We decided to spend a quiet evening in for New Year's Eve. The $1200.00 per person (beverages extra) New year's Dinner and party at the Atlantis hotel was tempting. Beckham and Posh are in town, so perhaps we might have been able to dine with them.
Actually, any New Year's eve planning was for not. The Sheikh decided today that all celebrations had to be cancelled out of respect for the the residents of Gaza.
For those of you who might be worried - we are completely safe here in Dubai. Any hostilities that are going on in the other countries of the Middle East are not affecting us here.
Wednesday, 31 December 2008
Monday, 29 December 2008
Season's Greetings
Just a quick note to say Season's Greetings.
I realize it has been a while since my last post. We have recuperated from our National Day trip. We spent the rest of the vacation doing touristy things around town and getting ready for Christmas. I'll fill in more details and post some pictures soon.
Zoe's birthday was the Friday before Christmas. We surprised her with horse back riding lessons. You can imagine how thrilled she was. She took her first lesson on Christmas eve (not quite "dashing through the snow on a one horse open sleigh") and was surprised at how much was involved.
Our first Christmas in Dubai was wonderful. Santa bought the kids bicycles and they were able to ride them in the vacant parking lot next door. Rick cooked a traditional Christmas meal (complete with stuffing and cranberries this time) and we had a friend over to share it with us. I was able to go in late and leave early on Christmas day but it was strange to be working. Surprisingly I was busier than I have been in a long time. Sunday was the day that the Islamic New Year was celebrated, so it was a 3 day weekend.
Wednesday, 3 December 2008
UAE National Day
December 2nd was UAE National Day. For several days before, the excitement was building. People put small flags on their car windows, and full size flags over their trunks and hoods. They put red, green, white and black decals all over the cars, painted "UAE" on their cars, even glued gems all over their cars. Several cars have patriotic windshield advertisements (like the ones on bus windows).
Our local friends invited us to go to Abu Dhabi (about 1 and a half hour drive) for the day and to watch the fireworks. Against our better judgement, we agreed.
We planned to leave town at 11:30 sharp - and left at 12:30. We followed them which initially was okay because traffic was light. After a while, we stopped for a pit stop at a gas station. Then, 30 minutes later, we stopped at another gas station, and they went in the lube stop for an oil change! It turns out that they had invited 2 other families and that was where we were meeting. We waited for about an hour before they finally arrived. Now, we were a caravan of 4 vehicles. When we got into Abu Dhabi, it became clear that no one knew where we were going. Eventually after several wrong turns and a few stops for discussions, we found the park. We had a picnic and the kids all played on the playgrounds. It was a beautiful park with lots of play structures, grass, trees and walkways. At about 5:30, we quickly packed up to head to the corniche for the fireworks, which started at 8:30.
The drive was absolutely insane. Traffic was bumper to bumper and moving along at a crawl. People had silly string and some spray foam stuff and were spraying it out their windows at passing vehicles. Some got out and ran between the 3 lanes of traffic spraying in peoples windows. At least every second vehicle had people (mostly kids and teenage boys) standing through the sun roofs, sitting on the roof or sitting out the windows. I must admit that I was convinced to let the kids stand up and look through the sun roof while we were caught up in the traffic. Interestingly, we saw lots of teen age boys, young men, and children. The only Emirati females we saw (other than young children) were a group of 5 adolescents. Most of the cars windows were too dark to see in, but I assume there were some families because of the young children. I would have taken pictures, but it would be impossible to capture the extent of the crazyness and I was reluctant to open the windows for fear of getting hit with silly string. Everyone was happy and honking their horns in rhythm. The buildings were decorated with strings of lights. One even had a video projected on the walls. There were festive lights decorating the streets. It was really quite an experience.
We were quite certain that we would never get to a place where we could park to see the fireworks. We appeared to be on an island, but I'm not sure. Unbelieveably, we made it to a mall shortly before 8:30 - and all 4 vehicles met up there!
The fireworks were like nothing we have ever seen before. They were set of from 2 sites in unison - stereo fireworks and lasted for 45 minutes!
After the fireworks, we thought we might be better off by going to the mall for a bit (to get a coffee for the drive home) and letting the crowd thin out. That was probably not a good idea because as it got later, the traffic did not thin out and the people got more and more out of control. These young men driving their ultra expensive, new Land Cruisers and Lexus SUVs were constantly revving their engines. It seemed that they were trying to blow their engines - and from the sounds of the cars and all of the backfiring, they were relatively successful. It is a good thing that alcohol and drugs are not prevalent here, because, I can not imagine how wild it would have been with intoxicated people. They continued to run through the streets barefeet. They opened their doors and stood (one out each door) rocking the cars as hard as they could. They jumped in the back of pick up trucks (presumably of strangers). It took us about 2 hours to drive the approximately 10 - 15 kilometers to get out of town. Every street was packed with traffic. The intersections where the police were directing traffic were completely congested and almost impossible to get through. At one intersection, they made the traffic turn so we weren't able to go the direction we wanted to to get out of town. We had never been to Abu Dhabi and fortunately our GPS made no mistakes in directing us out (we didn't even try to keep together with the others). Fortunately, almost all of the celebraters were from Abu Dhabi and the drive home was not in too heavy traffic.
Chase had fallen asleep almost immediately and slept the entire way home. Zoe refused to sleep and was awake until we were well on the highway again. We finally arrived home at 2 am.
Our local friends invited us to go to Abu Dhabi (about 1 and a half hour drive) for the day and to watch the fireworks. Against our better judgement, we agreed.
We planned to leave town at 11:30 sharp - and left at 12:30. We followed them which initially was okay because traffic was light. After a while, we stopped for a pit stop at a gas station. Then, 30 minutes later, we stopped at another gas station, and they went in the lube stop for an oil change! It turns out that they had invited 2 other families and that was where we were meeting. We waited for about an hour before they finally arrived. Now, we were a caravan of 4 vehicles. When we got into Abu Dhabi, it became clear that no one knew where we were going. Eventually after several wrong turns and a few stops for discussions, we found the park. We had a picnic and the kids all played on the playgrounds. It was a beautiful park with lots of play structures, grass, trees and walkways. At about 5:30, we quickly packed up to head to the corniche for the fireworks, which started at 8:30.
The drive was absolutely insane. Traffic was bumper to bumper and moving along at a crawl. People had silly string and some spray foam stuff and were spraying it out their windows at passing vehicles. Some got out and ran between the 3 lanes of traffic spraying in peoples windows. At least every second vehicle had people (mostly kids and teenage boys) standing through the sun roofs, sitting on the roof or sitting out the windows. I must admit that I was convinced to let the kids stand up and look through the sun roof while we were caught up in the traffic. Interestingly, we saw lots of teen age boys, young men, and children. The only Emirati females we saw (other than young children) were a group of 5 adolescents. Most of the cars windows were too dark to see in, but I assume there were some families because of the young children. I would have taken pictures, but it would be impossible to capture the extent of the crazyness and I was reluctant to open the windows for fear of getting hit with silly string. Everyone was happy and honking their horns in rhythm. The buildings were decorated with strings of lights. One even had a video projected on the walls. There were festive lights decorating the streets. It was really quite an experience.
We were quite certain that we would never get to a place where we could park to see the fireworks. We appeared to be on an island, but I'm not sure. Unbelieveably, we made it to a mall shortly before 8:30 - and all 4 vehicles met up there!
The fireworks were like nothing we have ever seen before. They were set of from 2 sites in unison - stereo fireworks and lasted for 45 minutes!
After the fireworks, we thought we might be better off by going to the mall for a bit (to get a coffee for the drive home) and letting the crowd thin out. That was probably not a good idea because as it got later, the traffic did not thin out and the people got more and more out of control. These young men driving their ultra expensive, new Land Cruisers and Lexus SUVs were constantly revving their engines. It seemed that they were trying to blow their engines - and from the sounds of the cars and all of the backfiring, they were relatively successful. It is a good thing that alcohol and drugs are not prevalent here, because, I can not imagine how wild it would have been with intoxicated people. They continued to run through the streets barefeet. They opened their doors and stood (one out each door) rocking the cars as hard as they could. They jumped in the back of pick up trucks (presumably of strangers). It took us about 2 hours to drive the approximately 10 - 15 kilometers to get out of town. Every street was packed with traffic. The intersections where the police were directing traffic were completely congested and almost impossible to get through. At one intersection, they made the traffic turn so we weren't able to go the direction we wanted to to get out of town. We had never been to Abu Dhabi and fortunately our GPS made no mistakes in directing us out (we didn't even try to keep together with the others). Fortunately, almost all of the celebraters were from Abu Dhabi and the drive home was not in too heavy traffic.
Chase had fallen asleep almost immediately and slept the entire way home. Zoe refused to sleep and was awake until we were well on the highway again. We finally arrived home at 2 am.
Saturday, 29 November 2008
Apparently the rainy season has started here. We have had a couple overnight thunderstorms with a bit of rain. We had a big windstorm this morning and it has just started to rain.
We had soccer again this morning. The reality of being the only girl is hitting Zoe. She was the last to be picked and they won't pass the ball to her. She is frustrated and annoyed and knows it is because they are 7 year old boys. It doesn't seem to be affecting her enthusiasm. Chase seems to be enjoying being the biggest in his group. He shows of his speed and helps the younger ones get to where they are supposed to be.
We are looking forward to a 2 day week next week and then another long holiday (not vacation time). Tuesday in UAE National Day and it is followed by the second Eid. We will be off for a week and a half. We decided not to go away on vacation and will be turtle-sitting for our neighbour.
We had soccer again this morning. The reality of being the only girl is hitting Zoe. She was the last to be picked and they won't pass the ball to her. She is frustrated and annoyed and knows it is because they are 7 year old boys. It doesn't seem to be affecting her enthusiasm. Chase seems to be enjoying being the biggest in his group. He shows of his speed and helps the younger ones get to where they are supposed to be.
We are looking forward to a 2 day week next week and then another long holiday (not vacation time). Tuesday in UAE National Day and it is followed by the second Eid. We will be off for a week and a half. We decided not to go away on vacation and will be turtle-sitting for our neighbour.
Sunday, 23 November 2008
Getting ready for Christmas
I know it is way early, and in Canada I would definitely not do this - but we went to our neighbourhood supermarket and they had Christmas trees and decorations. One thing that we have learned here is to buy things when they are available because they don't last long and when they're gone, they're gone - kind of like Costco!
We got a 6 foot tree (obviously artificial), lights, ornaments and various other decorations. The kids and I could hardly wait to get home to put them up.
For the past several days, the kids have been making presents and wrapping them up. We already have over a dozen presents under the tree.
It seems funny that we were on our way home from soccer when we went to the store. They have been playing Saturday mornings for the last few weeks - once the weather got cool enough. It is not quite the same as Zoe played in Penticton because there are no uniforms or teams. There are about 16 kids in her age group and at the end of the practice they divide into teams for a scrimmage based on the colour of shirt they happen to be wearing . I wasn't able to get too much information beforehand - so we were not prepared for the fact that Zoe is the only girl in her age group. At first she was concerned but she agreed to play for the day anyway. Now she has so much fun that she can hardly wait to get back each week. The boys don't talk to her - typical 7 year old boys, but they don't exclude her either. She actually holds her own very well and is probably about the middle of the pack talent wise. Where she really shines is the effort she puts in and the speed at which she races down the field. Another difference from Penticton is that parents are allowed to cheer and coach from the sidelines - and the scrimmages are really quite exciting so there is lots to cheer about.
Chase got off to a slower start. He was placed in the beginner group (and he expected to be playing with Zoe) because he really has no experience. He appears to be about the oldest in his group and they spend most of the time running and doing ball handling. Fortunately, after the second week he made a friend and now he looks forward to going too.
Although the weather has cooled down considerably, it is still in the low 30's every day. They get pretty warm playing, but it is ideal weather for sitting on the sidelines.
Wednesday, 19 November 2008
A relaxing day out
Last weekend we got together a large group of people (adults and kids) and went to the Al Sahra Resort for lunch. It is a tourist destination - out in the desert with buildings made to look like rustic Arabic buildings with Majlis areas and firepits set out all around the large property. It is actually quite beautiful and we had the most relaxing time. The buffet included traditional Arabic food and a scrumptious dessert bar. Because we were a large group with children, we were given our own room. Lunch entertainment included belly dancing and acrobats. When the performers weren't busy, they took the kids for face painting, drawing activities and played with them in another huge room. After lunch, we went and sat outside in the Majlis (traditionally this is a sitting area, usually with cushions on the ground but we had sofas, where the men sit around and discuss ????) No one minded that we sat there all afternoon and chatted. The kids ran around the desert and played. There were some tiny shops selling carpets, jewelry, clothing and nic nacs and tourist trinkets. The highlight of the day was the camel rides! The kids went on several times and I even got on one. When Chase got on we were struck with how big they really are. The camel standing up and especially getting back down are the spooky parts - especially considering how tall they are. I'll post photos soon.
Saturday, 8 November 2008
Fujairah Road Trip
We actually spent Halloween day sightseeing. The drive to Fujairah is just over 100 kilometers. We had a vague idea of where we were going so we programmed the GPS and hoped for the best. The weather was sunny and warm (34) and the traffic was light!
Our first unexpected stop was Masafi - a large souk with huge open roadside shop after shop of carpets. There were some beautiful silk Persian rugs and runners of all sizes and cheesy touristy rugs. We ended up with 2 cushion covers instead! Part of the fun of the souk is negotiating the price. The first shop we stopped at wanted 200 dhs per cushion cover. We ended up paying 165 for both - and he threw in a coaster! Moving passed the carpets, the souks sell plants. We bought a beautiful hibiscus with orange and yellow flowers. So far we have had a new flower almost every day. It is still too hot to put it outside, so we are keeping it in our dining room. The next items were fruits and vegetables. We ate some delicious green citrus fruit that tasted like oranges and bought some sort of a beverage that we drank out of the shell. I think it must have been coconut milk. The man literally cut it off the tree and opened it for us.
Talk about a small world, we bumped into the principal and several teachers from the kid's school at the souk! After walking along for the equivalent of several blocks, we decided to stop shopping - there were several more shops on both sides of the highway - and get back on the road.
Wildlife along the roadside included camels and goats. We stopped to have a picnic and were joined by 3 very friendly (and hungry) goats. We saw several signs warning of camel crossing, but the ones we saw were all in the distance.
Fujairah is on the other side of the mountains. Apparently they are the result of an underground volcano thousands of years ago. The road was a beautiful modern highway. After passing through the mountains, we reached the coastline. It was very refreshing to see small villages with no highrises! We made a stop at the beach and collected shells from the Gulf. Chase even found a clam shell that was still closed. We found a couple starfish and several crabs, but decided to leave them rather than try and keep them as pets. Just when we decided to leave the beach, we noticed 2 gentleman walking along giving horse rides down the beach. Of course we couldn't make Zoe miss that opportunity. Chase even enjoyed a ride.
Thanks to everyone who lets us know you are reading and enjoying our blog. It's great to hear that you are out there and haven't forgotten about us.
Friday, 7 November 2008
Halloween
Halloween was a little different this year. There was absolutely no mention of the holiday at the kid's school. A few stores had a very limited selection of costumes, but the day basically came and went without any acknowledgement.
We actually spent the day of Halloween touring the Emirate of Fujairah - but that is another post. The next morning, we had a candy hunt inspired by the Easter bunny. The kids loved it, especially since they got to have candy for breakfast.
We were invited to a family Halloween party at the home of friends of aquaintances of ours in the afternoon. They live in Sharjah. Have I ever mentioned Sharjah traffic? It was bumper to bumper at 1:00 on a Saturday afternoon! When I say bumper to bumper, I mean that there is less than 2 feet between vehicles and people still push their way in - very stressful. Anyway, after driving like this for over half an hour (and getting only a few miles) we made a wrong turn and ended up on the road back to Dubai. Since we were quite late for the party and still had no idea where we were going and couldn't get a hold of anyone, we gave up and came home. We went over to another friend's home who lives in our building and the kids got to show off their costumes.
Saturday, 25 October 2008
Growing Up or Easy Peasy - NOT
Chase was invited on his first sleepover this weekend at the home of his "best mate" from school. Charlie's Mom works at the College with me so it was easy to work out a plan. Chase was to take Charlie's bus home. We spoke to the boys' teacher and he was going to make sure they both got to where they were supposed to go. Both boys were so excited and were counting sleeps at home and in the classroom.
I got a call from Charlie's Mom in the morning saying that there was a problem because traffic had been so bad in the morning that the bus never picked up Charlie. She brought him to work with her and he would not go to school. Our bus came early so we had no idea there was any sort of an issue. I was worried about how Chase would react when Charlie did not show up for school. Fortunately, the boys have a great teacher and he was able to break the news and the new plan to Chase. Chase took his regular bus home and Rick dropped him at the College. Chase very excitedly went home with Charlie and his Mom.
They promised us a good night call and it never came. We had arranged that they would call us at 2:00 for us to come and get Chase and there was still no call by 2:30. I couldn't wait any more and I called them. Good thing because they had lost our number and were trying to contact a mutual friend to get it! Chase had a fabulous time, but I am not sure how much sleeping went on. He was asleep within 5 minutes of getting in the car.
I got a call from Charlie's Mom in the morning saying that there was a problem because traffic had been so bad in the morning that the bus never picked up Charlie. She brought him to work with her and he would not go to school. Our bus came early so we had no idea there was any sort of an issue. I was worried about how Chase would react when Charlie did not show up for school. Fortunately, the boys have a great teacher and he was able to break the news and the new plan to Chase. Chase took his regular bus home and Rick dropped him at the College. Chase very excitedly went home with Charlie and his Mom.
They promised us a good night call and it never came. We had arranged that they would call us at 2:00 for us to come and get Chase and there was still no call by 2:30. I couldn't wait any more and I called them. Good thing because they had lost our number and were trying to contact a mutual friend to get it! Chase had a fabulous time, but I am not sure how much sleeping went on. He was asleep within 5 minutes of getting in the car.
Tuesday, 21 October 2008
Our Latest Milestone
We bought a little SUV on the weekend - a 4 seater 2000 Mitsubishi Pajero. Do I need to mention that it is white. The brakes needed to be repaired and Rick got the call yesterday that it was ready. He spent much of the day dealing with insurance and registration and getting the Salik tag (for the toll roads). He left the rental car down at the Auto Mall and we had to pick it up this evening so the rental company can pick it up tomorrow. That means that I had to drive for the first time. It wouldn't have been such a big deal, but when we ventured out, we realized that our route home was completely backed up and traffic was crawling along. We took an alternate route, but that too was bumper to bumper! And this is at 7:30 pm. They don't drive like us polite Canadians here! I needed to be inches from Rick's bumper the entire way home so that someone wouldn't squeeze in between us. I wasn't too sure of the route and was worried about getting lost.
I think that buying a car was the last of the things we needed to do to be completely settled in.
I think that buying a car was the last of the things we needed to do to be completely settled in.
Tuesday, 14 October 2008
Happy Thanksgiving
We celebrated Thanksgiving with 2 of our neighbours, one Canadian and one American. Rick made a fabulous dinner (of course). There had to be a few compromises. For instance, no such thing as Stove Top Stuffing over here, so he had to create his own. Then, no cranberries, so he substituted dried papayas. No pumpkin pie either and Rick is not a baker, so we bought a white forest cake! Unfortunately, they don't recognize Canadian Thanksgiving as a holiday in the UAE, so the kids and I were at school and work. It was lovely to come off the elevator at the end of the day and smell the turkey.
Thursday, 9 October 2008
Eid holidays
October 9, 2008
We are slowly getting into a routine after Ramadan and the Eid holiday week. I went back to work on Monday. The kids had the week off because it was an end of the term break. The weather is becoming more pleasant – low to mid 30’s every day. Something that has just recently occurred to me is that it has been sunny every day since we arrived. At first the sky was sandy and we have had a few mornings with a few clouds, but for the most part it has been blue sky.
We enjoyed a relaxing the Eid Holiday – and the fact that Ramadan has ended. Can you imagine how much I would whine if I actually fasted!!! It seems that the locals here continued on the night time schedule right through Eid. Every evening there was a traffic jam going in to and out of the mall all evening (and after I went to bed). We went over to the mall one morning and it was almost empty. The kids played in Adventureland, we had lunch and went to an afternoon matinee. When we came out of the theatre the mall was packed – like Christmas shopping.
Another day, we tried to go out for dinner at 7:00. The traffic to the mall had been bumper to bumper for hours, so we decided to try a different one and it was the same – no way even in to the parking lot. We decided to go to LuLu’s – a grocery store and so much more. Sort of like Walmart, but the focus is groceries. The parking lot was packed and the overflow parking lot was also completely full. Families were all dressed up and heading in obviously dressed for an evening out (at the grocery store.) We gave up and went to our local convenience store for nacho fixings. While we were there, we overheard a British couple in the exact same position. We learned our lesson and will always have food in the house.
Our other Eid excursions included a drive to the zoo in Al Ain. It is an inland city in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Apparently it is in an oasis. It was very lush and green. No lion incidents for Chase this time! We caught a glimpse of how the other half lives when we visited the Jumeirah Madinat in Dubai. This is a tourist destination complete with high-end hotels, waterways, and a souk selling very expensive jewelry, furniture, rugs, knick knacks and also tourist essentials like t-shirts and postcards. One evening we decided to brave the crowds of Sharjah and take in some evening Eid activities at the Sharjah Quasbah The highlight was the water fountain. We also went on the giant ferris wheel with enclosed gondolas and air conditioning! The kids wore themselves out in the playground and the huge blow up slides. Another day we went for a road trip to Umm Al Quwain and the Dreamland waterpark. We drove through 3 emirates and spent 6 hours at the waterpark and made it home for dinner. The most unusual part of the day was the people with their cameras. Everyone had cameras and they took hundreds of photos of themselves and their friends (adults) posing in the water. Every direction we looked, we could see at least a half a dozen cameras in the splash pool.
That’s about all for now. I need to figure out the slide show and download some of our pics.
We are slowly getting into a routine after Ramadan and the Eid holiday week. I went back to work on Monday. The kids had the week off because it was an end of the term break. The weather is becoming more pleasant – low to mid 30’s every day. Something that has just recently occurred to me is that it has been sunny every day since we arrived. At first the sky was sandy and we have had a few mornings with a few clouds, but for the most part it has been blue sky.
We enjoyed a relaxing the Eid Holiday – and the fact that Ramadan has ended. Can you imagine how much I would whine if I actually fasted!!! It seems that the locals here continued on the night time schedule right through Eid. Every evening there was a traffic jam going in to and out of the mall all evening (and after I went to bed). We went over to the mall one morning and it was almost empty. The kids played in Adventureland, we had lunch and went to an afternoon matinee. When we came out of the theatre the mall was packed – like Christmas shopping.
Another day, we tried to go out for dinner at 7:00. The traffic to the mall had been bumper to bumper for hours, so we decided to try a different one and it was the same – no way even in to the parking lot. We decided to go to LuLu’s – a grocery store and so much more. Sort of like Walmart, but the focus is groceries. The parking lot was packed and the overflow parking lot was also completely full. Families were all dressed up and heading in obviously dressed for an evening out (at the grocery store.) We gave up and went to our local convenience store for nacho fixings. While we were there, we overheard a British couple in the exact same position. We learned our lesson and will always have food in the house.
Our other Eid excursions included a drive to the zoo in Al Ain. It is an inland city in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Apparently it is in an oasis. It was very lush and green. No lion incidents for Chase this time! We caught a glimpse of how the other half lives when we visited the Jumeirah Madinat in Dubai. This is a tourist destination complete with high-end hotels, waterways, and a souk selling very expensive jewelry, furniture, rugs, knick knacks and also tourist essentials like t-shirts and postcards. One evening we decided to brave the crowds of Sharjah and take in some evening Eid activities at the Sharjah Quasbah The highlight was the water fountain. We also went on the giant ferris wheel with enclosed gondolas and air conditioning! The kids wore themselves out in the playground and the huge blow up slides. Another day we went for a road trip to Umm Al Quwain and the Dreamland waterpark. We drove through 3 emirates and spent 6 hours at the waterpark and made it home for dinner. The most unusual part of the day was the people with their cameras. Everyone had cameras and they took hundreds of photos of themselves and their friends (adults) posing in the water. Every direction we looked, we could see at least a half a dozen cameras in the splash pool.
That’s about all for now. I need to figure out the slide show and download some of our pics.
Wednesday, 24 September 2008
September 24, 2008
35 degrees in the evening feels like 47
This week went to a College organized Iftar. It was for faculty, families and students. We were very surprised to see that the students practically outnumbered the faculty and families. The food was traditional Arabic dishes. It was a great opportunity to try out food that we wouldn’t know how to order in a restaurant. The kids had a great time because they met up with some friends that we had met when we first arrived.
Friday morning we went exploring in Bur Dubai which is in the old part of Dubai along the creek. Much of the area is closed off to cars. The sidewalks are lined with tiny shops. Rick bought a belt for 5dhs – less than $2.00. We started with a long walk along the creek. A group of men from India asked if they could take a picture with the kids. They each had to pose for at least one photo. They even offered us money! The creek is lined with large ships unloading cargo shipped from nearby countries, dinner cruise boats, water taxis and expensive yachts. We decided to hire a boat for the trip back. Along the creek is the palace of the Sheik’s sister. The compound covers at least 4 blocks. We ended up in a traffic jam on the drive home. Apparently it was prayer time and the mosque parking lot was full – so several cars just parked on the street! Now, I am not talking about along the side of a small residential street. This was a major thoroughfare with 3 lanes in each direction. They didn’t just park in the curb lane, they parked on the inside lane!!
Just a few more days of Ramadan. I am not sure when it ends. It has something to do with the moon and some holy person has to say when it is over. He decides by watching the moon, so he only knows a day or two in advance. I don't get it because the phases of the moon are published in calendars months in advance. The upside is that after Ramadan is a national holiday -Eid Al Fitr. We found out last week that I will get all next week off, and not have to use any vacation days. There's a perk they didn't mention in the brochures!
We had our parent-teacher interviews at school yesterday. Both kids are doing great. Zoe's teacher did not even create any personal goal for her because she is doing so well and is so organized! Now that was a shock for us considering her lack of school tidiness over the last couple years. We were also surprised at the goals created by Chase's teacher - reading his "golden words", counting to 100 starting at numbers other than 1, skip counting forward and backward.
Our excitement for this week has been that we are finally connected to the internet!! Plus, we made the journey by ourselves to the Road and Traffic Authority and Rick got his UAE driver's license. Because it is Ramadan, the hours are shortened. We got there really early for 2 reasons. First we anticipated getting lost or stuck in traffic. And second, we had heard that they actually open earlier than they post and it is best to get there before the crowds. As we were walking in, we were greeted by an employee who told us they were closed. When we explained that we wanted to fill out a form before opening, he got one for us (even though the gentleman who gave it to him just refused to give one to us.) After completing the form, we noticed that people were beginning to line up, so we joined the line. One of the people monitoring the line suggested that we sit and wait until they were open. Rick explained that we wanted to stay in line rather than wait and end up at the back. The man was visibly upset and he went to speak to his manager. The next thing we knew, he asked us and 2 other Westerners to go with him. We went to the front of the line where our paperwork was reviewed and we were given our number ticket to wait for the first available licensing agent. This special treatment was because I was there. Women generally get separate and special treatment. That's another bonus they didn't mention in the brochures.
Bye for now
35 degrees in the evening feels like 47
This week went to a College organized Iftar. It was for faculty, families and students. We were very surprised to see that the students practically outnumbered the faculty and families. The food was traditional Arabic dishes. It was a great opportunity to try out food that we wouldn’t know how to order in a restaurant. The kids had a great time because they met up with some friends that we had met when we first arrived.
Friday morning we went exploring in Bur Dubai which is in the old part of Dubai along the creek. Much of the area is closed off to cars. The sidewalks are lined with tiny shops. Rick bought a belt for 5dhs – less than $2.00. We started with a long walk along the creek. A group of men from India asked if they could take a picture with the kids. They each had to pose for at least one photo. They even offered us money! The creek is lined with large ships unloading cargo shipped from nearby countries, dinner cruise boats, water taxis and expensive yachts. We decided to hire a boat for the trip back. Along the creek is the palace of the Sheik’s sister. The compound covers at least 4 blocks. We ended up in a traffic jam on the drive home. Apparently it was prayer time and the mosque parking lot was full – so several cars just parked on the street! Now, I am not talking about along the side of a small residential street. This was a major thoroughfare with 3 lanes in each direction. They didn’t just park in the curb lane, they parked on the inside lane!!
Just a few more days of Ramadan. I am not sure when it ends. It has something to do with the moon and some holy person has to say when it is over. He decides by watching the moon, so he only knows a day or two in advance. I don't get it because the phases of the moon are published in calendars months in advance. The upside is that after Ramadan is a national holiday -Eid Al Fitr. We found out last week that I will get all next week off, and not have to use any vacation days. There's a perk they didn't mention in the brochures!
We had our parent-teacher interviews at school yesterday. Both kids are doing great. Zoe's teacher did not even create any personal goal for her because she is doing so well and is so organized! Now that was a shock for us considering her lack of school tidiness over the last couple years. We were also surprised at the goals created by Chase's teacher - reading his "golden words", counting to 100 starting at numbers other than 1, skip counting forward and backward.
Our excitement for this week has been that we are finally connected to the internet!! Plus, we made the journey by ourselves to the Road and Traffic Authority and Rick got his UAE driver's license. Because it is Ramadan, the hours are shortened. We got there really early for 2 reasons. First we anticipated getting lost or stuck in traffic. And second, we had heard that they actually open earlier than they post and it is best to get there before the crowds. As we were walking in, we were greeted by an employee who told us they were closed. When we explained that we wanted to fill out a form before opening, he got one for us (even though the gentleman who gave it to him just refused to give one to us.) After completing the form, we noticed that people were beginning to line up, so we joined the line. One of the people monitoring the line suggested that we sit and wait until they were open. Rick explained that we wanted to stay in line rather than wait and end up at the back. The man was visibly upset and he went to speak to his manager. The next thing we knew, he asked us and 2 other Westerners to go with him. We went to the front of the line where our paperwork was reviewed and we were given our number ticket to wait for the first available licensing agent. This special treatment was because I was there. Women generally get separate and special treatment. That's another bonus they didn't mention in the brochures.
Bye for now
Wednesday, 17 September 2008
September 16
37° when I left for work at 8:30 this morning. It was so humid that the ground was wet in places.
We haven’t been doing too much since it is still Ramadan. It is forbidden to eat or drink in public in the day. Actually I read in the newspaper yesterday that 2 people were arrested for drinking juice in a gas station store during the day. They may be sentenced to 1 month in jail or a 2000 dirham fine! Restaurants are closed until sunset. Because it is so hot out, we can’t be outside for long without water. We have been spending our weekends driving around and trying to get to know the city – there is not much traffic early in the day. Ramadan lasts for the rest of the month, and we hear the weather will cool down then too.
Zoe was invited to a birthday party this past weekend. The birthday girl was a local Emirate girl and the party was something to behold. It started at 8 PM. I think that is because of Ramadan. The party was at the amusement park at the mall beside our house. We debated asking someone to watch Chase, but decided to bring him along, at least for a little while. We gathered at Toys R Us and the kids got their faces painted. We then moved over this crazy little shop that has jewelry, purses and kids activities. Each of the kids made a window clinger. Our plan was to get Zoe settled at the amusement park, and then take Chase to do a few rides on his own. Before we had a chance, the Dad of the birthday girl handed each of the kids, including Chase, a card to use on the games. They are like gift cards – you fill them with money and then they get swiped at each activity until the credits are gone. The kids all ran around in a frenzy going on the rides for a couple hours. At one point Chase ran out of credits and I thought he would be done for the evening. Not so, he told the father and he put more money on his card. Finally, at 11:00 we managed to gather all the kids together and leave the amusement park. Our plan was to go home, their plan was for food. They insisted that we eat and would not take no for an answer. Zoe asked for chicken nuggets and the store we were at didn’t have them for some reason. The birthday girl went to McDonald’s to get her some, even after we assured them that she would be happy with anything. Next, it was ice cream. Finally at almost 1 AM we gave the girl her gift and walked home. She was not allowed to open the gifts. And, when Zoe spoke to her on Sunday at school, she still had not been allowed to open them. I have asked around, and no one is able to explain why.
One day last week while Rick and the kids noticed the building swaying. They say that it felt like it moved several feet in each direction. Apparently it was an earthquake in Iran. We found out that all the buildings here are built to withstand earthquakes that are 9 on the Richter scale. Fortunately, earthquakes are rare in Dubai, but they do happen in region.
Bye for now,
RDZC
We haven’t been doing too much since it is still Ramadan. It is forbidden to eat or drink in public in the day. Actually I read in the newspaper yesterday that 2 people were arrested for drinking juice in a gas station store during the day. They may be sentenced to 1 month in jail or a 2000 dirham fine! Restaurants are closed until sunset. Because it is so hot out, we can’t be outside for long without water. We have been spending our weekends driving around and trying to get to know the city – there is not much traffic early in the day. Ramadan lasts for the rest of the month, and we hear the weather will cool down then too.
Zoe was invited to a birthday party this past weekend. The birthday girl was a local Emirate girl and the party was something to behold. It started at 8 PM. I think that is because of Ramadan. The party was at the amusement park at the mall beside our house. We debated asking someone to watch Chase, but decided to bring him along, at least for a little while. We gathered at Toys R Us and the kids got their faces painted. We then moved over this crazy little shop that has jewelry, purses and kids activities. Each of the kids made a window clinger. Our plan was to get Zoe settled at the amusement park, and then take Chase to do a few rides on his own. Before we had a chance, the Dad of the birthday girl handed each of the kids, including Chase, a card to use on the games. They are like gift cards – you fill them with money and then they get swiped at each activity until the credits are gone. The kids all ran around in a frenzy going on the rides for a couple hours. At one point Chase ran out of credits and I thought he would be done for the evening. Not so, he told the father and he put more money on his card. Finally, at 11:00 we managed to gather all the kids together and leave the amusement park. Our plan was to go home, their plan was for food. They insisted that we eat and would not take no for an answer. Zoe asked for chicken nuggets and the store we were at didn’t have them for some reason. The birthday girl went to McDonald’s to get her some, even after we assured them that she would be happy with anything. Next, it was ice cream. Finally at almost 1 AM we gave the girl her gift and walked home. She was not allowed to open the gifts. And, when Zoe spoke to her on Sunday at school, she still had not been allowed to open them. I have asked around, and no one is able to explain why.
One day last week while Rick and the kids noticed the building swaying. They say that it felt like it moved several feet in each direction. Apparently it was an earthquake in Iran. We found out that all the buildings here are built to withstand earthquakes that are 9 on the Richter scale. Fortunately, earthquakes are rare in Dubai, but they do happen in region.
Bye for now,
RDZC
Sunday, 7 September 2008
September 4
September 4, 2008
I started writing this last week, but didn’t have time to finish or send.
51 degrees at 11:00 am (still the same weather)
We have been in Dubai for just over 3 weeks now. Sometimes it feels like a lifetime and other times I can’t believe where the time has gone. Already things that seemed so foreign or peculiar when we arrived are becoming common place. So, while we still have the Canadian perspective, let me tell you about Dubai.
Okay, so the heat is obvious. In the evening, the temperature goes down to the low 30’s and that feels nice. We even open the windows of the car. Humidity seems to rise at night and we often wake up with fogged up windows – at least they aren’t frosted! We are actually getting accustomed to the heat.
When we first arrived, we were struck by the lack of colour. The sky was sand coloured. Apparently that is something that happens in the summer. Already the sky is getting more blue. 99% of the cars are white. Most of the rest are silver. We have learned that the reason is because of the heat - it is impossible to touch a dark coloured car.
Even in this incredible heat, long sleeved shirts and pants or ankle length skirts are customary. It appears that my work place has a very strict dress code and I have been told that I can’t even wear Capri pants. Rick needs to wear pants to drive into the parking lot to pick me up – even if he doesn’t get out of the car. Ramadan started on September 1 and we are needing to dress conservatively in respect to the Muslims. More about Ramadan later…
One of the very few downsides of Dubai that we heard about before leaving was the traffic. There is no way to comprehend or even imagine how bad it is until you actually see it. Apparently the roads were designed by the British and they certainly are very different from what we are used to. There are medians in the middle of all of the roads and you can not make a left turn. You need to drive to the next traffic light and make a U-turn. I can walk to work in about 10 minutes and if there is no traffic, it takes the same amount of time to drive because we need to go so far out of the way to turn around. Road design aside, the sheer volume of cars on the road is a huge adjustment for us. There is a rush hour in the morning, after work and at 8 pm. For those of us who complained about the “bridge traffic” and the delays during construction of the road to Kelowna – I am eating my words now. They are building an entire monorail system throughout the city, so you can imagine the construction delays and detours. They expect that it will be up and running by this time next year.
Our apartment is in a developing area of town. Every morning we look out our window to see a new road or a new building being put up. Rick counted 54 cranes from our apartment the other day. We are right next to a shopping mall, but it is in Sharjah, not Dubai. All that really means is that there is no road access from our side. We walk through a sand dune and a hole in the fence to get there. Shopping is the national pastime. Malls are open until midnight – even later now that it is Ramadan. Every mall has some sort of a play land for kids. The mall nearest to us has an amusement park – yes with 2 roller coasters, bumper cars, a log ride….There are activities for small children right through to arcades for teens. The kids’ favourite is the “castle.” It is similar to a McDonald’s play space, but 3 stories high.
Other than shopping and driving around (frequently lost) we have been having some fun. We have a pool and weight room on the roof of the apartment. The pool is chilled. We have been to the beach a few times. The kids’ love looking for crabs. Last time they went prepared with a container to bring them home in. So, for a short time, we had about 10 tiny crabs in a margarine size container. It was fascinating watching them. Unfortunately, they died. I guess we should research how to care for them before we try again.
My first day of work I was introduced to a lady from Ontario who has been here for 10 years with her husband. They have been fabulous about showing us around, giving us pointers and having us over for dinner. They took us to a camel souk (market). The camels are gone, but they still have little stores that make and sell blankets, halters, and earrings for the camels. Blankets can be bought before they put the holes in for the camels. We got one for each of the kids. Next door is a falconry (?) where they do have falcons for sale. We all got to hold one.
Last weekend we went to the Dubai Zoo. It is a few blocks right in the middle of downtown. It was quite amazing for the 2 dirham it cost each of us. That is about 65 cents!!! They have several lions, giraffes, emus, tigers, a bear, Arabian wolves, some type of deer, snakes, tortoises, and of course oryx and flamingoes, among other animals. While the kids were watching the lions, the male came up to the fence and peed! Chase got quite a direct hit, but Zoe wasn’t spared the experience either.
Our apartment is on the top floor of the building and it is huge. I think it has more square footage than our house did. The floors are all marble tiles. The walls seem to be some type of concrete, so we have been having some lovely echoes without any furniture, carpets or window coverings. The ceilings are about 10 feet. There are 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. All the countertops are granite. When they say it is “unfurnished accommodation” they mean it completely empty. We had to buy all the appliances. There aren’t even curtain rods. We spent a few nights sleeping on air mattresses and even longer sitting on lawn chairs and using boxes for our table. We still have box bedside tables and coffee table. We have a view in 3 directions and can barely see one of the lagoons where the beach is. It is not really that far to the beach, but there are lots of high rises around.
One of the biggest stressors that we have endured is with school. We spent a long time choosing the perfect school and got the children enrolled in the spring. The apartment we were given is quite a distance from the school and we have no other options of places to live. The bigger problem is the traffic. The school is off the major highway and we were told that it would be a 2 hour commute each direction! Needless to say, we had to scramble for a better option. Since it was summer when we discovered this, it was hard to find anyone at the schools to talk to. All the schools near the college are full – one even had 65 kids on the waiting list for Chase’s grade! Finally we found a school on the beach that had spaces for both kids. It is an Australian school that has only been open for 1 year. The kids started school on August 31st. They are soooo adorable in their uniforms with Aussie hats! The grades appear to be different in Australia and so Chase has been placed in grade 1 and Zoe in grade 4. So far those seem to be the correct levels for their abilities. They bus to school because, even though it is close, it is across the major traffic route. The roundabout by the school gets closed in the morning, so only school staff and buses are allowed to get through. They get on the bus at 7:20 and start school at 8:00. They say they have time to play before school starts (20 minutes according to Zoe). The bus picks up/drops off right at our door. If we are not there waiting, the driver phones to let us know he is there. They have bus attendance, so I don’t think there is a chance that the kids can miss the bus after school either. I don’t know when school is supposed to end because they have shortened hours for Ramadan.
I don’t know much about Ramadan – except how it affects us. I only work for 6 hours a day. In my office someone needs to be there from 8:30 until 5:00. We are taking turns doing the early and late shift between 5 of us and then the rest of the time we start when we want and stay 6 hours. Because the Muslims fast from before sunrise until sunset, we are not allowed to eat in public during those hours – not even water in the car! They covered up the windows in one café at the college and we bring our lunches to eat in there. Kids don’t have to fast, but the school canteen is not open anyway. The kids don’t have any restrictions on their food at school. Restaurants are not open until sunset. Apparently you can buy take out though, and grocery stores are open and sell prepared foods. After sunset, it is iftar. That is a feast to end the fast. There are tents set up all around the city and anyone can go and eat, sometimes for free, sometimes for a small cost. The Muslims seem to stay up until well after midnight – some all night long, visiting, praying, watching tv… Ramadan is a time for generosity, so they give gifts of small appliances. That means that there are big sales on. Stores have crazy opening times and they are not posted. I think they open at 9 or 10 instead of 8. They close for a while in the afternoon and open again after 7 and stay open until 1 or 2 am. Government offices have Ramadan hours too. It is a bit of an inconvenience while we are still trying to get settled in and don’t know when we can get things done. At least with the flexibility of my hours at work I can accomplish some things.
The Muslims pray 5 times a day. The mosques and shopping malls have a “call to prayer” for each of the times when the praying is to begin. It sounds like a song being broadcast over the loudspeaker. The malls all have prayer rooms. The times to pray are about an hour before sunrise, midmorning, lunchtime, early evening and around 8 pm. We fortunately do not live near a mosque because the call to prayer can last about 10 minutes. The 4:30ish am time can really interfere with sleep! Apparently during Ramadan, the announcement can last 1 hour long at each time.
Prices here are all over the place compared to Canada. Appliances are much cheaper. Furniture is about the same. They have Ikea! Coffee is hard to find and hugely expensive. We have resorted to instant and have gotten used to it. Most food is considerably cheaper. One exception to that is Kraft Dinner which is about $2.25 a box! They don’t have cheese whiz, but have a cream cheese/cheddar cheese spread that is not bad. We can’t find some things that we are used to, but if we wanted we could try camel milk. The biggy is gas. We fill the Toyota for about 40 dirham (about $13) – not the $50 it cost for my Toyota in Penticton.
I am now a resident, so I can get internet set up at home. When we figure out how to do it, we can keep in touch better. No more writing at home and taking it to work to put on emails and the blog. We have taken lots of pictures and will post them soon.
Bye for now,
Rick, Daryl, Zoe and Chase
I started writing this last week, but didn’t have time to finish or send.
51 degrees at 11:00 am (still the same weather)
We have been in Dubai for just over 3 weeks now. Sometimes it feels like a lifetime and other times I can’t believe where the time has gone. Already things that seemed so foreign or peculiar when we arrived are becoming common place. So, while we still have the Canadian perspective, let me tell you about Dubai.
Okay, so the heat is obvious. In the evening, the temperature goes down to the low 30’s and that feels nice. We even open the windows of the car. Humidity seems to rise at night and we often wake up with fogged up windows – at least they aren’t frosted! We are actually getting accustomed to the heat.
When we first arrived, we were struck by the lack of colour. The sky was sand coloured. Apparently that is something that happens in the summer. Already the sky is getting more blue. 99% of the cars are white. Most of the rest are silver. We have learned that the reason is because of the heat - it is impossible to touch a dark coloured car.
Even in this incredible heat, long sleeved shirts and pants or ankle length skirts are customary. It appears that my work place has a very strict dress code and I have been told that I can’t even wear Capri pants. Rick needs to wear pants to drive into the parking lot to pick me up – even if he doesn’t get out of the car. Ramadan started on September 1 and we are needing to dress conservatively in respect to the Muslims. More about Ramadan later…
One of the very few downsides of Dubai that we heard about before leaving was the traffic. There is no way to comprehend or even imagine how bad it is until you actually see it. Apparently the roads were designed by the British and they certainly are very different from what we are used to. There are medians in the middle of all of the roads and you can not make a left turn. You need to drive to the next traffic light and make a U-turn. I can walk to work in about 10 minutes and if there is no traffic, it takes the same amount of time to drive because we need to go so far out of the way to turn around. Road design aside, the sheer volume of cars on the road is a huge adjustment for us. There is a rush hour in the morning, after work and at 8 pm. For those of us who complained about the “bridge traffic” and the delays during construction of the road to Kelowna – I am eating my words now. They are building an entire monorail system throughout the city, so you can imagine the construction delays and detours. They expect that it will be up and running by this time next year.
Our apartment is in a developing area of town. Every morning we look out our window to see a new road or a new building being put up. Rick counted 54 cranes from our apartment the other day. We are right next to a shopping mall, but it is in Sharjah, not Dubai. All that really means is that there is no road access from our side. We walk through a sand dune and a hole in the fence to get there. Shopping is the national pastime. Malls are open until midnight – even later now that it is Ramadan. Every mall has some sort of a play land for kids. The mall nearest to us has an amusement park – yes with 2 roller coasters, bumper cars, a log ride….There are activities for small children right through to arcades for teens. The kids’ favourite is the “castle.” It is similar to a McDonald’s play space, but 3 stories high.
Other than shopping and driving around (frequently lost) we have been having some fun. We have a pool and weight room on the roof of the apartment. The pool is chilled. We have been to the beach a few times. The kids’ love looking for crabs. Last time they went prepared with a container to bring them home in. So, for a short time, we had about 10 tiny crabs in a margarine size container. It was fascinating watching them. Unfortunately, they died. I guess we should research how to care for them before we try again.
My first day of work I was introduced to a lady from Ontario who has been here for 10 years with her husband. They have been fabulous about showing us around, giving us pointers and having us over for dinner. They took us to a camel souk (market). The camels are gone, but they still have little stores that make and sell blankets, halters, and earrings for the camels. Blankets can be bought before they put the holes in for the camels. We got one for each of the kids. Next door is a falconry (?) where they do have falcons for sale. We all got to hold one.
Last weekend we went to the Dubai Zoo. It is a few blocks right in the middle of downtown. It was quite amazing for the 2 dirham it cost each of us. That is about 65 cents!!! They have several lions, giraffes, emus, tigers, a bear, Arabian wolves, some type of deer, snakes, tortoises, and of course oryx and flamingoes, among other animals. While the kids were watching the lions, the male came up to the fence and peed! Chase got quite a direct hit, but Zoe wasn’t spared the experience either.
Our apartment is on the top floor of the building and it is huge. I think it has more square footage than our house did. The floors are all marble tiles. The walls seem to be some type of concrete, so we have been having some lovely echoes without any furniture, carpets or window coverings. The ceilings are about 10 feet. There are 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. All the countertops are granite. When they say it is “unfurnished accommodation” they mean it completely empty. We had to buy all the appliances. There aren’t even curtain rods. We spent a few nights sleeping on air mattresses and even longer sitting on lawn chairs and using boxes for our table. We still have box bedside tables and coffee table. We have a view in 3 directions and can barely see one of the lagoons where the beach is. It is not really that far to the beach, but there are lots of high rises around.
One of the biggest stressors that we have endured is with school. We spent a long time choosing the perfect school and got the children enrolled in the spring. The apartment we were given is quite a distance from the school and we have no other options of places to live. The bigger problem is the traffic. The school is off the major highway and we were told that it would be a 2 hour commute each direction! Needless to say, we had to scramble for a better option. Since it was summer when we discovered this, it was hard to find anyone at the schools to talk to. All the schools near the college are full – one even had 65 kids on the waiting list for Chase’s grade! Finally we found a school on the beach that had spaces for both kids. It is an Australian school that has only been open for 1 year. The kids started school on August 31st. They are soooo adorable in their uniforms with Aussie hats! The grades appear to be different in Australia and so Chase has been placed in grade 1 and Zoe in grade 4. So far those seem to be the correct levels for their abilities. They bus to school because, even though it is close, it is across the major traffic route. The roundabout by the school gets closed in the morning, so only school staff and buses are allowed to get through. They get on the bus at 7:20 and start school at 8:00. They say they have time to play before school starts (20 minutes according to Zoe). The bus picks up/drops off right at our door. If we are not there waiting, the driver phones to let us know he is there. They have bus attendance, so I don’t think there is a chance that the kids can miss the bus after school either. I don’t know when school is supposed to end because they have shortened hours for Ramadan.
I don’t know much about Ramadan – except how it affects us. I only work for 6 hours a day. In my office someone needs to be there from 8:30 until 5:00. We are taking turns doing the early and late shift between 5 of us and then the rest of the time we start when we want and stay 6 hours. Because the Muslims fast from before sunrise until sunset, we are not allowed to eat in public during those hours – not even water in the car! They covered up the windows in one café at the college and we bring our lunches to eat in there. Kids don’t have to fast, but the school canteen is not open anyway. The kids don’t have any restrictions on their food at school. Restaurants are not open until sunset. Apparently you can buy take out though, and grocery stores are open and sell prepared foods. After sunset, it is iftar. That is a feast to end the fast. There are tents set up all around the city and anyone can go and eat, sometimes for free, sometimes for a small cost. The Muslims seem to stay up until well after midnight – some all night long, visiting, praying, watching tv… Ramadan is a time for generosity, so they give gifts of small appliances. That means that there are big sales on. Stores have crazy opening times and they are not posted. I think they open at 9 or 10 instead of 8. They close for a while in the afternoon and open again after 7 and stay open until 1 or 2 am. Government offices have Ramadan hours too. It is a bit of an inconvenience while we are still trying to get settled in and don’t know when we can get things done. At least with the flexibility of my hours at work I can accomplish some things.
The Muslims pray 5 times a day. The mosques and shopping malls have a “call to prayer” for each of the times when the praying is to begin. It sounds like a song being broadcast over the loudspeaker. The malls all have prayer rooms. The times to pray are about an hour before sunrise, midmorning, lunchtime, early evening and around 8 pm. We fortunately do not live near a mosque because the call to prayer can last about 10 minutes. The 4:30ish am time can really interfere with sleep! Apparently during Ramadan, the announcement can last 1 hour long at each time.
Prices here are all over the place compared to Canada. Appliances are much cheaper. Furniture is about the same. They have Ikea! Coffee is hard to find and hugely expensive. We have resorted to instant and have gotten used to it. Most food is considerably cheaper. One exception to that is Kraft Dinner which is about $2.25 a box! They don’t have cheese whiz, but have a cream cheese/cheddar cheese spread that is not bad. We can’t find some things that we are used to, but if we wanted we could try camel milk. The biggy is gas. We fill the Toyota for about 40 dirham (about $13) – not the $50 it cost for my Toyota in Penticton.
I am now a resident, so I can get internet set up at home. When we figure out how to do it, we can keep in touch better. No more writing at home and taking it to work to put on emails and the blog. We have taken lots of pictures and will post them soon.
Bye for now,
Rick, Daryl, Zoe and Chase
Thursday, 14 August 2008
Getting Settled
Here we are in Dubai. It has been a whirlwind - sometimes frightening, sometimes overwhelming, and always exciting. For the past 5 nights we have been staying in a two bedroom apartment hotel. Our suite has 10 foot ceilings, marble floors throughout and granite countertops. I am certain that it has more square footage than our house!!!! We have one last night here and then we move into our apartment tomorrow.
We have spent the first few days here trying to overcome jet lag (I am faring the worst and the latest I have slept in is 2 AM!!!), becoming familiar with our area and trying to find furnishings for our apartment. It looks like we will be spending the first few nights on air mattresses because Rick is determined to find the best deal on furniture! Our problem has been trying to figure out how to get into many malls around here. We rented a car and have been trying to find our way using vague and inaccurate maps. Actually we did pretty well today. We made some wrong turns, but didn't get lost. Well I guess we are always feeling lost for now. At least we made it to everywhere we wanted to go and back to the hotel.
We stopped by the college the other day and I met some co-workers and chose my office. I officially start work on Sunday. Our apartment is in decent walking distance from the college. On cooler days I think that I will walk.
The kids are doing amazing at taking things one day at a time. They are having a good time, despite all the time wandering through stores looking for boring home furnishings. They don't seem any the worse for all the stress we are under. Now, it is a different story for Rick and I. We generally feel off balance and confused. Now that we have made progress in setting up our home, it is getting more comfortable.
I'll send photos when I get my computer set up - maybe even early next week.
bye for now,
Daryl
We have spent the first few days here trying to overcome jet lag (I am faring the worst and the latest I have slept in is 2 AM!!!), becoming familiar with our area and trying to find furnishings for our apartment. It looks like we will be spending the first few nights on air mattresses because Rick is determined to find the best deal on furniture! Our problem has been trying to figure out how to get into many malls around here. We rented a car and have been trying to find our way using vague and inaccurate maps. Actually we did pretty well today. We made some wrong turns, but didn't get lost. Well I guess we are always feeling lost for now. At least we made it to everywhere we wanted to go and back to the hotel.
We stopped by the college the other day and I met some co-workers and chose my office. I officially start work on Sunday. Our apartment is in decent walking distance from the college. On cooler days I think that I will walk.
The kids are doing amazing at taking things one day at a time. They are having a good time, despite all the time wandering through stores looking for boring home furnishings. They don't seem any the worse for all the stress we are under. Now, it is a different story for Rick and I. We generally feel off balance and confused. Now that we have made progress in setting up our home, it is getting more comfortable.
I'll send photos when I get my computer set up - maybe even early next week.
bye for now,
Daryl
Thursday, 31 July 2008
An Update
We are now on vacation along the Pacific Coast. We actually made it all the way to the Redwoods with lots of exciting stops along the way - whale watching, dune buggying, petting sharks...
I have just received our itinerary for our flights to Dubai. We leave August 7 at 5:45 from Penticton and arrive in Dubai on August 9th at 9:40 pm. Feel sorry for the other passengers with Chase on a plane for that long!!!!
Better run,
I'll post again soon.
Daryl
I have just received our itinerary for our flights to Dubai. We leave August 7 at 5:45 from Penticton and arrive in Dubai on August 9th at 9:40 pm. Feel sorry for the other passengers with Chase on a plane for that long!!!!
Better run,
I'll post again soon.
Daryl
Wednesday, 16 July 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
