Corniche Beach - Abu Dhabi

Corniche Beach - Abu Dhabi

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Surprises in Our New Home.....

Our arrival to this amazing new place has been punctuated with numerous surprises - ironically, something we expected to happen.  There's the occasional delay in paperwork, inability to log in to internet banking, and that freak TV message delivered to the hotel room that had us thinking for a second that we would have to be moving out to our new home in Al Ain before we even began orientation!  However (and fortunately), most of the surprises we've experienced so far have been quite pleasant. And I just bet that they will surprise our friends "back home" (though I'm not supposed to use that phrase anymore....instead I should say "stateside"), even more than they surprised us.

* First, and most importantly - the treatment we as expats receive from locals has been an incredibly welcome surprise.  I have felt extremely comfortable in this country so far and have yet to experience that "fish out of water" feeling (I'm realistic - I know it's coming soon!).  The reason I think our family has adjusted so well is the incredibly welcoming attitude of the inhabitants in this foreign land.  They are so accustomed to seeing people of all races, ethnicities, and cultural backgrounds that their home is open to almost anyone. The only reason I have to say "almost anyone" is that it is evident that they respect people who have the foresight and decency to respect their culture.  Arriving here during the holy month of Ramadan has been both a challenge and an advantage for us.  Basically, if you are able to be respectful and polite during this time of year, you should be all set!

* It's a desert....but there are plants!!!  Yep...I'm naive.  I expected to see nothing but hills of sand shifting in the wind into unrecognizable dunes the next time I pass by.  But the landscape is a huge surprise when one arrives with such an expectation in mind.  Jeremy and I rented a car a few days back to tackle the 90 minute drive out to Al Ain - our home for the next year or two at least.  I had seen this trip once before from a bus window, so I knew what to expect.  The beauty, however, is so much more striking when in the comfort of a single-family, air-conditioned car....though the date sacks were only mildly entertaining without a close friend there ( ;) Kari...).  The whole highway between Abu Dhabi and Al Ain is lined with palm trees and other shrubs and trees I have yet to identify.  With the alternating red and white dunes in the background, the scenery is a far cry from the shifting sands I had pictured before our trip .  In short...it's simply beautiful.  ...BIG surprise!

Here are some shots from the car ride back into the city:





And this is just a photo of a cool street we drove down in Abu Dhabi to find a grocery store a friend suggested to us.


In a world so different from our own where we expected a certain number of surprises, we have been so lucky to see the good mixed with the uncertain.  We know there will be days when the bad surprises outweigh the good....but are relieved that we can still find a pleasant unexpected experience mixed in with more challenging moments =)

Monday, August 15, 2011

Welcome to Abu Dhabi!!

WOW - WAY too long since I've posted anything.  So sorry for the delay.  We've been incredibly busy getting our house ready to leave, packing, flying, and settling in to our new home!  I was going to do several posts before this one, talking about Dalila's first trip to Heise, the insane amount of work we had to do to leave our home, and how terribly I'll miss everyone....but we never had time!!  Now I'm sitting in my hotel room with Dalila napping and Jeremy reading...and I finally can think enough to write about our experience thus far - so that's where I'll begin....

The Plane Ride(s):
Let me preface this story with some information from the night before.  We drove to Salt Lake to stay with some of Jeremy's family the night before our flight so we wouldn't have to rush that morning.  It was SO nice of Jeremy's family to allow us to stay with them....but beyond that, things were not so great.  I'm terrified of spiders, making me a spider-magnet somehow.  So, of course, the first spiders seen the whole year were found by me in the basement room where we stayed.  This one that I found in the bathroom was literally the size of a dime!  Then, as we tried to fall asleep, Jeremy jumped up and swatted at his back.  We turned on the light to see what had tickled him....an even bigger spider!!  By this time, Dalila wanted to join in all the fun and she refused to go to sleep.  Needless to say...we were all a bit cranky as we boarded our first flight from Salt Lake to Chicago.  Jeremy and I were so worried that Dalila would be an absolute stinker!  Luckily, she surprised us and fell asleep right after take-off!!

Next, we stopped in Chicago for 7 hours!!  Great airport to be stuck in with a kid - they have an incredible play area with airport-themed toys that Dalila loved!

Our next flight was a 12 hour one from Chicago to Amman, Jordan.  This was the one that had us really, really nervous.  Again - Dalila was a champ.  She slept for most of the time on this flight too, but also loved watching cartoons with Jeremy and I on the screens at each seat - those were great!!

Finally, our final flight took us from Jordan to Abu Dhabi.  After three hours of a screaming newborn (poor Mama!!) and Dalila sleeping through yet another flight, we were in our new city of residence.  The blast of steam filtering through the vents in the top of the plane was the first signal that we had reached an entirely new climate.  And man is it different!!!

Abu Dhabi:
Now that we're here, things have gone very smoothly.  The process of entering the country was incredibly simple and quite fast.  After a small hiccup with room assignments (we were given the same room as another teacher!!), we have begun settling in and trying to help Dalila adjust to the time zone.  She wants to sleep all day and climb on Mommy and Daddy all night.  I've met some wonderful people from all over the world and am looking forward to getting my housing assignment soon.

One surprising element that Jeremy and I are constantly remarking on is the incredible similarities to life at home.  We went shopping for some necessities at the Marina Mall (HUGE!!) and stopped at Carrefour - a store very similar to Target or Walmart back home.  Here, we were able to stock our hotel fridge with food and score a straightener to flatten my poor, overly hydrated hair.  We've also marveled at the kindness expressed by so many people we've run into, from tourists to locals.  Abu Dhabi is an incredible mixture of many, many different nationalities...so everyone is able to feel welcome.  I'm constantly surprised by the kindness offered by locals even as they fast during their holy month of Ramadan.  With this heat and an empty stomach, I'm not sure I'd be able to do the same!

Our family is doing our best to make this new world our home, and, so far, we've been quite successful.  We're excited to see what will happen next and continue to build on these friendships we've started.  We miss everyone at home, but please know that we feel incredibly safe and comfortable here.  We're home!!

Pictures:
This is a view of some of the amazing buildings near our hotel.  That misty look to the photo is actually moisture build-up on the lens of the camera!



Lila and Mommy on the beach at the Intercontinental Hotel





Here, Lila was very crabby and wanted to go to sleep - poor girl!!  When we got back to the room after our walk, she was playful and happy again.  No worries!!