Thursday 17 September 2009

Reflections after 5 weeks

On Saturday we head home for a couple of weeks which should be fun. Not really a holiday since we both have loads of meetings and I will be going into the office for the first time in 5 weeks since I've been on permanent holiday! I'm longing to see my family, friends and work colleagues, especially since I'll be able to share my birthday with my mum and we'll be able to take John's mum out somewhere special to celebrate her 80th which is at the beginning of October. The Eid holiday fell just right for us as everyone will be taking a few days off next week to celebrate the festival and the end of Ramadan so it's allowed us to take a longer trip than we'd originally planned - we've still managed to fill all of the time though!
So being very focussed on achieving things I've naturally been reflecting on what progress I've made since I arrived here. Well I've got the apartment more or less habitable with most furniture and kitchen equipment up and running and it's starting to look a bit more like home. Today's hiccup with the satellite had me wondering but it's all fixed now so we do have TV, telephone and all the main things you need to live comfortably despite the fact that I've singularly failed to get the internet connected.
I'm finding my way round the city with ease - more or less worked out where things are and how to get to places by bus and taxi or on foot and which shops to go to and the best restaurants - someone even stopped to ask me the way yesterday and I was able to tell them once I'd remembered which side of the road they were driving on! I've also developed a great affection for Abu Dhabi and I'm very proud to live here.
Professionally I've had three serious job interviews and have more meetings fixed up for October so hopefully I'm making progress there. I've made lots of lovely new friends which is quite amazing for me as I rarely have time to make friends with people who are not family or directly connected to work so that is a major step forward.
I hope that when I return I might have a functioning bank account though the jury is still out on that one!
Most of all I do feel that I am beginning to get a handle on the culture in a place which is moving forward so incredibly fast. Someone quoted something to me yesterday which I think is very relevant 'never forget that this is a developing country which looks like a developed one' - a handy piece of advice. Whilst people from the West worry a lot about human rights, the position of women in this society and freedom of speech my own experience is that this country is working really hard to improve in all of these areas and, whilst they aren't there yet, or likely to get there tomorrow, there is a will to learn and to embrace change that we could all learn lessons from. The people here are so keen to help out it brings tears to your eyes. I was coming back from the supermarket with loads of bags on an extremely overcrowded bus this afternoon. There was no room to move and getting off was almost impossible. The guys on the bus passed my shopping between them to allow me to get to the exit with all of my load - it was a wonderful experience. I must have had four conversations over the last few days with people about the importance of enabling women to realise their potential and take their place in the world of work and society so it's a topic on everyone's minds and I do hoep it's something I will be able to help with in some ways.
So quite a lot achieved but an awful lot still to do. I'm not in a position to comment as to whether I'm achieving my true purpose here - to make John's life easy and happy whilst he focusses on changing the world but I hope I am and he'd be unlikely to disagree, knowing me as he does!
Whilst I am dying to see my family and friends again I am not alogether sure about coming home just now. I am finally starting to relax and embrace Insha'Allah and settle down so I hope by coming back I don't find I have to start again at the beginning but hopefully not.
I see that I've also managed to make more than 20 postings on this blog in the few weeks I've been here so perhaps I can count that as one of my achievements!

Two job interviews and an Iftar

Today seems a bit flat after such an exciting and sociable week. Had to wait in this morning for the furniture (hooray a full length mirror at last though it's a bit scary seeing all of yourself after many weeks without!) and for the satellite guys as the TV went off. However, both arrived (together) in time for me to head to the shops before they shut at 1pm - Ramadan hours.
Yesterday was quite a day. I had a telephone interview with the Provost of one of the new US universities who are about to open here, which was great. They're not ready to hire just yet but we had a really good conversation about the challenges and the excitement of the project and we seemed to connect. We did finish by my giving an assurance that, if I get another offer in the meantime, I'll let them know, so that was positive. I love the idea of getting involved with marketing and communications in a start up situation which takes me back to the days of marketing new universities in the UK. The need for international, high quality Higher Education in this young and growing country is so great that a role like this would be very rewarding.
In the afternoon I had a full panel interview at the Petroleum Institute which was a real challenge. There were nine people on the panel and I didn't know beforehand (or even now) who they all were. It was pretty scary but I think I did the best I could. There were some great questions about the value of marketing and its context in an HE environment and what it could achieve for them. I relish that kind of challenge. However, I think the short term need is for immediate production of literature and revamping what is a very good web site. Due to the extended debate around strategic issues I don't think I got across the fact that I'm very willing to produce brochures and get stuck in to the tactical stuff in the short term. Once again I think I gave the impression that I can only work at a senior and strategic level so I'm going to have to work on presenting myself as the hands-on, sleeves rolled up type that I really am!
I had lunch with Maria from Reed which was great - I don't think there is anyone in this city she doesn't know or any networking group that she isn't a part of. As well as a great catch up she brought me some interview tips and notes (she is a professional recruitment consultant after all) which really helped me to focus on the interview. We went to Hemingways at the Hilton, which in the evenings is a popular expat hang out, so I'm keen to go back outside Ramadan and experience the full effect.
In the evening we went to the Masdar City family Iftar which was a lovely event. We took up the whole of one of their huge ballrooms (600 plus seats) and at the Emirates Palace everything comes big. It was a really relaxed event with games, balloons and activity laid on for all the children who were running around having a great time. I wasn't at my most sociable following a day of interviews but managed to chat to some of John's colleagues and their wives and enjoy the sumptuous buffet.
They had this brilliant idea, which actually worked much better than I though it would, to have a quiz and then hand out prizes for each correct answer drawn. Shamefully I was unable to answer most of the questions (about renewable/sustainable energy and Masdar) but John's colleague Tariq entered into the competitive spirit and got us organised. The prizes were an incredible mix - some involved getting a 25% discount from a struggling shop, whilst others were weekend breaks, flight tickets and holidays. We didn't win any, despite Tariq's valiant efforts at getting all the questions right, but enough were won by Masdar Institute students to ensure that honour was satisfied. The lady who won the break to Bangkok was so thrilled that you could only be glad for her - it would have been wasted on us in comparison!
We sneaked upstairs afterwards to sample the Emirates Palace bar and enjoyed a glass of very superior (and expensive) wine, which was fantastic. I'm just sorry I wasn't better company as it was a really nice evening. All in all it was a packed day and no wonder that today feels a little less exciting!

John in action





Here are some pictures taken of John with the new students in their first week of study - a great man in action.

Wednesday 16 September 2009

Impressions of Abu Dhabi

Yesterday we had lunch with the most delightful American couple who are thinking about moving over here. We'd met the husband at one of the Iftar's we went to and he'd brought his wife over to see what she thought about the place. Knowing where they live it must certainly be a hard choice, whereas going from a city centre apartment in Manchester to one in Abu Dhabi is less of a complete change of living experience. Everyone is different so you couldn't possibly advise someone on what will work for them.
It reminded me of my first visit to Abu Dhabi back in March and how differently I view the city after just a few weeks of living here. Back then I remember thinking it was a very hostile environment for human beings to live and work in - especially out in the desert where they're building Masdar city, but then all of this was desert too at one stage (and the sand does still find it's way into the apartment from somewhere). Now I don't see it as hostile at all, despite the heat it is lovely to go out in sunshine every day and everywhere looks really pretty with the blue sky and turquoise sea. I also don't find the air conditioning quite so cold any more. Back in March it felt very foreign and not like a place I could imagine living in whereas after just a short space of time I can compare shops, take a bus, find a good restaurant (well that bit's easy except during Ramadan when you can't tell who's open when, who's serving wine and who's only doing Iftar) and have met so many new friends. Everyone is definitely more friendly whether expat or local so the people make up for any hostility in the environment. Culturally of course it is very different, being founded on very strong religious faith and different traditions but it's amazing how this sits alongside the demands of the twenty first century - not always easily but somehow it does work.
I went for a cup of tea with the friend I met at the British Business Group, who has an apartment in the Baynunah, which is just across the road which was a very pleasant experience. Being a block nearer the corniche they have an amazing view and the apartment is lovely. We had home baked cakes and tea, which reminds me that I really must buy a mixing bowl and some cake tins - I was forced to use a saucepan to mix apple crumble when John's old university friend came round for a meal last week! She has lived all over the world so Abu Dhabi doesn't feel like quite such a challenge whereas for me it's my first experience of life as an expat. However, I think it's getting easier and I am more relaxed about things though it's a gradual process. There will always be new challenges that I haven't yet encountered and of course I have still to take to the roads!
Well, whatever our new American friends decide, I am hoping (selfishly) that they will come as I am very much looking forward to getting to know them better.

Interview time

Well sending the CV's out certainly seems to have created some action which hopefully will lead to something before too long. I went for the interview on Monday which came out of the blue and I'm still none the wiser, though I would guess that nothing will come out of that one. I managed to get a taxi and with the help of the map the driver and I eventually found the offices - though finding the entrance was another challenge. The panel of three turned into a panel of one and I still didn't have any clue as to what the company did (software development I understand though for what applications they didn't seem very keen to enlighten me!) The Head of Talent Management interviewed me, though it was hard to talk about my experiences without any kind of context and no job description. It all seemed more like an informal chat over a coffee (though without the coffee with it being Ramadan). The organisation didn't seem to have a marketing department at all, so there is no doubt that there is a need but it was hard to know whether I could fulfill it or not. I wonder if my CV looks a bit intimidating - it tends to focus on the big stuff and not mention that I spend most of my time actually doing things. Hard to know how to say that I also fill out briefs, job bags (though not on the system!), write copy and book postings on job boards on a daily basis. I also wonder who's consolidating the milk and throwing away the old stuff or whether the fridge at work is now crammed with milk bottles with just a drop in them?!
Today I have a phone interview with the Provost of one of the new universities here -luckily I asked for directions as to how to find them as no-one mentioned that it was a phone call until that point! Then this afternoon I have a panel interview for the job at the university I went to see on Thursday. This job looks really interesting - managing all of their external and internal comms and at present I'm pretty keen but we'll have to see what they think of me. I had to supply references and fill in an on line application which took a bit of doing with a dodgy internet connection. It was all a bit overwhelming and I hope I did it all correctly. It's a long time (if ever) since I submitted formal applications for jobs and sat through panel interviews. I hope they don't want me to do a numerical reasoning test as I know I'm rubbish on that score! Still it's all good experience and I have a couple more meetings organised for after the Eid break so there's plenty more opportunity if these don't work out.

Sunday 13 September 2009

Making professional progress

Last week I thought it was high time I started to think of ways of using my professional skills and experience before I bore everyone to tears with tales of Bisto, curtains and internet connections! I sent out some of the CV's that I've been preparing, to demonstrate my experience and background in a number of areas, to everyone in John's contact book who looked like they might be interested.
It has been a very produtive exercise and one that I hope will bear some fruit either in terms of consultancy or employment for me whilst I'm out here.
On Thursday I met up with the couple from the agency who do marketing for Masdar. I've very much admired the work which they did and it was fascinating to hear the background and to hear more about what it's like working out here (all sounds very familiar and similar to working with clients in the UK actually!) We swapped lots of notes and stories and ended up turning coffee into lunch - yes the Shangri La finds a way of catering at coffee and lunch time to those of us who aren't fasting! It was great to meet them and to talk about work for a change.
On Thursday afternoon I went to meet the Provost of one of the other universities and he actually does have a marketing role that he's looking to fill. He's very keen, though we're now struggling to find a date for a panel interview that fits in with Eid and our trip back to the UK. I also had to fill in a lot of scary forms and try and arrange some references in a bit of rush and I've yet to hear more about the important details of this role - like budget, team, objectives and salary package. Still it sounds promising.
I had a call this morning from an organisation who've been passed my CV by someone else - lot's of that goes on, and they've invited me for an interview tomorrow, though I've no idea what for at this stage, so I'm not going to be very well prepared.
About 3 other people are getting back to me with dates for initial meetings so I feel heartened that my experiences may have some value. I was beginning to wonder since I'm not an Emirati and I don't speak Arabic but all being well - Insha'Allah, then there may be something exciting for me to do.

Weekend in Dubai

This weekend we went to Dubai for a 'mini break' which we enjoyed. It's a quiet time for hotels, towards the end of Ramadan and the really hot weather, so we got a great deal on 2 nights at the Meridien. Funnily enough I had a vision of Dubai as a sort of expat heaven - wouldn't want to live there as you can't walk around - but actually all the same rules apply, especially at this time of the year. One difference is that the shopping malls do open at 10am, even on a Friday and The Mall of the Emirates is attached to the Kempinski Hotel, which managed to cater for us non Muslim expats by having a secret restaurant behind a curtain where we were able to have lunch and coffee. John's not a great shopper though so apart from a foray to Debenhams for more cushions and some cake tins we didn't make much progress in the furniture department!
We ate in the hotel both nights - at the steak restaurant on Thursday where John had a piece of steak the size of a pillow which he said was lovely. Being a non steak eater I enjoyed my Barramundi and the puddings were fabulous. On Friday night we met up with Mark Rix, who I've known for years in his role of MD at the MEN and his partner Zoe. It was great to catch up, Mark's been here for nearly 9 months now, as CEO of one of the main English language papers here, 7days.
Even in Dubai the hotel couldn't serve coffee in their lounge or alcohol before 7.30pm so I am completely convinced now that Abu Dhabi is the best place to be even if an internet connection and a credit card are beyond my organisational powers at present!
John's driver took us and brought us back which added to the sense of being on holiday, being driven around in the posh Lexus, but the hotel pool was being repaired and we decided that actually it was a bit hot still for the beach. We came back to Abu Dhabi refreshed and ready for John to head off for a busy week and work and me with renewed vigour for getting things done around the apartment.

Still waiting!

Following an exciting three days I'm back in the apartment waiting for things to arrive! We finally got bank cards on Thursday (in fact John got two for some reason!) However, the PIN numbers are proving a little more of a challenge since a different courier company has promised to deliver them on three occasions and so far failed to turn up. Without a PIN mumber the cards are not much use and there's no sign of any credit cards though I don't think I can face waiting around for another week for those to show up!
I've pretty much given up on getting the broadband installed before the end of Ramadan but I did go and buy a handset so we could use the land line. However, the all important cable which connects the handset to the box on the wall was missing when I went to set it up so it's back to the shop with that one as well. SUCCESS AT LAST! I went back to the shop and got a handset with a cable and the landline actually works - it's a small victory but a step forward none the less.
I'm sure you'll be delighted to know that the courier finally turned up with 3 PIN numbers. However, after all this waiting, I discover that all we have are ATM cards as HSBC don't do debit cards here (the world's local bank indeed!) and they haven't ordered us any credit cards despite that being one of the main reasons for opening the account. So in banking terms I'm back to square one, without any way of paying for things out here with a Dirham account, so I'm still using my HSBC UK account which is a daft way to pay for things. However, at least I have that to be going on with.
I've discovered a bus service which goes directly from outside the apartment to the Marina Mall via various other shopping destinations. It costs 1 Dirham (there are 6 to the £) and goes every 10 minutes so I no longer have to panic too much about getting a taxi. Today I even managed to come back on the bus with 2 huge, wicker laundry baskets and no-one thought I was odd! Long live public transport. We admired the new Metro when we were in Dubai at the weekend though we didn't go on it. It would be great to have one of those in Abu Dhabi but even if they start on it now (they're waiting to see how well the one in Dubai works first) it won't be finished during our time here.

Wednesday 9 September 2009

Frustrations and highlights

Yesterday was a trying one though, like everything here there were lots of good points as well. A chap from Etisalat actually turned up - only 24 hours late. However, having fiddled about a bit he then had to leave for a while (to pray, I think, which is not something that usually happens in the UK). However, he did return and connected the landline,or at least I think he did as I haven't been able to get out and buy a handset yet. Then, despite having not one, but two, boxes containing ADSL broadband wireless modems with him, he left without connecting the internet which was not his job, he explained and the boxes were for other customers. He said he might be coming back to fit them or someone else might come - I asked him when and he shrugged and said 'maybe tomorrow' (like The Pretenders song 'maybe tomorrow, maybe someday') I was tempted to barrricade him into the apartment until he fitted one but I thought better of it. The call centre assured me that the technician should have done both jobs at the same time but couldn't shed any light on the matter. Whilst we were out in the evening there was a missed call on John's phone from the magic technicians number which no-one answers when you call back but, as we don't have voice mail we don't know what they were calling about so meanwhile I wait! Most days I can pick up a very weak wireless signal if I balance the laptop on my knees in one corner of the bedroom so whilst ever that works I am not completely cut off though with very stiff knees!
HSBC also phoned to admit there had been a mistake in setting up the bank account which was now rectified and I would be in receipt of 2 debit cards and 2 pin numbers - all arriving at unspecified times from separate courier companies. I'm glad to know how seriously they take security that these cards can't be delivered to the bank for me to collect but it does involve a lot of waiting around. They've also set up the text alerts for whenever a card is used - now that's a really clever piece of technology which means you know immediately when your card gets used and can call if it isn't you. However, they seem to set it up twice on my number rather than on mine and John's - still it means I'll be able to keep a close eye on his spending patterns! Be a shame to know about those surprise birthday gifts from Harvey Nichols or Tiffany before the event though!!!!
Having stayed in for 24 hours to not achieve very much I was able to stomp up the road to Abela and buy some food and then carry what felt like a hundred weight of shopping home in the heat.
Ameer, the building manager arrived in the middle of all of this with bath plugs - amazing. However, they were the wrong sort and would work well in the basins but not in the baths, so back to the drawing board on plugs.
John took me out to dinner to compensate for all the frustrations of the day which was lovely. Being still new to the whole Ramadan concept we made the mistake of going out to look for a taxi just after the Magreb call to prayer - not dissimilar to wandering out to find a taxi immediately following the 3 minute warning. The streets were deserted and even after prayers every cab was heading for Iftar after a day of fasting. We were pretty hungry too but we changed our plan of going to the Sheraton and walked up Hamdan St to the French restaurant in the Novotel. It is definitely cooler now at dusk as we managed the 15 minute walk without looking too much like drowned rats! They'd moved the restaurant upstairs - I guess they open at lunchtime and the downstairs room can be seen from the street and it is forbidden to serve food in places on view between sunrise and sunset - so we were denied the 'authentic Parisienne brasserie with red check table cloths' promised by the guide but the food was lovely, especially accompanied by a glass of bubbly and beaujolais. It was a really nice evening and we managed to walk back as well.
I don't know if I've mentioned the guide before but it is a book I would strongly recommend to anyone coming to live in Abu Dhabi or even coming on a visit - Abu Dhabi explorer. It is a mine of useful information about everything from getting a visa to where to live and what to tip and the restaurant information is incredibly comprehensive (though very positive about all of them!)To be fair though I haven't had a meal here that wasn't absolutely superb and the quality of the meat and produce is stunning. Time Out is also full of useful information and snippets about new places opening as well as the plethora of activities and courses though they're all things you can do 'after work', a time which doesn't really exist in my world at present! I've now seen several copies of the Time Out 'Guide to Ramadan' which is great on the cultural aspects but doesn't mention anything along the lines of 'don't even think about trying to get an internet connection, bank account, a taxi or have anything delivered in a hurry!'

Monday 7 September 2009

Patience is a virtue

Still no broadband connection or landline at the apartment though it seems to mystify the customer service people at Etisalat as much as it does us! We got excited last night when we finally received a call to say they would come today between 11 and 12 but it's now 2.30 and still no sign - but then they may have meant between 11 and 12 at night. The chap I spoke to told me it was completely unacceptable and he was going to complain personally to his manager - they are so charming and friendly but it doesn't seem to get the job done. I seem to have a similar problem with the bank. I was feeling very pleased with myself for getting HSBC to set up a joint account here in Abu Dhabi complete with credit cards and a briefcase as a free gift. Being a Premier customer in the UK seemed to work wonders. However, after 2 weeks I am in receipt of one cheque book, which is a fat lot of use, since, just as in the UK, no-one much takes cheques and certainly not without a card. No-one seems to know why or be able to make cards appear but they are very polite and charming about it! The retailers, however, are just brilliant. Furniture arrives when they say it will and is built in front of your eyes and then they take the packaging away. Our new chair, footstool and mirror are taking a bit longer to arrive due to Ramadan but I am convinced that they will turn up next Thursday as promised. This will be good as there is no mirror anywhere near a plug so I am reduced to using the GHDs with a tiny make up mirror and weird hair as a result!
Endless patience is very important and something which I am trying to learn. I was reading a book we were recommended called 'Don't they know its Friday' which talks about the culture and way things work. It's so helpful and has given me some real insight which makes life easier. Round here personal relationships (especially family) are of paramount importance and 'tomorrow is in the hands of God'. I do like to give God a helping hand though when I can.
Today I got my driving licence so very soon I have to take a deep breath and take to the roads which will save me from lugging things around in taxis but is a bit scary, especially as we drive on the wrong side of the road in the UK! John's driver came with me to help me manage my way through all the red tape and different ticket numbers and queueing systems. He has to be one of the loveliest people I've met in a country full of lovely people. With his help I managed the eye test, the right forms and received my licence at the end of it. We were also able to have a good chat. He offered lots of help with driving 'I am the driver of Dr John Perkins' he said 'and you can call me at 3am and I will come'. However tempting that would be (not at 3am) when I have bags of shopping I don't think I would want to abuse the privilege.
Yesterday John had a meeting in Dubai and I went a long for the ride. I discovered the Mall of the Emirates which is certainly a shopaholics dream with every luxury brand available and seemingly endless shops (including Harvey Nics though I shall try to stay away until I've got a regular salary again!) I was able to see the indoor ski slope - how crazy is that in a desert country?! but couldn't compare it to the chill zone since I've never seen the indoor slope in Manchester. I think they're more used to catering for us non fasting westerners or more sympathetic in Dubai as I found a secret coffee shop behind a curtain and was able to indulge in a cappucino which felt very naughty in the morning. I went mad in Debenhams on the grounds that we had John's car and driver so by the time they picked me up I was laden down with cushions, teapots, jugs and oven gloves - all things I've failed to find in Abu Dhabi.
We're heading to Dubai again at the weekend for a couple of nights, as the weekend activity is a bit limited here during Ramadan and the beach is currently being redeveloped to open at the beginning of October (when sensible people want to go on the beach as it isn't so hot!) I prefer Abu Dhabi as a place to live but it will be fun to go on a mini holiday to Dubai.
Hopefully by the time we return to the UK for a visit at the end of September my patience will have been rewarded and we will have a bank account and an internet connection but then again maybe not.

Saturday 5 September 2009

John Perkins media star

Following a great article about John and the Masdar Institute in the Straits Times in Singapore they were featured in two of our major national papers today. The new students officially start courses tomorrow so he was interviewed by The National and Gulf News on Thursday and two articles appeared today.
You should be able to view The National by following the link

http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090905/NATIONAL/709049852

However, if that doesn't work just go to The National's web site and key in 'Masdar' into the search engine and you will get the article. I'm still working on the link to Gulf News.
Today John has gone to Iftar with the Minister for Higher Education which is a great honour and he is waiting the call to meet the Crown Prince. I am so proud of him and the work he is doing. I am trying to make sure that it gives me a purpose for being here which has to be more in terms of changing the world than anything I've done before. Unfortunately I do find it hard when that purpose has a habit of getting in the way of the weekend! However, I don't imagine anyone changed the world during office hours 5 days a week!

Making connections without a connection

People are so friendly and helpful round here - it makes it a lovely place to live when everyone is so kind and so willing to help. I've had quite a social week and started to get to know some people. On Tuesday night we went to a networking event held by the British Business Group, which we are now members of. It was held in the 'Rabbit Hutch' in the compund of the British Embassy which is a great venue (just like a pub!) We met the chap who has just taken over responsibility for security which must be quite a challenge when you can see the whole compound from all of the tall buildings around. I went to the gym at the Hilton Baynunah earlier in the day where you get an amazing view from the 29th Floor. It makes the treadmill and cross trainer almost bearable though I'm looking forward to the cooler weather as the run along the corniche looks fantastic. The pool - deliciously chilled, I still can't get over how amazing it is to need to chill rather than heat a pool! was fabulous. Anyway back to the networking event where we also met a lovely couple who've been out here since last November and Angela came round for coffee on Thursday, so I was able to show off the apartment and enjoy a chat as well as getting some great tips. They have an alcohol licence and offered to give me some wine to supplement our supply - you can see what I mean about kindness and friendliness. I also met a recruitment consultant from Charterhouse, who are one of the leaders round here, who has been so responsive and ready to put me in touch with people.
One of the wives of John's Faculty also came round on Thursday and was bowled over by the apartment. They are still waiting to move into an apartment in Officer's City so she is still stuck in a hotel. She has just qualified with a degree in dance and teaching so, although it's a long time ago for me, we had a lot in common and she stayed for most of the afternoon. She agreed with me that our main room would make a lovely dance studio (it even has a barre along the window!) though it would need something better than the marble floor!
It is great having people round now that we are starting to look less like a huge empty space. The coffee and side tables arrived on Thursday and today we ordered another chair, a matching stool and an enormous mirror for the bedroom so it's filling up. Due to an offer at The One on bedroom furniture, which gave us a 40% discount voucher, I still have a thousand dirhams credit with them, though I don't foresee a problem spending it. We were able to return the favour when our neighbours came round for a drink on Thursday night. They have offered to take us to the supermarket in their car until we have one, though I tend to manage with my ability to carry endless bags and sweet talk taxi drivers.
Today we went to Spinneys to pick up a form for our liquor licence and another amazingly kind person allowed us to buy some wine and beer on his licence since we couldn't buy any yet until ours comes through. We now have a bit of a supply thanks to his generosity. I can't imagine anyone doing that in Manchester.
The one thing I'm still missing is our internet and phone line. We went to Etisalst today and the staff were so charming and helpful but the technical people don't work on a Saturday so I need to go back next week. They didn't seem to think that the 'technical problem' that the call centre people keep mentioning was a reality. I think the problem is the lack of engineers in a busy time, which coincides with Ramadan, when the technicians have to work shorter hours. I live in hope that we will get a connection before too long and that I will be able to communicate more easily.
All in all I'm starting to feel at home here and meeting people who are so willing to help and make friends. I went for lunch with Maria from Reed during the week. She has to be the most fabulous networker ever, so lovely and so friendly, I think she knows everyone round here. She is in the throes of organising a host of charity events (we bid in one of her recent charity auctions) so I think our Autumn social calendar could be pretty full and I may need to bring another dress from Manchester. She is about to move into her apartment so at least I was able to give her some useful numbers and she suggested an etisalat dongle so I can have internet connection wherever I go and can stop worrying about staying on line and in touch.
But with so many wonderful people about I'm sure the lack of internet has to be less important than the ability to connect face to face.

Wednesday 2 September 2009

Pictorial view of the Masdar Iftar





































To give you a flavour of this exciting event in the history of the Masdar Institute, when all students, staff and Faculty came together as one to take Iftar here are some pictures of the event - for more details about the evening see the posting from August.
The Iftar took place in the ballroom at the Shangri La Hotel - a venue well known to us since we stayed there when we first visited Abu Dhabi and John lived there for two months when he first took up his post at Masdar.



Supermarket sweep

I feel like I am starting to get to know this fascinating city though I still have a long way to go. I seem to have spent a great deal of time analysing the various shopping opportunities in order to create a life for us both which is familiar, but at the same time different.
We now have a fully functioning kitchen with the arrival of the washing machine (much rejoicing on my part as it's doing laundry is a favourite hobby and pastime which runs in the family!) and a microwave which, despite its size and the fact that I had already bought two standard lamps, came home in the back of a taxi!
Mr Hameed from Ideal Curtains (050 621 0735 if anyone is reading this in Abu Dhabi and might need curtains) came up trumps, arriving yesterday afternoon with curtains for all the rooms which look fabulous and start to make the place feel more like home.
So having got the kitchen more or less fixed up, I decided to take a long hard look at all the supermarket options and spend a bit of time working out what I can get out here and what changes I may have to make. The answer seems to be, not many, as I am struggling to find any gaps in what we can buy over here. Marks & Spencer simply food only has a very small range but it's enough to provide some familiarity to the food cupboards including individual crumbles (John's favourite) and jars of cheese sauce! Spinneys and Abela are probably the most authentic reproductions of a UK supermarket and both have signficant pork sections though carefully screened off. Spinneys even do a range of Waitrose products which I'm not familiar with since we don't have Waitrose in Manchester. LuLu and the Abu Dhabi Co-operative Society seem to be the places to go for genuine Arabic food though I do find the layouts a bit of a challenge. In the end Carrefour has the advantage of being the biggest, having quite a lot of things I can normally only buy in France, a recognisable taxi rank (so you're not left waving manically at oncoming traffic whilst trying to stop the trolley from running away) and if someone has stuck an Arabic translation over the English instructions there's always a chance to read the French ones! I walked very slowly round Carrefour and tested it with a range of items I didn't think I could get. With help from another bemused English shopper we found proper Bisto and the sight of jars of Marmite nearly had me in tears at the thought of the gigantic jar still sitting in my desk in Hale. Washing powder only seems to come in powder or liquid form - none of those nice neat little sachets but then, do I really need sachets?! In Carrefours they don't seem to have minced beef but maybe I just missed it since they have everything else you could possibly think of.
So there's just one thing missing for which you need to go to a special shop or proffer a licence which I don't have (but John says that wine or the lack of it is becoming an overriding theme of this blog so I promise not to mention it again!)