4 hotels in 7 weeks sounds more glamorous than it is.

Our permanent accommodation saga continues. We have always known that our stay in a hotel might be quite lengthy. However, the complication around getting a home has increased because of the lack of availability of housing in Al Ain. 

When people sign on to broach such an adventure they really should know the ins and outs of the entire experience. And quite frankly you need a lot of grit to do something of this nature, that which not everyone has, which is perfectly fine. But if you don't have that grit, don't pretend you do in order to gain the other benefits and then flake out, making it harder for those of us who are here with goals in mind. 

What I mean by all of this is that there have been many people in the last several years, since the onset of this educational reform, who have not, for one reason or another, been able to hack it. These people who have left the country without fulfilling their obligation (one in our group left after the third day of school) are referred to as  'runners'. These runners have made it difficult for the rest of us, in that they have left unpaid electric bills and racked up some major debt. Therefore we, those who are not runners, have suffered the consequences of their actions. 

Because there have been runners, the housing division of ADEC are not always aware of open apartments or villas. ADEC pays the rent a year at a time. In fact, a place could be empty for almost a year without ADEC being aware. The way ADEC finds out is that new teachers search these places out, with the help of the vets, and take that information to the housing office. At that point the ball begins to roll to get the place ready for new tenants. Sometimes this requires being willing to pay the left bills of another. Some people do just that to get into a place because they are tired of the hotel life. 

At this stage housing has informed group 4 that they will need to find their own housing and then ADEC will pay the bill. I'm not exactly sure there is a checks and balances here. The left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing a lot of the time. Fortunately we are in group 2 so it seems they are still helping us find housing. However you almost have to camp out on their doorstep for anything to happen. Thus the reason for hotel number three. 

Almost two weeks ago I emailed EMT (English Medium Teachers) support to ask if we could be moved to a hotel apartment just up the road from where we were currently staying. This email was suggested from the local EMT support, suggesting that emails go to the main office in Abu Dhabi and they take care of accommodations. I received an email back that stated the only people they were moving at the moment were those who would be in their permanent accommodations within a month. The only thing I got out of this was that we would be living in a hotel for longer than another month. Ugh!

The following Monday, Stuart and I decided we would start going to the office everyday until someone gave us keys to a place. While we were waiting in housing I met a man who was equally as frustrated as we had become. I asked him where he was staying. He told me he had been staying at the Hilton but was being moved to the hotel apartments the next day. What? I asked him how that came to be and he told me that EMT support had just worked it out for him. I was miffed to say the least. I marched upstairs, trying to not overheat, mentally, before I got up there. I inquired why, in an email, I would be told one thing and then a man downstairs told me something that contradicted the email. I was passed off to someone who seemed to me moving and shaking things, making things happen. She put my name on a list where I was the third person, called the hotel apartments and found out there was not enough room for us, but yet they had places for the first two people. Here it really is about being in the right place at the right time. The lady did call the next day to let me know they could move us to the apartments on that day (October 9) but that we would have to check out on the 13th due to the Eid holiday. We said we would do that, knowing that we would at least get to wash our clothes and cook a few meals in the kitchen. In the back of our minds I really think we thought they would extend our time there just simply because that is what they seem to do. Not the case. 

In the meantime, Stuart spent a few hours in housing last week. Over the past few weeks we have both been to housing inquiring about keys to an apartment. We know of people who have gone in and come out with a place to live. That has not been our luck as of yet. We also have been told that the culture will respond better to Stuart than to me (need I explain?).  I have stayed out of housing and let Stuart speak to them. He has had an email contact with one gentleman but while at the housing office that particular man hasn't been available. So Stuart has developed a contact who seems to have been working to get us into a place right across the hall from one of the teachers at my school. We felt we were getting somewhere last Wednesday when Stuart was told that the person who used to live in that place would be bringing in the utility clearance and the keys on Thursday before the Eid holiday. Stuart was told to come back at 2:15 on Thursday. He did and his contact had left for the day. This wasn't the first time this had happened. It takes a lot to get Stuart angry, but watch out when that happens. And this was the straw that broke the camels back (pun intended).

Stuart went into another office and respectfully, but intensely, expressed his dissatisfaction with what was happening. The result? We have been told that after Eid (October 20) we will be getting keys to an apartment. We were even told which one. Although it is not by my colleague, it is in a nice area with other ADEC teachers close by. I'll believe it when I see it, I suppose. 

This past Sunday, the 13th we moved to our 4th hotel, City Season. We have two rooms, free breakfast, fridges in the rooms, but it is a far cry from a home. And the internet is shoddy. Things could be worse, I'm sure. 

This week we are on holiday. But because our passports are in the abyss, we were forced to stay here. We are going to take advantage of the time and go to Dubai as well as discover the area in which we live. I will post the holiday events at the end of this week. 

We are still so thrilled with our decision to embark on this adventure for all of our lives, in spite of the little hiccups along the way. That which doesn't kill us will make us stronger. We are trying to hold on to one of my dad's favorite saying: Enjoy where you are when you are there because you're never going to be there again. 

Love to all of you!

Dana, Stuart, Jack and Millie