A backtrack...
Things got crazy for awhile with moving
into our flat and having no internet. So let me highlight some of the
things that happened.
While in Abu Dhabi we went to the Grand
Mosque. It was beautiful. It is called the Sheikh Zayed Mosque as it
was commissioned by the late president and father of the UAE and is
his resting place. It is also the largest mosque in the UAE and the
8th largest in the world. We took a tour led by an Emirate
and it was very interesting. Here are a few pics:
With our friends the Safars and Shon
Women must be covered for respect inside the mosque
Largest one piece of carpet in the world
We spent a day driving to Al Ain from
Abu Dhabi to look at some furniture and check on our place. It was an
interesting trip because we got lost. We had heard about a furniture
store to check out so we tried to head that way. First we tried the
GPS, but because nothing really has addresses here it is hard to find
places on there. Then we tried asking people and calling places.
Finally after 2 hours of driving we ended up at a mall. I was
starving, so I decided to give up and eat. While at the mall we
picked up a map, and there on the map 5 minutes away and clearly
labeled was the store. In the end, the store was disappointing, but
we learned to use and trust the map!
PS: They LOVE round abouts!
I had orientation for two days at a
beautiful brand new school in Abu Dhabi. The speakers had some good
things to say about their vision for the future. They understand that
the oil will run out, and want to create a society that is well
educated and self-sufficient. They have a long way to go, but change
doesn't happen overnight. We spent one day in a whole group
orientation and another in breakout groups. We also had photos and
fingerprints taken... series business! Anyhow... I felt as ready as I
could. We also went to something called the Bedaya... which means
beginning. All the teachers go to the convention center for a huge
conference. It was all in Arabic, but we wore headsets so that it was
translated. It was a big deal and was even broadcasted on the news,
but a bit boring. They did feed us really well afterwards!
We finally got our housing allowance...
so that meant an all day trip to Ikea. We originally thought we would
buy most stuff used, but we were having trouble finding things at a
reasonable price and getting it moved to our place. We decided to
just buy stuff from Ikea, and spent literally spent the whole day
there picking out furniture, linens, and other household items. We
even had lunch there. So excited to see all our stuff in our new
place.
Besides shopping, being a tourist, and
meeting friends for dinner... we spent most of our time relaxing by
the pool, at the beach, and sleeping :) Then it was time to move to
Al Ain!!!
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