Visa Run

Hello from sunny Dubai.  I must admit I am a bit jealous seeing all the pictures of Facebook of the snow.  I do miss the first snow of the year.  The weather here continues to be about 30' during the day and around 22' at night.  We don't need to turn on the AC anymore.  We can open the windows at night and feel a breeze.  Not much has happened since the last time I wrote.  We did do a visa run to Oman.  In order for Paul and Evan's visa to be accepted they had to leave the country and re-enter.  So, we made a road trip to Oman.  We rented a car and set out.  It took just over an hour and a half to get there.  We passed through gorgeous desert scenery.  We had to be on the lookout for camels at all times.  Apparently if you hit one you will be fined 10,000 dirhams (around $2700 CAD). There is not much of wildlife here.  There are some really nice birds, camels, lizards and lots of stray cats that are really thin. Thedrive was so nice.  It was great to see the real desert.  At times I forget that we are living in a desert because we are surrounded by a great, magnificent city. After passing many security stops (around 5) heading out of Dubai, we arrived at the border.  There was a small trailer where you had to go to get the exit stamp.  If I wasn't watching we would have missed it.  There were no signs or warnings to let you know you were there.  After we got the exit stamp we headed a little further down the road to another gate.  We headed back to the Dubai border.  We went into another roody-poo building and stood in line only to find out that we missed a step.  We forgot we had to go to Oman.  We only left Dubai and didn't actually enter Oman.  So, we got back in the car and headed to Oman.  We drove about 10 minutes down the road and saw  the building we needed to enter.  We got there and headed into the building.  There were about 100 people ahead of us.  I played dumb and asked a security guard where to go.  He took us to another counter and we were served right away.  We were able to bypass the lines.  YAY!  Then I found out I had to pay 200 dhms for the processing.  So, I go to a bank machine and get out 200 dhms (or so I thought).  Turns out I took out 200 Oman rials.  This converts to about 2000 dhms!  Oops!  Thankfully there was a bank there that converted it back for me.  We got the entry/exit stamp and headed back to Dubai.  We went back to the border and were processed fairly quickly.  Paul had to do an eye scan and we were able to leave (but not before stopping at Duty Free to get cigs.  They were super cheap!  Around $30 CAD for a carton.  Less than $3 a pack).  It took about 4 hours from the time we left home to the time we returned home.  It was also really interesting to see what locals do for fun here.  We passed so many camp "sites"  It is just random tents set up in the desert.  People go here on the weekend and spend the weekend 4x4ing.  We are going to try it sometime. All in all, it was a successful visa run.  It was fun just driving around and seeing lots.


Nothing else is really new here.  Paul is still looking for work and waiting to hear back from the 100 resumes he sent out.  Evan is doing well at nursery.  He cries when I leave but then does OK.  I am going to put him in the preschool here for second term as a listener.  This means I won't have to pay tuition but he can still participate in the class.  He knows more than any other child in the preschool.  He knows and can identify all the letters and can count to 20.  He knows his colours and shapes.  My kid is brilliant (or at least I think so)!  I think he would benefit from something more stimulating than playing all day.











We have also been enjoying seeing more of Dubai.  We went to a great beach called Kite Beach.  It is popular for kiteboarding.  There were lots of people playing volleyball and soccer on the beach.  And, the Burj AlArab was really close.













This week is super busy getting ready for National Day (or should I say National WEEKS!).  There is so much time being spent in getting ready for this day.  At school it is a really big deal, as well as all over the city.  It is like there is a competition to see who can have the biggest flag on their houses/buildings/cars.  I will try to get some pictures because it is something to see.  The people here are so thankful to the government because of all that they do.  It is how they show their appreciation for the sheikh and his family. That is all for now.  Until next time...

Desert camping!

Settling in

We are finally settling into our new life here in Dubai as a family of three.  Evan is doing so good at nursery.  He doesn't cry or anything.  There are about 6-8 kids there and two nannies that watch them.  He loves going to the beach and park with us.  He is also in love with the trains and airplanes here.  Paul is doing well.  He is busy looking for work while Evan and I are at school.  Hopefully something will come through soon.  The sponsorship stuff is almost all done.  I went last Thursday to do all the paperwork.  What a process!  First, I have to get all my documents together (this in itself is no small task!).  Once I had everything together I had to go to a typing center.  There, they fill out all the paperwork and put it in Arabic.  Good thing all my documents were there and attested beforehand.  Then, I have to go next door to the immigration office.  I take a number and sit.  After about an hour, it is my turn.  I go to the counter just to be told that they can't serve me there because they don't have the authority to grant the visa because I am a woman sponsoring my family. WHAT?!?  Really?  I have to go to the head office in the city.  So, I take a bus to the metro and walk to the immigration building.  Once I finally find the department I need I am ushered into a women-only lounge.  There were about 30 people ahead of me.  It didn't take too long.  I was able to get it approved and get the paper right away.  Now for the process to be complete we have to leave the country and re-enter.  So, the plan is to go to Oman this weekend to get the stamp on the passport.  It will be about 1.5 hour drive.  We will rent a car and make a day of it.  Hopefully there will be something to see in Oman. That is all that has been going on this week.  School is OK for me.  I don't love what I do, but I don't hate it either.  I am struggling to put aside everything I learned in teacher's college to cater to what the parents want to see.  Some things are so backwards and crazy here.  I feel like I am at times attacked because of the Arabic/English divide, even within the school structure itself.  There is a double-standard for the staff here.  It makes me so angry and sad.  My prayer (and you can pray too) is that I will have the heart of a servant and to be a light in this school. I am including some more pictures so you can see some more of Dubai (and Evan).

Beach rules

My KG1 Class all dressed up for Eid.

Evan at a mall

CAMEL!!!!!

Evan checking out the bridge/fountain at church

The Boys are Back in Town

Well, a lot has happened since I wrote last.  Obviously, first and foremost, my boys are here!  Finally!!!  I picked them up from the airport last Thursday.  It was like a scene from a movie.  I saw them walking down the hall.  I broke through the security barrier and ran towards them with tears streaming down my face.  Evan sees me and his face lights up.  He shrieks "Momma!!!"  We hugged and kissed.  Paul was also happy to see me.  I took Evan out of his stroller and he took my hand and was showing me things around the airport.  It was as if we were never apart.  He didn't play strange or anything.  I imagined that he would want nothing to do with me.  We took a taxi back home.  Evan was so excited to not have to sit in a car seat and could sit on our lap.  Evan and Paul hadn't been in the country more than an hour and we lost Evan.  Yep, no where to be seen.  We were putting the suitcases in the house while Evan was pushing his stroller around the hallway.  We went back out of the house to get him and didn't see him anywhere.  I went to the elevator, pushed the up button and there was Evan looking sheepishly.  It was so scary.  When we got home we played for about an hour and put Evan to sleep in his new big-boy bed. 

We laid low the first day they were here and stayed close to home.  Evan seemed to have his days and nights mixed up for about 4 days.  He wanted to sleep all day and play every morning from 1-4.  It was very tiring.  I am so glad I was off this week to deal with the lack of sleep.  This week we went to the Dubai mall (the biggest mall in the world).  We saw the biggest aquarium and the fountain show.  The fountains were playing "I will always love you".  It was so romantic.  After the fountains we walked around the mall some more.  Note to self: do not bring a jet lagged son to a huge mall on the busiest shopping day of the year!  It was a disaster.  He had a melt-down on the way home in the metro.  There was nothing we could do to help him.  All his dreams did come true though...he went on a airplane, a taxi, a metro train and a bus all in two days. 

We rented a car for the week.  This was so nice.  We were able to do what we wanted without relying on taxis.  We went to Jumeriah Beach Park one day.  That was so fun.  Evan loved playing in the Gulf in the warm water.  He was also easily amused with the freshwater showers and wanted to play in them.  After the beach we went for a drive of Dubai.  We drove down the Palm and saw Atlantis.  We also saw the Burj Al Arab (the only 7-star hotel).  We also celebrated Evan's first Halloween.  He didn't want to wear his fuzzy lion costume that we brought from home.  I don't blame him as it was over 30' that night.  He loved saying "Trick or Treat" and getting a trick every time.  People here aren't familiar with Halloween because he got some unwrapped candies and baked goods.  At home, this would never fly.

The next day we spend driving around Dubai and exploring the city.  We saw a lot of boats along the creek unloading goods from various parts of the world.  It was amazing to see TV's and fridges, tires and fruit, clothes and spices all coming off these boats.  I would never sail across any water in these ships.  I will post pictures when we get a proper cord to transfer them off the camera as ours was left in Canada.

On Thursday we went to a waterpark called Dreamland.  It was fantastic.  It was about an hour outside of the city.  It wasn't too busy as there weren't many tourists there...only expats.  You need a car to get out there.  The waterpark was amazing.  It was big and spacious.  There were lots of things for people to do.  There was a huge kids area.  Evan had a lot of fun on the waterslides and standing under a big bucket that dumps water on you.  He also enjoyed the lazy river and going on the big-people slides with mom and dad.  His favourite was the black hole.  You couldn't see where you were going until the end.  He is obsessed with tunnels and bridges right now and loved going through the black tunnel.  There were also some animals there (monkeys, deer, rabbits, donkey).  It was a great day!  On the way home we saw lots of camels roaming the desert. 

The transition has been a pretty smooth one.  Evan and Paul both like it here.  Thankfully Evan has been sleeping through the night for the past few nights.  He doesn't like to stay in his bed though.  We are now sleep-training him into his new bed.  We wake up in the morning and he is somehow in our bed every day.  We don't remember him getting in or hearing him.  He just appears.  That is the downside of sharing one bedroom.  Hopefully this will end soon.  Please remember us in your prayers this week.  Paul will be looking for a job and Evan will be transitioning to nursery.  Until next time...