Living the life

Ramadan ended on Saturday, August 18th, and we enjoyed celebrating a three day holiday called Eid al-Fitr in our new country.  During Ramadan, Muslims spend much time in prayer and meditation and also give generously to others less fortunate.  It is illegal to eat or drink in public during the daylight hours (non-Muslims can of course partake in privacy) so most shops and restaurants are closed until after sunset at 7:00pm when the fast breaks each day.

During the Eid holiday the malls were packed with people shopping, eating, enjoying live music and watching traditional dances, getting henna tattoos (which are temporary), and spending time with friends and family.

We took a bus back to Al Ain on Monday so Mark and the kids could see the new house.  We also looked at some used appliances we are buying from a teacher there.  We got to see a lot more of our new city and even ran into Hello Kitty and Sponge Bob in the mall there (I had pictures of the kids with the characters but they were deleted by Griffen unfortunately.)

Here are some pictures that my friend AnnaMarie took of our new flat (mine were deleted as well.)

 












Living/Dining Room

 











Lovely kitchen

Each bedroom has a small enclosed balcony,

wardrobe for storage, and en suite bath.











Next week we will be getting our school and grade level assignments.  We are also supposed to be moving to a hotel in Al Ain then too, Inshallah.  With Ramadan and the Eid holiday things are moving slower than we would like.  But it's hard for any of us to complain when we are living in a 5 star hotel!  We have enjoyed spending time at the pool every single day!

Here are some random pictures...

Housekeeping even takes good care of the kids' babies/animals!

Posing by a beautiful fountain in Marina Mall









The money here is called 'durhams.'  One dollar=3.65 dirhams.  So 100 dirhams= 27 dollars.

At the grocery store today we spent 169 durhams, or $46.

It has taken a while to get used to and even the kids are finally saying durhams instead of dollars

I have officially stepped back into the 90's with my new cell phone.  It's crazy going from a smart phone touch screen droid to this.  But it will do for now.

Having 'grown-up time' while a friend volunteered to watch our combined 6 kids!  We had so much fun eating at the Belgian Cafe in the hotel!!!








Hopefully, I will be updating soon with more pictures.  Griffen is no longer allowed to touch the camera!

Let me know if you have questions.  I am happy to answer any and all.
Thank you again for your support, love and prayers!

We made it!

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!

A few interesting facts...

We  have been super busy preparing for our departure in 3 days!!!  We fly out Wednesday for a 26 hour trip with connections in Chicago and Istanbul, Turkey before arriving in Abu Dhabi at 1:45 a.m. Friday morning.

I wanted to share some general information about Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates, as it is an amazing country

• Abu Dhabi is the capital and the second largest city (Dubai is the largest) in the UAE and is the center of the country's political, economic, and cultural activity
• They declared their independence in 1971 from Great Britain and celebrate 'National Day' on December 2nd 
• The country is made up of seven different emirates with Abu Dhabi being the largest
• The UAE contains the world's 7th largest oil reserve 
• As much of the area is desert, temperatures can reach over 120 degrees in the summer and is hot and sunny year round
• In 2010, the estimated population was 8,264,070, with only 13% being Emirate nationals
• Islam is the major religion, although the government follows a policy of tolerance toward other religions
• Women have rights are not required to stay covered, although many Emirates follow traditional Muslim attire
• It is 8 hours ahead of US Eastern Standard Time
• It is a tax-free hub with no sales tax, income tax, or customs duty 

Here are some of the attractions I can't wait to see and experience:

Ski Dubai (indoor ski park)




Burj Khalifa aka the tallest building in the world




Ferrari World Amusement Park




Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque,



Camel Racing (Yes, those are robots jockeys)




I may be unavailable for the next week or so but promise to update as soon as I can.  See you on the other side of the pond!  :-)