Al Ain Living

 Finally, here are  pictures of our furnished flat in the  Al Muwaiji Village complex and our immediate surroundings!

Welcome to our home in Al Ain! Check out the long hallway.

The living/dining room is on the left with the bright orange sofa. We needed the color!

The dining area and office is on the other side of the room.

Almost directly across the hall from the living area is our small kitchen. 

With having such a small kitchen, we opted for a small oven and a two plate burner, instead of 

a full size oven.

Half way down the hall, there is a long niche 

where the washer/dryer unit and other items 

are hidden behind a curtain.

At the end of the hallway turn left, and we arrive at E's room.

And, it is clean!

Our room is just next door.

 Our flat/complex is within a 5-8 minute walk to shopping, healthcare, and book store of sorts.   

  

   As a teacher, if you are sick, you are required to go to the          

   doctor for a leave form. I was recently sick, and having this 

   center so close to the flat was great!



   Al Ain Co-op Society is a grocery store that we sometimes frequent. Next door 
   is Al Farooj (the red store front) where you can pick up a grilled chicken 

   dinner.  Next to that is a laundry and video store.

This mosque is between the co-op and our complex.

The barren walk back to Muwaiji Village.

Back entrance of Muwaiji

This last photo was taken from the roof of our building which looking out over the front of Al Muwaiji Village with the view of a larger mosque.

Moving on to Al Ain

All ADEC employees attended the Bedaya  (Begining Forum) this Sunday at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center. (This was the former location for Formula 1 racing before it was moved to Yas Island. We all wondered why there were bleachers facing the freeway.)  

We said goodbye to the Intercontinental  Hotel in Abu Dhabi ...our home for 3 weeks!

E's last night sleeping on his cushions.

The mint lemonade at the Columbiano Restaurant will be missed.

You can find the yummiest non-alcoholic drinks in Abu Dhabi.

Off to Al Ain we go!

We rented a car a couple days prior to the move, so instead of taking the bus, we drove. It was a good thing, because the bus ended up leaving at 11am instead of at 8am. Our sofa was being delivered  to our flat, and the delivery men were to call 30 minutes prior to the delivery...insh'Allah. They called just as we were entering the city.

At this point in the week, I thought I was probably starting school the next day, E 's school orientation was definitely the next day, we still needed several kitchen appliances, and I was beginning to feel a bit stressed. While Fadi took care of the delivery, I  went out to run errands ( my first driving experience). I was feeling very confident in my driving and maneuvering in the city, and in getting the  internet/cable/phone set up along with purchasing some appliances. After exiting the Lu Lu Hypermarket, I ended up turning into the line for the border crossing to Oman. Once I got out of line, I found myself lost for about an hour before miraculously finding my way to our compound. Finding your way around is not very easy when the GPS does not always work, and you're by yourself trying to read a map. But, I'll tell you more about  the driving and finding your way around in a future blog. Fortunately, we found our way to the the Hilton Hotel later that evening.

The flat is almost ready for us to move in. However, until the curtains are installed, we will be staying in the hotel. .By the way, no more pictures of the flat till it is done. Really and truly, the camera battery die on me, and I didn't know where the charger was yesterday.

We have discovered some good places to shop close to our place.

A farmers market we happened upon at the back of a new souk.

Yes, you can go to a supermarket, but why not buy your eggs from the poulrty shop in the souk. The gentlemen cut the cartoon down to 15  eggs, since 30 eggs would have been too much for us and our little frig.

Off to school we go!

Here is E in his Al Ain International School uniform (the last picture taken yesterday before the camera died). He attended orientation on Wednesday and met his teacher. Today was his first full day, and it seems all went well. He will be taking French, and he is one of two students that seems to have a good foundation in French. However, he said in his Arabic class (this is a required subject in all schools in the UAE, but it will not be graded) he is one of two students in his class that is new to Arabic. There are 19 students in his Year 4 class (the school is based on the British system). Another fact he shared, which seemed to excite him, was about the potential opportunity for some of the classes to go camping  in the desert for 2 nights sometime in March. Is E becoming adventuresome like his Mom?

It was my first day at school, too! I am at a grade 1-5 girls school less than 10 minutes from E"s school. It seems I am blessed in many other ways. I understand I have a knowledgeable principal, and I have a Head of Faculty (or "HOF," as they are called) who is not only very helpful, but knows English and Arabic (I believe this is rare).  The HOF is who I directly report to about any academic questions, needs, or issues with students. Also, I found out I am teaching grade 3! I am very pleased that I will not be split between two grades which almost happened. Hopefully, none of  this will not change...insh'Allah.

Students start at my school on Sunday. You may know, tomorrow, Thursday, is the last day of the work week here. Well, today---Wednesday, I just arrived at my school mid morning, after my bus got lost going to the meeting at the ADEC office to meet my HOF, and then everyone at my school left for the day at 1pm. Okay....so, if you are a teacher reading this blog, you know the state I have been in the last 2 days knowing that school is starting and I am completely unprepared. Therefore, I am trying to remain calm and just take care of what I have control over. I was quick to ask, "Can I come in over the weekend?" Thank God, there is a security guard that will be able to let me in the building! It may be a while before my next blog.

Observations

1. When walking out into night from an air condition space, you feel as if you walk into wall of humidity.

2. In Abu Dhabi, you very rarely see litter on the ground.

3. All the taxi drivers seem to like living and working in Abu Dhabi.

4. Restrooms in the malls all have attendants. They especially come in handy when you have rushed into a stall and found the toilet paper roll empty.

5. After two weeks, women in sleeveless shirts and shorts stick out like a sore thumb.

6. The whole city is a construction site.

7. Everyday, you interact with people from all parts of the world.

8. Fadi has also noticed how the mosque are not as colorful as in Syria or Lebanon.

9. Personal space here can be tiny compare to personal space in America.

10. The architecture is incredible!

11. Most days the sky is hazy. I am told this is sand that blows in from either Saudi Arabia or Iran.

12. Malls are "playgrounds" for  individuals and families.

13. After riding with some of the taxi drivers, I am prepared to go to Ferari World and ride the roll coaster.

14. When looking for a parking place in the mall parking garage, there are red or green lights at the end of each spot. So, if you spy green, you know there is an open place to park.

15. People are generally friendly and helpful.

Dubai

Monday, the EMTs had the opportunity to take a chartered bus to the Dubai . Of course, we were dropped off at the Dubai Mall (where else, but another mall). Following is some of what we encountered during the almost 8 hour stay.

As we walked down the side of the mall, we came to this setting with the Burj Khalifa in the background. For some reason, I just couldn't fit all 2,715.5ft of it in the picture. Currently, it is the tallest building in the world and  you'll get see the rest it later.

Walking into the mall, we were met by a spectacular waterfall with 

statues of  divers.

No matter what country I have visited, there is always a Texas

restaurant, and the U.A.E. is no different.  However, I have 

never seen an Asian waitstaff break out into line dancing...

Our group was LOL!. Just so you know, we actually ate at a 

sushi restaurant.

 

After getting lunch, we decided to head out of the mall and go to the souks. It was suggested that we go the "Silk Souk" and take an abra (boat) to the "Gold Souk." Some of the shops were closed, but we kept exploring and found some open. Shon, one of the EMTs, made it by at least four "salesmen" before getting halted and dressed by this one.

I will definitely be back this way again.

We  took an abra across the Dubai Creek to the "Gold Souk."  

This is  certainly not like any "creek" I have known.

 At first, I thought someone had hung laundry all over this boat. But, upon closer inspection the clothes appeared to have yellow sales tags on them. I wonder how many customers shop this
boat? 

The heat was too much  for all of us. We stopped

for water, crossed the "creek" again,  had a 

snow cone, and hightailed it back to the mall.

Arriving at the mall, Emile found a car he liked.

The Souk section of Dubai Mall. My, how things

change.

Ducati Cafe

Versace sofa anyone? 

E kept wanting to go to the third floor, we 

soon found out he spied the Build-A-Bear 

Workshop where he built Chameau...his camel.

Delice Chocolatier

And here is the rest of the Burj.

Dubai is still busy building and expanding.

  As we left Dubai, here is one of the many complexes we saw 

  which houses laborers. As we passed, there were groups of

  men either  playing cricket or soccer outside their buildings.