Treasures

Last weekend I received some horrible news:  My cousin-in-law in Colorado Springs was killed in a motorcycle accident.  Mark was only 39 and a really lovely person, sometimes I really don't understand the man above and His plans for us.  I have cried many a tears but realised they weren't actually my tears (despite being incredibly sad) but my heartfelt sorrow for my cousin Meike who has lost her partner, her husband, her best friend.  I will always remember Mark and feel blessed to have known him.  R.I.P. Mark!

Being out here in Abu Dhabi, so far away from my family and friends, I felt quite alone and really appreciated the messages sent to me from friends via twitter and Facebook   Thank the Lord for Skype too, a wonderful way to stay in touch with family and friends.
So, yesterday morning we had an email from our Office Manager informing us that our office will be closed next week Thursday (Arafat Day) until Sunday (Eid al Adha).  You see, here in the UAE the Islamic public holidays are based on the sighting of the moon and can vary a day prior or after the originally announced date.  Don't ask me why, since the moon doesn't change its course all of a sudden, but hey, it seems to be a relic from olden days and we just have to go with it.
Well, to be honest, reading about the 4-day-break I was a bit at loss at first as I didn't want to spend 4 days just bumming around in Abu Dhabi.  However, I then looked up flights for getaways, also flights to Germany amongst others, just for a laugh, but it turned out to be a happy laugh.  I immediately got in touch with my 3 best friends in Frankfurt and my parents what their plans were for next week, and I can happily report that they're all looking forward to welcoming me, no matter the short notice of my visit.  Thank you Etihad Airways for having this amazingly reasonably-priced flight-combination for me to book.  I will be flying out 2am Thursday to Frankfurt (arriving there 7am), spending Thu and Fri in Frankfurt with my friends, taking the train up to Hannover Saturday morning and enjoying my parents' and brother's company Saturday and Sunday.  The flight back leaves Hannover just before 6pm Sunday, via Munich back to Abu Dhabi (arriving 7:15am just in time to get to work).  I cannot wait, haven't seen my Mutti und Papa since my birthday in April (I don't really count Skype video-calls as seeing).
I truly value my friends and family and try my utmost to stay in touch with these loved ones.  Thank you for being there for me through thick and thin.  You're real treasures!

Swedish Delights

I really wasn't sure that this blog-entry would see the light of day.  After having nearly finished the entry my blogger account crashed last night, and took the whole essay into cyberspace, untraceable despite continuous intermittent savings.
But, today I decided that this anecdote in my little life should be told especially as it's about a certain Swedish furniture manifacturer that often gets slated and ridiculed.  I had a very positive experience and am of the opinion that it needs to be told.  So here I go again...

What does any Westerner usually do on a Friday?  Under normal circumstances one would got to work, wrap up the week, finalise any weekend plans and possibly go out in the evening.  Right?  Not so much in the Arabic world where Friday is the holy day and first day of the weekend (the work week here runs from Sunday to Thursday).
So, this was my second Friday in Abu Dhabi, and also my second Friday morning I made a trip to IKEA.  Abu Dhabi's IKEA offers a shuttle service from Marina Mall (Abu Dhabi's biggest and most swanky shopping mall) out to its store on Yas Island.  The shuttle bus departs once an hour and takes approximately 40 minutes, even on the empty highway.  The lunch-hour varies between Fridays and all other days and also during Ramadan, so you might want to confirm with the driver the return-shuttle departure times before getting off the bus.
Little geek fact, by the by:  IKEA has its most stores in Germany (46), that's even more than in the USA (38) or even Sweden (16).  Us Germans seem to love a bit of self-assembly furniture.

So, here we are at IKEA on a Friday morning, 15 minutes after store opening.  The 4 people, inluding me, (all expats) of the shuttle bus most likely being the only customers in the whole store.  Bliss!
I, being ever so German sometimes, had a shopping-/wish-list compiled on IKEA's website with and printed it off for an easy shopping trip.

First stop:  Living room furniture, or to be more precise:  sleeper-sofa.  Unfortunately my sofa-bed of choice was not in stock.  However, the helpful staff member checked the system again and then took my mobile number and promised to call once my wanted sofa-bed is back in stock.
Next stop:  Dining furniture for table and chairs.  Here I was met by a super-nice Kenyan who remembered me from my previous Friday visit.  We got chatting as I noticed the German flag on his name tag in addition to the British one, I asked him about his German skills and where he had acquired them, he told me that his parents live in Friedrichshafen am Bodensee (Lake Constance) which is very near my mom and dad's holiday home and that he is in fact trying to move to Germany to be closer to his family.  He then went through my whole list and checked and confirmed availabilities and locations in the self-serve area, not only for the dining furniture but also the bed, plus he investigated a tad further as to when the Moheda sleeper-sofa might be delivered.  He found out that there are currently about 10 of these sofas in some container on their way to the UAE and should be in store within a week.  He suggested that I should call the store this week and if the sofa is in the warehouse to make a booking which means the item will then be held back from further sale until the end of business (10pm at the Abu Dhabi store) that day.  How good was that?  A one-stop-super-accommodating IKEA staff member whom I would love to recommend to Mr. Ingvar Kamprad personally.

Anyway, onwards and upwards on my swift IKEA visit, quickly going through the lights- and bathroom-textiles-sections where I knew what I wanted and readily found.  I arrived at the self-serve warehouse where I was greeted by more friendly staff who were happy to assist me in gathering all the different flat-pack-boxes and load them onto the trolley(s).
The girl at the registers was the only fly in the ointment.  My credit-card was declined.  Twice.  I knew for sure that I was still far from reaching my limit despite having made quite a few larger purchases with my card recently.  So I called the Amex customer service number in the UK and after hearing various announcements and pressing many a numbers I finally managed to speak to a representative who assured me that it wasn't Amex declining the transaction but in fact the store's system itself cancelling the charge immediately after authorisation.  The check-out-girl then tried a different terminal and guess what... it worked a treat.  All the while I was getting rather impatient as this (unnecessary) delaying episode left me with only 5 minutes until the departure of the return shuttle bus and I hadn't even seen anyone for the home-delivery.  I should mention here that due to the lunch break the next shuttle after that would've been 2 hours later.
The check-out-helper and I rushed over with our fully laden trolleys to the home-delivery counter and I anxiously asked this customer service guy whether he thought I'd make the shuttle bus.  He restored my good experience of before the check-out-incident by phoning down to the bus-driver and asking him to wait for me and then very efficiently noted all the required information for the home-delivery.
Having done that, leaving behind all big items to be delivered to the new flat next Saturday, I took my blue tarpaulin bag with all smaller purchases and rushed down to the shuttle bus, actually making it only about 3 minutes late for departure.  Incidentally the 3 other customers from the shuttle to IKEA were on the same return shuttle with me again.

From Marina Mall I took a taxi back to the hotel, deposited my Swedish purchases in the room and went straight back out to Lulu Hypermarket where I bought £50-worth of cleaning products, mop, cloths, bucket etc.

Hopping into another taxi with all this cleaning stuff and IKEA items I was off to the new apartment (for which I had collected the keys a week before the rental contract actually starts) for a spring-clean in autumn.  Since I will be the first occupancy in the flat there is still so much builder's dust you could "catch" asthma.
The only down-side of having access to the flat before official move-in date is that the utilities aren't fully connected yet and I didn't have any hot water.  Nevertheless, cleaning with cold water only is still preferable to moving into a dirty, dusty apartment.
3 hours later and I was quite pleased with my cleaning efforts though rather sore and tired.

Bring on the 1st of September and the deliveries of bed, table, chairs, washing machine and TV.  Hopefully by then I will also have decided on a good (affordable) mattress to make sleeping more comfortable than lying on the slats  ;-)
Oh, I forgot to mention that I will get a gas-cooker in a little while as well, buying it 2nd hand from another German expat who I was put in contact with through my lovely estate agent Anne.
The only big purchases left on my list (apart from the sofa) that I still need to decide on are the fridge-freezer and a car.  Big purchases indeed.  I'll keep you posted.

Thanks for reading my little happy story about the often ridiculed flat-pack-furniture-heroes of IKEA.  Tack så mycket!

New Beginnings

So, it's been a week since I left London for Abu Dhabi: time for a blog update.

7 days ago I boarded a British Airways plane with a big lump in my throat, yet huge excitement about the new adventure bubbling inside.  It might not have been the very best time/season to arrive in the sand-pit at the hottest time of year and during Ramadan but it's all part of the deal and the sooner I get used to the hot, sunny and above all very humid climate the better.
If you're following me on twitter (@missbunnyman) you will know some details of this first week already, though here's a little more insight for you.

The hotel where I'm staying for the first few weeks is almost opposite the office, well located by Al Wahda shopping mall and the room is nice with a sofa area and a super-comfortable bed, I have already asked housekeeping for the make of the mattress and where to get it, would like to have one of those for my new bed.  The only thing I'd complain about is the mosque right outside my window.  Can you imagine my shock-surprise the first night being woken up at 4:30am (!!!) by the broadcast of the Adhan/Azan (Islamic call for prayer)?  The Adhan is then again broadcast at 6am, 12:30pm, 4pm, 7pm for Iftar and once more at 8:30pm.  And this is not some lonely Muezzin standing on top of a minaret, no it's actually truly broadcast via speakers from the roof-top of the mosque.  It wakes me up every night/early morning.

Admittedly, on Sunday I completely crashed (not helped by the aforementioned sleep-interruption), only woke up lunchtime and wasn't up to much, the past few weeks had really taken their toll on me, still working on London matters, trying to tie everything up and preparing for hand-overs, and at the same time slotting into my new position as Accounting Manager for our Abu Dhabi office.  Having had to deal with AD being 3 hours ahead of and NY 5 hours behind London time didn't make it any easier.
However tired I was, I still managed to go for a lovely Iftar Dinner with Anissa who is the new Office Manager, she's come from the Cleary Paris office.  Iftar refers to the evening meal when Muslims break their fast during the Islamic month of Ramadan and the dinner-buffets are a big feast, usually for the whole family.  You will hear a lot more about Anissa in this blog, she and I will be working closely together, and so far I can only say she's wonderful and I'm thrilled we're in this together, it's a splendid career step for both of us.

Monday morning Anissa and I went out on our own account and looked at apartments, in the afternoon I met with the Estate Agent Anne and viewed a few more.  We (Anisa and I) both had set our eyes on the newly built high-rises on Al Reem Island, I viewed about 5 properties with Anne that afternoon and more or less decided on one apartment for which we then put my name down, just to be on the safe side and secure it for a day at least.  The reduced working hours during Ramadan are slowing everything own, most people/businesses operate until 2pm only.

Tuesday I went with the PRO (Public Relations Officer) to the medical examination (blood-test, X-ray...) that is needed for the residency visa and for the application for the Emirates ID.  Luckily the firm decided to use the PRO and pays for the VIP process, otherwise I would probably still be sitting there, waiting to be seen.  Still, with the reduced Ramadan working hours last week and now 3 days of Eid celebrations it'll only be next week that I have my visa issued and finally get my passport back.
In the afternoon I met with our bank business contact and went to the office.

Wednesday Anissa and I met with Anne (Estate Agent) again, this time mainly to view apartments for Anissa who - after having seen some in the new high-rises on Al Reem Island as well as older ones near the Corniche (Abu Dhabi's beach-front) - also decided to put an offer in for a 2-bed-room-flat on the 50th (!) floor of the Sky-Tower.  That building has luxurious in-house gym/spa/pool-facilities of which I am very envious.  But we've already made a deal that in exchange for baby-sitting her little son I will get access to her leisure facilities.  Also, there's a Waitrose in her building, another feature I will frequent.
We had another look at the apartment that had been secured for me and on this second viewing I knew I made the right choice and definitely want it as my new home.  My apartment is on the 17th floor of the Burooj Tower on Marina Square, it's a one-bedroom-flat, has a balcony, an open kitchen to the living room and there is a walk-though closet from bed- to bath-room very much in the style of Carrie Bradshaw's apartment in SATC.  I can't wait to move in there!

 

Again, the afternoon was spent in the office, and on a conference call with New York, the budget process has kicked off.

Thursday morning I met with Anne regarding the offer letter for the apartment.  Here in Abu Dhabi the rent is paid a year up-front.  And the house-prices are London-standard!  As a matter of fact I will pay double the amount of my London flat-share and am a little anxious as to what to expect in bills: aircondition, chilling-system (so that you actually get cold tap water), gas and electricity.

And, once more, the afternoon was spent in the office.  I know, it seems to become some kind of routine that I am doing some work here as well  ;-)
In the evening (after 7, since Anissa is fasting during Ramadan) we went for dinner and a girly manicure pampering session to catch up as Anissa flew back to Paris Thursday night, where she'll be for a week to wrap up any loose ends from her job there and organise her husband and son's move to Abu Dhabi.

I got up fairly early Friday morning (btw the working week in the UAE runs from Sunday to Thursday) and went to IKEA.  I have never before been to an IKEA with only approximately 30 other customers in the whole store.  It was amazing!  Of course the bed I want is not in stock, and I can't decide between 2 sofa-beds but I wasn't there to buy anyway, only to look and decide.

Afterwards I went to Carrefour in Marina Mall and then also to LuLu Hypermarket in Al Wahda Mall to look at kitchen appliances, I will need a cooker, a fridge and a washing machine, apartments here are empty just as they are in Germany (not furnished like in the UK).  In the evening my head was spinning with information and I so wish I had a bigger budget.  Nonetheless, after some internet research I at least decided on a TV (with a little decision-making-help from my lovely friend David).  He and I video-chatted for a while in a Google Hangout, a great alternative to Skype!  It was so good to see David, I miss him.

So, this morning (Saturday) I traipsed over to LuLu early to beat the crowds and I purchased the chosen TV, to be delivered in September when I have the keys to my new flat.  Whoop whoop!  Abu Dhabi Doo!  Then I went to the office for the day, had a quick evening session in the hotel's tiny gym and updated my blog.  There you go, my past week in a nutshell.

There are so many more details I could have talked about, so many impressions and little incidents in this first week, but I am not writing a book, only trying to include you on my New Adventure.

See you soon!  Eid Mubarak!

The Countdown is on

So, here goes: I am told to keep updating my blog, especially considering I am off to New Adventures.

Yes, just one week to go and I am off to the sand-pit.  Meaning: I am leaving my beloved London to start a new life in Abu Dhabi.  I am relocating with my firm who are opening a new office there.
Exciting times!  Although, admittedly, it's been a long time coming.  I had been approached by our New York head-office in February 2011 (yes, that is last year) and got the official job offer mid-May 2011.  At times it wasn't even sure whether this project was going to continue to go ahead but it just seems as though bureaucracy in the United Arab Emirates is as bad as Germany and UK combined.
Anyway, at the end of April we had been issued with the trade license and things have since moved forward at a more or less steady pace.  11th August 2012 (18 months after first approach and 15 months after job offer) is the date I'll fly out to the desert, leaving wet London for hot Abu Dhabi.
I've had a good 6.5 years in London and will miss the Royal Ballet desperately but am very excited about the challenges and adventures I am going to face.  Becoming Accounting Manager with my firm is a brilliant step up the career ladder and opening a new office in a completely different cultural environment is exactly what I need right now.  I've been very comfortable in London, some might even say complacent  ;-)
Thank you London for your hospitality and a warm farewell (and hopefully see you soon) to the lovely friends I've made here!

Half-time?

Right, I might be one of the weirdest people on this planet, but I have recently come to realise that I am actually really looking forward to my birthday this year. The reason this seems weird is that I am entering the 4th decade of my lifetime. Yes, it's the big 4-0 and I am not afraid to say it.

40 and fabulous!

Hey, I might not be beautiful or rich, but I believe I've had a pretty good life so far. Not always easy and happy but some great adventures and a lot of laughter on this journey. I have made some wonderful friends along the way and can always rely on my family. Especially my lovely mom totally rocks!

I have great things planned for the big day itself:

I'll be flying to Frankfurt the weekend before to meet with my wonderful friends there. Then Sunday and my actual birthday Monday will be spent at Europapark Rust (apparently Europe's largest theme park) with Manu and Kathrin, the bestest friends a girl could wish for. Monday evening we'll meet with my parents, who will come down to Freiburg especially for this occasion, for a birthday celebration dinner and I will then stay on in Freiburg and explore the Black Forest together with my parents. How cool is that, eh? I can't wait!

And even coming back to London the jubilations will continue stupendously with a Royal Ballet performance of La Fille Mal Gardée with the amazing Marianela Nuñez and Carlos Acosta. What a great week that shall be. Whoopee!

Sounds like a week-long party to me. Splendid!

URGENT - Miyako Yoshida's Japan Tsunami Appeal Concert

JAPAN TSUNAMI APPEAL CONCERT
Sunday 20 March 4pm
LINBURY STUDIO THEATRE (at Royal Opera House)

Concert performance in aid of the Japan Tsunami Appeal, with former Principal Guest Artist of The Royal Ballet Miyako Yoshida and friends, including: Yuhui Choe, Valeri Hristov, Hikaru Kobayashi, Ryoichi Hirano, Kenta Kura*, Akane Takada*, and students from the Royal Academy of Music.
Tickets: Ł20
Running time: about one hour.
*tbc

HOW TO BOOK:
Advance tickets available from the Royal Opera House Box Office in person and by telephone until 4pm tomorrow (Saturday 19 March)
Day tickets available at the door (cash only, donations welcomed!)
Box Office telephone number: 020 7304 4000

photo by Johan Persson

long time no blog

Sorry it's been a while. Well, here I am again.

Good news, since my last entry I have moved to wonderful Greenwich, am now sharing a really nice 2 bed-room flat with lovely Vicky. The house is located seconds from Greenwich station, which is served by Southeastern Rail and DLR, which gives me two options to get to work and into town. This was particularly handy during the little bit of snow we had this winter, yet still an unmanageable amount for public transport here in England. Anyway...

Also, connection to/from Covent Garden (Charing Cross) is equally important to me as work (Cannon Street/Bank) and unless you live within walking distance of either I can't really complain about the service.

Another great feature of living in Greenwich is the close proximity to Greenwich Park and the Thames, awesome running grounds!

Yep, at the moment I am quite content regarding my relationship with London, even without therapy ;-)

However, exciting news might be just around the corner..........