Hypermarkets

I forgot that over here you have handfuls of supermarkets, (Spinney's, Waitrose, Abela and a few other companies) and then you have Hypermarkets. Massive supermarkets selling everything from shoes, souvenirs and suitcases thru to all your food. 

The aisles are massive. 

The choices can make your head spin. 

There's row after row of frozen goods and fruit and vegetables from every corner of the world (including both the UAE and Australia). All fruit and veggies are to be weighed and priced up at the department, just like moons ago in Oz. 

Someone scans your items and someone packs your items. 

It is only in certain supermarkets you can buy pork products, where you go thru glass doors reading 'no Muslims'. Mostly all 'pork products' are imported from Europe and the best bacon (like eva!) is from America. (It's because it is basically streaky bacon :: lol ). 

Going to a supermarket here is very time consuming. You can't just 'duck in' to a hypermarket for example because they seem like the size of a football field. (You're more likely to pop into a small supermarket for you basics) 

Girls and I are off to do a grocery shop today. Better get my walking shoes on. 

;-P

New Home

When we moved to Abu Dhabi in 2008, our villa was very different to any place we had lived in before. Not only was our villa ginormous for a two bedroom place, it also had an Arabian feel to it. The kitchen was made using dark timbers and green marble. Terracotta tones were in the bathrooms, the stairs outside and inside were marble. 

Fast forward seven years to now. 

Our apartment is very 'westernised'. We have lacquered floorboards in all rooms except wet areas, the bathrooms are modern, the wooden finishes on doors etc are birch coloured and our kitchen is spacious and white. It must be said that each bedroom (we have four, plus a 'maid's room') have their own ensuites (the girls are in heaven) and we have a guest powder room. Yes, we have six toilets for the four of us. 

We have a fabulous view from all windows. The windows out of the kitchen and the maid's room (which will eventually become my sewing room) face face roughly South-west. It looks dry, dusty and sandy. 

The view from our living area and all bedrooms face North-East. We can see through to Yas Island's Formula One track. ( we were fortunate enough the other night to hear Robbie Williams rehearsing from the stadium there from our balcony! ) 

With only the bear essentials, we are now waiting patiently for our goods to arrive from Cairns. They're still a good four weeks away but we are coping just fine. 

Driving

I drove again today. 

Left-hand drive. Automatic. 

Was kind of like riding a bike. You never forget. 

Glad that's out of the way now. Tick. 

Coming Home

This time last week I was enjoying a lunch with a group of girlfriends and now here I am sitting in our apartment home in Abu Dhabi. 

A lot can happen in a week after weeks of not-much-happening! 

My inlaws arrived last Saturday evening. They provided me with some much needed adult conversation. 

Tuesday, the five of us moved from the short stay apartment, into the ShangriLa in Cairns City. It was nice to relax by the pool after saying goodbye to not only friends and the girl's (now old) school, but also to my car (who I sold to a wholesaler for a good price) and to our home (which has a couple of good tenants living in it.). 

My parents-in-law said goodbye on the Wednesday as they headed back to cold Victoria.

Thursday morning saw the three of us heading bright and early to the airport and after a STRESSFUL hour, (you've no idea but that story is for another day) we managed to board our flight to Sydney and then finally on to the plane bound for Abu Dhabi. 

Three years ago when the girls and I flew out of Abu Dhabi airport I remember wiping away tears. Thursday night as we flew in to Abu Dhabi, I couldn't believe it. 

We were back. 

Back to a city which I didn't think I would be fortunate to ever see again so soon.  I always knew we would return. I'm married to a very determined man, who always achieves what he deep down wants.  Always. 

It is very surreal being back. Seeing familiar faces. Seeing familiar places. Places we spent from late 2008 to early 2012. Seeing the Abu Dhabi vision for the future actually happening. There's new buildings, new hotels, new construction sites, new shopping malls, new parklands. 

And we are all back living as a family unit. It's worth everything we've been through in the past few weeks, months and years to be back here. Home. 

Poorly Girls

Both girls have come down with headcolds as we start our official countdown out of Australia. Today I put them both under the order of 'rest and relaxation' (along with a dash of GET BETTER QUICK!)  If anything, it gave me an excuse to get quite a lot of my cross-stitch done. (I'm enjoying keeping busy doing therapeutic stitch after stitch). 

We received our 'Golden Ticket' yesterday. The one way flights bound for Abu Dhabi. 

If the packing up of the house, the ending of school and living somewhere that's not currently home didn't make me believe that we were finally returning to the UAE, my email inbox certainly did. 

It is real more than ever now. Woohoo! 

Wonder What The Future Will Bring?

When I sit back and 'think', butterflies grow inside me. I'm getting awfully excited at the prospect of our new life in Abu Dhabi. 

Things will be different this time around. 

Last time I fell pregnant with Lily as soon as Monet and I arrived there (;-)) and I spent our three years in the land of sand being pregnant, having a baby and then a toddler.  Not that we let her hold us back, but there were things we didn't really do that we probably should have on reflection. 

This time around we have a ten year old and a five year old. They're both going to love exploring as much as their parents are (hopefully). Their education is important to Lyndon and I, so to offer them an education at a International school and Europe and Asia at their doorstep is an amazing experience (especially as their parents both had education and grew up in rural Victoria which is a long way way from the desert sands of the UAE ). 

People are asking how long we are going for. "One year, two?"  No, the contract is open ended. We always said if we were fortunate enough to return to the Middle East, we weren't going to be in a hurry to go back. We are returning with a different mind set this time.  

I've got my eye on getting a job since both girls will be at school full-time. I want to make a new group of friends, I want to help put money towards our holiday fund. I'm rather excited at the prospect, truth be told. My skirt business might take a backseat for a while and be more of a hobby initially and let it pave its own path. 

No wonder I'm feeling like I am. We have a lot to look forward to. 

Sometimes Mums Need Beer Too

Lyndon and I really are quite blessed to have two pretty good daughters. Sure they both have their moments, (with me, with each other, with Lyndon) but I think the bottom line is that we scored well with both of them. 

I have been solo parenting on and off for around two years now and to say I'm over it, really is an understatement. I don't know how single parents do it, week after week, month after month, year after year. Especially with no immediate family to fall back on, like us. Sure Lyndon's work was FlyInFlyOut, but he was home less than he was away. (But having a FIFO lifestyle does have advantages :: lunching together as husband and wife sans children for example.) 

But sometimes with Lyndon away, I can't tell you how many times I sent myself to my bedroom for time out. Lol. Because sometimes I need a break from the wanting, the needing, the whining and whinging, the sibling battles. 

We are on the home stretch of living apart, Lyndon and I. It can't come quick enough. Even though there are ends that still need to be addressed, the feeling of not wanting to be apart any longer is making me weary. I feel hopeless a lot of the time when I feel I can't do certain things (fustrating Lyndon beyond belief) but I try and miserably fail at times it seems. 

Sometimes I really need to unwind and go and have a schooner of tap beer. Which is what happened yesterday. The need to get out and my head to tell me quietly that all will be okay. 

And it all will be okay. :)

Transistion

I can't work out if the most exciting part of an international move is the thought of doing it, actually doing it or getting to your destination. 

Packing up of the house went just as quickly as the thought and preperation of doing it. It is always worth the extra money to pay for people to pack up your belongings and the same can be said in paying someone to do an exit clean. It takes the stress more bearable. 

So with our beloved house now in the hands of the Real Estate agents (and new tenants moving in this week) it's now a matter of waiting until our visas start being prepared so our tickets can be booked. At the moment it looks as if our exit date out of here will be April 22nd and let me tell you, that date cannot come around quick enough. 

In the meanwhile we have two weeks to 'fill'. Play dates have been organised, sleepovers booked in, a luncheon with some mates has been penciled in and my in-laws have booked their tickets to come up and see us before we get on a big silver bird ourselves. 

Bring on Abu Dhabi I say!