(This could be porn over here)
First off, let me start out by wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all are enjoying your big day of eating food till you pass out on the couch, watching football, and then eating more food :) Right now, I'm finding myself in the office, no one here, and lots of work to catch up on (like updating my blog). I plan on heading over to a co-worker's house tonight to indulge in the American tradition myself. People over here obviously don't celebrate Thanksgiving (no Pilgrims and all), but they do celebrate Arafat (Haj) Day and Eid Al Adha, which both happen to fall on our Thanksgiving this year. Next week they are celebrating National Day which is similar to our 4th of July. I talked to one of the Emiratis this week and it sounds like they do much of the same thing we do...Gather with family, eat lots of food, and simply relax and enjoy the days off.
That aside, I realize I haven't updated the blog in a while but for good reason. I haven't had Internet connectivity at the new house for 3 weeks and am still waiting. The last few weeks have been nothing short of a major debacle. When I moved in, there were several small things wrong with the house:
- Toilet seat cracked
- One of the six air condition units was not working (yes we have six)
- I had no gas hooked up for my oven
- Drain was clogged
- Pool lights not working
- Light in the bathroom burnt out
- No light bulbs in some of the rooms (and when you have 20 foot ceilings, it's kinda hard to replace them)
- No appliances, furniture, or laundry capabilities
So, I started my first week off by buying a bunch of "necessities" for the house (couches, tables, kitchen stuff, laundry machines, etc.). Most of the things were delivered on time, but I soon found out first hand that when someone says they'll be there at noon, you should not expect them at noon, but more like 4 or 5. Sometimes, they mistake noon that day, for noon 3 days from now. It's ridiculous! These folks have no concept of time over here and unfortunately, when you work, you can't just sit around the house and wait for them. They look at me and say "Don't you have a wife that is home to accept deliveries?"
Anyway, once all of that got worked out (it took 2 weeks), I am now living in the house somewhat comfortably, but still no Internet. I signed up a week ago and haven't heard anything. So, the waiting game begins again. There's a term here that you learn very quickly. In sha' allah. It translates to "God willing" or "If God is willing". In my mind, it translates more to "I'm lazy and don't want to commit to anything so I'll pin it on God if I don't show up in time". I think I'm going to submit that definition to Webster's. :)
Other than the occasional (daily) pissed off rampages with worker crews, delivery boys, and idiot drivers who flash their high beams at you, it's been fine out here. I guess I'm just frustrated because there's no sense of urgency or customer service out here.
Let's see, what else can I rant about. How bout the driving? It's really not as bad as you would think. All the reading I did ahead of time prepared me for nothing short of chaos, but when I got here, I realized it's similar to D.C. to be honest. You have your idiot drivers and you have your normal folks who follow the rules. The problem is, the idiot drivers are in a category all to themselves. They are the cream of the crop when it comes to idiots. Just yesterday, I was on the highway doing 20km over the speed limit, and someone came up behind me flashing their high beams. No one else on the road but us two and 4 other lanes to choose from to pas me. But, he wanted to be in THAT lane. So, I did what any other American would do. Slow down to 20km under the speed limit, let him pass, and then move out of the lane. It's the little things in life that give me pleasure :)
Well, that's about it for now. I played my first game of flag football last night and met 6 other Americans, all of which teach at the local public Elementary school here. Looks like Jill's not going to have a problem getting a job. As soon as I get Internet, I'll be back on here regularly.
Have a great Holiday and go Steelers! Beat those damn Ravens!
