Tony's Tales: Welcome to Dubai

Well it's been some time since our Farewell to Hong Kong blog, but it is only now that we can report on the sequel: Welcome to Dubai. Of course it took some time for our household goods to arrive, but more to the point was that Melissa and the kids enjoyed a month in Melbourne while the (northern year) school holidays were on. Those school holidays end in a week (and that new school year will no doubt be the subject of a future Frencham family blog).

For now, we have all arrived in Dubai and the furniture is in and the house is operational, with only the paintings to go on the wall. Melissa and Tony both have their cars and are greatly enjoying driving again after being carless in Hong Kong. The much commented traffic in Dubai is not particularly heavy at present with the construction downturn and the summer vacation period still coming to an end. Many comment on the poor quality of driving but if one considers most drivers are first generation and make allowances then it becomes humorous rather than frustrating.

Like all cities there are many things the same, and lots of new things to learn. The orientation process is well underway and as a modern city there are many procedures that are very efficient indeed. It also helps that essentially everyone speaks english, although one's listening skills are certainly tested as it is spoken by people from all four corners of the world (more than 90% of those living in Dubai were not born in the United Arab Emirates).

And then there's the heat. Well it is summer and there's a reason it's a desert. It is also great to live in an airconditioned age. After that it really is a state of mind and if you let it get to you then it will. Frankly, you get used to it after awhile and one picks up teh strategies to manage it. The weather on the radio news the other day summed it up: "high and dry".

Our two story house (termed a Villa in Dubai) is one of ten in a compound which simply means they were all built together and they open to a common area which has a pool, gymnasium, etc. The pool is VERY popular with Sarah and Alexander at this time of year, and like most pools in Dubai it has to be chilled as it would otherwise overheat in summer. A few villas have new tenants arriving and the rest have existing folks returning from home leave or vacations -- all tenants are westerners by request of the owner.

As we write this it is the first day of the holy month of Ramadan, and we wish you all Ramadan Kareem. It is a time of fasting and reflection where the world's 1.5 billion Muslims develop self-discipline and consider those less fortunate. For those of us who are non-Muslims but living in an Islamic country we will see changes in the schedules of life, and we must be considerate and not eat or drink in public during daytime so as to not offend those fasting.

As it is Welcome to Dubai ! Stay tuned for the adventures to follow.