Sophia Kestrel's new video

Season's Greetings to everyone!  

Check out Sophia's latest video or watch it here. She amazes us every day with something new!

We've spent the last two months establishing ourselves in Regina.  It's the capital city of the province of Saskatchewan which is located in Western Canada.  A snowstorm hit the city the day after Michael arrived and a few more storms hit before we Christmas.  But we've been settling in slowly unpacking our boxes.  Our shipment of belongings from Abu Dhabi should arrive in early January.

Sophia celebrated her first Christmas in Canada in Edmonton.  It was a special time for parents and grandparents.  Her Christmas video should be available in about a week.  

New video of Sophia

Apologies for not blogging much but the last month was a bit busy. We somehow managed to make the fairly smooth transition from Abu Dhabi to Regina in October. It was difficult to say goodbye to some wonderful friends. We've been in Regina barely three weeks and we have experienced two major snowfalls. Quite a change from living in the desert. We expect our 22 boxes of household items from Abu Dhabi to arrive in early December. Then our consolidation of stuff will be complete. More to come as the year winds down and we begin to settle into our new life on the Canadian Prairies. In the meantime here is the latest and long overdue video of our daughter Sophia Kestrel. - Posted from my iPodTouch

Last day in Abu Dhabi

Come on in...the water's fine!

Cool

Jes hangin at da villa wit my peeps, yo

Hi everyone!

Just thought I'd check in with all my fans. I'm working on sitting up and rolling around these days. I'm having lots of fun with my new friend Lily. Soon I'll be moving to Canada. See you soon!

Rental house photos

I should have googled our new rental house's address earlier because I just found some nice photos of it. It looks very cozy despite us not having seen it in person! The realtor told me the old fireplace works so it will be nice to use in winter for ambiance. I'll arrive in Regina on Oct. 25 to pick up our 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring, register and insure it. Other errands to do that day are meet the realtor, get the house keys, ensure utilities are hooked up & buy some groceries. I'll also need to buy an air bed and wait for the movers to arrive. They're supposed to arrive between Oct. 25 and 27. Darcy and SK will arrive on Oct. 28 so hopefully I will have had time to assemble the new crib and assuming the movers have come by then.

We're selling most of our household items to friends in Abu Dhabi. They are moving into a large villa and need a lot of things. So the transfer will be on Oct. 1 and we'll stay with them for 3 weeks. My company will put us in a hotel for our last three nights in Abu Dhabi (Oct. 20-22). Then we fly to Canada on the 23! But there are still many things to do before then...

New video of Sophia and moving update

Check out the latest video of Sophia. She is darling and is much cuter in person. We managed to find a house to rent for a year. We were able to get a screen shot of it (or see photo below). The realtor says that we could move to another house if we don't like thus one. Despite not having seen it we like the area from using Google Earth. I drove around the area and it's close to my new job at the university and Wascana Park. It has three bedrooms, one bathroom, a wood burning fireplace and an unfinished basement. It's had a lot of renovations done in the last few years. 





We're on track to depart Abu Dhabi on October 23. There's still so much to do including securing movers in Abu Dhabi and Edmonton to get our belongings to Regina. Oh yeah, I start my new job Novembet 1! I'm really looking forward to this transition in my career.

July video of Sophia Kestrel

Hi everyone! 

We've been in Canada for one month now and can't believe we only have less than one week left before we head back to the desert.  It's been a busy time in Edmonton with some big changes in store for us.  Details to follow.  In the mean time below are links to the two videos of Sophia:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUb5MJZTvJI (part 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYI4tVjCbSQ (part 2)

June video of Sophia

Hi everyone. Check out the latest video of Sophia Kestrel at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kH8jgdFVB_U. We fly to Edmonton on June 29 for five weeks. Stay tuned for video of her in July. - Posted from my iPodTouch

More video of Sophia Kestrel

We finally got around to making another short compilation of video clips staring Sophia at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKhjLSm7NPU She is darling but you may want to adjust your computer's sound around the eight minute mark. - Posted from my iPodTouch

Video of Sophia Kestrel

Three short clips of Sophia Kestrel's first week are at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEH99cqsD0E. She's darling and the video doesn't quite do her justice. - Posted from my iPodTouch

Our Baby!

Not much time to write but I posted some photos of the baby on Facebook @ http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=220780&id=733446398&l=1d3861a2e6. Mom and baby's homecoming is Sunday evening hopefully. - Posted from my iPodTouch

Counting down the final days to The Arrival

It was another hot, windy and dusty weekend here so it was uncomfortable to spend much time outdoors.  Darcy and I had taken a few walks along the Corniche to stretch our legs.  It's quite difficult for her to get comfortable sitting and sleeping now.  Darcy looks as lovely as ever and the pregnancy has been fairly smooth so far.  The photo below was taken about a month ago or so.

We are narrowing our lists of baby names for both genders.  It's been a surprisingly difficult process.  Darcy's mother was scheduled to arrive in Abu Dhabi on the 21st.  However, the volcanic eruptions in Iceland may delay her trip because her connection is in Frankfurt.  There have been massive cancellations at airports in northern Europe. 

I've had a flare up of sciatica (I hope that's all it is) in my left leg so I've been hobbling around at work and home.  So I haven't used my bike indoors in a few weeks and I've used the treadmill and bike lightly at the gym.
 
Dubai maternity hospitals hike fees 100% - the new prices are what we already pay in Abu Dhabi.

Raids on labor camp restaurants see third of a ton of unfit food destroyed

Confusion over rules leaves cyclists at the crossroads

No more instant visas for Westerners and Asians flying to Qatar - I hope this policy doesn't spread to other Gulf countries.

Four Weeks to The Arrival!

Darcy and I are both nervous and excited about the baby coming in a month from now.  We've looked at dozens of names on websites and books but few have caught our eye.  Hopefully we'll get some inspiration when it's born.  But we'll need to choose a name quickly if it comes to that point as the baby can't leave the hospital without a name on the birth certificate.


I've been really sick with an eye infection and bronchitis over the past month.  I think it all began with the Shamil desert winds picking up a lot of sand and dust and affecting my eyes and lungs.  I missed an unprecedented eight days of work.  I'm almost back to normal but my energy levels have been low.  Luckily Darcy did not get sick as I was worried about passing on my illness to her.  It was windy and hazy again today so I'm hesitant to spend much time outside. 

The baby has been kicking and moving around a lot more now which has resulted in more restless nights for Darcy.  I guess we should get used to not sleeping regularly for the next few years!  Last weekend I practiced tying a baby wrap.  It's pretty neat. 

Some of Darcy's friends from her old workplace organized a baby shower last weekend.  We got some very nice things and the baby room continues to accumulate things.  Today we picked up a free changing table - thanks Rob! 

It's spring break at my work so many of the students are gone but a lot of faculty will be around.  They want to save their vacation time for the summer.  We've bought our tickets to fly home in late June which is only three months away.  And we'll have our baby in tow too!

Countdown to The Arrival

The building next to us is finally getting its windows cleaned.  It's been one year since ours were last done.  The little platform that the cleaners used has been rusting outside so I guess these simple repairs take time around here.  Maybe we shouldn't complain as a friend of ours says his building's windows have not been cleaned since he moved in almost three years ago.

On Tuesday we attended a fancy dinner reception that honored America's President's Day.  It was sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi and we saw many diplomats and army/navy brass.  I met a librarian from the State Department here and he kindly put me on his mailing list.

On Friday morning I and a friend walked in the annual Terry Fox Run.  It took place along the Corniche and it was nice to be outside walking.  I used sunscreen and wore a long brimmed Tilley hat but one part of my neck still got sunburned.    

Darcy is nearing the end of Week 30 of the pregnancy.   Only 10 weeks to go before The Arrival.  We finished reading a couple of baby names books and we're now looking at each others' lists.  We only wrote down a couple of names that were the same but it should be fun trying to narrow down the list of boy and girl first and middle names.  Of course this is based on the assumption that the name will fit the baby after s/he is born. It will have to have a name before we can do all the paperwork and leave the hospital.

Ten million dirhams on a camel 'not very unusual'

Internet domain first for UAE

New clear street signs by 2012 - this is long overdue.  Our building's biggest tenant (Standard Chartered Bank) just moved out so using that landmark for getting taxis may not work anymore. 

Historic footage of Sheikh Zayed found

Dubai's Unwritten Social Contact - interesting article considering this is written by an Emirati.

Alleged Assassins Caught on Tape - this bizarre story of international intrigue reads like a made for Hollywood movie

What's New

It's been a stormy weekend but it's nice to see dark clouds in the sky.  However, our windows that I cleaned after the last big storm are now muddy again.  Our building's windows haven't been cleaned in almost a year now.  A friend of ours says that his building's windows have never been cleaned since he moved in 2.5 years ago.  Alberta's Premier paid a visit to Abu Dhabi recently and signed some bilateral agreements.  He also participated on a panel in Abu Dhabi's annual World Future Energy Summit. 

There have been a few stories about the city's plans to expand paid parking.  The new zones are getting closer to us and we're nervous about having to pay when there is little guarantee that we'll be able to find a spot.  Unfortunately parking in the city is still very difficult but we're able to find parking close to our building.  Apparently there are massive problems with Abu Dhabi's nascent recycling program.  Another article
talks about upgrading an existing recycling depot.  We've been recycling plastic, paper, cardboard and aluminum for about a year now.  There's a small place we drive and unload our stuff but we wonder what happens to it after we sort out the contents.  Many of the big dumpsters have poor laborers sifting through the garbage and neatly sorting out the plastic and cardboard.  But is it all for naught?

Dates for the the 2010 Red Bull Air Race  were just confirmed for next month.  Makes one wonder how organizers could plan it here.  We've seen it a few times before as it's close to our building.  However, we're still too far away to see the planes up close. 

Darcy is near the end of Week 28 of her pregnancy.  A friend gave us their baby crib which they had got from someone else.  He helped me put it together so the baby room is starting to take shape now.  Guess we need to buy a mobile for it.   We're still reading baby name books and our lists of boy and girl names are slowly growing.  We'll have to compare them and narrow them down to a few.   We're also hoping that it doesn't take too long for all the baby's paperwork to be processed after its born.  It must have a passport, residency visa and a health insurance card before we can leave the country.  Hope for the best and plan for the worst I guess .  We'll have to be careful with picking our departure date to fly home for the summer after the birth!





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Catching Up

Yikes - it was Halloween since I last blogged!  I'll use the old cliche that much has happened since then.  I'll start by saying that Darcy is pregnant and is due around April 24.  We're both very excited and a bit nervous.  Call us old school but we decided not to know the gender of the baby.  We want it to be a surprise and we don't think it will be too hard to buy gender neutral clothes for the baby's first few months. 

We've bought and received some baby books and baby clothes.  We also bought a car seat in Edmonton and shipped it with us back to Abu Dhabi.  But we still have a lot of things to purchase plus baby proof our apartment before the birth.  Few boy and girl names have caught our fancy but we don't want anything too old Testament or New Agey sounding.  The photo below is the Team Canada 2010 Olympic hockey jersey for our little one.  No, I didn't buy it - Darcy did!  It's very cute and appropriate since the baby will be born in the same Olympic year.  Maybe I should get it framed once s/he outgrows it.

Our November 25 to December 10 trip to Paris, Bruges and Brussels was fantastic.  The weather was cool and rainy most of the time but it didn't dampen our spirits. Our hotels were in great locations and were within walking distance to many places.  Paris highlights were Notre Dame, Versailles and the Louvre but we saw wonderful places every day.  The medieval city of Bruges was incredible and we filled our share of Belgian waffles, chocolates and mussels.  The Grand Place in Brussels was very interesting too.  We did a lot of walking and took the convenient subways.  If you have a Facebook account then you can view photos of our trip here.

On December 21 we renewed our National I.D. cards.  The process only took an hour but we visited the office early in the morning and crowds weren't too bad because it was the holidays.  Darcy got hers delivered Saturday and mine should come on Sunday.  That should take care of us for three years until our residence visa runs out.

Christmas came and went very quickly but we got some nice presents.  Darcy baked some goodies but unfortunately I only had a normal two day weekend.  Unfortunate news is that Darcy's father passed away on December 27.  So we flew to Edmonton for the funeral.  Things weren't any easier with us trying to book tickets within 24 hours of leaving Abu Dhabi.  Plus I had horrendously long layovers and missed flights because of winter weather.  My roundtrip flights were about 70 hours door to door.

However, it was comforting to be home for a short time and visit with family and some friends.  We had not visited Edmonton over Christmas in five years so the extremely dry and cold weather (averaged about minus 20 celcius) caught us a bit off guard. We returned to Abu Dhabi on January 12 severely jet lagged.  I often wonder how politicians can fly around the world, attend conferences, make speeches and not appear jet lagged. 

So the last few months have been bitter sweet for us.  But we'll visit Edmonton in the summer and Darcy's mother may visit us after the baby's birth.  We'd like to fly home for Christmas too.  2010 will be an exciting year for us!