Awake Late

I spent way too much time with AT&T last night. I also learned the hard way that the phone doesn't keep the greatest time when it is not connected to the network...and it thinks it is supposed to be getting time updates from the network. So, this morning it was two hours slow. The good news is that I woke up anyway. I still can't seem to sleep more than five hours at a time. I hope that changes when I get home.

Would you like to live in Abu Dhabi? You better get a good job. These Villas are about 8000 s.f., three story and connected to three others by a small courtyard. They rent for USD 100,000.00 per year. Yep, I said $100K a year. In comparison, a two bedroom flat is going for about USD 20,000.00 a year. YIKES! To own one of these residential units runs about USD 4,000,000.00 or more. Oh, and you have to be a native of UAE to own property. Foreigners are not allowed to own. This picture is from the outside of two connected villas. There are four in the complex. It is typical of the residential development all over Abu Dhabi. This one is also being used by the Autism School until they can get a proper building constructed. It is in what one might call a neighborhood, loosely.

Super Suck

And I mean SUPER SUCK! The sim card in my phone has gone bad. AT&T doesn't know how to fix it while I am here in UAE. All they can do is tell me to wait until I get home and get a new sim because they don't ship internationally. So, I am stuck without communication...

Yes, BG, I am getting my fix of DC, only here it is Coke light. Cool pull tab, I haven't seen one of those since I was a kid.

Do I Have a Square Butt?

Someone obviously thought so when they designed the toilet in my room. I have seen quite a few toilets in my 39 years here, but never one with a square seat. I have gotten somewhat used to it by now, but I just had to share.

I got out today and went to one of the premier malls here in Abu Dhabi, the Marina Mall. It features a skyviewing tower, similar to Reunion Tower in Dallas, but taller and larger. The mall itself is the largest in Abu Dhabi. I was most impressed, however, with the cleanliness of the place. The entire mall, maybe twice the size of the Parks at Arlington, was spotless...and I mean spotless. You could have eaten off the floor. The floor, by the way, was all polished tile with very close joints, perfect for kids on Heelys. And there were plenty of kids willing to try it out.

This city is so international. The mall had all of the things one might expect in an American mall. Eateries like Fuddruckers, Subway, Pizza Hut, Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, Fridays and others populate the entire mall and city. If one were so inclined to eat only American food, there would be no problem. There are a plethora of American stores as well. In addition, there are many Arabic stores and European stores as well.

The city has may Europeans such as Germans, Swedes and Britians. Also, there are many from Eqypt and the other Middle Eastern countries. The labor force seem to be populated with Indians and Indonesians, however, there are many Asian professionals here as well. BG asked if I would live here. My response, if I were living in New York and I had the opportunity to come here, I would in a second. This is a great place for urban living.

Time for bed...meetings in the morning. The work week starts on Sunday here and we have a meeting with SEHA at 1000.

Mega Church

I think this qualifies as a mega church. I snapped this pic on my way back from Al Ain. It is a mosque that was being constructed for the late Sheikh Zayed. Unfortunately, he passed away before its completion. They are still completing the work and it is massive. As a side note, they are on their fourth architect...

The religious environment here is very interesting and not like we hear from the US media. In UAE, there is a "freedom" of religion based on the ruler's tolerance, not law. Abu Dhabi is a very international city and has a lot of religious diversity. No one seems to be particularly militant, no signs, protests or anything of that sort. However, the official religion is Islam. That equates to the government giving a single building for worship to all other religions than Islam. They all share and schedule the services accordingly. That's why we had the Christian service on a Thursday evening.

That tolerance is interesting. It turns out that the Crown Prince, Sheikh Mohammed, was born in a little hospital in Al Ain called Oasis Hospital. It was founded by Christian missionaries in 1960. It is still in operation and the town of Al Ain simply grew up around the mission. There is still a church on the campus and Christian worship takes place there each week. I may have the privilege to work on the replacement facility for the Oasis Hospital . I am in the process of reviewing the plans this week. So, the ruling family has a certain tie to Christianity and thus the tolerance.

The "man on the street" doesn't seem to care about how one worships. It was explained to me by an Egyptian Christian that before the 911 attacks and such, no one asked if you were a Christian, no one cared that you were Muslim. Still, here in the UAE, there does not seem to be much debate. I get a paper everyday in the morning here in my room. It is in English, as are most things here (it is a bi-lingual society), and there is hardly any mention of religion. Generally, the atmosphere is very similar to the US, have a religion, just don't shout it from the roof top, that's the right of Islam only. However, if you want to sit in the lobby and read the Bible, ok.

You Don't See That Every Day

I was on my way back to Abu Dhabi yesterday after spending a couple of hours meeting with the client in Al Ain when I snapped this (click for the full size view). The guy cut in front of us on a round about. Al Ain has no stop lights, just round abouts, so driving is rather interesting. Let's leave it that the lines in the street are decoration...Oh and so are the stop signs.

So far, meetings have gone well. The client seems pleased with the direction of the effort. We have to figure out how to continue to accommodate the needs from the US. They want us to open an office in UAE, but I think that would be difficult right now. Later today we will sit and try to agree on a game plan for expanded scope and deliverables. I hope that all goes well.

It is the weekend here. They take Friday and Saturday. Sunday is the first day of the work week. I have had an invitation to go off-roading in the desert...we'll see. I also need to spend the day working on projects I left in the states. I can't figure out how to sketch and get the drawings back, so I think I'll just draw them myself today. I'll need some energy.

Last night I attended an evangelical Christian church service. It was great. It was really just like the church services we have at home, just in Arabic. It was really inspiring to hear them sing God's praises in Arabic, while I sung the songs in English...too cool. I got a set of headphones and had a translator. Attending a worship service like that really gives one a sense of the universal church. After the service, people hung out just like in the US. Eventually, we went to a birthday party for a 4 year old. It was more than a kid event, it was a real party for adults too. Everyone was so inviting and friendly. I could not imagine how nice they would be to a total stranger attending. We had a great time of food, drinks and birthday cake. I finally fot to sample some of the local fare and it was great. As for the birthday boy, I want you to know that Spiderman is global! We stayed until after midnight!

Well, I need some breakfast, so more later...

Arrival

I made it! That was the longest plane trip I have ever taken. The people at British Air are not nearly as uptight as the AA folks. The experience was pleasant. Maybe that was a product of flying business class, but I got the impression that it was not. To my amazement, both takeoff and landings in the 777 were the smoothest I have had. It seems like the MD80 likes to sit down hard on the runway. The 777 must have enough lift to let it glide in easy. Amazing for such a large airplane.

I was not sure what to expect when I got to Abu Dhabi. I followed the signs to the "Passport Control" area. There were some long lines. After my line seemed to be going the slowest, I was starting to wonder if I had picked the wrong place. I really started to worry when three of the people in front of me were escorted into a private office with guys in uniforms - not good. So, I was a bit nervous when I presented my passport. "Visit?" was all the guy checking said as I approached the counter. "Yes, visit," was my reply. He looked carefully through my papers..."First time?" "Yes..." "You need to go here." Luckily, he passed my papers to a nice lady who promptly processed the visa. No, I didn't have to go to the office. Whew!

Well, I have a breakfast meeting at 0900. That's 2400 Texas time. I hope I am awake. I'm making some tea.

More adventures later and maybe some pictures.

Abu Dhabi

I have written about travel several times in this blog. Always, it seems, in context of being tired and being on the road for work. well, the road just got a lot longer. For the first time as a professional, I will travel out of the country. We have several projects that need attention in the UAE and I am going. The nice part of the trip is that the client purchased business class travel round trip. So, I won't have to endure 17 hours in economy. However, leaving the office for two weeks presents its challenges. I have done my best, though, purchasing international calling and data packages, lining out work load and resources. I should be available if needed.

It is always hard to leave family too. I have made lots of week long and sometimes two week long trips, but there have been too many in a row lately. BG is doing well, though and so are the boys. We are hoping and praying that the effort will be rewarded and our family will benefit from the experience.

I'll post some pics as I get them. BTW, I'm not tired...yet!

On the Road Again,

I just can't wait to get on the road again...I wonder if Willie was as tired as I am when I travel. This week marks the start of a long three week stint that will see me in New Hampshire for four days and Abu Dhabi for two weeks. Since obtaining a leadership position in our architectural firm, my family and I have been praying for work. The Lord has indeed blessed and right now...our cup runneth over. Praise! We are working on a large new tower in Dover, NH, three, 100K square foot projects in Abu Dhabi and a new masterplan for the VA in Dallas. Whew!

I need to start praying for energy!