Some pictures from our first week(part 2)

Sunset over the Persian Gulf

Katrina enjoying the hotel pool

Saving stranded starfish

Making new friends-don't be jealous, Tessa!

The weather is absolutely perfect right now

We love the beach!

Meg's favorite new fruit-baby tangerines

Hi Everyone-we miss you!!!!

We found some grocery stores-yeah, breakfast!!!

Jet lag is a pain

Some pictures from our first week(part 1)

Leaving Sykesville-Bye Kitties!!

Enjoying the lounge before take-off

In flight movies make the time go faster

Poor Katrina-not feeling well

Ally's loving Business Class

Diana's View

Well, we have been here almost a week and we're doing a little better sleep-wise, Mike, Meg and Katrina are almost adjusted, though Ally and I just can't seem to get to sleep til after 1 am.  Mike's at work this week, so we (me and girls) spent a lot of time exploring this little part of the city, just trying to find grocery stores, shopping for sandals etc.  Nothing we brought seems really appropriate, not that it's not modest enough, it's just not stylish enough-haha! We all need cuter shoes, skinnier pants and about 40 less pounds!

We are staying in a part of the city that appears 20% Arab, 70% small Indian? Phillipine? Pakistani? men and 10% small women.  Everyone is very slim and small, I feel like gigantic white woman coming through with her brood!  We definitely stand out though I was flattered to be taken for British the other day :)  When we go further toward the tourist/expat area of the city, it is much more varied and we blend much better.

The Corniche, which runs along the water, is kind of like the Inner Harbor/Boardwalk, without all the commercial stuff-just a really great, wide tiled path to bike or walk on.  We've spent many hours walking it, enjoying the feral cats (I know, not smart) and ending at the beach.  There's no waves, but it's very clear and has pretty shells.  Ally spent this evening saving starfish that had washed up at high tide and says she wants to be a marine biologist :)  We also rented go cart bikes and the girls had a blast racing together along it, although trying to keep them from harming pedestrians was tricky. "No, Megan, please don't run over the sheik!!"

Still not sure about school or housing-apparently SLOW is the only speed around here-it's almost impossible to get through to live people when you call, if you can even find a number!  Hoping to find something sooner rather than later, hotel living gets a little old, but it's ok now that we know where a few things are.  Went to a great Lebanese restaurant tonight, the waiter was very accommodating, offering us a whole sampler though he could speak very little English.  It cracks me up when the people here try to talk to the girls-my little Americans look so utterly blank it is hilarious.  They just smile and nod and after tell me they have no idea what was said.  Hoping they will learn to communicate a little with everyone here.  Megan seems to enjoy the Arabic names/phrases and we've picked up a few words so far.  English is spoken everywhere, so it's not critical, but I'd like us to at least try.

Overall, we're adjusting ok for the first week-our comfort level is up since we've been walking around so much and we feel like we know the lay-out of the city.  Homesickness flares up every now and then, but we are busy enough to distract ourselves.  Praying we can find good housing wherever is best and trusting God will use this opportunity for good things.  Lots of love to everyone home!!!!

Travel Log

Well, we have arrived at our destination! With snow falling we weren't sure if the plane would take off or not. After a good de-icing, it got off the ground about 30 minutes late. The plane ride was the easy part. The van ride to the airport was way more of a challenge than the airplane.

The airline (Etihad) sent a large van to pick us up from our house. He showed up only 15 minutes later than planned but that was better than I expected. The van actually made it to our neighborhood early, but could not make it up the slippery road to our house. It was comical watching the driver attempt crawling up the hill. Fortunately, the snow plow cleared enough snow that the van was able to get some traction and make it to our driveway. With the help of a few neighbors, we cleared a path to the van, loaded it up and backed down the hill to get out of the neighborhood. Then the real fun started. The driver either didn't notice or wasn't concerned with the snow on the roads. Diana's eyes were closed for most of the ride.

With many flights already cancelled, Dulles airport was a dream to get through. We didn't encounter any lines at the ticket counter, security or boarding the plane. We arrived early enough at the airport to enjoy the business class lounge for a while. We didn't all enjoy it, though. Katrina caught some kind of stomach bug and, well, you can imagine how she spent her time.

The entire plane seemed almost empty. There are maybe 35 seats in business class on the plane. There were 2 passengers in the cabin that were not DiClaudios, giving us our choice of seats and allowing us to move around.

Other than Katrina's tummy troubles and Diana's restlessness, the flight was uneventful. Could be because I slept for the first 9 hours. Gotta love those sleeper seats that fold down flat! Super quick trip through immigrations in Abu Dhabi and into our 2 cars for the ride to the hotel. The only challenge to that is that the driver didn't speak much English (none). Only after I muttered the hotel name in the good ole American way of slowly and loudly that we got on the right track. Or maybe it was because I showed him a picture of the hotel.

So here we are at the Al Maha Arjaan by Rotana for the next 30 or so days, living in a sweet 3 bedroom suite and walking around town trying to get our bearings.

UAE Culture

After reviewing endless websites and other sources of information, I was given the following notes and am reposting them here. Very little of this is going to affect our daily lives in the UAE. It will be useful in dealing with the Emiratis from time to time.

Emiratis are Muslim, and Arabic is the official language. Although culture and traditions are firmly rooted in Islam, UAE is open and tolerant of other cultures. English is commonly used in business and government transactions and among expatriates. Other languages spoken include Hindi, Urdu, Persian, Malayalam, and Tagalog.

The traditional greeting is as-salam alaykum (may peace be with you). The proper response is walaykum as-salam (and peace be with you). Men greet one another by shaking hands and touching noses. Women greet one another by kissing both cheeks.

Friends and family members of the same gender address one another by first name. Acquaintenances and members of the opposite sex address one another using professional titles, Sayed (Mr.) or Sayeda (Mrs.) before first names and Um (mother of) or Abu (father of) before name of the eldest son.

Emiratis use the right hand for eating, gesturing, giving and receiving items, and shaking hands. The left hand is considered unclean because it traditionally is used for personal hygiene. Using the left hand is considered impolite. Pointing fingers and giving the "thumbs up" gesture are impolite. Instead Emiratis point with the entire hand. Crossing legs with sitting, pointing feet at someone, and exposing the bottom of the soles are also offensive.

Modesty is important. Men and women tend to wear traditional, conservative attire. Women wear abayas (black robes) and shailahs (head and face covering) in public. Older, married, more conservative women may wear burqas (black masks covering nose and mouth). Men wear white robes called dishdashes and light cloth headdresses called ghutras with black headbands called agals. Female visitors should cover as much skin as possible. Baggy, loose-fitting trousers and long skirts are acceptable. Males should wear conservative business suits. When not wearing business attire, men should at least cover back, shoulders, and tops of arms.

It is customary to remove shoes before entering homes. Generally the wife will not be present. If she is, hosts often invite male guests into the living room and female guests into another room to socialize with the wife. In households where everyone is in the same room, familiar interaction between male guests and the hosts's wife is inappropriate.

Express appreciation at meals and always accept refreshments such as coffee or tea. When hosting, always offer such refreshments. Refusing to offer or accept is considered impolite. Shaking the cup gently from side to side signifies that you have had enough to drink.

Traditional meals are eaten on the floor without utensils. However it is okay for guests to request utensils. Family and guests sit in a circle in such a way that hides the bottom of the feet. The food sits in the middle of the circle. Guests should leave shortly after the meal because hanging around after the meal is impolite. When invited to a restaurant, the host pays the bill. Generally, a tip of ten percent is appropriate.

Bargaining or haggling is normal and expected in small shops and souks, not in franchises and large European chain stores. Shoppers should have an idea what an item is worth or what they are willing to pay beforehand. If negotiated in a polite and respectful manner, prices may come down considerably from the original quote. After vendors agree to a price, negotiating further is insulting and leaving empty handed is impolite.

Making Progress

We managed to knock a few things off the list this past week. Diana and I both have our International Drivers Permits. They were easily obtained at the local AAA office. I have been searching for a solution for what to do with our phones. We will keep our cell phones and maintain our home phone. Comcast (who we get our home phone service through) distributes an app that lets us make and receive VOIP calls through the computer or using a wifi connection.

We got the draft itinerary for the flight. We are flying Etihad Airlines non-stop from Dulles to Abu Dhabi on January 21. It is a little more than 13 hours. We will figure out where we are staying for the first few weeks shortly.

We have contacted a few schools to check on availability. One school has no seats and one has space for all 3 girls. Still deciding if we send the girls to school there or continue to homeschool. If they go to school, they will get to experience more of the culture and have a chance to make friends. If we stick with homeschool, we have more flexibility for travel. To get into the school we need to provide report cards for the past year. I tried to explain to the registrar that the kids are homeschooled, but I'm not getting that point through. So our solution is to create report cards from the "DiClaudio Academy".

The movers are coming in another 10 days so we have to figure out what's going and what is staying. And what to do in the roughly 6 weeks that our things will be in transit. Ugh.