We have now been in Abu Dhabi for 5 days, but it feels like so much longer!!!
We arrived here at the Intercontinental Hotel at almost 4:00 a.m. Friday morning after the longest trip in the history of the world! The kids did amazingly well and slept for most of the longest flight (almost 11 hours.) We were fed three times throughout the journey and had our own personal TVs on the back of the seat in front of us to watch movies, shows, and play games. We went through security in each airport (Greenville, Chicago, Istanbul, and Abu Dhabi), which as you know is quite an adventure these days, especially with two kids, six carry-ons, two laptops, a router, and of course shoes to be removed. But we survived.
The first two days were rough but we got over jet lag quickly and were on Abu Dhabi time and sleeping normal hours by Saturday night. I've talked to so many parents whose kids are still not sleeping well, so we know we are very blessed that our kids have adjusted so quickly.
We've familiarized ourselves with taxi procedures, shopping at the mall (the nation's pastime) and at Carrefour (the French version of Wal-Mart), Ikea and other furniture stores, setting up phones, Skype, and Google Voice to call home. We've learned where to eat during the day since it's Ramadan and most restaurants/shops are closed in the afternoon. Griffen even said the other day that Abu Dhabi is a lot like home, other than the fact that some people talk and dress differently.
I had orientation on Sunday (the first day of the work week here) and found out we will be living in Al Ain, which we are happy about because it is a smaller city and very family friendly. Al Ain is known as an 'Oasis' because it is a natural spring in the middle of the desert. I was able to visit our new flat there yesterday and was blown away by the beauty. Sand dunes and mountains surround the city, which is full of green: trees, flowers, and even grass!
Our flat is brand new and in a building with other teachers with families. It has three bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms (that's a lot of toilets to clean!), each bedroom has a huge wardrobe, and every surface is covered in tile and marble. It's absolutely gorgeous and I can't wait to start furnishing and decorating!
The next few weeks will be filled with more orientation stuff, moving to Al Ain, making our house feel like home, renting a car, finding schools for the kids, getting to know new friends, and so much more!
I will leave you with a few pictures to document our journey so far...
The view of the pool and marina from our hotel room at the Intercontinental (did I mention it is a 5 star hotel?)
View of the city from the other side of the hotel
Token pic of the bidet...
Having fun swimming with new friends!
Trying new restaurants...
Eating new food (kabob khish khash)
And enjoying it with our soon to be new neighbors!
I have so much more to share but will leave it for another day. Thank our for your continued thoughts and prayers! We couldn't have asked for a better experience so far!
We arrived here at the Intercontinental Hotel at almost 4:00 a.m. Friday morning after the longest trip in the history of the world! The kids did amazingly well and slept for most of the longest flight (almost 11 hours.) We were fed three times throughout the journey and had our own personal TVs on the back of the seat in front of us to watch movies, shows, and play games. We went through security in each airport (Greenville, Chicago, Istanbul, and Abu Dhabi), which as you know is quite an adventure these days, especially with two kids, six carry-ons, two laptops, a router, and of course shoes to be removed. But we survived.
The first two days were rough but we got over jet lag quickly and were on Abu Dhabi time and sleeping normal hours by Saturday night. I've talked to so many parents whose kids are still not sleeping well, so we know we are very blessed that our kids have adjusted so quickly.
We've familiarized ourselves with taxi procedures, shopping at the mall (the nation's pastime) and at Carrefour (the French version of Wal-Mart), Ikea and other furniture stores, setting up phones, Skype, and Google Voice to call home. We've learned where to eat during the day since it's Ramadan and most restaurants/shops are closed in the afternoon. Griffen even said the other day that Abu Dhabi is a lot like home, other than the fact that some people talk and dress differently.
I had orientation on Sunday (the first day of the work week here) and found out we will be living in Al Ain, which we are happy about because it is a smaller city and very family friendly. Al Ain is known as an 'Oasis' because it is a natural spring in the middle of the desert. I was able to visit our new flat there yesterday and was blown away by the beauty. Sand dunes and mountains surround the city, which is full of green: trees, flowers, and even grass!
Our flat is brand new and in a building with other teachers with families. It has three bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms (that's a lot of toilets to clean!), each bedroom has a huge wardrobe, and every surface is covered in tile and marble. It's absolutely gorgeous and I can't wait to start furnishing and decorating!
The next few weeks will be filled with more orientation stuff, moving to Al Ain, making our house feel like home, renting a car, finding schools for the kids, getting to know new friends, and so much more!
I will leave you with a few pictures to document our journey so far...
The view of the pool and marina from our hotel room at the Intercontinental (did I mention it is a 5 star hotel?)
View of the city from the other side of the hotel
Token pic of the bidet...
Having fun swimming with new friends!
Trying new restaurants...
Eating new food (kabob khish khash)
And enjoying it with our soon to be new neighbors!
I have so much more to share but will leave it for another day. Thank our for your continued thoughts and prayers! We couldn't have asked for a better experience so far!
Elizabeth this is so wonderful!!! What an amazingly blessed journey so far ;) Thank you for the updates and look forward to more!!!
ReplyDeleteElizabeth, we started back to school today. You were missed! I think it's amazing what you're doing. I'm excited about hearing a lot more about this awesome journey.
ReplyDeleteGod bless you and your family!
Debra Garner
This sounds so exciting! We are so happy to hear that the kids have adjusted well and that the experience is going so well for you now. We're missing you and excited at the same time it's so bitter sweet. We will continue to keep you and your family in our prayer(Christian and Islam), so you get double! Lol!
ReplyDeleteLots of love,
Toni and Achraf
It is good to know that the kids have no problem adjusting with the new place. That is a good start for them there.
ReplyDeleteproperty shop investment