Breakfast Suasage!!!

Hot damn I found it! Actual breakfast sausage! I have been searching for this for the past 6 months. Breakfast sausage in the US is ground (minced) pork seasoned with sage and other spices. It is usually formed into patties and fried and served with breakfast but it has many, many uses. In Dubai most of the grocery stores and smaller grocery marts have a seperate room where pork items are sold. While we usually shop at out regular Spinney's location we have been to many stores and smaller marts seeking items we cannot find at our Spinney's. One of those items is breakfast sausage. Every time we go I diligently look for this elusive item but to no avail. Jimmy teases me for being so persistent. But today I am victorious! At our own little Chorthrams, that I walk to several times a week, I dutifully went to pork room even though I wasn't shopping for pork. And there it was! It is a very good American brand so I know it will be yummy. I can't wait to make biscuits and sausage gravy for my sweetie in the morning! Just had to share this moment with my readers. Great day in Dubai!! Oh, I also went downtown to get my National ID card this morning. They take fingerprints using a scanner so no messy ink and also take your picture. Everyone told me to be prepared for long wait and even the web site says it could take up an hour and a half. But I was in and out in less than half hour. I really am on a roll today!  Sure wish they had the lottery here- I'm feeling very lucky today! Hope all my readers and friends and family are doing well, too. Love you all!

M&J

General Update

I’m now working everyday! The headquarters is located in Abu Dhabi; one hour from where I live in. It sounds pretty bad but not really. Thanks to my best bud Christie I have great music for the ride! She has the best taste in music and I love the CD’s she so painstakingly burns for me. If it weren’t for that it would be a long boring drive. By the way, Christie, I’m going to need a lot more of your custom burned CD’s when I come home at Christmas. It’s worth the hour drive to live in Dubai on The Walk when you have good music to jam to along the way.

I started work at the onset of Ramadan ( August) so the work hours were shortened from 8-4 to 9-3. Also, it is customary for locals to take lots of time off during Ramadan so there was a skeleton staff at best. Everything slows down or essentially shuts down during Ramadan so there wasn’t much to do but I finally have the necessary credentials to access the company network.  Also, during Eid, the end of Ramadan, the company completely shut down for a week.   So I got abbreviated hours for the first month and a week off with full pay to start.

I was working at GAL headquarters but I have been moved to a military base. I really like it out there and am finally actually getting to do some work. There are almost no other women working in my particular area so I have elected to wear an abaya. The military base is very conservative and I will be in meetings with upper brass types. I was told if anyone complained about my attire I would not be allowed back on the base so I am covered from neck to ankles in black; I don’t wear the headscarf. It’s not so bad really. I would have to wear slacks or a dress length below my knees and shoulders must be covered. The abaya is loose fitting and very comfortable. And if I don’t anticipate having to go to GAL HQ then I can wear leggings and a tank top underneath and no one would know the difference. I was told by a couple of the Arabic men I work with I didn’t have to wear an abaya but I don’t want to do anything to risk  offending anyone so I eliminated the risk. They seemed impressed that I respect the culture and would go so far to stay within the dress guidelines. The work hours are from 7-2 so with the hour drive I am working 6-3 just like my former job in the states. Jimmy & I love getting home at three and going to beach in the afternoon- that has been very cool. Well, sort of.

The water in the Gulf is almost as hot as my shower temp- really, that warm. It’s not very refreshing but still better than sitting on the beach under blazing skies at 108 degrees! It’s still nice and because the beach is just across the street we can go for an hour and be back home in the AC pretty quick. In the evening after dinner we try to watch some TV. I say try because that is truly a challenge. There are 8-10 English channels but the problem is the program guide. It may say XXX show starts at 7pm but it is always 10-20 minutes late and may not be the show the guide says will be on. Also, the programs we watched (lots of CSI type shows and comedies- Friends, etc.) disappeared! One day we are watching our regular line up of programs and literally the next they are gone! All of them- not just one or two! The shows that replaced them are really not good and change every day. We never know what show is going to be on what channel from one day to the next. Very frustrating!

Overall we are doing very well. Jimmy gets frustrated at work because it is so difficult and time consuming to get anything done. Paralysis by analysis. It’s the local way to beat everything to death and after a decision has finally been made- to change it. I keep telling him to relax and go with it- we are getting paid the same whether an action takes a week or six months to execute but he is a man of action and can’t stand the wasted time and effort to get even a simple action executed. He is doing better now that I am on the base working with him- I have calming effect on him I guess! And we are making progress on some items.

So here I am a week later finally finishing this post. The weather has cooled to the upper/mid 90’s and the water in the Gulf temp has cooled to about the same as you would bathe a baby. We go to the beach almost every day now after work and it has been great. The TV programming is still screwed up-bad! We finally bought some DVD’s to fill in the gaps- like almost every day!  I love my abaya! I know it may sound crazy but wouldn’t you love to wear shorts and a tank to work and cover up with what is essentially a big nightgown?! I keep a dress and shoes in my car in case I have to go to GAL HQ and wear anything I want every day.

Some shout outs-

Denny- I hope your taking care of yourself! Did you go on your camping trip this year? How is Denver & Jeremy?  I miss you bunches. Tell Tracey I said hey and thanks for taking care of Spike!

Jack & Kay- It was great hearing from you a while back. I hope your health continues to improve, Jack. I sure hope you & Kay have to opportunity to come here someday; we would love to see some friendly faces. Jack- I really miss your leadership. They could learn some lessons from your play book on how to effectively manage and execute a program. The leadership here has good intentions and truly want to make things happen but the process is cumbersome, tedious and time consuming. There doesn’t seem to be a way to cut through the BS as that is an integral part of the process.

John Wilson & ILS buddies- I hope you’re doing well. I miss you a lot!

Bob & Carole- It never took you 6 months to do a scope of work! That is our challenge- sure could use you! Carole you would love it here!

LTPO- Mary, Kate, Tammy, Lisa, Larry, Troy, Steve, Max, Jim, Lupe, Carolyne & Angela- I miss working with such a great team! Like I said earlier- getting things done here is a major exercise in patience and tenacity. You all are such professionals and execute your programs with proficiency. I work with very nice people now but, again, the process is the problem.

Texas & Penn.- Bobby, Joe B., Dave, Jody, Kandis, Crystal, Joe S., James, Bob, Rob,  Ken- Same as above goes for you guys! Can’t is not in your vocabulary- you just find another way to get ‘er done!

Wayne- You are in our prayers; we think of you often and wish you all the best.

Ya’ll keep in touch and don’t forget to check out my blog- heretodaydubaitomorrow@blogspot.com.  I have lots of pics and stuff about living in Dubai. Just a simple country girls view.

Jimmy & I are doing great and happy. We just miss our friends and family so very much! You have a place to stay if anyone wants to visit!

Peace, Love and Happiness to all-

J&M

Good day all! Wow, it is like someone opened a gate and the people are back! During the month of Ramadan (August) The Walk has been like a ghost town. The Walk has been eerily empty and nearly completely devoid of activity. It was rare to see more than 15-20 people on the beach at any given time. All the restaurants have been closed until after 8 pm but by that time I am winding down my day so we didn't eat out the whole month. What a difference a day makes! Literally! On Thursday, 1 Sep. it was a whole different story. The beach is once again filled with teens and families enjoying the beautiful warm water, people are strolling The Walk, stores and restaurants are open and buzzing with activity! I expected things to pick up after Ramadan but not in one day! It is not up to the level of activity during the spring months but it certainly is a complete turn around from the past four weeks. Jimmy & I went to the beach this week for the first time in a long time. The water is very warm. Not quite as hot as bath water but much warmer than any beach or pool I have ever been to. We swam and floated and froliced in the waves (Jimmy doesn't frolic much so that was mostly me!) and it was lovely. The best part of going to the beach are the children. Some are intimidated by the water and the waves and the sheer vastness of the Gulf; they stay very close to mama & papa and mostly play in the sand just close enough to the water so the waves can gently lap around them and they can splash around a bit. Some children run directly into the waves as if they are returning home. They run through the water and are fearless of the waves and depths beyond. It's good the see life return to Dubai.

Jimmy & I went to Atlantis for lunch one day. Atlantis is located at the crest of The Palm and I can see it from where I sit at my computer in our apartment. It is a huge hotel/water park/aquarium with more activities and amenities than I can list. You can Google the details; I can only offer my experience. The main entrance is quite oppulant and grand. There is a virtual army of valets and attendants to assist the guests with loading/unloading luggage and keep cars moving. Atlantis offers numerous shopping venues like jewelry stores, clothing shops, and other unique boutiques. The corridors are very wide and made of granite, marble and tile. There are places along the corridors that have viewing panels of the aquarium which makes you feel as if you are under the sea. There are several restaurants as well. We chose Kaleidescope because it offers an international buffet.

View from the car as we are approaching Atlantis. This is the view from Dubai city.

View of the main entrance. This is the view from the gulf;opposite side that faces Dubai city.

Main entrance to Atlantis. This is outside looking at the main entry doors. Behind me valets and attendants are busily assisting guests.

Water feature to the right of the main entry doors. The same water feature is also on the left of the entry.

Valet parking area at main entrance.

Main lobby of Atlantis. Very elegant and posh. The glass (?) sculpture in the center is beautiful and whimsical. All around us people are checking in/out and getting information, etc. Quite the hub of activity!

Closer view of the sculpture and the people milling about.

Behind the sculpture is a sitting area that looks over the outdoor facilities. The "pearls" in the center of each clam spin as water cascades down into pool below. There are four of these in this seating area.

One of the numerous corridors leading to reastaurants, Atlantis water park or other areas. The corridors are lined with shops and boutiques.

Different corridor. We are wandering around getting hungry looking for the restaurant.

Surprise! At the end of the corridor was a two story viewing panel into the aquarium.

Me in front of the viewing panel.

Different aquarium veiwing panel. This one has a large bowl like structure with a jet stream of water spraying upwards in the center. The scene is set like an ancient site swallowed up into the depths of the ocean. Very cool. There are several of these smaller viewing panels along some of the corridors.

Finally we get the restaurant! Starving after all that meandering around. Like I said Kaliedescope is an international buffet with several serving stations offering different cuisines and the dessert bar was nothing short of AMAZING!!

One serving areas.

Another serving area.

Serving area- this has kid friendly foods.

The dessert area is in the center surrounded by the other serving stations and has three sides. This is one side offering yummy treats to tempt even the most strict dieter!

Close up of the Red Velvet cake surrounded by her friends Tiramisu and Mousse!

One side of the dessert area has a chocolate fountain with a variety of treats waiting to be coated in warm chocolate. The hand rails you see are steps so children can make thier own selections and hold the skewer as the chocolate flows over the treat. The coolest part by far!

After a lovely lunch we went for a stroll on the grounds. Because we weren't guests we weren't allowed in certain areas but we did get to see quite a bit.This is a vew into the Royal Pool area. It's an wonderful oasis with a huge sprawling pool of varying depths. There are plenty of lounging chairs and even private cabanas that can be rented. The cabanas are canvas covered square rooms open on one side. There is seating in each one. It doesn't offer a cooling system but it doesn't provide more privacy and respite from the blazing sun.

Another look inside the Royal Pool area. I inadvertantly got two women in this pic. Can you imagine being covered head to toe in 116 degree weather?! But they were smiling and happy so I can only respect thier choice. Amazing!

Another view. Those are lounging chairs; each one has its own awning type cover that can be opened and provide some shade from the sun.

Remember the clam seating area in the main lobby? This wonderful waterfall is outside those windows. This is the entrance to the main lobby from the Royal Pool area.

I know it is hard to see but that is the temperature gauge in the car reflecting the outdoor temp is 116 degrees fahrenheit/ 46 Celsius. A bit warm!

There is a lot to see on The Palm and I will share more when the activity picks up. I've noticed fewer hits on my blog and I know that is my fault. Rule one of having a blog is to update it often; otherwise you lose your audience. I will make a concerted effort in the future to be more diligent and not wait so long between posts. I hope none of you give up on me! Please let me know if there is something specific you would like to know. As always- love to my family and friends. I miss you and can hardly wait until Christmas to see you again. Take care of each other. Peace, love and happiness-M&J