Cheerios at Half Time!

Two days before the National Championship game (GO GATORS!!!!) Fox Sports disappeared. I couldn’t believe I would actually get to watch this game on TV, but like many other things here, it became unavailable without any warning. The “first you see it, now you don’t” phenomenon is one that many expats warned me about when I first arrived. Just like most things, I took it with a grain of salt until I experienced it for myself. It started with grits. For six months, I have enjoyed grits for breakfast prepared by my loving husband. The day we found grits at the supermarket was one of my top ten Abu Dhabi moments. I’ve craved cheese grits way before getting pregnant, so you can imagine how I feel about them now. On Christmas Eve, when I realized we were out of grits, I took a cab to the only supermarket that carries them. I actually stood there, staring at the spot where grits had been, trying not to cry. It was bad enough that I was going to have Christmas without family, but Christmas without grits?? Since then, I have checked every week and no grits for me. To add to that, we temporarily lost our favorite pancake mix and of course, the only channel that showed American football. On the upside, things you couldn’t find before suddenly appear. For months I complained about the lack of black beans, and one day, there they were! My wife network knew I missed my beans so I got a text message telling me where to find them. Of course, I stocked up. If you see it and you love it, buy lots. That’s our motto. I still got to watch the game online like all the other games. At 5 am, Michael dragged the laptop to the bedroom door and pushed the bed all the way up so I could watch lying down. By half time I was fully awake and starving. I thought of the Gator Nation enjoying wings and beer while I ate my Honey Nut Cheerios. Man, it feels good to be a champion!

Since I wrote this, I found grits! They appeared at another supermarket that didn’t sell them before. Grocery shopping is like going on a treasure hunt! :)

Santa Came to Town

I really didn’t know what to expect for the Christmas season in Abu Dhabi. I was pleasantly surprised to see a decorated tree in the Hilton lobby. Our hotel is Muslim owned and serves no alcohol, so I figured the season would go unnoticed. Then I saw “snowy” Santalands at the malls and huge gorgeous trees at the fancier hotels. It was beginning to look a lot like Christmas! It wasn’t until I heard my first carol at the supermarket that it dawned on me, “Christmas day was a week away!!” I was with several of my friends and we were all shocked that the season was almost over. We hadn’t even bought our husbands any gifts yet! Since in the US you can find Christmas stuff before Halloween, we been trained to know that when we see the first tree and hear the first carol, Christmas Day is still weeks away. The general mood was sad. We all missed our families and our Christmas decorations. So, we banned together to celebrate. The girls and I had a Secret Santa lunch and got together to watch Elf. Angela had a Christmas Eve BBQ and Patty hosted a Christmas Day party with a white elephant gift exchange and a Louisiana Southern Boil. We pulled together our Christmas decorations and brought them to each house to add to the ambiance. A close friend baked us Christmas cookies! I did my part to bring the spirit, by dressing up as Santa Claus. I don’t know if it was the big belly, but I received many compliments! I even got one a couple of days ago from a Hilton staff member who had seen me walking by! Overall, we were surrounded by love. Michael had a four day weekend because of Islamic New Year falling on December 28th, so we relaxed and enjoyed the time. I think my Christmas miracle came when we were walking to our favorite sushi spot. We passed one of the other hotels and I heard children singing inside. I walked in and saw the most diverse group of little faces I have ever seen, singing Christmas carols. They were all dressed in red and white and so cute, I couldn’t help but shed a tear. The spirit was really here!

Thanksgiving in the Desert

My good friend Carlos came to visit us during Thanksgiving weekend, so instead of joining some friends for a traditional feast, we took a dhow cruise on the Corniche and headed to the desert the next day. Dhows are traditional wooden boats used by fishermen and their open decks made for a perfect view of Abu Dhabi’s skyline. In the pictures, you’ll see how the buildings have been decorated for UAE National Day. The country celebrated thirty-seven years of being the United Arab Emirates on December 2nd. The streets were full of people and cars were decorated from top to bottom with UAE flag colors. We also enjoyed traditional dances and marching bands along the parks on the Corniche. We actually hosted a National Day party in our room since our hotel is in a perfect location. We had a great time and Michael was so glad to have a day off from work. Ok back to the desert. On Friday, we headed out with 20 friends and friends of friends on a desert safari. They took us out on three 4X4 SUVs about 45 minutes out from the city. Since I am pregnant and had to skip the dune bashing, we went to the camp first. They have a nice set up in the middle of the desert with camels ready to ride. (I had to skip that too L ) Everyone else except for me and a friend, who stayed back with me, hit the sand dunes. I can’t wait to go one day after the baby, but you’ll see some great pics of the others. What impressed me most about the experience was the absolute peace and quiet. I don’t think there is anything as quiet as the desert. I took some time to journal and enjoy the scenery. Once everyone else got back the par-tay began. People smoked shisha, got henna tattoos, and took pictures in traditional Arabic dress. Michael even went sand boarding down this huge sand dune. He held up really well until he realized he was heading straight for his pregnant wife! The served us a nice buffet including my favorites – hummus, tabouleh, mutabal (eggplant dip), and grilled meats. We had a belly dancer who of course asked all of us to join her. The best part was when they turned all of the camp lights off and we all laid there staring at the night sky. The stars were breathtaking and we have all vowed to go back for overnight camping. What made the moment even more special was that I felt my baby girl kick for the first time!