Spending money on our apartment

Despite our difficulty with shopping for tasteful home furnishings we were able to buy some items on my birthday (July 27). We went back to Ikea and finally picked out a living room wall unit. It will hold our 27 inch screen Philips tv (sorry, no big screen plasma or LCD!) Although I did buy a used 20 inch LCD screen from a colleague. That will go in Darcy's sanctuary room. Anyway it was difficult to find a piece that was the right color wood and design. Naturally the style we chose was out of stock for the tv cabinet. That will be available in about six weeks. But we spent 2,000 Dirhams ($600 USD) and got free delivery and installation. It should come on July 31. Then we went to the Bose store and spend 5,400 Dirham on a 3-2-1 GS Series II DVD Home Entertainment System. I was reluctant to spend that much money on one item but figured that it was worth to buy a top of the line system that will last a long time. It has a universal power outlet so we can take it with us when we move back. I also wanted something that was easy to set up since I have no patience with putting together gadgets and reading instruction manuals!

We returned home late and changed clothing before heading back out to the Beach Rotana Hotel. We went to a restaurant called Pregos which was where we had our celebratory last dinner before moving into our new apartment. We had wanted to have dinner at restaurant called the Rodeo Grill but they were full. Pregos was our second choice but their indoors section was full. Their patio was empty so we braved the elements and sat outside. The solitude and scenery was nice but the humidity was high. So it was a nice birthday but it strangely did not seem like it. Perhaps it was because of the new surroundings! Scary though as I edge closer to hitting middle age. We'll take more photos of our place as we acquire more furnishings...

getting settled

So, we are moving in and starting to make our new place a home. There's still plenty of things that we need--basic stuff like curtains, coffee tables, bookshelves and blankets for the bed-- but we have enough to live, if roughly, until we are done. Strange to be starting totally over--I've moved with next to nothing before, but I've always had a few things to unpack and set out to make my place familiar. This time there's nothing but a clothes and a couple of books.

Running around and shopping would be easier except I've come down with (another!) cold. This one I got from Michael, who picked it up from a coworker at the PI. I guess between the stress of moving to a new climate and the likelihood of new bugs here that my system is not used to, it's not surprising. But after almost a decade without a cold it seems strange that I've had three of them since March! Also, I need to learn to adjust my schedule to the location. I am used to slow mornings and picking up the activity early in the afternoon. Many shops and offices here are closed between 1:30 and 4:30, which is right when I would normally be going to them, and of course the heat is at its worst right when I'm ready to go out. I need to get up earlier, rest or work inside during the early afternoon, and then go out later in the afternoon or in the evening.

The director of the other play I mentioned earlier contacted me today, and sent me a script via email with an invitation to audition. This part looks much more achievable for me than pretending to be 70 with a heavy regional accent. He is going on vacation soon, so there may not be any more news for a couple of weeks.

Also, the PI asked for my photos and scheduled a medical for me, so we are one step closer to getting our residence visas. Thank goodness!

We're moving!

Finally, after being here six weeks, we can check out of our hotel and move into our apartment tomorrow!

We had our sofa and chairs delivered today. Dark brown in a comfy faux suede fabric. Our dining room table and chairs arrived Wednesday. Michael bought a bed, television and DVD player from a coworker which they put in Thursday. I've also got enough in the kitchen (appliances, dishes, cookware) to be able to actually cook and serve meals at home as well. So the major things are taken care of, and the smaller things will come after we're settled. What a relief!

Yesterday we decided to have a "last day of luxury" before we check out of the Beach Rotana. Now that we have some money we can actually enjoy some of the things available at the hotel. So we ordered breakfast from room service, had hour-long Swedish massages, spent the rest of the afternoon at the hotel beach and ate dinner at Prego's, an Italian restaurant downstairs. The food was excellent, and even the wine was good--a rarity as far as we can see for this area.

Now all we need are our residence visas.....

We are taking lots of pictures, and as soon as I unpack my USB cable and have enough time with a computer to sit down and upload them to the web, I will post them. Promise!

In other news, I did go try out for that theatre production and it went well. The part is small enough that even if I did not manage the age or the accent 100%, it still would not have much impact, and it looks like fun. However, the director told me today there's another director in the group looking for actors for his play (the show will be a series of different one-acts), and that he may call me too. So I may end up doing another show after all, or possibly both if it can be managed. We'll see what happens in the next week.

TGIW!!

It's Wednesday afternoon and the end of another work week. The UAE decided to alter the work week to go from Sunday through Thursday to be more in step with the West. This is to start Sept. 1. Anyway I finally got the housing/furniture allowance cheque! It came yesterday so we have some spending money. So we dashed off to the 2XL furniture store and bought a 10 seat dining room table and pots and pans. Then we took a taxi to another furniture store, Homes R Us and bought a couch. It has a 3 and 1 seater so we'll need to buy another chair down the road. All items will be delivered by Saturday. We will check out of the hotel on July 16 after an extended six week stay. The hotel has been comfortable but we've been anxious to move.

I also got my 50% July salary advance so we actually have more than enough cash. But we needed to pay the 5% commission for our real estate agent for finding our apartment. Since we still don't have our residence visas we can't make cash withdraws from our bank account. I discovered that after the bank teller inadvertently deposited my salary cheque and I couldn't make a withdrawal from the ATM! After waiting an hour the branch manager gave me some money. I set up direct deposit for my paycheques so I hope that I get my visa by the end of the month. I'm not sure what will happen if we don't get our residence visas before our 60 day tourist visas expire on August 2.

I'm suffering from another cold although it may also be allergies. It's been very windy with smog, sand and grit in the air. Apparently this has blown in from Saudi Arabia. Last night we went out with friends for dinner and afterwards saw a live band. It was comprised of a keyboarder and two young lady singers. They were Polish and performed Western pop songs. The sound was quite good although the keyboarder played to loudly and drowned out the vocals. The singers were a bit cheesy with dance moves but it was fun to watch and listen. We have a bunch of photos to finally post. Also took some video using our digital camera. But the latter's 30 second clip seems to be too large to email or post anywhere. We'll see what we can do. I Better go soon and catch the shuttle back to the hotel...

so close

Well, Michael finally got his first paycheque. So, we have a little breathing room until our furniture allowance gets in. Our apartment has been safety inspected and cleaned, and the contractor who does the modifications like water filters and shower curtains should be in the apartment as I type to finish up. Today I sunk 6500 Dirhams--about 2000 US dollars--into a stove, fridge, washer and dryer which should be delived tomorrow night. We have a friend who will sell us a bed, some kitchen necessities like knives, cutlery and a coffee maker, and a deposit on some dining room furniture. Our hotel room reservation runs out on Sunday morning, and god willing we should be set to move in with the basics by then!

Finally having an apartment again, no matter how spartan, will be a big relief. We have been homeless for over three months now!

The other news is that I am auditioning for a play on Saturday. The character is 60 years old with a thick english accent, so I really don't think I am suited, but the wife of a teacher at the PI gave my name to the directors in her dramatic group and so I will go to this one, even if I don't get it, so they know I'm interested when other roles come up. She also invited me to the Wednesday morning coffee meetings of the Abu Dhabi Ladies group, so I will check out one of those as soon as I get a Wednesday morning with no household shopping and other duties to take care of.

My new job

Sorry for the delay in posting but my excuse has been that I've been too busy. My typical work week runs from Saturday through Wednesday (that's based on the Islamic calendar). So it's been an adjustment with having having Thursdays and Fridays for weekends. My work day runs 7:30 to 3:30 so I wake up at 5:30 and catch the college's shuttle at 6:45. I arrive at work at 7:20 am and the days fly by. the work shuttle leaves at 3:30 and 5:00 so I tend to take the latter one. I just can't get into the habit of spending only eight hours at work. I need some time to unwind at my desk before I leave for home everyday.

I've been busy with unpacking the books and journals and re-shelving them. Much time seems to be spent figuring out policies and learning the ropes that goes with starting any new job. This is my third job helping to open three brand new libraries in six years so I'm used to being in a bit of a chaotic situation. The library currently has four professional positions and four support staff. There are openings for more in both categories including my counterpart that is to start at the end of July. I will share the office with my new colleague plus we'll help staff the brand new women's college library when it opens in a few months. My primary duties for the fall semester will be developing an information literacy program and teaching library instruction classes to first year students. Collection development will be important too and also helping develop various policies. It's exciting to be opening another new library although this one will be unique. It will be challenging teaching students whose first language is not Arabic and who have not read much. Islam has been a predominantly oral society so history and culture has been passed down verbally so reading and doing research in the Western style is a fairly new concept here.

It's been interesting talking with expats here and the social circles that have developed. Society here is stratefied and the many different cultures work together but remain separate socially. The Arabs, Westerners and Asians from the subcontinent have formed their own social networks. I can see why based upon language, religion and customs but there also is some loss of community. Darcy and I moved here in large part to learn more about the Middle Eastern culture and interact more and not less with them. But I expect that there will be opportunities for us once we settle into our apartment.

Darcy and I are still at the hotel as there have been some delays with getting my paperwork done. But I got my first paycheque today so we can buy a washer and dryer and a fridge! We should also take possession of our apartment (they're called flats here) tomorrow and my furniture allowance will follow in a day or so. The climate is very hot but it's not as humid (yet) as I had expected. There have been a few mornings with heavy fog though! We've gone to the hotel's beach later in the afternoon and it's tolerable sitting in the shade. It's breezy here because Abu Dhabi City is on an island. But the Arabian Gulf water is very warm (29 ceclius or about 85 farenheit). I thought that the ocean water in South Florida was warm! Speaking of which I'm currently listening to WLRN's Saturday Edition. I do miss NPR and can at least catch some of the news online when I'm at work. I better go catch the work shuttle. Later....

hurry up and wait

Well, we still have no apartment, no paycheque or furniture money, and (for me) nothing to do, so in lieu of any real news, I give you the following observations of daily life in the UAE so far:

I'm seeing lots of pretty henna in flowery arabic styles on the women here--both veiled and modern. I'm not sure where they get it done, but I'm sure a few questions at salons (or, as they call them here, ladies' saloons) and nail places would find it out. Once we're a bit more settled I'd like to get some done...and find a place to get new henna supplies. I thought about bringing some here, but somehow trying to carry a plastic ziplock bag filled with powder over multiple international borders didn't seem like a good idea ;)

Grocery shopping, at least at the Abu Dhabi Co-operative Society attached to the mall beside our hotel, is an interesting trip through Western and native foods. Their deli counter has no hummous, unfortunately, though it has quince jam and a million different kinds of labneh (yoghurt cheese). Going to the meat counters, you will find the usual lamb and beef and chicken, but also intenstines, kidneys, brains and tongues, neatly shrink wrapped and waiting. Oddly, given my usual reaction to such things, I can examine all the vicera with no problem but have problems with the skinned and smoked (or otherwise preserved) lamb's feet. At the fish counter, you find all the fish, whole and ungutted, packed in ice. You won't smell it before you get there, but once you do the odor will follow you into the next departments. You find the usual fish but also whole shark, octopus, and other interesting things. I assume they will clean it for you when you buy the fish but I don't know for sure as I haven't had the courage (or the cooking facilities) to try it yet!

The roads are congested but little to no gridlock. Taxis are everywhere--you flag them down like you would in New York, or you go to a hotel or taxi stand near a mall or other major landmark. Taxis are incredibly cheap--you can cross town for the equivalent of about 3.50 USD. Driving styles are aggressive--lots of speed, tailgating, and cutting people off.

Weather here remains at about 45 degrees celsius (that's about 113 for you fahrenheit folk) but so far less humid than in Florida. Get out on the beach in the afternoon, in the shade with a breeze, and it can actually be comfortable.

That's about it for now. HOPEFULLY next time we post we will be able to say we are in our new apartment!

only in the UAE

So we went to watch soccer at the Emirates Palace last night. The palace is a huge seven-star hotel--so large that you need to travel to and from your room by golf cart! They have a grass amphitheatre cut into the grounds behind the hotel, and they put up a huge projection screen in the centre for the World Cup. Then they arranged red and yellow couches all around the amphitheatre for seating, and raised a big air-conditioned tent on top of it all. 150 Dirhams--about 40 US dollars--gets you in for the night, plus four drink tickets and all you can eat at the outdoor barbeque buffet, all with attentive service from the many available hotel staff (who really lucked out by being able to watch the Cup on work time!). Only here would something like this happen....just a little surreal!

In between the games (there were 3 played last night), they had a raffle to pick people to come up and compete in a playstation soccer game competition. I was picked to do this last night, and ended up playing against an Emerati man. Even more amazing, given my lack of experience with video games, I actually won! For my pains, I got to go home with a small gym bag filled with goodies: a World Cup water bottle, an Emirates Palace soccer uniform (shorts and shirt), an inflatable soccer ball, referee foul cards and whistle, and...a copy of the playstation soccer game. Too bad we don't have a playstation! I will have to find someone to give that to.

So, an interesting night overall.

We are otherwise still waiting for our apartment to be ready. I've been to a couple of places looking for furniture, but haven't found much yet. Not that I have a place to put anything yet anyway--or any money from our furniture allowance, which will only be released after the PI finishes with our lease. It will be nice to have a place of our own again after 3 months of living out of a suitcase, though, no matter how bare it is.

things start to move

Well, Michael's security clearance is finally done, so he's at work now. He called the PI's Human Resources department on Monday for an update and was told it was finished. Kind of makes you wonder how long they would have waited to tell anyone it was done if he hadn't called! I guess HR is the same the world over...

So he's been busy mainly helping the library get ready for the move to the new building, which is coming in a matter of days. Mapping out shelves and book locations, helping with the physical moving, and so forth. The work day starts a little earlier here--7 to 7:30 am--and without a car he is depending on the shuttle bus, so he has to get a very early start to his day. But, it means that he is out early too, and while in the short term he's getting home too tired to do much but relax at the beach after he adjusts to it I'm sure he'll appreciate the extra afternoon time. It also means that once we start shopping for furniture etc., we can do some of it together.

The other big news is that we have found an apartment! The one that we looked at earlier that was the best within our price range was still available, so we sent the information on to the people at the college and got the ball rolling for them to inspect and sign the lease. I am still not crazy about the pink and blue bathroom tiles...but...the place seems to be very well located. There is a supermarket, bakery, and fruit/vegetable market right across the street. We are close to the Cultural Foundation, some Heritage sites and gardens, and three souks, according to the map. Plus we are only a little more than a block away from Corniche road--a major thoroughfare on the water. So I think for that I can live with the tiles!

So, once the formalities are done we can move in. Likely another couple of weeks. And, once the PI hands over our furnishing allowance, I can start shopping for furniture and appliances. I hadn't realized that apartments here don't come with appliances, so I will have to go look for a washer, dryer, refrigerator, stove, etc. Fortunately everywhere here has free delivery, so I won't have to worry about getting things home. We are hoping to be set up enough by Michael's birthday to have a joint birthday-housewarming party.

I have been concentrating lately on learning the Arabic alphabet, because not being able to read any of the Arabic signs has been driving me crazy. I want to learn Arabic anyway, and learning the script can only help that I would think. so I can slowly spell out arabic words now, even if I can't understand them. One of Michael's co-workers drove him home yesterday, and offered to help us learn (Arabic is his first language), so that should be good!

For now I'm just enjoying the downtime while I have it, going to Starbucks, going to the beach...hard life, eh? :)

We're here!

Just time for a short post here as I am at an internet cafe and my time is almost up!

We are FINALLY in the UAE...left Edmonton the afternoon of June 1 and got here late the night of June 2. Michael cannot start work yet; the Petroleum Institute forgot to get his security clearance done when he was here for interview and so we must wait until that is done. Then we can look for an apartment and settle in. In the meantime we are in a very nice hotel--a suite in the Beach Rotana, which has gorgeous rooms, good restaurants, a well-equipped health club and a lovely beach. Not too much of a hardship to stay here, that's for sure! After 3 days jet lag is finally subsiding and we are starting to feel a little more normal or adjusted.

Of course, even with the PI paying some of our expenses in the interim, money is a bit of a worry until Michael finally starts work and gets paid again, so we haven't felt we can really get out and do too much exploring or touristy-type stuff. We have been out with some of Michael's new coworkers, expats who seem very nice and have been very welcoming and willing to answer questions and help us acclimatize.

I've been invited to audition for a dramatic group and a choral society. There are also class listings in the paper and Time out Abu Dhabi for Arabic language and bellydance classes. Lots to explore...I hear from some expat wives that it's VERY easy not to work here, and I can see how that would be the case even as I assume I will still end up with some kind of job--librarian or not--somewhere down the line.

One of the strangest things is seeing all the familiar stores, fast food places, etc., so far away. I guess wherever you go you can't get away from Chili's, Pizza Hut, McDonald's and Starbucks. I'm sure a time will come when we are glad to retreat into the familiar now and then, but for now it's almost disappointing.

The streets are a colourful mixture of Gulf arabs in dishdashas, abayahs and veils, Indians in turbans and saris, and western clothing of various degrees. Most people speaking Arabic amongst themselves, of course, but in the hotels, restaurants and stores everyone speaks english. It's true that you don't really need to know any Arabic to live here, though I'd still like to learn it nonetheless!

Five minutes left to go in my time. Better stop here! We'll post again when we can.

Greetings from Abu Dhabi!

Hi every one! This is our first post from Abu Dhabi. We're in an Internet Cafe at the Abu Dhabi Mall. We were at Starbucks earlier and Darcy had her first Starbucks coffee since leaving home. Anyway Darcy and I departed from Edmonton at 2:00 pm MST on June 1 and arrived in Abu Dhabi at 11:30 pm on June 2. I spent May 30 with my Dad doing errands that included returning the rental car and sending off one box to be shipped to Abu Dhabi. I used a shipper (Can-Tran) after being told by Northwest and KLM that they don't ship household goods as freight. They have a strict policy of only allowing two checked bags per person. I got a call today saying that our box arrived at the Abu Dhabi Airport so we'll go tomorrow to claim it at Customs. We'll have an Arab representative from the Petroleum Institute to insure that everything goes smoothly.

It was a long but fairly uneventful journey that took us from Edmonton to Minneapolis to Amsterdam, Bahrain and finally Abu Dhabi. I was here briefly just over three months ago so I recognize some of the surroundings. We are staying at the five star Beach Rotana Hotel and we have a spacious suite. It consists of a kitchen, living room, bedroom and bathroom - all courtesy of my new employer.

Darcy and I have gone out a few times with people from my new workplace. We've gone to Western style restaurants which most expats tend to frequent. I worked out this morning for the first time in a couple of weeks and it felt good. Temp is hot (40 celcius or 104 farenheit). Humidity isn't a factor - yet. Our hotel is connected to the Abu Dhabi Mall so we can window shop and get some ideas on what to buy once I start work. I'm awaiting my security clearance to pass so we have about another week before we can start apartment hunting. We did go looking one day with an agent and we liked one apartment. But I doubt that it will still be available once we start officially looking. The apartment was near the water and close to a park. The building was a highrise and the apartment was a three bedroom with two and a half baths. Lots of room for guests - hint, hint...Anyway the city has much hustle and bustle with many different cultures and languages spoken and various clothes worn. The UAE attracts people from all over Europe, Asia, Middle East and Africa. It's a wealthy country with lots to offer. I bought my first cell phone, oops I mean mobile, yesterday. It's a Motorola V360 with Bluetooth. Very nice and cost me 800 Dirhams or about $250 USD. This will be the first of many items that Darcy and I will be purchasing over the next few months. We can't wait for the housing allowance to come!

Darcy has been nursing a cold so she is resting much of the time. She will likely post the next entry. My hour limit is almost up so I better sign off.

Departure date!!

Well, it's official. We are departing Edmonton on Thursday June 1 at 1:50 pm. Even though we have stayed here longer than we anticipated we didn't seem to have enough time to visit with friends and relatives. We were forunate to have visited Jasper and some of my friends in Calgary over the weekend. I extended our rental car by two days as we have to do some last minute running around. Latest issue is limiting the number of items to take overseas with us. Northwest/KLM airlines has strict baggage policies and don't allow more than two bags to be checked through. Their cargo departments don't allow household items to be shipped as freight. So I called a couple of shippers and was given a couple of quotes. A 75 pound box would cost about $219.00 Canadian. So we'll need to repack our stuff yet again - I have more items than Darcy.

My Dad found a buyer for my Chevelle while Darcy and I were in Jasper. I sold it for a lot less than it was worth but at least we don't have to worry about it anymore. Ironically the buyer lives near my Dad and the man restores old cars. So my Dad was invited to check on the progress of the car's restoration. Maybe I could buy back the car once we return home! I'm happy that the car has a new home and will be given lots of TLC.

Last bit of news is that the Oilers beat the Anaheim Might Ducks in five games to win the Western Conference Championship. It's unbelievable that my team is now in the Stanley Cup Finals after a 16 year drought! Unfortunately I will not be able to watch the game in Abu Dhabi (unless there is a sports bar that has a satellite). But I can check scores online. It's dinner time so I must go. We'll try and post one more entry before we leave Edmonton....

no departure date from Edmonton yet...

On Tuesday night I decided to call the director of the Petroleum Institute to enquire about a departure date from Edmonton. He told me that the college's Human Resources Department had forgotten to have me fill out a form. So staff are determining what can be done before I can start work. Darcy and I will wait for an email towards the end of May about when to depart Edmonton.

Many difficulties that we encountered in late April have been resolved. My claim with Atlas Van Lines is finally being investigated, Darcy has her Alberta driver's licence and our deposited U.S. cheques were finally cleared by our banks. As well, I'm clear to invest our savings in bank sponsored GICs and I decided to rollover my American Automobile Association sponsored CD for two years. The interest rate was an impressive 4.8%.

Darcy's car passed Federal and Provincial car inspections which means that she can now sell it. She will sell the car to a friend on May 23 which is within the two week deadline for selling the car and getting it registered within Alberta. Darcy and I will rent a car from that date to when we depart for Abu Dhabi.

My Chevelle is still for sale and I'm having to reduce the price. I've had several people call about it but there have been no takers. Sadly, last week someone vandalized old Bessie by shooting out the driver's side door window. The window is intact but is shattered. Repair cost is about $400 because of the car's age and difficulty in finding parts. I'd rather not repair it and sell the car at a reduced cost. I'll call an auctioneer and consider reposting a classified ad at a reduced price. But this means that I can't move the car for fear of having the shattered glass spray the car's interior.

Darcy and I need to locate a few boxes that contain items that we want to take with us overseas. Yesterday I went on an invigorating bike ride with my mother through Edmonton's beautiful river vally. We biked about 8 miles along trails that I had never taken. I think that Edmonton has one of the most beautiful walking and biking trails of any city in North America. It is roughtly 21 times larger that New York City’s Central Park and is the largest stretch of urban parkland in North America. It cost me almost $200 CDN to get my bike fixed due to my lack of using it in Florida. Inactivity for a bike is not a good thing and bike repair staff told me that they can disassemble and pack in a box bikes for long term storage.

Weather in the City of Champions has been hot the last few days with today reaching almost 30 celcius (86 farenheit). However, the humidity was only 25%! Today in Ft. Lauderdale it was 80 farenheit but the humidity was 62%. To top it off the temp in Abu Dhabi today was 100 farenheit (close to 40 celcius) with 82% humidity!

Some exciting news is that the Edmonton Oilers defeated the San Jose Sharks 2-0 tonight. The mighty Oil advance to the Conference finals for the first time since 1992. The teams is playing fantastic but will have a tough time playing their next opponent (Anaheim Mighty Ducks). So I've enjoyed watching the hockey and cheering on my team. I must admit that I'd be pretty disappointed being in Florida and not being able to watch my team play right now. The last bit of news is that Darcy got her hair cut tonight. It looks cute and she looks great! We continue to rotate with visiting parents, stepparents and inlaws and friends and enjoying the wonderful spring weather. That's all for now....

one month anniversary

We've now been in Edmonton for one month - how time flies! I've been happy watching the NHL playoffs and seeing Edmonton advance into the second round of playoffs. In hindsight I don't know how I coped with not watching hockey on the CBC and TSN for almost six years with living in Florida. Anyway Darcy and I were anticipating leaving Edmonton about this time but some things have delayed our departure. But we've made some progress in the last couple of weeks. Darcy and I met with an account from KPMG and we were told some important things. Since I am classified as a dual national (American and Canadian citizen) I wanted to know how I would be taxed.

First is that all U.S. citizens, regardless of the country they are living, must submit annual income tax forms. One must do this even if no income is earned. The 1040 form can be used in conjunction with a foreign earned income form (2555 I think). One loophole is that gross annual income (wages, interest from investments, etc.) under $80,000 USD will not be taxed by Uncle Sam. So I should be safe from paying U.S. taxes while working in the U.A.E.

The Canadian Government handles things a bit differently for non resident Canadian citizens. The Federal Government has tax treaties with nations so our accountant printed off the lengthy treaty between Canada and the UAE. It stipulates that the Canadian Government retain 10% from all income earned in Canada. This includes interest from savings accounts, GICs (Guaranteed Investment Certificates), CDs (Certificates of Deposit), etc. Darcy and I are planning to invest our meagre savings in Bank of Montreal GICs. We're thinking of staggering our money in a couple of GICs: a one year and another for three or five years. I also opened a U.S. dollar savings account at my bank. This will allow me to easily wire money from my new bank in Abu Dhabi (National Bank of Abu Dhabi). I will be paid in U.S. dollars. My mother has power of attorney for my Bank of Montreal accounts so this allows her to deposit, withdraw and invest money for me back in Canada. I will have to change my bank account address to my new address in Abu Dhabi. Then the bank will know to automatically give the government 10% of my investment interest. Luckily I won't have to file paperwork for the Canadian Government annually like I will have to for the American Government.

To make a long story short, Darcy is on track to receive her full Alberta Driver's Licence. She was able to get documentation from DMV in Florida that stated her five year driving record. So she will be able to get the International Driver's Permit in Abu Dhabi. Darcy also received her vacation and sick time payout from Broward County Libraries. We'd like to take that money with us overseas to help get us settled for the first month. However, all banks here now hold foreign cheques for up to one month. This is a fairly new policy and indicative of 9/11. However, Darcy has enough money in her account to cover cashing in the USD cheque so we'll have to be firm with the bank teller.

I booked log cabin for May 24 and 25 at Beckers Chalets. It's just outside Jasper and a bit south of Alpine Village where we spent our honeymoon. The latter was already booked for those dates so I called Beckers next. Beckers is a bit cheaper but it has no outdoor hot tub like Alpine village. So we'll visit Miette Hot Springs that is about 40 miles outside Jasper.

On Friday, May 26 we'll drive the scenic Banff Jasper Highway 93. It's about 180 miles and it connects Jasper National Park and Banff National Park in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. There are many sites to visit along the way before entering the town of Banff. Then we'll head east on the Trans-Canada Highway (longest highway in North America at almost 4,900 miles). Our destination that day will be the bustling city of Calgary where we'll visit friends. We'll depart for Edmonton on Sunday, May 28 and then fly out from Edmonton to Abu Dhabi a few days after that. That's assuming that my new employer can purchase plane tickets for us fairly quickly. More to come later....

Sunny, cool Edmonton

At the moment Darcy and I are staying at my Mom's and Stepdad's condo. The weather has been very cool with snow showers one morning. Today got up to about 8 celcius or 48 farenheit. But it's sunny and I love it! Last weekend Darcy and I drove to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. It's a five hour drive (330 miles) southeast from Edmonton on the Yellowhead Highway. Darcy wanted to visit her cousins, aunt and uncle there. We had great weather and Saturday was a balmy 26 celcius or 77 farenheit. It's a picturesque little city that is reminescent of Edmonton in the 1960s and 70s. It's one of about three cities that we'd consider moving to when we decide to leave Abu Dhabi. The other two cities are Calgary and Denver.

I think I forgot to mention that the total number of miles that we drove from Florida to Edmonton was about 3,800. On the topic of transportation, Darcy will take her car to a mechanic next Monday to have modifications done to meet Canadian auto standards. Then it needs to be inspected before she can register and insure it in Alberta. Luckily there are still a couple of people who are interested in buying the car. I have posted a classified ad for my 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle in the local paper. It's currently parked in front of my Dad's house with a *For Sale* sign. You can also view the car's ad at Freecartrader.com . I hope to sell old Bessie by the end of May before we leave Edmonton. More to come later...

It's here!

Well, the rest of our stuff finally arrived from Florida today. An early day as we had to drive out of town to the international airport to clear our shipment with customs, then all the way back to unload. So our things are now in storage, although how safely I can't really say. We didn't have time to unpack and check each box--I'd still be there repacking if we'd tried it--so I'm pretty much trusting things are okay on the fact that none of the boxes were physically open/ripped/etc. and none of the fragile ones made tinkly broken-glass-or-crockery noises when we shook them. I am in the middle of sorting and repacking the things I left in my parents' basement after the last move--I will be moving those things into storage when I'm done. Getting the stuff here finally was a big relief.

So now that our things have arrived and Michael has his drivers licence and our authenticated marriage certificate, he is essentally finished everything he has to do before leaving. Which means that I am in the unenviable position of Holding Everything Up. I haven't got my bank statement in the mail, which means I can't show proof of residence to get my licence. I haven't got the list of modifcations for my car from the Registrar of Imported Vehicles, so I can't get the modifications done, which means I can't get it inspected , registered and insured in Alberta, which means I can't sell it. Everything is down to sitting on my hands waiting for pieces of paper to arrive in the mail, essentially so I can do the few short things necessary to wait for other things to come in the mail. I'm getting to the point where I feel like it will never come and I will never get out of here...

In less stressful news, we are going to be leaving town to visit my cousins, aunt and uncle in Saskatoon this weekend. I haven't been there in about 3 or 4 years, and before that short visit (for an ill-fated job interview) I hadn't been for probably about 10 years. Strange when we used to go all the time! So that should be fun. We still have trips to Calgary and Jasper to plan as well.

Darcy finally posts

Well, I seem to have left most of the updating of this blog up to Michael for quite some time. Figured it was about time I posted a new entry, too!

As Michael mentions below, we are indeed in Edmonton after our road-trip odyssey. It was an interesting trip, even if we didn't have time to stop as much as we'd have liked to. I'm glad we decided to break up the trip by going through Denver. By the time we got there a rest was more than welcome. Plus, I haven't really had the chance to get to know Michael's brother and his wife very well until this point (they had moved from Edmonton by the time Michael and I got involved), and it was really nice to spend some time with them at last.. Malini teaches grade one, and she took me to her class one afternoon, which was really fun. We also had a chance to do some shopping and go out for dinner a few times. All told a great visit.

Thankfully we had a relatively easy border crossing at Sweetgrass/Coutts. I always worry that something will go wrong every time I have to cross, so it's always stressful for me. Fortunately we ended up well prepared. the only thing we hadn't done was assign a value to all the things on our moving inventory, and as it turned out we only had to spend about an hour on that. The agent that helped us said that many times people come to the border without any preparation beforehand, and spend about 7-8 hours there doing all the paperwork they need to hand in, so I think we got off pretty lightly! Even importing my car went off without a hitch.

We spent our last night on the road in Lethbridge, and took our last day of travel a little slower. I drove the last day, even though it was Michael's turn, because I've never been through Alberta as a driver rather than a passenger and I wanted to do the last leg myself. We slept in a little later than usual, and stopped at the Penny Coffee house before leaving town. I used to love that place, but going there just proved that there's truth in the idea that You Can Never Go Back. The independent bookstore that used to open into the shop was gone. All the funky posters and pictures on the walls were gone. All the feminist posters and quotes were gone from the womens' washroom. The place had been completely stripped and sanitized and it's fun-hangout character was gone. On top of that, the cappuccino I ordered was watered down to a latte with a little bit of foam on the top...something that always irritates me. Oh well. I still have the good memories from when it was a good place, I guess.

We stopped in Claresholm around lunch time, so I could show Michael where I lived and worked there. The place does not really look good in some respects. Lots of empty storefronts and empty houses. Even some of the churches have closed! The town does have a very nice brand-new public library, however, and the greenhouse I worked in looks really good, so at least that business is thriving!

We also stopped in Red Deer, not far from Edmonton, so that Michael could show me where he lived and went to school the years he was there. The house they were in was almost exactly the same as he had left it!

We stopped at Michael's dad's place when we got into Edmonton, and his mother and stepfather happened to be visiting, so we got to see them all at once! We spent the first few days at my parents' house, then moved to Michael's dad's, and have just set up again today at his mom's place. A little bit different this time around, as we are moving together and have to balance three different families.

Unfortunately not much to report as far as progress goes since we arrived in Edmonton. Our moving truck is late, and we can't really do any out-of-town visiting until it gets here. Whenever that will be. We have to get Alberta drivers licences before we move, which is harder than it used to be--we have to show proof of residence and then wait 2 weeks while everything gets vetted in Ottawa. Thank goodness we both kept bank accounts open here--bank statements are the only thing we would have on the list of acceptable proof! But I have to wait for my statement, then wait for my licence, and what with that and the things to get done with my car before I sell it it's going to be a longer time than anticipated before we will be ready to move overseas.

Not that I've really been able to wrap my head around the reality of our actually moving to Abu Dhabi yet! But, one step at a time I guess!

What with everything that's going on I think this blog needs a facelift/makeover. I'll try to get to that soon....

Back in Canada

We left sunny Denver at 10:30 MST on Monday, April 10. We were running a bit behind schedule as we had anticipated entering Canada on that date. But we wanted to visit with my brother and sister-in-law for a few days and rest up for the next leg of our journey. Darcy's car was ready for pick-up that morning as it needed a new starter and front brake pads. Day five of our roadtrip took us to Billings, Montana. I drove that day and covered about 585 miles. It was a very blustery day once we entered Wyoming. I had never seen that state but the desolation of the landscape was breathtaking. I believe that it is the least populated state and I think it has the second highest elevated state capital. While Denver touts itself as the mile high city at 5,200 feet, Cheyenne (capital of Wyoming) is over 800 feet higher. New Mexico's capital of Santa Fe is nearly 7,000 feet. Sadly we didn't have time to visit the Little Bighorn Battlefield. We didn't time it right as we drove past it at 6:00 pm. We stayed overnight at the Cherry Tree Inn in Billings, Montana. It had a George Washington theme and the decor dated from the 1970s. The price was very cheap at $55.00. That night we had dinner at a surprisingly good dinner at the Enzo Mediterranean Bistro restaurant. We didn't expect to find a good Mediterranean restaurant in Billings. The city was picturesque and the Yellowstone River flowed through it. There were impressive bluffs Darcy drove on Day 6 and covered about 575 miles. The weather continued to cool off as we approached the continental divide. We passed the divide twice - first heading west on I-90 approaching Butte and second heading north on I-15. The city of Butte, Montana is situated almost on the divide and junction of the two interstates. We drove through a localized snow storm since the elevation was 6,300 feet. It was nice to see snow again! By this time we were on the final leg of our roadtrip in the U.S. The last city we passed through before reaching the U.S. Canada border was Great Falls which I had visited as a child. My parents went to school at the University of Montana in Missoula and we made a few trips to northern Montana in the early 1970s. Unfortunately we also didn't have time to visit the Lewis & Clark Museum in Great Falls. It was late in the day (4:00 pm) and we needed to give ourselved time to pass through customs and arrive in Lethbridge, Alberta by nightfall. That's all for now - more to come later....

On the road again...

I couldn't help but think of the Willie Nelson song *On the Road Again* for the title of this entry. Darcy and I have had a wonderful time with my brother and sister-in-law over the past five days. I had a headache our first day here likely due to the 5,000 foot elevation. After spending some time relaxing I decided to buy some clothes (something that I don't do very often!). My brother is a store manager for an upscale men's clothing store called Jos A Bank. So I bought a suit, four dress shirts, one belt, one pair of wool pants and one pair of Johnston & Murphy shoes. Everthing was close to 50% off so I only paid $750.00. I know, it's still a lot of money but it's a bargain. My brother is probably correct in that my new employer will likely not tolerate staff wearing cotton pants with their mandatory shirt and tie policy. I also own a nice Hugo Boss suit and three dress shirts and some nice ties and one pair of Florsheim shoes. So my new workplace wardrobe is complete.

I've had two good work outs with my brother this past Friday and Sunday. I can always count on my brother to have a good anaerobic workout! He is studying to become a certified personal athletic trainer. Sunday afternoon I shot some hoop (played basketball) with my brother for an aerobic workout. I can't emphasize enough how refreshing it is to be outside in a cool, dry climate! My stamina is so higher and I feel better. Plus the spectacular mountain view is breath taking! The shorter, brown colored front range mountains provide a start contrast to the white capped Rocky Mountains. Maybe one day my wife and I will settle in Denver.

Other somewhat boring news to report is that I went to my bank and made a withdrawal from my checking account. I will keep my Washington Mutual account open but will take most of my money up to Canada to invest. We also need to take about $2,500 with us overseas to sustain us until my first paycheck. The college will pay for our hotel and some food but we'll need to rent a car until I pass probation. The other news is that Darcy's Sentra is in the shop because it needs a new starter and front brakes. Unfortunately the starter was rebuilt only a year and a half ago so this shouldn't have happened. But this wasn't the first time that one of our cars needed a part replaced that had only been repaired the previous year. It happened to my Volvo last month (new alternator) and I was forced to sell it at a terrible loss.

Anyway the car will be ready Monday morning so we should be on the road around 10:30 am. The distance from Denver to Edmonton is about 1,100 miles and it will take two days of driving. We'll likely stay in Butte or Billings Montana Monday night. Time permitting I'd like to visit the Little Bighorn Battlefield in Montana. We'll drive right by it so it's possible we'll have time to visit. The other landmark that I'd like to see is the Lewis & Clark Intrepative Center in Great Falls, Montana. It's not too far south of our home province of Alberta so we'll likely visit it this coming Tuesday.

I guess that's all for now. I need to refill my drink and visit more with my brother and sister-in-law. The next blog entry will likely be later in the week from Edmonton, Alberta!

Relaxing in Denver

I guess this is our first post-Florida blog entry. It was an emotionally draining week for Darcy and I during the last week of March with saying good-bye to friends and colleagues. We had established roots in South Florida after almost six years of living there. My friend Dante was a godsend with flying down from Toronto in part to help us clear out our apartment. During his week's stay the three of us spent almost every night relaxing in our apartment complex's hot tub.

We were forced to place many of our belongings by our apartment complex dumpster since we couldn't get Goodwill or the Salvation Army to pick up our unwanted items. But we were pleasantly surprised to observe that fellow tenants took almost all our former belongings! It took us longer than expected to clear out several small items in our kitchen and empty the refrigerator.

We filled Darcy's 1999 Nissan Sentra with valuables and fragile items that we didn't want packed on the moving truck. Darcy and I didn't leave Broward County until 3:30 pm on Friday March 31. Our destination of Edmonton, Alberta was over 3,400 miles away. But we had decided to break up the long trip by stopping in Denver and visiting my brother and sister-in-law.

We didn't have an itinerary for our trip despite getting a detailed travel planner from the AAA. Orlando ended up being our destination that first day of driving 224 miles (Darcy drove). We stayed at the Days Inn and our first restful night in about a month. On day two I drove and it was one of traffic congestion in Georgia. Despite being on the road for almost nine hours we only covered about 440 miles that day. We stayed overnight at the Quality Inn in Morrow, Georgia (just off I-75 in south Atlanta). If we had more time I would have liked to visit the Carter Center there. But it turned out that we were able to visit another Presidential Library later on our trip.

Darcy drove about 550 miles on day three and we travelled through Georgia and Tennessee. After analyzing the AAA planner we decided to visit the Chickamaugua/Chattanooga Civil War Battlefield. Being a history buff I had to stop since I had never seen a Civil War memorial before. I'd forgotten how mountainous the state was by having the Appalachian Mountains. That night we stayed at a motel called the Microtel in Clarksville, Tennessee. That night turned out to be rife with tornadoes and squawly weather hitting the area. A terrific windstorm blew in and brought a dazzling lightning storm. The temperature also dropped and we had to break out our northern climate clothing.

It was my turn to drive on day four and we covered about 500 miles. We drove through Kentucky, Illinois and Missouri. We stayed overnight at the Best Western Truman Inn in Indpendence, Missouri. The next day we spent about three and a half hours visiting the Truman House and Truman Library. The Miniature White House had amazing detail and was on loan. We could have easily spent the entire day there but we wanted to be in Denver that night. Sadly we didn't have time to visit the Eisenhower Library in neighboring Abilene, Kansas. The trek to Denver was about 600 miles straight west and it took nine hours. We arrived at my brother's condo at 11:00 pm on April 4 a bit tired and stiff but ready to relax in the cool, crisp mountain air for a few days!