All of the waiting is finally over. Well…some here might say
that I’ve gone from one line and just jumped into another. I would rather wait
here than back at home. I loved the extra time I got to spend with my friends
and family (of course!)…but when you’re life is on hold for so long…getting it
moving was a big release. There are a number of teacher colleagues still
waiting at home and I think of them often, hoping that they can hang on for
this incredible leap into the unknown.
Even though I am here, in Abu Dhabi, in the Middle East, far
away from home, somewhere I NEVER thought I would venture to, it hasn’t “sunk
in” that I’m away from home at all. Our surroundings here are lush and opulent.
While at home, I felt Abu Dhabi was as far away as another planet. Now here, it
feels as if home is next door. The hotel, as many could have seen from the
pictures, is extraordinary. The weather is hot and muggy, but everything is
fresh and new. Around town, the buildings appear to be newly constructed…no
garbage or graffiti. Things will change and reality will set in when we’re in
our apartments and working to the bone in our new classrooms, but for the
moment, I’m going to enjoy the luxurious bed and beautiful room, and sit back
while I try to describe this incredible journey to you through my eyes.
I believe that people come together for a reason. I’m very
blessed to have been welcomed into a group of 4 Americans that have taken me
under their wing despite my awkward “Canuck-ness”. There are other Canadians
here, but I found myself fitting in with these ladies as if we were supposed
to. I found the first one in line at a sushi take out while on our stopover in
Istanbul. She was sitting with one other lady, and I had to ask if they were
teachers. They were both from my same recruiting company, and we even ended up
at the same hotel! They knew one another who joined us, and a shy girl
like me joined us at our first breakfast. Together we make up some group! I
wonder if I have an accent to them, I love hearing their southern drawls J
We made up a game plan yesterday to venture out into the
city to one of the malls. All we really wanted was our passports back, make
copies of them and our stamped visas, go to the mall, and get SIM cards for our
cell phones. Sounds simple, right? After breakfast, we thought we’d shower and
get ready, and meet around 11:45. The main desk did not have our passports and
VISAs ready. Tomorrow they said. Having extra copies of our passports and
unstamped VISAs, we thought we would go anyways, and together we went to see the
Concierge and asked him to book a taxi to the Al Wahda mall. He looked at us a
bit strange and told us that the mall wasn’t going to be open until 4pm.
Realizing it was Friday (holy day), we sighed, shrugged our shoulders and went
back to our rooms and some hung out together until about 3:45. While together,
we got out our laptops and tried to make sure we had all of the appropriate
downloads, accessories, etc. None of the
websites that I needed to get into were opening for me using the hotel’s wifi.
I figured that I had to download something called a VPN (basically my private
network that should bypass any blocks that I was having). I tried downloading
one that was recommended, but I couldn’t do that until I had a mobile number. I
couldn’t have a mobile number until I got a SIM card. I couldn’t get a SIM card
until we went to the mall. Sigh.
Great conversations had time moving pretty fast. The rest of
the group joined us and before you know it, we were getting into a few taxis
ready to take on Abu Dhabi. We were warned to make it CLEAR to the driver as to
where we were going AND to say “DIRECTLY” as many have been known to take the
long way around to bump up the taxi fare. I was in the first of the 2 taxis to
leave the hotel, so we assumed that we got to the mall sooner than the other
group. When we got out, we waited outside of the long taxi line up. The 2 I was
with compared it to New York City. The cabs honked at each other incessantly. I
didn’t know what they thought they were going to accomplish besides giving us
headaches. We succumbed to the heat, and went inside. The other 2 ladies were
still not there. We wondered if we told the cab drivers the same thing…could we
have gone to different malls? After taking a washroom break, we ran into the
others who happened to be dropped off at the back of the mall (go figure). I
was just glad we were together. Going to the washroom here is an adventure all
to itself. At first I thought we may have been mistaken. On one side of a sign
it said “washroom”, while on the other it said “ablution room” (I think?).
Here, their prayer rooms are always close by. The actual washroom was busy, but
the lines were quick. Each time someone had finished in their stall, there were
sweet ladies from the Philippines there to check the stalls for you before you
entered, spraying disinfectant. I have heard of the different immigration
statuses of others along the Middle East and Asia, and this was my first
experience.
Hungry, we found a Fuddruckers. I’ve heard of it, but had
never eaten there. It’s a cute restaurant that served your typical burgers and
salads. Satisfied with the prices and our bellies, it was time to move on. So
our mission, remember, is our SIM cards. There are few providers of cell phone
and internet services here, but there are more phone stores than you can count.
We found a store that was recommended, but unfortunately, they didn’t have the
SIM card that fit my phone. We were advised to go across the way to another
store. Easy enough? They didn’t have the SIM card I needed either, BUT they did
have the SIM cards that would fit everyone else’s phones, so they got the
process started. We had copies of our unstamped VISAs and passports, but they couldn’t
give my friends service without the actual passport and stamped VISA. Now finally at the mall, without our VISAs
stamped, no SIM cards, therefore no VPN, therefore continued frustrations with
the internet. From one line to another, to another. My hope of being productive
last night was dwindling.
One of the ladies knew that there was a LuLu’s in the
basement. In Canada, we don’t have a LuLu’s. It’s referred to as a “hypermarket”,
and I don’t think we really have anything to compare it to. It was
overwhelming, and perhaps it would be different if we had gone ANY other day.
Friday nights are the shopping night in Abu Dhabi. WalMart on crack? Something
like that. Ok, I thought to myself, if I’m going somewhere like that, I should
be able to get a landline phone---this ‘might’ work with my magic jack? That
was my mission of LuLu’s. I couldn’t get over the crowds. The variety of things
were amazing! The prices were decent, but it really depended on what it was.
For example, a box of Fruity Pebbles was $24.50 AED (about $7 US), sunscreen
$36.50 (about $12 US)-a little pricey, but my phone was $32 AED, so about $10
US. I just depended on what it was, where it originally would have come from,
and to let go of everything you’ve ever assumed of in the past.
After LuLu’s, we were all grateful to be back in the mall
area. LuLu’s was in the basement, and I quickly realized why. You wouldn’t want
those kind of crowds everywhere! Bargain basement from hell might be a better
comparison. I do want to go back at another time and hopefully enjoy it.
Going back through the mall, I fell in love with the
citizens of the Emirate. The women are cloaked in black with different levels
of exposure. All are covered from head to toe, to the wrists, collarbones and
hair. Some have their complete face exposed, some in a burka style with their
eyes showing, and others (I’ve never seen this before), but their entire face
covered by a black mesh fabric. The men were in white. All were graceful in
their gowns. The women looked as if they were floating. The ones who are able
to show their faces were so beautiful. Their makeup and skin were simply
flawless. I noticed all had beautiful handbags…a small sign of modernism and
extravagance against their traditional abayas. I was nervous around the men when it was a
crowded area. I have the preconceived notion that women here were treated as
second class citizens. It’s quite the contrary. While at the mall and the hotel
so far, I’ve always given the men a “right of way”. EVERY single one of them
has insisted on “ladies first”. I cannot speak for the Emirate women, but to
expatriates the men are kind and protective.
Exhausted, but happy to be home, the magicjack worked and I was able to talk to my mom before I drifted off to sleep. I'm glad that although we are 8 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time, we hear are the ones ahead...I wouldn't want to wake up anyone from sleep at un-godly hours!
Exhausted, but happy to be home, the magicjack worked and I was able to talk to my mom before I drifted off to sleep. I'm glad that although we are 8 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time, we hear are the ones ahead...I wouldn't want to wake up anyone from sleep at un-godly hours!
It’s a very “let’s see how it goes” culture, and we’re
quickly getting accustomed to that. In fact, one of the girls just rang on my
door for a swim. Hey, why not? Thank you for reading. Each page click on the
blog, comment of facebook, or even “like” on a photo reminds me of home. I’m
truly blessed to be connected to everyone!
