I love it when we're cruisin together

Last weekend I went to Abu Dhabi with Trey and Jessie and our friend Ahlam. It was so refreshing to get out of Al Ain for the weekend. I thought I just loved the ocean in America, but it's not true I love the water no matter what country I am in. We spent most of our time down on the Corniche (the road that runs follows the water).

We rode this little guy- I am sure it was not made for the 4 adults we managed to cram into it and so were a lot of other people who passed by us.

We also rode these bikes. A little more appropriate but still... did I need 3 wheels?

Trey and Jessie surprised Ahlam and I with a really fancy dinner at Shangri-La Hotel. We ate at Pearls and Caviar Restaurant and then headed out to a pool/ oceanside bar to hang out for the rest of the night. It was delicious food and a cool atmosphere. The weather this time of year is like summer at home, just warm enough during the day and cooler in the evenings.

Incredible India

The Indian Republic Day is sometime soon and there are many celebrations happening here because of the large number of Indians that live in this country. Most of them are here working and sending money back to their families in India. It's nice for them to have a chance to have some of the foods and cultural traditions from home. Some of the laborers and workers go home only every two years. That's a long time not to see your family especially if you have young children!

Jessie and I stopped in the grocery store last week after the gym and there was someone yelling into a microphone that was being projected in the entire produce department while about 60 people gathered around one table. We wandered over to find there was free cake decorating to celebrate the Indian Republic Day. Just a few minutes pass by and as I grab an apple and toss it into my produce bag Jessie screams out my name "Min, Min look" she's pointing to a man who soon rides by me on a bicycle right into the crowded produce department blowing a small horn like we use for birthday's in America selling ice cream that is apparently from Bombay. That's something that we don't have in America an indoor ding-dong cart!

Afghanistan: Land of the Brave

You don't know what it's like until you try it.

A Rebellion of Sorts
You have to take risks to see some things.
A Skip and A Hop to Kabul
If a door is open you should probably walk through it.
My mom would kill me if she knew...

This blog post could have had many names. When I touched down at Kabul International Airport the sign read "Welcome to the Land of the Brave".


Long story short is that I have two friends here at the hospital who are from Afghanistan (a married couple). From the second week I met them I started teasing them about me going home with them if they ever went. Well, on Sunday night I got a phone call from one of them asking if I would stop by their house, they wanted to talk to me... I always hate those I want to talk to you conversations they make me nervous so, I immediately went to their house that night.
They said they would leave on Tuesday for Afghanistan. I made a quick decision on Monday and went to get a visa in Abu Dhabi, thanks to some help from friends I got this in just a few hours. Tuesday our flight left at 6am and we were on the ground in Kabul by about 9am. I was a little nervous, but I trusted the friends I went with and knew they would keep me out of harms way. I was only in the country for 2.5 days but I had the opportunity to see a lot.
We drove from Kabul to Jalalabad and back on one of the coolest/ most dangerous looking roads ever. The scenery from Kabul down to Jalalabad was stunning. My camera does not do the country justice. The road was barely wide enough for 2 cars to be passing one another and driving from Kabul in the north down to Jalalabad in the south was a 2 hour winding road down the side of the mountain. We passed many accidents, military convoys and flipped over trucks!

We went shopping for a few hours in downtown Kabul and I managed to only walk away with 2 pashmina scarves.... unlike me!

We ate from a few restaurants like these...

To say the least life there is not so easy

Mom and Dad I am home safely! I hope you aren't too mad!

Strap in and Ride on

Last week I was talking with some of my co-workers about snowboarding and the conversation moved on to sandboarding. We decided that we should get a group together and all go. We borrowed some boards from a friend at the hospital, got some directions to some dunes nearby and packed up the car.

We went after work so we were racing the sun going down. The dunes we went to are quite popular mainly because they are close to the city of Al Ain so people don't have to drive far to get out there. There were about 10 other SUV's all just driving up and down the dunes so we were hesitant as we started out for a smaller one- we wanted to be sure we wouldn't get run over!

Essentially the boards are just converted snowboards. You strap into the boards just like a snowboard and there are sneakers that have more padding in them sort of like snowboarding boots. The bigger the sand dune the more speed you pick up.

It was a good time and we had about an hour and a half before the sun went down. We never managed to get to the top of the largest dune but, there is always next time. Unlike the mountains of New Hampshire there were no lifts here.

They touched down and are back on the road again

Trey and Jessie came home from the States last Tuesday and were here for 2.5 days and then left for a conference in Kenya on Friday morning. It was good to see them and to have Jessie back in the office for a few days. That's right they came to work for the 2 days they were here- those two don't miss a beat!

They are in Kenya for a conference until next Friday. So, I still have the keys to freedom (their car keys that is). In all honesty, I'd rather have them here than to have car keys!

Happy New Year

As part of my job in marketing and business development I was responsible for sending out a press release about the first baby of the New Year at Oasis Hospital. After a New Year's party I went into the birthing center to meet one of my apartmentmates who is a nurse. She had already taken a photo and I was there to explain to the family the process of sending the photo and baby's name along with the time he was born to the press.

This morning I woke up to find that a few papers had picked up the story!

Gulf News and The National both had it on their sites- check out the cute baby!

Top 10 of 2010

Here they are my top ten most memorable events in 2010:

10. Surprise surfing trip with Taylor and Christine- when a trip to Nantucket for the weekend was cancelled Taylor told me and Christine to be ready for 6am one morning with our bathing suits and a change of clothes. He picked us up and then we all headed to Hampton for a surfing lesson! It was so fun to start learning to surf from Phil, a family friend of the Arruda's. If you are ever in New Hampshire and need some summer fun you can take lessons with him at Cinnamon Rainbow's Surf Shop. After surfing we went to lunch with Edith and hung out at the Arruda's it was such a fun and relaxing day!

Surfing in Hampton

9. Driving to Sugarloaf, Maine with Whitney in the middle of a blizzard and living to tell!

In Febraury of last year after I had decided that I wasn't a good snowboarder I still went on a weekend ski trip. Although the snow was quickly falling Whitney and I decided to drive up to meet the rest of a group of friends who were already at the cabin. Whitney's slow and steady driving, a few stops and Deane and Taylor pushing the car in the driveway and we made it. It was a fun weekend and a good reminder that winter in New England is a force not to be reckoned with.

Whitney and Taylor clearing Taylor's car before we all headed out

8. Saying goodbye to Annie and Nikki as they head out west! Annie moved to Minnesota at the beginning of 2010 and shortly after Nikki moved to Chicago. When they made those decisions to get moving it reminded me that I needed to pursue things I really wanted. It was a huge part of me getting to the UAE! It was sad to see them go but, it was fun to have them come back and visit me while I was still living in Boston.

7.The 326. Everyday I rode the bus and train to work with Sarah. I loved riding the bus and seeing the same people on our commute each morning, it's one of the simple things that will stick in my mind from 2010.

6. Monday night dinners. Every monday night rotating the house we ate dinner at with our old roommates! It was something I looked forward to every week.

Here is the crew minus a few

5. My families Sunday afternoon visits. During the late summer and early fall my family was driving out to Eastern, MA for a kicking camp for my little brother. Most of those Sunday's they would stop and see me too- it was a fun time for them to be part of my life in Boston. And, it helped for Jared to have a great Senior Year football season.

Mom and Dad

Jared "doin his thang" at the first football game of the year

4. Road Trip to Philly/D.C.- In the spring a group of us girls went to visit Dani and Meg. It was so fun to see them and it felt a little bit like we were back in college and that's not a bad feeling.

Christine, Kendra, Dani and Kristen in D.C.

3. Mardi Gras 2010- This past year I went to Mardi Gras with a bunch of friends and my family. We all stayed at my Grandpa's house and we had a blast. My favorite part was getting to spend time with Andi, a friend from college who was just newly married and living in GA and really getting to know her best friend from CA. My new roommate also joined in and I think it helped seal the deal that Sarah and I were destined to be real friends! It was a long time dream that my family would get to experience the fun that my mom grew up with in New Orleans and we finally did despite a snow storm which forced Jessica, Christine and I to drive the 24 hours instead of fly. That's a car ride I won't forget!

2. Christine, Kendra and Andrew coming to visit. It meant so much to me to have friends come to see what this place is all about.

Andrew, Me and Kendra on a boat ride in Abu Dhabi

1. My Send Off and My Move to the UAE- The going away party, the Red Sox game, the beach trips and all the goodbyes.