Hello all!
I just had a wonderful week. Definitely my favorite in Abu Dhabi thus far. Not sure it can be topped actually. After my very excellent scuba diving adventures last week, I rushed back MLC, tried to get as un-salted as possible after spending 6 hours in the water, checked out the hotel Adam would be staying in (it was SWEET!) and then went to wait for him at the airport. I actually only waited for about 25 minutes and I kept on getting dirty looks from all the other limousine drivers because they thought the papers I was studying from might be a name sign (very few women drive taxis here) or something. Then he came through the entrance gates and it was incredible and surreal and even slightly odd to see him. Even though the plane tickets were bought and everything was arranged, some part of me didn't really believe I would get to see him here, of all places. And it was also odd because since it's the UAE, there is no show of physical affection in public, so no hand holding, kissing, hugging...yeah. Definitely had to keep reminding myself of that.
One thing I couldn't get over this week was how tall he is. After having seen him only on skype for 4 months, he looked really tall in person! But of course (and in an attempt to keep the mush to a minimum) he is the same sweet, wonderful, funny guy that I left in Kansas just a little while ago. And we had so much fun this week!!
People in Abu Dhabi like good food, so we ate so much all week! As Middle Eastern meals are a bit rough to stomach we tried to keep those sorts of meals to a minimum but we definitely had a little bit of them. When I was at work during the day, Adam relaxed, studied, and played around the pool. Apparently since it is winter here, the water is a little bit chilly (something I didn't think about before he came). I got to watch my first movie in theaters in 4 months (HARRY POTTER!!) with him, we went out with my coworkers, and had a crazy desert safari adventure.
For the record, I can now say that I've been in a car going over 100 miles and hour while the driver is talking on the phone. Also, I've ridden a camel. :)
I will try to post pictures of all of the above on my facebook because I am sure you would like to see them (plus, it is easier to explain things in pictures rather than words).
But yes, it was an incredible week but now I am tired and can only wait eagerly until I get to see you all (and him!) in a little over 3 weeks.
I love you guys.
Becca
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Friday, November 26, 2010
Part Three : A visit by my boyfriend!
Ok ladies and gents! today was exciting but I am so tired and all I want right now is a bit of sleep. I promise last post will be put up Friday evening your time. Have a great day-after-Thanksgiving.
Miss you guys
Becca
Miss you guys
Becca
Part Two : Scuba Scuba Scuba!!!
I am so sorry this is so late!!! This week has been crazy and I have not made enough time for doing everthing I need to do. But it has been a great week overall, so the craziness has definitely been worth it.
Onward with stories!!
Probably my favorite part about last week was that I had the time and the perfect opportunity for the first time in my life to learn how to scuba dive! This has always been difficult for 2 reasons; I live in Kansas and 2) it does take 4 or 5 days of diving and lessons to get it done (thus difficult with my job).
This adventure I got to begin with 3 friends; Marie (Norway), Sandy (NYC), and Poonam (our teacher from India) and they were the perfect combination of people to do this with! Marie and Sandy are both excellent swimmers (Marie is a surfer and Sandy swam in college) and Poonam and I are not so great (to say the least) so we ended up being paired up a lot. It was nice to work with someone who went the same speed as me :)
Our teachers were Don, from England who is a paramedic in real life, and Medz, from Australia-also a paramedic. Their accents were incredibly fun to listen to, and it was nice to know that if I swallowed too much sea water and passed out, they would probably be able to keep me from dying. We started out by meeting them for the first 2 days at a swimming pool at a hotel in downtown Abu Dhabi. We definitely got some weird looks from the people spending their holidays lounging beside the pool. We learned everything from basic diving rules (always have a buddy, no matter what we cannot hold our breath while diving so our lungs don't explode) to what all the equipment does, how it works, and what we have to do in case it malfunctions while we are underwater.
In the pool we practiced all basic skills along with troubleshooting diving problems and how to communicate and interact with whoever our diving buddy happens to be. It was so much fun!! Probably my favorite thing I learned was how to clear my mask of water while underwater. Getting water in my eyes has always been one of the most painful things about being underwater, for me, and it is so cool to be able to control that and not have to freak out even if my entire mask fills up with salt or chlorine!! Also, for the record, fins and a mask are not to be confused with "flippers" and "goggles". Medz kept on telling us that we were going to have to buy him a beer for every time we messed up with our diving terminology. I believe I owed him eight, when the course was finished. :)
Have 2 days and 5 pool dives, I got to go to the open ocean for the first time! We met at the dock early last friday morning, had a donut or two, then put together our gear, loaded up the boat and drove out about 45 minutes into the Gulf. It was so beautiful! The water is a comfortable temperature and it is lovely and blue. I did get pretty sea sick the first day we went out, but as long as the boat was moving or I was bobbing about in the incredibly salty water, I did ok. My favorite part was just getting to go 18 or 20 feet down to the coral and swim around with the cute fishes and large amounts of coral for 30 - 45 minutes at a time without having to come up! I've heard there are other places where the coral is more beautiful and there is more wildlife, but I definitely enjoyed my first dives. We were able to do 2 dives on Friday, then 2 more dives on Saturday morning, without incident, in order to actually complete the training. Both days we took turns buying some snacks, and our teachers brought fresh pineapple, watermelon, and drinks for all of us. By the end of the 2nd day I was so exhausted that I am surprised I didn't pass out in the cab on my way to pick up Adam at the airport!
So yes, now I am certified to scuba dive anywhere in the world!!! I definitely plan to do more of it in Malaysia. I've heard there is some nice coral and really cool shipwrecks around our area. I think the only downside I can see to actually becoming more involved with this activity is that if I ever decided to start getting my own equipment (which I don't see as being likely), it becomes kind of bulky and inconvenient because it involves so much stuff! Wetsuits, scuba tanks, regulators, dive computers, fins, masks...so much stuff.
It was definitely an excellent way to spend my week off (because we I wasn't scuba-ing, I was sleeping because I was tired from scuba-ing), and it helped make the time pass really quickly until I got to see, Adam! Which I will talk about in the next post (which should be up really soon as my mother pointed out to me that I have been lax in my posting this week).
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoyed a piece of pie for me!!
Love you
Becca
Onward with stories!!
Probably my favorite part about last week was that I had the time and the perfect opportunity for the first time in my life to learn how to scuba dive! This has always been difficult for 2 reasons; I live in Kansas and 2) it does take 4 or 5 days of diving and lessons to get it done (thus difficult with my job).
This adventure I got to begin with 3 friends; Marie (Norway), Sandy (NYC), and Poonam (our teacher from India) and they were the perfect combination of people to do this with! Marie and Sandy are both excellent swimmers (Marie is a surfer and Sandy swam in college) and Poonam and I are not so great (to say the least) so we ended up being paired up a lot. It was nice to work with someone who went the same speed as me :)
Our teachers were Don, from England who is a paramedic in real life, and Medz, from Australia-also a paramedic. Their accents were incredibly fun to listen to, and it was nice to know that if I swallowed too much sea water and passed out, they would probably be able to keep me from dying. We started out by meeting them for the first 2 days at a swimming pool at a hotel in downtown Abu Dhabi. We definitely got some weird looks from the people spending their holidays lounging beside the pool. We learned everything from basic diving rules (always have a buddy, no matter what we cannot hold our breath while diving so our lungs don't explode) to what all the equipment does, how it works, and what we have to do in case it malfunctions while we are underwater.
In the pool we practiced all basic skills along with troubleshooting diving problems and how to communicate and interact with whoever our diving buddy happens to be. It was so much fun!! Probably my favorite thing I learned was how to clear my mask of water while underwater. Getting water in my eyes has always been one of the most painful things about being underwater, for me, and it is so cool to be able to control that and not have to freak out even if my entire mask fills up with salt or chlorine!! Also, for the record, fins and a mask are not to be confused with "flippers" and "goggles". Medz kept on telling us that we were going to have to buy him a beer for every time we messed up with our diving terminology. I believe I owed him eight, when the course was finished. :)
Have 2 days and 5 pool dives, I got to go to the open ocean for the first time! We met at the dock early last friday morning, had a donut or two, then put together our gear, loaded up the boat and drove out about 45 minutes into the Gulf. It was so beautiful! The water is a comfortable temperature and it is lovely and blue. I did get pretty sea sick the first day we went out, but as long as the boat was moving or I was bobbing about in the incredibly salty water, I did ok. My favorite part was just getting to go 18 or 20 feet down to the coral and swim around with the cute fishes and large amounts of coral for 30 - 45 minutes at a time without having to come up! I've heard there are other places where the coral is more beautiful and there is more wildlife, but I definitely enjoyed my first dives. We were able to do 2 dives on Friday, then 2 more dives on Saturday morning, without incident, in order to actually complete the training. Both days we took turns buying some snacks, and our teachers brought fresh pineapple, watermelon, and drinks for all of us. By the end of the 2nd day I was so exhausted that I am surprised I didn't pass out in the cab on my way to pick up Adam at the airport!
So yes, now I am certified to scuba dive anywhere in the world!!! I definitely plan to do more of it in Malaysia. I've heard there is some nice coral and really cool shipwrecks around our area. I think the only downside I can see to actually becoming more involved with this activity is that if I ever decided to start getting my own equipment (which I don't see as being likely), it becomes kind of bulky and inconvenient because it involves so much stuff! Wetsuits, scuba tanks, regulators, dive computers, fins, masks...so much stuff.
It was definitely an excellent way to spend my week off (because we I wasn't scuba-ing, I was sleeping because I was tired from scuba-ing), and it helped make the time pass really quickly until I got to see, Adam! Which I will talk about in the next post (which should be up really soon as my mother pointed out to me that I have been lax in my posting this week).
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoyed a piece of pie for me!!
Love you
Becca
Friday, November 19, 2010
Part One of Three : Holiday!!!
Ok, because this might be a bit long. Instead of giving you one massive post, I will make it three parts focussing on my holiday, scuba diving, and adam coming to visit! I'll probably post them all in the next 24 hours or maybe in the next six, depending on how much I am enjoying my studying this evening. But here it goes..the holiday!
First off, why would I be given a holiday in the middle of school? Well, because Muslims seem to have quite a few religious holidays and in the UAE, it is actually law that people have to be let off work for them. Not only that, even though our holidays are usually 1 to 2 days, theirs tend to last for 2-5 days each. Convenient for them, however not quite convenient sometimes for the western businesses working in the country. For example, as I awesomely found out when I tried to mail a package, both DHL and UPS CLOSE here for the entire week during which Eid (spelling..not sure, it is not my religious holiday) is being celebrated. The only businesses that generally stay open are (a) restaurants, (b) malls, and (c) hotels. A lot of money is spent during this time because people in the UAE tend to have no other activities, it seems, but to do that.
So as it seems we have no choice, a forced vacation is necessary, and...ta-da! Adventures are born. Yes, I did study. Quite a bit, and I will actually be doing more of it this evening, so I don't have to do as much when Adam is here. However, I have done many other things with my spare time as well. I have had some excellent meals in more westerny restaurants in the city, I have slept crazy large amounts of my time away, and I decided to become a certified scuba diver!
And overall, the holiday has been quite lovely. I'm still lacking enough sleep, but I feel like I can attack this next week (and maybe the rest of the course as well!) with renewed energy!
Really wish I could take a 2 year vacation from everything and just lay by a beach, though. I think that sounds wonderful!
Love
Becca
First off, why would I be given a holiday in the middle of school? Well, because Muslims seem to have quite a few religious holidays and in the UAE, it is actually law that people have to be let off work for them. Not only that, even though our holidays are usually 1 to 2 days, theirs tend to last for 2-5 days each. Convenient for them, however not quite convenient sometimes for the western businesses working in the country. For example, as I awesomely found out when I tried to mail a package, both DHL and UPS CLOSE here for the entire week during which Eid (spelling..not sure, it is not my religious holiday) is being celebrated. The only businesses that generally stay open are (a) restaurants, (b) malls, and (c) hotels. A lot of money is spent during this time because people in the UAE tend to have no other activities, it seems, but to do that.
So as it seems we have no choice, a forced vacation is necessary, and...ta-da! Adventures are born. Yes, I did study. Quite a bit, and I will actually be doing more of it this evening, so I don't have to do as much when Adam is here. However, I have done many other things with my spare time as well. I have had some excellent meals in more westerny restaurants in the city, I have slept crazy large amounts of my time away, and I decided to become a certified scuba diver!
And overall, the holiday has been quite lovely. I'm still lacking enough sleep, but I feel like I can attack this next week (and maybe the rest of the course as well!) with renewed energy!
Really wish I could take a 2 year vacation from everything and just lay by a beach, though. I think that sounds wonderful!
Love
Becca
Thursday, November 18, 2010
The Statement I Wasn't Expecting
"Hey, just so you know, I turned in my letter of resignation this morning."
And no, before any panicking occurs, I did not say this. One of my very good friends, who I knew even before coming to this part of the world told me this after lunch today. We were walking back to our rooms when she let me know and frankly, right now I am kind of in shock. She is brilliant, fun, interesting, and amazing support when I'm at my most miserable. We've talked over the internet for so long and she's sent me helpful Bible verses when I wasn't sure I could find encouragement. And now she is leaving on Sunday to go back home for good. She's just decided that the lifestyle isn't for her and it kind of breaks my heart a little. Not because she has made a choice that she feels at peace with, but because, in all my selfishness, I will miss waving at her in the hall in the morning, making fun of the food over lunch, and knowing that even after this school, she would only be an MOC (kinda like yahoo messenger) away if I needed to vent, celebrate, or just chat. We were interns together, started in OFS-1 together, and were able to meet back up in school together, even though we are in different segments. And somewhere in the back of my mind, I had convinced myself that if she could do it, then so could I. And her leaving leaves me somewhat insecure...I know I can do this and I am not going to quit..yet. However when will I draw that line in the sand? When will I say that no..I a better work/life balance, or I want to see my nieces and nephews grow up, or I want RedBox (hehehe)? Not soon. But if/when that day comes, I hope I am as poised in my decision making as she was.
I love you all and I promise I will write happier things with regards to my mini-vacation, scuba diving lessons, and Adam almost being here(!) soon.
Becca
And no, before any panicking occurs, I did not say this. One of my very good friends, who I knew even before coming to this part of the world told me this after lunch today. We were walking back to our rooms when she let me know and frankly, right now I am kind of in shock. She is brilliant, fun, interesting, and amazing support when I'm at my most miserable. We've talked over the internet for so long and she's sent me helpful Bible verses when I wasn't sure I could find encouragement. And now she is leaving on Sunday to go back home for good. She's just decided that the lifestyle isn't for her and it kind of breaks my heart a little. Not because she has made a choice that she feels at peace with, but because, in all my selfishness, I will miss waving at her in the hall in the morning, making fun of the food over lunch, and knowing that even after this school, she would only be an MOC (kinda like yahoo messenger) away if I needed to vent, celebrate, or just chat. We were interns together, started in OFS-1 together, and were able to meet back up in school together, even though we are in different segments. And somewhere in the back of my mind, I had convinced myself that if she could do it, then so could I. And her leaving leaves me somewhat insecure...I know I can do this and I am not going to quit..yet. However when will I draw that line in the sand? When will I say that no..I a better work/life balance, or I want to see my nieces and nephews grow up, or I want RedBox (hehehe)? Not soon. But if/when that day comes, I hope I am as poised in my decision making as she was.
I love you all and I promise I will write happier things with regards to my mini-vacation, scuba diving lessons, and Adam almost being here(!) soon.
Becca
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Ok, so this might be brief
I was planning on writing a lot more today (and/or yesterday) but I have been quite tired, and my stomach is doing some funny business, so I am just not sure what is going on.
The end of my week/weekend has been fast and full of doing things. Thursday night I went out with my classmates and teacher to a hotel called Emirates Palace. It was an absolutely incredible building; gold walls and ceilings, massive pillars, middle eastern architecture, marble, winding staircases, and even a gold vending machine (seriously, you put in your credit card and choose which brick of gold you want to come out...). We had to go through security in order to go in and they put all your belongings through an x-ray machine. The food was also good, but we were definitely paying for the atmosphere.
Later on they decided that between a free Sean Paul concert on the beach and a club, they wanted to go to a club, so I tentatively walked into my first middle east club experience. It was actually really fun because all of the girls I went with (after we realized we all dance funny) just had fun and danced for 3 hours to random music from all over the world. I knew some (Sweet Child of Mine!!), they knew some, and in the end we had a really excellent time out together. Before we knew it, the time hit three o'clock in the morning and I was definitely ready for sleep.
Friday and Saturdy were filled alternatively with studying and sleeping as well. Due to our vacation next week, some school related events have been moved up, so I had to prepare for them, as well as start taking the online lessons for my scuba diving license I am going to get next week (if I start feeling better). I am going to take the course with Marie (Norway), Sandy (nickname..guy from NYC), and Poonam (class instructor, India). and it should be a lot of fun! I also accompanied another American girl, Karen to Abu Dhabi yesterday so she could go shopping for outfits for her trip to Dubai next week. It was actually really fun and the mall was more crowded than usual because they were having discount sales before the start of whatever Muslim holiday is starting on Monday. It's not just America that takes advantage of holidays like that! :)
So yes, definitely tired and ready for bed now. Crossing my fingers my stomach settles down before tomorrow, because doing practicals all day (aka...moving around, lifting, carrying, measuring) is not quite so fun when you aren't feeling so hot.
Love you guys!
Becca
The end of my week/weekend has been fast and full of doing things. Thursday night I went out with my classmates and teacher to a hotel called Emirates Palace. It was an absolutely incredible building; gold walls and ceilings, massive pillars, middle eastern architecture, marble, winding staircases, and even a gold vending machine (seriously, you put in your credit card and choose which brick of gold you want to come out...). We had to go through security in order to go in and they put all your belongings through an x-ray machine. The food was also good, but we were definitely paying for the atmosphere.
Later on they decided that between a free Sean Paul concert on the beach and a club, they wanted to go to a club, so I tentatively walked into my first middle east club experience. It was actually really fun because all of the girls I went with (after we realized we all dance funny) just had fun and danced for 3 hours to random music from all over the world. I knew some (Sweet Child of Mine!!), they knew some, and in the end we had a really excellent time out together. Before we knew it, the time hit three o'clock in the morning and I was definitely ready for sleep.
Friday and Saturdy were filled alternatively with studying and sleeping as well. Due to our vacation next week, some school related events have been moved up, so I had to prepare for them, as well as start taking the online lessons for my scuba diving license I am going to get next week (if I start feeling better). I am going to take the course with Marie (Norway), Sandy (nickname..guy from NYC), and Poonam (class instructor, India). and it should be a lot of fun! I also accompanied another American girl, Karen to Abu Dhabi yesterday so she could go shopping for outfits for her trip to Dubai next week. It was actually really fun and the mall was more crowded than usual because they were having discount sales before the start of whatever Muslim holiday is starting on Monday. It's not just America that takes advantage of holidays like that! :)
So yes, definitely tired and ready for bed now. Crossing my fingers my stomach settles down before tomorrow, because doing practicals all day (aka...moving around, lifting, carrying, measuring) is not quite so fun when you aren't feeling so hot.
Love you guys!
Becca
Thursday, November 11, 2010
I love lunchtime!
Though I rarely truly enjoy lunch here, I always like the hour and a half break we get for lunch. It has so many possibilities! I could work out, sleep, read a book, study, play on facebook, or just listen to music for an hour and completely relax. I also like lunch because at that point of the day, the maid has been through my room and straightened it, making my bed in the process. I love messing up and burrowing into a freshly made bed!! I think it is one of the awesome joys in life. Other joys include:
1) Crunching golden red leaves.
2) Finding an awesome song that you can listen to 20 times in a row and you are still smiling after you hear it for the last time.
3) Taking out contacts after a long day of focussing.
4) Laying down in bed after a busy day and feeling every single bone in your body sink into the mattress until you feel like it would be impossible to move even if you really felt like trying.
5) Cutting into a beautiful cake.
6) Feeling the warm sun eveloping me and creeping through my layers of clothing after I spend the morning in air conditioning.
7) Singing praise songs quietly to myself as I walk at night from the studying building and the accomodation.
8) The excitement of walking through the gates after picking up your luggage in the airport (so many adventures await!)
9) The potential of a clean room.
10) Hearing the smile in another persons voice when you talk to them over the phone.
11) Pushing past all the physical limits I think I have during an intense workout, and realizing I have so much more potential than I give myself credit for.
12) Pass a test, whether it is written, verbal, physical, emotional, or mental.
Anyway, I could go on and on, but there are just too many things that make me happy. But yes, back on topic...So I am typing to you during lunch. I have about 20 minutes left, which is about how long it will take for the video I am trying to download on youtube to download. I am crossing my fingers for the video because it looks like it will be a photo finish! We finished SlimPulse (one of our tools) test this morning, which I do believe I passed, and have immediately moved on to PowerPulse and Telescope (similar to SlimPulse but different specifications and larger). I actually really enjoyed the SlimPulse section because it was very hands on and we actually got to put together one of our tools from start to finish which is not normal. Most of our tools and their components weigh in the upper hundreds of pounds when put together, so we mostly do proramming for them. SlimPulse is relatively light though, so we get to do maintenance, collar loading, programming, and troubleshooting, and this is kinda nice. Now all I have is two days of weekend, then one day of school on Sunday, then....6 DAYS OFF!
Basically there is a muslim holiday we get 4 days off for, and then of course we have the weekend again. I am actually not sure how I really feel about this, because Abu Dhabi is not like any big city in America. It is not conviently located and for such a large city there is relatively little to do. So I think I will mostly sleep and work out, maybe get a scuba diving license (that is, if the licensing place is open). Maybe eat some meals that don't taste like MLC food. I would leave the country and visit a surrounding country briefly, but I have a single entry student visa, so if I leave they won't let me back in. Sad day...
And of course, my countdown officially begins : less than 9 days until I get to see Adam!!!!
Hope you all have an amazing Thursday. Happy Veteran's Day!!
Love,
Becca
1) Crunching golden red leaves.
2) Finding an awesome song that you can listen to 20 times in a row and you are still smiling after you hear it for the last time.
3) Taking out contacts after a long day of focussing.
4) Laying down in bed after a busy day and feeling every single bone in your body sink into the mattress until you feel like it would be impossible to move even if you really felt like trying.
5) Cutting into a beautiful cake.
6) Feeling the warm sun eveloping me and creeping through my layers of clothing after I spend the morning in air conditioning.
7) Singing praise songs quietly to myself as I walk at night from the studying building and the accomodation.
8) The excitement of walking through the gates after picking up your luggage in the airport (so many adventures await!)
9) The potential of a clean room.
10) Hearing the smile in another persons voice when you talk to them over the phone.
11) Pushing past all the physical limits I think I have during an intense workout, and realizing I have so much more potential than I give myself credit for.
12) Pass a test, whether it is written, verbal, physical, emotional, or mental.
Anyway, I could go on and on, but there are just too many things that make me happy. But yes, back on topic...So I am typing to you during lunch. I have about 20 minutes left, which is about how long it will take for the video I am trying to download on youtube to download. I am crossing my fingers for the video because it looks like it will be a photo finish! We finished SlimPulse (one of our tools) test this morning, which I do believe I passed, and have immediately moved on to PowerPulse and Telescope (similar to SlimPulse but different specifications and larger). I actually really enjoyed the SlimPulse section because it was very hands on and we actually got to put together one of our tools from start to finish which is not normal. Most of our tools and their components weigh in the upper hundreds of pounds when put together, so we mostly do proramming for them. SlimPulse is relatively light though, so we get to do maintenance, collar loading, programming, and troubleshooting, and this is kinda nice. Now all I have is two days of weekend, then one day of school on Sunday, then....6 DAYS OFF!
Basically there is a muslim holiday we get 4 days off for, and then of course we have the weekend again. I am actually not sure how I really feel about this, because Abu Dhabi is not like any big city in America. It is not conviently located and for such a large city there is relatively little to do. So I think I will mostly sleep and work out, maybe get a scuba diving license (that is, if the licensing place is open). Maybe eat some meals that don't taste like MLC food. I would leave the country and visit a surrounding country briefly, but I have a single entry student visa, so if I leave they won't let me back in. Sad day...
And of course, my countdown officially begins : less than 9 days until I get to see Adam!!!!
Hope you all have an amazing Thursday. Happy Veteran's Day!!
Love,
Becca
Saturday, November 6, 2010
In which I steal a book from the library
Well, technically it isn't stealing, as I am going to put the book back. However, on the 3rd floor of our little beehive/accomodation there is a library for studying and such. It is about 60 feet long with just one row of bookshelves running down it. In the book shelves there are light reading materials, as well as magazines and on one side of them there are tables for studying and on the other there are lots of comfortable green (why green???) chairs for sitting/studying/reading. The library also happens to sit directly above the gym, so at most hours of the day you can feel the beat of the thumping music through the floor, as well as the sound of treadmills running and barbells being dropped. Not the best atmosphere for a relaxing read, I believe. So instead of reading there, I just go up about once a week, take a book, and then return it when I am finished. The sign at the door requests that no books be taken out, but they don't have to worry about me. I will not forget to bring it back! Currently I am reading John Grisham's "The Broker", which is really good so far. He is one of the few other that truly grabs me in the first paragraph of a book every single time. I believe this is the only book of his I haven't read (at least I am not recognizing it so far), so I am pretty excited about reading it. It also makes me a little sad, because he recently died, which means the world lost an amazing author. I will just savor this read then, I guess.
My weekend has been pretty nice thus far. I wasn't feeling so hot by the end of the week due to tiredness and a bit of an upset stomach, so after my friend from Tunisia gave me Panadrol (sp?) and I slept in, I definitely felt better. On Friday I was invited to head out at 6 am to Dubai with some friends from class, but declined in favor of sleeping in and talking with both my parents and boyfriend (not at the same time, though that is totally possible with skype!). I love the internet on the "weekends" (Friday and Saturday) because so few people are up when I am that I usually have a really nice connection, which is not the case during the work week. There are days when it is a constant fight to get to talk for 5 minutes without the connection failing. Woot, adventures! Anyway, I then headed to Abu Dhabi on the 10 am bus and proceeded to have an amazing midday adventure spent totally by myself, which sounds lonely, yes, but is really nice.
You see, I spend 8 hours a day (at least) with the same people. Then, when we get done with work we go back to the accomodation and I spend even more time with them eating, studying, explaining, working out, translating through accents, and accomodating cultural differences. Sometimes it is just incredibly nice to be completely alone to let my brain recharge. And after that 5 or 6 hours, I feel ready to jump into everything again. Just need a bit of a break once in a awhile.
But yes, I wandered around the Abu Dhabi mall for 5 hours trying on clothes, buying necessities (fingernail clippers!!!), looking for canned pumpkin (no luck yet, but I'm not giving up), and just observing the interesting-ness that is Abu Dhabi. There are women completely veiled so even their eyes cannot be seen, walking with their husbands (of course....) past families in traditional Indian dress. There are people walking around in shorts and tanktops, and others who look like they are heading to important functions (or they could just be rich as this is an oil city/country). None of the checkers in the stores here are Emirati. They are all immigrants from other countries around the Gulf Coast or western Asia just trying to make some kind of life (the laws here make sure they don't get to keep a lot of what they make, sadly) for them selves. You can tell which westerners work here, and which are here vacationing. The vacationers are usually wearing shorts and are sunburnt. :)
I did have one incredible meal at the mall. I ordered a beef fajita sandwhich and a glass of strawberry pineapple juice. The sandwhich tasted nothing like the sandwhich in the US, but whatever sauces the meat was cooked in were AMAZING and it was tangy and tender and...mmmm. After eating in MLC for the week I feel like I forget what real food tastes like. And the juice? It was freshly squeezed/blended at the counter in front of me. Absolutely delicious. That alone is probably my favorite part about both Malaysia and the UAE. When I order juice in a restaurant it definitely doesn't come out of a box! Sidenote: when I have a house of my own someday, there WILL be a juicer in it.
Well, this has been quite long, and I'm sure there are many important things going on in your day, so I will let you go. However I hope that whoever is reading this has an amazing weekend! I can't wait to see you at Christmas!
OH!!! And I have less than 2 WEEKS until I get to see Adam in Abu Dhabi :) :) :) :)
Love you guys.
Becca
My weekend has been pretty nice thus far. I wasn't feeling so hot by the end of the week due to tiredness and a bit of an upset stomach, so after my friend from Tunisia gave me Panadrol (sp?) and I slept in, I definitely felt better. On Friday I was invited to head out at 6 am to Dubai with some friends from class, but declined in favor of sleeping in and talking with both my parents and boyfriend (not at the same time, though that is totally possible with skype!). I love the internet on the "weekends" (Friday and Saturday) because so few people are up when I am that I usually have a really nice connection, which is not the case during the work week. There are days when it is a constant fight to get to talk for 5 minutes without the connection failing. Woot, adventures! Anyway, I then headed to Abu Dhabi on the 10 am bus and proceeded to have an amazing midday adventure spent totally by myself, which sounds lonely, yes, but is really nice.
You see, I spend 8 hours a day (at least) with the same people. Then, when we get done with work we go back to the accomodation and I spend even more time with them eating, studying, explaining, working out, translating through accents, and accomodating cultural differences. Sometimes it is just incredibly nice to be completely alone to let my brain recharge. And after that 5 or 6 hours, I feel ready to jump into everything again. Just need a bit of a break once in a awhile.
But yes, I wandered around the Abu Dhabi mall for 5 hours trying on clothes, buying necessities (fingernail clippers!!!), looking for canned pumpkin (no luck yet, but I'm not giving up), and just observing the interesting-ness that is Abu Dhabi. There are women completely veiled so even their eyes cannot be seen, walking with their husbands (of course....) past families in traditional Indian dress. There are people walking around in shorts and tanktops, and others who look like they are heading to important functions (or they could just be rich as this is an oil city/country). None of the checkers in the stores here are Emirati. They are all immigrants from other countries around the Gulf Coast or western Asia just trying to make some kind of life (the laws here make sure they don't get to keep a lot of what they make, sadly) for them selves. You can tell which westerners work here, and which are here vacationing. The vacationers are usually wearing shorts and are sunburnt. :)
I did have one incredible meal at the mall. I ordered a beef fajita sandwhich and a glass of strawberry pineapple juice. The sandwhich tasted nothing like the sandwhich in the US, but whatever sauces the meat was cooked in were AMAZING and it was tangy and tender and...mmmm. After eating in MLC for the week I feel like I forget what real food tastes like. And the juice? It was freshly squeezed/blended at the counter in front of me. Absolutely delicious. That alone is probably my favorite part about both Malaysia and the UAE. When I order juice in a restaurant it definitely doesn't come out of a box! Sidenote: when I have a house of my own someday, there WILL be a juicer in it.
Well, this has been quite long, and I'm sure there are many important things going on in your day, so I will let you go. However I hope that whoever is reading this has an amazing weekend! I can't wait to see you at Christmas!
OH!!! And I have less than 2 WEEKS until I get to see Adam in Abu Dhabi :) :) :) :)
Love you guys.
Becca
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Weird goals...
Have you ever wanted something so bad you would try any avenue in order to have obtain it? Well, that is how I feel about pumpkin pie. they had "pumpkin pie" here as a dessert the other day. It was a shame that that might be the only taste my international friends have of pumpkin pie in their lives, because it was like a crumbly crust with pumpkin jelly on top *shudder*. Anyway, so, even though it is still between 85 and 90 degrees every day and sunny, I am craving pumpkin pie. There is just something about 23 years of tradition that cannot be drowned out, even by large amounts of Lamb-In-Sauce main courses. However, my problem is (was, really) that I don't have an oven or measuring ingredients. So I decided to look up microwaveable pumpkin pie and I hit the jackpot!!! So I've found 2 recipes that I think might do the trick, my only worry is that I won't be able to find canned pumpkin here, but we will see :) Wish me luck. And yes, I am also buying whipped cream. And I got Cathy (from Indonesia) to promise to at least try it! So, actually, I should probably buy 2 cans of pumpkin because I have a feeling my first attempt might not go smoothly.
The rest of my life has been going ok. We have hit the "winter" season here. I have taken this to mean only that the temperature doesn't get above 100 degrees on any given day. It is usually about 75 to 80 when I get up and then it fluctuates between 85 and 90 for the rest of the day, depending on if it is cloudy or not. The UAE is rarely cloudly in my (rather limited) experience. And there usually aren't breezes of any sort, but overall it is not as miserable here as it was in the end of July. Note to those of you wishing to visit the "exciting" city of Abu Dhabi : do not go in the middle of the year. End of the year is definitely best.
School is still not super difficult yet, but I think it will start to increase in difficulty next week. We jump right in with practicals (hands on exercises) for the SlimPulse, which is one of the more basic tools my company uses. I have 6 power point presentations I need to go through, understand, and remember in the next 2 days so it will involve a lot of memorizing on my part! Learning is not difficult to do here, it is just the regurgitating the information later when it is needed that tends to be the difficult part.
The food is still...the food. I found some feta (sp?) cheese in the cafeteria, but that is it. Maybe I'll try and find a block of it in Abu Dhabi tomorrow when I am at the mall. Then eat it in wonderful little pieces. Realllllyy miss cheese. And cake that tastes good. These people have no clue how to make a good cake. However, they are quite good at stew-types of dishes.
I am running with an actual schedule now and it is so nice (and painful!). I found out that I have a class on the day I wanted to run the 1/2 marathon, but there is also a race in Dubai the week before so I think I'll try to run that one instead! It's only 10 miles, but hey, 10...13...it's just for fun in the end anyway.
And, finally, I cannot wait for sleep! I have been so tired all day today (didn't get enough sleep last night either) and I am excited for maybe some real sleep this evening. So with that, I am going to head to bed only an hour later than I originally planned!
Have a good day.
Becca
The rest of my life has been going ok. We have hit the "winter" season here. I have taken this to mean only that the temperature doesn't get above 100 degrees on any given day. It is usually about 75 to 80 when I get up and then it fluctuates between 85 and 90 for the rest of the day, depending on if it is cloudy or not. The UAE is rarely cloudly in my (rather limited) experience. And there usually aren't breezes of any sort, but overall it is not as miserable here as it was in the end of July. Note to those of you wishing to visit the "exciting" city of Abu Dhabi : do not go in the middle of the year. End of the year is definitely best.
School is still not super difficult yet, but I think it will start to increase in difficulty next week. We jump right in with practicals (hands on exercises) for the SlimPulse, which is one of the more basic tools my company uses. I have 6 power point presentations I need to go through, understand, and remember in the next 2 days so it will involve a lot of memorizing on my part! Learning is not difficult to do here, it is just the regurgitating the information later when it is needed that tends to be the difficult part.
The food is still...the food. I found some feta (sp?) cheese in the cafeteria, but that is it. Maybe I'll try and find a block of it in Abu Dhabi tomorrow when I am at the mall. Then eat it in wonderful little pieces. Realllllyy miss cheese. And cake that tastes good. These people have no clue how to make a good cake. However, they are quite good at stew-types of dishes.
I am running with an actual schedule now and it is so nice (and painful!). I found out that I have a class on the day I wanted to run the 1/2 marathon, but there is also a race in Dubai the week before so I think I'll try to run that one instead! It's only 10 miles, but hey, 10...13...it's just for fun in the end anyway.
And, finally, I cannot wait for sleep! I have been so tired all day today (didn't get enough sleep last night either) and I am excited for maybe some real sleep this evening. So with that, I am going to head to bed only an hour later than I originally planned!
Have a good day.
Becca
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
I am tired :)
So I am going to make this one really short, with a promise of a longer more in-depth one tomorrow! My second week here is almost over, which means I only have 7 more weeks left here. Less than 2 months!!!! Absolutely amazing. AND this means almost exactly 2 weeks until I get to see my awesome (and adventurous) boyfriend again. I am hoping to get to take him on a desert safari on one of the weekends, but we shall see!
I have my second test of the school tomorrow morning at 8:30. I am a little nervous, but I think I will do fine. I really do dislike tests. At least these ones are achievable. Sometimes I felt that in college the professors often made mosts tests very difficult to do well on.
I am training for a 10 mile run at the near the end of November and am a little bit excited as it could/will be my first international run/race! Yes, it will be brown and deserty and boring, but I will at least do it for the bragging rights :)
It averages 85-90 degrees a day.
I have new running shoes!
The stores here actually have things like cheese, shampoo variety, and clothes that look like they will fit more than a woman who is 4'8'' tall and a size 2 or 0.
I would work here, but I don't really agree with their attitude towards women.
I am sad to be missing fall in the US. I love the crunchy leaves.
I got to see my niece on skype the other day. She is so adorable!!! I can't wait to hold her.
Love you all but it is time for sleep.
Becca
I have my second test of the school tomorrow morning at 8:30. I am a little nervous, but I think I will do fine. I really do dislike tests. At least these ones are achievable. Sometimes I felt that in college the professors often made mosts tests very difficult to do well on.
I am training for a 10 mile run at the near the end of November and am a little bit excited as it could/will be my first international run/race! Yes, it will be brown and deserty and boring, but I will at least do it for the bragging rights :)
It averages 85-90 degrees a day.
I have new running shoes!
The stores here actually have things like cheese, shampoo variety, and clothes that look like they will fit more than a woman who is 4'8'' tall and a size 2 or 0.
I would work here, but I don't really agree with their attitude towards women.
I am sad to be missing fall in the US. I love the crunchy leaves.
I got to see my niece on skype the other day. She is so adorable!!! I can't wait to hold her.
Love you all but it is time for sleep.
Becca
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