaps from the fact reminders that I have just laid forth you can guess certain parts of the coming story…
I started Thanksgiving this year by…going to work! It was definitely a weird experience to be far away from the U.S. for such a fundamental holiday. But unlike Election Day where everyone around the world was so enthralled by the election and there was still an intimate connection with the U.S. on that day, Thanksgiving seemed MILES away. Fortunately, as Thanksgiving falls on a Thursday, it was the beginning of the weekend here.
As a large office group, we went to the Beach Rotunda Hotel for a Thanksgiving buffet. The U.S. Embassy had reserved several tables for the meal and we attempted to turn an original reservation in the Embassy section of 8 people into a reservation for 18 (we had an additional reservation for the buffet but not in the Embassy section). We were not successful.
However! Through some skillful haggling and yelling by one of my co-workers, we all received the Thanksgiving special that the U.S. Embassy group had (it included a free glass of sub-par wine).
As this is a holiday devoted to eating, the buffet was a lovely spread filled with typical Thanksgiving food. As a group of Americans, what item do you think we went for first? Turkey? Stuffing? Cranberries? Wrong!
SUSHI! But that statement by itself is what made it Thanksgiving. We indulged our completely American pleasures and went for sushi first, as the buffet also had non-typical Thanksgiving food like sushi, Arabic Traditional, as well as an extensive seafood buffet (which consequently allowed me to try caviar for the first time – not bad…).
The turkey was ok, a little dry. The mashed potatoes were delicious and there was even a garnish of crispy garlic pieces on top (several of my favorite foods rolled into one). I also had some delicious cold potato soup from the seafood bar. The wild rice wasn’t great (I definitely missed my mom’s wild rice as well as her broccoli puree thing…yum!). Finally, the cornbread was apparently horrible. And the stuffing looked like an uncooked Tollhouse roll of cookie dough.
As for dessert, the pumpkin pie looked remarkably similar to some sort of tart. I went for the flourless chocolate cake with small currant berries. It was just as good as it sounds.
To finish off, we had a couple additional glasses of sub-par wine. All in all, it was no Thanksgiving in the States, but I got my mashed potatoes and wine, so I was a pretty happy camper.
We did have a couple Brits join us for dinner who upon completion of the meal, realized that they had not paced themselves enough and felt slightly ill (rookies).
I hope that everyone’s Thanksgiving was as wonderful as they hoped it would be. But please know that I missed all of you immensely!
The Remainder of my Thanksgiving abroad
I know that most American Thanksgivings involve football (American football…not the fake kind that they play here ☺) whether it be watching or playing. Unfortunately, the Emirates do not have any sort of American football. Never fear! I did go to a rugby tournament!
Never having seen a complete rugby match, it was quite an enlightening experience. We spent the day in Dubai sitting in the sun, watching match after match. I did see the U.S. play…and then lose to England, but it was still enjoyable.
I picked up a Scottish jersey, but other than that it was fairly uneventful. I would choose an American football game over rugby any day. The crowds are a lot more lively and intense.
Never having seen a complete rugby match, it was quite an enlightening experience. We spent the day in Dubai sitting in the sun, watching match after match. I did see the U.S. play…and then lose to England, but it was still enjoyable.
I picked up a Scottish jersey, but other than that it was fairly uneventful. I would choose an American football game over rugby any day. The crowds are a lot more lively and intense.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Because in case you didn't know...I love food
So many of you have asked me about the food situation here. Like any place, there's good food and bad food. The food in the hotel isn't awesome, but it isn't horrible. There is fresh fruit and vegetables which is always nice (especially vegetables and hommus...yum).
In the hope that we are moving into the apartments soon, I have downloaded several podcasts on food. I'm determined to return to the states with at least some ability to pull together a meal (despite the fact that some of you will never let go of some of my cooking hiccups: the pasta, the sausages, the mashed potatoes from last year's LRub thanksgiving). I will come home with the ability to put together a meal...
Despite the fact that I still barely can put together and am living in a hotel, I don't want anyone to think that I am going hungry! I have had a lot of arabic food, some indian, japanese (my favorite), and some weird fusion styles. But Abu Dhabi is not without some "great" american chains. Now, knowing that I will miss some, should you come visit me, you will get a taste of home with the following restaurant choices:
-Sbarro's Pizza
-KFC (its gross here too)
-Burger King (apparently it's exactly the same, but I dont eat there so I wouldn't know)
-McDonald's (they have Coke here too Mom)
-Baskin Robbins (I was surprised too!)
-Dunkin Donuts
-Krispy Kreme
-Bice (yeah, that restaurant that used to be in Northfield, maybe? It's in the Hilton here )
-Benihana
-Papa John's (In the Oman airport, not technically in Abu Dhabi)
-Pizza Hut
-Subway
-Chili's
-Hardees
and of course Starbucks
Now with all these options, it's impossible to see why everyone thinks Americans eat only Hamburgers washed down with a refreshing Coke product.
I do enjoy the taste of home, but the only place on the aforementioned list that I have actually been to is Starbucks. It's exactly the same as anyone at home, except there was no Passion Tea Lemonade (it was very disappointing). But I know that it's getting colder now and some of you love to get a coffee on the first snow and sit outside and enjoy the coming of winter (read: Megan Fletcher). I'm sure at this point you are thinking to yourself, "well Annie, Starbucks can't exactly the same there because it's almost Christmas and you are living in an Islamic state". Well, you would be wrong! All of the starbucks have the red Christmas menu lists, complete with beverage offerings like "Toffee Nut Latte", etc. They even have the fabulous red cups :) and Christmas Blend coffee. The only thing missing is the faux snow from a can. So while I won't be able to enjoy the falling snow while sipping my coffee beverage (most likely a cappuccino because they are so yummy), I'll sit on a bench anyway at the Corniche looking at the Persian Gulf and thinking about all of you.
In the hope that we are moving into the apartments soon, I have downloaded several podcasts on food. I'm determined to return to the states with at least some ability to pull together a meal (despite the fact that some of you will never let go of some of my cooking hiccups: the pasta, the sausages, the mashed potatoes from last year's LRub thanksgiving). I will come home with the ability to put together a meal...
Despite the fact that I still barely can put together and am living in a hotel, I don't want anyone to think that I am going hungry! I have had a lot of arabic food, some indian, japanese (my favorite), and some weird fusion styles. But Abu Dhabi is not without some "great" american chains. Now, knowing that I will miss some, should you come visit me, you will get a taste of home with the following restaurant choices:
-Sbarro's Pizza
-KFC (its gross here too)
-Burger King (apparently it's exactly the same, but I dont eat there so I wouldn't know)
-McDonald's (they have Coke here too Mom)
-Baskin Robbins (I was surprised too!)
-Dunkin Donuts
-Krispy Kreme
-Bice (yeah, that restaurant that used to be in Northfield, maybe? It's in the Hilton here )
-Benihana
-Papa John's (In the Oman airport, not technically in Abu Dhabi)
-Pizza Hut
-Subway
-Chili's
-Hardees
and of course Starbucks
Now with all these options, it's impossible to see why everyone thinks Americans eat only Hamburgers washed down with a refreshing Coke product.
I do enjoy the taste of home, but the only place on the aforementioned list that I have actually been to is Starbucks. It's exactly the same as anyone at home, except there was no Passion Tea Lemonade (it was very disappointing). But I know that it's getting colder now and some of you love to get a coffee on the first snow and sit outside and enjoy the coming of winter (read: Megan Fletcher). I'm sure at this point you are thinking to yourself, "well Annie, Starbucks can't exactly the same there because it's almost Christmas and you are living in an Islamic state". Well, you would be wrong! All of the starbucks have the red Christmas menu lists, complete with beverage offerings like "Toffee Nut Latte", etc. They even have the fabulous red cups :) and Christmas Blend coffee. The only thing missing is the faux snow from a can. So while I won't be able to enjoy the falling snow while sipping my coffee beverage (most likely a cappuccino because they are so yummy), I'll sit on a bench anyway at the Corniche looking at the Persian Gulf and thinking about all of you.
Friday, November 21, 2008
An older post that i "found"
As I was "Cleaning up my blog" (and by cleaning I mean still figuring out how to use the site...)today I realized that I never posted this piece which I wrote on Halloween right after I arrived in Abu Dhabi:
Today, I've managed to wake up at a normal time (8:15 local), so hopefully I'll fully adapt to the new time difference. It is a little bit of an adjustment to be up right now however and see so many people online, but know that they are all sleeping.
Interesting things that I have discovered:
- There is an arrow in my desk drawer that points to Mecca
- There is a Toys R Us in the "Free Zone Stores" my map of the City
-------
As for today, I did go to the mall and really enjoyed the Banana Republic (even though they really dont have anything!) and the fact that there is a BOOTS! pharmacy/drug store. I am super excited.
Additionally, I realize that I have discovered other things that I am anxious to share with you all
- If you turn on the cold water during the middle of the day, it will be hot. If you turn on the hot water, it will be boiling.
- Driving and Parking will forever be a weird phenomenon here.
- I am addicted to my blackberry, which I realize is a way to work all the time.
- I miss good red wine with a meal.
- Driving in a car with the AC and recirc on is not nearly as nice as with the windows down.
Today, I've managed to wake up at a normal time (8:15 local), so hopefully I'll fully adapt to the new time difference. It is a little bit of an adjustment to be up right now however and see so many people online, but know that they are all sleeping.
Interesting things that I have discovered:
- There is an arrow in my desk drawer that points to Mecca
- There is a Toys R Us in the "Free Zone Stores" my map of the City
-------
As for today, I did go to the mall and really enjoyed the Banana Republic (even though they really dont have anything!) and the fact that there is a BOOTS! pharmacy/drug store. I am super excited.
Additionally, I realize that I have discovered other things that I am anxious to share with you all
- If you turn on the cold water during the middle of the day, it will be hot. If you turn on the hot water, it will be boiling.
- Driving and Parking will forever be a weird phenomenon here.
- I am addicted to my blackberry, which I realize is a way to work all the time.
- I miss good red wine with a meal.
- Driving in a car with the AC and recirc on is not nearly as nice as with the windows down.
A Lesson in dune bashing & sandboarding
As always, it's been a very busy week. Last we left off I believe I was going on a desert safari. It was a lot of fun. We drove about halfway to Dubai and were really in the desert (because despite the fact that I live on an island...its really in the desert). There were tons of dunes and not a lot of buildings. We pulled off the road to a camel farm (for lack of a better term). It was just camels in a pen and chickens in the middle of some dunes. So we got to see the camels.
Regardless of what anyone might tell you, camels smell WORSE than horses, but it was a similar scent. I did not participate in the photo op with the camels because a lot of them looked on the verge of spitting or bitting. I did however manage to snap a gem of a photo of one of the most intense female mullets ever. (I would try and post it here, but the internet has been exceptionally horrible lately, but you can find some photos on facebook. Rach - I promise I am trying to upload to shutterfly, but I can't.)
After the drivers deflated the tires a little bit, we set off into the dunes. There were about 15-20 cars. Fortunately we had our land cruiser to ourselves (the 4 of us). Our driver also LOVED carving new paths in the dunes as we were dune bashing. Dune Bashing is off-roading in huge dunes, so we had so much fun because the driver was blasting some great music and we got to see lots of sand.
I sat in the back (perhaps not the best place to sit), but it allowed me to get some great photos of the setting sun. Perhaps the most eventful moment was when we almost rolled the car down the dune, but we survived. After driving for about 20-30 minutes, we parked the cars on the top of a huge dune so that we could get out and take pictures and such because the sun was setting and it was so gorgeous. We could also try "sand-boarding".
Now as a person who has been snow-skiing once, hasn't waterskied since she was about 10, and has never snowboarded, I was "eager" to try sandboarding. I wanted to sandboard to say that I could. I attempted, and fell. I attempted again, and fell again. It's not as much fun as it looks, because you have to WALK back up the dune, when there is sand blowing over the top of the dune into your eyes. Not so fun, but we did it.
After dumping about 3 pounds of sand out of my shoes, we got back into the car and drove to what was essentially an open-air fort for a "traditional" meal. I got some henna with my boss and we enjoyed a belly dancing show. The belly dancer even pulled people on stage to dance with her. I was selected at one point and along with everyone else on stage, felt very awkward while she tried to have us mimic her actions. But we had fun :). The meal was quite good and then we drove back to Abu Dhabi.
As for this week, I have been in the hotel for over 20 days meaning that I just qualified for a Starwood bonus of 25,000 points, so yay! Other than that, I am very much looking forward to moving into an apartment as much as I would like to have some clean my room everyday (because somehow in the 3 waking hours that I spend in my room everyday, I manage to make a huge mess).
Today, I laid at the pool for a little bit because I figure that when I eventually come home I should look tan so that you all believe that I actually lived in the Middle East and not in some town in Northern Minnesota (like I normally look in winter).
I know that most of you are beginning to enjoy the lovely weather that visits Chicago around Thanksgiving. I'd like to let you know that it has been about 80-85 here during the day. I do love snow, but I am not missing the cold horribly yet (and I definitely won't in January and February). I will miss the snow and twinkle lights however :(, so keep me posted on the snow situation with all of you.
Also, I have been loving all of your individual email updates on your lives :). It always brightens my day, so please keep those coming. I hope that everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and safe travels this week! Eat some extra mashed potatoes for me!
Regardless of what anyone might tell you, camels smell WORSE than horses, but it was a similar scent. I did not participate in the photo op with the camels because a lot of them looked on the verge of spitting or bitting. I did however manage to snap a gem of a photo of one of the most intense female mullets ever. (I would try and post it here, but the internet has been exceptionally horrible lately, but you can find some photos on facebook. Rach - I promise I am trying to upload to shutterfly, but I can't.)
After the drivers deflated the tires a little bit, we set off into the dunes. There were about 15-20 cars. Fortunately we had our land cruiser to ourselves (the 4 of us). Our driver also LOVED carving new paths in the dunes as we were dune bashing. Dune Bashing is off-roading in huge dunes, so we had so much fun because the driver was blasting some great music and we got to see lots of sand.
I sat in the back (perhaps not the best place to sit), but it allowed me to get some great photos of the setting sun. Perhaps the most eventful moment was when we almost rolled the car down the dune, but we survived. After driving for about 20-30 minutes, we parked the cars on the top of a huge dune so that we could get out and take pictures and such because the sun was setting and it was so gorgeous. We could also try "sand-boarding".
Now as a person who has been snow-skiing once, hasn't waterskied since she was about 10, and has never snowboarded, I was "eager" to try sandboarding. I wanted to sandboard to say that I could. I attempted, and fell. I attempted again, and fell again. It's not as much fun as it looks, because you have to WALK back up the dune, when there is sand blowing over the top of the dune into your eyes. Not so fun, but we did it.
After dumping about 3 pounds of sand out of my shoes, we got back into the car and drove to what was essentially an open-air fort for a "traditional" meal. I got some henna with my boss and we enjoyed a belly dancing show. The belly dancer even pulled people on stage to dance with her. I was selected at one point and along with everyone else on stage, felt very awkward while she tried to have us mimic her actions. But we had fun :). The meal was quite good and then we drove back to Abu Dhabi.
As for this week, I have been in the hotel for over 20 days meaning that I just qualified for a Starwood bonus of 25,000 points, so yay! Other than that, I am very much looking forward to moving into an apartment as much as I would like to have some clean my room everyday (because somehow in the 3 waking hours that I spend in my room everyday, I manage to make a huge mess).
Today, I laid at the pool for a little bit because I figure that when I eventually come home I should look tan so that you all believe that I actually lived in the Middle East and not in some town in Northern Minnesota (like I normally look in winter).
I know that most of you are beginning to enjoy the lovely weather that visits Chicago around Thanksgiving. I'd like to let you know that it has been about 80-85 here during the day. I do love snow, but I am not missing the cold horribly yet (and I definitely won't in January and February). I will miss the snow and twinkle lights however :(, so keep me posted on the snow situation with all of you.
Also, I have been loving all of your individual email updates on your lives :). It always brightens my day, so please keep those coming. I hope that everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and safe travels this week! Eat some extra mashed potatoes for me!
Friday, November 14, 2008
Your questions, Answered. Installment #2
Becca asked: Is any of [Al Raha Beach] finished now? Or are they still building it? Is the goal 2030?
- Development is still in process. Some small aspects (mini projects, or foilos) are completed. The Al Raha Mall is completed (they LOVE malls over here), and the ALDAR HQ should be finished early next year. The entire development will take about 10 years to complete, so by 2017-2020.
Avery asked: Do you miss me yet?
- Yes I miss you all immensely!
Do most people wear western style clothes or is it mostly traditional clothing?
- There is a WIDE variety of clothing over here. There are full burkahs and dishdahs, in addition to jeans and t-shirts. The traditional clothing is usually worn by nationals.
Also what are the streets like? i invision like a new york complete with hot dog stands and stuff but i'm assuming it's more traditional middle eastern food.
- There are no food stands on corners, but everything is really dirty here. Plus the sidewalk is completely uneven. There are holes, or dips, or steps in the middle of the walk ways.
Basically i want to know about the food situation over there. also what is the weridest type of food they have over there.
- There is pretty much every kind of food over here. The quality always varies. There is PHENOMENAL juice however. I am loving that of course. I have not experienced "a weirdest type of food" yet, but when I do. I'll let you know.
Bobbie asked: Are the people you see in the hotel or city friendly?
- No one is unfriendly, but no one is overly friendly. I would say that it's very comparable to Chicago.
Can men order drinks in restaurants?
- Anyone can order a drink in a restaurant assuming that you are in a hotel. Most restaurants outside of hotels don't even sure any sort of alcohol. Additionally, there are notations on the menu of items that contain alcohol. (Like beer-battered fish or a pasta in a white wine sauce).
- Development is still in process. Some small aspects (mini projects, or foilos) are completed. The Al Raha Mall is completed (they LOVE malls over here), and the ALDAR HQ should be finished early next year. The entire development will take about 10 years to complete, so by 2017-2020.
Avery asked: Do you miss me yet?
- Yes I miss you all immensely!
Do most people wear western style clothes or is it mostly traditional clothing?
- There is a WIDE variety of clothing over here. There are full burkahs and dishdahs, in addition to jeans and t-shirts. The traditional clothing is usually worn by nationals.
Also what are the streets like? i invision like a new york complete with hot dog stands and stuff but i'm assuming it's more traditional middle eastern food.
- There are no food stands on corners, but everything is really dirty here. Plus the sidewalk is completely uneven. There are holes, or dips, or steps in the middle of the walk ways.
Basically i want to know about the food situation over there. also what is the weridest type of food they have over there.
- There is pretty much every kind of food over here. The quality always varies. There is PHENOMENAL juice however. I am loving that of course. I have not experienced "a weirdest type of food" yet, but when I do. I'll let you know.
Bobbie asked: Are the people you see in the hotel or city friendly?
- No one is unfriendly, but no one is overly friendly. I would say that it's very comparable to Chicago.
Can men order drinks in restaurants?
- Anyone can order a drink in a restaurant assuming that you are in a hotel. Most restaurants outside of hotels don't even sure any sort of alcohol. Additionally, there are notations on the menu of items that contain alcohol. (Like beer-battered fish or a pasta in a white wine sauce).
Is this really my life?
As always (because perhaps 2 weeks is now a long enough period to make that blanket statement), it was an incredibly busy week. I'm still enjoying it though because I would always rather be more busy than less.
On Thursday night, we celebrated "Go-Live" with some champagne as I mentioned last week. But then a couple of us went to a roof-top club/lounge at the Crowne Hotel. It was much more chill than we expected, with everyone sitting on white beanbags and low couches around the roof pool. But the weather was gorgeous, so we grabbed a table and gazed at the stars and just got to know everyone a little bit better.
On Friday, several of us went to LuLu island. It's an island just off the coast of Abu Dhabi. It's part of the city. It's just an island that is all sand and beach with some sand dunes. The most wonderful surprise about the experience was that the beach was not crowded at all. There are huts and cabanas scattered across the coast of the island and everyone has their own space. We cooked out and overall just relaxed. I swam in the Persian Gulf and the water was great. It was very warm, but not like I've heard it gets in the summer here (hotter than a bath).
Friday night I went to Dubai with some others. The drive wasn't too bad. It took about the same amount of time it would take to get to Milwaukee from Chicago (1.5-ish). Driving into the city was so radically different from Abu Dhabi because Dubai is further ahead in development. Dubai felt more like a "real" city. It felt like you were driving into a city, whereas in Abu Dhabi it's more like you are driving to a city and all of the sudden you are in residential areas, and then bam! you are in a city. Needless to say, it was very cool.
We went to Le Meridian. As I've told many of you, the club/bar scene is completely within the hotels in the UAE. We went to a beach-side restaurant bar and then hung out on some lounge chairs on the beach looking out to the Atlantis on the Palm Jumeriah. Le Meridian is next to the Westin Hotel at the base of the Palm Jumeriah, so it was a really cool experience thinking, "wow, I'm at the Palm Jumeriah in Dubai". It was definitely a moment for me.
We were all so tired and not entirely feeling the bar because it was SO crowded that we decided to head back to Abu Dhabi. One of the guys I was with however wanted to drive to the Burj Dubai since I hadn't been to Dubai yet. Its crazy how tall the building is. You can see it from miles away. We got close to it, not as close as we would have been able to during the day however since we work with some clients who are working on the building.
After we got this photo of the tower (which you will notice can't even capture the entire height of the tower. You have to look almost straight up to see all of it.), we headed back to Abu Dhabi for a much needed rest.
On Saturday, I went for a walk around the city. The weather has really gotten gorgeous here. It's in the 80s during the day and 70s at night. It's really lovely. I know that a lot of you have asked to see photos of the city and such. I promise I am trying to post those photos, but the internet is so shoddy here that I can't upload the photos in batches and I have to load one at a time. Once I have a block of time to do so, I will (Rachel...).
As for last night, we went to Royal Meridian in Abu Dhabi to 2 different clubs. It was a really interesting experience because I leaned over to one of the woman I was with at point and said "where are all the women?", to which she responded "welcome to abu dhabi". Most everywhere you will go there are tons of men, and not nearly as many women. Now for me, it's great because I never have to pay cover to get into a bar/club and I can just walk to the front of the line (like I did last night. It was a great feeling :) ) But it's a bummer since I work with a bunch of guys and we all want to go out together.
Additionally, the clubs are always smoky, so I feel like it's freshman year of college again when we would go to the bars before the smoking ban was passed in Oxford. But we had a great time dancing to A LOT of house music (another completely different thing that I will need to touch on at a different time). After all the dancing, we sat outside lounging and smoking hookah. It's really been a surreal experience.
Today, I am going on a desert safari with my boss, my boss's boss, and 2 other people from work. It should be a really great time because rumor has it that will be going dune-buggy-ing and perhaps sandboarding (snowboarding on sand). And perhaps some camel riding and definitely a "local meal". I'll make sure to let you know how it goes :)
- a
On Thursday night, we celebrated "Go-Live" with some champagne as I mentioned last week. But then a couple of us went to a roof-top club/lounge at the Crowne Hotel. It was much more chill than we expected, with everyone sitting on white beanbags and low couches around the roof pool. But the weather was gorgeous, so we grabbed a table and gazed at the stars and just got to know everyone a little bit better.
On Friday, several of us went to LuLu island. It's an island just off the coast of Abu Dhabi. It's part of the city. It's just an island that is all sand and beach with some sand dunes. The most wonderful surprise about the experience was that the beach was not crowded at all. There are huts and cabanas scattered across the coast of the island and everyone has their own space. We cooked out and overall just relaxed. I swam in the Persian Gulf and the water was great. It was very warm, but not like I've heard it gets in the summer here (hotter than a bath).
Friday night I went to Dubai with some others. The drive wasn't too bad. It took about the same amount of time it would take to get to Milwaukee from Chicago (1.5-ish). Driving into the city was so radically different from Abu Dhabi because Dubai is further ahead in development. Dubai felt more like a "real" city. It felt like you were driving into a city, whereas in Abu Dhabi it's more like you are driving to a city and all of the sudden you are in residential areas, and then bam! you are in a city. Needless to say, it was very cool.
We went to Le Meridian. As I've told many of you, the club/bar scene is completely within the hotels in the UAE. We went to a beach-side restaurant bar and then hung out on some lounge chairs on the beach looking out to the Atlantis on the Palm Jumeriah. Le Meridian is next to the Westin Hotel at the base of the Palm Jumeriah, so it was a really cool experience thinking, "wow, I'm at the Palm Jumeriah in Dubai". It was definitely a moment for me.
We were all so tired and not entirely feeling the bar because it was SO crowded that we decided to head back to Abu Dhabi. One of the guys I was with however wanted to drive to the Burj Dubai since I hadn't been to Dubai yet. Its crazy how tall the building is. You can see it from miles away. We got close to it, not as close as we would have been able to during the day however since we work with some clients who are working on the building.
After we got this photo of the tower (which you will notice can't even capture the entire height of the tower. You have to look almost straight up to see all of it.), we headed back to Abu Dhabi for a much needed rest.
On Saturday, I went for a walk around the city. The weather has really gotten gorgeous here. It's in the 80s during the day and 70s at night. It's really lovely. I know that a lot of you have asked to see photos of the city and such. I promise I am trying to post those photos, but the internet is so shoddy here that I can't upload the photos in batches and I have to load one at a time. Once I have a block of time to do so, I will (Rachel...).
As for last night, we went to Royal Meridian in Abu Dhabi to 2 different clubs. It was a really interesting experience because I leaned over to one of the woman I was with at point and said "where are all the women?", to which she responded "welcome to abu dhabi". Most everywhere you will go there are tons of men, and not nearly as many women. Now for me, it's great because I never have to pay cover to get into a bar/club and I can just walk to the front of the line (like I did last night. It was a great feeling :) ) But it's a bummer since I work with a bunch of guys and we all want to go out together.
Additionally, the clubs are always smoky, so I feel like it's freshman year of college again when we would go to the bars before the smoking ban was passed in Oxford. But we had a great time dancing to A LOT of house music (another completely different thing that I will need to touch on at a different time). After all the dancing, we sat outside lounging and smoking hookah. It's really been a surreal experience.
Today, I am going on a desert safari with my boss, my boss's boss, and 2 other people from work. It should be a really great time because rumor has it that will be going dune-buggy-ing and perhaps sandboarding (snowboarding on sand). And perhaps some camel riding and definitely a "local meal". I'll make sure to let you know how it goes :)
- a
Friday, November 7, 2008
Your questions, Answered :)
So a lot of you have asked me questions this week that I want to make sure get answered. (And maybe I'll try and do this once a week...we will see)
Becca asked: Do you have a roomie in your hotel room?
- No, I do not. My room is to myself with a gigantic king-sized bed. When I move into an apartment (which will be who knows when), I will have at least one roomie (another woman from work) but I will have my own room and bathroom.
Avery asked: Is cosmo banned?
- Avery, I am not sure on this question. To my knowledge no, but I haven't really looked for magazines. I will keep you posted
Christine said: You only work 4 days a week.
- No, I work 5. But essentially, I work 7 days a week, every hour that I am awake. I live, work, eat, hangout, etc. with people from work, so we talk about work A LOT.
Christine also asked: How's the weather?
- The weather is getting really gorgeous. It's about 73 in the mornings, but it gets into the high 90s in the afternoon. But it's really nice when the breeze blows
How are you going to survive without your fall attire?
- I have not come to terms with the magnitude of that conundrum yet.
What IS the tax on alcohol and do you need me to send you some wine via the post man?
- Thank you for the offer. I will let you know if I need that :). And I have not tried to buy alcohol in the city yet, only at duty free in the airport. I will keep you posted on that
When do you come home next?
- I am not sure yet. At the earliest, May.
How is the actual job?
- As I said earlier, very very busy. But I enjoy the work a lot.
What is the exchange rate?
- The durham is pegged to the dollar. It's about $27 for every 100 durham
Poppy asked: What is Halloween like over there?
- Since most of the country is ex-pats, there were several halloween parties, but it is not big at all here. I did see one Halloween display in a window however.
Mrs. H asked: Was it strange to be so far away [for the election] and what do people say [about it] there?
- It was weird to be far away because we were watching the polling numbers come in while we were launching all the new projects on the same day. I wish I could have been in Chicago for all the energy. But everyone is enthralled with what was and is going on. I am saving several of the newspapers I get every morning for the articles about the election because the stories in the paper are different than we would see in the US.
That's all for now. If you have more questions, please ask!
Becca asked: Do you have a roomie in your hotel room?
- No, I do not. My room is to myself with a gigantic king-sized bed. When I move into an apartment (which will be who knows when), I will have at least one roomie (another woman from work) but I will have my own room and bathroom.
Avery asked: Is cosmo banned?
- Avery, I am not sure on this question. To my knowledge no, but I haven't really looked for magazines. I will keep you posted
Christine said: You only work 4 days a week.
- No, I work 5. But essentially, I work 7 days a week, every hour that I am awake. I live, work, eat, hangout, etc. with people from work, so we talk about work A LOT.
Christine also asked: How's the weather?
- The weather is getting really gorgeous. It's about 73 in the mornings, but it gets into the high 90s in the afternoon. But it's really nice when the breeze blows
How are you going to survive without your fall attire?
- I have not come to terms with the magnitude of that conundrum yet.
What IS the tax on alcohol and do you need me to send you some wine via the post man?
- Thank you for the offer. I will let you know if I need that :). And I have not tried to buy alcohol in the city yet, only at duty free in the airport. I will keep you posted on that
When do you come home next?
- I am not sure yet. At the earliest, May.
How is the actual job?
- As I said earlier, very very busy. But I enjoy the work a lot.
What is the exchange rate?
- The durham is pegged to the dollar. It's about $27 for every 100 durham
Poppy asked: What is Halloween like over there?
- Since most of the country is ex-pats, there were several halloween parties, but it is not big at all here. I did see one Halloween display in a window however.
Mrs. H asked: Was it strange to be so far away [for the election] and what do people say [about it] there?
- It was weird to be far away because we were watching the polling numbers come in while we were launching all the new projects on the same day. I wish I could have been in Chicago for all the energy. But everyone is enthralled with what was and is going on. I am saving several of the newspapers I get every morning for the articles about the election because the stories in the paper are different than we would see in the US.
That's all for now. If you have more questions, please ask!
Musings on Driving, Parking, and things related to cars...
A blanket statement could be made about driving over here: you need a death wish.
Essentially, there are no rules:
There are speed limits, but NO one follows them.
There are turn lanes, but you can turn from any lane.
There are parking spaces, but you can park anywhere (any when I say anywhere, I mean pretty much anywhere!)
The traffic situation over here is interesting to say the very least. All roads are at least 3 lanes in each direction; most are 4. Everyone drives way too fast, swerves in and out of traffic and changes lanes without signaling. People turn left from the far right lane. They go straight from the left lane. And the roundabouts are my favorite because who knows what is going to happen. Additionally, people sometimes dart out into the street and cars swerve to get out of the way (sometimes). Everyone drives for themselves and doesn't care about anyone else on the road.
Now that said, driving with someone (like some of the people I work with) who LOVE driving like this, it can be fun. It's almost like you are in a video game...
Back to parking.
When I said people park anywhere I was not kidding. The generally accepted rule is that you can park anywhere so long as you are not really blocking traffic. So on the side streets, people park ON the center lane because cars can get by on both sides. Earlier in the week I saw an SUV just pull up on to the curb and parked with the front 2 tires on the curb and the back end sort of in the street. So you have to be creative...
Now at this point, I'm sure some of you are thinking...hmm there must be a fair amount of accidents here. And it's true, there are. I have seen several in my short week here. The thing to note about the accidents however is not how often they happen but how they are handled. The one rule about driving that is followed is that if you are in an accident you CANNOT move your vehicle until the police get there. AT ALL. Meaning that if you get into an accident in the middle of the intersection, you stay right where you are...in the center of traffic. So that's part of the cause of the traffic problems here. Blockages are caused by accidents...enough said
Plus...all the cars are covered in dust that will never come off...
Essentially, there are no rules:
There are speed limits, but NO one follows them.
There are turn lanes, but you can turn from any lane.
There are parking spaces, but you can park anywhere (any when I say anywhere, I mean pretty much anywhere!)
The traffic situation over here is interesting to say the very least. All roads are at least 3 lanes in each direction; most are 4. Everyone drives way too fast, swerves in and out of traffic and changes lanes without signaling. People turn left from the far right lane. They go straight from the left lane. And the roundabouts are my favorite because who knows what is going to happen. Additionally, people sometimes dart out into the street and cars swerve to get out of the way (sometimes). Everyone drives for themselves and doesn't care about anyone else on the road.
Now that said, driving with someone (like some of the people I work with) who LOVE driving like this, it can be fun. It's almost like you are in a video game...
Back to parking.
When I said people park anywhere I was not kidding. The generally accepted rule is that you can park anywhere so long as you are not really blocking traffic. So on the side streets, people park ON the center lane because cars can get by on both sides. Earlier in the week I saw an SUV just pull up on to the curb and parked with the front 2 tires on the curb and the back end sort of in the street. So you have to be creative...
Now at this point, I'm sure some of you are thinking...hmm there must be a fair amount of accidents here. And it's true, there are. I have seen several in my short week here. The thing to note about the accidents however is not how often they happen but how they are handled. The one rule about driving that is followed is that if you are in an accident you CANNOT move your vehicle until the police get there. AT ALL. Meaning that if you get into an accident in the middle of the intersection, you stay right where you are...in the center of traffic. So that's part of the cause of the traffic problems here. Blockages are caused by accidents...enough said
Plus...all the cars are covered in dust that will never come off...
First Week of Work
Now let me preface this by saying, I'm sorry. I know that several of you have attempted to contact me this week and I am sorry for not really getting back to any of you. I promise that I will. Momentarily you will understand how busy this week has been. But I have loved hearing from you all and getting your questions (many of which I hope to address !)
I don't want anyone to think that I have forgotten about my blog as I have not updated it in almost a week. Never you fear; I have not. I have been taking little notes all week about things I want to tell you all. And no worries, I will post 3 times today to make up for the time that I missed :)
To start at the beginning of the week: I started work on Sunday at the Al Raha Beach Development that is an ALDAR project. The project will be going on for about 10 years and is 11 kilometers long. It is dubbed as the "Ultimate Waterfront City". It is really cool and these pictures do not do it justice in anyway, so I highly recommend going to the websites and looking as the video models.
The center of the development is called Al Dana and it is the iconic point of the development.
Now as I said, NONE of these pictures do the development justice so I recommend checking it out.
I work on site at the far end of the development near what is called Al Zeina (Zane-a) in the Main Site Office. As I have never been on a construction site before, I really have no grounds for comparsion on the site. However, several of the people that I work with say that it is by far one of the nicest job sites ever.
This was a big week at work for us because we went "live" meaning that we brought a lot of the projects within the development on system. So we were working 12-14 hour days (at work, not including when I was up at 4:40 am to talk to people in the US), hence why I was a bit of a bad friend this week in not calling/talking/emailing/im-ing you.
Fortunately, we were able to celebrate last night with some toasting and champagne with the team.
So that's a quick recap on work this week...
- a
I don't want anyone to think that I have forgotten about my blog as I have not updated it in almost a week. Never you fear; I have not. I have been taking little notes all week about things I want to tell you all. And no worries, I will post 3 times today to make up for the time that I missed :)
To start at the beginning of the week: I started work on Sunday at the Al Raha Beach Development that is an ALDAR project. The project will be going on for about 10 years and is 11 kilometers long. It is dubbed as the "Ultimate Waterfront City". It is really cool and these pictures do not do it justice in anyway, so I highly recommend going to the websites and looking as the video models.
The center of the development is called Al Dana and it is the iconic point of the development.
It contains the Gateway building where all cars will enter the heart of Al Raha. 
As well as the World Trade Center.
As well as the World Trade Center.
And the Asmptote Building (on the Left) and the new ALDAR Headquarters (on the right)
Now as I said, NONE of these pictures do the development justice so I recommend checking it out.
I work on site at the far end of the development near what is called Al Zeina (Zane-a) in the Main Site Office. As I have never been on a construction site before, I really have no grounds for comparsion on the site. However, several of the people that I work with say that it is by far one of the nicest job sites ever.
This was a big week at work for us because we went "live" meaning that we brought a lot of the projects within the development on system. So we were working 12-14 hour days (at work, not including when I was up at 4:40 am to talk to people in the US), hence why I was a bit of a bad friend this week in not calling/talking/emailing/im-ing you.
Fortunately, we were able to celebrate last night with some toasting and champagne with the team.
So that's a quick recap on work this week...
- a
Friday, October 31, 2008
Happy Halloween :)
I hope that everyone is having a fabulous Halloween filled with lots of great costumes. Surprisingly (not really), Halloween is not any sort of holiday here. Instead, I started my weekend (yes, the weekend is Friday-Saturday, not Saturday-Sunday) with a free continental breakfast. It's definitely something that I could get used to in the mornings :).
As for now, despite what anyone (myself included) would have suspected, I am completely unpacked. It's shocking I know. And in a couple hours, a couple work people and I will do some touring of the city, perhaps to a mall. Since it is Friday (day 1 of the weekend), stores open late today. For example: the Abu Dhabi Mall doesn't open until 3:30pm, but stays open until 11pm.
Happy Halloween everyone :)
As for now, despite what anyone (myself included) would have suspected, I am completely unpacked. It's shocking I know. And in a couple hours, a couple work people and I will do some touring of the city, perhaps to a mall. Since it is Friday (day 1 of the weekend), stores open late today. For example: the Abu Dhabi Mall doesn't open until 3:30pm, but stays open until 11pm.
Happy Halloween everyone :)
Good Morning
As I was "Cleaning up my blog today" I realized that I never posted this piece which I wrote on Halloween right after I arrived in Abu Dhabi:
Today, I've managed to wake up at a normal time (8:15 local), so hopefully I'll fully adapt to the new time difference. It is a little bit of an adjustment to be up right now however and see so many people online, but know that they are all sleeping.
Interesting things that I have discovered:
- There is an arrow in my desk drawer that points to Mecca
- There is a Toys R Us in the "Free Zone Stores" my map of the City
-------
As for today, I did go to the mall and really enjoyed the Banana Republic (even though they really dont have anything!) and the fact that there is a BOOTS! pharmacy/drug store. I am super excited.
Additionally, I realize that I have discovered other things that I am anxious to share with you all
- If you turn on the cold water during the middle of the day, it will be hot. If you turn on the hot water, it will be boiling.
- Driving and Parking will forever be a weird phenomenon here.
- I am addicted to my blackberry, which I realize is a way to work all the time.
- I miss good red wine with a meal.
- Driving in a car with the AC and recirc on is not nearly as nice as with the windows down.
Today, I've managed to wake up at a normal time (8:15 local), so hopefully I'll fully adapt to the new time difference. It is a little bit of an adjustment to be up right now however and see so many people online, but know that they are all sleeping.
Interesting things that I have discovered:
- There is an arrow in my desk drawer that points to Mecca
- There is a Toys R Us in the "Free Zone Stores" my map of the City
-------
As for today, I did go to the mall and really enjoyed the Banana Republic (even though they really dont have anything!) and the fact that there is a BOOTS! pharmacy/drug store. I am super excited.
Additionally, I realize that I have discovered other things that I am anxious to share with you all
- If you turn on the cold water during the middle of the day, it will be hot. If you turn on the hot water, it will be boiling.
- Driving and Parking will forever be a weird phenomenon here.
- I am addicted to my blackberry, which I realize is a way to work all the time.
- I miss good red wine with a meal.
- Driving in a car with the AC and recirc on is not nearly as nice as with the windows down.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
I've landed
After over 17 hours of travel through 3 different continents, I have finally arrived in Abu Dhabi.
First Impressions: The airport smells like real tobacco (not cigarettes entirely, but tobacco itself) and human bodies. Also, as soon as you walk away from the gate, you walk into a huge circle shaped room and it's a slight challenge on how to orient yourself on where to go because there doesn't seem to be anyone really in charge. (Not to mention that everything is written in English and Arabic.)
Needless to say, Justin (another guy from my office who I traveled with) and I paused for a minute or two to get our bearings, and then we hit up what many of our colleagues would claim to be the most important place: Duty Free Alcohol. Since alcohol is illegal for many of the residents of the UAE (Muslim residents), there is an incredible tax on alcohol.
Once we made it through passport control and "customs" (which was in actuality just walking through a door...however Justin did manage to get stopped), we located our cars and made it back to the hotel fairly uneventfully.
Since I arrived after dark, it was hard to see some of the architecture. However, much of the construction is being completed round the clock so there was plenty of artificial light. The light just hangs in the air since there is so much humidity and dust from the construction. I'm excited for tomorrow to be able to see more of the buildings and architecture in the daylight. There are so many domes and arches in the architecture here; it's quite striking.
As for right now, I'm relaxing in my hotel room on the 16th floor in the center-ish (because to be quite honest, I'm not entirely sure where I am) of the city. The room is very nice and really relaxing, so hopefully I'll adjust well to the time change (which is 9 hours for Central Time at the moment, but will move to 10 hours on Sunday thanks to Daylight Savings Time)
I am going to try and answer everyone's questions about life here, but if you have one that I haven't answered, let me know and I'll make sure I get to it.
Already missing you lots, but loving this new adventure :)
- A
First Impressions: The airport smells like real tobacco (not cigarettes entirely, but tobacco itself) and human bodies. Also, as soon as you walk away from the gate, you walk into a huge circle shaped room and it's a slight challenge on how to orient yourself on where to go because there doesn't seem to be anyone really in charge. (Not to mention that everything is written in English and Arabic.)
Needless to say, Justin (another guy from my office who I traveled with) and I paused for a minute or two to get our bearings, and then we hit up what many of our colleagues would claim to be the most important place: Duty Free Alcohol. Since alcohol is illegal for many of the residents of the UAE (Muslim residents), there is an incredible tax on alcohol.
Once we made it through passport control and "customs" (which was in actuality just walking through a door...however Justin did manage to get stopped), we located our cars and made it back to the hotel fairly uneventfully.
Since I arrived after dark, it was hard to see some of the architecture. However, much of the construction is being completed round the clock so there was plenty of artificial light. The light just hangs in the air since there is so much humidity and dust from the construction. I'm excited for tomorrow to be able to see more of the buildings and architecture in the daylight. There are so many domes and arches in the architecture here; it's quite striking.
As for right now, I'm relaxing in my hotel room on the 16th floor in the center-ish (because to be quite honest, I'm not entirely sure where I am) of the city. The room is very nice and really relaxing, so hopefully I'll adjust well to the time change (which is 9 hours for Central Time at the moment, but will move to 10 hours on Sunday thanks to Daylight Savings Time)
I am going to try and answer everyone's questions about life here, but if you have one that I haven't answered, let me know and I'll make sure I get to it.
Already missing you lots, but loving this new adventure :)
- A
Monday, September 29, 2008
One Month and Counting...
Since I leave exactly one month from today, I figured that I better get this thing up and running. I fly from Chicago to London to Abu Dhabi, totally just over 17 hours. That combined with a 9 hour time difference should make for an interesting first day in my new home. As of now, housing is still up in the air. All of my co-workers who are currently over there are living in one of the hotels. Hopefully we will have villas soon.
I'll sort of assume that most don't know a whole lot about Abu Dhabi (especially considering that I didn't when I found out that I might be going). So here's a quick history/travel lesson.
Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the entire United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital city of the Emirate Abu Dhabi. The UAE is composed of 7 emirates (like states or provinces). Dubai is another of the emirates (whose capital city is also Dubai). Over 80% of the country is expatriates, like me, only most are from the UK or India and Pakistan. The UAE gained independence from the UK in 1971 (hence all the UK expatriates) and many of the Indian and Pakistani expats are involved the actual construction in the region.
The UAE is currently home to about 15-20% of the WORLD's construction cranes and the tallest building in the world is being built in Dubai. (It's not even complete yet, and from the top of what is finished, you can see the curvature of the Earth). The building is the Burj Dubai and it's part of the Burj Dubai Downtown development which also includes the world's largest mall, which opens at the end of October! (and is home to the region's first SEGA indoor theme park).
I'll sort of assume that most don't know a whole lot about Abu Dhabi (especially considering that I didn't when I found out that I might be going). So here's a quick history/travel lesson.
Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the entire United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital city of the Emirate Abu Dhabi. The UAE is composed of 7 emirates (like states or provinces). Dubai is another of the emirates (whose capital city is also Dubai). Over 80% of the country is expatriates, like me, only most are from the UK or India and Pakistan. The UAE gained independence from the UK in 1971 (hence all the UK expatriates) and many of the Indian and Pakistani expats are involved the actual construction in the region.
The UAE is currently home to about 15-20% of the WORLD's construction cranes and the tallest building in the world is being built in Dubai. (It's not even complete yet, and from the top of what is finished, you can see the curvature of the Earth). The building is the Burj Dubai and it's part of the Burj Dubai Downtown development which also includes the world's largest mall, which opens at the end of October! (and is home to the region's first SEGA indoor theme park).
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