The First (Almost) Week

After losing an entire day between 13 hours in the air and the 8 hour time difference, finding out that we were being placed at The Yas Hotel was awesome. This place is beautiful and huge. Ferrari World Amusement park is right next door and the Formula One track runs around the hotel. If the race was now instead of November, I would have a perfect view from my balcony.

We got to rest from Friday 1am when we arrived until Sunday evening when the "disorganized chaos" began. We were told to report for registration at 5pm and then told 4:30pm. After sitting for a half hour, we learned via "whisper down the lane" that we were supposed to be using this time to make 2 copies of our passport and work Visa. The mad rush for the 2 copiers then began. We were told to report back for orientation at 6:30-7. We (me, Julie, and Louisa) decided to have dinner first and that was a good choice. When we arrived back it was to mass confusion. There were several tables set up for us to open our accounts with The National Bank of Abu Dhabi BUT the only way to find out which table you were assigned to was to walk behind the tables and look st the lists. After standing in line for 2 hours, we were ordered out of line into the orientation which was a Power Point and Q & A session. I walked out and got back in the bank line. After proceeding to the line to drop off my copies for ADEC (The Abu Dhabi Education Council) the "whisper down the lane" began again as word got around that we needed a copy of our passport and Visa for our Medical Check the next morning. I decided to make a half dozen copies. We did finally get out of there around 11pm BUT I had to get up at 4am Monday morning for my exam!!! Being in the first group was an advantage, as we were in and out in 2 hours while the later groups took upwards of 5 hours!! Tuesday night was our group's assigned fingerprinting. We arrived at the Abu Dhabi Police Station at 8:45pm and sat there for more than an hour doing nothing while the personnel took cigarettes breaks and told us to "Silencio!" Our group got back to the hotel a little after midnight. Once again, I was glad I had opted for an early dinner. The last group of the night got back at 4:30am. There are more groups going tonight.

Over the weekend before the chaos began, I went to Marina Mall twice and AL Raha Mall once. I joinded Ahmed, the car salesman, on a 5 hour tour of Abu Dhabi that culminated at a Cafe from which the Hookah picture came. We have also had an opportunity to meet and bond with 400 some odd other teachers. The roof top pool is absolutely gorgeous and must be refrigerated. The pool is cool while the temperature has averaged around 116. Up until Sunday there had been relatively low humidity but the last few days...ugh.

View of Marina from my balcony

This "shell" surrounds most of the hotel including my balcony

Cruising through Abu Dhabi

Jumeirah Abu Dhabi open Fall 2011

Requisite hookah picture

Yes there is American food here

....and American magazines

Marina from my balcony

Kelly, Joanna, and Louisa at the "Restaurant with No Name"

My "night owl" body has adjusted to this time zone very well. I am one of the few not walking around like a zombie and taking naps. Instead of sleeping until noon like in the US, I have been up early with no problem. Apparently this is the time zone for me. If you will notice from the grocery shopping pictures, magazines and food items are in English. We are not going to be on our sightseeing tour until...we think...Sunday. Tentative plans are for hitting the Souks tomorrow and one busload is going to Dubai. I haven't decided if I want to deal with the trip to Dubai yet or just hit the Souks here. Off to the pool, yes I will take pictures.

Almost There

It is 8:15am. My flight is at 11:50pm and the shuttle is picking me up at 3:30pm. What am I doing on here? Keeping myself somewhat sane!!

I have so many wonderful friends here stateside and I have already met (via FB) many of the teachers I will be spending much of my life with over the next two years.

I can't wait to REALLY get started on my new adventure.

Idiot

Look at the date of my prior post and then do the math. It should have been 96 hours. I am losing my mind.

Countdown!!

I am flying out on August 3rd. 290 hours from now I will be on the runway. My claustrophobic self will be popping the last of my Xanax since I can't take it into the UAE. This is necessary as I will be in the air in a confined space for 13 hours.

The last minute crazies have hit. I am trying to get everything done and cram last minute stuff into storage. Lauren and I discovered today that my safe, the one that the movers were supposed to put where I could get to it, is nowhere to be seen. This does cause a little problem if Lauren decides to sell her car while  I am out of the country. Oh well, it is what it is.

I have been taken out to breakfast, lunch, or dinner so many times that my jeans are about to POP. I just spent 3 days in Ocean City, Maryland and it was very nice not to.....wait a minute I need to pack that...where is my......what am I forgetting now? Thank-you Wendy, you have no idea how much I needed that. One last party on Monday night and I am pretty much good to go.

I am forgetting the BEST NEWS!! My authenticated documents arrived on Wednesday while I was out of town!!! This means that my residence Visa will not be held up. Hillary Clinton's office still has not deposited the check for the original documents sent on May 31st. For those of you reading this and going to AD to teach in 2012...DO NOT try to handle authentication yourself unless you are doing it IN PERSON. Use Pro Ex. I spent $132.00 for authentication of documents that are MIA. Pro Ex started the process from step one on 7/11 and I had them back within 16 days! The cost: $339.00. Lesson learned: Priceless.

E-tickets

Yesterday morning brought with it the first elated postings....teachers from the UK and Houston had received their e-tickets and Visas. So not fair. But this morning brought with it my e-ticket....which of course I thought I didn't get...until I rechecked my email after I drank my coffee!! For those of you traveling with me, I will warn you now that my brain does not function without caffeine. Period.

I am flying out on August 3rd.  I have been calm for 4 months...now I am freaking out. Now everybody wants to take me out to lunch or dinner. I am going to gain another 10 pounds before I leave. Luckily I am flying out at 11:30pm so I will go running for the shelter of my mother's little helper and......relax!!!

The post-it on my computer is now almost as long as my screen. I have a pile of papers to go here and there. The good news is that I booked a shuttle service that someone else found for my apparently Google-challenged self. This is good news since, contrary to Derek Winker's suggestion, I did not want to ride a camel up the NJ Turnpike and be interviewed by CBS for causing the Jammo!

Shopping and Doctors and Packing

Update on the documents: Finally gave up since the State Department still had not deposited my check on July 9th and sent my documents to Pro Ex to start ALL OVER again for a cost of $333.

Had our pre-departure Webinar this week and true to form, like passing notes during class and texting during faculty meetings, I was  on FB making fun of the stupid questions people were asking. The good news is that I was joined by about 100 other people doing the same. The poor guy running it gave more lessons on "How to Google" than anything else.

I've had to buy glasses-bifocal-since I was told  that many teachers had problems with their contact lenses over there because of the constant wind in Abu Dhabi. Since I am seriously blind and people may actually see me in these, I had to get the ultralight lenses so that I'm not wear Coke bottles so tack on another $300+ to my tab. On top of that I had to get new contacts, just in case because anyone who knows me KNOWS I would rather be in pain than be seen in my glasses! Finally went out and bought clothes yesterday....long skirts and tunic type tops for work. Not bad, spent a total of $269 for 7 complete outfits. I love Marshalls.

Finishing up with doctor's appointments so that I have enough meds to last a few months. I got a little bit of a shock with the blood work the Rheumatoloigst did last week......Endocrinologist thought  Sjogren's.....Gastroenterologist thought  Rhematoid Arthritis.........but NO it looks like I have Lupus. Alright, just give me pill and make it go away! Someone should really get a refund because I should qualify under some Human Lemon Law.

Misinformation abounds as ADEC tells us the first group is leaving in mid August and we were told on the Webinar to be ready to travel between the first and third weeks of August. In the meantime, I will work on my tan and read another trashy novel that I won't be able to buy over there!

Authentication Panic

In order to teach in the UAE, I have to have copies of my Bachelor's and Teaching Certifications authenticated. This means jumping through a lot of hoops and spending a lot of money when they could just make the copies of the original there. Got through the original step just fine, Rutgers was extremely helpful. I got through the State of NJ just fine..that's when the trouble began. My paperwork is STALLED at the US State Department. They haven't even deposited the check yet and it was sent at the end of May!!! I have to get it back from there before it can get sent to the UAE Embassy for the final step.

Of course it would have helped if I had IGNORED Teach Away's half baked  instructions. I just tripped over the State Department website the other day looking for the phone number and the process would be over if I had found that sooner. Apparently I should have sent it Fed Ex because sending it USPS results in it having to be irradiated before they will open it. Does this mean that my paperwork will be radioactive? Should I wear a HazMat suit when I open it and carry it to the UAE in a lead lined box?

This is very reminiscent of the fact that the payoff figure for my mortgage wasn't received by the title company until the morning of closing. They had actually sent it twice before but with the wrong closing dates. All worked out in the end but seriously...cut me a break!! Can anything ever go according to plan in my life?

I have already chosen my first excursion in the UAE. It is a full day desert safari including camel rides and 4 wheeling the dunes!! Lauren is on board for the camel but is afraid of dying if she goes 4 wheeling. This is once instance in which she reminds me of her father who was born a 40 year old fuddy duddy!

I have met dozens of people online who are going over in August to teach for ADEC so we've already developed a support system. Ramen, hummus, and dashboard microwaves here we come. I am very much looking forward to my 2 year adventure!!