Category Archives: Dubai

Exporting Dogs from the UAE

25 Thursday Sep 2014

Posted by in Dubai, Traveling, UAE

≈ Leave a comment

We started out talking to several local boarding kennels in Dubai and Sharjah who also deal with importing and exporting pets. They were very helpful and offered up lots of information and a HEFTY price tag. We paid about $1500 CAD to get them into the country (excluding the cost of vaccinations to avoid quarantine), there’s no way I’m paying more than that to get them out. What we were quoted was closer to $4000 CAD. How hard could it be though, right? It was a hellish experience bringing them in I don’t know why we thought it would be easier heading the other direction.

Okay, really it hasn’t been that bad so far. There aren’t a crazy amount of vaccinations and money rolling out, so far so good. It’s just been stressful and frustrating. The most frustrating part of exporting our dogs out on our own is that everyone expects you to know what to do. For example, when I first started asking questions about how to export our dogs no one really knew who I should talk to. So my communications have bounced around to nearly the entire cargo department of our airline. After several months of emails and phone calls, I think I’m finally talking to the right guy (whew, only 2 weeks before we ship out). So I’m going to share with you what I’ve learned incase you’re crazy enough to try this on you own as well.

For the sake of ease, I’m just going to list in order what you need to do.

1. Look up the Government Agriculture website of your local country. Search for something that says, “pet import” or something similar. Print of the list of requirements right from the webpage, including the government header and everything (just in case).

2. Contact the cargo department of your airline and request “AVI requirements” or the process for pet export.

3. Have your pet vaccinated according to the specifications you found steps 1&2.  We were also asked to send photos of our pets (to confirm they weren’t blunt nosed), dimensions and weight of the carriers we were using, and the weight of our dogs.

4. Apply for the required Ministry Health Certificate.  This is good for 30 days.  Some countries require this certificate for import no more than 10 days before arrival, so check that with your country of import.  You can put all your animals on one certificate, so don’t apply for this more than once (even though they’ll tell you on the phone that you need one for each pet).  On the website it says you only need to wait 15 minutes to be processed.  What this really means is that 15 minutes after you drive the application number down to your shipping company, whether you’re going through Emirates or Dnata, with your pet (but don’t bring them into the office!), they will scan your pets, print off your certificate, and stamp it (can’t forget the stamp).  Done.  Also, there isn’t a single, specific location for the Ministry OF Environment and Water (MOEW) in Cargo village.  We took our dogs to the Dnata warehouse in the Dubai Airport Freezone.

5. We also required a Transit Certificate to go through Hong Kong.  This really messed us up because the airline wanted everything taken care of well in advance.  They pushed us to get the Ministry Health Certificate as soon as possible even though Canada wouldn’t allow it to be older than 10 days.  Hong Kong needed the Health Certificate before they would allow a Transit Certificate to be issued, so make sure you look into that if you aren’t making a direct flight.

6. With your ducks all in a row (certificates certified), you’re ready to go – EASY PEASY.  Unless…you’re us.  I don’t know if the guys in the cargo office don’t get along with the guys in the warehouse or what the problem is.  We were told to arrive with the dogs several hours before our flight to check them in, “no problem, no problem”.  When we arrived the warehouse guys were not happy to see us.  We were told we should have been down at the warehouse at least the day before.  Now there is a mad rush to process the dogs, get our paperwork all stamped up, and put the dogs on the plane.  It took at least 90 minutes to get two dogs through customs, and then the other shoe dropped.  “That’ll be 12,000AED (~$4000CAD).”  Um no way.  We were quoted half of that based on dimensions I sent them back in step #3!!  Here’s why this was a HUGE problem, we were leaving the country.  We were getting on a plane in 2.5 hours, with no plans of returning any time soon.  We no longer had a bank account for crying out loud.  Their solution was for us to ask someone to loan us the money or they weren’t going to ship the dogs.  They weren’t even willing to except half a payment.  James was a wonderful, forceful (there may have been some yelling) advocate for these dogs and our family as a whole.  He put his foot down, and convinced these guys to put our dogs through to Vancouver on his word (there was actually a lot of yelling, maybe a threat of a lawsuit if the dogs didn’t make it).

All in all, we made it.  Every last one of us.  There was yelling, and tears, and if we ever do this again…the dogs will stay with an Aunty.

 

 

Top 10 things…I will miss about the UAE.

24 Wednesday Sep 2014

Posted by in American University of Sharjah, Dubai, I miss..., Sharjah, UAE

≈ Leave a comment

I will miss so much more of the UAE than these 10 things.

#10 – Round-A-Bouts

At first round-a-bouts were a little intimidating to understand.  I have a feeling there are quite a few people here trying to figure them out still.  Once you get it, they are actually pretty awesome, but not in consistently high traffic areas.  Traffic continues to flow, and if you’re not sure which way to go, just go around again.  Rules to remember with round-a-bouts or ‘squares’ as I’ve heard them referred to, is that “whoever is in front, wins”.  If you’re in front of the guy beside you, and you need to turn but he isn’t, you have right of way (don’t forget to use your blinker).  Also, squares aren’t much different than intersections.  If you want to take the 3rd exit, you get in the right lane to merge into the centre ring, and basically turn right.  If there are 3 lanes going into a square, left lane turns left (and straight if there are 3 lanes coming out of the square), centre lane goes straight, right lane goes straight or right.  When their are only 2 lanes going into a square, left lane goes left and straight, right lane goes straight and right.  See.  Simple.

#9 – Having a ‘Guy’

So this did make it on my list after all.  You want a shelf hung, you call a ‘guy’ to hang the shelf.  You need a light change, call a ‘guy’ to do it.  Water my grass, the ‘guy’ comes by everything other day to turn the water on for 15 min, then turn it off again.  Need your car washed in your parking spot, you can have a ‘guy’ do it at home, or while you’re at the mall shopping.  Back broke off your chair, no problem, call the ‘guy’ to come and fix it.  We’ve even had half a dozen mice, ant infestation, and a bed bug scare.  We just called a ‘guy’ and the problem was solved.  Think my ‘guy’ will move to Canada with me?

#8 – Full service…everything

Who wants to get out of their car…for anything.  Gas, all full service, at every station except after 12:00am at some stations.  Remember drive-in’s?  You drove into the parking lot and honked, and someone would come out and take your order?  I have never done this but I’ve seen it done and not only at fast food restaurants.  I’ve seen people do this at grocery stores, hardware stores and other smaller places of business.

#7 – Spontaneous Holidays

The holidays on the calendar are tentative at best.  Every once in a while an announcement is made that certain sectors will not be working on certain days.  I’m sure it’s a rare thing.  But we saw this happen twice within a week.  This could also fall on my things I won’t miss about the UAE, as it makes planning difficult.  But hey, a bonus day off is nothing to complain about.

#6 – Inexpensive Services

Our favourite service has been dry-cleaning.  I get everything dry-cleaned.  Quilts, pillows, James work shirts and pants, the girls dresses, carpets, sleeping bags.  First of all my washing machine barely handles daily laundry for 5 let alone one quilt.  Second, I don’t have to iron shirts when someone else does a better job for $1/shirt.

#5 – Security

We live in a large, gated community.  There is a fence that runs around the entire University City.  Inside that each separate University or College is surround by it’s own fence.  Emirate police are posted at each gate entrance, randomly screening people who enter into the ‘city’.  Faculty/Staff are separated from students by a fence as well.  Guards are setup at A/C booths, or on patrol all day and night all over campus.  It sounds like we’re really locked down, but for the most part you don’t ever see these guys though you know they’re there.

The community is also small enough that we look out for each other.  My neighbours are familiar with my kids, as I am with theirs.  When my kids go to the store, they know and talk to the people that work there.  We’ve been surrounded by many friendly, caring people who watch out for each other.

#4 – Rain days

Rain days are another rarity, but a welcome one.  It is quite the novelty when it rains here as the drainage system is poor to non-existent.  Rain waters quickly pool in cul-de-sacs and round-a-bouts making instant swimming pools for puddle jumping.  What’s more fun than swimming in dirty street water fully clothed?

#3 – 98% chance of good weather, every day

Planning a camping trip?  Want to go to the beach or waterpark? No need to check the weather network to plan in advance.  Even if it rains it’s going to be a good day for anything.  Pick a day, and pack your stuff.

#2 – Camping when and wherever you like

No need to book ahead with the local government (unless you plan on camping in Dubai).  If there isn’t enough space in your desired location just drive a little further and drop your tent.  Don’t want to go too far off the road, no problem.  I’ve seen tents set up just off the highway many times (not that I would want to camp there).

#1 – All-Inclusive Campus life

We’ve certainly been spoiled here at the American University of Sharjah.  From the on-call carpenters and fix-it guys, to the full free access to community events and amenities (gyms, indoor and outdoor pools, grocery store, pharmacy, hair saloons, soccer fields, baseball diamond, cricket pitch,  tennis courts, basketball courts) all with in walking distance.  You really can’t beat the package we got here.  Friends were easily made as we’re all in the same boat of being expats away from our families.  All this made our initial landing here easier to bear, and hard to leave.  I hope we are able to come back some day.

 

Time well spent

29 Wednesday May 2013

Posted by in Dubai, UAE

≈ 1 Comment

I took the week off of work but made no definitive plans.  In thinking about how I wanted to spend the week it came to me that I should spend some one on one time with my kids.  It was Lilli’s tenth birthday on the 27th and I’ve been repeatedly stunned with how fast that time has gone.  I can recall the event of her birth with almost perfect clarity.  At least, it feels that way – I’m sure my mind has coloured in the details but it makes a lovely picture nonetheless.

We had peas with dinner that evening.  The first contraction brought Lisa to her knees a couple days before her scheduled c-section.  I don’t recall the drive to the hospital but I do remember the nurses hooking her up to the machine to measure the intensity of her contractions.  I took Kirsten to my sisters home for the evening while Lisa settled in to wait her turn for an “emergency” c-section.  It was May 26th.  Lilli was… extracted… born at 12:03am on May 27th.

They would not let me in the operating room while the anaesthesia was administered and Lisa was prepped for surgery.  When I was allowed in I tried to look reassuring as I walked toward the sterile dissection table Lisa was splayed across.  She was looking the other way.  As I approached she turned her head toward me and I smiled.  She proceeded to projectile vomit the dinner peas.  A doctor handed me a metal banana shaped dish and commanded that I catch.  To my credit I did.

There was really nothing for me to do, obviously.  Just stand around and watch the surgeons bisect my wife.  Yet, I was strangely afraid that in these early moments of parenthood I would somehow screw up.  True to form I was sure to do something to mess this moment up.

I had convinced myself early on, for a variety of reasons, that this child would be a boy.  The doctors didn’t help as they pulled Lilli free from the womb, “look at the shoulders on this little guy.”  I was primed.  They clamped off the umbilical cord and severed it then one of them lifted the newly minted baby’s bottom toward my face and held it there.  I looked but something was wrong.  I tilted my head a little, bent my knees and tried to puzzle out what I was seeing.

“Arn’t you going to tell your wife what it is?” a nurse asked.  I squinted then wondered aloud, “Well, where is his penis?”  I was suddenly the best friend of every female in the room!  “Oh, a girl! Thats wonderful!” and it was.

As I walked with Lilli hand in hand today in the mall I could not help but recall her when she was 6 pounds rather than 60. She used to sleep soundly curled up on my chest. She has always been perpetually happy, full of music and smiles.  Today was no different.  This week I took each of the kids on a Father-daughter, Father-son outing.  Lilli and I went to Magic Planet at Mirdif City Center in Dubai.  It is a big arcade with half a dozen carnival rides.  It has video games but most of the games are those sudo slot machine types with flashing lights and annoying music when you win tickets that can later be redeemed for ultra cheap toys.

I wonder whether playing these games is not simply priming my kids for later gambling addictions?  Regardless, we had fun. The big moment came when trying to extract a stuffed animal from one of those claw machines.  I watched as Lilli maneuvered the claw and pressed the button in the wrong spot I thought.  To our surprise it picked up two stuffed animals!  Lilli was thrilled. After a couple hours of whack-a-mole and sinking mini basket balls we stopped at the food court for dinner.

Jaron and I had nearly an identical day just yesterday.  We also went to Magic Planet and to the food court for dinner. He spent more time on the rides though.  Our food court meal was Chinese food – Jaron’s favourite.  I’m not sure why but Jaron is oddly attracted to China.  If you ask him where he will be sent on his mission he’ll tell you China.  Maybe he’ll marry a beautiful Chinese girl.  If he wants to find someone his height that may be a good place to look 🙂

Kirsten is too old now for Magic Planet.  On Sunday Kirsten and I ate at the California Pizza Kitchen – bowls of their excellent chicken corn soup. About 8 months ago we had the same meal at the California Pizza Kitchen in the Mall of the Emirates together – I guess it is kind of our thing now. We followed our meal up with a movie, Iron Man 3.  I had already seen it with Lisa but I didn’t mind watching it again with my little girl.

Little really isn’t the word to best describe Kirsten anymore.  A month away from 13 she is all arms and legs but still incredibly entertaining to be around.  I would not mind being there when Tim and Julie see Kirsten in July.  I think they’ll be blown away with how she has grown and her maturity.  I’m not sure how we’ll live without her for 2 months…  that time will go so slowly.

Kirsten spent all of her money that night on a new waterproof point and shoot camera.  Not a moment too soon as the next day the entire family celebrated Lilli’s birthday at Wild Wadi water park in Dubai.  Of the 3 parks we’ve visited (Dreamland, Yas Water World, Wild Wadi) thus far this is my favourite.  The slides were great, plenty of shade for the lineups and something for everyone.

No grand adventures this vacation, no trekking through the back country or flying to distant lands, just time spent one on one with my kids and family.  I could not ask for a better vacation!  Maybe to top it off a night out with Lisa.  That would round off the perfect week.

Here are a few pictures of our Wild Wadi fun – taken with Kirsten’s new camera.

Staycation

19 Saturday Jan 2013

Posted by in American University of Sharjah, Dubai, Living, UAE

≈ Leave a comment

I’m not sure when my last post was… likely nearly a month ago.  This is a sure sign of the normality life has taken on here.  I believe we are all doing very well.  Kirsten had a real bout of serious homesickness last Friday but she seems to have rallied very well.  There are some hard lessons to learn in life but I’m thrilled with how Kirsten internalizes, contemplates and then comes to a healthy approach to difficult situations.

Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he’s been robbed. The fact is that most putts don’t drop, most beef is tough, most children grow up to just be people, most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration, most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. Life is like an old time rail journey…delays…sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride. — Jenkin Lloyd Jones

I actually wrote the remainder of this post just after the Christmas week.  I hope to get back into the writing routine.

AUS provides its employees Christmas day and New Years Day off.  I’ve been so used to having those weeks off that I booked Christmas week off.  That week is drawing to an end.  What did we do with our time?  Everything.  We thought about heading into Oman and doing some camping.  We have Salalah on our list of destinations to see but I’d like to go when we can get another family or two to join us.  So instead we opted for a staycation!

On the 18th we were to pick up our new to us car.  We bought the Honda CRV that we

Good bye new car.

Good bye new car.

borrowed for our trip to Oman.  Sadly the day we were scheduled to get the car it broke down!  Not a good omen.  The car was stalling.  We had it towed to Honda but they couldn’t find anythign wrong with it after they did some kind of computer calibration.  So far it has been running fine and taken us all over Dubai this Christmas week.  I’m hopeful that it will still be a good vehicle for us. The good news is that I’m not making any kind of payments on this thing.

On Saturday the 22nd we went shopping at Dubai Mall where we met up with our new friends the Villegas family.  This family have three kids (12, 8 and 7 – two girls and a boy).   Kirsten and Kiana, the oldest, are already fast friends.  Later in the day we met up with them and more friends at a free beach in Jumeria. We had a great time digging

Lilli revelling in shell treasure

Lilli revelling in shell treasure

in the sand.  The beach was a treasure trove of shells.  It was fun to watch people parasailing up and down the beach too. The wind made it a little too cool for any serious swimming.

On the 23rd we took the family to DreamLand Aqua park.  It was a quiet day at the park and we practically had the whole place to ourselves.  Kirsten went there with her youth group when we first got here – she recently posted about that trip.  We thought it would be fun to experience it as a family.  Lisa took some great pictures and posted them to Facebook.  Here they are in all their glory for those not connected to Facebook.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The 24th found us at the Mall of the Emirates with the intention to check out Ski Dubai.  It was crazy busy so we decided instead to do some shopping and try for a quieter day.  That evening we went to dinner at our friends the Anderson’s with the Palmers and Johnsons.  The kids put on a nativity scene and we enjoyed each others company.  That night after the kids were tucked in Lisa and I put up a Christmas tree and brought out the stockings.  The kids were delightedly surprised in the morning when they came down the stairs.

Christmas afternoon we joined our friends (The Ashills and several others) at the Raddison Blu hotel in Deira.  They put on an excellent Christmas brunch.  There are several restaurants on the same floor of the hotel that band together to provide an enormous smorgasbord.  We had everything from traditional American style Christmas dinner to sushi, Indian, Italian and Mexican cuisine.  We ate from noon till after 4 and then rolled ourselves out of the building and on home to a great nap.

Boxing Day found us back at the Mall of the Emirates with the Anderson’s to experience Ski Dubai.  As soon as we walked into that giant refrigerator and I could see my breath I

It looks like a picture but it is an unaltered picture

It looks like a painting but this is an unaltered photo from the Mall of the Emirates

new we had made a mistake.  I hate the cold.  The crappy boots they gave me were hurting my feet and the gloves were inadequate.  We went down the little bobsled run (Lisa smashed both her knees into the icy sides of the run).  The snow was all rotten and the sled hill was itty bitty and crowded.  We didn’t bother paying for skiing and just hung out in the snow park.  The sledding was perfect for Jaron and he had a great time for the hour and a half we stuck it out.  Though, he didn’t complain when the girls declared it was far too cold (-2) and we had to go.  We enjoyed hot chocolate and cinnamon buns at Cinnabon afterward.

The 27th took Lisa and I to Mirdif City Centre Mall for iFly Dubai.  We followed that up with dinner at the food court and a show, Jack Reacher.  The movie was entertaining but disappointing.  I suspect the book it is based on is much better.  The opening scene was almost too much for me to handle.

iFly Dubai was fun but I am sore today.  You are not in the wind tunnel long, maybe 30

ready for the wind tunnel

ready for the wind tunnel

seconds each of two times, but it is a full body workout.  I’m not sure it was enough of a thrill to have me go back often.  I’d like it best if they’d just stick me in their for 15 minutes at a time to figure out how to do all the acrobatics.  I can’t imagine what that would cost…

Today we went to church and that was just what the doctor ordered both for my back and my wallet.  This week has been a whirlwind tour of theme park entertainment.  I think I may have my fill.  Except I still want to check out Ferrari World, the top of the Burg Kalifa and as a big fan of water slides I think we will have to get to all the water parks here (there are quite a few).  Lisa ordered new tents from the states and they should be here early next week.  Just a few more pieces of equipment and we’ll be fully outfitted for some real adventure.

Tomorrow is Jaron’s 7th birthday.  We are having a BBQ party at Safa Park. We bought him a bike!  I’m so excited for him.  I can hardly believe he is 7 years old.  May I never forget to thank God daily for the blessings that are my wonderful children.

And back to the present…

Turns out Jaron’s party was super fun.  A water fight in the park and the bike went over

Jaron scoping out his new bike

Jaron scoping out his new bike

very well.  I think he is on it every day.  The benefit of being in a gated community means he can park the bike in front of the house without much fear of someone wondering off with it.  Of course, the problem with buying him a bike is the expectation that we buy bikes for the girls come their birthdays.  I want a bike too!  The campus wellness centre is holding their first duathlon in March and I want to participate…  Now where to steal the money from the budget for a bike for me.

Family Economy

09 Wednesday Jan 2013

Posted by in Dubai, Living, Sharjah

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

So back in mid-November, James and I attended a fireside on Parenting.  The guest speakers were staying next door with our neighbours (who happen to be the Stake President and his wife).  I ran into them on campus while walking home from lunch with James.  “Hello, we’re the Eyres we’ve heard so much about you.”  “Oh no” I thought, and then I said something witty – I don’t recall what.  I smiled, and we all laughed and went our separate ways.  I didn’t think another moment about it, except that they seemed nice.

Richard and Linda Eyre gave an amazing fireside meeting on Parenting.  They shared their teaching experiences and stories from their time raising their 9 children.

@Cold Stone Creamery with the Eyres

It was entertaining, informative, and enlightening.  I didn’t feel weighed down by a thousand tons of guilt, and though the intended 90 min fireside went over an hour I was hungry for more.  I felt truly edified by the end of the night.  Imagine my excitement when we decided to stop for Cold Stone Creamery Icecream before heading home.  It was close to midnight before we finally settled in for the night.
Dubai evening skyline from the car.

Excited to share the new friendships we had made I updated my Facebook status.  Boy was I confused with the responses.  Something like, “So, jealous you actually got to meet them!”.  Wow!  My friends back in Canada know the Eyres, small world.  So I did what any other librarians wife would do, I googled them.  What did I find out?  They’re famous!  What!  I hung out with famous people.  Check out this link.  I can laugh now because after the fireside I actually said to Linda, “Oh hey I have one of your books!” and at the time I still hadn’t realized it wasn’t the only one.

The-Entitlement-TrapThe fireside was based on their book, “The Entitlement Trap” in which they discuss the concept of a “Family Economy” and how parents can use it as a tool to teach important values to our children.  I’m not going to discuss it in detail but instead tell you that it is an interesting topic worth whatever price the book is going for.  What I want to share with you here is how we have interpreted and implemented the idea of the “Family Economy” into our family.

Jaron's made bed.We have struggled with keeping the kids motivated to do chores, and participate in keeping the house tidy.  So we broke the house down into 3 zones, so that each of our children would be responsible for a zone for the length of one week.  Each zone is broken down further into 5 parts.  At the end of the day they earn a point for each part of their zone that they have completed the chores for.

At the end of the week, the amount of points they earned coordinates to how much they will get paid.  No chores, no pay – just like a real job.  The real hard lesson comes when the one person who slacked off all week and didn’t do their chores gets to watch the others spend the money they worked hard to earn.   Click here for our Family Economy example.

The kids have learned quickly that they can’t have what they don’t have money for, as well as what it is they are willing to spend their hard earned cash on.  As a parent it is hard to let go of some of that control, and let them decipher for themselves what objects are worth their …dirhams.  Without sales tax this has been an incredibly easy transition for them.  They don’t have to figure out the percentage of extra money they have to pay, they can just take the number right off the item and add it up next to all the rest, then fork out their dough.  Easy peasy.

YNABWhat the family economy has inspired us to do is to actually start a budget.  I like my apps.  So I was looking for something I could use along side my phone.  I came across a desktop app called “You Need A Budget“.  It’s laid out really nicely and even comes with some great tutorials to build you up and guide you to taking control of your money.  We have tried to start a budget in the past but it always turned into more of a confessional, guilt session where we would point out to each other who spent more.  Setting this up was not like that at all.  We planned ahead where each dollar … dirham was going to go.  It also syncs with an app on my phone so I can input debits immediately before I forget, and check on the fly whether we can afford to do something spontaneously.  We only have 10 days left on our 30 day trial, but I was in love with this program from the get go and we’ll likely bite the $60 bullet, we even  worked it into our budget.  Click here for a discount, I know you’ll love it too!

I hope you will take the time to check out the links in this post.  I promise they are all worthwhile!

“Restrictions”

20 Tuesday Nov 2012

Posted by in American University of Sharjah, Dubai, Living, Sharjah, Traveling, UAE

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

I don’t think we’ve really talked about dress code much, and yet it was the topic of a LOT of discussion before coming to the UAE.  Most of the concern was more for my well being.  The popular question involving what my restrictions would be as far as clothing choice.  Though I tried my best to inform my friends and family with the little information I was able to research, I can now tell you with certainty that my personal dress is not any more restricted than it was while living in Canada.  I should make it clear that the religion I choose to follow has standards, similar to the requirements here, for modest wear so the transition has been easy.  Check out this link for more discussion about dress code for women and men in Dubai.

The other hot topic, was the difficulty with getting alcohol.  I don’t drink.  Problem solved.  For any of my friends who are looking for a party trip, think Amsterdam or Mexico or some other “party” destination.  Though it is possible to acquire a “liquor license” to purchase alcohol and transport it, the amount a paperwork, stamps and fees likely involved would not be worth the effort.

Driving in the UAE was another interesting discussion we had prior to coming to the Middle East.  In Canada, we had recently chosen to only drive 6 months in a year.  I know you’re thinking the winter months, but no we only drove during the summer months.  Obvious reasons for doing this are as follows: people drive, and park stupid in the winter; cleaning snow off a cold vehicle; having the car warm up just as you get to your destination; icy roads; buses drop you off at the door (at least wherever we needed to go).  We thought if we could go carless during Canadian winter, we could go carless in the Middle East.  In case you don’t know, the Middle East is in the DESERT.  I don’t know why we thought +50C would be easier to handle than -50C.  In -50C you can put on more clothing, walk faster, catch a bus. In +50 your shoes melt to the pavement the moment you’re out the door, imprisoning you in the glaring sun only to melt away to nothing.  Did I mention that happens the moment you step out the door?  There is no running to your car to turn on the A/C, because the exact opposite happens that you would expect in -50C temperatures.  The interior is likely too hot to sit in (scalding if you have a leather interior), A/C takes just as long to cool down your car as it would take to heat it up in colder temps.  Yet taking off all your clothes (opposed to overdressing) and walking around naked is not an option, in fact it’s illegal, not to mention dangerous for your health (you know, skin cancer and all that jazz).

Getting to the actual driving part.  We had read many forums on this topic discussing the craziness that takes place on the roads here.  You really have no idea until you experience it.  It’s not just the crazy drivers (though they definitely contribute to the stress) but stop signs, yields and left turns are a rare site here, as well as stop lights.  The system here thrives on U-turns, and round-a-bouts.  This makes straight shot routes unheard of, and can be devastating if you miss your exit adding minutes even hours to your trip.  Sometimes this can lead to more of a push your self in front kind of thing to move yourself across the 4 or 6 lane highway at crazy speeds.  If you’re not “on the ball” you’ll find yourself at the back of the line, or getting passed by.  This seems a common theme in this culture.  I only say that because we’ve been slow to move a head in check-out lines and lost our place.  That’s not to say anyone is rude about it, there isn’t any shoving involved, just more of a “snooze you lose” notion. Even when we are constantly getting honked at on the road, we have had to change our thinking.  They honk to let you know where they are on the road, or that they have noticed an opening you haven’t, or that the light changed 2 seconds ago.  If only we could instantly send our intentions digitally so that others might understand our motives.  Where’s the app for that!?

So James has only been driving for the last month off and on.  To get a license as a Canadian you only need a valid driver’s license from your country of origin, copy of residence visa, two photos, a letter (in arabic) from your sponsor (employer or spouse), copy of local ID, eye exam, blood test, an application for a local driver’s license in arabic (mostly) and AED 560 ($152 CA).  We originally thought I would need “permission” to drive from James, but it turns out he had to get permission too (from his employer).  Really this process isn’t too bad.  When James did it, he had everything on him and the whole thing took 45 minutes to hand in.  Others are not so lucky, and are required to take a driving exam here.  I’ve heard from a few people that it takes several attempts, sometimes more to pass the exam.  Of course, that requires repeated costs in money and time.

The most obvious restriction for me, and I’m sure James, right now is the language.  Though most communication is in English, the quality of English is lacking.  It’s one thing to have the ability to understand English then it is to actually speak it.  Most other people speak Arabic but not always.  As a family, we are all enrolled in an Arabic class of sorts (James through work, me and the kids through K12 icademy) so we’re trying to help ourselves out in this area, but it is slow going.  There are many different dialects to this language, and many different ways to say or spell the same thing.  There are also many Indian, Filipino and Asian folks here as well all in the same boat as us, trying to get around, work and learn the common languages.  Being in such a diverse community, I’m embarrassed to say, I sometimes cannot notice the subtle differences that may clue me in to what language I should be attempting to speak, or when practicing my Arabic might be the best choice for communication.  I hope my mind will open as we settle in further to our surroundings.  There have been many dropped calls on the phone, or frustrated taxi drivers due to our handicapped methods of communication I can only continue to learn and hope that some of it sinks in enough to get me around.

At the other end of the spectrum I would just like to make note of one of the biggest non-restrictions we have here.  Eating out, has turned to eating in.  Every fast food place here delivers.  You can order right on line, or view the menu and call in your order.  This has been fantastic so far as we have had difficulty keeping our fridge and cupboards stocked with familiar foods.  This has also been detrimental to all the progress we made those last few months in Canada eating at home, and eating healthier.  Its not impossible to do that here, but we are definitely needing to relearn some things now that we’re here.  Sorry Darci, this has been the biggest nemesis to me keeping my goals.

An Underwater Zoo

31 Wednesday Oct 2012

Posted by in Dubai, Living, Traveling, UAE

≈ 2 Comments

Last week I went to an under water zoo.  I saw giant spider crabs.  They have 8 legs! I also saw penguins, clown fish (or as I like to call them “Nemo fish”).  I saw otters playing in the water, sharks, frogs, chameleons, hmmmm what else? Tons of fish!  Little ones big ones some had weird faces! Some were colourful and  some were grey.  Some looked like they had a bad day.  Hey that rhymes!  And some where really spiky.  I walked through a big tunnel and saw sharks swimming over me!  The glass is the longest aquarium glass ever! It’s in the Guinness World Record book.

Anyway I won’t be able to post a socks video because I can’t fined the device there on):

T.T.Y.L (talk to you later) and Happy Halloween!

An Adventure in the City

01 Monday Oct 2012

Posted by in Dubai, UAE

≈ 2 Comments

I just had an Amazing adventure! My dad and I went for a ride on the metro to pay for schooling. It was really cool, and really hot at the same time. Lol. When the train stopped in Internet City, (where we had to pay for schooling), we couldn’t find our way to the International Academy building. Dad asked tons of people which way to go. A lot of people said it was 2 buildings down. So we had to walk quiet a ways. The bad part was that we had to be there at 19:00 hours and by the time we found the International Academy building, it was already dark. We quickly rushed inside and I collapsed on a couch in the lounge as dad talked to the guard. When we got upstairs, I glanced at the clock and it turns out we got there half an hour early!

After we got that done, dad suggested that we should stop at the Mall Of the Emirates. The Mall Of the Emirates is one of the biggest malls in the world, (at least that’s what dad tells me), it was HUGE! I don’t think we even covered a 3rd of the mall. There were three floors and really long hallways. There was a ski lodge there. It was enormous! There was also a Magic Planet. Magic Planet is kind of like Galaxy Land in Edmonton in the West Edmonton Mall. It was full of video games and cool rides. I don’t think I got any pictures though. There was also tons of food courts and restaurants. Some were really fancy. When we first got into the mall we saw this one purse shop called Prada. Dad said that Prada’s purses are really expensive. Some of their purses cost more than a car, (a nice car not a cheap one). I wanted to take a picture of the front of the shop but the butler at the door wouldn’t let me. Crazy right!? They have a butler at the door! Anyway my favourite place there was one of the candy stores, It’Sugar, but I’m going to write about that on my next blog, so you will read about that later.

Here are some pictures of the mall.