I can't believe the day is finally here.
We arrived in AD on October 1. Here we are on November 6, after one month and five days of hotel living, finally getting ready to move into the new villa.
It is a wonderful world we are living in: Obama is set to be president of the 'free-world' (does anyone still call it that anymore, or am I have flashbacks to the days when Hulk Hogan was the living embodiment of a 'real American'?); we are actually moving into our villa today (or at least our stuff is...we'll probably spend one more night here at the hotel); and little A has just settled in for a morning nap (which will probably be cut short for our taxi ride out to the villa).
There are a few characters from the Millennium Hotel we will miss: Faizel, the lobbeyman (dubbed 'the African' by P, for the costume he is always wearing, he is actually Sri Lankan). He was (like many) captivated by our little A, and worked very hard in the time we were here to get her to release a smile from her cool, ice-princess like exterior. I wish I could say there was a thaw, but in all this time, he still gets the 'serious' look, accompanied by a shove. The Club Lounge ladies, who allowed A to wander all over, drink the freshly squeezed oj, and to make a toy out of the packages of sugar which she dumped out and trumpeted like a horn. I don't know many lounges where a baby is allowed to work the room, but this one was her home away from...well...let's just say an ever-shrinking hotel room (good ol' 617). The housekeeping fellow, who sometimes gave us two waters and sometimes four (those were the good days). He will probably be VERY HAPPY to see us go...A's diapers are becoming more and more rank as the days go by...this morning I actually dumped the bin MYSELF (the amoxycillin seems to be giving her some diarrhea...which is very FRAGRANT) as the odour was beginning to seep into the room. All of the room service gents, who I believe are responsible for reinforcing A's 'hi' and 'buh-bye' vocabulary. And, how can we forget the pool crew, headed up by Tilak, who gave A the little pink nylon PollyOtter shoes (which will fit her one day) which are her very own well-loved ruby slippers. Due to the questionable chlorination at the pool (and the bump on my baby's bottom), we have not seen the pool crew for over a week...they probably think we have checked out! Last, but not least, are the gentlemen who are not in the hotel, but very much a part of our hotel lifestyle: the Laundrymen. These guys are the MAVERICKS (thank-you John McCain for re-popularizing that word) of the laundry-world!! Never before in my life have I had my laundry washed, ironed, folded (with paper to help keep its shape), hung (pants and dress shirts) and then wrapped in a pretty little package (of plain newsprint paper). I shudder to think of the number of trees that are chopped down so I can have my classy laundry service (but...of course zay are using zee re-cycled paper...non??). I just discovered yesterday, that they managed to get the BANANA stains out of A's little Gap shirt with the ties on the sleeves (that was heading toward rag-town) yesterday! I'll say it again: Mavericks!!
On to the villa: we were greeted at our front door by little yellow desert flowers...they were planted by the developer outside my front gate. Very welcoming (and definitely not there a month ago when I first laid eyes on it). And...did I mention that the villa is HUGE??? The rooms are huge!! All of them (okay...not the servant's room and not the 'two car' garage) the kitchen, the dining room, the living room...there is nothing but space. Add to that the extremely high ceilings, and I feel like a hobbit wandering around the villa. The light is amazing, and we are lucky that the main floor does not have any rooms that get direct sunlight, which will help it stay cool. We have been advised not to bother getting curtains for our main floor, as it is likely we will never open or close them. We will heed this advice and save ourselves some $$ (wishing we'd done that in Edmonton too). We also have TWO fountains (seriously...) and a rooftop patio (which we might use for a garden...we will see). The yard looks like a huge sandbox right now, and we have hired landscapers who are coming out on Saturday. It's amazing to think they will be able to make things grow in the sand (most likely they'll be mixing in another kind of soil).
The lady we hired to help us clean, Narissa, only managed to finish the main floor in 8 hours (and I don't think it's because she is slow). The place was filthy, drywall dust and sand all over the place. I cannot say much for the quality of the workmanship either--P and I both agreed that had we paid for this place to be built, there is no way we would have taken possession of it: cupboards are dinged, wood is scratched, and the caulking looks like what P did on our shower over 4 years ago (he's a pro now). I guess we're just supposed to make notes and pass them onto our landlord (who we will probably never ever see).
I can say, honestly, there is only one thing about staying downtown that I will miss: the Corniche. The aquamarine colour is so soothing on the eyes first thing in the morning, and it's so easy to strap A into the stroller and walk over. I will also miss my "Goodmorning" friend, the customs agent, who was always so nice and friendly and ALWAYS greeted us when we walked. He was so very sad when he heard we were moving, and no longer would be walking. Maybe we will be able to squeeze in one more walk tomorrow. P says the Corniche extends over by our new place, so we'll have to check that out.
A and I will be taking a taxi out there again, shortly before lunch. We are supposed to meet the shipping container, and ensure that all of our boxes are accounted for. This will be interesting, with A running around...but we'll see how it goes. First things we'll be setting up are the kitchen and the baby gates, b/c A LOVES the stairs!!
Obviously one VIP member of our family is still MIA. Phinn is still doing well in Calgary. He is scheduled to leave there on Saturday November 15. He will fly to Vancouver (and overnight in a pet hotel). The next day he flies out to Amsterdam (and spends another night). Finally, the last leg of his trip brings him home to us, in Abu Dhabi (right to our doorstep). I can't wait!! I am so grateful to my family in Calgary, who have been loving him and taking care of him for us this entire time. I've been asking A if she remembers Phinn, and she sticks out her tongue and pants (for those of you who are unfamiliar with baby signs...this means 'dog'), so I'm very happy to report that she still knows her 'brotha from a different motha'.
Driving home from the villa yesterday I felt so wonderful. Obama had won the election. We were finally on our way to getting settled in Abu Dhabi. A was napping. Like America, I am hopeful again...for new things...for what happens next. It's a very exciting time in our lives.
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