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.
Saturday, 25 October 2008
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.
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