livin' and learnin'

I'm hoping that this blog, in addition to being a good way to share part of my adventure in the Middle East with friends and family, can also help me to pull together thoughts for others headed this way. Before I came, I asked everyone I met with experience in the UAE, or experience living abroad, what did they bring with them that proved to be important or what didn't they bring that they wished they had? I'm sure my own answers to those questions are going to evolve and grow once I move out of the hotel apartment bubble with daily housekeeping and dish washing and breakfast on my own... but one thing I've already noticed is that the "why?" behind answers to those questions can be interesting.

One person suggested that I'd appreciate having an unlocked iPhone or something similar, she mentioned that people "conduct a lot of business" here via SMS. I expected colleagues maybe setting up meetings or asking simple questions via text but no, I get the most texts from my bank and they're not junk really. I get alerts when I use my credit card, when a check I've deposited has cleared and the funds are now available, if I'm making a change to my online profile and they need to add  a layer of security they text me an access code and more. I was also alerted by text from the government when my ID was ready for pick up and I was sent a link to the traffic handbook after i got my driver's license. At the mall, there's probably free wifi but you'll need a password and no problem, they'll text it to you. Oh! If you get busted speeding by a radar camera, they'll SMS you with the ticket and if your account with Salik, the toll system, needs recharging, guess how they're going to let you know? Happily, when you receive texts or even phone calls, you don't pay! You only pay when you initiate them. And with my sim card (they handed me about 10 or so and let me pick my favorite phone number from the lot- let me know if you want my number, it has a lot of double 5s) it's super easy to buy a recharge code from the grocery store or the circle K on campus or wherever so I can just add value to my account- no monthly fee, no plan, just pay as I go. Having a phone that you're comfortable with that you can make work with the UAE carriers has been essential. Super glad I had that.

While the whole business of living in the apartment hotel for 2 months seemed like a bad deal at first, I have to admit, I'm kinda glad it worked out this way. Except for not being able to really be with my cat, Butternut, there have been a lot of upsides. For someone coming over with a more typical timeline which allows for a week or less to furnish a place entirely, I'd suggest trying to get to an Ikea

my red couches

repeatedly prior to arriving in the UAE to test beds and couches for their actual comfort rather than how comfortable they will feel when you're panic-outfitting your place on a 120 degree day and you're also stupid with jet lag. I'm the proud owner (with delivery a few weeks out yet) of a fancy name brand mattress with continuous coil and latex and other stuff that went over my head- I decided I didn't want to skimp on my mattress- that I got 50% off because it's the Dubai Shopping Festival all month long. I also scored 2 red couches and a little black footstool type thing at 60% off plus a discount because they were the floor models- no furniture from Ikea yet! (though I expect that is likely to be where i get the guest bedroom stuff) I'm getting most of my kitchen used from a colleague who is moving and I think I'll hold out for interesting and "ethinic" wood pieces like tables and chairs. and carpets! It's about time for me to engage in the carpet buying dance but that will be a post all it's own.