Ho hum...

Yesterday morning, as P left for work, A and I headed for a stroll along the Corniche. For the first time, the breeze had a cool tinge in it. It was sensational!! It only lasted for about 20 minutes though--by 7:15, it was warming up already. Instead of walking south, we opted to go north along the gulf. We passed the ADIA building (which always make me think of our friend Neeraj), which is shaped liked billowing sails (thank-you to josephms, www.panoramio.com/photo/1400921 for this photo..I will put my own up shortly). I thought to myself just how much like Vegas this place really is because although things look so close, they are in fact, quite a bit of a hike away.


As always, I was impressed by the cleanliness of the Corniche. The workmen were already out, sweeping the debris, picking up garbage and washing the tiles of any yuckiness from the previous evening. They really like A, and are always trying to get her to smile or wave at them. I am always unsure (as I have this fear drilled into my head by MANY people...at the forefront of whom is my mother: WE ARE IN AN ISLAMIC COUNTRY) as to whether I should smile, or even be making eye-contact with these men, less it be misconstrued as being offensive...or perhaps even suggestive. WHERE ARE MY SUNGLASSES???? I have always just offered a friendly smile, with an averted gaze...so far so good.


Back on the way to our hotel, we managed to coax a stray cat over for a scratch. There were two, a tabby and a white and marmalade coloured kitty. Of the two, only the tabby, perhaps sensing my kindred spirit and love for the tabbies, came over. They both had the notched ears, indicating that they were free to wander, as they had already been fixed by the local animal authorities. They were both smaller in stature, and slimmer, with coarser hair than our North American felines. Both A and I are missing our four-legged friend, Phinn. But, no villa equals no Phinn...so we'll just have to wait a bit longer.


Yesterday I felt as though my cold was getting a second wind. It was all I could do to keep A busy until P got home from work. I didn't want to nap (although I was certainly exhausted) as I was afraid maybe the naps were interfering with my night sleeping. Just before lunch, A and I went for a swim in the pool (our private pool really, as it's usually just the two of us in there). When we returned to our room, she had her lunch and went for a long siesta. She was still sleeping by the time P came home around 3:30.



I love that btw. P is now home so much earlier!! I don't know if this will change, but that was part of the sales pitch he delivered to me for moving out here. P would have more time to spend with us. So far so good (and he is working really hard to kick his developing addiction to Tiger Woods Golf on the PSP).



And, heading off in a totally new direction: let's talk about the food. So far, we have been able to find everything we need, and though some things taste a bit different, for the most part, it has been great. Baby food has been a bit of a challenge...A is still eating jarred food (feel free to keep your judgements to yourself please), and I can't seem to locate a whole lot of vegetables that aren't orange...we've had Pumpkin and sweet corn (orange), Carrots (orange) and Sweet Potato (you get where I'm going with this). I will find more food...just give me some time (and when i get my villa...just get me a blender).



Also, two words for you: Apple Pear. Seems to be a very popular fruit around here. Every few days housekeeping shows up with a plate of fruits for us, and the apple pear is always represented. Now, for me, not an apple lover...I found myself resisting the apple pear...but yesterday, I got a bit desperate for a snack...and we had NOTHING but this fruit plate...so, I did it. I cut into the apple pear, and let's just say: today, i am eating my SECOND apple pear.

It seems the UAE Food Guide (or whatever you call it over here) is only recommending 5 servings of Fruits and Veggies (as read in Dubai's prominent and free AQUARIUS magazie...compared to Canada's 10-12 that's quite a difference). I guess I'm only 4 apple pears away from meeting my daily quota!!



Finally: HELLO GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP!! I was actually WOKEN UP by the call to prayer (between 4:30 am and 5 am) instead of waiting around for it to come. This must mean that I slept through the whole night (with little feeding sessions with A...but I'm only half-awake during that anyway). This is a first for me, which is probably why I'm feeling so much better today! A also slept in til about 7 (which is why we were a little late heading out for our walk to the Corniche).

Today's Treat: Internet from the Room!!

I have been out of commission for three days now. I caught P's cold (thank-you honey). Saturday (day 1) I was out flat on my back and I slept most of that day. P's job was to keep A occupied (and hopefully out of the room so I could sleep in peace). Sunday (day 2) P was at work and A is a great baby. We had a lovely nap from around 11 - 1 pm. I was still feeling fairly exhausted, but managed to check out the Abu Dhabi Mall in the evening (http://www.abudhabi-mall.com/), which is amazing!! This is only my second mall outing, the first being Marina Mall, where we visited IKEA (exactly the same, except here they actually set-up your furniture for you...part of the delivery fee) and a few other stores.

I have had a chance to walk around in a villa (the home of P's boss & family). Though it's not the exact same model that we will be getting, they are lovely and very modern. I am really looking forward to getting moved into our villa. I am getting really tired of hotel food! I believe ours is the 4 bedroom Type S model and you can check it out here (you may need to download Quicktime or something for the virtual tour): http://www.alrahagardens.com/aldar.htm.

This morning I am feeling so much better. A and I went for a walk along the Corniche at 7 a.m. It was deserted, and the weather was fabulous (not too hot at all, with a great breeze off the Gulf). I thought of my parents, and how much they would enjoy walking along the Corniche, with it's beautiful gardens, and the brick mosaic trails!

As soon as I can, I will add some of our photos, so you can see for yourself how beautiful it is!

It is a good thing that I am recovering. A seems to be either teething or catching our colds (we'll wait and see which it is). I've had to use the nasal bulb several times to help her clear out the runny mucous (TMI..maybe). Although she loves to blow her nose with Kleenex...er..make that QUEENEX (seriously...that's the brand over here), she is not very effective, as she just holds up the tissue to her nose, and then makes a noise with her mouth (awww!! she's soooo adorable!).

Make that October 5 please!

I believe that date is Sunday, October 5...and it is 6:10 a.m. We have no internet access from the room, and the internet cafe is stinky and dirty, so I have decided to write my blog into WordPad (as we seem to be lacking the Office programs here on P's laptop) and then to transfer it at such a time as we have our own villa and our own internet access.

First things first: YYG to YYZ (Calgary to Toronto).

Well, first off,the luggage really stressed me out. I packed and re-packed our three suitcases, in the hopes that they would all be under the 20 kg weight limit imposed by Etihad airlines. My heaviest bag was about 45 lbs...and that was the best I could do. Leaving behind my family was very sad and emotional, but I have had a 'no crying' rule in place for all of my 'see you later's'. Mom and Dad took me to the airport (I drove) and we all got very sad at the security clearance point where we had to part ways. I have a lovely picture of mom and dad, with A, and though they are smiling (on demand...at my request) you can see they are also crying. What a lovely daughter they have!!

I was very ticked with the security lady who removed the freezer packs from A's food cooler. I had packed enough yogurt and cheese to get me through to AD, and she felt it needed to be removed. I have travelled to Phoenix, to California (twice) and to Vancouver Island with those ice packs...thankfully, mom and dad were still waiting and I didn't have to throw them out. Then it became Air Canada's problem (and later, Etihad's) to keep A's food cool for me.

Three very annoying things happened on this leg of the trip. The first: I met a bible-thumper (King James' version) from Muskoka country, who was working in Fort Mac, and heading home. Though he seemed nice enough, I started to tune him out once he started talking to me about "Your country..." (I believe I mentioned I was from Edmonton) and when he went on about how the Nazi SS soldiers were really a joint Canadian-American enterprise. He seemed to jump from one of these conversations to the next, with no segueway other than 'it's really interesting...". I was very thankful to the young mother of three from Halifax who interrupted our one-way conversation to talk to me about my Go-Go Babyz Travelmate (the trolley I bought to make it possible for me to travel with the car-seat, stroller, carry-on bag and A...a must have for people who plan to travel a lot with their little ones).

The next annoying thing: our car-seat was a pain to install and remove from the plane. The AC flight attendant was not very happy with me (although she was the one who had snapped it in). It took over 10 minutes for her to get it out, and that was after everyone else had left the plane!! I believe she ended up with several gouges and scratches on her arms from the activity!! OUCH!

And lastly, I decided to be super-woman (or stupid-woman...more of the latter really) and take all my luggage to the Toronto Airport Sheraton ON MY OWN (with all of the accoutrements mentioned in the last paragraph). I arrived at the Sheraton about 45 minutes later (did I mention my cart was crappy and one of the wheels kept sticking?) sweaty and stinky as all, to find that my room was not ready!! But hey, we had our lunch (at 4:30 pm Toronto time) and then A got a Sheraton bear, so that made up for it!

We had a lovely visit with our friend Neeraj, who looked very preppy in his new fall pea-coat from Zara. It was great to see a friendly face in Toronto. And then it was off to get ready for bed. That night, A had two 'firsts': she flushed the toilet for the first time ever, and she cut her lip of her one little tooth (and boy, did it bleed!!). After a snuggle, some Tylenol and polysporin (for the pain) and some milk, A and I went to sleep.

Second: YYZ to EUH (Toronto to Abu Dhabi)

We got up at 6:45 and were out the door by 7:15 am. I hired a lovely porter who took us from the Sheraton the baggage check-in without breaking a sweat (at least nothing that I could smell). Sadly, we were the first ones at the gate (177, for posterity) at 8:00 a.m. So, A had a very relaxing breakfast and I scarfed down a chocolate filled croissant and milk (had to use up a Starbucks GC). Etihad decided (wisely) that my car-seat had to be gate-checked, and A and I killed time walking around and around the gate area.

It was raining in Toronto. As we sat down in our seats (38A and C), I allowed myself a quick minute to cry...just for everyone and everything that I was missing and would be missing. Our plane was a little late departing (I believe we left around 11:00 am) and then 12 hours of flight time.

I discovered one thing that is more annoying than a screaming baby on a 12 hour flight. Try an Indian guy (over here...we drop the 'East' as there are no other kinds) watching a Bollywood moving with his headphones, banging out the bhangra beats on the tray tables with his hands, snapping his fingers to the music and snorting back mucous like it was cocaine and he was in New York in the 80's (yes...that much mucous). This was during "sleep' time on the plane (where all the lights had been dimmed and the windows closed..hint, hint Bhangra-guy). We had switched seats to the opposite side of the plane, as I wanted to spare the older Indian couple in front of us the joys of having a baby bounce on the back of their seats for 12 hours. And our A...she definitely is an energizer bunny that one. I would say she slept for about 3 hours (total) on this trip. She passed her time by singing, calling out 'buh buh' to the airline stewards and stewardesses, walking back and forth to the bathroom (she pooped about 7 times...lucky number 7), dancing and just generally being active. Suffice it to say, momma was very tired when we landed. I was too tired to look out the window and enjoy the sunrise. I did see the desert sand, but was just counting down the minutes to landing.

The airport was beautiful. I found my way to customs and had our passports stamped with our visitor's Visa (as that's what we are, until we become residents). There was a bit of stress as we waited a very long time to get our gate-checked items (car-seat and stroller). And then, there we were, finally, walking out the gate in AD, and P was walking towards us to meet us. I think I was way too tired to process my own happiness. A was strapped into the car-seat and was rolling along. She did not seem over excited to see her daddy, but neither was she shy or bashful.

For 8 in the morning it was very bright and very hot. My first order of business: take off socks (for me and A). The ride into the city surprised me...so much more greenery than I had expected. The buildings were a combination of Cuba-old and New York-new. We got into the hotel (in case you want to check out the new digs...check out the Millennium hotel: http://www.millenniumhotels.com/ae/millenniumabudhabi/index.html), and I ordered my first taste of AD: french fries!! We topped off our first night with a walk along the Corniche (which translates to "Road on a ledge"). Although it was too dark to see much of anything, the weather was gorgeous and warm, and it was filled with people who were on vacation (end of Ramadan). Besides, I had already seen the beautiful views from my hotel window!

License to Drive

A's nose has been running today. The flow got heavier tonight, and I thanked myself for having the foresight to keep the nasal bulb syringe with me (instead of sending it away on the shipping container). She seems to really enjoy the bulb...thinks it's some kind of teething toy! Anyways...now that she's asleep (with a little help from Tylenol...for the runny nose due to teething I hope), I can blog.

Today's biggest and happiest news is that we are confirmed for travel on Sept 29. Heading from here to Toronto, and then overnighting it at the Airport Sheraton. Flying out again in the morning to AD. I am so very excited to get going!!

Managed to accomplish a great deal today. Cancelled benefits from the Feds, confirmed my hotel stay and my porter. Created a new 'friends' list on g-mail (I've been reorganizing my contacts...again), and e-mailed them all an update about the fly-out date. Picked up an IDP (Internation Driving Permit). Also learned how to use my brother's scanner, and mailed some documents to the pet transporter. All-in-all...a very feel good day.

I am getting used to the NEW Phinn...I definitely like longer hair on the poms...he looks like a whole new breed of dog now, but as long as he is more comfortable in our new home, that's really all that matters.

New home is still up in the air. I am still waiting to hear from P regarding the status of our new home...maybe tomorrow.

Looking forward to spending some time with friends (M coming up from E-town this week) and family before I head off. Only SIX more sleeps (how my nephew is keeping track of time these days).

A new dog...

Well...looks like maybe just another week to go in 'sunny' Alberta (it's been raining off and on today...and I heard a forecast for snow this weekend). So many little things to get out of the way. A has usually been sleeping mornings, so this leaves the afternoons to get things done. Today's task was getting Phinn ready for the move, with a trip to the groomers. I posted a request on Calgary's kijiji, looking for dog groomers in NW Calgary. Claudia's came highly recommended (and it happened to be very close to my brother's house). So, off we went.

Turns out, Claudia is a Mexican lady, who just happened to live in Oman before she moved here 6 years ago. She was very excited about our move to AD, and thinks we have chosen one of the best places to live in the Middle East. She mentioned some places we MUST visit (the revolving restaurant for starters), and passed along a referral for a groomer in Dubai.

I thought Claudia was great, and didn't hesitate to pass over my beloved Phinn into her hands. I felt she knew exactly what style he would need for our new home. Additionally, she also had a pomeranian, so...another point in her favour. I asked her to shorten his nails, take some hair off his belly, and to trim up around his bum.

When I picked him up two hours later, she told me she had given him a teddy bear cut. He had one before, so I wasn't too concerned, until she opened the door, and my formerly beautiful long-coated pomeranian came out looking more like a CAT than his previous lion-like alter-ego. For his sake, I didn't wince, but told him he looked beautiful anyway. I told Claudia that I had not expected Phinn's hair to be so SHORT!

Claudia felt that the shave was necessary for Phinn to adjust to the heat over in AD. She assures me that (despite everything I've read on the internet to the contrary) it will grow back to it's former chocolate glory. She sold me a new grooming brush, which she tells me will help me to keep his locks in great shape, while they grow back.

When I got back to the car, my mom thought I was bringing the groomer's cat to show her...poor Phinn!!

It is now hours later, and although I've adjusted to the new cut, I still miss his beautiful, long coat.

Tomorrow's goals: talk to the Feds and fax off Phinn's travel documents