My thoughts……

I thought that since I had asked my girls to put their thoughts on paper I should do the same! We all discussed our likes, dislikes & challenges experienced over the past 5 months and it was very interesting to hear what our feelings were. Scroll down the blog and view old posts to see what the girls had to say! The common thread I’m happy to report is that we are all much happier than we thought we’d be at this time in our adventure!
What I enjoy:
that my girls are so happy already!
hearing where people are from & what brought them here
travel opportunities
weather in the winter
the shopping malls
having a gym in our building
food – so many ethnicities to choose from (Thai is my favorite!)
the architecture of the many amazing buildings that create the skyline
the slower pace
the beautiful beach a block away
the view from our apartment!


What frustrates me:
lack of parking
the many inconsiderate drivers
no good Italian food
how expensive toiletries are
contact lens solution is very difficult to find & very expensive
that I have to go to 3 different grocery stores to get my usual items
how some aspects of life are very modern & forward thinking and then others are antiquated and haven’t caught up to modern times


What surprised me:
how safe we feel
how quickly we made friends
how ex-pats & emirates co exist even though we don’t really interact
how clean the city is
how peaceful this culture is
how family oriented the emirates are


What I’m looking forward to:
exploring the UAE & surrounding countries like Oman
a successful business for Leon
having my family come back to visit
really knowing my way around the city


I know many of you ask how we can be so happy in this country which has such a different culture. But remember that 85% of us are from other countries. And I truly believe that you get out what you put in. We are respectful of the people & their culture and are truly interested in learning. The Emirates are a very proud people and they are happy to answer any questions we have. We are lucky in that through Leon’s work we have some Emirates friends, so we have been able to experience events that most Westerners wouldn’t. They are happy to share their culture if you are genuinely interested. I am enjoying being a sponge and soaking it all in!