Summer Luvin’

A week and a half into summer break and my husband and I have been to and from the airport 6 times.  It seems like such a tease since we never get out of our car.  We only get to circle around the bustling departures or arrivals driveways, dodging car doors opening dumping out eager and frazzled passengers with way too much luggage, crappy drivers in fully loaded SUV’s, and taxis that are determined to get wherever they need to go before you.

Helping our friends forgo the cost of an uncomfortable taxi ride to and from the airport is the least we can do since we’re here for the summer.  In addition to our airport chauffeur title this summer, we’ve taken on cat sitting, plant watering, and apartment “land-lording” for friend’s who are renting out their flat for the summer.  With all the running around Abu Dhabi we do on a daily basis we keep pretty busy.  Not to mention, the flats we have access keys to have some pretty fantastic amenities that Ben and I are more than happy to partake of.  Resort style pools, gorgeous high-rise views, professional exercise facilities, etc…  It’s a pretty sweet gig.

We also purchased a steal of a gym membership thanks to ADEC.  Lifeline Fitness Gym is offering a HUGE discount to ADEC teachers for the GOLD Membership.  Ben and I bought a year-long couples membership for only 3,660 dirhams.  That’s roughly $1,000 USD…for ONE YEAR!  It has separate ladies and gentlemen facilities, a rooftop pool, and a Carrefour Market downstairs for all my pre and post workout needs.  Can’t beat that.

It’s hard to believe that in just 5 weeks or so, the school year will be starting again and I’ll be in my 2nd contractual year here in the Dhabi.  I have a friend who interviewed and is coming out here to teach in just a few short weeks.  It will be so nice having someone from home here with me!  Watching her go through the same things I went through just a year ago stirs up a bit of nostalgia in me.  This is really the coolest experience I’ve ever had.

Buongiorno Italia Part 4: Riomaggiore

Do you ever feel like what you’re experiencing can’t be real?  Like what you’re seeing or experiencing is the stuff of dreams or Hollywood fantasy?  Riomaggiore was that kind of a place for me.  Nestled along the coast of the Mediterranean lies Riomaggiore and 4 other villages connected by coastal and mountain hiking trails.  They call this area Cinque Terre.

As we made our way up and down the curvy (and sometimes pretty scary) mountain roads we came to the entrance of the little village of Riomaggiore.  There is no driving allowed past the parking garage so we parked our little Fiat Convertible, grabbed our luggage and carefully made our way down the steep street towards our little B&B.  Little shops adorned with handmade Cinque Terre trinkets, local Liguria wine, and local-made Limoncello lined the road.  Tiny restaurants boasting the best local seafood that Cinque Terre has to offer wafted an aroma that made us wish we didn’t have all our luggage with us so we could stop and satisfy our craving.  Every building was colored in bright yellows, pinks, reds, oranges, & browns and the sound of waves from the not so distant marina urged us to hurry up, drop our bags, and explore already!

We were warned ahead of time by many tourist sights that the stairs here are no joke.  I am here to confirm that the stairs here are indeed, no freaking joke.  After checking in to our cozy room, we were led by the manager up 6 flights of steep, narrow, and very difficult to manage with luggage stairs.  However, our room was perfect as it sat on top of the building with green shutters that opened to reveal the little neighborhood below and the church directly behind our building.  It was worth the gasps of air.

It took us all of 5 minutes to drop our things, maneuver our way down the challenging 6 flights of steps, and begin wandering the streets of our new city full of adventure.  We headed towards the marina where blue and white boats were lined up for day excursions to fish, or just spend a day rowing around the coastline.  Large rocks surrounded by beautiful blue water coaxed tourists out onto them for perfect photo opportunities.  Of course, we made our way out there too.  We dined atop a cliff that overlooked the little marina and the Mediterranean feasting on focaccia, flatbread, wine, and beer; The sun slowly setting into the sea.

It was then I had to pinch myself.  Is this for real?  Could any place on earth really be this beautiful?  Everything looks like a movie set.  I kept waiting for a director to come out and yell, “CUT!”  Only in my dreams has any place looked and felt this beautiful and perfect.

A few beers and many plates of delicious food later, we started the hike back up the hill towards our cute B&B and the 6 flight vertical climb to our room.

The next morning we woke up early to hike.  We stopped at a tiny Coop Market and bought some salami, focaccia bread, and a block of parmesan cheese for our lunch after hiking the trail.  However, for us amateur hikers, this was no ordinary hike.  The lady at the inquiries counter down by the train station said there were a few options for hiking that day.  Unfortunately, the coastal hiking paths that we’d hoped to take were shut down for repairs.  We could either take the train to Manarola (the next village over) and then hike back to Riomaggiore, OR we could hike from Riomaggiore up and around to Manarola and take the ferry back to the Riomaggiore marina.  We were concerned about the difficulty of the hike, but because we thought it would be cool to take a ferry back to town we decided to hike up from Riomaggiore to Manarola.  Besides, the sweet information lady said there would be “some stairs” to climb, but nothing that we couldn’t handle.  Either she mistook us for expert hikers, or she’s a very good liar…

There were like a bajillion steps.  Not only that, the trail of stairs winds up the mountain between vineyards and mountain roads so there’s no railing, or anything to help you along the way.  HO-LY- BUNK!  Just when I thought we’d reached the top, I’d look down the trail and see more stairs.  Stairs, stairs, stairs.  Like 3 kilometers of stairs up the 01 Trail to Sella la Croce.  My heart was pounding and my legs were burning worse than the hardest stairmaster workout I’ve ever had.  If I had to climb those stairs every day I would for real have the nicest ass.  I was NOT in a good mood on the way up that trail.  I said several four letter words along the way.  I won’t lie, I almost cried a few times because it was that difficult.

Looking down at just one set of stairs

It looks like it ends…but it doesn’t. That glorious heavenly glow is really just my hell…more stairs.

Finally, we came to the decent path that crossed the top of the mountain ridge towards Codeglia.  The tall trees, stripped of their leaves from the winter cold were just budding with tiny green sprouts.  The birds were singing and on either sides of the trail at different times you could see the steep plunge down into the forest below.  This trail was nice, flat, and manageable.  It had some great views out onto the Mediterranean.

And then we had to go down.  Down, down, down steep paths and guess what?!  More stairs!  Down the 02 trail to Manarola.  Dare I say, going down was a little bit harder than going up.  Maybe it’s because my legs were already worn out, or maybe it was just because there were stones and rocks along the stairs and trail that made it difficult to get my footing.  That trail was serious, and it seriously kicked my rear.  I only fell twice.

The serene trail along the mountain top.

A view from the top.

Taking a break on top of a boulder.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We made our way into Manarola, the tiniest of all the Cinque Terre villages.  After buying a few (i.e. 4 large) Peroni’s, we settled down by the marina and feasted on our much anticipated and well deserved salami, cheese, and focaccia bread.  It was the yummiest meal ever!  The ferry ride back to Riomaggiore was gorgeous.

The evening sun, cool breeze, salty sea air, immaculate view of Riomaggiore from the sea, and thirst quenching Peroni’s…it doesn’t get much better than that.  I felt so accomplished that day.  That was a trail made for expert hikers and we did it.  We ended the day with some new, and very amazing Australian friends who have invited us to stay with them when we visit sometime in the near future.  I think that’s what I love the most about traveling…meeting others with the same wanderlust as me.

(Sigh)…perfection

 

And so it begins

Well, it has come and gone.  I survived my first year teaching abroad.  To be honest, it flew by, and so starts our summer.  My husband and I are braving the summer here in the Dhabi.  In what I view as a very adult move on our part, we are avoiding more unnecessary debt and not jet setting to wild and exotic places we’ve never explored.  Anywhere we want to go (Europe) is too expensive this time of year, and all the other places we want to go (Southeast Asia/India) are hot and in monsoon season.  It sucks.

Yes, we’re being all grown up, responsible, and stuff and paying for Ben to go back to college in August, putting more money towards my student loan debt, AND putting money in savings.  Being responsible is not always fun.

However, I’ve decided to make the most of our short 6 weeks of boredom here.  Below is a list of how we plan to spend our time in the desert during this sweltering summer season.

1. Organize my closet and drawers.  I am the WORST with clothes.  I will do laundry, no problem.  However, I loathe…No, I mean I seriously HATE folding and putting clothes away.  My wardrobe looks like  it vomited clothing.  You can’t open it without an avalanche of t-shirts, bras, jeans, and skirts cascading onto your body.  Before I got married, my spare bedroom was my clothing pile room.  I would wash my clothes and throw them into that room.  Throughout the week I’d just pull what I needed to wear out of the pile.  No problem.  Apparently, it is a problem when you get married or share your house with anyone other than yourself.

Let me just say, in my defense, that this is just with clothing.  As a bachelorette, my kitchen was always spic-and-span.  My apartment was mopped and dusted by yours truly at least once every other week.  Bathrooms were scrubbed, and the fresh smell of lemon cleaning products filled the air.  My problem is just with clothes.

Ben has tried numerous times to help me get organized.  His wardrobe is OCD (my opinion).  It’s organized by article of clothing, and then by color.  His shoes are always neatly lined up and belts are rolled into manageable coils to place into drawers designated for such an item.  He keeps thinking that if he sets an example I’ll catch on.  Yesterday, he bought me drawer organizers.  We’ll see how that works out.  I’m supposed to start this project today and as you can see I’ve decided to procrastinate by blogging.

2. Get healthy.  Of course Ben and I would be housed in a building that has a filthy joke of a workout room, and a swimming pool that is always empty and being repaired.   Ben and I would love to spend our free time at the gym or relaxing by the pool since there is no end to the glorious sunny days here in Abu Dhabi.  Instead, we have spent on the couch catching up on the last 10 years of television we have missed (I blame Netflix).  We eat relatively healthy, but our activity level has plummeted.  We’ve both gained what I’m calling the “Dhabi 15”.  That’s stopping this summer.  We’re getting up and getting fit thanks to the access cards we acquired to a few friends apartment buildings to feed plants and animals this summer.  Hello nice gyms and resort style pools!

3.  Finishing our flat.  We’ve been waiting to complete our apartment because we wanted to make sure that what we bought is what we really wanted and needed.  For 8 months we’ve slowly been making our flat feel like home, but this summer we’ve decided to finish.  Ben’s building me a vanity (mostly because he hates that my makeup has commandeered our guest bathroom) complete with backstage like makeup mirrors and everything.  My compromise was that he gets to build a desk for the laptop, printer, and his school work.  I personally think that desks are for high school & college kids, but whatever.  I always just put the laptop on the dining room table and go to town.  No worries.  But a good wife compromises…so he gets a desk.

I’m sure we’ll do a few more things this summer.  Perhaps we’ll explore some of the U.A.E.’s 7 Emirates, or take a jaunt over to Oman.  You just never know.   I’ll keep you all updated about the wardrobe situation.  My goal is to get it organized and keep it organized, but that’s always my goal and I always fail.  We shall see.

 

Oh-Em-Gee, It’s HOT!

Can we just take a moment to talk about the heat?! Holy bunk! It is ferociously hot here. I knew it would get this way. I wasn’t naïve to the fact that I moved to the desert, but I don’t think I really understood what 120 degrees feels like to the human body.

Let me give you a little bit of insight on the weather in July so far in the great city of Abu Dhabi.

The wind is blowing just a little too much for my taste, and it’s kicking tons of dust and sand around. My allergies have been LOVING it and have decided to make me a snotty, stuffed up, sneezing, coughing, itchy, tired, hot mess for the past 3 weeks. The dust blows around you and cakes itself to your face, ears, everything. Bleck!

In addition to the dusty haze that has laid a blanket over the city, it’s humid. I’m from Florida. I know ALL about humidity. There’s rarely a summer day in Central Florida that doesn’t see at least 60% humidity in the forecast. However, 40% humidity when it’s 110 degrees Fahrenheit outside feels SO much worse than Florida’s 98 degrees and 60% humidity. That 40% makes it feel like you’re wearing a heated blanket draped over your body as you walk/race from the car to the next air conditioned building. The air is heavy. Have you ever boiled water and placed a blanket over your head to inhale the steam? It’s kind of like breathing that (However, I’ve had this perpetual sinus cold that has settled in my face so that may be the reason it’s hard for me to breathe).

It’s hot, friends. I mean walking into a sauna with all your clothes on type of hot. And whoever said to me before I moved here, “Oh, the abaya you’ll wear actually allows a breeze. You’ll feel cooler with it on.” was a liar. A LIAR! I miss wearing shorts and tank tops in public on days like these. Dressing for the weather is a luxury that I took for granted. I won’t ever take it for granted again, America. I promise.

The heat is like an energy sucking leech. Being outside for 30 minutes makes you want to go inside, strip off all your clothes, and pass out on the bed for hours. I can see why people from the desert are nocturnal creatures. That’s really the only time you can feel remotely okay being outside.

Is anyone else as HOT as I am? I need to go to the market next door so I can make something for dinner tonight and I just can’t make myself walk the less than 5 minutes to get there because it’s just too freaking hot. I’d rather spend three times the amount of money to order take out and have some poor soul brave the heat to deliver it to me.

I miss December through February here. It was gorgeous like that first taste of fall in Florida when the high is only about 80, and you can feel a light cool breeze in the air. (SIGH) Only 6 more months to go…

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLL!!!!

I used to think I knew what Football was.  I’ve spent many Saturdays watching College Game Day, wearing my Florida State jersey, laughing at Lee Corso while nursing an ice cold Miller Lite.  Sundays used to be a bar hopping extravaganza.  Adorned in my best Chicago Bears t-shirt (DA BEARS!) I would get the best seat in front of the biggest TV’s showing the best games.  My weekends were full of friends cheering loudly, pitchers of beer flowing, cheeseburgers, and chicken wings.  Then I moved to the Middle East…

I know NOTHING about Football.  In fact, I’ve apparently been in love with the wrong football all these years.  The excitement of American Football doesn’t really cross the boundaries of America.  And if we Americans thought we could party hard…No.  We are tame compared to the night’s of Football game watching over here.  Football (a.k.a Soccer) in the U.A.E. is like the American Super Bowl every game.  Before the World Cup, pubs and restaurants with television coverage of the soccer games would be packed with fans drinking, cheering, and hoping to see that one goal that would clinch their teams win.  It’s 80 minutes of suspense, pins and needles, and 1 minute of pure elation.  Drinks for everyone!

As the 2014 FIFA World Cup approached there were advertisements of the best FIFA Tents available to view all the games.  I honestly underestimated what this meant.  I envisioned a makeshift party tent (like the ones erected for outdoor weddings), some tables, perhaps some waiters serving food and stuff like that.  Nothing too fancy, just  a place to watch the game.  WRONG!

We’re talking swanky tents, lavish upholstery, chandeliers, posh couches and armchairs with dainty tables, and huge projector screens.  It’s like being in a movie theater made for a queen.  There are drink specials, food specials, and even cover charges.  It’s outrageous.  And these viewing tents get so busy you have to make a reservation.

Here are a list of the places that I, or some of my friends have been to watch World Cup games.  If you’re looking for somewhere to experience the adrenaline rush of hundreds of people cheering together for just one or two goals in 90 minutes, these are the places I’d recommend.

1.  Fairmont Bab Al Bahr – Abu Dhabi

Up to 600 people can be held in this opulent tent.  For the 100 dirham entry fee, you can sit and watch all the games you want and receive 3 complimentary drinks.  Ladies get in free, but have to pay for drinks.  For 270 dirhams you can get entry and all the drinks you want, until the end of the last game.  That’s like 3:30 am!

2.  Intercontinental – Abu Dhabi

About 60 dirhams will get you entry into the Saharaa Tent.  You can pay for drinks as you go and watch boys chase a ball around a field like a king.

3.  Du Arena – Yas Island

Although alcohol free it has food, and large tables can be booked for you and all your friends to watch the games.

4.  Amber Bar @ Novotel Al Bustan

Yummy food, good beer, decent atmosphere, and great specials.

5.  Stars N Bars – Yas Island

Super fun!  There’s no cover charge, but book your tables early because they fill up FAST!  The food is good, the drinks are better.  Gather together and cheer along with people around the world!

Fairmont FIFA Tent

Intercontinental FIFA Tent

Toilet Paper is NOT for drying hands.

Have you ever tried to dry your wet hands with toilet paper?  If you’ve ever been to the U.A.E., I’m almost positive your answer would be, “YES!”  I seriously can’t get used to it.  I really can’t stand reaching for a substantial amount of toilet paper to dry my hands off only to have it come apart in squares on the roll, or having it dissolve into a sopping mess all over my freshly cleaned hands.  Then, you spend the next few minutes picking off wet scraps of tissue paper off your hands.  UGH!  Why toilet paper?!  Oh, and if not toilet paper it’s tissues…like the crappy one’s you’re supposed to blow your nose into, but the force of it all just busts a hole right through it.  Seriously?  In this wealthy nation that actually does have paper towels available for purchase at every hypermarket I’ve been to, why are we using toilet paper?  It seems like such an obvious thing to me.

In the 8+ months I’ve been living in the U.A.E. there’s just some things that I can’t get used to.  I’m sure that people who visit America find many things weird too.  Different countries, different strokes, I guess.  Often I end up laughing to myself because it just seems so, well…weird.

Has anyone else’s bathrooms at their school scented with moth balls?  Moth. Balls.  Apparently, the cleaners at my school think moth balls are Glade Plug-ins.  Sometimes they decorate the bathroom with little glass bowls and they fill them with, you guess it, moth balls.  Not just any moth balls though…colored moth balls.  I think it really adds to the femininity of our wash closet.  No.  It smells like an old person’s closet.

And speaking of smells.  Oud.  You either love it or you hate it.  Personally, I can’t think of a worse shopping experience than walking leisurely through a beautiful mall only to hit a wall of the most potent incense ever.  Or, entering my school only to get smacked in the face by this thick and heavy cloud of stank.  It takes my breath away…and not in a good way.  It’s like when you get close to a guy who has applied too much cologne or aftershave.  It’s too much.  It makes me head hurt.  Stop it.

School buses pick up each child at their doorstep.  For reals.  AND, some of the kids literally live in the houses right next to the school.  I hate getting stuck behind the bus that picks up and drops off by my school.  It stops every 20 feet.  Did you know obesity is really becoming an issue here.  I can’t imagine why.

Why do I need to ask my waiter for my check?  When I first moved here, I’d wait for 20-30 minutes for my waiter to bring my bill to me.  I was obviously finished with my food.  The table was cleared.  My drink was empty.  What more do I need to do to make it clear that I’m finished and ready to leave?  Oh yea, ask for your bill.  If you’re moving here, remember that.

On the other hand, there’s a lot of things I can get used to.

For instance, getting to stay in my car and out of the heat while a gas attendant fills my car tank for me.

I love that hiring a house cleaner here can be as cheap at $10 an hour.  That’s a steal, friends!

Women only lines and seating areas.  Women’s lines move faster, and I don’t have to be around the stinky men. Score!

Almost every restaurant delivers right to your door, even late into the night.  It’s spectacular when I’m hungry, but feeling lazy.

The parties that cater to pretty much every nationality represented here.  There’s always a celebration going on, and everyone is invited!

I love living here.  The quirks only make it that much  more interesting.  Actually, I sometimes find comfort in the things that make me shake my head.  It’s just so funny.

If you live in the U.A.E. and have any other quirks to add feel free to post.  I know I haven’t listed all of them.  And don’t neglect the good things too, because they really are good.