Checking In

Hello! Is anyone out there?

My goodness blogging has changed since I began back in 2010.  Gone are the days of scheduled daily posts and hello to novels written under Instagram photos and snippets of daily life on Instastories. It's strange when I've followed someone's blog for years only to have them take their life offline. I find myself wondering about them, like an old friend you haven't seen in years. How big are their kids now? Did they have any more? Where have they traveled & how is that renovation project going? I read a tweet predicting 2018 as the year blogging returns in full force. Do you think it will happen?

We're still here in Abu Dhabi, 18 months in, a family of 4, settled and comfortable.  Our little Esmé Leila was born on May 6.  We bumped (and crashed) along those first months adjusting to our new normal but now as she crawls around the house and squeals away, it's hard to believe we were ever without her. Jasper is busy with nursery school and running his masking tape airport on our living room floor.  He "just wants to watch Boeings all day long, Mom," and has a bit of panic setting in now that his sister is mobile and holds a keen interest in all of his toys. Joe has started a new position although still within the same company. It's been a great, fresh start for him after some difficult months in a job that didn't feel right.

I'm mostly wrangling kids these days. Between nap schedules and meals and school pick ups, my days are full.  I've been taking a few hours one morning a week to myself while Ezzie stays with our housekeeper.  I mostly use it to run errands or go to appointments but even a car ride alone these days feels a bit like a holiday. I've started writing a little as a contributing author on Bébé Voyage (check out my 'Day in a Life' post) and it's been nice dipping my toes in again.

Our traveling has slowed down significantly from our days in Norway. I miss the ease of Europe where everything seemed close and easy. While we certainly have options here in the East, the destinations aren't always the easiest of places to take young children. We've been doing something I never imagined I'd do - booking in at nice resorts here in the UAE when we need a change of scenery. Last year we managed a week in Croatia and a big trip to Canada and both trips were big learning experiences now that our hands are slightly fuller.  This winter, we're heading off to Thailand! We'll be meeting my in laws on Koh Samui for a relaxed week at a villa on the beach. I am so looking forward to touching down in a new country and all the exhilaration that comes with it!

I don't know if anyone comments on blogs any more but if you feel inclined, tell me what you've been up to! I won't make any empty promises about getting back to this space regularly but who knows? Maybe 2018 will see a revival.

Eight Months In

Goodness. Eight months.  We've lived in Abu Dhabi for eight months.

The short of it - we're doing well.  We actually kind of like living here.  The weather (currently) is great. There are always a ton of things going on in the city so we're never bored.  We love spending time between the pool and the beach on the weekends.  Life has reached a normal routine and we're feeling comfortable and at home.  Joe's job is the major challenge for all of us. It's strenuous and wearing on everyone although mostly, Joe.

But, in eight months, we:

-have found a lovely apartment in a great neighbourhood.  After a stressful search and decision, we're really happy with our choice.
-have furnished said apartment.  Slowly, piece by piece, we have places to sit, sleep and eat.  We have nothing hanging on our walls and to the average person, we likely still look like minimalists (fine by me) but it's coming together.
-have found a wonderful nursery school that Jasper has settled into and he has learned so much.  His vocabulary is quite amazing these days and we love that he's creating his own little world.
-bought a car! We've been driving company cars since we moved overseas but this change in contract and status means we are left to our own devices.
-have hosted cousins, friends and both sets of parents in our new home and tried to show them, with our limited experience, what Abu Dhabi has to offer.
-traveled to Oman for a weekend, visited Dubai, Al Ain and the Empty Quarter in the UAE.  While our feet have been itching to hop on a plane (this might be the longest we've gone without air travel,) we're also thankful for time to plant our feet in Abu Dhabi and explore the surrounding areas.
-have rented a PO Box, found doctors, secured our residency, hired a weekly housekeeper, found dry cleaners and takeaway options and favourite grocery stores and coffee roasters.  We're always exploring and learning but we also feel like we know what we're doing.
-have made a couple of friends.  This is always a challenge for me (introvert) and is still very much a work in progress but I don't feel totally alone here anymore.
-have driven all over the city, navigating the crazy drivers and the streets with multiple names, become accustomed to valet parking and have emerged with the general consensus that driving here isn't so bad.  Jasper is adept at identifying Ferraris, Porsches & Maseratis and comments on traffic and crazy drivers from his car seat.
-have experienced both sandstorms and unseasonable amounts of rain in the desert.
-maybe most significantly, have grown a baby.  Well almost. She has a few weeks to go but before we know it, family life will be turned upside down.  Easily the biggest curveball and stress (for me) of our move was learning I was pregnant in our first weeks in the UAE.  The move felt manageable until the first trimester set in and suddenly I felt terrible and had to figure out how to be pregnant in the Middle East, care for a toddler and get us settled all without any sort of support network.  But, here we are, nearly on the other side, and still standing with anticipation of a baby girl joining our crazy life.

While we feel settled and comfortable here in Abu Dhabi, it often takes one full year to really grasp the cycle of seasons in a new home.  In the immediate future we'll experience our first Ramadan in the Middle East, surely to be a learning experience.  I'll deliver a baby in the UAE and return to the sleep deprived newborn days which are both a challenge and a joy.  And, we'll experience a full summer in the desert.  We arrived at the peak and witnessed the descent.  Aside from a short vacation to Canada, we'll see the entire season this year.  Transitions take time and just as we round the corner with one, we'll begin the next.

The Holiday Season in Abu Dhabi

The holiday season seems to sneak up on me when we're living in countries without the four distinctive seasons.  For this Canadian, dark mornings and afternoons and chilly temperatures have me yearning for Christmas to bring a little joy to the discomforts.  While the afternoons now have us reaching for cardigans as the sun goes away (hard to believe 25 degrees is feeling cool to us these days) it just doesn't signal "Christmas" to me.

That said, I'm quite surprised by the amount of holiday paraphernalia around the city. I had expected Christmas in the Middle East to be lacking in the Christmas spirit department but we are pleasantly surprised to find it all over the place.  Shopping malls are adorned in decorations and Christmas trees.  Santas are popping up all over the place and the big hotels are hosting tree lighting ceremonies and Christmas markets.  In the past week, we attended the St Regis tree lighting complete with gluwein (with alcohol,) carols, and homemade cookies. We also spent an afternoon at the Swiss Christmas Market with little wood huts, beer on tap, raclette and hot chocolate. Sure, it was set with beach chairs in the background but it did feel quite Christmassy.  This weekend we're hoping to check out a Marina market famous for it's 'real' snow!

The week we moved into our apartment I came across a recommendation from a neighbour touting Canadian Christmas trees on order so without hesitation, I put my name down for a 6-7 foot Balsam Fir from Quebec.  It arrived in the UAE on the weekend so for the Prophet Muhammad's birthday, a long weekend here, we drove down to the flower shop to pick up our tree and despite being bundled up on a boat for a couple of months, it is actually the fullest, real tree we've ever had. And it smells divine.

So our stockings are hung and our apartment is full of tree needles and we're feeling mostly prepared for our first Christmas in the Middle East.  One which I thought might not look much like the holidays we're used to but is actually shaping up to be quite festive.

Whether you are at home bundled up fireside or abroad with your Santa hat amongst the abayas, we wish you a very happy holiday season.

Around Here

As we enter our third month in Abu Dhabi, we are settling into our new home.  It's nearly empty and as I set my cup down on the table, the sound echoes throughout the living room. Compared to our apartment in Norway, this place is palatial. We have gone from one bathroom with only a shower to four bathrooms  (five, if you count the maid's room) and three bathtubs.  Our housing decision was difficult as we flip-flopped back and forth between options almost hourly but in the end, easy won out.  We've had a stressful 2016 and the community we chose is quiet, gated, very family friendly, green and lovely.  Jasper's nursery school is less than a five minute drive; it takes Joe twenty minutes to drive to work and while we're in the suburbs, in ten minutes, we can be in the centre of it all on the Corniche.

My days are spent either waiting on delivery or maintenance men or trying to find furniture to fill the voids.  While I'm happy to be putting our suitcases away, it's a lot of work to get settled, not to mention, expensive. Prohibitively so. Our sea freight has arrived in the UAE and awaits its day with customs officials.  It is mostly filled with all of the things Jasper has outgrown but there's something about the arrival of one's things that makes a home feel like home - a reminder that we're planting our feet for awhile.

Jasper has been battling a nasty virus that has had us visiting doctor's offices more times than he's been in his entire life.  It's events like these that take the shine off the newly expatriated.  Navigating a new system in a foreign country and feeling mostly alone while doing it is harrowing. The homesickness for Norway was quite intense during those times - wishing I didn't have to worry about doctor bills and private clinics and that I'd have the support of my friends nearby.  I still have a hard time flipping through my camera roll to photos of our old home.  I haven't reached a pleasant nostalgia yet - it's still just sad.

Abu Dhabi is growing on us.  The weather has cooled by at least ten degrees and we're slowly acclimatizing and feeling more comfortable.  I've been navigating the roads and the traffic confidently and Jasper has learned a few 'car words' we wish he'd forget but have taken up residence in his daily vocabulary.  We have our first visitors arriving next week - Joe's cousin and her husband are stopping by on their way to Nepal from Zimbabwe.  We hope we'll have a bed in place for them and I'm not sure we'll be the most knowledgeable hosts yet but we're excited to see familiar faces and to explore the city with them.

All in all, we're doing well. There are days where I feel at home and others where I'm flailing and frustrated - only normal when you've found yourself on a new continent.

The First Month

Abu Dhabi skyline from The Galeria

One week after landing in Abu Dhabi, the two bedroom apartment in our hotel became available and all of our lives improved tenfold. Joe and I no longer need to tip toe into bed every night and Jasper has space to play. He has made great friends with the valets downstairs, rushing in the door and grabbing them each by the hand and leading them to the fish tank.  They love him and oblige and it's the cutest thing to watch.  We are still very thankful for the shopping mall next door although perhaps we will regret it later with our expanding credit card bills and waistlines.

Jasper has started nursery school which meant I had to build up my courage and tackle the thirty minute commute through Abu Dhabi's massive roads and traffic. It's a gradual settling in process there which is nice for both of us but the school seems lovely and he's ever so excited about the kids and the toys.

I've been finding the transition relatively easy although I'm unsure if I'm in the honeymoon stage or just a seasoned veteran taking the good with the bad. Culturally, this is a massive change from Norway.  Most notably for us is the very evident class system with Emiratis clearly at the top and the domestic and manual labourers from India and the Philippines at the bottom. It is uncomfortable at times particularly after so many years in socialist Scandinavia. Families tend to have entourages here with, at minimum, nannies in tow tending to the children. There are many times where I'm the only Mom and most definitely, the only Mom without a nanny accompanying my child around the play centre.

On the plus side, we are loving the endless amounts of takeaway and food delivery.  Practically anything can and will be dropped at your doorstep at any time during the day. This is a godsend with our limited kitchen in our temporary apartment.  American chains such as Shake Shack and Pinkberry are a dime a dozen, the UK's Waitrose supermarket feels like a treat and the shopping malls are impressive.  We have yet to see a cloud in the sky and while the heat is stifling it is a pleasant change to weeks on weeks of grey and rain.  Jasper is quite popular with his fair skin and blonde hair, people going out of their way to pat him on the head and doing everything they can do to capture his attention. He's not sure what to make of it but I'm certain when we're elsewhere and he's less of a novelty, he'll wonder why no one is fawning over him.

Joe's visa has been approved yet not quite in hand yet so we're still strapped in a lot of ways but we've started looking at apartments, figuring out what we can afford and where we would like to be.  As is often the case, we're wishing our budget was a tiny bit larger but with rental costs astronomical here and our company not footing the entire bill this time around, we have to be cautious about what we choose.

We still have waves of sadness over what we have left behind.  When we drive by a park Jasper states, "Playground hot" and I certainly miss our walks along the fjord in the fresh air.  Flipping through my camera roll passing by photos in our old apartment feels strange that it's no longer ours and I'm nostalgic for it. But, we're doing fine, settling in and looking forward.