Easter in AD

Yesterday we attended an Easter party in Shahama. My friend Drica, is a very pregnant Brazillian estate agent. I can't believe how she was hustling around in the heat (I believe 38 degrees yesterday around 3:30 in the afternoon). She also purchased two baby bunnies just for the occasion. Little A was thrilled and spent some QT with the little bunnies. Just before we left for home, Drica had arranged an easter-egg hunt. Litle A caught on quickly and enjoyed finding three colourfully foiled chocolate "andahs" (punjabi for 'eggs'). Fortunately, she doesn't know that the foil wrapper comes off...yet.

Today we co-hosted the playgroup at our house. Little A had a fever throughout the night, and we were up getting Tylenol, and taking temperatures. This morning we were both a little exhausted and out of sorts. However, with the help of Malou and all the mums who brought their inflatable pools, I think we celebrated a very happy Easter Sunday with friends. Little A flatly refused to enter into any of the pools (though, as we type she is happily taking an indoor dip in her round, red tub...used as an 'indoor pool'). I think that she gets a little uncomfortable when there are a lot of other children around (an ideal group size for her is probably 3 or 4).

New word of the week is 'num'-often accompanied by a hand gesture, 'num' is how she asks us to 'come' with her to do things

She was also pleased as punch last week, when she called Phinny to 'num' by bending down, slapping her knee, and beckoning him with her hand. To his credit, Phinn DID come (what a good boy!!).

We attended another birthday party, this time for our neighbour Grace. I had the opportunity to get to know Sharon (New Zealand), Erica (S. Africa), Ursula (Germany), Jeane (UK) and Maiko (Japan) a little bit better. It was nice to have some ladies to talk to about Abu Dhabi life a little bit more. Though we've all come from different places, it was nice to spend an afternoon having 'girl-talk' (even though there were also toddlers and children to be tended to).

Looks like another sandstorm is brewing. While little A was playing in her red tub, I noticed the window in front of her darken. In the seconds it took for me to get up and ask Malou to take down the umbrella...BAM! the wind and sand are going crazy.

Time to go now...Little A is 'all done'!

My favourite sari...

Is it possible to have a favourite fabric?

Ever since I was little, my mom has had this sari...it's fire-red, with yellow paisley amoeba dancing around. I have no memory of her ever wearing the sari (it was the 1970's, in Grande Prairie...I think by being brown in Alberta, we were already standing out enough), but remember seeing little flashes of it here and there over the years, whenever she opened up 'the suitcase' (filled with all her Indian treasures: saris, bangles, suits). I believe there might be a picture of her wearing it somewhere in our old albums...but I can't be sure.

Over the years, the contents of 'the suitcase' have dwindled. Suits have been given away, and the treasures have mysteriously been disappearing. Fortunately, at some point in time, I managed to hide away the sari (and its matching blouse...which was always very elusive). My mom never could understand why I wanted to have it...and I'm not really sure why it was so important to me either. I think someday, I hoped to wear them both...and feel what my mom must have been like when she was young, before the years and time changed her. Surely, the person who wore THIS sari must've have been vibrant, and alive. A liver of life. Someone who laughed, danced, and thought that life was fun.

However, I have never tried to fit into the blouse of this sari...possibly because I don't want to know that it doesn't fit.

Instead, today, with the help of Malou, the sari now has a prominent place in my villa here. Just seeing it makes me happy ('happy' is also one of little A's new words...'lu-lu' is always very 'happy'). It is helping to fill my room with a warm light. The sari makes me remember only good things about my mom: her adventurous nature, wanting to move her family to a foreign land, making our family the most important family in her life; her courage, travelling with a 6 year-old, his bike, and me, then just a little over a year, on her own, with limited understanding of English; her love and commitment to my brother and I as we were growing up, always putting our needs ahead of her own.

The sari makes me think of my mom, smile, and feel all the love the I grew up with.

The Mitt Guy...

I was reminded of my friend June, and her son Ronin the other day. I met them in a 'new mum's group', and June introduced her baby as 'the mitt guy'. Poor little baby had a severe case of eczema, and they had to keep his hands covered (maybe too much scratching?). Fortunately, they got control of the situation, and I believe his skin has cleared up (though, living in Abu Dhabi, I haven't seen them recently...but he was looking pretty clear before we left).

I decided on Saturday, that it was 'time' to finally bequeath all of my childhood toys to little A. Some of these toys I have had as long as I can remember (so, probably they've been around since 1977). I must admit it was quite a trip down memory lane, seeing ALL of my old 'friends' again. Little A's favourite (so far) has been a little baby toy who I had named 'Lou Guy' (prounounced: Lou-ghee). I have no idea where this name came from, but thanks to my sharp little baby teeth, Lou Guy is now missing most of his fingers and toes. Fortunately, at some point, my Aunty Baksh ('aunty' in the most Indian sense) decided to cover up his disfigurement, by knitting him a snow-suit, complete with mitts. Thus, he is my (now little A's) very own 'mitt guy'. He also, at one point, had a toque (which has gotten lost, I'm sad to admit). So far, Lou Guy has been showering with us, and made a trip out to Kindermusik too. Obviously, we're going to have to do something about the snow-suit...it's a little hot here for that.

On Sunday, I hosted the Al Raha playgroup over here. Hosting is so much more enjoyable when someone else (Malou) is helping with set-up, food prep, supervision (other people's children...not mine) and CLEAN-UP!! I must say, she is a wonderful helper! So hard-working, and never seems to tire-out.

Speaking of 'old friends', I am also thrilled to be back in touch (after a 15 year hiatus) with my childhood best-friend. Why the 'time-off'? Seems that back in our first year of University, there was a major misunderstanding, and since both of us were hurt by it, neither of us took the time to really look into it. I can honestly say I have been missing her friendship for a long time. I managed to get the courage to ask for some contact information (delivered by a dear friend), and then somehow found it in me to send out the first e-mail. I guess I figured I didn't have much to lose, being in AD and all. Even if I received no response...how would things really be any different? I was overjoyed (and deeply pained) when I got the first e-mail back. Where the happiness came from should be obvious. The pain however came from realizing how many years had been wasted...b/c it seems that the friend I had been missing, had been missing me too. So, after beating myself up emotionally for a few days, I decided to just get on with things, and be grateful that it didn't take 30 years (I've still got a few good years in me yet, I figure).

Little A continues to amaze us. Before P left for his business trip to the U.S. of A., she did her first independent jump (which of course P commanded her to do in the middle of the cobblestone road, so no big surprise when she landed on her butt...but she was okay). That same night she had her first 'skinned knees' (*no flesh was actually 'skinned' but little A cried, and there was a little bit of bruising the following day). She now has 8 teeth (and more coming), says the word 'yellow', can identify the colours: blue, yellow and purple and within the last week has become a bit of a biter (thankfully...she seems to be drawn to biting Malou the most...guess it's because P isn't home??). She also LOVES bugs and birds (which seem to be plentiful around here) and many a meal is interrupted by the screaming of 'buuhhhhhh' or 'biiiirrrhhhhh' (many times, not necessarily in that order), and has her very own 'cozy convertible' (ahhh...the ex-pat baby lifestyle).

Today, we joined Kindermusik. It's a 20 minute drive into the city...but seems like it will be a good thing to do once the weather gets unbearable. Everyone here is starting to talk about 'preparing' for the hot weather by finding 'indoor' activities to get involved in. Little A also seems to be a big fan of singing (among the songs she sings, we can easily pick out: pit-pat, what kind of day is it?, twinkle, twinkle, the alphabet song, and the 'hello' song from music with mummy...impressive...I know), so I'm happy to give her an outlet.

What else? Hmmm...I met a really nice lady in my complex, Neelofur. We managed to click instantly. We are the same age, and though she has two older children, her 'baby' is one month younger than little A. We've talked about friends, families, growing up, and have enjoyed several cups of tea together. The downside of this friendship is I met her b/c she is moving back to England with her family (and we bought a toddler bed from her). She just came over tonight too (she will be leaving the country tomorrow) and we had another cup of tea, and took some pictures. Sigh! Both of us keep saying 'if only....' But I wish her well back in her new 'old' life. Plus, I've got her contact information and have told her once she moves BACK to South Africa, we will all be coming to visit.

You can take the teacher out of the classroom...

...but no matter where I go...the 'teaching' instinct continues to thrive within me. I'm also so pleased to report that I've been having some success here with my newest students (yes ladies and gents...the lightbulbs are going off).

When we first got to our complex, I was a little put-off by the number of male Indian workers...they are everywhere, doing all of the menial tasks that must be done. Like all Indian men who have been raised in the motherland, they have the inherent 'staring problem' (which really must be forgiven...as I believe that it's a dominant gene on the Y chromosome). They aren't staring because I'm 'hot', or because I'm not...it's just part of their nature to stare.

So, I have taken it upon myself to help teach these men, my 'homeboys' (seriously...if my parents hadn't relocated us to Canada at such a young age, my brother might be one of these guys working hard for the money to send home...and staring) if you like, to turn their socially inappropriate staring, into something socially acceptable. The last few days, I've started harvesting the fruits of my labours.

It all started with a wave. I would walk in the mornings, little A and Phinn in tow, and as soon as one of the workers would stare our way, I would just smile and wave. I repeated this smile and wave for every worker, every time we went out. Even if we were driving...just a smile and a wave.

A few days ago, I was so proud, when one of these same men saw us coming, and actually waved to us FIRST!! Then, the other day, another one of my 'students' actually called out 'Goodmorning madam' and waved, before we even had a chance to see him there (he was down in a hole...turning off the fountain so that it could be cleaned).

Progress...it's a beautiful thing!

I've just come back from a Khalifa Ladies coffee morning at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club. It is so close to home, and I had the opportunity to meet several new ladies that live near by. The weather is 'hot' (little A's word), but there's a great breeze in the shade. Time to get some lunch and relax while my little one naps.

Malou (the housekeeper-formally-known-as-Rosemarie) is continuing to be hard-working and is fitting in well with our family. I'm starting to feel like this villa might be TOO SMALL for all of us...but I know in time, like many others over here...I will adjust. The pro's of having her here so outweigh the con's...I will just 'suck it up' (like I'm sure my friend Marci would suggest...though I know she would add a 'princess' to the end of it).

"THIS is the good life..."

These are the words that my darling husband P has been uttering everyday, usually after he sits down in some chair (sometimes after dinner) and finds he has nothing pressing to do.

This is the impact that Rosemarie has had on our lives. Yes friends, we are now living la bella vita.

Little A has been sick since Rosemarie arrived. She has had what doctors here are calling a 'viral fever' followed by a 'viral infection' which caused a minor rash. Our medical experiences have not been so great: minimum 2 hour wait at the hospital AND the health clinic. Apparently the word 'appointment' means nothing to the local population. However, she is now on the mend. The entire time she has been ill, I have not had to lift a finger to clean anything around the villa, and the villa is the cleanest it has been since we arrived.

Rosemarie has been pretty much self-directed, and just busies herself with cleaning everything in sight. I must say...it is exhausting watching her...and she NEVER takes breaks (just to sleep). I try and try to get her to 'rest' but at this point, she says that as she is still homesick and missing her family. She prefers to work and keep her mind busy, so that she doesn't have time to feel sad.

I thought it would feel strange to have someone else living with us. However, perhaps it is her personality, but it's quite comfortable. I actually like having someone else in the house...it doesn't feel so big and empty, and I feel less like it's just me, a dog and a baby all day long. She does keep to herself quite a bit, and does her own thing in the evenings. She is pretty nervous about going and hanging outside (b/c of the number of male workers milling about...she's heard some bad stories about the population here, and the word 'rape' has come up several times in our conversations). I am going to offer her to take Phinn with her if she feels like going outside. Many of the locals are quite scared of dogs (even small rodent sized ones like Phinn...he does put on a good show) and so he would afford her a relative amount of 'protection'.

Tomorrow we are planning on participating in the Terry Fox Run (Little A too...she'll go in the BOB). P has a funny story about how his company won first place last year for largest donation (seems the bulk of the donation was actually made by the company). We're interested to see if they will be winning first place again.

The weather seems to be heating up again. We were out walking around this morning, and came back around 10:45...too hot for the chocolate pom!! Looks like it's time to turn the a/c back on!

Fab Tive

Yesterday A's fifth tooth erupted (top left). It's been coming for a while, but it finally poked its way out of the gumline yesterday morning.

Our landscaping is done...just waiting for it to dry a bit so we can get clean-up done.

Rosemarie should also be here later this week.

The sun is shining (after a rainy cloudy weekend, which I'm sure the grass loved). It should be a nice week!

OY vey! The screaming...

Little A has found a new way to use her voice: screaming. There are screams when she wants milk, and screams when she wants up on the couch. There are screams when she is pulling on Phinn's hair (and he's obviously disgruntled about it). The scream is used to express so many emotions: glee, impatience, mischieviousness, frustration...it's very multi-purpose.

It's a very primitive vocalization, and it seems to be her new favourite sound!

Suffice it to say, it's not MY new favourite sound. I prefer it when she sings.

Not very much on the agenda for today. Just finished my book by Irshad Manji "The Trouble with Islam Today". What an excellent read! P was VERY concerned that I was having this book shipped over here with Santa Kathy at Christmas...he told me not to talk about this book with ANYONE that lives in this country. Then...one day out of 'desperate boredom' he picked this book up....and then the fight began: we had to schedule who got to read the book and when. It helped generate a lot of dialogue between us, and I was thrilled that he enjoyed it as much as I did (so...we still have things in common 15 years later). I have just finished the book, and now P is free to read it whenever/whereever he likes (though assuredly he will never take it outside of the villa..someone might SEE him!!).

Yes..it has been 15 years...P and I started our relationship in the fall of 1993, back when we were both taking our undergraduate degrees at the U of A. It really seems a bit of a 'rip-off' to be celebrating our fifth wedding anniversary, when the actual time we've committed to each other is so much greater (and I'm sure the gift for 15 years is WAY better than the gift for five...).

Very gray and gloomy today. We were supposed to go to Marina Mall, but I think I got about four hours of sleep total last night, and didn't feel safe operating 'heavy machinery' with my 'baby on board'.

We've also put our landscaping 'on hold'. We dropped in on Urooj last night (the first time I formally met her...she's Z's wife...Z is this high-powered attorney who works til 8:30 or so at night...and who NEVER has any free time to visit, as we've discovered being his neighbour for three months now), and as we have the same style villa, she invited us to have a look at her landscaping. She mentioned to P that Total (who we had booked for this morning) was a rip-off, and she highly recommended these other fellows (Abu Dhabi Landcaping) who are about 4000AED cheaper. Not only was there a price differential, but apparently the plants you get from these second guys are larger, and seem heartier (as evidenced by others we know who went with Total and are having grass-growing issues). So, we've got the Total guys 'on hold' while we get a quote from ADL this afternoon. Too bad we didn't drop in on Urooj sooner!! I even got invited over for COFFEE!!