november catch-up

Just loaded up some pictures from last month -- if only to prove that we were, in fact, alive and well in the fall. It's been a busy few months for us, with long days in the office for both of us, weekends fixing up the house and Jon back out of town (to Barcelona for a client conference; to Ghent and London; and most recently, to Manchester, where he spent his birthday with Nikki).

In extracurricular news, Jon was elected treasurer for the UAE chapter of Democrats Abroad in October. It's a great group to be a part of, not only for politics-related activities, e.g. watching the presidential debates, but to meet new friends (many of whom live in our neighborhood, if not same apartment complex) and build a network of other Americans living abroad. For our American friends outside the states, we recommend that you check out your local chapter at http://www.democratsabroad.org/.


Here are some pictures from the DA election watching party / breakfast buffet held on the morning of November 5 (starting at 6:30am), where we took everyone's money ;) We also went to an event hosted by the US Embassy the night before (advertised primarily to UAE nationals), but of course, the very exciting bit took place the morning after! We're both looking forward to the inauguration 'gala' in January.



We also hosted our first BBQ, using our new patio furniture -- which we bought after bazillion visits to the mall, Ace Hardware, Carrefour and Geant -- and illegal grill. Since a number of our friends live in the Marina (or work nearby), our terrace has turned into an impromptu place where people come before heading out, for drinks or leftover dinners during the week.



Other notable event in November was the launch of Fishing Harbors, a Dubai Customs-sponsored commercial and residential project for local fishermen and the wealthy who want to tough it out in the 5-star restaurants that will dot the development. Jon swung a surprise invitation to the launch from the marketing lead for the project -- whom we met at the US Embassy election event -- and we thought it would be worth attending. We were the only non-press people there, but nevertheless, walked down the red carpet and got our pictures taken among the UAE government officials. The entire reception was conducted in Arabic; the English-speaking press received a press release afterwards. Welcome to objective journalism in the UAE.




We rounded out the month with a Thanksgiving brunch at the neighborhood Sheraton along with a few other Americans, still avoiding buying a car, hearing news of the global financial slowdown impacting Dubai (long overdue) and planning our Eid holiday in Kerala. More on that next!

In the meantime, we're both headed in the US for the holidays. We're in Houston the weekend of December 18 and then in Oklahoma til the end of the year. Looking forward to it!

atlantis rising

so it's been a while since we've posted anything----we're still here and doing fine. lots to report, but most recently simi watched the atlantis opening from the 26th floor of a colleague nicole's apartment in the marina. it was a ridiculously, over-the-top spectacle that apparently could be seen from space!

see the video (BBC's not ours, which was full of 'oh my gods!')
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/7740887.stm

more soon...

EV-04

So we found one! I've just unloaded our stuff from NL to our new "1 bedroom villa" at the Marina Promenade and we move in on Saturday (Jon got off mad-easy since he's still in Europe). There isn't anything villa about it, other than it's on the ground floor (see the arrow?) and you could house a small family in the bedroom. It's not ideal for our future guests, but those of you used to our A'dam walkaround and sofabed, your expectations have already been lowered ;)

Winning point of the apartment? A terrace that overlooks the marina and yacht club at eye-level. Means al fresco dining morning, noon and night.....well, at least once Ramadan is over and it cools down about 15F (both expected by early October). The building complex has some pretty nice amenities, including squash/ badminton courts, gym, pool and is within walking distance to restaurants, shops and the beach. Jon, continuing his slacker streak, has a 5 minute commute to work, while I've drawn the short straw with 30-35 minutes one way to either the outsource zone or main RBS branch office.

For those of you who use snail mail and want to send care packages, here is our new address:

P.O. Box 8203
Marina Promenade
Paloma EV-04
Dubai, UAE

Here are some pics of the marina (taken from the 29th floor) and neighboring beach (with camels in the background). Like the rest of this city, the place is under construction, including the Marina mall/residences, marina walk, and upteen more highrises.

And I've FINALLY gotten a local mobile: +971 50 189 86 89. For those of you who don't have Jon's, it's +971 50 2679 330.

from a shield to a snowflake?

So it's official, tot ziens ABN AMRO. Today was the official launch of RBS in the UAE. The day was indundated with all things blue: balloon archways at entrances, full-length ads and interviews on the radio and newspapers, signage at all offices, blue carpet in the branches, and the country executive left voicemails on all staff mobile phones! I got to go to the press conference this morning at Emirates Towers.....although a bit depressing, it was pretty exciting nonetheless.

In other news, still no luck on the apartment search. Believe it or not, when you get advice that you should make an offer after a single day of househunting, it's actually true. Wait too long, i.e. 2 days, and the place you fancied last Thursday is gone by Sunday (or AED 40K more expensive). Funny, I thought patience was a virtue. So we've had to extend our temporary housing for another week at Chelsea Tower, which is unfortunate; it's been hard to get settled at the office without being settled at home. But good news (finally): I got my residence permit and labour card this morning, so I can now get a driver's license (in theory), a mobile phone contract and utilities at our (future) residence. Too bad Jon is in AmLo.

.....
Happy birthday, Anjali!

obama '08

So we're trying to stay in touch with all the politics back home....even if it means getting up before dawn. Here's a shot of Obama's historic acceptance speech around 6am Friday morning.

We plan to do the same for the upcoming presidential debates and election night with the local chapter of Democrats Abroad.

For those of you in the US, enjoy your Labor Day weekend!

4x4 trip

Here are some pictures from a Wadi (dry riverbed) excursion from last weekend. We went about an hour and a half northeast of Dubai through 4 of the 7 other emirates: Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Quwain, Ras al-Khaimah.

drivetime radio

For those familiar to Texas, Dubai is similar to Houston, with lots of overpasses, wide roads and traffic everywhere. A metro line is being built, but isn’t scheduled to open until late 2009. That means most people drive their own car or take (reasonably priced) taxis to get from A to B. The driving style is a bit aggressive and impatient, with indicators being used sparingly or for a split second during a lane change.

The main thoroughfare is called Sheik Zayed Road (SZR) which is a tollroad that goes north-south. Although road names exist, they’re never used: when you get in a taxi, you tell the driver the nearest landmark (usually a hotel or tower) and direct them from there. Traffic can be absolutely horrendous, with a 15-minute drive taking 1.5-2 hours during peak times.

Getting a driving license apparently is a nightmare for some and people have been known to fail the test more than twice (kind of like NL). Luckily, for a US license, it’s a 1-to-1 automatic conversion.

move over, bacon....

The variety of food available is very impressive—it ranges
from the ultra-expensive at the Burj Al Arab (the world’s
first “7 star” hotel) to dirt cheap in Bur Dubai (Little India). Not to mention that American chains run rampant, including KFC, Pizza Hut, Hardee's, Applebees, Cinnabon, Tony Roma’s, Macaroni Grill, etc. Sorry for those in NL, but surely a FEBO is in the planning stages ;) Although the names and menus are more or less the same as in the US, you can taste a bit of difference, especially when you’re offered beef bacon.
The other noticeable difference is that most of these restaurants are unlicensed—so no margs at Chili’s, only a range of mocktails. Only restaurants/bars that are attached to hotels can serve alcohol, which means for a drink after work, you’d head over to a Le Meridien, Hyatt or Sheraton. Since most hotels are on the high-end, and alcohol taxes are steep, prices are outrageous for alcohol, with a pint of beer costing around €6 or $9. Ouch!

Most grocery stores cater to the large expat population and are just like those in the US—huge with aisles and aisles of options. We bought Eggo waffles, All laundry detergent and Tollhouse cookies on our first run to “Safestway.” Most of fruit and veg are imported from outside the UAE, e.g. Driscoll’s strawberries or tomatoes from NL, but you can get local/Indian limes, cucumbers, apples at a considerable discount. By the way, this ain’t no Albert Heijn where you pack your own groceries.

Pork is actually available in the back of some grocers—under the heading of “NON-MUSLIMS ONLY” and is pretty pricey (€4 for Oscar Mayer bacon). Imagine the adult-video section at the back of a video rental store.

the rent is HOW much?!?!

We’ve settled into our temporary housing at Chelsea Tower (‘temporary hotel apartments’) on the 20th floor. We were supposed to have a 1-bedroom apartment, but since one was not available, they gave us 3 bedrooms (+ maid’s room), and locked 2 of them. This leaves us with a long walk down the hallway from our living room to our master bedroom. It also means we have 4 bathrooms, which is perfect for those times when we have another couple over and all four of us need to go at the same time.

We started the search for our apartment. PwC has a relocation consultant (Simone) that is available to us to help us through the apartment search, as well as about anything else we need to get settled in. She’s also the wife of one of Jon’s colleagues, which makes it more personal. We’ve spent about a day and a half last week looking at apartments in a few different areas. We’re starting to know where we want to be, and now it’s getting down to the specific building and apartment. Some of the key factors include:

Location: The location is of course important, especially with the amount of traffic. A lot of cities’ traffic patterns roughly go from outside the city into the city in the mornings, and vice versa in the evening. Dubai’s layout is more of a long stretch along the coast, and since Dubai rents are so high, most people live in the neighboring emirate, Sharjah. So in the morning, traffic goes from Sharjah to Dubai (south) and vice-versa in the evenings.

Cost: The costs for renting and buying in Dubai are outrageous. There is of course a wide range, but in general, we are looking at renting a 1 or 2-bedroom apartment in a desirable location in the range of 140-200K Dirhams per year ($38,000-$55,000 per year, or $3,100-$4,500 per month). Renters also have to provide a year’s worth of rent up front in 1 check. Fortunately, companies provide a living allowance that covers or mostly covers these costs. They also provide an interest-free loan equivalent to your living allowance to cover this payment, and then deduct money from your monthly paycheck so the loan is paid off in 1 year. It is definitely not a renter’s market. In many cases, you are not guaranteed the right to renew after 1 year. Also, places go quickly, so if you like an apartment, you have to be ready to pay within a few days and the contract will likely start within a week. Most buildings are only partially occupied (maybe 20%), yet the owners are not renting the units.

Quality: Almost everything is new. Most places are in good condition and spacious (especially coming from Amsterdam), and kitchens often include washer/dryer, refrigerator, freezer and oven.

Construction: Another factor in the search is the amount of construction nearby. The whole city is being built. It’s hard to get a feel for what that means without seeing it, but literally, construction is everywhere. Some areas are mostly completed, with just a little construction remaining, but most of the popular areas have major projects nearby. There are apartment buildings with 40 floors being built all over the place. Two big malls (including, of course, the largest mall in the world) are under construction and expected to be completed within a few months.