Its been a week since my last blog so I thought I'd write a quick update -
I went to get my eye scan, blood test, and chest x-ray today. These are all required to obtain my Residence Visa for the UAE. The whole process of getting all of this done was relatively painless, but a bit overwhelming. The closest thing I can equate it to would be someone from outside the US walking into a DMV in the States having no real clue about how things work - not impossible and it happens all the time, but can be a bit overwhelming I'm sure. Luckily I was equipped with all the necessary information and materials, but still felt a little lost amongst the masses of women and children. I have to admit that I was nervous about my paperwork changing hands quite a few times and getting thrown into the huge stack of all of the other women's papers, but there seemed to be a workable system of organization going on. After my health certificate is awarded I will receive my passport with my Residence Visa and will then venture to the DMV over here to get my driver's license.
We are also hoping to have Tank here very soon. The poor guy hasn't had the easiest time getting ready to come over here. Right before Christmas we discovered that he needed to get an updated Rabies vaccination and then a few days ago found out he also needs to have another distemper shot before he can begin the shipping process. Thankfully Brian's mom will be able to take him to get his shot and then he will be ready to go! We are so excited to have him here and to see what he thinks of the swimming pool. Something tells me we will be investing in one of those doggie life vests :)
Some other interesting things about life here that I forgot to include in my last blog:
Lets hope this doesn't catch on in the US - our car is equipped with a "beeper" that goes off incessantly if you drive over 120 kph (approx. 73 mph). This means that anytime you are driving down the highway and go above 120 you will here a ridiculous beeping that will not stop until your speed goes below 120...talk about annoying!!! Everytime I see someone speeding I keep thinking, "Man how is that beeping not completely bugging the crap outta that person!" Can you imagine going over 73 mph and having your car beep at you?! Like I said, I hope cars in the US don't "gain" this feature.
This tidbit is more for any female considering visiting here....beware of the hair "crud". Apparently there is something about the water here that causes your hair to collect this gross residue the first few times you take a shower. It feels like someone sprayed half a bottle of hairspray onto the top of your head and then took a blow dryer to it. Luckily some of the other women I've spoken with here have had similar experiences and assured me that it would go away after a while (which it has) and that its nothing that a good cleansing or detoxifying shampoo won't cure. Just a warning....
This weekend we will be heading to Al Ain, a city located within the Abu Dhabi Emirate for their annual air show. Its supposed to be an exciting event so we will hopefully have lots of pictures to post after the weekend.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
My (Jill's) first week in Abu Dhabi
Well, after almost a full week in Abu Dhabi and writing a ton of emails to friends and family telling them about my adventures so far, I figured I better give this whole blogging thing a try. And in all honesty, its probably better that I waited until now to write, instead of a few days ago.
I'm not sure if most people know this, but this move was my first trip anywhere out of the country (besides Canada and Jamaica). So I knew that along with being the biggest move I've ever made, there would be a lot of "firsts" for me in Abu Dhabi. Included among these firsts was my first time ever not receiving my bags upon landing at my final destination. Go figure that of the 4 bags that Brian and I shipped (1 which had Brian's stuff and 3 that had mine) the 3 that had my stuff wouldn't arrive with us. Hopefully Brian will never re-enact my crying episode from my 2nd night in Abu Dhabi. Silly me for thinking that the airline would actually deliver my bags when they said they would. Needless to say, after 3 days and one horrible nervous breakdown/crying fit I finally got my bags. Better late than never is definitely applicable here though. It sounds so silly, but as soon as I had my own stuff I instantly felt better about being here.
Abu Dhabi is an incredible city and I feel very lucky to have the chance to experience it. The house that we live in is entirely too big for the two of us, but has plenty of room for visitors so I am going to be pushing everyone to come out. :) We're also lucky enough to have one of Brian's coworkers (Andre) and his wife (Jess), and their dog, Pikey, live right down the street. Jess has been so helpful with chauffeuring me around, telling me about different places to go, and even agreeing to be a passenger when I drive in the city for the first time. I owe her a ton, and would be close to losing my mind or driving Brian crazy if she wasn't here. In fact, all of the coworkers and family members from Brian's company that I have met so far have been fantastic and I look forward to spending more time with them and getting to know them better.
I haven't taken any pictures yet, but hope to get out and do so very soon. Everyone has told me that the weather right now is paradise for Abu Dhabi so I really want to get out and see things and hopefully do some running. Right now my focus has been on learning the layout of Abu Dhabi and attempting to make our house feel like home. It'll be difficult since our stuff from Maryland won't be here for about 8 weeks, but we are moving along with things.
Some interesting things I've learned, observed or been told about so far are...
1. Driving - its not horrible but its definitely different that in the US. People are inconsiderate in the US, but out here its more of the norm than the exception. Honking is not considered "rude" but more expected in certain situations. You also have to watch you "road rage" as the wrong gesture or shout can get you in big trouble.
2. Grocery stores - have EVERYTHING. I've only been to one kind of grocery store so far, but in that store you can buy fresh produce, luggage, clothing, cell phones, bicycles, and whatever else you can think of. It's convenient, but overwhelming at first to say the least. And you won't find too many stray grocery carts around because you have to pay 1 AED to get a cart, which you get back when you put the cart back in its place....something that Targets and Walmarts of the US should consider adopting.
3. The people are very friendly - aside from the whole driving thing, people are very nice here. In almost every store/restaurant I've been in there have been people more than willing to assist me if I need it and in most instances the language barrier isn't too bad. Although Brian is teaching me that a polite sterness is needed in order to get people to do what you want (i.e. furniture deliveries, work on the house, etc.)
4. I never want to live far away from Brian for a long period of time ever again - I forgot how wonderful it is to have him around to experience life with. The past few weeks were so hectic with the holidays and the move that I forgot how wonderful he is and all the things he has done to create a wonderful life for us. Being here with him has helped me realize that we can overcome anything as long as we stick together and support one another.
5. Malls are RIDICULOUSLY big!! Seriously I thought Brian was exaggerating when he said how big they are, but its no lie. You can't walk an entire mall in a whole day. From what I've heard and seen, going to the mall and shopping in general are the thing to do here. The malls are also incredibly clean, which is very nice. Most parking lots have canopies covering parking spots outside so that cars don't get blisteringly hot; another thing that should be integrated in the US.
6. Dubai is a place worth checking out. I haven't seen a lot of it but Jess brought up a good point while we were there. We're sitting in a restaurant eating lunch and she points out that, "We are eating Asian food in the desert next to a ski slope" (We were sitting in a restaurant that overlooks the indoor ski slope in Dubai - incredible). I will definitely be exploring it more and taking lots of pictures to share.
7. Food is cheap - unless your buying American food, you can get some pretty sweet deals. For instance, if you want to buy butter you can get "I Can't Believe Its Not Butter" for 21 AED (approx. $6-$7) or you can buy the "local" brand (still butter that tastes the same) for 8 AED (approx. $2). This evening we went to a Lebanese restaurant and for the four of us to eat it was 164 AED (approx $11 per person) and it included appetizers, dinner, non-alcoholic drinks, coffee and hookah...Cheap...and delicious!
I'm sure there are so many more things that will pop into my head after I've finished writing, and I'll do my best to include things in future blogs. Life here so far seems to be the same in many ways and also different. Hopefully Brian and I will be able to adjust our lifestyle accordingly. I feel pretty confident that we will. I hope that all of our family and friends in the US are doing well and that reading this has given you a little glimpse to our new life here in Abu Dhabi. We love and miss you all.
-Jill
I'm not sure if most people know this, but this move was my first trip anywhere out of the country (besides Canada and Jamaica). So I knew that along with being the biggest move I've ever made, there would be a lot of "firsts" for me in Abu Dhabi. Included among these firsts was my first time ever not receiving my bags upon landing at my final destination. Go figure that of the 4 bags that Brian and I shipped (1 which had Brian's stuff and 3 that had mine) the 3 that had my stuff wouldn't arrive with us. Hopefully Brian will never re-enact my crying episode from my 2nd night in Abu Dhabi. Silly me for thinking that the airline would actually deliver my bags when they said they would. Needless to say, after 3 days and one horrible nervous breakdown/crying fit I finally got my bags. Better late than never is definitely applicable here though. It sounds so silly, but as soon as I had my own stuff I instantly felt better about being here.
Abu Dhabi is an incredible city and I feel very lucky to have the chance to experience it. The house that we live in is entirely too big for the two of us, but has plenty of room for visitors so I am going to be pushing everyone to come out. :) We're also lucky enough to have one of Brian's coworkers (Andre) and his wife (Jess), and their dog, Pikey, live right down the street. Jess has been so helpful with chauffeuring me around, telling me about different places to go, and even agreeing to be a passenger when I drive in the city for the first time. I owe her a ton, and would be close to losing my mind or driving Brian crazy if she wasn't here. In fact, all of the coworkers and family members from Brian's company that I have met so far have been fantastic and I look forward to spending more time with them and getting to know them better.
I haven't taken any pictures yet, but hope to get out and do so very soon. Everyone has told me that the weather right now is paradise for Abu Dhabi so I really want to get out and see things and hopefully do some running. Right now my focus has been on learning the layout of Abu Dhabi and attempting to make our house feel like home. It'll be difficult since our stuff from Maryland won't be here for about 8 weeks, but we are moving along with things.
Some interesting things I've learned, observed or been told about so far are...
1. Driving - its not horrible but its definitely different that in the US. People are inconsiderate in the US, but out here its more of the norm than the exception. Honking is not considered "rude" but more expected in certain situations. You also have to watch you "road rage" as the wrong gesture or shout can get you in big trouble.
2. Grocery stores - have EVERYTHING. I've only been to one kind of grocery store so far, but in that store you can buy fresh produce, luggage, clothing, cell phones, bicycles, and whatever else you can think of. It's convenient, but overwhelming at first to say the least. And you won't find too many stray grocery carts around because you have to pay 1 AED to get a cart, which you get back when you put the cart back in its place....something that Targets and Walmarts of the US should consider adopting.
3. The people are very friendly - aside from the whole driving thing, people are very nice here. In almost every store/restaurant I've been in there have been people more than willing to assist me if I need it and in most instances the language barrier isn't too bad. Although Brian is teaching me that a polite sterness is needed in order to get people to do what you want (i.e. furniture deliveries, work on the house, etc.)
4. I never want to live far away from Brian for a long period of time ever again - I forgot how wonderful it is to have him around to experience life with. The past few weeks were so hectic with the holidays and the move that I forgot how wonderful he is and all the things he has done to create a wonderful life for us. Being here with him has helped me realize that we can overcome anything as long as we stick together and support one another.
5. Malls are RIDICULOUSLY big!! Seriously I thought Brian was exaggerating when he said how big they are, but its no lie. You can't walk an entire mall in a whole day. From what I've heard and seen, going to the mall and shopping in general are the thing to do here. The malls are also incredibly clean, which is very nice. Most parking lots have canopies covering parking spots outside so that cars don't get blisteringly hot; another thing that should be integrated in the US.
6. Dubai is a place worth checking out. I haven't seen a lot of it but Jess brought up a good point while we were there. We're sitting in a restaurant eating lunch and she points out that, "We are eating Asian food in the desert next to a ski slope" (We were sitting in a restaurant that overlooks the indoor ski slope in Dubai - incredible). I will definitely be exploring it more and taking lots of pictures to share.
7. Food is cheap - unless your buying American food, you can get some pretty sweet deals. For instance, if you want to buy butter you can get "I Can't Believe Its Not Butter" for 21 AED (approx. $6-$7) or you can buy the "local" brand (still butter that tastes the same) for 8 AED (approx. $2). This evening we went to a Lebanese restaurant and for the four of us to eat it was 164 AED (approx $11 per person) and it included appetizers, dinner, non-alcoholic drinks, coffee and hookah...Cheap...and delicious!
I'm sure there are so many more things that will pop into my head after I've finished writing, and I'll do my best to include things in future blogs. Life here so far seems to be the same in many ways and also different. Hopefully Brian and I will be able to adjust our lifestyle accordingly. I feel pretty confident that we will. I hope that all of our family and friends in the US are doing well and that reading this has given you a little glimpse to our new life here in Abu Dhabi. We love and miss you all.
-Jill
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