Still Here!

Pics: Yep- that's a Burkini (the black robe they wear is called the Burka- so this is that transitioned into a bikini). There was an article in the Gulf News a few weeks ago about a movie star from over here who was wearing one- and apparently they make them for everyone cause here it was at the mall. Pic 2- this is the building I live in. I took the picture down on the boardwalk along the lake. It's a really nice area that I've been enjoying taking a walk on at nights now that it has not been so hot- or maybe because I'm getting used to the heat.

Wow I can't believe I haven't blogged in almost a week. Well I'm still here, it has just been so crazy. In the last week I got my Drivers Liscense for United Arab Emirates. I did it all on my own! I had to get a certified UAE eye exam, and paperwork completed by a typing/filing company, and then the process went very smoothly thanks to me being a "business manager" on my residency. I was in and out of the RTA (roads and transportation authority) within an hour. Today I finally had all my paperwork together so I could apply for my Saudi entry Visa. That was some work- had to get a letter from the franchise partner in Saudi, a copy of their business license, a copy of my company's business license, a letter from the DAFZ here in Dubai where I got my residency, get two more photo's taken, and then bring that and a bag of cash to the far end of the "Bur Dubai" district where they will apply for me, and call me in a few days when it's done. Luckily I am applying for a three year visa so this won't need to be done every time I travel there.

The best part of last week was realizing that I made the right call on my apartment. After dealing with the business and situations all day I love coming home and having my place cleaned for me, having a great view of the city, and most importantly if it was a really tough day- a bar downstairs that pours heavy and looks the other way if I fall down :-) lol just kidding- ....maybe
But really- I am glad that I chose this place. Sitting on my patio listening to the soft humm of the city, and enjoying warm nights while I just sit there and relax has been amazing.

Thought I'd show you some fun pics too as I've been traveling around. I haven't had my camera much as I've been here for over a month now, I feel less excited about the newness- it's becoming more like home. But I will be having alot of photos as I start traveling- promise!

Prettiest Starbucks

So this is pretty much the coolest Starbucks- or most sac-religous? Or is starbucks a religion all on it's own and this only seems fitting?? I'm going to go with the latter. I love going to this starbucks because it has a huge sitting area and free newspapers and tons of comfortable chairs. It's in Ibn Battuta just south of where I live. The only bad part of this place is when a kid start screaming and throwing a temper in this place with that dome ceiling it puts me over the edge! Yes- I have turned into that old man who rolls his eyes and makes an overly deep sigh of disgust. Or have I always been that person?? :-)

HA i just noticed- look in the picture the kid on the bottom right looking my way- that's the one I'm talking about- she was all cute and then turned into Satan about 20 minutes later.

Finally!

So today I got my residency!!! I've been waiting for weeks, and was getting kinda nervous that I wasn't going to get approved- but then today got the call to come and pick up the papers and my passport!!! YAY!
When I got back to my office my boss was already working on my Saudi Arabian entry visa and had booked my airfare to Kuwait for next week! So it is official- I get to stay and finally get to start traveling!!!!!!

So some info on residency. I am lucky and my company paid for the process, otherwise you have to pay up to 15% of your salary to get a residency granted. The percent varies between what job grade you are. Your job grade determines pretty much the rest of your life in that country. I am registered as "business manager"- this means that when I apply for the entry visa's in any other country I'll be approved with little to no problems, and will be granted year, 2, or 5 year entry Visa. People who are registered as "book keeper" "truck Driver" or the like have a very hard time getting multi-entry visa's to other countries. I know for a fact that to save money some companies will list all their managers and even executives as truck drivers or shipyard help, that way they don't have to keep paying the 15% fees on the residency or the higher fees on the visitor visas, but that then affects their travel because the other countries say "why does this shipyard person need to go to Riyadh??" whereas when they see someone who is a business manager- they are like- that makes alot of sense- they have businesses here. So I'm glad I work for a company that is on the up and up.

There really IS a sea here!

Pics: you can see the castle looking thing way in the back- that's the atlantis resort at the end of the palm. The palm tree's on the right and umbrella's are from the Hilton which I describe below. The buildings are apts right on the beach facing the sea.
I haven't been to the sea since I got here- the creek- yes. But hadn't really gone to the water and got in it, and felt what sea water is, etc. etc. So today was Sunday and being that everyone is working today thought I'd give it a shot. It was also only 98 at 1pm so even better reason to go the beach (not that it was hot- but rather that it was NOT hot- under 100 degrees so I would have less a chance of incinerating on the beach.)
It was suggested by the conceierge in my building that I go to the Hilton in the JBR complex because they have a great beach. The other option was to go to Atlantis Resort at the end of the Palm where they also have a water park. Here was the catch- the Hilton was D180 ($50) and the Atlantis was D200 ($56) and mind you those are the weekday rates! That gives you a towel, a lounger, and an umbrella. I opted to try the Hilton today. I parked in the public beach lot and walked over to the hotel. It was crazy busy in the lobby but I meandered out the pool deck and was directed down to the beach. The pool was a mess of Europeans all scorched red in ill fitting swim suits. Then between the pool area and the sea there was this really weird thing- or at least I found it odd. It was about 12 larger tiered terraces of green lawns with palm trees, umbrellas, and loungers- packed with people in their swim wear. Now, I understand how... I mean there was a pool a ways back, and the ocean was still a ways away... it was like I was walking through someone's yard in the suburbs, with everyone in their swimwear enjoying the "hot weather" but not by any water. It reminded me of a golf course with all the green grass and landscaping but then all these people just hanging out- there wasn't even a view of the ocean because it was totally surrounded with shrubs and covered in palm trees!
When I got down the sea I found that odd as well. There were rows and rows and rows of loungers all with umbrellas between every other one forming essentially a roof over all the loungers. The sand was uneven, it was hot, some chairs didn't have cushions, some umbrellas were cranked over into the sand on the ends of this makeshift camp from the sun. Then I was like "where's the water? It was another 500 feet or so from where we were! LOL

Ok- so I guess I had a different view on what it was going to look like. We've all seen the commercials for the Caribbean resorts with the couple in the two loungers and they are on this amazing beach sitting right on the edge of the surf- I think that's what I was expecting for D180. But what I got was this cattle corralled pasture with green grass, or a corral on sand. Either way, I was not having it.
I went back to the front desk and asked for my money back, and walked over to the public beach. It was empty- only me and three other groups of people on a huge stretch of beach. I didn't have an umbrella or chair- but my towel was fine. I swam for about 10 minutes, but didn't have swim shoes and I honestly have not been in a "real" body of water for years so was a bit grossed out stepping on things. I got out and could feel the salt on my skin. By the time I got back to my car it was sticky so I can see that having a shower nearby the water would be worth the price of admission to the hotels- but that's about the only thing.
I think next weekend I'll try the Atlantis- it looks a bit more my style :-)

they say fish tanks relax you....

So after those events at the mall, we went back in and finished the training and I thought I may as well take some pictures of the fun stuff. So here is a picture of the world biggest aquarium. You can buy tickets to do the center of it in a tunnel which looks like it would be amazing from the pictures. You can also walk right up to the glass on the outside if you buy the ticket- otherwise you have to stand back about 10 feet- but it is still a pretty amazing aquarium either way! The other picture is of the indoor ice rink. It was kids' hour when took the picture- so not super busy.

so that was interesting...

Went to Dubai Mall SO very early this morning to attend a Visual Merchandising training that the franchise partner was holding for their store teams. It was great to see how they train their people and see all the store leaders together. We were at starbucks having a break and talking when a guy was walking around telling everyone they needed to evacuate the mall. It was weird because there weren't any alarms, no security doing anything- nothing. But by the time he got to us the alarms had gone off and it was saying "A threat has been detected in your area. Evacuate Immediately." So we picked up our stuff, all looked at each other and picked up the pace. As we went to leave the main entrance with the big dome had been blocked and everyone was being directed down the back stairways and out of the mall. Which by the way- is the biggest mall in the world- so it was a lot of people- even in the not busy area that we were in. As we got outside there were police, fire, and ambulance, and the highway ramps had police on them, and there were "crisis team" members directing us where to go. It was pretty unreal- and I have to say scary. Luckily there was a group of us together- I felt really bad for the tourists and people that were alone! We were all taken across the street from the mall to wait. It was also very hot today- HOT- 100+ degrees at 11am when all this was happening and there isn't much shade out there. After about a 1/2 hr a truck showed up with bottles of water for the crowds, and we just stood there watching firefighters go in and paramedics, and security was everywhere scurrying around in and out of the mall. After almost an hour we were allowed to re-enter the mall. Nothing was mentioned about what it was, or what happened- but again the mall is huge so it could have been on the other side or even a different corridor and we wouldn't have seen it. We all just went back in, stores re-opened and the fun and games continued like nothing happened.

ohhh Dubai Mall...

This mall is so cool- they even have this thing where you can see if spots are available way down the stretch. Green is open, red is taken. It is so nice to not drive all the way down the row and see they are all taken- you can just look at the light.
I was having lunch today at the "mOre cafe" and if any of you come here we are going there pretty much every day. The menu is huge the food is fantastic, and you can sit right on the patio in front of the fountains at the Burj Kahlifa. I was walking past Bloomingdales Home store and there was this cute cupcake place inside, so being that I just bought a new D&G swimsuit- Cupcakes seemed completely logical!???
But low and behold it's the Magnolia Bakery- first one outside of New York. I went to the real one in New York when I was there a few years ago, and it was featured in the Devil Wears Prada- she got Nate's Cake there. So Memories- and calories. Many Many Calories. But it was good. And NO- I didn't eat all 4 of them. We had a conference call from 7pm-8pm our time at the office so I brought them for everyone :-)

Settling in

So I cooked dinner again tonight at my place. There is a boutique grocery store (like a Whole Foods in the States) down the street from my building so it is a very short walk and so convenient. I am amazed at the selection of meats and fresh fruits and vegetables they have. I assume it's because all these buildings in my neighborhood have condo's and apartments, so it probably does a great business. The other great part of it is that the prices are really reasonable! I got 5 steak kabobs for only 15Dirhams, which is about $5- and 10 fresh made ravioli pasta's for only 25D ($8). The lady said the fresh made stuff has to move quick so they price it low as opposed to things that have a longer shelf life. These prices compared to the hotel's and restaurants are 1/4 the price so I am VERY happy with this.
My apartment appliances are taking some getting used to. I had to do laundry and it's one of those all in one units. I ended up washing the same load 4 times yesterday, but then did figure out how the cycles work and how to use the dryer function. My stove is in Celsius- which is so hard to convert C to Fahrenheit- needless to say my steak kabobs were not raw :-) WHo knew 250 Celcius is 482 degrees farenheit ???

I had a very busy week at work. I started all my days off before 8am and then 2 of the days didn't get home till 9:30pm. This is just how it is though with the US conference calls and visiting stores then having to go to the office for meetings. Honestly though I don't feel overwhelmed. Like today was Friday so I went in at 10am, left around 2- visited a store for an hour and was done round 3. My president over here wants us to comp our time, so it was almost like taking a 3 day weekend today.

I've been figuring out different ways to get from here to there around the city. I finally concurred the "Business Bay Crossing"- another highway system that I needed to figure out. It takes 1/2 the time off my trips to the outlying malls. This morning I was singing along to a song, and was like "I need a starbucks before I go in" so took the exit to Dubai Mall, but then all of a sudden I was going underground, and I had a moment where I was like "ummmm, I wonder where I'm going to end up?? I hope it's somewhere nice!" LOL. Luckily it was Friday morning so there was NO traffic (it is their Saturday), and I ended up over in an area called the DIFC and there was a Starbucks there! So learned a new route- and a new place for coffee!

Well that's a brief snapshot into the week, I'll post more over the weekend. I'm going to try and NOT go to the malls- I need to distance myself from the Zara stores before I get a restraining order put on me. :-)

Pool time!

So these are pics of the "leisure deck" as they call it here. It's on the 11 floor, two stories high. Has an infinity pool and two hot tubs attached on each end, and a restaurant/smoking bar. It's so relaxing to come down at night and take swim and then relax with - a glass of wine. That's right- I can drink here!!! YAY! The only thing is that it is hot out. Tonight it was still 93 out when I was at the pool and a glass of wine in that heat makes me very very sleepy. It is really cool to swim over to the edge of the pool and look down at the cars and the other buildings.

Cute Evian Commerical

evian baby inside - Director's Cut - version... by PayeTaChatte

I have to post this because I think it is so friggin adorable! There is a huge campaign for it at Mall of Emirates- on posters, billboards, they have events where you can get the baby t-shirt- and they have the video playing in every corridor at the mall. I have to stop and watch it no matter if I've seen it 10 times already that day. It's that cute!!!

Pics Continued

So these are pics of the master bed/bath. I have a HUGE walk in dressing closet- great for all those clothes that I will eventually be buying- right now all my clothes fit in one wardrobe. The bed is amazing- I didn't wake up from 12am till 10 am this morning- it was heaven. I like the color change for the bathroom- more masculine, and it's very spacious.

So that's my new place!!! :-)

Apartment Pics

Pics of the Guest Bedroom, the living room, the kitchen, and the entry room. The entire place is furnished so I only need to buy some personal touches. I went to the BBW store and got the "NEW" wallflowers- they just launched in the ME stores on Tuesday. (It is working amazingly by the way- not that we had any doubts...)
It is going to take time to get used to the marble floors- I'm going to need to find some orthopedic slippers until then. :-)

New Apartment!

Hi! So I woke up this morning in my new apartment! It felt amazing- it's so quiet and felt so good knowing that I am finally settled into my place!!!!
I was successful in negotiating a fab rate at the Bonnington Tower in Jumeriah Lakes Towers. I'm on the top floor, facing the marina and eventually there is the sea beyond that.... really- it's there :-)
The furnishings are fantastic, great kitchen, and I get twice a week maid service! Another big perk is there are 5 restaurant/bars here with alcohol. The pool is in the center of the building on what is called "The Leisure Deck". It is a two store cut out space open like a huge veranda on three sides that also has a smoking deck, and restaurant.
Here are some pics of the view, and then I'll post more of the apartment.

Residency

So some of you have probably been wondering why I havent been to all those countries i told you I'm also managing. Well thought I would shed some light on that. I am currently applying for my resdiency here in the United Arab Emirates. This process is laborous and requires many steps to be completed and during the entire process my passport has to be held by the UAE office of immigration. So untill the process is complete I cant travel. This process is also more intense because i am appyling as a business manager, so had to get copies of my college degrees (thank you mom for digging in the basement to find my one) and luckily msu has an online verification so that was an easier one. Atop of the degree verification, I had to fill out basically an entire family tree for both sides of my parents family, and fill out af bunch of other forms ranging from religous identity to a job history with verifications since birth!! I am hoping to get called for medical testing this week or next. They basically test me for everything to ensure I'm not bringing in anything to harm the Emirate society.
Then after medical testing and I pass I will have my residency and an then apply for all my other country's entry visa's. Luckily once I am a resident here I can use the embassy here to get my other visas rather than having to apply in the states. My first store opening is July 30 in Riyadh so I should have everything sorted by then. Fingers crossed for a speedy process next week!

SO TINY!

Seriously- These Diet Coke cans are soooo tiny! Take out your bank card- they are that small. Really. I found a 30 pack at Carrefour for D39 which is $12 American but really if you add up the ounces it equates to 2 two-liters. Which is about $6 for a 2-liter of diet coke! But still much better than the hotel price