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!!
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!!
The beach is beautiful! I can't imagine that kind of humidity. We spent a week in WA and visited the Olympic Peninsula, and just that amount of moisture in the air made mine and Bailey's hair a big frizzy mess. I'm glad it's gone smooth so far. Good luck! We'll really miss you in 2 weeks, when school gets underway :)!
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