It's feeling like I live here

My first 3 weeks in the UAE I lived at Trey and Jessie's house and then moved here to my current apartment. So, for 3 weeks I felt like I was on vacation. Not so much anymore. I feel like I live here now. Here are some normal things you do when you live somewhere and my status updates on them.

Making Friends:

It's easy to make friends but, it's hard to find people you just want to kick back and relax with. I think that's true anywhere you go in the world, this is why people live in the same place for a long time. I think this hopping around thing could be tough if I was doing it a lot. A little bit of everything contributes to the fact that it's tough to make friends. One friend blocking factor (FBF) is culture- here in the UAE local women must follow a few rules. One of which is not going out of your house alone or without permission from your parents. This weekend I had made plans with a new friend to go to the mall. I was dressed and ready for our adventure at 10am as planned. At about 11:15am I received a text explaining that she could not go because her mother would not allow her. She is 28 years old. Enough said.

Grocery Shopping:

You don't usually grocery shop on vacation. Here I am at LuLu Hypermarket .

Don't worry I don't buy the camel milk, this was just for the picture! They do have regular milk so I buy that. This week I decided to by some feta cheese for salads, I walked up to the counter and pointed to the feta and said "feta, just a little bit". The man who understands english just fine nods his head and grabs a container "half a kilo?" I get nervous remembering that this is not equivalent to a pound. I smile and hope he doesn't think dumb blonde "I'm not sure" I point again to a hunk of the cheese that is floating in the water, he throws it in the container and asks "is that enough?". "Yes, thanks" I am on my way now. One thing down.

I get home and make a salad and begin unwrapping the cheese and notice it smells and looks a little odd. I ask Trey "is this feta" and he points out that I bought Saudi Arabian Feta... who would have known that people in Saudi Arabia like to eat feta that smells like goat breath. It was not what I think feta cheese should be like.

Lesson learned.

Stylin'

I am realizing that this post will make it seem that all I do here is shop, but I work too! The truth is girls are the same all over the world and the ladies here love to shop!

I needed some nail polish remover the other night and I asked my friend Shiny to help me find

some. We walked across the street to "Gift City" yes, this is really the name of the store. I thought to myself " I don't need a gift I need nail polish remover", Shiny has lived here for about 25 years so I followed her in. There it was along with everything else you could ever want. Nail polish remover in the tiniest bottle for only 2.5 dirhams that's about 75 cents. Along with some of the tackiest purses ever. Check this one out, I don't think the photo does this justice.

The Dragon Mart

I went to Dubai on Friday with Trey and Jessie and some friends we have made here, 0r I should say I went to the Dragon Mart. This place is like all of China crammed into one mall. It's set up like the BigE, there are lots of tiny booths and they are all in their designated sections. For example all the shops that sell watches or wires or key chains, they clump in one area. It is indoors and it is air conditioned but, it was still quite warm and there were way too many people! I don't think I need to go there again. (Note: the fountain behind me and Amil in this photo has a huge dragon in the center)

But, I did get to ride in our friend's new FJ Cruiser this made for an exciting ride from Al Ain to Dubai.

The desert is really pretty, it almost looks fake when you are driving on the highway and all you can see on either side for about 40 minutes is sand dunes and sunshine.

After the Dragon Mart we made our way to Ikea and I bought a few things for my room at my apartment. So, on Saturday I moved out of Trey and Jessie's house and into my apartment. I was sad to leave the Hulsey Hotel but, my commute to work is now a total of 3 minutes. All of my things will arrive on Monday the 11th and you will see some photos of my room then!

Sort of like home but...just a little different

So, I have been doing a little shopping for my new apartment. I will buy a mattress today at Ikea and then move into my apartment tonight. But last week I bought towels, sheets, a duvet cover, hangers and a ton of other stuff you need for an apartment. I am hoping to get some lamps and other fun things today.

I had to show a few of you this picture though- I can't get it to turn the right way!

In Stop and Shop in Allston, MA Nikki and Annie always loved to use these little baskets and Desiree found some of these in Agawam, MA as well and thought they were just her size. Funny enough these were the only carts they had at this store for me to put all of these towels in.

Another thing that is sort of like home but, just not quite right is pizza here! It's the small things that remind me that I am in another country. Check out the Italian Pizza with the Arabic writing. I guess it's just as funny as us calling our pizza in America Italian but, let me assure you there are not Italians making this pizza.