Another week in Abu Dhabi comes to an end. I was a complete slacker at blogging the past week so wanted to post before a new week and new adventures begin!
The past week was quite full. I think the only days I chilled out were Sunday and Tuesday!!!
Monday, Katie and I met after work and went for a run on the Corniche. It was really nice to have company and made the 45 minute run go by really fast....but definately a little hard to chat while running. This time I was smarter and took water though, the last time I thought I might die if I didn't get back to my room. Then we showered, changed and went out for Thai. Had a great dinner (pad thai and tempura veggies...yum!) and it was great to catch up since she had been away for the week.
Wednesday I met Oliver for dinner/drinks after work, had some phenomenal chicken penne pasta with a macademia nut pesto (yum again!).
Thursday was Turkey day (Happy belated Thanksgiving all!!!). I worked a full day and then went to Maria and Ryan's who were hosting for me and 3 other non-Americans who were experiencing their first Thanksgiving. Ryan stayed home all day and cooked and did an excellent job. The only problem being that dinner wasn't actually served until about 11pm and by that time we had all had a lot of drinks. Needless to say, by 3:30am I was done!!! All in all, it was an excellent replacement for being in the states. Oh...and one of the English guys was like, I don't think I can eat or drink another thing....the 3 of us were like, well, then you've had the full thanksgiving experience, ha!
Friday I slept in, hit the pool and then started getting ready early as we had a long evening planned. Katie was sick so had to bail out but Liana and I drove over to Yas for the Nelly Furtado/Taio Cruz concert. We went to this really cool bar first (rooftop of the Yas Hotel) for dinner/drinks but alas, no food til 7. We ended up getting food at the concert and that was quite an event. It is shocking to me how dumb people are sometimes, especially when your job is to know the 5 menu items. Anyhow, we eventually got our snack wrap type food which was not going to cut it, ha. Everything was really late (I've been told that is the UAE way, meetings all start late, etc etc which is hard for a punctual person like myself to get used to) so the first act didn't start until almost 8 and we were there right on time at 7. He was a UK artist so I knew none of what he was singing but wasn't bad. Taio Cruz was on next and he was great. In the meantime we ran into another co worker and his wife so that was fun. There was a 30 minute break or so between Taio and Nelly so that was annoying cuz you are just standing around in this big arena. Anyway, she came on and her first song was great...second was okay..and then it went downhill. She was singing all these really boring ballads and it was quite depressing. Liana had found out that a well known hip hop DJ was going to be at Etoiles so we had planned to go there next and just ended up leaving the concert early. Well when we go to Etoiles, we were too early (see a pattern!?)..so we went out on the terrace and had some food. The 4 of us had a ball and danced til about 3:30am. Oh..I even got a love note from some guy at the bar....written on pink paper. Swoon. Ha. So then we get a cab home who decided it would be fun to race another cab and it was quite an interesting ride....Liana left her car since she didn't want to drive home but in reality, since she had been drinking water the last 2 hours, it probably would have been safer!!!!
Today I actually got up before noon (shocker!!!) and hit the grocery store cuz I wanted cereal and had no cereal or milk which meant it was time for a trip to the grocery store. Had my breakfast and then hit the pool for the day (yes, I am officially brown). Got my butt back to the gym after taking 3 days off and as much as I did not want to go, I had a great workout. Then I went to meet one of the local partners for drinks at the Yacht Club...so nice to go sit outside and catch up on how things are going, etc. Then I came home and had some mac n cheese and here we are.
It was my second full work week as well (I know, how on earth do I have time for work with my social life right?!) but it went really well. I actually enjoy going to work everyday so thats a definite plus! This coming week should be another fun one....we have Thursday off for UAE national day and there is a ton going on in the area. The NBA Jamfest is happening in Abu Dhabi so I think Liana and I are going to try to hit that on Thursday and then drive to Dubai. Then its the Akon concert on Friday (so excited!) and then the Rugby 7's tournament is going on so I think we're going to do that on Saturday. Just in time to go back to work for another 4 day week (another holiday..hhahahah).
Hope all is well stateside and that you all had a wonderful holiday weekend. I will be home in less than 3 weeks!
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Saturday, November 20, 2010
A Day in Dubai
It's Saturday night and my week off is coming to an end. It has been a very relaxing week and I'm so glad I got to get some sleep, sun and spent some time figuring out where I live!
So yesterday morning I set out to Dubai to meet Oliver for the day. He has been apartment hunting and was in need of some help and company. Getting there was a bit of a pain in the a** (does anyone see a pattern I have with transport here?!). Apparently my hotel told them I was going to the Dubai airport which I NEVER once said. And I was dressed for the pool carrying a day bag. Did it look like I was going to the airport? So anyway...I don't say anything at first since the ride is supposed to be an hour anyway. As I see we're getting into Dubai I tell the guy where I'm going...he seem perplexed....so he asked me again and I tell him...and he goes, this way? And I'm like I don't know where it is, you are my driver and I already told you this was my first time in Duabi. So he's like....are we going to the airport after that? Umm...no. No airport. Well your hotel told me airport...well I'm not going there so get over it and take me where I want to go. After a million circles and pulling over with our hazards and going to the wrong hotel, I get there. Or well..I can see it, he goes by, I say um you just passed it..he says where? I am like its RIGHT there..he aaparently does not believe this so we argue a bit and then he heads back there..goes by again trying to find his way to the front and finally I was just like STOP.....I got out and was gonna walk...so he goes to get out and says, let me help you with your luggage. I dont have any luggage you idiot....did you put any in when you picked me up an hour ago? Needless to say I was quite irritated by the time I got there but everything got better after.
Did some hanging at the pool and then walked over to the Dubai Marina. What a different feel from Abu Dhabi. It's all very new and modern, tons of tourists and not many locals. Had a delicious caprese panini and then walked the rest of the way through the Marina and across the street to the beach. Wow. I hadn't seen this much skin since I entered the middle east. Tons of females in bikinis and tons of females in general. We hung out there for awhile and then walked along the JBR (can't remember what this stands for) until we found the Hilton so we could go have a drink (since you can only drink at hotels). Went out to the pool bar and had 2 blue lagoons and then had dinner at On the Border (not quite the same as the US since you coudln't drink but the fajitas were the same!). Then we got ready to go out Dubai style. Went to an outdoor terrace (the weather was amazing!) and wow....soooo many good looking females. Oliver was in heaven and I was in shock. I didn't know a crowd like this existed in the UAE!!! I got two free glasses of champagne for being female and we watched the crowd. After the music was getting irritating (all techno) we left for another rooftop bar which was a bit better but it was getting late, I was exhausted and it was time to come home.
Today was another day at the pool (last for a week, ha!) and then I hit the store to get a pot that I could actually cook with and made my favorite boxed shells and cheese that I bought in Dubai. It was not quite as good as Kraft, but it did the trick. I will be bringing back the Kraft kind when I return after the holidays.
Going to try to get to bed shortly since its going to be a long week at work and I've been in full vacation mode for a week. New pics are up on FB.
So yesterday morning I set out to Dubai to meet Oliver for the day. He has been apartment hunting and was in need of some help and company. Getting there was a bit of a pain in the a** (does anyone see a pattern I have with transport here?!). Apparently my hotel told them I was going to the Dubai airport which I NEVER once said. And I was dressed for the pool carrying a day bag. Did it look like I was going to the airport? So anyway...I don't say anything at first since the ride is supposed to be an hour anyway. As I see we're getting into Dubai I tell the guy where I'm going...he seem perplexed....so he asked me again and I tell him...and he goes, this way? And I'm like I don't know where it is, you are my driver and I already told you this was my first time in Duabi. So he's like....are we going to the airport after that? Umm...no. No airport. Well your hotel told me airport...well I'm not going there so get over it and take me where I want to go. After a million circles and pulling over with our hazards and going to the wrong hotel, I get there. Or well..I can see it, he goes by, I say um you just passed it..he says where? I am like its RIGHT there..he aaparently does not believe this so we argue a bit and then he heads back there..goes by again trying to find his way to the front and finally I was just like STOP.....I got out and was gonna walk...so he goes to get out and says, let me help you with your luggage. I dont have any luggage you idiot....did you put any in when you picked me up an hour ago? Needless to say I was quite irritated by the time I got there but everything got better after.
Did some hanging at the pool and then walked over to the Dubai Marina. What a different feel from Abu Dhabi. It's all very new and modern, tons of tourists and not many locals. Had a delicious caprese panini and then walked the rest of the way through the Marina and across the street to the beach. Wow. I hadn't seen this much skin since I entered the middle east. Tons of females in bikinis and tons of females in general. We hung out there for awhile and then walked along the JBR (can't remember what this stands for) until we found the Hilton so we could go have a drink (since you can only drink at hotels). Went out to the pool bar and had 2 blue lagoons and then had dinner at On the Border (not quite the same as the US since you coudln't drink but the fajitas were the same!). Then we got ready to go out Dubai style. Went to an outdoor terrace (the weather was amazing!) and wow....soooo many good looking females. Oliver was in heaven and I was in shock. I didn't know a crowd like this existed in the UAE!!! I got two free glasses of champagne for being female and we watched the crowd. After the music was getting irritating (all techno) we left for another rooftop bar which was a bit better but it was getting late, I was exhausted and it was time to come home.
Today was another day at the pool (last for a week, ha!) and then I hit the store to get a pot that I could actually cook with and made my favorite boxed shells and cheese that I bought in Dubai. It was not quite as good as Kraft, but it did the trick. I will be bringing back the Kraft kind when I return after the holidays.
Going to try to get to bed shortly since its going to be a long week at work and I've been in full vacation mode for a week. New pics are up on FB.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
A relaxing few days off
It's Thursday night and I have just spent the last 4 days doing a whole lot of nothing!!!! It was a much needed break after the first 2 weeks of craziness. Lets see....
Monday I slept in (til like 2) after Sunday's night out. Hit the pool for a bit and then did some work and went to bed. Tuesday I decided it was time I get some groceries so I set out on a mission. I finally hit the bank (since I owe everyone and their mom money right now!) and then found a supermarket very close. Its not one of the really nice ones but its like 2 blocks away and was good for what I needed. Got a lot of the staples, as well as some candles, hangers, etc. Nice to know I can grab 12 sodas for 12 dhs....better than 1 for 12 from room service. Gotta start saving money! Came back with enough time to hit the pool and then got a great work out in before spending 3 hours on calls with the US (bad thing about being here is that I could prob work 15 hours a day with the time change). I wasn't complaining though since I did nothing all day.
Wednesday was a great day. I went over to the Beach Club at the Beach Rotana for the day and its fab (I get way discounted rates since I'm staying at a Rotana property). Layed out for a few hours, had a pina colada, used the gym, sauana, jacuzzi, got an hour long massage and then finished off with dinner at the pool bar. Perfect day. Oh and then I did movie marathon when I got home...Ended up watching 3 movies when I meant to only watch one. The bad part....the last 5 minutes of movie 3, the volume on that channel stopped working so I have no idea what they were saying, could only guess from looking what was going on. So annoying! Today I slept in a bit, went to the pool for a few hours and then went for a great run along the Corniche. It really was beautiful to run along the water and feel the breeze. The odd part was being one of about 10 females out (compared to the 5000 men..they seem to walk in packs of like 10) and the only female running and therefore the only female not wearing full clothing. I try to ignore it (thank god for my iPod but its a bit uncomfortable at times). Oh...and I saw at least 4 male couples holding hands. Not sure what this is about....is this a normal local custom I am not aware of or is it exactly what I think it is? Thought their was a no PDA rule overall....who knows. There were a ton of ppl out jet skiing which is on my to do list for while I'm here. I'd also like to do a boat tour at some point.
I just made myself dinner for the first time and it didn't go so well! The one pot I have is tiny and I was making penne pasta....and then I couldn't get the heat to a point where it wasn't just boiling over the whole time. A bit frustrating but at the end, I had a decent dinner of penne pasta, sauce and melted cheese that did not come from room service. Today I also had cereal for breakfast so I went a full day with no room service....victory! On the list of things to buy is a bigger pot. On the plus side, I am on load 2 of laundry for the evening and I am doing a MUCH better job at that!!!! I no longer have to look at the instructions for 15 minutes before starting and nothing has been ruined yet (knock on woood..or as they say over here...touch wood).
Speaking of picking up local sayings....there are a few things that I find myself using now since I hear it so much....keen, fancy and que. Maybe I'll get lucky and come home with a cool accent since I'm like the only one without one. Sad.
I just finished off my last twist off bottle of wine and do not have a wine opener...guess there is item 2 on the list of things to buy.
So tomorrow I am headed to Dubai to help Oliver apartment hunt since he's completely indecisive and needs assistance. Will be cool to finally see the city and hit a night on the town in a different locale. Then everyone that went away for the holidays is finally coming back so I have friends again and can get back to my constant going out...ha!
Oh..and in case anyone was counting, out of the last 7 days I have spent 6 of them at the pool (and plan to add tomorrow and Saturday to the list as well). I am back to the color I was when I left Cancun and couldn't be happier seeing that its the middle of November.
Monday I slept in (til like 2) after Sunday's night out. Hit the pool for a bit and then did some work and went to bed. Tuesday I decided it was time I get some groceries so I set out on a mission. I finally hit the bank (since I owe everyone and their mom money right now!) and then found a supermarket very close. Its not one of the really nice ones but its like 2 blocks away and was good for what I needed. Got a lot of the staples, as well as some candles, hangers, etc. Nice to know I can grab 12 sodas for 12 dhs....better than 1 for 12 from room service. Gotta start saving money! Came back with enough time to hit the pool and then got a great work out in before spending 3 hours on calls with the US (bad thing about being here is that I could prob work 15 hours a day with the time change). I wasn't complaining though since I did nothing all day.
Wednesday was a great day. I went over to the Beach Club at the Beach Rotana for the day and its fab (I get way discounted rates since I'm staying at a Rotana property). Layed out for a few hours, had a pina colada, used the gym, sauana, jacuzzi, got an hour long massage and then finished off with dinner at the pool bar. Perfect day. Oh and then I did movie marathon when I got home...Ended up watching 3 movies when I meant to only watch one. The bad part....the last 5 minutes of movie 3, the volume on that channel stopped working so I have no idea what they were saying, could only guess from looking what was going on. So annoying! Today I slept in a bit, went to the pool for a few hours and then went for a great run along the Corniche. It really was beautiful to run along the water and feel the breeze. The odd part was being one of about 10 females out (compared to the 5000 men..they seem to walk in packs of like 10) and the only female running and therefore the only female not wearing full clothing. I try to ignore it (thank god for my iPod but its a bit uncomfortable at times). Oh...and I saw at least 4 male couples holding hands. Not sure what this is about....is this a normal local custom I am not aware of or is it exactly what I think it is? Thought their was a no PDA rule overall....who knows. There were a ton of ppl out jet skiing which is on my to do list for while I'm here. I'd also like to do a boat tour at some point.
I just made myself dinner for the first time and it didn't go so well! The one pot I have is tiny and I was making penne pasta....and then I couldn't get the heat to a point where it wasn't just boiling over the whole time. A bit frustrating but at the end, I had a decent dinner of penne pasta, sauce and melted cheese that did not come from room service. Today I also had cereal for breakfast so I went a full day with no room service....victory! On the list of things to buy is a bigger pot. On the plus side, I am on load 2 of laundry for the evening and I am doing a MUCH better job at that!!!! I no longer have to look at the instructions for 15 minutes before starting and nothing has been ruined yet (knock on woood..or as they say over here...touch wood).
Speaking of picking up local sayings....there are a few things that I find myself using now since I hear it so much....keen, fancy and que. Maybe I'll get lucky and come home with a cool accent since I'm like the only one without one. Sad.
I just finished off my last twist off bottle of wine and do not have a wine opener...guess there is item 2 on the list of things to buy.
So tomorrow I am headed to Dubai to help Oliver apartment hunt since he's completely indecisive and needs assistance. Will be cool to finally see the city and hit a night on the town in a different locale. Then everyone that went away for the holidays is finally coming back so I have friends again and can get back to my constant going out...ha!
Oh..and in case anyone was counting, out of the last 7 days I have spent 6 of them at the pool (and plan to add tomorrow and Saturday to the list as well). I am back to the color I was when I left Cancun and couldn't be happier seeing that its the middle of November.
Monday, November 15, 2010
A night with Prince & Pitbull
Agghhh.....relaxation time!!!! I'm sitting in bed catching up on life, laundry is running (hoping for better luck this time) and charging up all my electric devices that are now dead. Ha.
I also just realized that I landed in Abu Dhabi 2 weeks ago this evening. It seems like I've been here for ages. I have had more fun in a 2 week span and met some really great people.
Lets see...Saturday night Liana and I went to ladies night. It's pretty fab to sit out at a rooftop bar and drink for free all night. The weather was great and we had a blast discussing the prior evening (or rather me informing her what had happened the night before!!!). We stayed until midnight or so and then decided to be smart and head home since we actually had to work Sunday morning.
Sunday morning was work at client 1 and then since we closed at 1, I took advantage and shot over to client 2 for the afternoon. By the time I got home I was rushing to the gym so I could be ready on time for our big night. Liana scored us Prince tickets (I was indifferent about going at first since I had seen him on Friday night at Skybar, but figured what the heck, plus I wanted to head over to Yas Island with her instaed of wating and cabbing solo). Soooooo glad I went. He was absolutely amazing. Friday night I was a bit tipsy when he was on and as great as it was, I think I was more listening to the music instead of really hearing it if that makes sense. I found myself standing there thinking about how freaking lucky I am to be having this experience. I mean, listening to Prince (for free) with some great girls in Abu Dhabi....a year ago I never would have imagined I'd be here but taking this opportunity was the best thing I have ever done. I am just so thankful. The place was packed (way more so than it was for Kanye) but we were with a true Prince fan, Alisa, and worked our way pretty close up. He played for a couple hours (a lot longer than Kanye as well) and it was a phenomenal show.
After like 10 encores (I don't think he wanted to stop playing!), it was finally over and we made our way to Skybar for round 2. We didn't have a table this time so it was a slightly different experience but still good times were had by all. Alesha Dixon (no idea who this is) went on for a bit and then the DJ was spinning most of the night. We were all like, wheres Pitbull??? So at 3am he finally came on and was fab. I love his music and I think I was one of the few that knew all the songs he played. It seems he's a bit bigger in the US than he is over on this side of the world. It was funny too, as his last song of the night was his new one with Enrique and I'm pretty sure I was one of very few who had ever heard it. Guess that one is still stuck in America as well. Anyway...we took off a little after 4am and made the drop off rounds (all 3 of us at different places.....coming home was easier..the cab trip there picking up 3 ppl was quite comical, long story, and I think the cab driver wanted to drive us all off a bridge by the time we got to the concert!!!).
I woke up today at 2pm (have yet to have breakfast on one of my days off since I never wake up in time) but it was good to sleep. I pulled a calf muscle at the gym yesterday and after being in heels/dancing all night, I could barely walk this morning. Hit the pool for a bit and am now relaxing. I plan to hit the gym later and other than that, do absolutely nothing but watch tv and sleep. Woohooo.
This week I have off so I'd like to finally get a local phone, go get groceries (so tired of room service), find a dry cleaner, etc. Pretty much everyone has left town for the holidays so I'll prob have a solo week but that works for me as I'm exhausted. I also plan to hit the beach a few times instead of the pool everyday. I have yet to go see the gorgeous water that is right down the street!!!
Hope all is well stateside.....miss everyone. Come visit soon (as you can see from my last week, I will certainly show you a great time!!!!)
I also just realized that I landed in Abu Dhabi 2 weeks ago this evening. It seems like I've been here for ages. I have had more fun in a 2 week span and met some really great people.
Lets see...Saturday night Liana and I went to ladies night. It's pretty fab to sit out at a rooftop bar and drink for free all night. The weather was great and we had a blast discussing the prior evening (or rather me informing her what had happened the night before!!!). We stayed until midnight or so and then decided to be smart and head home since we actually had to work Sunday morning.
Sunday morning was work at client 1 and then since we closed at 1, I took advantage and shot over to client 2 for the afternoon. By the time I got home I was rushing to the gym so I could be ready on time for our big night. Liana scored us Prince tickets (I was indifferent about going at first since I had seen him on Friday night at Skybar, but figured what the heck, plus I wanted to head over to Yas Island with her instaed of wating and cabbing solo). Soooooo glad I went. He was absolutely amazing. Friday night I was a bit tipsy when he was on and as great as it was, I think I was more listening to the music instead of really hearing it if that makes sense. I found myself standing there thinking about how freaking lucky I am to be having this experience. I mean, listening to Prince (for free) with some great girls in Abu Dhabi....a year ago I never would have imagined I'd be here but taking this opportunity was the best thing I have ever done. I am just so thankful. The place was packed (way more so than it was for Kanye) but we were with a true Prince fan, Alisa, and worked our way pretty close up. He played for a couple hours (a lot longer than Kanye as well) and it was a phenomenal show.
After like 10 encores (I don't think he wanted to stop playing!), it was finally over and we made our way to Skybar for round 2. We didn't have a table this time so it was a slightly different experience but still good times were had by all. Alesha Dixon (no idea who this is) went on for a bit and then the DJ was spinning most of the night. We were all like, wheres Pitbull??? So at 3am he finally came on and was fab. I love his music and I think I was one of the few that knew all the songs he played. It seems he's a bit bigger in the US than he is over on this side of the world. It was funny too, as his last song of the night was his new one with Enrique and I'm pretty sure I was one of very few who had ever heard it. Guess that one is still stuck in America as well. Anyway...we took off a little after 4am and made the drop off rounds (all 3 of us at different places.....coming home was easier..the cab trip there picking up 3 ppl was quite comical, long story, and I think the cab driver wanted to drive us all off a bridge by the time we got to the concert!!!).
I woke up today at 2pm (have yet to have breakfast on one of my days off since I never wake up in time) but it was good to sleep. I pulled a calf muscle at the gym yesterday and after being in heels/dancing all night, I could barely walk this morning. Hit the pool for a bit and am now relaxing. I plan to hit the gym later and other than that, do absolutely nothing but watch tv and sleep. Woohooo.
This week I have off so I'd like to finally get a local phone, go get groceries (so tired of room service), find a dry cleaner, etc. Pretty much everyone has left town for the holidays so I'll prob have a solo week but that works for me as I'm exhausted. I also plan to hit the beach a few times instead of the pool everyday. I have yet to go see the gorgeous water that is right down the street!!!
Hope all is well stateside.....miss everyone. Come visit soon (as you can see from my last week, I will certainly show you a great time!!!!)
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Highlights from Week 2
Agghh..just finished week two and I'm exhausted. And talking about going out again tonight, ha! I only have a half day of work tomorrow and then I'm off for a week so I think I can handle a little more action tonight and suffer through a morning of work. The big F1 is tomorrow and I'm going to try to score tickets, we shall see what happens.
So lets see.....week 2. It feels like its been ages since I wrote last. I attempted laundry last week, epic fail. Its a washer/dryer combo and almost impossible to figure out. I thought I did, but turns out I did not, and it ended up on a cycle for over 2 hours so I kept waking up til it still on. And then nothing was dry. At least I think they were clean.....smelled crazy like Tide! I'm going to attempt it again tomorrow so we shall see.
So Sunday night after work I met Oliver for dinner at Chi Chi's....Mexican is always a good option! Then Monday I thought I made plans with Katie (fellow American who lives in my building and is great!) for Tuesday but really the plans were for Monday (my miscommunication!). But she was emailing my client email address so I didn't realize until I got to work on Tuesday. In the meantime I hit the gym and had a relaxing night. So Tuesday when we realized what happened, she said she had an extra ticket to the Berlin Philharmonic for that evening and was I interested, ummm...YES! So it was a rush to get home and dress up (thankfully I brought one appropriate dress!) and then we headed over. The show was amazing. So then Oliver was meeting someone at the same hotel (Emirates palace....GORGEOUS!) and the girls I went with to the show all went home. So I stayed with Oliver and crew and we hit up Etoiles for ladies night. It ended up being a really great night although I was exahusted on Wednesday with only a few hours sleep.
Wednesday was another relaxing night..back to gym (I'm trying to keep up a 4 day a week regimen and so far, so good). Thursday I did dinner with Liana and then called it an early night since we knew Friday would be a long day. Oh, and I had lunch with a fellow DCer, Maria, at work who was on secondment but just accepted a full time offer so she is going to be here full time!
Friday I slept in and then chilled at the pool all day until it was time to go out. Katie and I cabbed to Yas Island and met some other Americans at a bar (Maria and her husband and another girl Nicole). We had some pre concert drinks, inclusive of tequilla shots (Katie is a bad influence!) and then walked over to the show. Kanye was great....it was one good song after another. Once that was over we met up with Liana and company to go to Skybar which is this huge after party venue they set up for the occasion. Skybar was nuts. Liana's friends had organized a table and ours was in a prime spot. We knew the scheduled line up was Kelis, Tinie Tempah and Basement Jaxx...but had also heard rumors that Prince would be there. Soo...Kelis went on and was great.....and then Prince came on and stayed on for a long a** time. Way longer than any of the other acts combined. It was amazing. Good people, good music, good drinks. Ended up going to bed when the sun was up (about 6:30am). I slept til noonish and then lounged around before heading to the pool for a few hours. Then I took a nap and ordered room service and now am gonna get ready to go out with Liana again. Its ladies night at Level which is at the hotel right next to mine so I was easily influenced into it. Ha. We could not coerce Katie into it..she is probably the only smart one!
What else.....ohh...I've had some major issues with cabs this week. It was easier the first week cuz I was at an actual hotel where cabs lined up but now I'm in more of a serviced hotel apartments place so its not the same. I do a lot of waiting on the street in the morning, sweating in my suit which sorta sucks. The good news is...Liana has started playing my driver which is excellent. She's been driving me home and even picked me up on Thursday. She is awesome and I think we'll be great friends (not just cuz she drives me around..ha!). Oh and then some drivers are idiots.....like when I finally got a cab one morning it smelled so bad...and then I was like...4th and 15th..not that complicated right? He turns on 11th. I'm like no dumba**....15th. He was like...this is 11. No sh*t...I want to be on 15th. Anyway..I hear thats common here so I guess I get over it.
Workwise things have been really good. The first week was a little slow but now I hvae a ton to do and am enjoying it and learning a ton. And I love that I get the next week off..not a bad gig...I haven't even worked two full weeks yet...lol.
Oh..and Akon is playing Dubai in December and we have a long weekend for some other holiday so I think Liana and I and whoever else we can con into it will make a weekend out of it.
Okay..time to go see whats happening. We're hoping for some celeb sightings since the city is crawling with them. I'll try to blog more frequently this coming week since I'll be off and hopefully have some time for sightseeing. New pics are on facebook.
So lets see.....week 2. It feels like its been ages since I wrote last. I attempted laundry last week, epic fail. Its a washer/dryer combo and almost impossible to figure out. I thought I did, but turns out I did not, and it ended up on a cycle for over 2 hours so I kept waking up til it still on. And then nothing was dry. At least I think they were clean.....smelled crazy like Tide! I'm going to attempt it again tomorrow so we shall see.
So Sunday night after work I met Oliver for dinner at Chi Chi's....Mexican is always a good option! Then Monday I thought I made plans with Katie (fellow American who lives in my building and is great!) for Tuesday but really the plans were for Monday (my miscommunication!). But she was emailing my client email address so I didn't realize until I got to work on Tuesday. In the meantime I hit the gym and had a relaxing night. So Tuesday when we realized what happened, she said she had an extra ticket to the Berlin Philharmonic for that evening and was I interested, ummm...YES! So it was a rush to get home and dress up (thankfully I brought one appropriate dress!) and then we headed over. The show was amazing. So then Oliver was meeting someone at the same hotel (Emirates palace....GORGEOUS!) and the girls I went with to the show all went home. So I stayed with Oliver and crew and we hit up Etoiles for ladies night. It ended up being a really great night although I was exahusted on Wednesday with only a few hours sleep.
Wednesday was another relaxing night..back to gym (I'm trying to keep up a 4 day a week regimen and so far, so good). Thursday I did dinner with Liana and then called it an early night since we knew Friday would be a long day. Oh, and I had lunch with a fellow DCer, Maria, at work who was on secondment but just accepted a full time offer so she is going to be here full time!
Friday I slept in and then chilled at the pool all day until it was time to go out. Katie and I cabbed to Yas Island and met some other Americans at a bar (Maria and her husband and another girl Nicole). We had some pre concert drinks, inclusive of tequilla shots (Katie is a bad influence!) and then walked over to the show. Kanye was great....it was one good song after another. Once that was over we met up with Liana and company to go to Skybar which is this huge after party venue they set up for the occasion. Skybar was nuts. Liana's friends had organized a table and ours was in a prime spot. We knew the scheduled line up was Kelis, Tinie Tempah and Basement Jaxx...but had also heard rumors that Prince would be there. Soo...Kelis went on and was great.....and then Prince came on and stayed on for a long a** time. Way longer than any of the other acts combined. It was amazing. Good people, good music, good drinks. Ended up going to bed when the sun was up (about 6:30am). I slept til noonish and then lounged around before heading to the pool for a few hours. Then I took a nap and ordered room service and now am gonna get ready to go out with Liana again. Its ladies night at Level which is at the hotel right next to mine so I was easily influenced into it. Ha. We could not coerce Katie into it..she is probably the only smart one!
What else.....ohh...I've had some major issues with cabs this week. It was easier the first week cuz I was at an actual hotel where cabs lined up but now I'm in more of a serviced hotel apartments place so its not the same. I do a lot of waiting on the street in the morning, sweating in my suit which sorta sucks. The good news is...Liana has started playing my driver which is excellent. She's been driving me home and even picked me up on Thursday. She is awesome and I think we'll be great friends (not just cuz she drives me around..ha!). Oh and then some drivers are idiots.....like when I finally got a cab one morning it smelled so bad...and then I was like...4th and 15th..not that complicated right? He turns on 11th. I'm like no dumba**....15th. He was like...this is 11. No sh*t...I want to be on 15th. Anyway..I hear thats common here so I guess I get over it.
Workwise things have been really good. The first week was a little slow but now I hvae a ton to do and am enjoying it and learning a ton. And I love that I get the next week off..not a bad gig...I haven't even worked two full weeks yet...lol.
Oh..and Akon is playing Dubai in December and we have a long weekend for some other holiday so I think Liana and I and whoever else we can con into it will make a weekend out of it.
Okay..time to go see whats happening. We're hoping for some celeb sightings since the city is crawling with them. I'll try to blog more frequently this coming week since I'll be off and hopefully have some time for sightseeing. New pics are on facebook.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Pictures at last!
So its early Saturday evening and the end of my weekend...sad...went to fast. Today was an extremely lazy day. I didn't wake up until 3pm but was good to finally get some sleep and I actually feel a bit better today. I went up to the pool and layed out for awhile and ordered food (almost feels like vacation!). Once the sun was no more I decided to take a walk around my new neighborhood and see whats here. I walked down to the Corniche (where the water is) but couldn't find a good place to cross over the main road so didn't actually get to take pics of that but I'm sure there will be more time for that! I think thats going to be my new outdoor run route, once I get a running buddy. There is a mall here..but its crap. I was at the Abu Dhabi mall yesterday and it was phenomenal...this mall is more like a collection of randomness but they do have some American staples in the food court (Popeyes and McDonalds) and a CHILIS!!! For all my Crystal River friends, you know how exciting this was for me and I promise to treat you all when you come visit!
I found a little store (have yet to locate a real grocery store but will do some asking around this week) and was able to get some stuff for my place. Funny thing...a guy that remembered me from last night was there..he offered to buy me a red bull..or really anything in the store. Ha. Too funny. So I got milk, eggs, cheese, soda, red bull, water, laundry detergent, gatorade, etc and it was pretty cheap for everything considering that it was a tiny little place. I also couldn't tell you if they charged me correct or not....but since it was way cheaper than it would have been in the US, I didn't question.
Time for the gym and then gotta figure out how to use the washer/dryer in my room, that shoud be entertaining. Enjoy!
Okay...so I tried to upload pics and have been trying for 30 minutes..I'm not sure if the connection is too slow or what but I'm frustrated. Pics are on facebook for those of you on. If not...I'll try again later on here.
I found a little store (have yet to locate a real grocery store but will do some asking around this week) and was able to get some stuff for my place. Funny thing...a guy that remembered me from last night was there..he offered to buy me a red bull..or really anything in the store. Ha. Too funny. So I got milk, eggs, cheese, soda, red bull, water, laundry detergent, gatorade, etc and it was pretty cheap for everything considering that it was a tiny little place. I also couldn't tell you if they charged me correct or not....but since it was way cheaper than it would have been in the US, I didn't question.
Time for the gym and then gotta figure out how to use the washer/dryer in my room, that shoud be entertaining. Enjoy!
Okay...so I tried to upload pics and have been trying for 30 minutes..I'm not sure if the connection is too slow or what but I'm frustrated. Pics are on facebook for those of you on. If not...I'll try again later on here.
Friday, November 5, 2010
What a weekend!!!!
Aghhh....its 4am and I just returned home from the second night of my first weekend in AD. Wow. What a crazy two days. Lets see.....
Thursday night (my Friday night) we ended up at the Yacht Club at the Intercontinental (yes..in AD you basically go hang out at hotels since thats the only place they can sell liquor). Had a great time sitting out by the water/boats drinking vodka until they closed....then went back to our hotel and continued drinking until 5am or so. I had to check out this morning so I woke up exhausted and feeling worse (this being sick on my first week here BLOWS!).
Anyhow...got all packed up and then hit the mall with Oliver for a real local treat, a Subway sandwich, ha. The food court is full of American places (Subway, Dunkin Donuts, Coldstone Creamery, Popeyes, etc). After walking around for a bit we went back to the hotels Beach Club which was SWEET!!! If you aren't staying at the hotel you have to pay like $60 a day but since I had just checked out they let us go for free for the day. They have pools, a beach, tennis courts, gym, squash, pool bar, etc etc etc. We sat outside enjoying the sunshine and a pina colada for me. Its crazy because its so hot..but its great heat..the kind where you dont even sweat..love it! I wished I had had my bathing suit on for a dip in the pool but it was packed away. We might go back tomorrow for a full day.
So around 4pm it was time to move me in to my permanent home (another hotel). It was so nice to finally unpack all my suitcases and organize my life a little. Then I hit the gym even though I felt like death and just wanted to sleep (hadn't worked out since last Saturday and was feeling gross). The gym here is nice and there is a pool/hot tub on the rooftop as well so I will be taking full advantage of that! Then I did some work and got ready for another night out.
I met Oliver at the Le Meridien (which conveniently is a block from my hotel...although that walk in a dress may have been one of the most uncomfortable ones of my life so far...not that it was at all scary or I felt unsafe....just very awkward to be one of the only females out and being gawked at from everyone...thankfully I was on my blackberry so I didn't have to look at anyone!!!). So we went to an Irish pub first..they had live music which was actually quite good but the crowd was egh and it was 95% males (like most places here) and Oliver wasn't feeling it. So we went to the lobby and asked if there were any other good spots...he told us go to Illusions on the 4th floor......and thats where the fun started. We walked in...very nice place, great music and a decent mix of men/women.....except for one thing....every single female other than myself....was a hooker! I'm serious....every single one. It was the craziest thing I've ever seen. Of course they all thought I was a hooker too because clearly no normal females go to this place. I thought it was hysterical and definately wanted to stay. We watched men skip from woman to woman....one guy in particular getting turned down left and right. HA! Thats right ladies...be picky. I only got propositioned once.....Oliver turned his back for a second and BAM....there was a guy. So I told him right away that unfortunately, I was not a hooker and he goes....well suppose you were.....ummmm..how bout no....I'm not. But no...lets pretend you are..how much would you charge. So I go....20 grand....and he goes..thats way too much....umm yeah..thats the point...cuz I'm not a hooker!!!! I said there are plenty of willing participants in this club..just not me. So anyway....eventually the place go really crowded and ppl actually hit the dance floor and it turned out to be a great night. Girls (ie: hookers) were belly dancing, guys were dancing to songs I've never heard before...was great to watch.
I'm home now....another late night and my throat is on fire (you can smoke everywhere here so thats something I'm going to have to get used to). I promise to post pics tomorrow (except none from tonight cuz I took one and got in trouble). Good night all!
Thursday night (my Friday night) we ended up at the Yacht Club at the Intercontinental (yes..in AD you basically go hang out at hotels since thats the only place they can sell liquor). Had a great time sitting out by the water/boats drinking vodka until they closed....then went back to our hotel and continued drinking until 5am or so. I had to check out this morning so I woke up exhausted and feeling worse (this being sick on my first week here BLOWS!).
Anyhow...got all packed up and then hit the mall with Oliver for a real local treat, a Subway sandwich, ha. The food court is full of American places (Subway, Dunkin Donuts, Coldstone Creamery, Popeyes, etc). After walking around for a bit we went back to the hotels Beach Club which was SWEET!!! If you aren't staying at the hotel you have to pay like $60 a day but since I had just checked out they let us go for free for the day. They have pools, a beach, tennis courts, gym, squash, pool bar, etc etc etc. We sat outside enjoying the sunshine and a pina colada for me. Its crazy because its so hot..but its great heat..the kind where you dont even sweat..love it! I wished I had had my bathing suit on for a dip in the pool but it was packed away. We might go back tomorrow for a full day.
So around 4pm it was time to move me in to my permanent home (another hotel). It was so nice to finally unpack all my suitcases and organize my life a little. Then I hit the gym even though I felt like death and just wanted to sleep (hadn't worked out since last Saturday and was feeling gross). The gym here is nice and there is a pool/hot tub on the rooftop as well so I will be taking full advantage of that! Then I did some work and got ready for another night out.
I met Oliver at the Le Meridien (which conveniently is a block from my hotel...although that walk in a dress may have been one of the most uncomfortable ones of my life so far...not that it was at all scary or I felt unsafe....just very awkward to be one of the only females out and being gawked at from everyone...thankfully I was on my blackberry so I didn't have to look at anyone!!!). So we went to an Irish pub first..they had live music which was actually quite good but the crowd was egh and it was 95% males (like most places here) and Oliver wasn't feeling it. So we went to the lobby and asked if there were any other good spots...he told us go to Illusions on the 4th floor......and thats where the fun started. We walked in...very nice place, great music and a decent mix of men/women.....except for one thing....every single female other than myself....was a hooker! I'm serious....every single one. It was the craziest thing I've ever seen. Of course they all thought I was a hooker too because clearly no normal females go to this place. I thought it was hysterical and definately wanted to stay. We watched men skip from woman to woman....one guy in particular getting turned down left and right. HA! Thats right ladies...be picky. I only got propositioned once.....Oliver turned his back for a second and BAM....there was a guy. So I told him right away that unfortunately, I was not a hooker and he goes....well suppose you were.....ummmm..how bout no....I'm not. But no...lets pretend you are..how much would you charge. So I go....20 grand....and he goes..thats way too much....umm yeah..thats the point...cuz I'm not a hooker!!!! I said there are plenty of willing participants in this club..just not me. So anyway....eventually the place go really crowded and ppl actually hit the dance floor and it turned out to be a great night. Girls (ie: hookers) were belly dancing, guys were dancing to songs I've never heard before...was great to watch.
I'm home now....another late night and my throat is on fire (you can smoke everywhere here so thats something I'm going to have to get used to). I promise to post pics tomorrow (except none from tonight cuz I took one and got in trouble). Good night all!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Greetings from the Middle East
It’s official; I now live in the Middle East (at least temporarily!). Every time I think about that it almost surprises me that I’m actually here but I suppose I’ll get used to it and it will just start to feel normal. I meant to blog earlier but just haven’t had the time (and some computer issues) so here is an overview of my first (short) week in Abu Dhabi!
Let’s start with the flight over. I flew to JFK to meet the partner (Dean) who flew over with me (having an escort made the process much less intimidating!). My 5 hour layover ended up going by pretty fast because 1. I had to hike from the terminal I landed in to the terminal I was flying out of (JFK is starting to rival Miami as one of my most hated airports!). 2. I got a pedicure (I am queen of airport pedicures at this point since I never have time for them prior to my trips!) and 3. I started drinking. After boarding a few minutes late (courtesy of the nonsense from Yemen last week) I was in heaven. Business class on Etihad was just nothing like I expected. I’ve seen the business class sections on my Paris flights so was expecting something similar, but alas, this was way better. I had my own cubby essentially in the last row of my section of business class on the window. The champagne started flowing as I explored my little area. The bed goes almost fully flat, and it was perfect for someone of my size (if you are tall, this would probably suck but I think that holds true for flying in general if you are really tall!). Oh..and the chair had massage options on it…really?! After sitting on the runway for 2 hours (mechanical issues, oh joy) we finally took off. I stayed up for a few hours and watched Grown Ups, drank more champagne and wine and had my delicious dinner. I then proceeded to pass out for 7 hours and had a great sleep. Woke up and had breakfast (forgot to mention, there is a menu of options for all meals, plus a plethora of fun goodies you can have at any time) and then watched Letters to Juliet prior to landing in AD. Got to airport, blew through immigration, pickced up my bags (yay they all made it!) and then proceeded to duty free for an important stop, booze. You can’t buy booze in Abu Dhabi without a liquor license so I made sure to stock up. Dean used part of his allowance to supplement mine and I ended up with 2 litres of Grey Goose (plus a free small bottle they threw in) and 4 bottles of red wine. Customs laws are pretty good in the UAE, you can bring in 2000 cigarettes and 200 cigars (I think that’s what I read!). We got a car to the hotel and I watched in wonder as we headed away from the airport (unfortunately it was dark and there wasn’t much to see on our trip!). Arriving at the hotel was fairly amusing as I had 2 large rollers, 1 small roller carryon, 2 bags of booze plus my laptop bag. Dean had a small rolling carryon. The hotel staff gave me some strange looks when we told them which bags were going with which person. It doesn’t help that my reservation at the hotel was only for 4 days, ha. Checked in (first night room was okay..got moved second night to a fabulous one!) and then went to the bar. I slept terrible the first night..from 2am to 5am and then ended up getting up since I couldn’t sleep (excitement, jet lag, etc). I was at the office at 8am (11 hours after landing…nothing like giving me time to transition right?!) to meet with another partner and both escorted me to the client for my new job. I felt like a child being taken to school on the first day of kindergarten but it was nice to have familiar faces around who could show me how to navigate the cabs, how to get to client, etc.
First day of work was good…met lots of people, got settled in, started answering US tax questions immediately! Everyone I have met has been great and the office is really nice. I am in a cube again for the first time in over 2 years so that’s a bit odd but its good cuz I’m out in the mix with everyone else. There is this big, beautiful, free breakfast spread each morning in the Lounge which also has foosball and pool tables for fun! They also have free soda and bottled water which is great.
The rest of the time has been fairly uneventful…work all day, dinner at hotel followed by drinks at hotel followed by bed and all over again. It’s Thursday now, my Friday (woot!) so we are actually going to leave the hotel after dinner for some fun. Another director (Oliver) from our NY office landed the day after I did and he is here for 18 months so we’ve become fast friends and I’m really glad to have someone around that is in the same boat as me. Tomorrow I move in to my permanent housing so I’m really excited for that. Living out of 3 suitcases has been a bit difficult (trying to find where I packed anything is quite a feat!). Plus my beautifully organized packing is getting messed up!
Culture shock hasn’t been too bad since I was fairly prepared for it I think. The first moment I felt that wow, I’m going to AD was at the airport in JFK when I had to re check in at Etihad and I was the only white girl in the whole line, not to mention one of very few females at all. Being here is fine though, some men wear the traditional white robes and head dress, some females are in burkas and then everyone else is mostly in suits. At night anything seems to go….I’d never imagine I was in the Middle East when I see people at the bars.
I feel like I’ve already made some friends so it’s not so lonely. Someone at the client that gave me advice on where to live, etc lives in the building I chose so that will be nice. We made plans to hang out next week (she is off to Beirut for the weekend). Yesterday I had to call someone in legal on a US tax issue and what do you know, she is from Falls Church, VA and is over here for 6 months like me. So we’re going to do lunch next week since she works offsite. Oliver is my anytime buddy as well so ideally we can go explore this weekend and figure this place out. He might live in Dubai but for the time being is in Abu Dhabi. I also joined a Meet Up group called New in Abu Dhabi so they organize a bunch of events which I plan to start attending. There is a 10K tomorrow, but its my first week and I’m sick (my body is having a hard time getting used to the change…was close to vomiting my whole first day at work..now have a head cold and sneezing up a storm!) and don’t think that trying to run 6.4 miles is the smartest. It will be nice to work out again tomorrow since I’ve done nothing since last Saturday!!! Anyway, there is a group that is going to start running along the Corniche (along the water) every Tuesday night and there are also Arabic lessons, cooking lessons, happy hours, etc so I’m sure I’ll find lots to do over the next few weeks.
Oh..the other fun thing…I found out that there is a holiday here the 16, 17, 18 (T, W, R) so I get a 5 day weekend sine I work Sunday to Thursday (will be weird getting used to that!). Also, the big Formula 1 race is here on the 12-14 so I don’t think anyone is working on the 14th either. There will be lots going on next week for Formula 1 events…Sean Paul, Kelly Rowland, Kelis, etc etc are doing free concerts on the beach which I plan to attend. I couldn’t get race tickets since I got here so close to the event, but a number of ppl at work have already offered to give up some of theirs (ppl who don’t plan to attend all 4 days). Kanye West, Prince and Linkin Park are the after concerts on race days but you have to have race tickets to go….I think I already scored LP tickets…working on the others now! And…the weather is amazing. Everyone said that I came at the perfect time cuz its finally starting to cool off some. Mornings are a little warm (since I’m in suits) but at night, it’s gorgeous and breezy and I’m in love!
Okay I think that just about covers the past week……I’ll write more this weekend and upload pics.
Let’s start with the flight over. I flew to JFK to meet the partner (Dean) who flew over with me (having an escort made the process much less intimidating!). My 5 hour layover ended up going by pretty fast because 1. I had to hike from the terminal I landed in to the terminal I was flying out of (JFK is starting to rival Miami as one of my most hated airports!). 2. I got a pedicure (I am queen of airport pedicures at this point since I never have time for them prior to my trips!) and 3. I started drinking. After boarding a few minutes late (courtesy of the nonsense from Yemen last week) I was in heaven. Business class on Etihad was just nothing like I expected. I’ve seen the business class sections on my Paris flights so was expecting something similar, but alas, this was way better. I had my own cubby essentially in the last row of my section of business class on the window. The champagne started flowing as I explored my little area. The bed goes almost fully flat, and it was perfect for someone of my size (if you are tall, this would probably suck but I think that holds true for flying in general if you are really tall!). Oh..and the chair had massage options on it…really?! After sitting on the runway for 2 hours (mechanical issues, oh joy) we finally took off. I stayed up for a few hours and watched Grown Ups, drank more champagne and wine and had my delicious dinner. I then proceeded to pass out for 7 hours and had a great sleep. Woke up and had breakfast (forgot to mention, there is a menu of options for all meals, plus a plethora of fun goodies you can have at any time) and then watched Letters to Juliet prior to landing in AD. Got to airport, blew through immigration, pickced up my bags (yay they all made it!) and then proceeded to duty free for an important stop, booze. You can’t buy booze in Abu Dhabi without a liquor license so I made sure to stock up. Dean used part of his allowance to supplement mine and I ended up with 2 litres of Grey Goose (plus a free small bottle they threw in) and 4 bottles of red wine. Customs laws are pretty good in the UAE, you can bring in 2000 cigarettes and 200 cigars (I think that’s what I read!). We got a car to the hotel and I watched in wonder as we headed away from the airport (unfortunately it was dark and there wasn’t much to see on our trip!). Arriving at the hotel was fairly amusing as I had 2 large rollers, 1 small roller carryon, 2 bags of booze plus my laptop bag. Dean had a small rolling carryon. The hotel staff gave me some strange looks when we told them which bags were going with which person. It doesn’t help that my reservation at the hotel was only for 4 days, ha. Checked in (first night room was okay..got moved second night to a fabulous one!) and then went to the bar. I slept terrible the first night..from 2am to 5am and then ended up getting up since I couldn’t sleep (excitement, jet lag, etc). I was at the office at 8am (11 hours after landing…nothing like giving me time to transition right?!) to meet with another partner and both escorted me to the client for my new job. I felt like a child being taken to school on the first day of kindergarten but it was nice to have familiar faces around who could show me how to navigate the cabs, how to get to client, etc.
First day of work was good…met lots of people, got settled in, started answering US tax questions immediately! Everyone I have met has been great and the office is really nice. I am in a cube again for the first time in over 2 years so that’s a bit odd but its good cuz I’m out in the mix with everyone else. There is this big, beautiful, free breakfast spread each morning in the Lounge which also has foosball and pool tables for fun! They also have free soda and bottled water which is great.
The rest of the time has been fairly uneventful…work all day, dinner at hotel followed by drinks at hotel followed by bed and all over again. It’s Thursday now, my Friday (woot!) so we are actually going to leave the hotel after dinner for some fun. Another director (Oliver) from our NY office landed the day after I did and he is here for 18 months so we’ve become fast friends and I’m really glad to have someone around that is in the same boat as me. Tomorrow I move in to my permanent housing so I’m really excited for that. Living out of 3 suitcases has been a bit difficult (trying to find where I packed anything is quite a feat!). Plus my beautifully organized packing is getting messed up!
Culture shock hasn’t been too bad since I was fairly prepared for it I think. The first moment I felt that wow, I’m going to AD was at the airport in JFK when I had to re check in at Etihad and I was the only white girl in the whole line, not to mention one of very few females at all. Being here is fine though, some men wear the traditional white robes and head dress, some females are in burkas and then everyone else is mostly in suits. At night anything seems to go….I’d never imagine I was in the Middle East when I see people at the bars.
I feel like I’ve already made some friends so it’s not so lonely. Someone at the client that gave me advice on where to live, etc lives in the building I chose so that will be nice. We made plans to hang out next week (she is off to Beirut for the weekend). Yesterday I had to call someone in legal on a US tax issue and what do you know, she is from Falls Church, VA and is over here for 6 months like me. So we’re going to do lunch next week since she works offsite. Oliver is my anytime buddy as well so ideally we can go explore this weekend and figure this place out. He might live in Dubai but for the time being is in Abu Dhabi. I also joined a Meet Up group called New in Abu Dhabi so they organize a bunch of events which I plan to start attending. There is a 10K tomorrow, but its my first week and I’m sick (my body is having a hard time getting used to the change…was close to vomiting my whole first day at work..now have a head cold and sneezing up a storm!) and don’t think that trying to run 6.4 miles is the smartest. It will be nice to work out again tomorrow since I’ve done nothing since last Saturday!!! Anyway, there is a group that is going to start running along the Corniche (along the water) every Tuesday night and there are also Arabic lessons, cooking lessons, happy hours, etc so I’m sure I’ll find lots to do over the next few weeks.
Oh..the other fun thing…I found out that there is a holiday here the 16, 17, 18 (T, W, R) so I get a 5 day weekend sine I work Sunday to Thursday (will be weird getting used to that!). Also, the big Formula 1 race is here on the 12-14 so I don’t think anyone is working on the 14th either. There will be lots going on next week for Formula 1 events…Sean Paul, Kelly Rowland, Kelis, etc etc are doing free concerts on the beach which I plan to attend. I couldn’t get race tickets since I got here so close to the event, but a number of ppl at work have already offered to give up some of theirs (ppl who don’t plan to attend all 4 days). Kanye West, Prince and Linkin Park are the after concerts on race days but you have to have race tickets to go….I think I already scored LP tickets…working on the others now! And…the weather is amazing. Everyone said that I came at the perfect time cuz its finally starting to cool off some. Mornings are a little warm (since I’m in suits) but at night, it’s gorgeous and breezy and I’m in love!
Okay I think that just about covers the past week……I’ll write more this weekend and upload pics.
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