In(a)cense

Housemaids

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 08:13:00 +0000

The UAE does not offer equality for housemaids that come here to work. The laws here reek of oppression and remind me that while Dubai may seem "Western," it most certainly is not.

- Housemaids must be a national of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Phillipines, Ehtiopia, India, or Indonesia.

- The minimum salary is determined by the country of origin...and is usually around 1000 dirhams per month ($270) for a full time live-in. Maids from the Phillipines must make at least $400 per month, and cannot be hired until they turn 25.

- Housemaids must be sponsored by their employer (family). This means you must pay for their visa and entry costs and are responsible for them. You must provide accomodation, medical insurance, and one trip to their home country every 2 years.

- Working part-time as a housemaid is illegal. If you sponsor a maid, she can only work for you. If she is found working for anyone else, YOU will be fined 100,000 dirhams! Maids are often caught working part time on the off-days from their regular employer...even if they live with the employer.

- Housemaids must live in a maid's room, and cannot stay in a "normal" room of the apartment/villa. So, if you have a 3 bedroom apartment, only use 2 rooms, and don't have a maid's room...you can't have a live-in maid.

- A bachelor cannot sponsor/employ a live-in maid. Sometimes, single mothers with children can sponsor maids.

- You cannot sponsor a maid of your nationality unless you get special approval to prove you are not related.

- If your maid absconds, you can place a travel ban on her so that you will be notified when she tries to leave the country. Then, she cannot return for a set amount of time as punishment.

- Also, if the maid absconds, she loses all legal rights in the UAE.

- If you move away, the maid is sent back to her home country unless she is under a transferrable visa. If so, she can attempt to find another employer. If she cannot, she will be sent back.

- The alternative to sponsoring a maid is to hire one through an agency, paying hourly. The cost difference is huge! You will pay 35-40 dhs ($10-11) per hour at a four-hour minimum to hire through an agency. Cleaning generally costs less than babysitting, but the same housemaid does both.

Dubai Polo Club

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 15:52:00 +0000

We had a fun time today at the British Polo Day - The Princes Cup Middle East. It was held at the Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club near Studio City. It was my first ever polo match.

Here's our little group. Joe looks like security in this picture.

The polo field...you can see the horses way in the back.

And the guy with the white hat? That's Flo Rida, the rapper. No big deal. He and his entourage sat in front of us during the match.

Colin & Daddy watching the horses.

Interviewing one of the riders.

A pretty sunset.

Keith and Cade wanted to finish Flo Rida's champagne after he left.

Simone and I after the match. It was really a nice, relaxing evening, and of course the weather was perfect!

Garlic Herb Vinaigrette

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 08:03:00 +0000

Here in Dubai, pre-made products are hard to find, expensive when you can find them, and don't taste quite the same as the products sold in the US. I learned how to make this salad dressing from scratch and it's definitely my favorite now! It's really easy to make. You just need a 2-cup measuring cup, a tablespoon, a whisk or fork, and a salad dressing bottle.

Ingredients:
Apple Cider Vinegar
Dijon Mustard
Dried Oregano flakes
Dried Thyme (not ground!)
salt
2 cloves of garlic, or the equivalent in pre-minced garlic
Olive oil

First, pour 1/2c of the apple cider vinegar into the measuring cup. I make the entire dressing in this cup.

Add garlic (I used a garlic press to crush the cloves)

Add 2 tbsp of Dijon mustard.

Rinse out the tablespoon and dry. You will put equal parts of thyme, oregano, and salt into the same spoon...so about 1 tsp each.

Dump that in and give it a whisk.

Then add olive oil until the 1 3/4c mark on the measuring cup.

Pour the whole thing into the salad dressing bottle.

Shake well, and it will look like this:

I love it on a salad with fresh feta! Not that Athenos flavored crumbled stuff...the creamy stuff you get at the deli.

It takes no time to make this dressing! It stays good for about 3-4 days if you refrigerate between uses. The olive oil tends to congeal so you may need to pull it out about 30 minutes before you're ready to eat.

Here's the recipe:

1/2c apple cider vinegar
2 gloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp dried oregano flakes
1 tsp dried thyme - not ground thyme
1 tsp salt
Approximately 1-1 1/2c olive oil, depending on taste

Measure cider vinegar in 2c measuring cup. Add garlic, mustard, thyme, oregano, and salt. Whisk to combine. Add olive oil to about 1 3/4c mark on measuring cup. Pour into salad dressing bottle and shake well to combine. Refrigerate between uses.

The awesome thing about this recipe is that you can vary ingredients based on what you have. I've added white vinegar when I didn't have enough cider vinegar. You can use lemon juice instead of dijon mustard, or use 1 tbsp of each. You can also reduce the mustard to 1tbsp if it's too strong for you. Oregano and thyme can be used without the other, or you could try another herb. I've used a pinch of black pepper which was also good. As for the olive oil, most vinaigrettes call for 1 part vinegar to 3 parts oil, but I like a little less oil in my dressing.

I hope you like it as much as we do!

Wafi Mall & Khan Murjan

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 10:26:00 +0000

Before our Atlanta trip, we went to Wafi Mall as part of our staycation. The mall is part of Wafi City, which is an Egyptian-style development in Dubai. The mall has stained-glass pyramids on the top, and sculptures of pharoahs outside.

This is a stained glass atrium in the mall...

I thought it was really beautiful! Other than the structural and design elements, the mall is really boring. Joe and I really liked the instrumental Christian hymns they were (probably unknowingly) playing over the speaker. Nothing like humming along to "How Great Thou Art" in a Muslim country :)

This was a fancy gourmet food store in the mall called Wafi Gourmet.

They have lots of dates, of course.

They also have fresh veggies...

A large assortment of olives...

And I believe these are tea leaves...although they look like potpurri.

Some shots outside of the mall...

We did find something interesting in the mall...well, below it. The Khan Murjan is the first souk we've visited in Dubai. A souk is basically an Arabian market. The original Khan Murjan was "an ancient subterranean souk in Baghdad that inspired all who laid eyes on it; with its handcrafted marble-floors, intricate wall friezes and magical coloured ceiling, it swiftly became the subject of legends." The souk we visited in Dubai has used it for inspiration.

The souk has over 150 different stores, filled with Persian rugs, Middle Eastern pashminas, Dead Sea cosmetics, traditional Islamic and Arabian art and decor, and of course, Dubai keepsakes for tourists.

Dubai - The Can Dos

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 03:36:00 +0000

I recently read a thread on ExpatWoman.com about what you CAN do in Dubai that you CAN'T in your home country. Some I've done, some I would never do, and some I've never experienced. Here are a few to enlighten you....

1. Marry more than one woman if you are a Muslim man.

2. Have an outdoor restaurant dinner with your children at midnight on a school night without judgement. Families here eat dinner really late, and stay up late in general.

3. Drive around with an unrestrained child of any age in the back seat or front seat.

4. Ladies only lines, taxis, bus seats, metro cars.

5. Getting your groceries delivered for free 20 minutes after you call and order them.

6. Swim and sunbathe in the winter months.

7. Sit in the car while someone pumps your gas.

8. Get a car wash in the parking deck while you shop without having to track anyone down. They come to you!

9. Pay for fast track at the hospital/clinic without completely blowing your budget.

10. Have friends from 5 continents with fantastic accents.

Staycation at Safa Park

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 06:18:00 +0000

I took the boys back to Safa Park to play for part of our pre-Atlanta staycation.

We sat on the dock so Colin could watch the boat in one of the lakes. Safa Park is really gorgeous!

There is a fountain in the middle, but I think he was more interested in that boat.

It warms my heart to see Colin with his Daddy. Even though I see it almost everyday, it never fails to make me smile.

I have no idea what kind of tree this is, but it's crazy!

I'm planning to spend some more time at the park while the weather is still nice. Hoping the stifiling heat holds off for a few more months!

3 years

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 06:00:00 +0000

The night before Colin and I left for Atlanta, Joe and I went out to celebrate our third wedding

anniversary. We chose Benihana since we had a coupon! A sweet lady from our church came to sit with Colin after a disappointing attempt the previous night where our regular babysitter was stuck at work.

Our chef was really funny and we were thoroughly entertained.

He made us a fried rice heart.

We had a few cocktails at the bar while we waited for the Hibachi seats to open up, then chardonnay with dinner which was delicious.

Aside from the food and experience, it was so great to have a date night with my sweet Joe. I'm blessed to share this adventure of a life with such a wonderful man. Here's to you, babe :)

Staycation: Day 1

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 17:42:00 +0000

Joe took this week off from work to spend some time with me and Colin. Our anniversary is February 2nd and Colin's 2nd birthday is February 3rd. After dinner and a birthday cupcake, Colin and I will be headed to Atlanta for a few weeks.

The first thing we did for Joe's vacation was head down to The Walk at JBR. We had coffee, tea, and a cheese tray at a popular French restaurant called "Paul." The weather is beautiful here, so it was great to dine al fresco and enjoy the breeze.

The Dubai Shopping Festival is in full force. It's the equivalent of Christmas at home in lots of ways! But without Jesus, unfortunately. They hang lighted people and shopping bags from the light posts...like the snowflakes and poinsettias in downtown areas in the US. Giant red SALE signs adorn the store windows. Common areas host events, fireworks, and you guessed it...more shopping. The booths outside on The Walk have increased in number and we were able to browse around and buy some souvenirs!

Down on the beach they had a carnival, so we wandered that way to check it out.

Colin had his first ride on the carousel. He looks a little unsure in this picture, but he rode like a champ!

We put him in this little quarter car, but he wasn't too impressed with it.

He was, however, amused by the jazz band :)

In(a)cense

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 15:23:00 +0000

If you're reading this, you either found the link through Facebook or you tried to read our other blog. I've moved the Dubai portion of the blog here and will keep the other blog private. Over the past 6 months, I've had visitors from:

Canada
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
New Zealand
Australia
Brazil
India
Sri Lanka
Slovenia
Finland
Germany
Indonesia
Phillipines
Taiwan
Japan
Pakistan
Poland
Sweden
Morocco
and a few more that fell off the radar.

Can you believe that? Wowzers is all I have to say. Anyway, I felt like it was a good idea to limit the details we post, the first being our last name!

As for the name of this blog, it has a few simple meanings:

1. A play on the word "incense," as in the aromatic oils which originated in the Middle East and fill your nasal passages upon entering any Dubai mall.
2. "Innocence" as in Colin growing up.
3. "In a sense" as in considering a situation in a particular way...which is pretty much what I do here on this blog.

Thank you for reading!

More Shopping

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 19:35:00 +0000

Ya'll...look what we found at Lulu's on Friday. It's the first time we've seen it for sale in Dubai! Look what else they have here....ALL.YEAR.LONG. Good thing I'm on a diet....

I decided to take more grocery store pictures to show you how things roll around here, so here goes:

This is the delicate detergent for dishdashes and abayas. No idea what it's called....

They also import Seventh Generation products here if you'd like to take out a mortgage for your laundry.

These people LOVE their Tide.

And their Tang. In many ways, this country is about 20 years behind the US.

The whole milk is dubbed "full cream" and they call skim milk "skimmed milk" which is probably more accurate.

Or you can get double cream. Ew. (No, that's not whipping cream, it's milk)

This is one brand of formula - maybe sort of like Good Start since it's made by Nestle. Do you see where it says 5 years plus?

They have a teeny-tiny stash of Jello products, unlike US stores which look like the Tide picture above except with Jello.

At first glance, you'd think this was yogurt:

Nope. It's:

Which is different than cream cheese. The yogurt's over here:

You can get plain or Activia.

They also have a small area with fruited yogurt, but it's not very good. It's over here:

In this section is Butterball meat:

Buitoni noodles...

And Kraft and Sargento cheese which will cost you a small fortune.

They also have frozen pizza, but no pepperoni! Halal meat only!

Plenty of frozen veggies including Green Giant, but no coupons :(

Want butter? It's in the freezer section. I spent about two months thinking they didn't sell butter here because it isn't with the margarine.

Or you can go to the cheese counter and buy it by the kilo.

Speaking of the cheese counter, THIS is the place to get your cheese. Much cheaper and they will shred it for you. You can sort of see the guy shredding my cheese over there. And the wine bottle? It's a tease, in my opinion.

The fresh bread section:

And then there's the produce. I've never seen whole tapioca before, but here it is:

Some Abu Dhabi broccoli:

Beetroot, bread fruit, and chowchow:

They sell coconuts at the coconut booth.

And Dole pineapples. These babies were shipped from Hawaii.

This is the fresh herb section, so you'd better know what your herbs look like before you come!

And these little guys...couldn't figure out their name by the sign. I dub them "Martian Roots."

An odd looking melon-ish fruit:

Not celery. VelleryWhite pumpkins from Oman that look nothing like pumpkins to me.

There is usually a little crowd of Indian women around the bitter gourds, so I think they are a popular part of their cuisine.

They are abusive with their bananas, so they come home bruised.

The name of these makes me laugh :)

Hard-shelled nuts by the gram:

Then they have a counter with shelled nuts....

And behind that counter is about three walls of individually packaged candy.

They have an express lane at checkout, just like us:

And gossip magazines:

And then there's this sign..."Don't trip over your abaya on the way out!"

Then you push your buggy, which they call a trolley, down the magnetic travelator to the parking garage.

And that's what it looks like to shop at Lulu's in Dubai.

Growing Up Fast

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 19:30:00 +0000

Look who's not a baby anymore!

Atlanta vs. Abu Dhabi: Cost of Living

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 18:17:00 +0000

I happened upon an interesting site today, Xpatulator.com. I was intrigued about their views on the UAE, and thought I'd do some comparisons to home. This landed me in Microsoft Excel, which happens a lot in my life. I think in spreadsheets...I can't help it.

So the way this works...each category is rated from 1, being the most expensive, to 300, being the cheapest. There are 300 countries in the study, with Tokyo, Japan being the number 1 most expensive overall, and Sanaa, Yemen being the cheapest. (Of note: they do not cite resources!)

Overall, Abu Dhabi ranked 27 and Atlanta ranked 225. New York City ranked 33.

Then, they ranked spending areas in each city. Remember 1=most expensive and 300=least expensive, so Abu Dhabi's clothing cost is really expensive!
So then I made a graph, because who doesn't love a graph? You can see that the two cities meet in the middle for Communication and Transportation, and that Atlanta's household prices are super inexpensive compared to the rest of the world!

I feel the need to comment on some of these...

If you divided up Alcohol and Tobacco into two categories, you'd see that Abu Dhabi's Alcohol number would fall drastically and their Tobacco level would rise.

As far as Clothing...it's hard to score well when you fill all of your malls with BCBG, Burberry, Dolce & Gabanna, Emporio Armani, Gucci, Juicy Couture...and the likes.

In terms of Education, they must be referring to free public schools reserved for Emiratis. To give you an idea, the nurseries I've seen here cost 8,000-12,000dhs (about $2K-$3K) for a 3-4 month term. A common education allowance for employees seems to be 25,000-40,000dhs ($6K-$10K) per year starting at age 3. I think nursery is way above what I know in Atlanta, but the private school seems pretty close to average at home.

Household seems accurate to me - with Abu Dhabi being REALLY expensive and Atlanta being really cheap. This includes rent/mortgage, real estate taxes, and utilities.

The Restaurant/Hotel speaks for itself...this isn't a cheap vacation spot!

Well, that's the end of our lesson today. Hope you enjoyed my nerdy presentation :)

Christmas Eve!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 18:11:00 +0000

Our little elf is all dressed up in his Christmas pajamas.

We both read stories with him before bed. So excited for Christmas tomorrow!

We hope you will have yourselves a merry little Christmas this year!

Our Christmas Card

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 07:49:00 +0000

These are in the mail as we speak, but if you don't get one, here it is! (Please excuse the fuzziness)

Hope you all have a blessed Christmas!!

Carluccio's

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 19:48:00 +0000

Joe and I found an excellent restaurant - Carluccio's in Dubai Marina Mall. It's an Italian cafe, restaurant, and store (as you can see on the sign below...) The store has lots of high quality oils, vinegars, and other cooking yummies.

Sitting indoors, you will have a view somewhat like this:

Or, if you turn your head, a view like this:

Isn't it beautiful? It opens right onto the Marina Promenade overlooking the water.

Joe & Colin had chicken, and I had prawns (= shrimp). Very fresh and tasty. Joe had an after dinner coffee (+ chocolate & cream) and I just had chocolate!

We'll definitely return to Carluccio's in the near future. Colin even liked it! Score one for us!

Friday Brunch - Villa Style

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 19:27:00 +0000

My friend Yasmijn invited us to a Christmas brunch at her house on Friday. She lives in a villa...so she has a yard....with grass....and flowers! Colin acted like he'd never seen a flower before. Then his little friend Nicholas came over to see. I know Yasmijn, her son Devin, Nicholas, and his mommy Jessica through the Baby Angels Class we attended on Tuesdays at Dubai Marina Mall. Sadly, the class is over until further notice while the owner heads to South Africa to have her baby boy. (That reminds me, I need to post some pics from Baby Angels Class!)

The Colin took a liking to climbing up and down the steps. Over and over. And over.

He got so sweaty from all that climbing!

The food was absolutely delicious, but I forgot to take a picture, of course.

Colin and the kiddos (Devin's wearing the white top) painted Christmas ornaments after the meal, although Colin swiped it with the paint brush about 2 times and then ran back to the stairs.

Here's what was left of my fruit trays with maple whipped cream. Yummy.

See that? Right there in the middle of the bar? That's eggnog. And I had some, and really liked it! I get it now :)

We're so appreciative to Yasmijn and her husband Pawan for having us over. It was a nice way to start Christmas.

Welcome to the Jungle

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 18:36:00 +0000

The Guns N Roses jungle, that is. I (sorta) surprised Joe with tickets to the GNR show last weekend. He'd been hinting for months, so I was going to just let him show up from work and turn him back around to go to the concert. However, I had technical difficulties so he ended up buying the tickets. Go figure. The show was at Yas Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. It's a pretty popular venue, hosting the likes of Norah Jones, The Jonas Brothers, Bryan Adams just in the last month, and I think Kanye West will be here soon if he isn't already.

Guess what...the picture below is the fastest roller coaster in the world. (They aren't impressing me anymore). It's called Formula Rossa, is part of Ferrari World, and goes 240km/hr, or 149 miles per hour. You have to wear goggles.

Back to the show.... this is a picture of the outside of the Yas Arena.

And here is Joe with Pete's friend Ryan and his buddies Wesley and Chris. Each with two beers...hmmmmm...

Chris wanted to be in a picture with us.

The inside of the venue is sort of like Lakewood (HiFi Buys...whatever it's called now) Ampitheater but without the seats in the front. They have a VIP section, a Golden Circle, and then General Admission for us lowly expats.

There were a LOT of people at this show! Joe took this of crowd behind us once we got settled in.

While we were waiting for GNR to take the stage, they played "...standin' in line to see the show tonight and there's a light on...heavy glow..." by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. And I had just taken this picture. Thought it was kinda neat :)

Here's Axl on the big screen:

True to tradition, their last song was "Paradise City." During the song they blew out TONS of red confetti which was awesome.

I think Joe liked his early Christmas gift :)

Brunch!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 18:22:00 +0000

Friday brunches are a popular activity here in Dubai. (Remember, the weekends are Friday and Saturday here) Almost every restaurant offers a brunch of some sort, most with free-flowing champagne. These brunches are not cheap, but tend to be worth the money. Joe's been to three so far, and I've been to one.

In November, we joined Pete, Simone, one of Pete's friends from Abu Dhabi, and two of Simone's friends from the UK (fresh off the plane, literally) for a brunch at the Observatory. It's on the fifty-something-est floor of the Marriott in the Marina. The view was stunning. See the fronds from the Palm Jumeirah? I neglected to photograph the food (next time, for sure) but I can tell you it was incredibly delicious. I had my first taste of Yorkshire Pudding. Mmmm..

Here are the girls: Gayle and I are standing, Kate and Simone sitting. I had great fun with these ladies while they were in town.

Really looking forward to our next brunch....whenever we might be able to afford it!

P.S. I'm sorry for the late posting...about to post 3 more!!

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly...4 Months In

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 11:44:00 +0000

It's hard to believe Colin and I have only been here for 4 months. We started making ourselves at home right off the bat, so it seems like we've already made a home here.
Culture shock is a good way to describe my attempts to adapt here. Some things are easily accepted, others take awhile to get used to, and there are a few that will probably always annoy the pants off me. Hence the name of the blog: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly. Disclaimer: most of these are generalizations, so there are exceptions in most cases. Just not convenient ones.

So here we go:

The Good

:: Being together as a family. I knew I married that guy for a reason :)

:: Familiar products, restaurants, and retail chains in Dubai.

:: Everyone speaks English, though in varying fluency and pronunciation.

:: Friday brunches.

:: Businesses will communicate with you by SMS (which they say instead of text).

:: Tax. Free. Income.

:: Car washers in the parking decks.

:: Fresh baked bread is cheap and plentiful. And they will slice it for you.

:: Spices are also cheap and plentiful.

:: Pull tabs on Coke :)

:: Living 3 blocks from the ocean (we should really go there soon).

:: Learning lots and lots about the Middle East, Islam, and lots of other cultures.

:: The pork section of the grocery store.

:: Slingbox. Best invention ever.

:: The metro! Convenient public transportation and no need for car seats.

:: While everyone at home is complaining about 20 degree weather and ice, it's 70 here and I'm wearing shorts.

:: Techonology that allows me to call, chat, and video chat with family 8,000 miles away.

:: Living above a 24-hour market.

The Bad

:: Living above a 24-hour market. (I know, but it's good & bad)

:: American imports, especially food, are expensive, and become a temptation.

:: No U-Haul.

:: Grass has been replaced with sand. I miss grass.

:: They don't sell chicken broth.

:: Chicken in the store is generally defrosted, so you can't re-freeze it for later.

:: Playgrounds with swings are a rarity.

:: Diet Coke tastes gross.

:: Disappointing lack of office and craft supplies.

:: Alcohol is generally only served in hotels.

:: Taxi drivers are likely to have no idea where they are going.

:: Medical insurance claims aren't generally filed by the facility, so you pay and file for reimbursement.

:: Stores are in perpetual state of restocking (most often right in front of something I need), but you will find an item one week, and won't see it again for a month.

:: Even in September, it was 110 degrees outside all day. Summers here give new definition to "sweltering".

:: Having marble floors is making me realize I didn't vacuum enough at home!

:: Sales on grocery items usually means the item is going to expire tomorrow.

:: Something in the water here makes your hair frizzy and brittle. Note to self: buy a filter.

:: No pork pepperoni on pizza...it's all beef pepperoni.

:: Windy day means a sandy day
The Ugly

:: The nanny = maid situation. I suppose it's cultural, but I can't seem to wrap my head around the quality of childcare in this country...even expat children.

:: Region-coded DVDs....this isn't specific to Dubai, it just annoys me a lot.

:: Setup fees, which I know are always a part of moving to a new place, but I still dislike them

:: Customer service here, um, stinks. Here's a hint: if they tell you they will call back in 5 minutes...they just want you off the phone. Don't fall for it.

:: Shortage of speech and occupational therapists = wait list.

:: Shipping costs...ugh.

:: Not sure if it’s the education level or it’s cultural, but people here don’t think outside of the box very often.

Some Other Observations

:: No drive-thru fast food. But, I've yet to find a place that won't deliver.

:: KFC is the McDonald's of this country.

:: Probably cultural, but there isn't a lot of friendly banter in lines (= queues) or when spotting another stroller (= pram) - pushing mom in the mall. Some cultures, namely the Eastern world, believe that eye contact is provocative. Among Western expats, I think it's partly snobbery and otherwise insecurity. The population here is quite fluid, as most employees are on a 2-year contract, so I often wonder if people are uncomfortable getting "too close" to someone who may be leaving. Just a speculation.

:: Many strollers have actual bassinets on top. Babies up to toddlerhood are often found sleeping through the malls. One day I'm going to ask one of them how they convince their children to sleep in public.

:: No car seat laws! Kids bounce around in the back seat of very expensive cars going wayyy over the speed limit. We only have one car, so I walk and take the metro anywhere possible, but in the case that I need a taxi, I actually have to sit Colin in my lap and strap the seatbelt over both of us. If anyone knows of a stroller that holds a toddler car seat, please, please tell me.

So I guess in conclusion, I'm hoping the next few months are better since a lot of the bad stuff is in regards to being a newbie.
Happy New Year!

When Daddy's Away....

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 16:05:00 +0000

Joe had an after-work party tonight for his CEO's Going Away, so Colin and I decided to have pancakes for dinner. Here's my little helper stirring the batter: And taste-testing the final product:

Then, it was bath time!

Where's your nose?

Where are your ears?

Where's your head?

Where's your mouth?

Where's your belly?!?

Give your turtle a kiss!

He puts his bath toys away by himself every night.

Time to get out :)

Time to brush your teeth!

And make faces in the mirror :)

After bath and diaper changes, he throws his dirty diaper in the pail. Tonight, he did it really fast!

Then we put on a clean diaper and he read his book. Love this little pose!

We played some peek-a-boo.

Cleaned up toys in the living room.

He turned out the lights.

Found his Buddy....

And then it was bedtime! Then he screamed bloody murder until I called Joe and let him talk to his Daddy before bed.

I love that sweet boy :)

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 17:30:00 +0000

Here's our sweet Christmas tree this year! It's a 6-foot artificial tree from Ikea, with red garland, red globe ornaments, and lots of old Christmas cards made into ornaments. I've yet to craft a tree topper, but it's on the list. We opted to put the tree on a table to make it seem less scrawny. My Mom sent the Christmas cards, which I trimmed and glittered, then hung with red yard. I think the next 3 "ornaments" are quite fitting for our overseas adventure.

I bought 3 cheap wreaths at Geant, pulled them apart, and added some garland on one to make a centerpiece for the table. I'd like to do the same for the other 2 and hang them above the stockings.

Our Lillian Vernon WELCOME sign lacks anything Christmasy, so I hung a stocking instead.

Since we don't have a fireplace, I decided to hang the stockings up over the opening to the kitchen. The gold bows came from the Geant wreaths. The stockings were only 11 dirhams each at Ikea. If I can find some embroidery thread in this country, I will embroider our names (or at least first initial!) on them.

I'm currently on the lookout for a Santa Claus photo-op for Colin. Fingers crossed....

ugly

UAE National Day

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 05:43:00 +0000

Joe had another 4 day weekend! He is normally off on Friday and Saturday, but this week, he's been home Thursday through Sunday. The United Arab Emirates is celebrating their 39th National Day, which is sort of the equivalent of our Independence Day on the 4th of July. Funny enough, both are to celebrate independence from Britian.

His company gave him the fancy scarf you see above, complete with pictures of the President and Vice President. These pictures are pasted on buildings all over the country.Above is Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum. He is the Vice President & Prime Minister of the UAE, and the reigning ruler of Dubai. This guy is Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan, the President of the UAE and ruler of Abu Dhabi. The President and VP are elected by the Supreme Council, which is comprised of the leader of each of the seven emirates. The Prime Minister, or head of the Cabinet, is chosen by the President after "consultation with the Supreme Council." So, the UAE is not a democracy, but relies on the head of each emirate to serve as the voice. (UAE Interact) This is a display in the center of a roundabout in Al Ain. I'm guessing the pitcher symbolizes traditional Arabian coffee. They already had this "39" up when we went to the zoo, and I wondered what it meant. It's all making sense now :)

So, these Emiratis love to celebrate, especially when it comes to their country. The display of national flags on cars, buildings, and in the form of adorning scarves is not unlike the patriotism you'll see in the US on the 4th of July. The main difference I saw here was this: warnings to stay off the roads. This was purely word of mouth, but I hear that motorists will idle on Jumeirah Beach Road, revv their engines until they "explode," screech their tires until they burst, and even wreck their cars on purpose. The painted car windsheilds can't help the safety factor. And all of this is (supposedly) done by people who frown on the consumption of alcoholic beverages.

photo from gulfnews.com
Colin & I stayed in, but Joe did see some crazy tire squealing when he visited Pete & Simone who live just above the beach. Probably the most interesting thing I witnessed were cab drivers from surrounding countries proudly displaying UAE paraphenalia because they really do love the country they live and work in. Yep, I asked 'em.

photo from gulfnews.com

Happy 39th National Day!

Taxi Drama

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 17:13:00 +0000

I was invited to go to a seminar this week put on by Andalene Salveson, owner of a South-African company called Monsters to Munchkins. She had the seminar at Willow Nursery which is about a 20-minute taxi ride from here. Directions in hand, I hailed a cab outside of our building and headed that way.

I should stop here to explain the taxi drivers in Dubai. As I understand it, cab drivers in the U.S. generally know the local roads and can get you places if you tell them the general vicinity. Here, you seriously have to navigate with turn-by-turn directions or you won't make it to your destination. They are somewhat known for their tendency to play dumb so they'll get a higher fare out of you. Also, there is usually a language barrier so you have to be very concise....and often very bossy.

Back to the story...we were riding down Sheikh Zayed Road, which is the equivalent of an interstate at home. When the driver tried to go onto the wrong ramp despite my back seat nagging, I knew we might have a problem.

We made it to an important intersection, and I said "turn left." He made a U-turn.

We finally got back to the intersection and turned left, I said "Turn right on 9C." He ignored me.

When we finally got back to 9C, it was dark out and I couldn't see the Willow Nursery villa anywhere! I asked the driver to pull over so I could call for better directions. Not surprisingly, he didn't listen. He drove right into another villa's driveway. Then the real drama started.

There were a few Emiratis on the porch, men and women. One of the men stood up immediately and came bolting towards my cab. I paid the driver and demanded change, but he casually rolled down his window and started cackling.

"What do you want?" he asked the Emirati.

"This is my house!! I own this house! What are you doing here??" the Emirati screamed as he marched towards us.

"GIVE. ME. MY. CHANGE!! NOOOWW!"

Ok..so I was getting dramatic. The guy was probably drinking, and just trying to give the taxi driver a hard time. Still, a little part of me was fearful.

After a few minutes of this back and forth, I finally got my change, and ran out of the cab.

The women on the porch were yelling...laughing..."Stupid! Stupid!"

I know I was panicking for no reason, but I was already so mad at the taxi driver for completely ignoring my directions, then he put me in a sketchy situation.

In the US, I would have been on the phone with his superiors ensuring he'd be reprimanded. Here....well, no one cares. Except Emiratis that are wondering why the blazes a random taxi has invaded their personal space.

I survived the debacle, and probably had no reason to fret in the first place. Just another reason why it's hard to call another country "home."

Crafty Fun

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 11:38:00 +0000

On Black Friday, I found some super awesome printable cash envelopes at The Digichick...for free! Then, I picked out some pretty (free) digital scrapbook paper at Shabby Princess. After a few hours of Photoshopping the paper into the envelopes, decorating, printing, cutting, and gluing, my masterpiece is complete!!

This "Christmas Cash" envelope is what caught my attention, so I printed out one of these, too!

Here are my beautiful envelopes!

They fit perfectly into my wallet, and I labeled them so retreiving cash is not only easy, it's also stylish :)

Today, I saw this "Countdown to Santa" post at one of my favorite blogs I Can Teach My Child! We need some holiday cheer around here, so Colin and I made our own.

I used two paper plates - one for the face and one for the hat. I let Colin paint the hat red, then tried to get him to put the cotton balls on the hat and Santa's beard, but he wasn't so cooperative.

Then, I used the one piece of green and red paper we had in the apartment (complete with evidence of previous coloring sessions), cut them to 1" wide, and made the chain.

Here's the final product:

I looped the chain so I could hang Santa a little lower. I have a feeling Colin will rip him down before Christmas, but have no fear...I have a whole roll of masking tape left.

We will tear one loop every night before bed so we can count down to Christmas!

I really wanted to make an advent calendar, but haven't found a craft store yet. Next week: a paper nativity scene!

Thanksgiving in Dubai

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 16:07:00 +0000

We celebrated Thanksgiving today (Friday). We planned on buying a duck this year since we don't have a roasting pan, but we found a half turkey at Lulu's, so we brought that home instead. This is the first year I've cooked a turkey for Thanksgiving, and it turned out pretty good!

It was small enough to ~~shove~~ put in the crockpot. I rubbed the skin with sea salt, then poured cranberry sauce all over the top, and let it cook for about 4 hours. Then I put the whole dutch oven into the big oven for another hour and basted it with butter. Yum!

I also made stuffing (Joe's Maw-Maw's recipe), garlic mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet peas, and a lemon pound cake. It actually smelled like Thanksgiving in here :)
Here's my plate. Mmmmmm.

I cut apart some of Colin's 18-month pajamas and made a turkey shirt for the festivities. Here's some pictures of him after Thanksgiving dinner:

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!