i want to apologize, i am not a very loyal writer...
so we've spent quite a busy week...
to start off, Valentine's day here is quite the celebration...it's worse than in america...hearts everywhere, mega-productions by restaurants...we usually don't celebrate but we had a good excuse this year. For 2 weeks, star chefs from around the world were doing their things in different restaurants throughout the city and we reserved at a very upscale Abu Dhabi restaurant (Pearls & Caviar none the less) with a chef called Claude Bosi, that i had heard of. A set 6 course meal with champagne...yum yummmmmmmmmmm the restaurant was picture perfect, a mix of luxury and snobiness and jetsetness...the furniture was a designer's dream and the food was a gourmet's wish come true. Not only did i get a rose from the hostess but at the end of the meal, all the women received a necklace with 2 pink pearls on it...that's what i'm talking about!
the next night after work we went to see Valentine's Day the movie, and i got Fadi to go only because there was a bunch of known actors in it...and we were both surprised in a good way...it was hilarious!
the cinema is in the big marina mall, and you have assigned seats and the movie started late...never seen before...assigned seats! at the end it was passed 10pm, and the stores were still opened...what?????? you can shop until midnight here....!!!for all you shopaholics out there!
friday we went to Al Ain, a city at the border of Oman (we're going there next week, i need to renew my visa) and the drive (1h30) is quite beautiful, from seeing palm trees of Abu Dhabi, to seeing the desert (the real one with the bug dunes) we did some camel spotting (alot!) even saw these little trucks transporting them to somewhere...so funny!
so we get to this small city, and visited an oasis that has been around for thousands of years (supposedly) visited a palm tree farm (miles and miles of date producing palm trees) and ended our day at the Wildlife centre (a pretty name for a zoo) but they have only animals on their way to extinction...we saw beautiful animals up close that you only see on the discovery channel...i was like a child pointing and ooing and ahhing (especially at the monkeys )
we ended the day by seeing a falconry show. It's big here, and only the rich people do that sport as a bird (falcons) can cost up too 100 000 dirhams. So basically we had these vultures and falcons zipping over our heads (really low) it was impressive!
saturday we went back to Dubai and...we found our apartment!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! yayayayay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! finally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
we have partial marina view, partial sea view and of course partial construction view... we have a balcony and 2 bathrooms...it seems quite common here to have 2 bathrooms for a 1 bedroom apartment...(just more cleaning to do...) anyways, as of next week, whoever wants to come visit, we have a place for you! oh and don't worry the AC will work! :)
we are situated in the Dubai Marina right near the walk by the beach, with little boutiques and cafes...i'm so excited!
well, gotta go sign that contract!
samedi 20 février 2010
mardi 16 février 2010
a country of contradictions...
flickr.com is banned but you can google massage and they direct you right away to the sexy kind with phone numbers.
you can watch any american romantic comedy but all the kissing scenes are cut out.
the women wear black abayas and head scarves (or full face blind) but they walk around sporting big shopping bags from La Senza and Victoria's Secret.
Abu Dhabi just won the greenest city in the middle east award for the most grass + trees, and also for their effort in recycling, yet they're wasting layers and layers of water for this grass which isn't supposed to grow here, in the desert... AND everybody drives SUV's here.
their supermarkets have the most variety of international fresh fruit i've ever seen, yet they're the country most affected by diabetes.
this is probably the safest country in the world regarding crime, warning you they will lash you, deport you and ban you from the country if you're caught stealing, but everytime we go to the supermarket, we see people eating and drinking without paying...everywhere in the market you will find empty chocolate wrapers, empty bottles of juice or water, half eaten oranges...you don't even see that in Detroit!
you can watch any american romantic comedy but all the kissing scenes are cut out.
the women wear black abayas and head scarves (or full face blind) but they walk around sporting big shopping bags from La Senza and Victoria's Secret.
Abu Dhabi just won the greenest city in the middle east award for the most grass + trees, and also for their effort in recycling, yet they're wasting layers and layers of water for this grass which isn't supposed to grow here, in the desert... AND everybody drives SUV's here.
their supermarkets have the most variety of international fresh fruit i've ever seen, yet they're the country most affected by diabetes.
this is probably the safest country in the world regarding crime, warning you they will lash you, deport you and ban you from the country if you're caught stealing, but everytime we go to the supermarket, we see people eating and drinking without paying...everywhere in the market you will find empty chocolate wrapers, empty bottles of juice or water, half eaten oranges...you don't even see that in Detroit!
mercredi 10 février 2010
the compound
we live in a super nice area a bit out of Abu Dhabi called Bain Al Jessrain, where villas the size of castles surround us. We are near the water, the Shangri-La hotel is right by us and we have the choice of a dozen different great restaurants. (We tried 2 already, yum yum, got to watch out if i want to fit in my wedding dress...)
our compound is very nice, each "villa"(there are 5 of them) has 6 rooms and an indian...yes, there's a male maid that lives with us, and he cleans EVERY day the villa from top to bottom...spotless! He's becoming my friend although i still can't remember his name (Salas, Salis, Silas...who knows?) Some people pay him extra cash every month for him to do their laundry and dishes, clean their rooms and wash their cars...
The other day i was so bored because the internet wasn't working, so i decided to do laundry....After all our clothes, towels, bedspread and sheets were done i wanted to wash our pillows...And he said laughingly (with a thick indian accent) "No, no ! No wash pillows!" Either he doesn't know that we can wash pillows or he just thought this crazy woman is a clean-o-phobe! I was just bored....
Yesterday i met a few neighbours while i was sitting on our front steps. We have americans, kiwis, brits, canadians (OMG he's such a hick!! he's from Halifax and ya...no more comments...)
Everybody here has an accent....thick...i've been speaking english for many many many years and i don't understand anyone...even Halifax man...obviously the funniest ones are the indian, very cliche...
We supposedly have a pool, i have yet to find it though...What we do have is these HUGE insects...i think they're cochroaches, but i've never seen one so i'm not sure...all i know is that they're just grosssssssss!!!!!!!!!
Well, we're apartment shopping these days, so we won't stay long in this place, i think sharing a kitchen is asking too much....I found one today, hopefully it will be ours...the terasse on the roof would be ours and its the size of an apartment...Insh'Allah!
our compound is very nice, each "villa"(there are 5 of them) has 6 rooms and an indian...yes, there's a male maid that lives with us, and he cleans EVERY day the villa from top to bottom...spotless! He's becoming my friend although i still can't remember his name (Salas, Salis, Silas...who knows?) Some people pay him extra cash every month for him to do their laundry and dishes, clean their rooms and wash their cars...
The other day i was so bored because the internet wasn't working, so i decided to do laundry....After all our clothes, towels, bedspread and sheets were done i wanted to wash our pillows...And he said laughingly (with a thick indian accent) "No, no ! No wash pillows!" Either he doesn't know that we can wash pillows or he just thought this crazy woman is a clean-o-phobe! I was just bored....
Yesterday i met a few neighbours while i was sitting on our front steps. We have americans, kiwis, brits, canadians (OMG he's such a hick!! he's from Halifax and ya...no more comments...)
Everybody here has an accent....thick...i've been speaking english for many many many years and i don't understand anyone...even Halifax man...obviously the funniest ones are the indian, very cliche...
We supposedly have a pool, i have yet to find it though...What we do have is these HUGE insects...i think they're cochroaches, but i've never seen one so i'm not sure...all i know is that they're just grosssssssss!!!!!!!!!
Well, we're apartment shopping these days, so we won't stay long in this place, i think sharing a kitchen is asking too much....I found one today, hopefully it will be ours...the terasse on the roof would be ours and its the size of an apartment...Insh'Allah!
mardi 9 février 2010
Abu Dhabi - day 5
I've been here for 5 days but let me start from the beginning...
On arrival I am welcomed by a sandstorm and weather of 34 degrees celscius (hot) and a very happy Fadi :)
First impressions at the airport, alot of men wearing dresses and are walking with their gross toes sticking out... But then i notice how beautiful the mosaics are and think how happy I am to be here...
Our apartment...well its nice for a short stay. I might be a snob by saying this, but sharing a kitchen with a bunch of other people (no matter how clean it is) does not appeal to me...Fadi promises it's temporary, and my mission is to find us an decent home to start our new lives...
We soon realised that for our budget Dubai is going to make the cut. We visited "new" apartments in the Al Mushrif area (very local, emirates area) and they were dirty, with barriers on all the (small) windows and no oven! So thursday we are going to Dubai to check out the city, say hello to my friends, and visit a few places... (Alvin we'll be neighbours, so come onnnnn, get your butt here)
I've been hanging around the compound while Fadi works, our neighbourhood is really nice, Bain al Jessrain, and wow there are some amazing villas here...I'm totally blown away by these humongous mansions...
Also we are near the Shangri-la hotel, a beautiful resort with stores and about a dozen different restaurants...Oh and beautiful beach...white sand...turquoise water...the works! One of my new favourite places (anyone that comes to visit i will bring you there) it's called Pearls & Caviar (yes yes very snobby name) its this bar on the sea with the warm wind that blows in your hair, mosaic floors, wannabe sails as a roof....aaaaaaa luxury...
After 2 days of being here, after tasting a few restaurants, we decide to go do the groceries...It's just so funny to see the same brands we have in America or Europe but written in arabic...Thank God for famous logos, thats how we bought Tide and Dove and Colgate... :)
Also you see all types of people there, blonde bimbos in tight jeans, a zillion different types of muslims, and Fadi can tell me which country their from just by their costumes...(I have seen alot of Saudi women, well seen is a big word because they don't show an inch of skin, fully veiled, they even wear gloves on their hands)
I experienced different smells, the fresh fish area, the cheese area, the spices area, the different types of sweats (can't wait for summer time, i'll probably die of intoxication)...
There's also a bunch of activites to be done, but i was so sad, we just missed the Camel Fest, where there's an actual camel-milking contest...???!!! I so wished i saw that! next year!
There's so much to see, so much to experience, but I think both of us just want to find our apartment first...
Tonight i'm going to see Amani...She made a good point, wherever I have lived, no matter the reason she came to the city/country in question, we have seen each other... Ok actually this is the 1st time she comes to a country without ME being the main reason, but that's ok, i get to see her :)
as i'm writing this i'm hearing in the background the 12 o'clock call for prayer...
On arrival I am welcomed by a sandstorm and weather of 34 degrees celscius (hot) and a very happy Fadi :)
First impressions at the airport, alot of men wearing dresses and are walking with their gross toes sticking out... But then i notice how beautiful the mosaics are and think how happy I am to be here...
Our apartment...well its nice for a short stay. I might be a snob by saying this, but sharing a kitchen with a bunch of other people (no matter how clean it is) does not appeal to me...Fadi promises it's temporary, and my mission is to find us an decent home to start our new lives...
We soon realised that for our budget Dubai is going to make the cut. We visited "new" apartments in the Al Mushrif area (very local, emirates area) and they were dirty, with barriers on all the (small) windows and no oven! So thursday we are going to Dubai to check out the city, say hello to my friends, and visit a few places... (Alvin we'll be neighbours, so come onnnnn, get your butt here)
I've been hanging around the compound while Fadi works, our neighbourhood is really nice, Bain al Jessrain, and wow there are some amazing villas here...I'm totally blown away by these humongous mansions...
Also we are near the Shangri-la hotel, a beautiful resort with stores and about a dozen different restaurants...Oh and beautiful beach...white sand...turquoise water...the works! One of my new favourite places (anyone that comes to visit i will bring you there) it's called Pearls & Caviar (yes yes very snobby name) its this bar on the sea with the warm wind that blows in your hair, mosaic floors, wannabe sails as a roof....aaaaaaa luxury...
After 2 days of being here, after tasting a few restaurants, we decide to go do the groceries...It's just so funny to see the same brands we have in America or Europe but written in arabic...Thank God for famous logos, thats how we bought Tide and Dove and Colgate... :)
Also you see all types of people there, blonde bimbos in tight jeans, a zillion different types of muslims, and Fadi can tell me which country their from just by their costumes...(I have seen alot of Saudi women, well seen is a big word because they don't show an inch of skin, fully veiled, they even wear gloves on their hands)
I experienced different smells, the fresh fish area, the cheese area, the spices area, the different types of sweats (can't wait for summer time, i'll probably die of intoxication)...
There's also a bunch of activites to be done, but i was so sad, we just missed the Camel Fest, where there's an actual camel-milking contest...???!!! I so wished i saw that! next year!
There's so much to see, so much to experience, but I think both of us just want to find our apartment first...
Tonight i'm going to see Amani...She made a good point, wherever I have lived, no matter the reason she came to the city/country in question, we have seen each other... Ok actually this is the 1st time she comes to a country without ME being the main reason, but that's ok, i get to see her :)
as i'm writing this i'm hearing in the background the 12 o'clock call for prayer...
mercredi 3 février 2010
world traveller
so i left my dear Montreal, family and friends 13 days ago...
1st stop: Germany to visit my sister, her husband and little bébé...i had a great time, and was sad to leave them(yes i did cry as the train was pulling away from the station and my sister was getting smaller and smaller....), little bébé is the cutest in the world and his Tatie loves him sooo much!!!!
2nd stop: Geneva to see good old friends...this visit is short, but i have promised to come back ...hung around with Sandra (my nurse these days), Genie(the cat lover ;P), Elie (and no it isn't a boy's name only), Nicky (gooooooood times at the restaurant...still making a list of topics for next time) and Laurence (my high school friend) that has a smiley adorable baby boy (he's so cute i could die, although my nephew is still cuter...yes i'm biased) and her husband (a great man, very generous and sweet)...
I hate goodbyes, i cry every time, but this time it isn't as bitter...because...
3rd stop and final one: Abu Dhabi where i'm going to start my new life with my new family (Fadi, the best man i could have even dreamed of, God's gift to me)
I am cheesy, but i haven't seen him in 19 days and i'm missing a part of me, i'm half empty when he's far, and completely full when he's near...
ahhhh l'amour...
1st stop: Germany to visit my sister, her husband and little bébé...i had a great time, and was sad to leave them(yes i did cry as the train was pulling away from the station and my sister was getting smaller and smaller....), little bébé is the cutest in the world and his Tatie loves him sooo much!!!!
2nd stop: Geneva to see good old friends...this visit is short, but i have promised to come back ...hung around with Sandra (my nurse these days), Genie(the cat lover ;P), Elie (and no it isn't a boy's name only), Nicky (gooooooood times at the restaurant...still making a list of topics for next time) and Laurence (my high school friend) that has a smiley adorable baby boy (he's so cute i could die, although my nephew is still cuter...yes i'm biased) and her husband (a great man, very generous and sweet)...
I hate goodbyes, i cry every time, but this time it isn't as bitter...because...
3rd stop and final one: Abu Dhabi where i'm going to start my new life with my new family (Fadi, the best man i could have even dreamed of, God's gift to me)
I am cheesy, but i haven't seen him in 19 days and i'm missing a part of me, i'm half empty when he's far, and completely full when he's near...
ahhhh l'amour...
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