Been a while
It's been a long time since there's been a blog update and people have been asking Mom. So she is going to write a long one.Starting off with the tea I went to with the meet up group that I was headed to at the end of the last post, here are photos.
We had a nice time and it was actually in the Waldorf Astoria that Marcus and I stayed in when we came here for his interview. It was fun to dress up and have some lady time. The gluten free scones were crumbly but that isn't surprising. The sandwiches were yummy and the desserts were all custard-type, creme brûlée, a custard, a pudding, something else. It was a while ago so I forget, but I didn't get any cakes :(. One of the girls from the meetup has become a pretty good friend and we meet up for shisha sometimes. We also went with the, to this place called HubZero, it is an indoor theme park type thing. It was kind of like DisneyQuest if anyone remembers that. My favorite was the spy one where you went through a room without tripping any of the alarm lasers while having to touch certain parts of the wall. I also like the virtual reality zombie shooting game and this thing where you climbed up various things, rock wall, cubbyhole wall, a series of taller pillars, and then one where you jump from a platform and try to grab on to a handle. Marcus and I have also gone out to dinner a few times with some of the other girls and their husbands.
India
Marcus and I went to Goa, India for 6 days, from Sept 16-21. It was out first vacation since being here and it was nice to get away. It was the end of monsoon season which was fine with us because I miss rain! It was nice to go to sleep to the sound of rain and waves crashing each night when we were at the first hotel, Grand Hyatt Goa. We went to Old Goa the first day where we went to a bunch of cathedrals as it was the capital when Goa was under Portuguese rule. Here are some photos from all the cathedrals. We also went to the ruins of an old church and also to an old fort. If you'd like to see all the photos for our India trip, email me and I can send you a link.
The remains were of St. Francis Xavier. They had his casket for transporting him (the bones have gone to other places on occasion from what we were told) in one place and then his
bones in the other casket that you could see in to.
After the cathedrals we tried to go to the Sanctuary of St. Joseph Vaz but the museum was closed, so we still went around the grounds, and I crossed myself with some water.
Then went to the Shri Manguesh Temple, photos were not allowed inside so here are some of the outside.
Then down South to eat at Zeebop and walk around the beach.
I also made friends with a doggie on the beach there. She just wanted love. I think someone put blue paint on her. I hope it was to mark her as their own and not as abuse. I gave her lots of pets and threw her a coconut, she fetched it! I would have loved to take her home.
There were also cows EVERYWHERE. They just walk through traffic and lie in the middle of the road and stop traffic. It was nuts. There were also a lot of stray dogs and that broke my heart. I didn't take many photos of them because it made me ache.
We also went to the main market in Goa where locals buy their clothes, flowers, food, everything really. I had a salwar khameez with dupatta made for myself. I bought the fabric at one stall and the brought it to another for sticking. Here are some photos of the process and the result.
One day we just hung out at the hotel and went to the spa, then the bottomless brunch, and then the pool.
As we boarded the plane for our trip back the captain was talking to everyone as they got on. Marcus and the captain started talking about air traffic and flying in the Middle East. Shortly into the flight the business class flight attendant came back and told us that the captain was inviting us up to talk. So, we went up to the front where we were served champagne, talked for 30 or so minutes and then told to go ahead and sit in business class for the rest of the flight.
Trip Home
In October I was able to go home to the US for a short trip for my friend Catherine's wedding. About a month before I randomly checked ticket prices again which had been way too much and got a ticket to Washington DC for only 618$ on KLM via Amsterdam. I snapped it up. Unfortunately Marcus could not come as he would not have been able to get the days off.On the way there I got to do something really cool and get Finn, a rescued stray dog from the UAE to his new home in Amsterdam. Rescuing organizations will look for flight buddies who are flying to a place where a dog has been adopted to and then you bring them as a checked bag to their new home, no cost to you, just some extra papers to carry and have to bring the dog through customs. It was easy and his family was waiting, I had a 7 hour layover which was ample time to go out to claim him and then back through security.
 |
| In Dubai before we left |
 |
| Once I claimed him in Amsterdam |
My parents flew up from Florida to see me as they will not be able to come to Dubai until next year at the earliest. We stayed at the Borgelt's house out in Hamilton, VA. They are my other family who I lived with when I first moved to DC for grad school and who I have known since 8th grade. My parents and I hiked a short portion of the Appalachian trail which was fun and very pretty.
I was able to see my and Marcus's good friends Mike and Ginger and meet their baby, Lachlyn. The three of us had a great night of catching up and drinking a lot of wine.
The wedding was beautiful and held at a winery quite close to the Borgelt's home, only about 15 minutes away. My parents and I had a great time dancing, we only knew the bride and her parents and I also knew one of her brothers.
While I was in NoVA I also went shopping. I went to Michael's to buy myself some fall decorations as you could find a lot of Halloween decorations in Dubai, but no fall, which make sense since they don't really have seasons. I bought myself sparkly pumpkins, a pinecone, potpourri mix that smelled like cinnamon, and a scarecrow. I also bought myself a bunch of candy. York peppermint patties (yet to be found in the UAE) and USA made rolos and snickers as the ones sold in the UAE are made in the UK and they taste different. I also brought back my allotted 5 bottles of duty free wine. 2 local wines from NoVA, and 3 wines from total wine that we like and that either aren't sold in the UAE or are way too expensive. (Alcohol is taxed at 30% and there is a mark up anyway to begin with). I also bought some clothes and other random things. I had brought an entire empty suitcase with me (since I got two for international) and filled the whole thing up.
I was also able to drive down to DC and go to brunch with my old crew. It was so nice to see them and to also meet one of my friend's new babies. We had a great time catching up and talking about our lives.
Visitors
Once I got back, Catherine and Jeremy arrived for a short stopover on their way to their honeymoon in New Zealand. We took them to the souks and on a dhow ride and went dune bashing in 4-wheelers. It was nice.
Other news
Other news is I have gotten a job. I interviewed before I left for the US and got an offer right before I left. I am working as an assistant manager at "Dubai's most expensive gym." It involves keeping high maintenance people happy. It is okay. I like one of my co-workers a lot, she is a fellow American. She grew up in the Amish part of Ohio like Marcus is from the Amish part of Pennsylvania and was a dairy farmer. She is great. We've gone out a few times and Marcus has played golf with her husband. I continue to look for a job in my field.More visitors
Marcus's coworkers from the US came a day or so before I started my job. We were able to go to the Burj Al Arab for tea with them. Marcus brought them around to other places once I starting working. I was able to join for other various adventures such as the wine bar. They had a great time while they were here and might come back some day.
For Thanksgiving we were invited to a lady who works out at the gym's house. It was probably about 40 or so people, mainly all American except for a few married in Brits and others here and there. I could eat a lot of the food, just not the green bean casserole or stuff like that and it was soooooo good. Turkey, ham (best ham is Dubai yet, as pork is hard to come by and not always that great), German potato salad, sweet potato, crudités, other stuff I can't remember and I made Pumpkin Streusel tart, like pumpkin pie on serious, much better. We had a great time.
Our friends Jessica and Kevin who have been living in the UK for the last two years are moving back to the US and decided to take some trips along the way. They went to the Maldives and had layovers in Dubai for about 15 or so hours on the way there and back, so they stayed with us. On their way there we went out to dinner at this place called the Meat Company which is a delicious steakhouse and they saw some friends from Abu Dhabi. Then they went on their trip and on their way back stayed with us again. It was a Friday so I got off work at 1PM. Jessica and I went for coffee and a manicure and pedicure and Kevin slept as he will be starting work in the US in just a few days. After leaving Dubai they were headed to Hong Kong for a few days before going to California to live.
Next Trip
Right now we are 36,000 feet above the earth on our way to Romania where we will spend a day before going to Germany where we will meet Mike and Ginger and Lachlyn. We're going to go to the Christmas markets and drink mulled wine and enjoy ourselves. We are also taking a train to Salzburg, Austria and spending a night there. Rupert is staying with Marcus's coworker Chantelle. She has two dogs of her own, a Jack Russell mix and a Saluki mix. He will have a good time bunking with them.Until next time,
Mom dog out
