I'm back!!
I don't know why I stayed away so long...life gets in the way sometimes, doesn't it? A lot has happened since I wrote last...I returned to Abu Dhabi the end of January, February was spent concentrating on getting our apartment to the point of being called home.. as was March...so far. I accompanied Matt to Muscat, Oman for a magical overnight trip in one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen. We were with our buddies, Mark and Deb who lived there almost 20 years ago. It was so fun to see this special place through their eyes as they were so excited to see their old home, the places where some of their family stories were made, and their own surprises as they found some of their old familiar haunts still around. We found their favorite Mexican restaurant..(I love this stuff). A year ago I would have never guessed that Matt and I would have been in Oman in a very good mexican restaurant with a waiter named Lawrence!
Where would we be if not for those wonderful life exeriences! I do love the surprise of the unexected ones, but those daily experiences that are part of life that go unnoticed until they are no longer there are just as important. There's a sense of familiarity that provides a level of comfort that helps us exist. I don't know if it's the right thing to do, but lately I have been looking for those places here that fit into my needs of familiarity. Recently I had lunch in a restaurant not far from here that I have dubbed my "Spartans". Spartans is our hometown restaurant in Burke where we would go before and after ballgames or concerts, quick lunches, and/or was the fallback in case the kitchen at home was not in use on any particular evening. I have mentioned that Starbucks has invaded this part of the world and I find myself over there quite often when I'm feeling like I need a little bit of home. The people watching there is fabulous and I am beginning to recognize familiar faces and scenarios. When I was there the other day, I was watching a group of young arab moms and wondered what they were talking about. They were obviously having a good time and watching their watches as I imagined they probably had kids to pick up from some practice session of some sort...music or soccer? There were others like me, alone, reading the paper or on the phone enjoying their quiet. There was a group of men to my left having a business meeting...only in Italian and enjoying their coffee very much. I noticed the Nine West shoe store was on my left and Guess Jeans was on my right. Ahead was Tiffany's and The Body Shop was there as well. The other day Matt and I were walking around and saw a family of 5 coming our way. Dad, mom, and three boys...sound familiar? All the boys had a yellow shirt on and both parents were doing their best to keep up. We loved that one!
It's a good feeling for me to be able to recognize now the new familiarities in my life that makes life here more and more comfortable. I find now that the air is empty if I don't hear the call to prayer. If I don't see our young gentlemen who work the concierge desk, I miss the greeting that starts the day and if I walk passed them without acknowledging them, I hear about it. I can't tell you how comforting it is to look out my windows and down on the streets and finally know in any given direction what road I am looking at and where it goes! It feels good to be back here writing my thoughts down to share and hopefully give you a creative description of what everyday life is like in another part of our world that's not so different from ours. It's all finally familiar again and I finally feel like I am at home!
I don't know why I stayed away so long...life gets in the way sometimes, doesn't it? A lot has happened since I wrote last...I returned to Abu Dhabi the end of January, February was spent concentrating on getting our apartment to the point of being called home.. as was March...so far. I accompanied Matt to Muscat, Oman for a magical overnight trip in one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen. We were with our buddies, Mark and Deb who lived there almost 20 years ago. It was so fun to see this special place through their eyes as they were so excited to see their old home, the places where some of their family stories were made, and their own surprises as they found some of their old familiar haunts still around. We found their favorite Mexican restaurant..(I love this stuff). A year ago I would have never guessed that Matt and I would have been in Oman in a very good mexican restaurant with a waiter named Lawrence!
Where would we be if not for those wonderful life exeriences! I do love the surprise of the unexected ones, but those daily experiences that are part of life that go unnoticed until they are no longer there are just as important. There's a sense of familiarity that provides a level of comfort that helps us exist. I don't know if it's the right thing to do, but lately I have been looking for those places here that fit into my needs of familiarity. Recently I had lunch in a restaurant not far from here that I have dubbed my "Spartans". Spartans is our hometown restaurant in Burke where we would go before and after ballgames or concerts, quick lunches, and/or was the fallback in case the kitchen at home was not in use on any particular evening. I have mentioned that Starbucks has invaded this part of the world and I find myself over there quite often when I'm feeling like I need a little bit of home. The people watching there is fabulous and I am beginning to recognize familiar faces and scenarios. When I was there the other day, I was watching a group of young arab moms and wondered what they were talking about. They were obviously having a good time and watching their watches as I imagined they probably had kids to pick up from some practice session of some sort...music or soccer? There were others like me, alone, reading the paper or on the phone enjoying their quiet. There was a group of men to my left having a business meeting...only in Italian and enjoying their coffee very much. I noticed the Nine West shoe store was on my left and Guess Jeans was on my right. Ahead was Tiffany's and The Body Shop was there as well. The other day Matt and I were walking around and saw a family of 5 coming our way. Dad, mom, and three boys...sound familiar? All the boys had a yellow shirt on and both parents were doing their best to keep up. We loved that one!
It's a good feeling for me to be able to recognize now the new familiarities in my life that makes life here more and more comfortable. I find now that the air is empty if I don't hear the call to prayer. If I don't see our young gentlemen who work the concierge desk, I miss the greeting that starts the day and if I walk passed them without acknowledging them, I hear about it. I can't tell you how comforting it is to look out my windows and down on the streets and finally know in any given direction what road I am looking at and where it goes! It feels good to be back here writing my thoughts down to share and hopefully give you a creative description of what everyday life is like in another part of our world that's not so different from ours. It's all finally familiar again and I finally feel like I am at home!
Nice. I so understand this. I was also wondering what a sand storm is going to look like at your level. Glad you feel at home. Love, U
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