Christmas Celebrations: 1 of 2

What can I say...the first two weeks in the states have been an absolute blessing.  Good weather, good friends, good food...and most importantly our wonderful family all together.

On December 8th we woke in celebration...Joey's 31st birthday!

The birthday boy!!

Then after picking up my whole TN family (my Mum, Traci, Tyson, Mieka, my best friend Veronica and her boyfriend Jared) from the Philly Airport we ended the day in even more celebrations!!  So much magic filled in one solid day.
All of our favorite people together in one place...magical!

Catching up before dinner.

Here's a few highlights from our long weekend together:

Papito Sherif treated us to a NYC fav!

Lunch at Serafina, 79th & Madison

Strolling together in Central Park 

Nap time for Mieka!

Picking out our wedding bands at Tiffany's!! (missing Danny though :( )

Playtime  at Celcius, Bryant Park

Rockefeller Center Surprise!

Family Celebration in New Hope Saturday Night

Breakfast Sunday Morning

Love kitchen parties!!

We had TOO much fun together!!

Last photo before the airport ;(

New York City 12.5.11

After a few days home in Princeton, Joey and I decided to take a little day trip to NYC on Monday while the rest of the family was off at work.

Well rested from a combination of getting to bed early and a couple pre planned tylenol pm's, we got up and off to the Princeton town train station (the "dinky" as it's referred to.  hehe) then to the Princeton Junction headed for NYC Penn Station by 1pm.
After arriving in the city we caught the metro, always a fun adventure, for Madison and 79th.  Lunch at Serafina was the perfect first stop for these hungry bellies!  I ordered an ice coffee (had to keep the energy level up!) and Joey a coke with lemon, then we split the burrata tomato basil appetizer, a spinach salad for me and a napolenatana (anchovy) pizza for Joey.  Yum!

After making reservations for our return on Friday, but this time with our entire family, we were off for a nice leisurely stroll through central park.  The weather was just perfect!
A visit to Rockefeller Center to see the Christmas tree, window browsing on 5th, chocolates, and then meeting up with Pammy (since she works for Loreal, she was able to work from the city on Monday, lucky girl!) at Bryant Park...there we sat for a little bit and watched the families ice skate.  The holiday energy in the city is one of the best in the world....so magical and warm :)

From there we hopped in a cab to BLT Burger (6th ave btwn 11th and 12th) to meet up with all of our nyc friends.

In my opinion, one of the best life gifts...is the gift of friendship.  Looking around the table at these wonderfully beautiful faces, inspires so much kindness in love in my heart.  We love you all more than you can imagine...and are grateful every day for your amazing friendships.

1st Trip back to the States

Abu Dhabi to London = 7 hrs

London layover = 2 hrs

London to New York = 7.5 hrs

1st objective...getting to the Abu Dhabi airport on time.  Sounds like an easy task...but of all days to travel, Joey and I picked the Abu Dhabi National Day.  What's this you ask?  Well on Dec 2nd 40 years ago, the 7 different sheikhdoms (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Quwain), came together to form an alliance to protect their arabian peninsula.  Every year since the emirates come together to celebrate their country.  July 4th has nothing on the Arabs!  This year to commemorate 40 years of unity, they started celebrations 40 days before Dec 2nd...concerts on the corniche, air shows, races, science fairs, etc...then on Dec 2nd the grande finale!!  Fireworks on the corniche, cars filled with celebrating Emiratis line the streets spraying silly string, playing loud music, shouting with joy.  Utter celebratory chaos!  Now imagine us trying to catch a cab in the midst of it all, haha.  Luckily our apartment is right next to the Jumeirah hotel, so we were able to stumble upon the option (our last hopeful option at this point!) of renting the hotel car.  For a necessary small fee (320 dirhams or 85 dollars) we got the smoothest stylish ride to the airport!  Just in the nick of time!!

7 hrs can go by pretty fast.  With smart planning, you can really learn to enjoy your air time.  I had previously downloaded some much missed "Vampire Diaries" episodes to ensure I stayed away most of the flight to London.  (plus a little nap around 5pm and a cappuccino at 1am can really help to :)  

Once we arrived in London, it was morning and a good opportunity to beat a little jet lag with some easy yoga flow!  We found a lovely little corner of the airport, overlooking the planes and the sunrise and settled in to our favorite morning moments....me in my postures and joey in a good book.

7.5 hours to JFK...gotta stay awake the first half, then sleep the second half!  Joey and I ended up watching (in sync of course) "Horrible Bosses" and then "Crazy Stupid Love" after a little light airplane meal of steak and eggs for Joey and fruit and yogurt for me...great way to mix up the flight!  Then with 5 hours til arrival, we cozied up and tried our best to sleep.  Perfect planning!

Then after making our way through immigration we were welcomed home with white roses, balloons and lots of kisses and hugs...mom's are the BEST!  Thanks Nadia!!!  

ps...there's no place like home :)

Thanksgiving Celebrations

Being abroad during the holidays can be tough.  We're terribly far from our families, friends, the tradition, the season, all in all the familiar and full magic of the holidays...but at the same time, being away can be uniquely special.

This Thanksgiving, I've discovered that simply having wonderful people to celebrate in the beauty of the season is in itself a really wonderful thing.  It may not be the traditional that I grew up with (the Stewart family dressing, a crisp sunny day, lunch at 2 then leftover meal at 6pm, the macy's parade, football), but there is certainly a kindness in the air that comes from the true purity of togetherness.  And no lack of dressing (aka stuffing for you non southerners), outfit or decorations can diminish that feeling.  And, THAT friendship and togetherness is what I am most grateful for this season.

We had a lovely dinner at Joey's boss's home on Thursday night.  Don and Sherry are amazing and have quickly become our family here.  They're kind, compassionate and live each day whole-heartedly...it's a gift to be so connected to them.

Pam was also a little Thanksgiving miracle for us this year too!  She ended up having work in Dubai (she oversees the middle east operations for Loreal), so we were lucky enough to have her with us for the holiday.  Nothing like a little family to brighten the occasion!!  

Friday was spent poolside with Pam.  Since it's chilly in Paris, that was her only request for the weekend...a little sunning!  haha, easy enough in Abu Dhabi!  That night we met up with our friends Nadine and Wissam for NYU Abu Dhabi's theater production of "Death of a Salesman".  It was an interesting adaptation to say the least.  They used objects/puppeteering for some of the characters...and I gotta say, I really enjoyed it.  Makes you think of characterization a little differently.  The brother character was a punching bag and the mistress was a little fan...how's that for conveying their purpose around the main characters?  Brilliant.

Then finally to cap off our Thanksgiving weekend, Saturday morning I taught my first yoga class on the corniche.  I had the pleasure of having Joey and Pam in attendance.  It was great!  It's amazing how my auto pilot kicks in when I teach...like the words simply flow and I'm able to guide everyone gently while giving them a pretty intense work out.  I really truly love it.  After the class we sat on the beach for about an hour, then went back to our apt, finished our bits of cooking, then drove to Dubai for a little holiday get-to-gether at our friend's, Sara and Omar, place.  The dinner was amazing and Sara did a fabulous job preparing SO MUCH FOOD!!!  Everything was delicious, including the company!

A HAPPY THANKSGIVING 2011 INDEED!

November Happenings

Where the heck did the month of November go??  It honestly was a blur.  We've been so busy with so many random things...

After spending most of our time furniture browsing/shopping, picking out necessities for our new apartment, overseeing slight bathroom issues (they had to come in and re-tile our shower b/c the water wasn't flowing towards the drain...we flooded our bathroom twice :( , working...me teaching more yoga classes and Joey kicking butt w/ his project development,  meeting with friends, attending Thanksgiving festivities, planning our Dec travel, etc...here are some photo highlights :)


Joey worked diligently the afternoon we moved into our apt to master the espresso machine.  And let me just say... my cappuccino was DELICIOUS!!

Last Monday I had to return something at The One in the Abu Dhabi Mall and saw this sign for "Breaking Dawn" outside the little theater....just magical!  And since I had several hours before my next yoga class, I decided to treat myself to a little twilight matinee lovin!  Cheesy acting, but definitely worth seeing if you've read the books.



I also discovered that much to Joey and my anticipation...Pinkberry had FINALLY opened in the mall!!  I restrained myself from immediate indulgence and planned to surprise Joey with a little tart yogurt dessert on Wed night...our first night to actually spend the evening in our new apartment.






Our dining chairs were delivered earlier in the week, then on Wednesday our table, cabinet and mirror were delivered from Crate and Barrell.  After arranging them to our pleasure, we enjoyed a little pasta dinner together.  Our first meal at our new home!!  Oh, and pinkberry for dessert!!

Marine Corps Ball

Joey and I had the distinct honor of attending this year's Marine Corps Ball here in Abu Dhabi!  The event was held at Emirates Palace and everyone arrived dressed to impress!   Lots of our UAE family was in attendance as well and we all spent the evening learning all about the marines, their service at home and abroad, enjoying great conversations, eating delicious food and, oh yeah, the dancing!

Our friend Dick, who was honored as the oldest marine in attendance, had a constant urge to hit the dance floor...and most of the time with his favorite dance partner in hand.  Me!  haha  We had the BEST time!!!  I even got to witness our Ambassador seriously cutting a rug!  It was an experience to remember!

Move IN Day 1 at Etihad Towers

A couple weeks after Halloween and I swear you could have witnessed two zombies walking around Abu Dhabi... Me and Joey!

It wasn't by any means on purpose, just the result of some seriously long hours furniture shopping, strategizing move in arrangements, long drives to and from dubai, work, late hours skyping with family, being sick (I think it's allergies causing me to feel like I have the beginning stages of the flu...just constantly tired with a sore throat and headache) and a few other random stresses.  The days simply go by too fast...or better there are never enough hours in the day to accomplish all we would like in a relaxing sort of way.  We're still trying to work in time to send our save-the-dates...but that keeps getting bumped :(  Soon, though, I promise.

Anyways  after sleeping in this morning, I'm finding myself with a little more energy to post our latest happenings...our move in!

Joey admiring our view!

The apartment really is amazing and we can't wait to share it with all of you!  YES, that's a personal invitation to come visit us!!  We'll hopefully have all of our furniture by mid-January (our couch and coffee tables are coming from Denmark courtesy of BoConcepts and we'll have a shipment of our stuff from the states too), so feel free to plan your visit anytime after :)

So our 1st move in was yesterday (saturday from 9-12pm) where we just got keys, inspected everything, had the cleaners come in (It was a mess when we walked in!  They were supposed to clean and have everything perfect before we came.  I was mortified....and of course complained.  Then before we knew it, 10 smallish guys were in and fast at work dusting, mopping, buffing, painting...it was nuts!), and had furniture and appliances delivered.  So in the end, it all went relatively smoothly.

But Joey and I were wiped.  We left our new apartment around 3 and headed for some random odds and ends at TheOne furnishings and lunch.  They have the most delicious food!!  From what I can remember of it...it was just as tasty yesterday.  But I think Joey and I were both so tired, it all was a blur.  I can vaguely remember looking at chairs for our dining table and trying with all my brain power to determine which would look better...the red ones or the white.  The red ones or the white... Ow.  Must sleep.  Can't go on...

Okay, so more on the official move in day on the 16th!!  Miss you all!

Halloween

As an American, I have a passion for the holiday season instilled in my heart.  I just LOVE the energy that's in the air from mid-September to New Year's Day.  And as a Tennessean, that love is even stronger because we always have the changes in the season to create the perfect backdrop, especially for Fall!  The moment those leaves start changing to shades of orange and red I know the wonderfulness that is autumn is among us!  The crisp air, the fall festivals and parades, harvest decorations around town and in all the stores, halloween candy and costumes, bundling up in soft sweaters, parties and celebrations, apple cider, big pots of chili, football, then the Thanksgiving preparations, halloween turns to harvest, pecan pie, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, did I mention pie?, christmas shopping, the first traces of winter, glittering snow fall, ice skating, hot chocolate and bailey's, holiday cards, decorating the christmas tree, the parties, family togetherness...

Now imagine living in the Middle East.

Lol, okay, let me just say I am TRULY loving the opportunity to have such a unique experience in life and am so grateful every day...but this time of year it's a little hard to be so far away from the magic of the holiday season.  We live in a wonderful place and have the sweetest friends, so like I said...I am truly grateful EVERY day.

So with my very deep rooted optimistic spirit and Joey's eagerness and love, we create our own little holiday season right here in Abu Dhabi.

There's not a big display of Halloween around town, but if you look for it, you can find a little something.

In fact, some of the restaurants will go all out on Halloween day with decorations and dressing up.  Which is just SO FUN!!   Joey and I ended up going to the Trader Vic's at our hotel, since that was the biggest display we heard of.  It was fairly tame with latin music, but the decorations and staff's enthusiasm was fun!

Next year, we've decided since we'll be in our own apartment and settled in, we'll host our own halloween costume party!  "Rocky Horror Picture Show" playing on the projector, a buffet of weird looking treats and the sounds of "monster mash" echoing through the strobe lit room!  (maybe I should have mentioned these things to Joey before posting them on my blog...hahaha, oh well!!)

Mattress Shopping!

This kinda felt like our first big adult moment...Joey and I trying out each and every one of the mattresses in the little Seally's shop and picking one together for our new apartment.  We went in with a strategic plan: we would try out each one, not say anything, then once we had finished laying simultaneously on all of them, we could give our top 3, then go with the one we both had in common.

Genius plan.

However, I ended up having a top 4 and then we were torn between two, so we spent the next 10 mins trying out these again and again!  haha

I love having a floating in the clouds feeling to a mattress, nice and cushiony since I'm a side sleeper most of the time; and Joey likes a little firmer support on his back.  It's funny how different we all are, especially with little things like sleeping preferences.

We ended up agreeing on a lumbar supported, yet cushiony mattress at a decent price.  YAY!   

You're not alone.

There are a plethora of networking opportunities in Abu Dhabi...you've just gotta take the first step and get yourself to one.

I had a lovely experience today with one particular women's group in Abu Dhabi (American Women's Network).  It wasn't my first time meeting with them by any means, but it just really hit home with me today just how accessible friendships and community are here.

It's almost like when we were in kindergarten and we would simply walk up to someone say "hi my name is Jennifer...want to be friends?"  I don't know what happens after the age of 5 that makes making friends so daunting, but it really is the easiest thing.  Especially in a place where you can feel pretty alienated, it's so nice to know there are others around feeling exactly how you're feeling.

We had a lovely morning of coffee, yummy treats and wonderful conversation at the AWN chair's villa in the center of the city.  During the meeting we each told a little bit about ourselves, so it was nice to really individualize everyone (think there may have been about 50 of us) and find similar connections.  Afterwards we all mixed and mingled, exchanging information and making plans to meet up again later.  I think I may have even been one of the last people to leave...it just felt so homey and nice, I didn't want to go.

I really do enjoy the opportunity to experience events like these, and in the end knowing...we're not quite so alone after all. :)

Yoga in the Middle East

I'm officially teaching yoga here in Abu Dhabi!!   Wooo-hooo!

I had my first class this morning 9:30-10:45 with 4 lovely ladies, then held another class this evening at 19:30.  Again a small class, but another wonderful experience!  It's interesting creating vinyasa sequences with each new student in mind.  No one moves at the same pace, has the same experience, or flows with the same alignment...so it's definitely challenging as a teacher.

Then throw in the language barrier.  My classes have been a mix of germans, emirates, egyptians, russians and a couple americans.  I'm definitely training myself to use less words and really demonstrate using my own body.  It's a challenge, but I'm truly loving it!

Can't wait for my next class on Wednesday at 10:45am!!

Oh, yeah...AND I'll be teaching over at the corniche with the lovely girls from yoga juice starting next month!  Definitely excited to join that yoga community too!!  Namaste friends!

Avoid the Destination

I was just doing a little prep work for my 1st official yoga class in Abu Dhabi when I landed on something really interesting...learning to not always do things with a destination in mind.

In yoga, we end each practice with the resting corpse pose "savasana". But does that mean we should mentally tap out of all the asanas leading up to it?   Allowing all the breathing and movement to be a blur?

Absolutely not.

Each movement should be taken in, felt with the entire body and fully enjoyed not just physically, but mentally as well.  Allowing our minds to turn inward and focus on the sensations we're feeling is what keeps us coming back to yoga again and again.

The ability to be completely present in our minds and bodies.  

You don't always have to have a destination in mind...you can just take a walk to walk.  Explore like you did as a child.  Smell the crisp leaves of fall, feel the wind on your cheeks, listen to the birds chirping and fluttering high in the trees, maybe even look up to see if you can spot a fun animal shape in the white puffy clouds.  No need to limit yourself or your imagination.

So, today I challenge you...no matter what you're doing, what you're planning, where your going, simply allow yourself to...

BE COMPLETELY PRESENT.

I'm an official Abu Dhabi driver!

That's right, last night I was fearless on my first solo drive (to yoga down at 11th and 30th...or Al Buteen and Al Khaleej Al Arabi St...that's right, there's two names for every street!)!!  (and back!)  It's definitely different from driving in any other place...you have to constantly be looking around and making sure no one is moving into the direction of your car!  They like to just cut over w/out any warning, no blinker, friendly wave or distance ahead to move in...sometimes they just move into the side of your car, I guess hoping you move over or speed up.  That happened to me and Joey the other night.  Only there were cars all around us, so we had no where to go.

Thank goodness for horns!!

It's definitely defensive driving.  The only similar feeling I could think of was...the rush of playing mario cart.  If you can imagine!

Pearls for the Lady

I have the best fiance in the world!  He not only treated me to a much needed body scrub and massage, but he surprised me with an evening at one of the most treasured spots in Abu Dhabi.

An evening of pearls!

Firstly, dinner at Pearls and Cavier, the gem of the Shangri-La!

After we sat down I noticed no one else was in the restaurant but us, leaning over I asked Joey what was going on, were we eating too early??  (It was 7:15 after all ...my favorite dinner time, but I guess I'm a rarity. ) To which he replied, "I had this arranged."  I literally laughed out loud and retorted, "You did not!" A sad little look glazed over his hopeful face as he said, "Jen, can you just let me pretend for a moment!  This IS every guys dream to buy out a place for his special girl!"

What a sweetheart I have!

After the wine arrived, Joey looks at me and says, "you look really nice, but something's missing..."  I knew instantly what was in store!  The weekend before we had ventured to the souk at the Dubai mall in hopes of finding the perfect little pair of pearl earrings.  Unfortunately, the ones I had in mind just didn't seem to exist.  Everything was BIG and gaudy...and I just wanted simple...elegant.  With Joey's keen sense and my hopefulness we wandered into every store, eventually finding the perfect jeweler to create our vision.  They had mentioned being able to make it and drive it to Abu Dhabi for us when it was ready (in a couple days).  After Joey had surprised me with the most perfect pearl earrings, our own joint creation, he told me the story of how he came to get them.  Nothing's ever easy I suppose, but ALWAYS possible.

As it turned out the man at the store had been in an awful car accident the afternoon we had stopped into his shop and never called Joey about the earrings.  Joey in turn called him a couple times the next day until he finally got through.  After the initial shock, they began discussing options in regards to the earrings.  The man was more than happy to have our earrings made, but would not be able to get them to Abu Dhabi.  Luckily, Joey is always quick with options and called our friend to see if her driver (our bud Tarek) could run them to the Shangri-La the night of my birthday.  Wow.

I will indeed always cherish these earrings.
Also, a special thanks to everyone for thinking of me on my birthday.  It's your love and kindness that gives me so much energy and happiness.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.  (my wish was to share that happiness)

Femme Fatal comes to Abu Dhabi???

I honestly heard the rumors weeks ago, but never thought it was possible.  But to much surprise and even more hopeful anticipation, monday it was announced...

BRITNEY SPEARS IS HEADLINING FORMULA 1 IN ABU DHABI!!!

Holy cow, this is awesome!!  I may not be a HUGE Britney fan, but she does have some fun music!  Especially "Criminal"....but what a huge statement for the middle east to rally for her to headline the biggest event to hit the sand.  Just kidding, we have an awesome track at Yas Island!

"One of the jewels in Abu Dhabi's crown is the new 5.55-kilometre Yas Marina Circuit, which on November 1, 2009, hosted the country's inaugural Grand Prix. It was also the first F1 twighlight race, with powerful lighting ensuring a seamless transition from day to night.

Located on the spectacular Yas Island, the track is set to revolutionise the design of future Formula One circuits. Boasting top speeds of 320 km/h and average speeds of 195 km/h, it features nine right turns and 11 left turns and is one of the few venues on the calendar to run in an anti-clockwise direction.

Designed by renowned circuit architect Hermann Tilke, Yas Marina has a waterfront setting scenic enough to rival the likes of Monaco and Valencia. And with the track wrapping itself around the island's glamorous newly-built marina."

And since it is the middle east, tickets shouldn't be TOO terrible to come by!!  (We HOPE!!)  Oh yeah...and here's the rest of the A-MAZING line up!!  Anyone want to come visit us next month??

Turning 28

I honestly don't know where the time goes...

I feel like I was JUST turning 13 and my mom was surprising me with my first glimpse into true "adult" girlie-ness.... make-up!!  She had given me a little cosmetics bag filled with the prettiest shade of rose pink blush, a light pink lipstick, which was actually just an elegant shimmer on my teenage lips than a womanly red, and a black mascara for my long thick youthful lashes.  I can remember feeling so special and grown up that day.  

Who would have thought, 15 years later, I'm still feeling the same magic in my heart.

I'm so blessed to have so many wonderful friends, such a loving family, good health and a strong mind.  It's only by the grace of god am I living such a life.  And it is truly an honor for my spirit to be here in the mind and body...and I look forward to each new moment with so much love and kindness in my heart.

So happy 28th birthday indeed.

(by the way...that's 10,232 days, 20 hours, 15 mins and 40 seconds here on earth!  Well, with a little give depending on my exact birth time, haha!!)

Arabs are fun!

It's always heartbreaking to me when I read something negative towards Arabs or Muslims (or anyone for that matter).   But for the last decade it's been hugely anti-middle eastern in the western world.  Since 9/11 people have gone on an all out anti arab campaign:  we shouldn't be learning arabic in american schools, building mosques, celebrating anything arab related...they are all terrorists apparently.  What kind of forward thinking is that?

How can you punish an entire class for a couple idiots?  The "race" wasn't behind them...they didn't even support them...in fact they were even more upset with the events and being pulled into it than we can imagine.  It's a shame that this pattern follows every culture at some point in time or another.

People may be shocked to learn Arabs are A LOT like Americans...

"Much like America today, the Arab world of the seventh to the thirteenth centuries was a great cosmopolitan civilization. It was an enormous unifying enterprise, one which joined the peoples of Spain and North Africa in the west with the peoples of the ancient lands of Egypt, Syria and Mesopotamia in the east.

It was the rapid expansion of Islam that initially brought this empire together. Alliances were made, trade routes were opened, lands and peoples were welded into a new force. Islam provided the dynamism, but it was the Arabic language, which provided the bond that held it together.

Islam spread to lands more distant than North Africa and the Fertile Crescent, but it was in this area that a common Arab culture emerged.

To be Arab, then as now, was not to come from a particular race or lineage. To be Arab, like American, was (and is) a civilization and a cultural trait rather than a racial mark. To be Arab meant to be from the Arabic-speaking world — a world of common traditions, customs and value — shaped by a single and unifying language.

The Arab civilization brought together Muslims, Christians and Jews. It unified Arabians, Africans, Berbers, Egyptians, and the descendants of the Phoenicians, Canaanites, and many other people. "

I appreciate the fact that underneath it all, we are all so similar.  We have hearts that love, smiles that can brighten anyones day and we are all connected.  

Maybe today we can share a little extra kindness :)

OH!  Here are a couple fun pictures from our weekend in Dubai and the actual point of my post being that Arabs are super FUN!!  (I fall into tangents from time to time)

Okku- Omar's birthday celebration #1

Manoushe breakfast at the Rifai's!

Sunset on the Persian Gulf

Such sweet boys! haha

Week of Sept 18th...

Here's just a few random happenings from this week:

Had lunch with our realtor Terri at an asian spot in the Marina Mall...we were starved after a morning of viewing apartments!

Skyped with my family in TN (6pm my time, 9 am theirs)...that's my niece Mieka with her basket crown, haha!

Washed a load of clothes in the washer/dryer duo in our hotel room and melted Joey's shoes down a size :(

Got a mani/pedi for 100 dirhams ($36.50...not too bad!)

Setting up a Network

Once you get to a new place, it's super important to start setting up your network.  Network of people who know about the city, network of friends of friends, network of women (special interest groups), network of work opportunities...etc, etc, etc.  This takes LOTS of energy, mental strength and stamina!  Seriously, it's like a full time job just settling into a place and meeting people.  You really have to truly love it...or LEARN to love it.

I was the later.

Usually you have a job when you move to a new place so you're already arriving with a built in network. You're work environment somehow builds into a full fledged life network without you having to really even think about it.  If only it were always so easy!

DC was my first challenge with this.  It was like the warm up before the sprint.  I had to work extra hard to meet people.  Go outside my comfort zone and actually talk to the person next to me enjoying there coffee at Dolcezza...or spend a little extra time talking to the girls signing me in for yoga class.  People interactions are really something to cherish and so many times we take those little moments for granted.

But if that's the only "friend"-ly interactions you have in a new city, they are seriously very precious.  I found myself gravitating to those moments.  Anything to feel less lonely and overwhelmed.

So, yeah...here I am again.

This time around, though, something feels a little different.  Like I'm not totally alone.  Well, thanks to already being here visiting a year and a half ago and making a couple of friends, it feels like coming back to something familiar.  Plus, Sara and Omar are just an hour away, so the network of friends is quite large in comparison!  We're truly grateful for that.

I think once you have the friend network squared away, the work and others will follow.  You just have to keep getting out there, meeting people and drinking lots of coffee!

Finding a Reasonable Apartment

Nothing is really reasonable here...it's all crazy expensive, but the good thing is, it all seems to even out somehow.  Thank goodness!  But for finding a place, it can really be a fun journey because everything here revolves around the newest and most luxurious.  

However, this was the list of credentials Joey and I had for a place:

2 Bedroom
Nice View (maybe a balcony)
Gym/Pool
Parking
Appliances a perk

And I think they were in exactly this order!  Haha, we're easy enough!  Our realtor Terri, who we met after moving here through our friend Diane, was just phenomenal at finding our perfect place!  She brought us into the luxurious, but "reasonable for us" world of Abu Dhabi.  And what a beautiful and imaginative world it is!  After a day of hunting, here's where we'll HOPEFULLY be living come December:


"After several years of planning and design, 2006 was a special year for His Highness Sheikh Suroor Bin Mohammed Al Nahyan and his Projects Department, for this was when construction work got underway. His Highness can be proud of succeeding in creating a very inspirational, prestigious and desirable landmark in the UAE. The scope, magnitude and uniqueness is breathtaking.

The Australian architects DBI Design have created a sculptural feat that is a true landmark of the City. Changing the Abu Dhabi skyline forever the towers offer the most amazing vantage points - with sweeping panoramic views over the vibrant city and Arabian Sea."


Now, it doesn't look EXACTLY like the picture because the water doesn't come that close...and the towers are more of the same size and in a circular formation...but yeah, this is it.  Doesn't it remind you of a star trek space ship?? 


See, I bet now you'll want to come visit!!