Concert Time

As the calendar year draws to an end, the kids had a series of concerts to finish with a flourish.

First off was Sarah with her Kids' Theater Works team members as they showcased their song and dance performances in Kids Kabaret! 2011.  It was a great performance held this year in the big theatre (~500 people) and the whole KTW did a fantastic job.  

Then Sarah and Alexander's school (Jumeirah Baccalaureate) finished with their Winter Concert, all performed by the High School students.  Alexander and his 6B class performed Runaway Train by Soul Asylum, and later Sarah and her 8B class performed Promises Promises by Incubus.  Sarah then did a solo on piano and sang Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond (which had all the parents and teachers humming along!).

This is the last blog for 2011 as the FrenchamFamily is off to Australia tomorrow on vacation and we intend to have too much fun to be able to pause and blog.  Stay tuned and we will update you all in January.  Meanwhile best wishes of the Season to you and yours. 

A Knight, a few Days, a Tree and a Pole

As the festive season approaches, it is time to reflect upon November.  The last couple of weeks have been busy.

In November the Formula One circus came to Abu Dhabi and Tony was hosting guests (tough job!).  He and few guests chose to stay for the after-race concert with Sir Paul who at 69 was absolutely awesome.  He has a reputation for doing 2 hour gigs but he was clearly having too much fun and ran to 2 hours 40 minutes that evening.  A terrific combination of Beatles, Wings, solo stuff and tributes to John and George.

Thanks to everyone for Melissa’s birthday wishes. She had a great day. Melissa’s birthday was celebrated on the 25th rather than the 24th due to the fact that the whole family were returning from trips on the 24th.  On the 24th, Tony was traveling and arrived home very late in the evening and Sarah and Alexander returned from camp in the afternoon. Melissa, wasn’t home by herself however, she helped out at camp! She really enjoyed herself and did not embarrass Sarah and Alexander by being there. Also, it was the first time for 22 years that over 85 people sang “Happy Birthday” to her.

Sarah and Alexander had a great few days at camp. They both participated in their grade level team building activities. Alexander’s highlight of the camp was rock-climbing and Sarah’s was sliding (on a slide) off the back of a double decker boat into the water near the mangroves. The camp (link) was help in Umm al-Quwain, which is one of the seven emirates of the UAE.

Over the weekend, Sarah and Alexander did a great job of putting up the Christmas tree. It looks fantastic! They had a lot of fun digging out some of the ornaments they made when they were little and reminiscing about the “old days”.

In the coming weeks there is the school “winter” concert, Sarah’s musical theatre class has a performance and Alexander’s drama class has an open-day.

Tony is on his last long trip for 2011 and it takes a lot to get him excited about flying.  However on this trip the 'normal' long-haul flight from Dubai to the US over Europe took a new route and went over the North Pole (which at this time of year is pitch black all day and so it wasn't like he could see much).  But since flying over the top of the world is unique, here is the Flight Map for all to see.  Yes, there was still six and half hours to go at that point -- a LONG flight.

Out and about: Dubai and Muscat

October was Breast Cancer Awareness Month across the globe and that's an affliction that has wrought havoc in our family and without doubt needs a cure.  That initiative needs an extra push here in the Middle East where cultural norms have historically ignored such discussion.  However in recent years there has been a growing emphasis in countries like the UAE and 2011 seems to have been a tipping point year with activities becoming part of the broader consciousness.  So on the morning of October 28 we joined the students of Sarah and Alexander's school in a Dubai Charity Walk with 12000 of our closest friends (of course none of them had the cool theme-inspired tights that Sarah did).  The very good cause and the cooling weather made for a wonderful morning.

November brought a mini-break in the Muslim observance of Eid al Adha which, although based on very different historical circumstances, has the happy family feel of Christmas.  It is a "real" holiday and since businesses are truly closed down we decided relatively late in our normal planning to take a trip to Muscat, Oman.  It is less than an hour to fly (the family wouldn't let the writer drive -- apparently some concern about driver anxiety along the way!) but feels like a world away with the mountain vistas compared to the flat of Dubai.

Before we left we randomly chose a hotel called the Al Bustan Palace which turned out to have been built for a heads of government meeting and the top floor is still reserved only for the Sultan of Oman (and hence the "Palace" name).  The hotel was indeed palatial and somehow we were upgraded to a presidential suite which was larger than many houses we have lived in.  Sarah and Alexander thought it wonderful as their room was literally so far away they could legitimately claim they could not hear their parents!

Next morning we took a tour boat out to enjoy dolphin watching in the Arabian Sea which was a wonderful experience as the dolphins frolicked around us.  For those who have seen the 2005 film version of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, we spent way too much time singing "So long and thanks for all the fish".  Photo courtesy of Sarah -- be appreciative as dolphins are EXTREMELY difficult to photograph.


The remainder of the vacation was spent lazing around, swimming and kayaking in the beautiful sea, and a trip into old Muscat to visit the Souk which has been a  trading market between Asia and the Middle east for centuries.

Overall Muscat was a wonderful experience.  The people were very friendly and hospitable, and we highly recommend it to everyone.  Of course it helps if you are upgraded in a Palace, but since I can't figure out how it happened to us just book it and see what happens!  Cheers.

What's going on?

Well, a month ago we were happy to advise that our tardy blogging was only a summer aberration and we would be back on a more regular basis.  Ha!  It seems your resident blogger was promising more than he could deliver.  However, he has fought through the bloggers-block and let's now read what has been happening.

Sarah and Alexander started at their new school campus (Jumeirah Baccalaureate School - link) and about half of the students had relocated from their previous campuses and so it was a mix of old and new.  They are now on the same campus together as Alexander has now started High School.  Their 'bus' driver of the past two years (Melissa) was sorry to give up her duties (NOT!) but since the new campus is much closer the kids can now catch the school bus (or can they?).

Bus-capades followed as each day the new bus contractor variously arrived late, really late, really early, or not at all.  It was so bad it became amusing for a week or so but has now settled into a workable schedule.  The campus had also been renovated and painted in the new school colors (white and green).  Unfortunately when they painted the lockers they removed all the combination locks but didn't kep track of which went where and, well, it took quite some weeks for everyone to get their locker.

As the school routine settled Melissa took a few days in Perth to attend family celebrations for her mother Margaret's 70th Birthday.  Margaret and her companion Pete drove across from Melbourne and completed the Nullarbor Links (the world's longest golf course - link), spanning 1365 kilometers with one hole in each participating town or roadhouse.  The family then came together at Stuart and Jenni's followed by a reunion of friends from the old days in Perth.  Unfortunately no audio with the picture here of the speech.

Despite serious concerns on their behalf, both Sarah and Alexander survived with Dad supervising (or was it they other way around?).

As we moved through September and October, Tony's work project was evolving into the Sadara Chemical Company (link, link), which inevitably kept him busy with travel.  At the same time, it was the business end of the season for the various sporting codes that he follows.  After his two teams (Collingwood - Aussie Rules; Yankees - Baseball) won it all in 2010, it was too much to expect a repeat in 2011 and both fell short after having impressive seasons.  Nevertheless he felt compelled to try to participate which saw him watching games at very odd hours from various parts of the planet - alas his support was to no avail.  No comment on the Rugby World Cup (four years will pass quickly -- we can only hope!).

We finish with October in Dubai.  The temperatures have been dropping and the outdoor furniture is back and dusted off.  The Al Shamal breezes have returned and it is BBQ season and outdoor dining for the next seven months or so -- woo-hoo!

In the end we were busy enough, what with the starting school and a company, celebrating an anniversary, finishing sporting seasons, and welcoming the temperate weather.  Stay tuned for holiday snaps in the next blog.  Cheers!

Where did August go?

Well it seems like the Frencham Family fell off the face of the earth in August -- no blogging!  In reality we went to the other side of the earth for a wonderful trip downunder.  Melissa, Sarah and Alexander were there for a month whilst Tony got in a couple of weeks before returning to work in the Middle East.

Melbourne has returned to the winters we remember following the breaking of the multi-year drought -- everything was green, the ground was soft, and the crisp sunny days were broken up by rainy wintery weather.  While others might complain, it was a perfect break for us from the extreme summer weather back in Dubai where every summer day is in the mid-40s and humidity seems to have been higher and for longer this year.

It was a pleasure to catch up with family and friends and relax in the cosmopolitan atmosphere of the "world's most liveable city".  Our thanks to everyone who make us so welcome and re-integrate us (and put up with Tony's decompression) each six months when we head back to Oz.  It makes the trip so worthwhile and we do so appreciate you all.

Tony's project in Saudi Arabia successfully passed its major milestone as we left for vacation (no coincience) and so he is now back and engaged on the next phase of implementation.  It has been a relatively quite August with summer vacations and the holy month of Ramadan coinciding but the pace is picking up now.

Dubai is generally busy during summer with the annual Shopping Festival and this year Dubai is a favored location for those from the Middle East who normally head to Egypt, Lebanon and Syria for vacation, all of which have their particular issues at present.  However during Ramadan most folks stay home to spend time with family and so it has been quiet here these past few weeks.  Now with the Eid Al-Fitr festivities and the return of expats getting ready for the school year we have seen the Dubai back to its bustling best.

Lastly, here in Dubai they celebrate Fathers Day in June as the do in the US, but the Frencham Family have decided to follow the Australian timing which is the first Sunday in September.  However since that is a work day in Dubai we have adapted it to the first Saturday -- today.  Sarah and Alexander surprised Tony this morning with wonderfal Fathers Day gifts and then proceeded to cook Tony his lunch (Alexander) and dinner (Sarah), both of which were wonderful.  Great kids and a great day.

That's all for now, but we'll be back on a more regular basis.  Cheers.

West Side Story

Regular Frenchamfamily blogwatchers will know that Sarah has been performing on stage since we lived in Houston.  Some may recall that last year Sarah performed in the Dubai production of Hairspray (link), and this year the production is the dramatic musical West Side Story (link).  As in 2010, the main four characters are established performers from the UK / US, and the remainder are from Dubai, mostly from local drama schools.  Sarah tried out and after call-backs was selected as an understudy for the role of Anybodys, as well as a member of the broader cast.  However once rehersals commenced she was promoted to the role of Anybodys on the unavailability of the originally selected member.

The writer of this blog may be biased in his opinion of the show and one particular actor, however the link below is from the UAE newspaper The National review of the opening night and includes Sarah's first ever press review:

http://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/on-stage/review-west-side-story

A wonderfully performed show, albeit with its shakesperean tragic ending.  GReat job Sarah.

End of School Year

June is the end of the school year for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, and it certainly was a busy and fulfilling time for Sarah and Alexander.  Both had a lot of end of year concerts, presentations, and events to go to and participate in.  A proud time for their parents to enjoy their progress and their efforts.

Alexander finished Grade 5 and will be off to High School in September!  The end of Grade 5 involved a conference-style exhibition and a performance, with the central theme of "Trade Links".  Alexander was one of three MCs for the performance and also helped to design the Trade Links t-shirt that everyone wore.  His display board was on the Supermarket, and he was awarded  a Certificate of Appreciation for his overall efforts.

Both Sarah and Alexander participated in end-of-year performances for their respective drama classes which are always a lot of fun.

Sarah was part of the High School art exhibition, and also won Grade 7 Academic Awards for Cultural Studies, Performing Arts, Science, Citizen, Community & Service, and for Academic Overall Excellence.

We are so proud of both Sarah and Alexander for their try hard attitude and team efforts.  As part of their reward we took ourselves out for an end of year celebration dinner at one of Melissa's favourite restaurants and the smiles sy it all.

Lastly, in mid-June Sarah went to Kuala Lumpur with her school team-mates for the global finals of the World Scholars Cup.  Here is her report:

So for the past week I went to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. I went with my school for the global round for the World Scholars Cup (my team came 5^th overall in the Dubai regional round) and it was beautiful. I really like Kuala Lumpur. On the second day we went around KL and saw the Petronas Towers and went up Manara Kuala Lumpur Tower. We also went to Chinatown and I got some great deals there. Then for next few days it was the competition. The other schools there were really smart so there was a lot of competition. We had to write a persuasive essay, do a 135 question multiple choice test, 3 debates, a scavenger hunt, and a buzzer round. We managed to win one of our debates but that was really it. It was a great experience though. The part that wasn’t so great to experience was the dorms. There was no air-conditioning, windows didn’t shut, one sheet, squatty potties, no hot water and gross food. I didn’t really mind all of that but there were a billion mosquitoes whose mission in their life was to bite me. Because the windows didn’t shut they could come in and eat me to their hearts content while I slept. I am so itchy right now. But it is all an experience loved it. Can’t wait to go next year and maybe win something.

Kids Theatre Works on Dubai TV

Both Sarah and Alexander are members of Kids Theatre Works in Dubai, and last week Sarah's advanced class performed on local Dubai TV.  Go to the following link and the performance starts at the 25 minute mark:  http://www.dubaimedia.ae/Media/view/107411

Enjoy!

Bits & Pieces II

As the title says: bits and pieces from the family, in no particular order. 

The first story is from March but that's only because Tony is slack and he didn't produce the photos until now.  He went on a business trip to the Rub' al Khali, otherwise known as the Empty Quarter in Saudi Arabia.  There really is nothing there other than one of the largest sand deserts in the world.  The hardy Bedouin know not to venture there in comparison to the otherwise tough summer climes of the remainder of the Arabian peninsula.  Fortunately for Tony he was able to fly in and out (and not in the summer months).

As desolate as it is, the vista of rolling 2000 feet high sand dunes interspersed with salt pans is spectacular to say the least.  He was there on business visiting a remote oil field at Shaybah, but as the sun set he was able to climb to the top of nearby dune to watch the vivid sunset.  A true life experience.

In April Alexander bought himself a bike after saving his pocket money since the previous year and adding to it his birthday money.  Good for him!  A red and black Giant and he has been off re-learning to ride since it's been four years since our bikes in Midland.  He took a long ride with Melissa yesterday however it's best we don't show you the sweaty photos!

April also saw Alexander's school perform in the "Granny Awards".  A musical stage play that is loosely based on the Academy Awards but involves Granny of the many fairytales handing out awards to her friends and foes.  A fun evening in a grand auditorium with wonderful performances from all involved, including our own Alexander.  Unfortunately the photos were not in a format that will work with this blog (curses -- foiled again!).

Sarah and her Theatreworks drama team were asked to perform at Hamleys of London (the self confessed "Finest Toy Shop in the World") at the Dubai Mall and delivered showtunes from popular musicals to an enthusiastic audience.  An interesting experience with customers wandering about and toys flying overhead, but all for a good cause of sharing acting and music with a broader audience and encouraging them to get involved.

Well that's all for now.  For those concerned about the impact of the "Arab Spring", it is impacting those countries with poor governance, which we are pleased to report does not include the United Arab Emirates.  Nonetheless a fascinating time in this part of the world, and perhaps the subject of a future blog.

Going to the Globals

Our regular followers will remember that Sarah and her two classmates participated in The World Scholar's Cup on behalf of her High School (see May 2010 blog).  This year her school is participating again and the competition theme is A World Transformed.  The competition is conducted in eight regional centres around the world, and fortunately for us Dubai is the centre for the Middle East and Africa.  The subject areas are Science, History, Literature, The Arts, Economics, and a special topic: The Modern Metropolis.  They compete in four events over two days (on a weekend -- bummer): Debate; Writing; Challenge; and the Bowl (like multi-choice).

Well, the news is that Sarah and her friends finished in the top five teams at the Middle East Regionals in the Junior section (14 years and younger) and so they are going to the Globals in Kuala Lumpur in June!  Yay for Sarah and what a great experience to come.

Bits and Pieces

No real theme this time around - just a collection of recent events here in Dubai and a visit to nearby Abu Dhabi.

First off, a couple of photos from the school sports day for Sarah and Alexander. The one of Sarah winning her sprint race is a classic with the Dubai city skyline in teh background and the iconic Burj Khalifa seeming to rise from her head!

It was then Alexanders turn to head out on camp, and again to the same Dibba location that those FrenchamFamily blog fans would have noted that Sarah has attended previously.  By all reports a great time of living in dormitory huts and fun stuff like rock-climbing walls and abseiling (at right), archery, soccer, etc.  He came home suitably happy and tired.

Melissa's mother Margaret has joined us for a few weeks here in Dubai and since Ferrari World is not here thing (go figure?), we decided to try a few tourist sights we have not yet visited.  One of these is the Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, which you can read more about using this link.  It is not only a magnificent structure, but it is also massive and can hold up to 40,000 worshippers which it does during the Eid celebrations.  Since it is an active mosque all men are required to dress respectfully and women are provided with Abayas to wear -- as you can see from this picture of Melissa and Margaret.  The free quided tour provided a fascinating background both to the mosque itself but also to Islamic beliefs.

Just this week it was time for us to celebrate Sarah becoming a teenager -- how time flies!  She received lot's of cool birthday presents from friends and family from all over.  And the picture is of her new bike which her brother is kindly explaining to her how to ride.  Then a sumptious family dinner of her Mum's famous lasagne followed by chocolate cake from Nan and Alexander.  Life is good.

So that is all from us for now.  Love to all.

The 50th Blog Post !!!

Well, here it is -- the 50th Blog from the FrenchamFamily! Who thought we would get this far (and for the few still reading it, who would believe anyone would still care about a bunch of far flung Aussies who are simply reporting how much fun they are having). On that subject, do you guys back in Oz know that 5% of all Australians (over 1 million) are at any time off-shore? We have met most of them as they seem to hang around bars and airports!

Anyway, for this 50th Blog (and by the way there is no commemorative hat or medalion) we want to cover the winter that was in Dubai and the visit of our God-daughter, Laura Willingham. For those that care (or would like to sign up as one of our adopted God-children), we try to make up for the fact that we are not around enough on a day-to-day basis by gifting to all the God-children a trip to our location in the world on their 18th birthday. As such, Laura winged her way to Dubai a couple of weeks ago and those of you connected on Facebook know she had an "awesome" time. For the rest of you (and sponsored by the Department of Tourism for the United Arab Emirates), here is some of the fun that ensued:

Burj Khalifa: (click on the link at left) is, as you all should know, the world's tallest building by any measure (building, tower, etc). On a clear day everyone in any direction for 90km can see this majestic 828 metre building. And despite seeing it every day, and being inspired by it, we had not actually been up it (because it was there every day!). Aside from being a uniquely attractive building (as is Taipei 101), it has a a fabulous elevator system which accelerates slowly so that you don't realize you are moving until you realise your ears are popping and the floors are going by at 3 a second -- it then decelerates as cleverly and the door opens and you are on the 124th floor looking out at all that is Dubai. The observation deck is only three quarters of the way up the building, but it is still the world's highest observation deck. It has some cool telescopes that show you what you are looking at, but at the push of a button show you film of the same view at night time, and of what it looked like before Dubai was developed.

Ferrari World: (click on link at left) in Abu Dhabi continues the theme of biggest and best -- largest indoor theme park, and home to the world's fastest roller coaster at 240 kmh! The Formula Rossa coaster is more than just speed -- it takes you from 0 to 240 in just over 5 seconds so you experience the same G forces as an F1 car (though safely in a straight line) before it starts the twists and turns that are just as exhilarating. This is the only ride we have ever been on that when it finishes everyone on board claps and cheers. Awesome is inadequate as a description, but this is a family blog and so we can't tell you what we really said.

Lots of other touristy things as well: desert safaris; tour buses; historic locations; shopping; etc. Photo of Alexander, Laura and Sarah on a sand dune on a particularly windy day!

Sarah has also been off to school camp at Dibba, and she reports there were a lot less goats there than during the camp last year. The photo here is with the Arabian Sea behind her. Aside from hiking they did mountain biking which turned into mud-biking as there had unusually been a lot of winter rain. Apparently lots of fun and a cold to come home with.

Alexander heads off to his camp this coming week and so we'll see if there is an adventure to report from him when he gets back.

Well, that's it from us for now, and thanks for your interest over these first 50 postings. Love to all.

Tony's Tales: Summer Down Under ???

Best wishes to all from the Frencham Family for a Happy and Healthy 2011. May it be everything you make of it.

Well, we have just returned from our annual visit to Melbourne for Christmas with friends and family. Of course it is the Australian summer and we were happy to be avoiding the bitter cold in Europe and the mega-snowstorms in the US. Despite the fact that we live in Dubai and have a nine-month-a-year summer we were all looking forward to the carefree attitude of an Aussie summer.

Well, this wouldn't be much of an intro if the weather turned out to be great. Now, don't get us wrong, southern Australia has just come out of a five year drought and the returning rain is very welcome. We also feel desparately for our northern Australia cousins who are now suffering under some of the worst flooding in memory. All that said, Melbourne was cold for much of the first week and it felt more like winter than summer.

The worst of it was the day we had set aside to join Melissa's sister Jenny, husband Stuart and three young boys Riley, Ethan and Logan on a steam train trip in the nearby ranges (Dandenongs) on the famous Puffing Billy. With boundless enthusiasm and open carriages the trip started well, but as the train climbed to the cloud line and the driven rain started it was obvious this chilling day was no southern summer. Enough of the whining, but you get the picture.

The explanation for Melbourne's weather is geographical: to the south is a vast ocean that extends to Antarctica and so when it blows from there it is very cold. When it blows from the north it comes across the hot Australia interior and can easily exceed 38C (100F). As an example of how mental the Melbourne weather is (and perhaps how resilient the crazies are that hail from there), the max temps for Dec 27 thru Jan 1 were 18C, 23C, 30C, 24C, 41C(!), 23C -- those are some swings!

Fortunately there is more to Melbourne than the weather. We had a wonderful time (albeit compressed) catching up with family and friends -- our thanks to all for the fun and informality -- we will be back every year and wouldn't miss it for the world.

Of course for Tony there is also sport. He was barely off the 'plane before he was headed to his beloved Collingwood Football Club to be photographed with the 2010 Premiership Cup after 20 long years since the last flag.

And of course there was the traditional first day of the Boxing Day cricket test at the 'G. The great friends and the 84+ thousand crowd made for a wonderful day, except that Australia continued it's downward spiral and England deservedly dominated. Fortunately the beer was cold and the pies were hot and there is always another victorious day ahead.

We are now all back in Dubai and today was the first day of school / work. We are looking forward to 2011: to the challenges; to the opportunities; and to the people that make it all worthwhile. Again, our best wishes to all of you -- cheers.