Oops! Our bad

Oops is right.

The one person who can sign my bank letter went home without doing that. See, in this country you need a letter to do everything... including open a bank account.

DAMN. I really wanted to cash my first check today (it's for 17 days of work). Sadly, now I cannot go to the Dubai Shopping Festival this weekend!

Maybe that's a good thing tho...

They already know all about me

A coworker sent me THIS today. 

I told him it was for girls that couldn't cut it on the roller derby track. But maybe this would be a good alternative for the Middle East. They do like cage fighting. 

All I keep hearing in my head is Craig's voice, "Elysia, you can either cover the news or make it. You shouldn't do both." 

True journalists

I work with an old-school kinda journalism mentality. I cannot tell you how happy it makes me. 

Flash back to the 1960s when journalists were eager, hard-drinking, cynical, smoking-at-their-desks, smart, foul-mouthed, workaholics. That's what I'm talking about. It's kinda like all the stories I used to hear. 

I think I'm living that dream. So far, I can safely say that all of the above is true. Even the smoking at their desks thing (people DO THAT here). HR, what's that? Oh, and the hard drinking... 

But seriously, people here, although still very early, are full of passion and drive. And it's contagious. I would love to post the email that was sent out this morning but I won't. Everything here is still very "secret" since we are not yet publishing. Even our paper's name is secret meaning THE STAFF doesn't even know it. (Rumor has it that it will be announced at a name launch party in late February.)

EVERYONE keeps asking me, "How is work?" and "Do you like your job?" My apologies for not being more detailed (call me if you want details ; ). But yea, thumbs up so far. 

Amusing thing of the week

Big value, low prices: Everyday I am amazed at how cheap most things cost. Don't get me wrong, some things are expensive but generally food and clothing are cheap. Ever time I go out to lunch I am blown away. Two days ago I went to an amazing Indian restaurant and ordered: Naan, mutter paneer, pineapple raita (!!!), rice and bottled water. All of that included all the sauces and an appetizer as well. The cost? $8 (That's in US dollars). With the cheap price is all the added tip and no sales tax.. meaning $8 was the whole price.

 

What are the cheap things?

A gallon of gas: About $0.47... yes cents. Apparently it went up by about $0.20 last year. 

A can of Coke: $0.30

A gallon of ice cream: $1.50

A pair of women's flats (shoes): Got a "Target-like" pair last week for about $5. 

An average cab ride: $1.50-$3 (includes tip)

A name-brand flat screen 36" LCD TV (includes delivery and installation): $700

Dry cleaning: Got about 25 items done (washed and pressed) for $10. 

An ice cream cone from McDonalds: $0.30

Monthly electric/water bills (rumored): Around $5

A 50 minute deep-tissue massage (includes full use of Spa facility that includes pools, beach, etc): $68 

Cellphones and minutes: $138 (included a super nice Nokia, SIM card and 40AED of talk time which I am still using.. you can buy just a cellphone here for $30). 

A yoga punch card (includes 10 classes that run one hour and 30 minutes each): $95

What is expensive?

Mailing a simple letter (light) to the U.S.: $12

Buying 4 items from the MAC makeup store: $150

Buying one hour of SLOW Internet: $5

Buying a pint of cold cider: $11 (Anything bought at a hotel has an added 16% for service/tourist fees. This is sad because all bars are located at hotels.)

Rent: $2000 

Which crazy event of the day should I post?

Let's see... 

There was my Pakistani taxi driver who was all talk about the Taliban and their facial hair. Or there's the story about picking up my laundry and how I got into a 20 minute argument about how the extra pair of pants he was trying to give me were not mine. Then there's that one about the Lebanese business man proposing to me in my hotel lobby.

Makes me wonder what will happen today. 

Home sweet hotel

Yes, I'm still living in a hotel.

I'm still eating room service. Still finding chocolate on my pillow. Still watching wonderful programs like "Shaq's Big Challange."

My apartment is ready. It's just not "ready" ready. It's built but it doesn't have electricity yet. And nobody knows when it will have electricity. Sort of a bummer. Sort of not.

It comes down to this really: Hotel is free and apartment is not and I don't start paying for the apartment until I move in. Did I mention how much rent is? It's about $2000 a month.... AND apparently that's a DEAL.

I did get a quick look at my apartment last week though.
This is what I'll be moving into (eventually). OH! And I got us a one bedroom on the top floor. Woohoo "penthouse"!


Outside of building
It's located a few blocks from work (actually very close.. which saves me cab money) and is snug in the middle of a lively neighborhood (cafes, laundry, grocery stores, restaurants).


Living room/bedroom
Not one in the same. It's just that both photos look so similar so I just posted one. I think the windows in the bedroom are larger and more square. Both rooms are good size.


Bathroom
Kinda smallish (but bigger than the last bathroom I had). It comes complete with sink, toilet, shower/bathtub AND a BIDET!



Kitchen minus appliances
Stove and fridge sold separately... meaning I have to buy them. Apartments in the UAE do not come "furnished." I hear we are lucky to even have kitchen cabinets.

Wow.

It's raining again. Actually, it's raining a lot.

Crazy.

It does feel like Washington today.

A little piece of Washington

There's been a few reminders of Washington, and of Michigan as well.

Let's see:

-Seattle's Best at the mall
-Starbucks at the mall

-Michigan State basketball on TV

-White Stripes on TV

-Mention of "going to Tacoma" in "Bee Movie"

-Saw a man wearing a Dirtbombs shirt

But nothing beats a visitor.

It shouldn't be this hard

I'm starting to discover why they don't have address mail service. 

Granted, I bitched about my packages taking three hours to ship and how they arrived in pieces (literally) but you could not imagine how hard it was to send a letter here. 

Yesterday I needed to send two letters to the United States: A birthday card to my father and a letter to Wes containing all the information about the boxes that are smashed so he can start a claim. 

I needed to buy an envelope to mail the paperwork and stamps for each letter. Basically, it went like this: Press a button, take a ticket, wait in line. Repeat over and over again. 

The same line that sells stamps does not sell envelopes. The same line that postmarks your letter does not sell stamps or envelopes. You get the idea. 

Once I pay $40 US to mail TWO letters (!!!), get the stamps on, get the addresses correct and get them postmarked, I head downstairs (because mailing letters is not in the same place you do all that other stuff). Once I get downstairs I get lost in a sea of P.O. Boxes. I cannot find a mailbox. 

Eventually I find two red boxes side-by-side that sort of look like mailboxes, but I was still unsure. They are not marked with anything to indicate that they are, in fact, mailboxes.

Me: Man, these seem too small to be mailboxes. Excuse me! Do I mail letters here?

Some guy: I don't know. 

Me: Yea, I don' know either. 

Me: Excuse me, do letters go in here? Mailbox? 

Some other guy: Oh, yes!

There is an important thing I've learned here when hearing the reply, "Oh, yes!" ... it does not mean what you think it does all of the time. An "oh, yes!" is often misused by those who do not speak very good English. 

EXAMPLE: Getting into a taxi I request, "Please take me to a mall that is NOT Marina Mall. NO MARINA MALL." His reply? "Oh, yes!" Where do we end up? Marina Mall. 

I am convinced that an "oh, yes!" response is often to get English speakers like myself to shut up. There is also the "no problem!" that does the same. 

It will be interesting to see how my gamble with the "oh, yes!" pans out this time. As one of my co-workers said at lunch, "You probably ended up putting them in the trash."

Let me know when/if those letters arrive!

No go... for now.

Looks like my shopping trip to Dubai is postponed until next weekend. My partner in crime and I agreed to wait for a number of reasons. The most important reason? We get PAID next week for the WHOLE month!

With most things being closed today I'm taking it easy. Had a giant brunch at the hotel, lounging at a cafe in the mall now and at 3p.m. I will be taking in "Bee Movie."

Hey, it's not Dubai or anything but it's something!

Too dangerous

Looks like I may be heading to Dubai this weekend with some co-workers. Why? Well, it's the beginning of the shopping festival — Dubai Shopping Festival 2008 to be exact. 

Really, it's WAY OVER THE TOP. We're talking fireworks, music, carnival rides, fashion shows and food (actually another festival inside this festival). 

My bank account is trembling. 

Click HERE to read more about it. 

Prince Charles at my hotel today (sort of)

Well, Prince Charles' hologram self actually. He didn't show up and join me for coffee or anything. Still though, kinda cool and interesting.

Check out the link (by clicking on the title of this post) to read more and see the video.

This just in

Elysia has gotten her "design groove" back. 

I'm really starting to get into this project now. 

::phew::

Sex does NOT sell

I keep telling people I am in Las Vegas. It's the closest comparison I can come up with.

Think about it.

I am in the desert.
It is warm all of the time. And it is hot most of the time.
Hotels are abundant. Everything is big and flashy.
Buffets, big shows (Elton John is tonight), taxis, over-the-top malls and conventions galore (my hotel is currently hosting the World Future Energy Summit).

But Abu Dhabi lacks one thing Vegas is famous for: Sin.

Abu Dhabi is the pure Vegas. Alcohol and clubs are tucked away at hotels. Gambling? What's that? Needless to say, you can forget about anything related to sex.

Advertising never features half-clothed women (or men). There are no pouty lips or daring necklines.

Going in to have a Mudslide (last night's craving) at the TGIF even turned up this.
(Look closely at all of the drink names.)



Have you ever drank a "Fun on the Beach"?

This is a true story

Buildings don't have addresses here. No, I am not joking.
And with that, there are no postal services in receiving mail. Nothing will ever be delivered to my apartment. Sure you can get mail in the UAE. Sure you can send it out. But to receive mail here you must have a P.O. Box and that costs (lots of) money. Therefor, I will not be buying a P.O. Box. Like everyone else at work, I'll be mooching off of the company.

Send all love to:

Elysia Smith
Abu Dhabi Media Company
English language newspaper
P.O. Box 791
Abu Dhabi
United Arab Emirates

The mail will find me. Packages are OK through the P.O. Box as well... just make sure they are sturdy boxes (see previous post on shipping boxes).

Bnîn (TRANSLATION: Delicious!)

One of the things my hotel does really well is breakfast. Every day from 6 a.m. until noon it has the most amazing breakfast buffet. For 75 Dirham (or about 20 USD) you can eat until you burst.

For me it depends on how I am feeling that day. If I'm not super hungry I will generally go to the cafe in the lobby and get a pot of tea and a pastry for about $3 (USD). By far, the cheaper (but less impressive) option.

Today I had the "fancy breakfast" so I could show you a few of the joys and wonders.

The breakdown is basically this: There are multiple stations and each has a theme. Juices, fruits, Middle Eastern, hot foods, cheeses (yes! a cheese station), lunch meats, breads, pastries and cereals. I think that covers all of them. Oh, and at the hot station stands a chef who will make whatever you can't find at the buffet.

25 different kinds of fresh squeezed juice. Not to mention the other side that features smooties.


My course number one: Orange juice, rice cereal with strawberries, coffee and pastries.


One of the many stations.


Not only do they specialize in good regular breakfast foods but also in VERY exotic things (exotic to Americans). Beside having things like white kiwi fruit, emirates cheese and veal bacon they totally caught me off guard today when they replaced the "soya milk" (this is what soy milk is called). Instead of soya milk they offered CAMEL MILK.



When I arrived at work I was informed that camel milk is like Middle Eastern Viagra. A co-worker of mine, who's lived in the Middle East far long than I, once gave a stray kitten camel milk. Sadly, the Viagra effect must have been too strong for it because it died.

A few sights around Abu Dhabi

Here's a few snap shots from my walk on Saturday afternoon. I apologize for the crappy quality but I have limited battery power. Soon we'll get a better camera.

Giant fountain outside of my hotel.
Each traffic circle actual has some type of sculpture or fountain like this. When it gets warm outside people tend to play in them.


GIANT portrait of Abu Dhabi's beloved leader.
What his name is? Yea... I forget.

Close up.


Abu Dhabi and the water.

Crystal clear.


Self portrait. (Note: I am shielding my eyes from the insanely bright sun.)


Look who's coming to town.
Who said the UAE doesn't enjoy the gays?


Marina Mall (AKA The Circus)


Girl rides mechanical camel. Elysia sees this and leaves.

Three hours at the post office and $1500 later

"Special delivery!" indeed.

This has to be the biggest joke ever. You would have never had guessed that fragile was stamped all over these things. "Kick me"... "Throw this package down a few flights of stairs" would have been much more believable.

Part of me thinks I should be crying at the sight of it... but, seriously, I can't help but laugh out loud. I mean, look at these things!

The international postage came with insurance (sort of). Each package is worth about $150. Most of the stuff is fine.. well... everything is fine except all of my dishes. Worst part? My pastel polka-dotted ice cream bowls are in a millions pieces.

What a girl in the desert does on her weekends

Being stuck at my hotel has it's advantages and disadvantages. I discovered that on the weekend the advantages far out weigh the disadvantages.

Here's a short list of what I did this weekend:

Soaked: I used the spa on Friday. And I basically used it all day. Private beach, multiple pools, steam room, mineral bath pools, sauna and a 90 minute Indian massage which, by the end, had my head soaked in oil to "concentrate my third eye." After shower 15 I think i've managed to get all the oil out of my hair. Needless to say, but, I am now very shiny. My day at the spa was $95 USD. Try to get a 90 minute massage and a day at the spa for that price in America.

Circus Mall: So I've been visiting the various malls in the area. I know what you're thinking, "How tourist/American of you, Elysia." But you're totally wrong. EVERYTHING is at the mall. Movie theaters, bowling, karaoke, Internet cafes... You also have your normal 1000 shops and restaurants. But, at the Marina Mall there is SO MUCH more. Walking into the food court I swore I had stepped into the Circus Circus circa "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." I was just waiting for someone to rush up to me and ask me,"How much for the monkey?" I guess I shouldn't have been so surprised because the outside of Marina Mall is looks like a chain of white circus tents. I became very overwhelmed when I saw a kid ridding a mechanical camel around. I mean, I just wasn't ready or expecting to see that next to the Burger King.

The big walk around: After the mall I headed outside for the rest of Saturday and did some tourist stuff. Mostly looking at the water and trying to take pictures of things I thought people would find interesting. (Most of my pictures suck. I was basically pointing-and-shooting before my batteries died. My apologies ahead of time. I'll post pictures later.)

Watched WAY TOO MUCH TV: I am totally guilty of eating chocolate and snuggling in bed ...watching ridiculous amounts of television this weekend. I'm sorry, but when you don't have anyone to do anything with and you don't feel like walking around anymore that's what happens. "Bridget Jones' Diary" and E!'s True Story on Snoop Dogg kept me company.

Best day off gift ever!

Oh shit, son. Camel racing is on! 

Guess what I'll be doing today...