For those of you wondering what life is like over here in Abu
Dhabi…this should give you a little insight into mine for the last 2 weeks…..
Home….
Home for me these days is a studio apartment in a 5 star
hotel…this is where Etihad are basing their contractors these days. Pool, gym, daily servicing….one cant
complain!!! Tho I am looking forward to
getting to the top of the waitlist for the 1 bedroom apartment. Theres only so much of a kitchen with a
hotplate, microwave and minifridge one can take! As you know I love a bit of cooking!
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| My studio |
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| The pool |
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| My studio |
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| Mine is the silver building on the left |
Work…
Well like any new job in any country, everyones clueless as
to what im meant to be doing for the first week, but its all coming together
now, and Im pretty excited bout my role
Basically, Etihad are improving their website, so Ill be working with
their developers in Copenhagen to get it done.
Up against the clock, so there will be some long hours…but Im gonna try
to wrangle a trip to Copenhagen to visit
the developers….can only ask! Haha! Working in an office that resembles a bunker
in the middle of the desert….they ran out of room for our project at Head
Office. Not as bad as it looks, have my
own personal airconditioner, and the food at the canteen is awesome!
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| The "bunker" |
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| Horatio |
Driving....
Works about 20 mins away along freeways. I bit the bullet in the first week, and hired
a car. Meet Horatio the Hyundai. Little put-put with no guts, he and I have
been on some adventures! Basically,
everywhere Ive driven, Ive gotten lost.
This place is full of one way systems, and freeway interchanges. In order to get home after work I have to
drive past my hotel 3 times to actually get here!!! Im pretty proud of how ive grasped driving on
the wrong side of the road though, and im just like a local now, I don’t indicate
when I turn, and change lanes abruptly…sometimes I even straddle lanes…generally
cause I have no clue where I am going!!
Tho I am missing Boris my x-trail….he would fit perfect over here, as
every man and his dog drives a 4x4!
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| No caption required |
Food and Shopping...
Man, I tell u what…supermarkets here are amazing!!! Firstly they sell everything from computers
to cherries. And secondly they are
MAHOOOSIVE! Soo much fresh fruit and veg
from all over the world, and delis with meats and cheeses and antipasto as far
at the eye can see! They even have tim
tams and BBQ shapes! And the tim tams are
cheaper than home! WTF!!?? Just a pity I don’t have a fridge big enough
to store anything!
Ive checked out a couple of shopping malls, and decided the
best one is the closest to home! GAP,
Next, New Look, Novo, Matalan, Marks & Spencers, Jones the Grocer….spoilt
for choice!! New bikini from Matalan
today for $18…wooo!
Weather.....
Weather here at present is hot..yes. Max of around 42, min around 30. Middle of the day it swelters, but morning
and late arvo, its actually quite nice.
Im rather enjoying it, laying by the pool after work at night, sunset,
little breeze, shade if needed. Im told
its going to get stupid hot soon….I may change my mind then!!
Training...
Given the heat, and the lack of mtb trails, I figured id
make the most of my hotel gym. Now
considering I find gyms boring as bat shit, Ive signed up to the Michelle
Bridges 12 week challenge. Its 6 days a
week, she tells me what to do everyday, and keeps me challenged. She also makes every single muscle in my body
HURT! Im loving it!!
Ive also done the Tues night run around the Yas Island F1
Grand Prix race track, and I joined the local tri club ocean swim at 6am Sat
morning for a 1.6km lap. Nice to get out
there with others in 32 degree, super salty water!! Planning on joining them for some early
morning/late night runs too.
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| Running at F1 Race track |
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| F1 track |
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| Swim training |
Random Local Stuff....
Work here is a fashion parade, designer dresses, chic capri pants,
French rolls and chignon hairstyles, and if nothing else, its all about the
shoes…im no fashionista, but man, some spectacular shoes, attached to some
spectacular heels.
The local women dressed in the
long flowing black gowns called “Abayas”, with headscarves…wow!! These
women are stunning, strutting around in their oversized black sunnies, only to
remove them to reveal breathtaking smoky black eyes, and perfect makeup.
I couldn’t keep my eyes off them! These chicks didn’t need to show any
skin to look awesome, and they walked around like they owned the joint!
One woman in an beautifully
adorned abaya had a meeting with another equally stunning woman, but the first
brought along what must have been her maid/assistant. The assistant
looked phillipino…and was made to stand to the side of her mistress, holding
her bags, looking so awkward. It was weird to witness.
Its not just the women who are
stunning. Some of the local men, with flowing white robes (dishdash), and
the red and white checked headscarf “guthra”, cut a mean swarth through the
lobby, with their immaculate 3 day stubble, shaved into sharp lines, and their
mirrored aviator sunnies.
Its
all about cash to splash here…roads are filled with Hummers and Range Rovers, and
randomly Camaros. And some of the bikes
I saw at the F1 track night were worth
more than most of our cars!
Weekends here are Fri and Sat, still getting my head around that
one! Tho nice to finish on a Thursday!!
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| a random camaro |
Adventures......
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| Jess and I |
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| The Burj in Dubai |
So far Ive had some awesome opportunities…jess was in Dubai on a
stopover for my first weekend here, was super stoked to see her so soon! Had an amazing all you could eat Thai brunch
overlooking the famous Burj in Dubai, sooo much fun! We were with Lex and Carl, who live in Dubai…its
so nice to have friends in this country!!
And the old saying goes that its not what you know, its who you
know…..Lex happened to have a spare ticket to Madonna in Abu Dhabi for my first
week! Super fun!!
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| Madonna with Lex |
So that’s my life over here in a nutshell. I think im starting to enjoy it, have met a
few lovely people, and am getting a routine together. Missing Shane like crazy, thank goodness for
Skype!! Super jealous of all his camping
and mountain biking, but only 2 months today till I see him in Colorado, so
getting super excited!!! Not counting or
anything!
Ill get some more adventures up my sleeve, and share them soon!
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