New Routines

Six weeks in and we are mostly settled into our apartment. Although the feeling of "home" is still in the building phase, we now have most of the comforts, like beds, a couch, and wi-fi to which our devices automatically connect. We are still recovering from the effects a month of hotel living had on each of us, but our new schedules are falling into place.

The view from our couch: the "New Presidential Palace" on the left, Emirates Palace (Hotel) on the right, Arabian Sea in the background. Not pictured: the five space heli-pad for the hotel's premier guests.

Commuting

The biggest change to our day-to-day routine as it was in D.C. is the addition of bicycles. The last time I rode a bicycle for any distance was in 1996 (I was 19), but for the last two weeks I have biked Q to school and back everyday (5 km each way). The weather is perfect (for now) and the entirety of Abu Dhabi is flat, which helps with getting used to riding again. I bet my legs wouldn't have been sore at all except for the extra weight and the twenty years.

A relatively long uninterrupted stretch of bike path. Etihad Towers (home) on the left, the nearly-complete ADNOC building (Abu Dhabi Something Oil Something) on the right.

It seems like only a blog post or two ago I was saying semi-nice things about the drivers here, but after only about three days of bike commuting, I developed a healthy rage towards a few of their less desirable habits. For instance: effective use of turn signals seems to follow an inverse correlation with the price of the vehicle, especially when turning from the middle lane. At pick-up and drop-off times, parents find parking in front of, or in, the bike path to be extra convenient! That's why they put those ramps there, right?

Jenn's office is about 38 km (23 miles) from our apartment, so she has elected not to bike to work. Instead, she shares a bus with her co-workers which stops at the apartment complex next door. Q enjoys watching out the windows for her bus in the evenings.

Cooking

We like to cook, eat, and generally hang around in the kitchen. Our previous living spaces have all had kitchens that were both effective work spaces and decent social locations. Our new kitchen, however, is neither. A product of two of the U.A.E.'s cultural traits (an unbalanced focus on external appearances and a tendency to hire someone else to do everything), our kitchen has top-notch appliances, an impossible work-flow, and a single electrical outlet (which is one more than any of our bathrooms). Also, a combination (all-in-one) washer/dryer!

Layout prevents comprehensive perspective. Doubles as a panic room!

I think the layout would be called a "galley" kitchen in the parlance of state-side realtors, but it's basically a hallway with cabinets. Each end has a door, both of which swing into the kitchen and both of which have deadbolts, keyed on both sides. Doors open: half the counter space and cabinets are blocked. Doors closed: complete isolation. The whole set up is clearly made so that you can visibly exclude your kitchen staff, which is understandable, if somewhat awkward. But the double keyed deadbolts are just creepy. Is it so you can lock your self, or someone else, inside? Or so whoever is inside can't lock you out? Why does a kitchen need lockable doors at all?
Anyway, we'll get used to it.

Weekends

Our weekend schedules have not changed much at all. We walk to the grocery store (or ride to the produce market). We walk or ride to the beach, or along the Corniche. We try to nap. Our local grocer, Carrefour, is what's known as a "hyper-mart" here, basically a one-stop-shop for everything from apples to Apple products. The chain is French, however, which means you can also get foie gras, a wide assortment of fancy cheese, or 10 lb. tins of duck confit. Aside from the selection of fruits, veggies, and meats available (last night we had camel), the biggest difference is that all loose produce items must be bagged, weighed, and stickered before you reach the cashier. This means that you stand in line twice, but the pre-weigh station definitely cuts time off of the second line and saves you from arguments over the price difference between rambutans and mangosteens. (These look nothing alike, I just like the words.)

We are traveling to Oman soon, so stay tuned for more travel adventure and complaints about a new population of drivers!

UAE National Day Celebrations

As many of you may, or may not know, the UAE is still a relatively young country. In fact, I am only a few years younger than the Union and both sets of parents have been married longer than the Emirates have been United. As a result, national pride here is truly amazing. We are on the down side of a week's worth of celebrations featuring everything from nightly fireworks, insane air shows with fighter jets flying right over the Corniche, and the most amazing displays of lights, flags, and painted cars you can imagine.

Fighter jets on the Corniche displaying the UAE colors.

Heart effect over the Emirates Palace gate.

Emirates Palace from our living room window. Yes, the colors of the lights rotate through those of the UAE flag.

Our home, Etihad Towers, sporting the colors of the UAE flag.

While Christmas is not much of a thing here, the displays for National Day provide some unintended holiday cheer.

Headed to the Breakwater to watch the rowing races.