The Corniche

We finally made it down to the Corniche. It's the road and walkway along the ocean front in Abu Dhabi. It must be an Arabic word for waterfront or something because I have heard of other "Corniche"s in other countries. Anyway, it was amazing. They have built up this huge sidewalk area for bikes, walkers, runners, mo-peds, etc! It is so beautiful. Then, of course, you are walking right next to the water which is amazing too! We parked across the street and had to walk in this underground tunnel that was beautifully tiled. Once we emerged there were three huge water fountains flanked by stairs that led to the walkway. I couldn't believe all the water! Incredible! Walking along we saw so many people there. It was near sunset, but there were a lot of expats and nationals milling around the area. Everyone was just out enjoying the sunset and the cool breeze coming off the ocean. We both regret that it has taken us this long to make it out there, but now we regret that we live so far away from it. Now we have said that everytime we go into town we will try to walk out along the water. One of our missions over the next two weeks is to visit the beach at the end of the Corniche, which we have heard is a good swimming beach. Can't wait!

Happy New Year!!!

Well the end of the holidays is WAY past and here we are in 2009! I am not one for making (or keeping) new year's resolutions, so I did not make one.

The school semester break starts on January 16th, so most everyone I work with is gearing up to go home. It's kind of like college - at semester break everyone abandons the campus. I don't know how many people will be around our villas for break, but we may be on our own! It will be a great time for us to do some more exploring around Abu Dhabi and Dubai. There are so many things that they have to offer and we have been promising ourselves to go see more, so this will be our time!

Well, I hope that you all are off to a good start to the new year... cheers and good luck :)

We are really looking forward to Christmas here. It's been a chilly 60 degrees Farenheit at night and around 75 or so during the day! It rained one drop on me Tuesday while I was driving home, but that's the most exciting weather we've had since our return from the US. I wanted to post some pictures of our Christmas tree to show our holiday spirit and help remind everyone that Chistmas is all about family and friends - uh, peace, love, harmony!!!

Etiquette a la Cell Phones

We take the use of cell phones for granted. Here, in Abu Dhabi, cell phone use is wide-spread and no one has bothered to create etiquette guidelines for public use.

People at home are reminded to turn off their cell phones at the start of a movie and usually everyone does. Here, there is no such thing as turning off your phone - much less during a movie. Everyone around you will text and call their friends during the show, they will even lean over and share things with their friends while the movie is playing. It's very distracting with a cell phone light blaring in your face from the row in front of you.

When I am working with my teachers they always have their cell phones. During my training sessions their phones will go off and they do not hesitate to answer them. They bring their purses into class with them and they will answer their phone in the middle of a their own lessons too. I went in to a classroom to observe a teacher with the principal and we sat in the back of the room. The principal received a call while the teacher was teaching a lesson and she answered her phone and began to talk. The students around us turned to see who was talking and she did not stop.

Also, we figure that when we are walking through an art gallery that no one will be talking on their phone, or they will leave the area as to not disturb other patrons. Back in August we went to see a Picasso show. It was so quiet throughout the entire place until we reached the last room. A guy was standing in the corner talking on his cell phone. I have to admit it was a little distracting but we were listening to the headphone tour so it wasn't too bad. Another patron, a British man, decided that it was way too distracting for an art show and began to scream at the man on his phone. It escalated fast and security showed up to try and calm the Brit down. We decided it was time to leave that room!

So, we have an appreciation for our courtesy with cell phones. Next time someone is using their cell phone in an inappropriate place just be glad that it doesn't happen ALL THE TIME!

the world is a vampire

I have become nocturnal, but at least I am not craving blood yet. It's about 7:00 am UAE time and I am finally feeling tired enough to go to bed. Ever since Sassafrass' mom left I have been gradually staying up later and later and it has become a routine to surf the internet and watch TV until the wee hours of the morning before going to bed. I feel guilty for wasting away the time I have here, but I can't seem to get back onto a normal schedule. I am looking for a graphic design job, but I have not found many openings in Abu Dhabi. I am considering looking for a position in Dubai, but I am not excited about having to commute an hour each way...again.

Even my own mind is against me. Last night I wasn't tired but went to bed earlier than usual, so I could wake up and get some stuff done to make myself feel more useful. I set my alarm but still slept until I woke up in the early afternoon. Sass said that she heard my alarm go off and then immediately get shut off. I don't have any memory of waking up to turn it off, so I must have done it while I was asleep!

I'm not looking for pity for having the privelege of being able to do nothing and stay up all night. I'm sure you are all saying, "Poor you! You have to stay home and do nothing all day and night!" I am just writing out my thoughts which will hopefully provide motivation to get off my ass and DO something. But be careful of what you wish for, because you might get it.

Ah good ol' homesickness

Now that the holidays are drawing near I am feeling a little more homesick. Even just looking at the pictures from everyone's Halloween parties makes me want to see you all! I will be home in January though, so it's just a matter of a few weeks, right?

Anyway, we have settled into a regular routine of life, so it seems that our updates and happenings are becoming further and further in between. I have heard that stores here will carry turkeys closer to the holidays, so maybe you can hear about my turkey cooking adventures (as I have never cooked my own turkey before!). Places where a lot of expats go are starting to put up some holiday decorations, so we may have to spend time in those places to really feel like we are part of the season too. We are also looking forward to buying a fake tree for the house because it's just not Christmas without one. As usual we will be sure to send a lot of pictures... here we go again!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

It has been hard to really get into the spirit of Halloween and the fall season when the weather is still like summer (although it is getting more bearable) but we still had a really good time this weekend celebrating in spooky style.

Last night we went to a Murder Mystery Dinner at The Club with a large group of Sass' co-workers. Actors were co-mingled amongst the rest of the people there and played out parts of the plot during the night. Then we were supposed to figure out "whodunit?" at the end. We had two characters at our table, Ingrid Bates (mother of Norman Bates) and Winston C. Cup (a newspaper reporter for "The Daily Probe"); pictured below.

Sassafrass was able to deduce who the killer was at the end and I won a gift certificate for a bottle of wine for my costume. It was the first time we have ever gone to anything like that and it was a lot of fun.

Tonight we went to Kin and Barb's place for a Halloween party. She had been planning this party for a few weeks and made a lot of food, but unfortunately the educational "powers that be" in the UAE decided that everyone at the schools has to come to work this Saturday to make up for the extra day that was allowed off at the beginning of Eid al Fitr. So, a lot of people did not show up as it was a "work night." It was still a lot of fun for us though. We spent most of the night chatting with an Australian co-worker and her British husband about the holiday traditions in America and their own countries. We were also able to introduce her 12-year-old son to pumpkin-carving for the first time. I love being able to share stories and experiences cross-culturally. After it all, we ended up having a really good time this Halloween! I have to go now, it's time for siesta... :)