Homesick and feeling blue

Well, I haven't written in a long time.  That just goes to show that we are settling into our new life here and there is nothing exciting to write about.  The past two weekends we have spent away.  The first weekend was for my birthday.  Paul surprised me with a weekend away at a resort without Evan.  What a treat!  Last weekend we went to another Emirate (RAK) and spent a night at a hotel and the day at a waterpark.  It was lots of fun. 

Today I was hit with a sudden bout of homesickness.  I don't know where it came from.  I have been holding it together so well.  All the holidays have passed with little sadness.  I have been so strong.  But I guess today I am really feeling the distance from those I love.  I can't believe I have been here six months already.  Time has really flown by. 

I guess I am just feeling tired today. 

I am tired of having to remain positive for Paul with his job search.  He is feeling frustrated and down about not being able to find work.  I am always the one that tries to keep positive and focused.  I don't know how many hours I have spent praying for doors to be opened for him.  I don't understand why he is having a hard time getting in.  I can't count the number of resumes and emails he has sent out.  He spends all day applying.  And, he has not received ONE phone call or interested response back. 

I am tired of working in a place that can be so emotionally draining.  I like what I do and things have turned around for the better.  But it is a constant struggle to remain positive there.  You are constantly being told what is wrong and hardly ever about what is right.  I KNOW that I am doing a great job but a little recognition would go a long way.  I am tired of all the drama that goes on and the constant fight amongst people to look better than others.  There is little teamwork (except with my FABULOUS KG English team) in the school and everyone is concerned with themselves.  It is all about making yourself look better than your colleagues and not about what is best for the kids.  GRRRRRR!!!  I guess I just have to learn how to play the game better.

I am tired of living in a small one-bedroom apartment.  I am tired of being woken up in the middle of the night with Evan wanting to come into our bed.  It is really exhausting. 

I am tired of not having the freedom like we did back home.  We don't have a car yet and I feel housebound.  We usually rent a car on the weekends, but it would be nice to go out during the week too. 

I am tired of being lonely.  I am SO thankful Paul and Evan are here, but I miss my family and friends from back home.  I would give anything to have a great friend across the road who I can go walking with or just laugh with.  I would love to go hang out at my parents and get a hug when I want one.  I would love to call up my sister and hang out for the day. But, having Jannie and her family here is a huge blessing for us.  I have made friends here and I am thankful for them in my life.  I would not have survived the first two months without them.

When things are tough you really begin to question if we made the right decision...

OK, quit the bitchin' D!  Pull it together!!!  109 days. 

Things...

So, as you can tell by the lack of blogs I have written lately, I am running out of things to write about.  Life is getting normal for us here.  I continue to work, Paul continues to look for work, and Evan is growing.  Nothing new.  I thought I would write a list of my favourite things about Dubai and what I miss about Canada.  These are in no particular order.

Things I love about Dubai:
- the new friends I have made
- living in the same country as Jannie again
- the weather
- the beaches
- the number of malls
- always something to do for children here
- the new experience every time we go somewhere
- the deals you can get through Groupon
- my students (most of the time)
- our new church
- cheap gas (about $0.46 a liter)
- the landscapes (mountains, gulf, desert)
- the skyscrapers
- cheap medicine.  I can get Panadol for children (like Tylenol) for $1.62 for a bottle.  WOW!
- healthcare system - it is so fast.  Paul walked in to the office, saw a doctor, had bloodwork and chest x-ray done and back out with the results and prescriptions in about 30 mins.
- living in a country that is radically different culturally

Things I miss from home:
- family
- friends
- our church
- having more than one bedroom - this place makes our old townhouse seem HUGE.  We had three floors of space all to ourselves.
- familiar foods
- knowing how things work (medical, banks etc).
- fast service - I have been waiting over three weeks to get an ATM replacement card.  This would NEVER happen with TD, right mom?
- seeing wildlife like rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, deer etc.  All we see here are camels and birds.
- Mr. Clean Magic Erasers
- being able to call my family and friends whenever I want.  Now I always have to think about what time it is in England, Ontario, Alberta, Jakarta
-  a good greasy spoon breakfast joint.  I don't think there is such a thing here.  Only buffets but they are later in the day.  If you know of any place, PLEASE let me know.  I am desperate for a good breakfast out.  I would give my left arm to eat at somewhere like the Cedar Kitchen
- the scenery
- the snow
- only cleaning the house once a week.  It gets SO dusty here that I (or should I say Paul) have to dust ALL the time and clean the floors ALL the time.
- 24 hour grocery stores
- winter sports.  If I want to go skiing here I have to do it in a mall.

We are still enjoying our time here but looking forward to being home in 143 days.  Flights are booked and we will be home July 3rd.  YAY! Who knows...we may even venture out west to see my baby brother and his wife and their new GORGEOUS son (Jase). 

Paleo...11 Days in

So January 1st I made the leap to eating Paleo.  First, I must say that this in NOT a diet but a lifestyle.  LOL!  My famous quote.  Anyone who knows me knows how much I LOVE eating things that aren't good for me.  Anything that is sugary or bready I will eat with pleasure.  This was a HUGE adjustment for me.  A typical day for me would be coffee for breakfast, bread with cream cheese for lunch, lots of "snacks" (nerds, chocolate bars, popcorn, chips and MAYBE an apple) and then a good dinner.  After dinner I would snack on all things "bad".  The last week of December I had a feast enjoying all my favourite things.  I was also mourning the loss of such foods.  January 1st was THE DAY all things would change.

The first three days were REALLY hard.  I felt like crap and was craving breads and sugars.  All I wanted was a nice piece of french bread with butter and sugar on it. I did not give in!  I was going to give this lifestyle change an honest go.  The next few days got much easier and I craved breads less and less.  The sugar still remains a battle.  I still want it all the time. 

For those of you who don't know what Paleo is, it is basically eating like they did back in the hunter/gatherer days.  Back then, food wasn't as processed and manufactured like it is today.  It consists of eating a lot of meat, veg, some fruit, safe starches (potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice etc) and a good amount of good, healthy oils (coconut, butter).  Everything now is lathered in a generous helping of coconut oil or butter.  There are also other uses and benefits to coconut oil.  I use it in my hair and it is SO soft.  I also use it as a moisturizer.  Just Google the benefits of coconut oil and you too will use it.  There are foods that are forbidden such as gluten or breads, sugar (natural sugar from fruit is OK in moderation), unhealthy oils (sunflower, canola, vegetable etc). 

After 11 days I can't say that I feel much different.  I have lost a little weight, but that is not the primary reason I am doing this.  I just feel better.  I have a little more energy (but still nap daily!  lol).  I feel less "heavy".  I am not sure if this is just because I am aware of what I am eating.  Or, is it because that bread is not sitting in my belly?  I am not sure. 

If you are interested in reading more about the Paleo lifestyle I suggest you look at the following links and books:
http://perfecthealthdiet.com/

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/#axzz2HeitiLcy

The Perfect Health Diet book http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Health-Diet-Regain-Weight/dp/145169914X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357895235&sr=8-1&keywords=the+perfect+health+diet

The Wheat Belly book http://www.amazon.com/Wheat-Belly-Lose-Weight-Health/dp/1609611543/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357895319&sr=8-1&keywords=wheat+belly

Christmas in Dubai

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  Well, we did it.  We had our first Christmas away from our families.  It was a tough time but we did it.  We had a great Christmas despite being in a new country.  It was very surprising to us to see how Christmas is celebrated here.  All over the malls you see signs saying "Merry Christmas!".  We didn't once see "Happy Holidays" or a "holiday tree".  It was blatantly Christmas - no hiding it.  Such a change from back home where people are afraid to mention Christ.  It figures that when we go to a Muslim country we are more free to say "Merry Christmas" than we are at home.  All the malls are decorated with Christmas themes.  Most malls have something to do related to the holidays.  We went to a mall and made a gingerbread house.  It was a lot of fun. Evan was really good at eating the icing and candies.  He would take a bite off and put the rest back in the house for later.  So cute!  No wonder he didn't get to sleep until 11:30 that night.

Christmas Eve we went to church and wrapped presents while watching Home Alone and drinking hot chocolate.  It was a nice evening.  Christmas morning Evan woke up just before 9.  We put the coffee on and began opening presents.  Evan was spoiled by his family and by his new friends here in Dubai (the people I work with.  Thanks Charlene and Kristin!).  He got a great balance bike called a Y-bike.  He loves bombing around the complex on it.  He especially loves going over the bumps.

Ooooohhh...what is in there?  THOMAS!!!

We then had a delicious bacon and egg breakfast.  Bacon is now a very special and rare thing for us.  We used to have it almost every weekend.  Now we will have it on special occasions.  It is really expensive to buy here (and you get it from the non-Muslim section in the grocery store).  After breakfast we cleaned up and had family nap time.  YES!!!  We got up and headed to my friend's house.  There we had a delicious Christmas dinner with all the fixings.  We had turkey, ham, twice-baked potatoes, veg, country biscuits stuffing and cranberries.  It was so good.  Evan did not eat this as he despises eating anything other than french fries and fried eggs.  So, he had his own Christmas feast of Fishy crackers.  After the kids went to bed we had a nice fire outside.  It was such a blessing to us to be able to spend Christmas with great friends.  Thanks Jannie and Ryan, Joseph and Alice.  We would not have survived the season without you!  Here are some pictures of our Christmas.

A foggy Christmas morning

Evidence of a delicious meal.  Notice how Paul is still eating?  He is on his third plate!

Our Christmas tree with stocking hung above a fire

I want to take this time to thank you all for your prayers, emails, messages and support as we live our Dubai Dream.  I am so thankful to have amazing family and friends!  You are all missed more than words can say.  I pray that you will have a blessed 2013 making memories with your families, having laughs with your friends and knowing and loving the Saviour more.  May God bless you all in the new year.