UAE- What I can tell you…

Pete and I are currently in Abu Dhabi, and spent the weekend in Dubai. It has been an interesting, often overwhelming trip.

Ten minutes after we arrived, a real estate agent came to show us a few apartments. She showed us a wide range, to give us an idea of what is available. We saw a HUGE, old apartment with too much space; a brand new, fully furnished, fully serviced apartment in a high rise hotel; a few two bedrooms in buildings that haven’t been completed yet; and an apartment about 30 minutes outside the city. Some disheartening, surprising things were that unfurnished apartments don’t even come with oven, refridgerator, or laundry machine. Furnished apartments often only have a hot plate in the kitchen, and won’t take dogs. We didn’t see one place that had a yard or park nearby. We both finished feeling a little hopeless and wondering if we had made the best decision.

Luckily, a friend of Pete’s who lives here picked us up and we went for coffee. We went to a Mall, of course, and I did some shopping while the boys were chatting. I met up with them and we had a good conversation. He dropped us at the Lebanese Flower for dinner, and we shared an amazing Arabic meal that included Arabic salad (veggies with lemon juice and olive oil), hummous, pickles and olives, falafel, and labne (a soft white cheese) and warm pita. We ate until we were stuffed, and still had some left for breakfast the next morning.

By the time we got home, we were feeling a little more optimistic. The next morning, I went to the HAAD office (the licensing ministry) to apply for my nursing license. It was rejected, which is not a surprise, and we were given instruction on how to reapply. We will be going back on Sunday to try one more time before we leave. I headed back to NYU campus, and we had meeting after meeting with HR people trying to help Pete find a job and helping us sort out relocation details. Seems that we get a pretty good furniture allowance, so that eliminated our concern about the kitchen and extra space being filled. They also had great advice for Pete regarding tailoring his CV for this market and have a large influence on the market.

Pete and I walked the five minutes back in the 100+ heat, but it actually isn’t that bad. We then packed a bag, and were picked up to go to Dubai to spend the weekend with Pete’s cousin, Iyad. On the way, we toured the Grand Mosque. It is stunning. It is all white, with mother of pearl and gold details. It is so big and clean, it is just pristine.

We were in Dubai in an hour, and picked up by Iyad. After going to his apartment and meeting his adorable kiddos, we went out for a double date and to see some of Dubai It was much different than I had expected, not as flashy. There are a LOT of half finished buildings, most of which are likely to remain that way as Dubai is in huge financial trouble. We went to have pre-dinner drinks at the top floor of a tall building that overlooks the city. It was very posh, and very international. As in the rest of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, it is not uncommon to see a group of people, all from different backgrounds, some covered or wearing traditional Arab clothes, and some not.

We then went to dinner at another beautiful spot. It was quite the dining experience. It starts with cold appetizers (grape leaves, pickles, olives, hummous, cheeses, babaganoush, etc), then hot appetizers (cheese and meat pastries). You then get the meal which is grilled meats with lemon and oregano seasoning, chicken wings, and falafel. Finally, you get a huge plate of fruit and dessert. The whole meal takes a few hours, but they go quickly as there was a belly dancer, live band, and a singer. It was a great experience, watching the different cultures interact. It seems everyone is very tolerant here. There were women fully covered, yelling and raising their hands to the half naked belly dancer. People from the crowd (some very old) were getting up on stage and dancing. It was a great party and great entertainment.

The next day we spent at the Mall. (Do you see a theme here? Lots of time in malls is in our future.) It was the Mall with the ski slope in it and we watched as snow fell and people used ski lifts to get to the top. We did some shopping, and then went to a fish market for lunch. The fish is on ice, and you get to choose what fish you want and how they cook it. We had shrimp in garlic and lemon butter, fried calamari, and whole grilled fish. The food was fabulous, and we met another potential friend. That night, we went to a hotel bar on the shoreline, and had some cold beers and danced to a one man band. We then saw the late viewing of Inception (quite good!) and called it a night.