UAE – SIP, SAVOUR, & SEE

There are those days when it all seems to start coming together. It is remarkable really when it happens. Maybe it takes place over weeks, months, or even years. But then suddenly on a single day – even a moment of that day – it seems to make sense. For me it was a rainy Friday morning in Abu Dhabi. Yes, you read correctly. RAINY in Abu Dhabi. In the 18 months that we have lived here, I have never put those two words together. Rain is something that I have missed desperately. The sound of it, the fresh smell…

Recipes

Plain Vanilla

July 13, 2012

When asked whether I want chocolate or vanilla, I tend to choose vanilla. There is something undeniabley wonderful about the simplicity of the flavor. Don’t get me wrong, I love chocolate, and I have small pieces of dark chocolate every single day. However, vanilla is often overlooked. When we first moved to the UAE I have a hard time finding vanilla extract. Sure, there was imitation vanilla, and I could find vanilla flavouring on the shelves of every grocery store and hypermarket. But vanilla extract was no where to be seen. It then dawned on me that it contained alcohol.…

Travel

The Goodness of being Different

August 1, 2011

We we first came over here, the experience was reminiscent of a holiday. A wonderful trip to the unknown, where we faced new adventures every minute of everyday. Somewhere in the back of my mind I kept thinking that I would pack everything up and board the plane to fly home to Boston. It was surreal – to be living on the edge of the desert that border the Gulf. Forms to fill out, roads to navigate, and customs to abide by – we are definitely guests here. However, we are learning to take a step back, laugh when tensions…

Travel

Shopping in Sharjah

July 17, 2011

I am not one to jump at the opportunity to go shopping – really, I am not. But we are now faced with furnishing a home. While some of our belongings will be arriving from the States in about a month, we have no where near enough “stuff” to furnish our home. Sure, we could go to the Abu Dhabi Ikea, and truth be told, we might for some basic items. However, we heard whispers about some hidden furniture stores and local souks in the Emirate of Sharjah. Sharjah is north of Abu Dhabi, just past Dubai. Luckily for us,…

Life

Unexpected Events

July 4, 2011

While driving down the highway today just outside of Abu Dhabi, I noticed a rather large sign. It basically said to BE PREPARED FOR UNEXPECTED EVENTS. OK??? I wanted to stop and take a photo, but seeing as how I was on the highway in the UAE, I did not think that was the best idea. Instead I looked around. There was desert and date trees as far as I could see. I tried to conjure up all sorts of ideas about what sorts of events might be unexpected. Perhaps the fact that I just filled up the gas tank…