Holiday Time!

Without having posted anything since MAY I have quite a bit to catch up on! Of course the biggest adventure was our trip to the US this summer for two months. The boys and I were able to stay and Chip came to visit long enough to take a cruise with us at the end of our stay. It was a nice time getting to visit everyone this summer..we rented my friend Michelle's beach house for a month (which is LOVELY) and visitors came to see us. It was so nice to have everyone we loved visiting and getting to spend time with them (but never enough:) Will and Weston enjoyed a weekend with MeMe and Papa B at the Villages and  after the beach we headed to Sassy's house and kept visiting as much as we could. Will's best friend from KC came to FL - we did Disney World - and then he went back with them for a week to visit. What a great time he had and flew back to FL all my himself. We took a cruise with Chip's parents and that was such a nice ending to the summer. Not sure if we will head back to US next summer so the time there was much needed and enjoyed!

Swimming with the Dolphins on the cruise was a highlight of the vacation!

Special times with MeMe and Papa B!

In Mexico by our cabana - another great day!

Summer seems so long ago now..it is November and we are headed out today for the Eid holiday. We are driving to Abu Dhabi (capital of UAE) for a couple of days. There is a hotel where they do the F1 races next week and we will be visiting Ferrari World. It's basically a "staycation" since we are only driving an hour away from Dubai, but something different to see and do. A couple of weekends ago we went to Fujairah, another Emirate of the UAE. Will became certified in scuba diving - the highlight of his year so far! We were very proud of him. Chip is getting his certification now so they can dive together on vacations.

The mountains in Fujairah, UAE

Elvis and the Grim Reaper! 

The boys have just celebrated Halloween and enjoyed it very much this year since we could do "traditional" trick or treating at a friend's house that lives in a proper neighborhood. Living on beach in apartment is great but not really for trick or treating! The school also had a great trick or treat night - so there was PLENTY of candy this year!!!

School started with no problems in September. The boys just got their first report cards and are doing great so we can't ask anything more..they are happy and adjusted to life in the Middle East. They are making friends with all different kind of cultures and learning Arabic. Weston seems to know more than Will (I think the age makes it easier). Will's close friends are from Iran, Argentina and Lebanon. Weston's close friends come from Pakistan, India, Dubai and US.

The boys (and us) are especially enjoying our new live-in housemaid, Marie. She is a 21 year old from the Philippines. Many people come over from her country to work her and send all (or majority) of their money back to their family and extended family back there. She has a husband in Abu Dhabi that she visits on her day off (Friday) but other than that she is living here for 2 years. It is a sad situation for them but they need money very badly and we try to make her like part of our family so it provides the best possible situtation for her, I hope. She tells me I am a "very nice madame" - so I think she is happy! It is nice to have her around..she assists with cleaning, cooking, childcare, etc. It was a bit strange at first but we are all adjusting well and we are happy to have her here!


Life in Dubai continues to be very good. The weather is now fabulous and we are having a great time with some new Cerner people that have moved here and making new friends through the school too.  I am still trying to play tennis three times a week, Will and Weston are both playing soccer and Weston loves Mad Science. Chip just tries to relax when not working and the travel this month has slowed down because of the holiday. Pretty soon it will be Christmas and we will be visiting Bangkok and Koh Samui, Thailand. Living in Dubai you must take advantage of Far East travel since the plane ride is only about 6 hours. We hope to travel more next summer too.

We are hoping this year might bring us some visitors from the US (hint, hint) but if not we will try to keep in touch as best we can through the blog and Facebook. We do have a US telephone number but it is hard to call us because we need to have the computer on and of course there is the time change difference too.

Until later, As-Salāmu `Alaykum (السلام عليكم) 
(Peace be upon you)

It's been a LOOOONG time!

First of all I'm so embarrassed that it has taken me MONTHS to update the blog. I was hoping to do it at least on a monthly basis so we could keep in touch with all of our friends and family back in the states but also use it to keep a journal of this time in our lives so the kids have something to look back one of these days.

Now that we have lived in Dubai for 8 months (can't believe it) I wanted to talk about general life here...and how it is different from the states. I wake up every morning and love to read the paper here since there is always something exciting and interesting to read. I won't go into details on the blog but hope to capture some of these headlines and save them before we move. I think the amazing thing to me (that was just in the paper again today)  is that some practices in the US just haven't quite hit home here yet. Case in point- babies/toddlers that are strapped in car seats here is very low (98% do NOT wear seat belts or have car seats). There are accidents happening all the time and these babies are dying. It is just crazy although I look at when I was born and we didn't have them so it is something that will come with time and they are a bit behind the times in this area..and some others too. The driving is crazy here but you get used to it, the key is just to be very vigilant - always keeping 3 eyes on the road:) My new favorite saying behind the wheel is "WHO DOES THAT?!?!" and you dare not make any hand gestures (especially the middle finger) because that will land you in serious trouble as it is viewed as disrespectful. Some people think the laws here are extreme but living here I realize they WORK! It is very safe and people for the most part respect one another. Stringent laws are not a bad thing and makes for a good quality of life. The kids feel very safe and protected and we all know that is what we want for our kids.

Life otherwise is pretty normal. It is getting hot now but not unbearable. I'm still playing tennis 3 times a week although the morning session on the roof of the school in 100 degree weather is getting to me a bit! Chip is working in Doha, Qatar a lot lately so he travels 2-3 days per week. The work here is getting busier and Cerner is signing lots of contracts so they need him other places other than Dubai. That is a good thing and Dubai in general is thriving in the midst of unrest in the Middle East. The newspaper just said that Dubai is one of the top 10 places in the world coming out of the recession the quickest. It is very busy here, tourists are coming..malls are crazy busy..seems to be hopping all the time! Speaking of tourists if any of you can get over here you will love it! Dubai is a perfect vacation destination if you want a beach/shopping/desert adventure and super for kids. We have been hosting some potential Cerner families thinking of moving here so I'm hopeful we will have many more expats to hang out with. We have been very blessed with friends here that will I'm sure will remain friends for a lifetime. Without them (and they know who they are!) this experience wouldn't be half as fun and easy.

The kids are really enjoying the American School of Dubai. All of their after school activities (and my activities) are on campus too so it makes life pretty easy. I've been helping the PTA with some stuff, just slowly getting involved:) I do miss working but trying to fill in my days doing productive things. One of my favorite things we just started is a book club that focuses on regional books. It is fascinating reading books about the Middle East and especially ones that are told from a Westerner's perspective. We have a BUNCO group here too so things are picking up on the social calendar:) Chip is looking forward to some "boy" time this summer when the kids and I leave him for 6 weeks. The other dads here are in the same boat so I'm sure he will come up with some things to do other than work, although I know he will miss all of us too:) It is the longest we have been away from him!

Of course one of the negative things about being an expat is that every year people leave you:( I'm happy that we don't seem to be losing too many people this year and most of the people we have come to meet will be back here next year..except a few. oh and on that note I still get a question as to what an "expat" is so here is the formal definition...An expatriate (in abbreviated form, expat) is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing or legal residence. 

I think the hardest thing so far (for me) has been the lack of communication with home. Our phone needs to be connected with the VPN - and Internet- to work so I can't really receive calls..and the good time for me to talk is now which happens to be in the middle of the night in the USA. When everyone in USA can talk I am home with kids doing homework, baths, bedtime...so I feel like I have lost touch a bit with friends and family but I hope and pray that I can re-connect in the 2 months I am home for the summer. I have always believed that with true friends (and family, of course) you can just pick up where you left off. This whole experience is great for our family and I don't regret the decision one bit but I do miss everyone that we left behind. I'm sure that is a point that no one here as an expat would argue with!

So I won't promise that I will write again soon but hopefully I will:) When we get back from FL we will have been here 1 year, hard to believe. The boys will be in 1st and 5th grade. I still remember the day they were born like it was yesterday!

The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot. 
--Michael Althsule

"Winter" in Dubai

We are heading into February now and experiencing our first winter in Dubai. I use the term very loosely since I'm pretty sure the temperature during the day doesn't get much cooler than 70 degrees. It is very pleasant and we are enjoying being outdoors all the time. The beach isn't too busy since the days might get a little windy but there are days that are still good beach days. It rained the other day and I was driving - it was just a sprinkle but I needed my windshield wipers for the first time and didn't know how to turn them on! 


The boys continue ski lessons and both are doing soccer too. Will's team is going to Scotland this summer to play but since we will be in US he won't be able to make it. In his ten year old mind (where we are millionaires) he thinks we can just fly from US to Scotland and back - then back to Dubai. Oh, to be 10 again! 


We took the boys indoor skydiving this month. It was fun we all did it and it was a good time. You are only 4 feet off the ground but you are still "flying". Chip has been real skydiving and says it doesn't feel like the same thing but nonetheless it was fun. Here is a pic of us with all of our gear getting ready to go!

ifly Dubai

The Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) started yesterday. Here is a blurb on it: 
Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF), known in Arabic as 'Layali Dubai', was first started in February 1996 by the Dubai government as purely a retail event aimed to promote trade in Dubai. Since then it has become an annual shopping, entertainment, and cultural extravaganza that continues to promote tourism in Dubai and draws people from around the world each year.
Dubai Shopping Festival is basically a shopping paradise. Dubai is know around the world as such a paradise throughout the year, but they really lay out the red carpet during shopping festival month, with over 2,300 retails outlets participating, that offer everything imaginable from gold, perfume, haute couture, cars, electronics to handicrafts and textiles. In 2009 alone, visitors reached the 3.35 million mark and spent Dh9.8 billion in 32 days of the festival.


Speaking of money, the dirham is our currency here and 1 dirham is equal to 3.67 dollars so for instance, a manicure and pedicure with a neck and shoulder massage would be around 250 dirhams or $68. The maid service is very cheap, you can get your house cleaned 2 times a week for $55. Service items are inexpensive and other things (like dining out and housing) are more costly. Cars are pretty inexpensive too (compared to states) and there are LOTS of them to choose from.


So as January closes we look forward to February celebrating Weston's birthday and Chip's birthday but Valentine's Day will be on the 13th here. "Hotels in Dubai are scrambling to reschedule their Valentine’s Day celebrations after the emirate’s tourism authority confirmed February 14 will be a dry night for religious reasons. February 14, traditionally a lucrative earner for hotels that capitalise on its commercial potential, this year falls a day ahead of Prophet Mohammed’s (PBUH) birthday - The date, referred to as Milad Al Nabi, is traditionally marked as a religious holiday by the UAE and other Muslim states, in order to celebrate the life of the Prophet (PBUH). Hotels in the emirate told Arabian Business they would be holding their Valentine’s Day celebrations on February 13, and reserving more sedate, dry events for the day itself."


So, you just roll with it! Things change all the time here and you just go with it. Makes life more fun:)  Happy February everyone!

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year - Welcome 2011!!!!!

Christmas 2010

OK...I know, it's been a while and I have finally gotten around to starting to write again. The kids have just returned to school after nearly a month off, needless to say it is hard to get things done with them home and being on the move. We didn't travel this year since we just moved here, there is still lots of local things we wanted to see. Also, since Christmas isn't a religious holiday here Chip didn't have any days off so to was easier to stick around. We have lots of plans for the upcoming year so decided just to stay put. 

Fountain show at the Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall, taken from our table at Outback Steakhouse:)

That being said - we had a nice holiday. I've attached some pictures of the holiday parties the kids had at school and the NYE party we had at a friend's house. The fireworks from the Palm are amazing, we really do live in one of the coolest places in the World (I think:) From our beach we have views of the Burj Al Arab, Burj Khalifa and other Dubai landmarks. The Burj Al Arab is supposed to be the only 7 seven star hotel in the world. Tom Cruise just stayed there (we think..it was hush hush) while filming Mission Impossible. It is crazy expensive. We are hoping to get to go to a meal there one day but probably will never stay unless it is during tghe summer and rates go WAY down. The Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world. We visited the top (a must do if you visit here) and I've attached some of those pics too. It is quite an area as you see from the pictures. Lots of restaurants with views of the Burj and the fountain which goes off every 30 minutes during peak visiting times. It "dances" to music with lights and fire. Pretty cool. The area is also attached to the Dubai Mall, which I believe is the biggest mall in the world. It is BIG. I always think how much I would love my mother in law to come visit - she and I would never leave the place as she has the same appreciation for shopping that I do! I even sent her the map of the mall in the mail  so she could start studying:)


So...let's see, what else. I wanted to answer some questions I got recently from a friend via email about living here. I think I may have mentioned some in prior blogs but will address again - 
where is dubai?  what is it like?  how far away is it? what time zone is it in? you have a So it is warm there? Is it arabic? Is it in asia?  Is it safe there? 

The Burj Khalifa

Dubai is an Emirate in the United Arab Emirates, the capital of the Emirates is Abu Dhabi. The UAE is a very new country, in fact this year they just celebrated 39 years (so it is still older than me!)
We are in the continent of Asia, very close to India and Northern Africa. Also, very close to Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries. Dubai is comprised of about 80% expats and only 20% local Emirates - so it is very diverse and we love that about it.
The main religion is Islam and many people speak Arabic although everyone speaks English here. The kids are learning Arabic in the American School so hopefully they will know the "local" language one day too. The Muslim people here are very nice, especially to women and the crime is very low because the laws are enforced and the police are very good. Because the religion is tied to the laws people don't normally break the law - since it will be going agaisnt the Quran too. In other words, Muslims don't drink so you don't have many drinking related incidents and hardly any drinking and driving issues. The visitors know better then to drink and drive and taxis are very cheap. On NYE in Dubai there was not a single vehicle incident related to drinking and driving reported. Not ONE.
You feel very safe here with kids - kids are the center of the world here. Everything, everywhere is kid friendly. We love that about Dubai, and love the weather and living on a beach. The weather during winter is about 80 degrees during the day and a little cooler at night. You can go on the beach year round. The summer is brutual- very hot but that is why the kids and I will leave for the summers:) Most expats do.
We are 10 hours ahead of Kansas City, 9 hours ahead of FL. 


Hopefully that answers some questions. My dad also asked about Christmas and yes, they celebrate Christmas here. There are lots of Christmas trees, presents, Santas, etc. although it isn't a Muslim holiday per se they like to celebrate the Santa part of it..presents, etc. so it is very decorative around Christmas. And everyone says MERRY CHRISTmas here - not Happy Holidays. There are lots of Christians here so it is a nice holiday with lots of meaning in this part of the world too. You may have heard of the $11million tree in Abu Dhabi that made the news everywhere. Once again the country of extravagance takes the cake:) On any single day here we will drive by a few Ferraris, at least one Lambroghini and a Rolls Royce or two. I think Porsche Cayenne's are the most popular car here - they are everywhere.

Courtyard of ASD - the boy's new school
I'm also attaching pictures of the kid's new school. It was just finished and we moved from the old campus to the new one just yesterday. The school week is Sun- Thur since Friday is the religious day here - so even Christian churches have services on Friday. The new American School of Dubai (ASD) is amazing. It is state of the art and goes K-12. It has 2 swimming pools, 5 soccer pitches, 2 playgrounds, 4 tennis courts, 2 libraries, 2 cafeterias, etc..and it's all brand new! The kids are very excited and I love it because it's only 5 minutes from the house. The school has been around since 1966 in Dubai so it was time for a new place to call home.

Weston's Kindergarten class

The kids are still taking ski/snowboard lessons at Ski Dubai in preparation for our Spring Break trip in April. We'll be heading to Milan, Italy taking the Bernina Express train through the Alps to St Moritz, then heading over to Zurich and flying back. It's about a 6 hour plane ride and we are all excited about our first ski trip in Europe and the boy's first one ever. I need to take lessons now since the boys have surpassed me already. 


Ok, think I'm caught up for now. Even though we like our new home we miss everyone back in the states. It is hard adjusting once again to life abroad and starting over making new friends, etc. but it is a great place to do it. Chip really likes his job working with the Ministry of Health (for Cerner still) and I'm slowly getting settled in. I'm looking forward to Spring Break and summer - we will head back to FL for the summer and I'm anxious to see family and friends and catching up. If I come home every summer I figure I'll see everyone in FL more than I saw them when we were in KC! And as far as my KC friends - come visit us in FL! 

HAPPY 2011 EVERYONE!!!!!!!! The view from our beach on NYE at midnight, to the left (the sailboat building) is the Burj Al Arab hotel and the right side is the vertical fireworks at the Burj Khalifa
(Thanks to our friend Mike for the rights to use his picture - he is an amazing photographer!)

A Month of Thanksgiving

Well, it has been a month and I haven't written in the blog...guess I will set a goal to write once a month. I'm sure I'll forget some things I want to share but it is better then nothing! It has been a good month and we continue to enjoy all things our new home country has to offer. But, we do miss all of our friends and family back in USA!

This Friday we will celebrate Thanksgiving with our American friends here and will host at our place. Looking forward to celebrating one of my favorite holidays of the year. The guys work on Thursday so that is why we'll be celebrating on Friday. The stores are well stocked with all the cooking items (including butterball turkeys:) we'll need so it will be just as easy as cooking at home. The kids and Chip have been off this week to celebrate EID and the kids are off for Thanksgiving this Thursday since they are at an American School. The EID holiday is a Muslim holiday that translated means "blessed festival". Eid is the combination of 3 meaningful words

E – Embrace with open heart
I – Inspire with impressive attitude
D – Distribute pleasure to all

So, that brings me to what we did in November. It was a BUSY month!

One of the things we have been enjoying here are the Friday brunches. It is a big thing here in Dubai and the hotels/restuarants set up HUGE buffets and you basically stay there from 12-5, enjoying company with friends. Seems like a long time to sit and have a meal but it really is fun and the when we bring the kids there are plenty of places that cater to them- I've attached pics of the one at the Westin that had chinese acrobats, face painting, a band, petting zoo and a special kid's area...so fun can be had by all! Definitely something to do if you visit here.

Also this month the boys have started taking Ski lessons at Ski Dubai. It's a huge indoor (of course) ski area - really a fun place! Will has done well with the ski lessons and is moving on to learn to snowboard. Weston did well with his first ski lesson and he will be moving on to another class next week. They really like it and I can watch from the cafe at the base fo the hill where they take lessons so it's fun for me too.

It's funny they can go kayaking in the morning and skiing in the afternoon! Attached are pics of the indoor ski park and the boys getting ready to ski for the very first time in their lives. Big Day!

We also decided to try an overnight desert safari this month. You start with camel rides, sand surfing, dune bashing and a dinner with fire dancers and belly dancers. Fun time - until it was time for the overnight...everyone left except for us and 2 German sisters. They had come out with us with our tour guide and were also supposed to stay and overnight in the desert. Little did we know that the dinner site where 300 people had just dined was also the overnight "camp". It was filthy after the big feast and all the lights were going to be on until midnight until they could get it cleaned up and pitch tents - needless to stay we all decided to head back to our place for the night, including our new German friends:) Wasn't quite what any of us had in mind. The girls had no other arrangements so we brought them back with us and it actually turned out to be a nice time - and now we have some new friends! One lives in Germany and the other sister lives in Bahrain now so we learned some new things about life in those places. We have been told that camping in the desert in Dubai is too commerical so we'll be trying that out when we visit another country sometime- maybe Oman or Jordan. The other parts were fun and I've attached some pics. It's really beautiful out there and now that the weather is cool it is very comfortable and actually quite chilly after dark.

 

And so that ends most of our activities for November...we wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving...tonight we are heading out by the pool for movie night - one of the benefits of the excellent weather here. It never rains and is always warm so very easy to plan outdoor activities.

We are thankful for you all - and thanks for keeping in touch!

Just catching up!

Been a while since a post so I'll try to catch up on what's going on here...of course once school started things have been getting busier, Will has had 2 projects already and we spend most nights doing homework:)

Getting adjusted is going pretty well. We don't have our car yet although we have purchased one...just waiting on the paperwork to get completed. You learn here (anywhere abroad, I think) that things get done much slower then US so you just accept it. Especially here, the saying is "Insha' Allah" which means God Willing. So, things get done if God is Willing:) Sometimes God is willing, sometimes I guess he is not.

Funny thing about our car- we ended up getting a Ford Edge from a guy that lived in Kansas City for 5 years. Small world...I'm a little nervous driving here but guess you just jump right in! One thing I've learned in my short life is that you can't let fear paralyze you:)

Yesterday I went for my Residence Visa so I can keep living here...they take blood to make sure you aren't HIV positive (they will deport you) and that I don't have TB and other diseases. They give you a chest xray and when you walk in the room you are asked if you are married or single; if you are married you get a form to state if you are pregnant or not. The assumption of course is that if you are single you don't need the form - because you could not be pregnant. Not sure the US would ever make that assumption:) So, I guess I can make my big announcement now - we are NOT having a baby!

Everything else is going well..we went to the Dubai Mall last weekend for some Lebanese food (best Hommos - that is how they spell hummus - I have EVER had) I've attached pictures of the dancing water fountain which is really cool and goes off every 30 minutes in the evenings. The Burj Khalifa (tallest building in the world) is the backdrop. The boys loved it. It is so funny that every place we go to reminds us of Disney..

I also went to the Souks with some friends the other day. They would be like flea markets (the word souk means "market" in Arabic) in the US and sell everything from textiles and spices to gold. I'll attach some pics of those too. They are in Old Dubai so it isn't as clean but it is real life and very interesting. The boat ride to get there was ONE dirham which is equal to about 25 cents. I think probably because you might not make it across!

Hopefully I'll get better with writing...we have Halloween parties starting tomorrow and Chip and I are going with some friends to our first Brunch experience so I'll write soon about that. Brunch in Dubai is a big thing. Lots of restuarants have brunches on Friday from 12-5 and people just go eat and drink all day since the weekend starts on Thursday night....sounds fun to me.

Off to the pool....:)




If front of Burj Khalifa



The Souks

Funny name for diapers:)

School Starts!

Well, this week (on Sunday) the boys started school...Will is in 4th grade and Weston in Kindergarten. They are attending the American School of Dubai (ASD). Right now the school is about 20 minutes away from us but after the holidays they are opening up a brand new state of the art school just 5 minutes away from our new place. So far, they really like it. Will is getting adjusted to homework (so are we) last night we spent about 2 hours doing a project, math homework (they do on the internet) and PE homework. YES..PE homework!!!! I think once he gets adjusted to the workload he will be fine. He started soccer this week too so that is good - keeping him active...

The transportation to and from school is crazy. I have a taxi driver from Pakistan that has taken me under his wing and I call him when I need a ride and he comes. He has a family, including a five year old son, that he doesn't see back home. He works here and sends money. I've heard him talking on the phone to his wife and little boy and it is so sad. He kisses the phone and I think enjoys driving Weston around because it reminds him of his son. Pakistan is a four hour plane trip and it is very hard for them to save money to get back home.

He picks us up at 7:45am at the hotel, drives us to school. I run in and drop off boys and he waits..then drives me back to hotel or to the store. Then, he picks me up again in the afternoon and then drives me to school to get the boys and back again. It's an expensive day but we don't have a car yet. Hopefully we will have a car soon! Chip needs to write a letter that says he "allows" me to drive. Too funny, I'm sure he will frame that one!! I have also met a couple of friends here that have given me a lift here and there - and we have another Cerner family we will start carpooling with once we move to the Palm (fingers crossed- tomorrow!)

I've attached the boys in their school uniforms on the first day of school - just khacki shorts and polo type shirts. So easy, LOVE having uniforms.

Miss everyone in the states but things are good here. It is very exciting and everyone here I've met (Americans) love it and say it is a great place to raise a family. I feel very safe here and they adore kids. Oh, and they pump your gas at the station! You don't even get out of your car!!! Love it:)

Thanks to everyone for keeping in touch. By the way, thanks to all who took our poll on the price of a hot wheels car...they are about $7 here! (Yes, the same ones that are $1 at home) and LEGOS are really expensive...so we know what to pick up when we get home:)