Well, I made it to the Middle East! And thanks to my wireless card and neighbors with internet, I can post this blog from my living room!
Villa #3...and the Lancer!
After over twenty hours of flying, with connections in Atlanta and Paris, I arrived in Dubai last Monday night around 10:00 pm. Tove, the Swedish manager of my yoga studio, picked me up from the airport and drove me to my new house in the desert. My first excitement came as we pulled into the driveway and my little car, a hot rod silver "Lancer," was sitting there waiting for me! As for the house, I never expected this! I live in grand villa #3 in the suburb of Mirdif, located about twenty minutes from the city center. It has five large bedrooms (counting the "maid's quarters"), three bathrooms, a winding marble staircase, dining room, and massive kitchen and living room. I even have a sandy little courtyard "garden" with an entrance to a common pool and hot tub. I am not exaggerating that my bedroom here is larger than any of my past apartments!
My backyard...jealous?
On Tuesday Tove picked me up and we met my boss, Noor, at a chic cafe in downtown Dubai for lunch. I decided that I immediately liked Noor and Tove, and was pleasantly surprised to find that we are all near the same age. Wednesday afternoon I followed Tove to Media City (my first sole driving experience!) to check out our future workplace-in-the-making, Zen Yoga Studio. We had projected an opening date of October 15th, but because of a delay in renovations, we are pushing the date back to October 25th, which is great news for me...more time to get adjusted! After leaving the studio, I went to nearby "Mall of the Emirates," Dubai's largest shopping center to avoid rush-hour traffic...and shop! Thursday afternoon we three girls met up for lunch again, this time at the Sheraton in Deira, an area of Dubai just over a large creek.
Gorgeous, isn't it?
As soon as I arrived here, I perused various Dubai activity forums and websites, looking for any fun sports leagues, ie. flag football, kickball, etc. to keep me active while meeting people. The only post I found slightly interesting (most were for ex-pat wives meeting for coffee...blech) was one looking for beach volleyball players. With high hopes, I responded to the guy, Ryan, asking if he knew of any other similarly fun activities for expats, as I'm too short for volleyball. After a few emails, Thursday night (the UAE's equivalent of Friday, as the weekend here is Friday and Saturday) I met Ryan for dinner followed by a fun night at a crowded English pub with some of his fellow Aussie coworkers. It was terrific feeling like I was taking my first crucial steps on the road to a social life here in Dubai! Plus, despite multiple Muslim laws and regulations regarding alcohol, I was pleasantly surprised that Dubai does indeed have a very thriving night scene, thanks to "licensed" establishments.
Mary, Mary, quite contrary...I will make this garden grow!
Friday was a lazy day, but on Saturday, after having a practice yoga session with Tove at my house, I met up with Ryan again and he showed me around various new parts of the city, including the beach and Madinat, a lovely outdoor shopping area. We also checked out a climbing wall, went for a swim at his apartment, and had dinner before saying goodnight. Tomorrow, Sunday, is the first day of the workweek here in the UAE...it is also my first day at my side job as "Corporate Communication Trainer" at DEPA United...I am looking quite forward to it!
My bedroom...
So what are my first impressions? Well, first off, I arrived right in the middle of Ramadan, which deserves its very own blog, but let's just say that things are not exceptionally exciting during this time! As far as I can see, my least favorite aspect of Dubai is the traffic. I had always heard it was horrendous, but frankly, that is an understatement! The city is definitely more concerned with building skyscrapers than it is with building roads. Construction is everywhere, you have about two seconds between an exit warning sign and the exit (and in some cases, the sign comes after the exit), and NOBODY knows how to drive. If you need to change lanes, you just do it, and odds are the person in the next lane will gun it! It is truly madness, and I have no doubts in my mind that I will get into some form of an accident within three months. Poor little Lancer...
The massive kitchen!
Overall, I love it here! I love my house (which I am occupying alone, until the new instructors arrive...whenever that may be!), love my neighborhood, love the skyline, love the beach, and love the desert. I have always been a city girl through and through, and despite the traffic, Dubai is a little piece of paradise! I have a very good feeling about this place, and I am optimistic about the coming year! Salaam!!
The living room
Villa #3...and the Lancer!
After over twenty hours of flying, with connections in Atlanta and Paris, I arrived in Dubai last Monday night around 10:00 pm. Tove, the Swedish manager of my yoga studio, picked me up from the airport and drove me to my new house in the desert. My first excitement came as we pulled into the driveway and my little car, a hot rod silver "Lancer," was sitting there waiting for me! As for the house, I never expected this! I live in grand villa #3 in the suburb of Mirdif, located about twenty minutes from the city center. It has five large bedrooms (counting the "maid's quarters"), three bathrooms, a winding marble staircase, dining room, and massive kitchen and living room. I even have a sandy little courtyard "garden" with an entrance to a common pool and hot tub. I am not exaggerating that my bedroom here is larger than any of my past apartments!
My backyard...jealous?
On Tuesday Tove picked me up and we met my boss, Noor, at a chic cafe in downtown Dubai for lunch. I decided that I immediately liked Noor and Tove, and was pleasantly surprised to find that we are all near the same age. Wednesday afternoon I followed Tove to Media City (my first sole driving experience!) to check out our future workplace-in-the-making, Zen Yoga Studio. We had projected an opening date of October 15th, but because of a delay in renovations, we are pushing the date back to October 25th, which is great news for me...more time to get adjusted! After leaving the studio, I went to nearby "Mall of the Emirates," Dubai's largest shopping center to avoid rush-hour traffic...and shop! Thursday afternoon we three girls met up for lunch again, this time at the Sheraton in Deira, an area of Dubai just over a large creek.
Gorgeous, isn't it?
As soon as I arrived here, I perused various Dubai activity forums and websites, looking for any fun sports leagues, ie. flag football, kickball, etc. to keep me active while meeting people. The only post I found slightly interesting (most were for ex-pat wives meeting for coffee...blech) was one looking for beach volleyball players. With high hopes, I responded to the guy, Ryan, asking if he knew of any other similarly fun activities for expats, as I'm too short for volleyball. After a few emails, Thursday night (the UAE's equivalent of Friday, as the weekend here is Friday and Saturday) I met Ryan for dinner followed by a fun night at a crowded English pub with some of his fellow Aussie coworkers. It was terrific feeling like I was taking my first crucial steps on the road to a social life here in Dubai! Plus, despite multiple Muslim laws and regulations regarding alcohol, I was pleasantly surprised that Dubai does indeed have a very thriving night scene, thanks to "licensed" establishments.
Mary, Mary, quite contrary...I will make this garden grow!
Friday was a lazy day, but on Saturday, after having a practice yoga session with Tove at my house, I met up with Ryan again and he showed me around various new parts of the city, including the beach and Madinat, a lovely outdoor shopping area. We also checked out a climbing wall, went for a swim at his apartment, and had dinner before saying goodnight. Tomorrow, Sunday, is the first day of the workweek here in the UAE...it is also my first day at my side job as "Corporate Communication Trainer" at DEPA United...I am looking quite forward to it!
My bedroom...
So what are my first impressions? Well, first off, I arrived right in the middle of Ramadan, which deserves its very own blog, but let's just say that things are not exceptionally exciting during this time! As far as I can see, my least favorite aspect of Dubai is the traffic. I had always heard it was horrendous, but frankly, that is an understatement! The city is definitely more concerned with building skyscrapers than it is with building roads. Construction is everywhere, you have about two seconds between an exit warning sign and the exit (and in some cases, the sign comes after the exit), and NOBODY knows how to drive. If you need to change lanes, you just do it, and odds are the person in the next lane will gun it! It is truly madness, and I have no doubts in my mind that I will get into some form of an accident within three months. Poor little Lancer...
The massive kitchen!
Overall, I love it here! I love my house (which I am occupying alone, until the new instructors arrive...whenever that may be!), love my neighborhood, love the skyline, love the beach, and love the desert. I have always been a city girl through and through, and despite the traffic, Dubai is a little piece of paradise! I have a very good feeling about this place, and I am optimistic about the coming year! Salaam!!
The living room
1 comment:
Hella! That looks fabulous!!!!! Let me know if there are any more random positions in Dubai and maybe by X-mas I'll be on the plane. haha.
Hotmail is idiotic and I haven't been able to access it for the last 2 days so can you invite me to join? and soon.
love you and miss you!
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