My month at BISAD and other updates :)

We have been long overdue for a blog update since our return from the States last month.  Sorry!!

Some of you know that while I was back in the states I was contacted by a private British school in Abu Dhabi about possibly doing some supply (British version of substitute) work in June.  I had interviewed with the school's head of Foundation Stages (ages 3-5) before I left for the States and was hoping that it might lead to a job this coming fall.  Initially I was asked to work 2 days in mid-June to fill in for teachers who would be out for professional development.  Fortunately for me, while I was gone a teacher in one of the FS2 (4 & 5 yr olds) classrooms decided to up and quit (I've heard numerous stories of how this all went down from different staff at the school and am not sure what "really" happened and thus won't bore you with the details.) Bad situation for the teacher, but good news for me because I was asked to fill in from June 6 (when we returned from US) until the end of the term on June 30.  After spending so much quality time with all of our friends and family I was not exactly excited to return to Abu Dhabi, but getting this teaching gig, even if only for a month, was just what I needed to motivate me to come back and get back to our life overseas.

I had no idea what to expect on my first day and was both nervous and excited to finally have the chance to run my own classroom.  I should mention too that before I came back to Abu Dhabi I had received a class list, from which I learned I would have 19 students, none of which were American and (according to the sheet) 1/3 of which did not speak any English...yikes!  Luckily for me, every child did speak English fairly fluently.  It was so cool to hear the boys and girls talk with British, Aussie, and numerous other accents.  I couldn't get enough of it!!  However, I learned very quickly that it is INCREDIBLY difficult to come into a classroom at the very end of the year and try and establish routines with a group of children who had gone through 3 different teachers throughout the school year.  Yes, you read that correctly - 3 teachers!!!  All throughout my first day I had staff and parents telling me, "Your class is such a lovely group of children!"  (My initial thought was - yeah right - how bad are these kids that they've driven away 3 teachers in one year?!?!).  Turns out, those staff and parents were right.  All in all they were a great group of kids - they just had a very tough year filled with lots of changes.  I won't go through the gory details of my 20 days of teaching, but I can say that it was definitely a great experience.  I had some good times, some bad times, some really frustrating times (which Brian can attest to) but it felt great to finally put my Master's degree to use.

Some of the highlights were: getting to take part in the FS2 graduation ceremony (similar to when American's "graduate" from kindergarten to 1st grade) which took place at Abu Dhabi University, meeting some great co-workers who I got to spend some time with outside of the classroom, and having the children being so nervous and apprehensive of trying to learn how to say "Mrs. Bartholomew" and by the end of the 20 days each one would come in and greet me in the morning with a "Good morning Mrs. Barfolomew (they had trouble with the "th" sound :).
The Lowlights:  learning a little about the politics of private school, seeing the reality of how absent some parents are from their child's schooling, and having to say goodbye to the kids after just getting to really know them and vice-a-versa. 

Unfortunately, I'm still not sure I have a job in the fall.  This particular school is a brand new school and this was its first year.  I heard plenty about the difficulties of the first year and it seems that the school is still working out some kinks.  In order to be hired as a full-time teacher my VISA has to be approved by the Abu Dhabi Education Council, which can take a very long time.  The council has been processing my paperwork since I began in June, and there is still no word on it.  I've been told that new requirements may have been put in place that require any person seeking to get a teaching VISA to have at least 2 years experience (in addition to a degree in Education and a certification).  If this is the case then I am SOL, but am hopeful that it's just a rumor or there is something I can do to get around the required experience.  In the meantime I am continuing to apply to schools around Abu Dhabi and hope to have some kind of job working with children when school starts back up in September.  Keep your fingers crossed!

Since school has ended I've been back to my normal domesticated duties and spending quality time with Tank. I bother our friends/neighbors Jess and Rhonda a lot as we enjoy making group trips to the grocery stores.  It is ridiculously hot here so we don't get outside too much unless it's to drive to somewhere that is air-conditioned. 

Brian recently joined a 4x4 club so that he can take his toy (the Jeep) out and learn how to SAFELY drive in the sand dunes.  His first venture is this weekend - wish him luck!! (hopefully I don't worry too much while he is gone).

Our most exciting news is that we are gearing up for our long-awaited trip to Italy!  We leave on Friday July 23 and will be traveling throughout the country for 18 days.  Here is our schedule:

July 23 - fly into Milan
July 23, 24 - Venice
July 25, 26, 27 - Florence
July 28 - Pompeii
July 29, 30, 31 Aug 1, 2 - Rome
August 3, 4 - Tuscany
August 5, 6, 7 - Cinque Terre
August 8, 9 - Milan
we fly back to Abu Dhabi on August 9th.

I'm sure we'll have lots of pictures and experiences to share when we get back.  We recently purchased a new camera so we can catch some great shots of all the places we visit.  Thanks to Jess and Andre who have graciously agreed to house Tank while we are gone.  He and their dog, Pikey, have become great doggie friends :) 

Finally, we want to congratulate some family and friends who have big things happening while we are in Italy.  Brian's cousin Brooke and her fiance Chance will be tying the knot on July 24th and my good friend Abby and her fiance Rob will get hitched on August 7th!  We are so sad to be missing these big events, but wish both couples all the happiness in the world and can't wait to see pictures of what we know will be two beautiful weddings!

lots of love,
Jill, Brian and Tank.

Easter, FedEx, and April happenings

Hey ya'll,

Brian and I agreed that we need to try a bit harder to keep this blog up to date, so I thought I'd fill you in on some events from the past month or so....

   Some of you who have facebook accounts might have seen some of the pictures I posted from our Easter brunch.  For those of you who haven't seen the pictures (with captions that explained our experience) let me fill you in.  Living in a country where Islam is the national religion, I figured there would not be much in the way of Easter celebrations over here.  Turns out I was wrong.  Because around 86% of the population is expats, a lot of the hotels, restaurants and grocery stores had lots of stuff to offer regarding the Christian holiday.  The grocery stores were packed with chocolate Easter bunnies, Cadbury eggs (not so good for me because I will eat them ALL) and other goodies.  One of the free publications in Abu Dhabi, called Abu Dhabi week, published listings of numerous hotels that were offering Easter Brunch packages, many of which included Easter themed festivities for kids.  A friend invited us along to Easter Brunch at the Yas hotel - one of Abu Dhabi's "world's first" since it has an F1 race track running through it.  I convinced Brian to take a longer than normal lunch break (since Easter Sunday is a workday for him) and meet us for brunch.  Ohhh man was it worth it.  The food was absolutely spectacular!  The best for me was the desserts of course; complete with a chocolate fountain - YUM!
   In addition to brunch the hotel also offered face painting,  egg painting, a balloon artist, an Easter egg hunt hosted by the Easter Bunny (aka Bugs Bunny) along with some candy and small toys.  It was really nice to see so many activities for kids, and the hotel staff were extremely nice and accommodating with all the kids (particularly with the two girls in our brunch group).  The wait staff would escort the girls to the face painting area, balloon artist, offer to clean them up after enjoying the chocolate fountain, etc.  It was pretty funny to see the unlucky employee walking around in a Bugs Bunny costume, but you had to give them an "A" for effort I guess.
   Then came time for the Easter egg hunt... Growing up I can remember having Easter egg hunts in our back yard with all the cousins.  My dad and my uncles would go out and hide the eggs while we were sequestered in the house with the curtains drawn and my mom and aunts and grandma keeping watch.  Once given the signal we raced outside with one single objective - to find as many eggs as possible.  Afterwards we came back inside and got to open up all the brightly colored plastic eggs and see what we got.  It was awesome!!  Well...lets just say I felt bad for the 30-40 kids who participated in the Easter Egg hunt at Yas Hotel.  Before beginning, the staff informed the kids that only 22 eggs were hidden and the kids who found an egg would get a prize (or so we thought) - right away we knew this was bad news.  The egg to child ratio was waaaaay off, which I'm sure set a red flag off for parents near by who knew their child (like any) was going to be VERY upset if they didn't find an egg.  Oh dear....  So the kids were told the area in which the eggs were hidden and then sent off on their search.  I decided that with such horrible odds, I was going to help Ashli and Caitlin, the two girls (ages 5 and 6) that we were with.  After a few minutes Caitlin spotted a white egg and took off after it (with me screaming and jumping for her to run faster before a boy nearby spotted "her" egg).  You could imagine my confusion when she showed me that what she picked up was a REAL egg.  Who uses real eggs for an Easter egg hunt?!?!  Anyway she snatched it up and we set off to find one for her sister.  After a few more minutes the staff announced that all of the eggs had been found...no egg for Ashli :(  We figured at least Caitlin would get a prize, and her mom told her she needed to share with her younger sister.  Fair enough.  NOT SO MUCH.  Turns out that each of the 22 REAL eggs had a number written on it; 1, 2, 3, or 4.  Any child with a 1, 2, or 3 on their egg got a prize.  Any child with a 4 on their egg got squat.  Guess what number was on Caitlin's egg....Easter egg hunt FAIL!!!  I felt so bad for the girls - all excited about an Easter egg hunt and they left empty handed.  Luckily their mom had planned an Easter egg hunt at their house that afternoon for just the two of them so they still got to find some of the classic brightly colored plastic eggs with goodies tucked inside.  Maybe next year we will avoid the Easter egg hunts and just enjoy more chocolate fountain?

   All in all Easter wasn't so bad, just another new experience out here in Abu Dhabi.  A few days later i had another new (and pleasant) experience, much to my surprise.  One of the biggest pains to living out here, especially for me right now has been dealing with mail.  This is because I had been waiting for the arrival of official copies of my transcripts that I needed to submit to the state of MD in order to obtain my official teaching certificate.  The whole process took way longer than i would have cared for (another story in itself).  Anyway after I received my transcripts I had to turn around and send them back to the states for processing (electronic copies were not allowed...ugh!).  Sending anything via UAE mail to the states takes at least 3 weeks - not an option for me with such important material.  So I decided that I was going to pay to Fedex all my documents directly to the State of Maryland's certification dept.  Now I have absolutely NOTHING against Fedex or other shipping company employees, however, sometimes going to their locations to ship things can be a nightmare (long lines, disgruntled customers, unhappy employees, lost packages, etc. etc.).  Considering what country I was in and the fact that there are only 2 Fedex locations in Abu Dhabi I pretty much expected to be spending a large part of my day in line.  I drove into the city, located the Fedex facility and immediately found the nearest parking spot.  I expected to walk into a busy store, but instead walked in and it was completely empty except for the two employees at the counter.  WOW, awesome!  I walk up and hand the guy my papers and provide him the recipient information for the package.  He commented on the fact that I was sending my stuff to a certification branch and we got to talking about teaching and schools in Abu Dhabi.  He was incredibly nice!!  After he took care of my package and i paid him my 212 dhs we continued to talk about different things in Abu Dhabi.  Well, actually, he did most of the talking; telling me about his experiences (he has lived in Abu Dhabi for 19 years coming from Southern India).  He had quite a few strong opinions about the Nationals (Emiratis) in this country and the unfair treatment of labor workers and other "lower class" people.  He even told me a few jokes that he and his friends often tell regarding Dubai and Abu Dhabi.  I loved that he felt so comfortable talking to me about his own experiences here.  We discussed the increasingly high costs of housing in the city and he told me about how his one bedroom apartment in downtown Abu Dhabi cost 12,000 dhs a month when he first moved into it 5 years ago and now it costs 45,000 dhs a month!  (thank goodness that in 2008, the UAE created a law which prohibits rent costs from increasing beyond 5% annually).  Like I said, the guy definitely had his opinions (and rightfully so) about certain aspects of life in Abu Dhabi.
   After about a half hour of talk about life in Abu Dhabi, we moved onto discussing American television.  Turns out that like my husband, this guy was a LOST fanatic - too funny!  He even told me that sometimes he and another Fedex employee, at the other location in AD will sometimes refer to each other as "Dharma 1" and "Dharma 2".  If you don't watch LOST that won't make any sense, but I found it hilarious and knew that Brian would too.  He also proceeded to tell me about how he loved "The Sopranos" and another show called "Supernatural".  I had seen one episode of "Supernatural" a few days prior but wasn't really familiar with it.  In an attempt to try and make me a fan he told me I could bring some blank DVD's back to the Fedex store and he would burn all 5 episodes for me to take home and watch!  I was very appreciative but told him that my husband could most likely download them for me at home.  An hour after I first walked in, I finally told him that I had to get going since I was meeting friends for lunch.  I told him how much I enjoyed speaking with him and maybe I'd see him again soon.  After I walked out I realized that during my hour there not one other person walked in - it was the slowest Fedex facility I'd even been to!  Like I said it was an incredibly pleasant experience!

   Sending my documents via Fedex proved to be a smart decision.  I am happy to report that my I received an electronic copy of my official Maryland Teaching Certificate this week and am not a certified teacher!  I am excited to begin the job hunt process and already have a few schools in mind to apply to.  In a stroke of good luck (I think) I also met a nice guy while running in our community last night who works for a new British International School here in Abu Dhabi.  He offered to take my resume and forward it to the principal of the school for review.  The whole encounter seemed a bit questionable at first (Brian figured the guy was just trying to hit on me) but I figured it couldn't do any harm to send him my resume, so what the heck!  Now I just have to wait and see what happens.

   As most of you know, Brian and I are making our first trip back to the US in a few weeks.  We are excited to come back as see as many people as we can.  We've broken our trip up among Pittsburgh, Virginia, DC, and Maryland in hopes to make time for everyone.  Be on the lookout for emails from us letting you know why we are in what city and what we will be up to!

3 Days of Mourning

I know it's been a long long time since we've posted anything.  Today marked one of those moments where I definitely learned a lot and appreciate some of the things folks do out here.  Jill and I have now been witness to two Royal deaths in the last couple of months and I wanted to just share with everyone how they do things out here.

Much like back home when a President or Senator dies, the body is transported and presented in a place where the public can come pay their respects.  Back home, it's usually the Capitol...Here it's the Grand Mosque right down the street from where we live.  People come from all different countries to visit the family and offer their condolences.

What's interesting to me is that they also do something else that we don't do back home.  They declare 3 days of mourning where no music is played on the radio except for classical, somber type music.  Also no major government functions or events are held.  This may not sound like it's a big deal, but lemme tell you...When you're driving around and all you hear for three days is sad, piano music or the orchestral version of "Bitter Sweet Memories", it really impacts you.  I found myself today driving home, past the Mosque while the funeral was letting out, listening to that music on the radio, and really thinking to myself that everyone dies at some point and this is really nice that they basically make everyone realize thsi for three days.  Sounds weird, I know.

I also asked an Emirati today what the significance of the three days is.  He said that it's a cultural thing where people back in the day would visit someone's camp for three days, offer condolences, help with the grieving process, and then after three days, people move on.  You don't ever offer condolences after the three days.

For those who don't know, Sheikh Ahmed bin Zayed Al Nahyan who was 41 years old and the Director of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, dies this week after a glider crash in Morocco Story Here.  He was a younger brother of Sheikh Khalifa (President of the UAE) and one of 18 living sons of Sheikh Zayed (founder of the country).

So, Jill and I will be experiencing two more days of this.  Just thought we'd let you all in on something they do out here that caught my eye...

Tank is here!

Hello everyone,
We just wanted to let you all know that Tank has arrived in Abu Dhabi safe and sound.  He left Dulles International airport on Friday Feb. 12th.  From there he flew to Amsterdam where he spent the night and a doggie hotel.  On Sunday Feb 14th he left Amsterdam and arrived in Abu Dhabi at about 9 pm.  The American Vet Clinic took care of getting him through customs and delivered him to our house around 11 pm on Sunday.  Both Brian and I were so anxious and excited to see him after 5 weeks. 

Initially, he seemed a bit dazed and confused getting out of his crate, but it didn't take him long to start exploring the yard.  Even though it was late Brian thought it best to take him for a walk to stretch his legs and give him some feeling of normalcy after what we could only imagine was a pretty intense couple of days.  After our walk we let him check out his new home, which he really seems to love.  He's already picked out numerous napping spots and really likes to lay on the cold tile floor. 
Of course he started to get antsy and excited right before bed time (leave it to Tank).  Although we let him climb into bed with us, he didn't stay put for long and spent most of the night pacing around the bedroom.  We pretty much figured that he'd have some time adjustment issues, just like we do, but hopefully he'll be on track in a few days.  Needless to say last night was pretty sleepless for the three of us so we're hoping tonight goes a little better.

We introduced him to Pikey, Andre and Jess's dog, who lives down the street.  Jess, Pikey, Tank and myself went for a nice long walk today and they seemed to get along great!  Only a few of the workers in the community seemed wary of the two dogs and two women walking through the neighborhood (dogs as pets aren't a popular thing over here).

Overall he seems to have come through his traveling unharmed and is still the same Tank we all know and love.  His hair is already covering every surface of the house, yippee!  It feels great to have our family back together.  Now as soon we get the rest of our belongings we will be all set!

What we've been up to

Hey everyone!
Life has been moving along over here in Abu Dhabi.  Lately we've gotten into a lot and have met some great people along the way.  I enjoyed my 28th birthday here in Abu Dhabi.  Thanks again to everyone for all of the birthday wishes.  It was nice to be thought of even though we are so far away.  And thanks to Angie for my birthday cake!  Brian and I went to a wonderful dinner at a restaurant called Mezzaluna in the Emirates Palace.  That whole place is just amazing!  We only walked around a small portion of it, so hopefully I'll get a chance to explore more in the future.  Inside they had a small exhibit that outlines the history of the UAE and gives an idea of where they are headed in the future.  Most of the exhibit was devoted to showing new construction and some of the big attractions that will be built such as the Guggenheim, Louvre and Performing arts center.  All of the buildings will be one of a kind.

On Friday (the first day of our weekend) we spent the day in the desert.  We got to do some serious dune bashing in Jeeps and quads.  Brian was in absolute heaven!  I will admit, I had an awesome time as well. I got to go out three times; once on a quad with Brian and then twice in two different Jeeps.  We rode past a few camel farms and got to see an awesome sunset.  It was very neat to be able to stand on top of a sand dune and just look out to sand for miles and miles, it wasn't until then that I really felt like I was living in the desert.  We had so much fun on this day excursion that we've got a camping trip planned in two weeks!  And of course Brian is now contemplating a quad purchase, which I wouldn't be entirely opposed to :)

In even more exciting news, Tank will FINALLY arrive in Abu Dhabi tonight!  His flight from Dulles to Amsterdam was canceled three times!  He was originally supposed to arrive a week ago, but ended up spending a few extra days in the kennel until he was able to be re-booked.  The kennel manager was extremely accommodating in keeping us up to date on how he was doing and staying on top of all the cancellations and re-bookings.  He undoubtedly made the whole process much smoother than it could have been given the circumstances with the weather, so thanks a bunch Shady Spring Pet Relocation!  Tank spent last night in Amsterdam and will leave there this morning and arrive in Abu Dhabi around 7:30 pm our time tonight.  We both are so ecstatic to have him here.  Our landscaping was pretty much completed yesterday so Tank will have lots of grass to enjoy.

Also, our container shipment is also due to arrive near the end of this week/beginning of next week so I will be busy trying to put the finishing touches on our house.  It will be so nice to be done with the whole moving process!  Once we get all of our stuff, I will take some pictures of the house to share.  This also means that we should have a bed for my dad when he is here in three weeks.  Yay!

Almost a UAE resident

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. 

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