Abu Dhabi to Bejing....at least as foodies!

Heading out to meet the girls.  Ramadan is
over and now we are in Eid.  Now we can
drink and eat in public.

Great reviews and we concur! Excellent dinner!
In the Madinat Zayed - near the Gold Centre, just a door
down from the Shoe Mart....it is a must to visit in AD.

In case you can't read arabic.....Bejing Restaurant.

What is this you ask?  It is not tissue, it is the napkin of most
restaurants.  I used to laugh when places in Tucson gave you
a paper towel.  A tissue tops that.....

Want your server ....ring the bell. 

A

Melyssa wanted some ice....so she got a bowl. 

Appetizer - Fried Won Tons with Sweet and Sour Sauce

Soup....love that the carrot is cut in shape of flower.

Broccoli Beef with garlic....Melyssa's dish....

Sweet and Sour Chicken....Karen's dish!  Tasted it...Yumm!

Shredded potatoes.....these were spicy, but crisp and tasty!

Tofu with chili peppers.....Kristen's dish!

Fried Rice.....

We are having a great time, excellent food.  

Kristen rings the bell to call our server....

Back at the hotel - Ramadan is over and Eid began last night.
A popular bar, the Chameleon is open....I call this the glitter couch.

Hmmmm....cute young Kristen gets half a glass
and I get a quarter.....this needs to be remedied. 

This is better!

Fun night, good friends....

Three Words: Girls Night Out!

The New Place

Danat Building
HH Sultan Bin Laden aka Building B
Apartment or Flat 1402

Brand new......

The symbols above is the number in arabic...

large hallway....

oven in the hallway temporarily.......

Door to living room.....

living room....

powder room

kitchen....big window is awesome
and we can see the city, the mosque
and the gulf.  

hallways.....

bedroom.....

master bedroom....

master bath.....

master bath......


Three Words:  Home Sweet Home

The New Pool is Open!

When we arrived the pool was under renovation. Newer
hotel - it was surprising. We had access to a villa pool - but
this is so much nicer and right along side of the beach.  

The water was quite warm the first day. The water in the hoses
warm - it is warm here!  It was refreshing. Not like home
when you go in our pool that is 98* and it's chilly feeling
due to evaporation, it's humid here, so it just feels good
to be in a pool and relaxing. 

You see the edge of the pool area to the lower right and the
beach is only a few steps away.....

This is a shower area to use between the pool and the beach.

Picture is a little hazy - it was humid and my camera lense
was fogging up......it is a BIG pool.   We have attendants
and a life guard - so at sunset, no life guard no pool or
swimming, not even at your own risk.....bummer!

When you step in there are many levels....by the blocks you
sit and then the water is deep. 

When you walk back to the hotel you have these levels of water
feed into the waterfall.  It almost looks like a kiddie pool,
but that is a separate area all together. 

The view as a guest approaches and leaves the pool.

Three Words:  Tile is HOT!

Teacher Orientation

An amazing building located on Al Reem Island -  is a vibrant
urban area under development - a private island, the largest in
the Abu Dhabi mainland. It's 6.5 million square meters and
using google calculations, it's about 2000 square miles.
What is so cool is that it is on a natural island - from it's inception
the plan is modern and state of the art business and residential. 

The sign above over the adjoining entrance in Arabic. 

The reception desk...

Just like the states....presentations of new information and
some of the obvious.....but best to cover all bases. 

The auditorium where we met in for the big meetings was
beautiful.  The architecture was of a high end theatre.
Air conditioning in the air, sides and at our feet. First
time here when I was cold, actually freezing!

Design on the walls....

The lighting makes the room feel as if you were transported
into Europe. 

Grateful for visuals as sometimes accents are difficult to understand.
My hearing needs some more adjustment as I become familiar with
all the accents I am encountering.  Teachers are here from all corners
and beyond the accent is the words used to describe everything....

Break outs for our grades.  Here Cycle 1 is KG -2, so kindergarten
to 2nd Grade. Cycle two is grades 2-4 and my group is Cycle 3,
high school. 10-12 grades.  I have been placed at a girls school
in the al banyias area, about 45 minutes from my flat (trying to
use the familiar lingo) aka apartment.  The bus is a two hour
ride, so my goal of not getting a car may not be held for long.
Al Mafraq is my school....more about that later. 

We had LT's (licensed teachers) speak to the new Expats about
teaching last year.  It was helpful, but the pat answer to every
question is "It depends on your school."  So, while the new
system is in place, some of the old is still in place and here,
your principal rules....it all rises and sets with them......

We meet back in the auditorium and like in the US we engage
by interaction and games.  Brave people going up with no
idea of what they were going to do......I was an attentive observer!

Told you....now it's not only a game, you're being timed.
The activity was to have students (teachers here) by
birthdate, no talking as english is limited.

THREE WORDS:  A good meeting!