So, where are we going?

When we speak to people about what we are about to do, nine times out of ten the first question we get is, "Is it safe?"

I thought I would add some information about where we are going.

The United Arab Emirates is a country in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman to the east and Saudi Arabia to the south.

The UAE is a federation of seven emirates, each governed by a hereditary emir, who choose one of their members to be the president of the federation of seven emirates. The constituent emirates are Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm al-Quwain. The capital is Abu Dhabi, which is also the state's center of commercial and cultural activities. Islam is the official religion of the UAE, and Arabic is the official language.

The Middle East

The United Arab Emirates

Abu Dhabi is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates.

Population: 613,368 (2012)
Area: 26,000 sq miles (67,340 km²)

Abu Dhabi has a hot desert climate. Sunny blue skies can be expected throughout the year. The months of June through September are generally extremely hot and humid with maximum temperatures averaging above 100 °F. During this time, sandstorms occur intermittently, in some cases reducing visibility to a few meters.

The Emirate of Abu Dhabi is composed of three major regions:

The Abu Dhabi region includes the city of Abu Dhabi. It is the capital of the United Arab Emirates. It is located on an island less than a quarter-kilometer from the mainland and is joined to the mainland by the Maqta and Musaffah Bridges. It is the headquarter of the President of the state, the Cabinet, most of the ministries, the federal institutions,oreign embassies , broadcasting and TV stations , Zayed Port , Abu Dhabi International Airport and most of the oil companies. It also boasts a remarkable corniche, with its public parks and fountains.

The 2nd region is The Eastern Region and its capital is Al Ain city. This region is very fertile and rich in greenery, with plenty of farms and public parks. It is also very rich in ground water, with numerous artesian wells. The most attractive land marks in this region are Ain Al Fayda parks, the Hafit Mountain, the Heili leisure land, the Zoo and Al Ain Museum .The most admired cultural features of Al Ain city are the United Arab Emirates University and Al Ain Airport. Al Ain is about 90 mi from Abu Dhabi City, bordering Oman. It regularly records the highest summer temperatures in the country; however, the dry desert air and cooler evenings make it a traditional retreat from the intense summer heat and year-round humidity of the capital city.

The 3rd region is The Western Region and its capital is Zayed city. It has a wide stretch of grown forests to combat the desert climate. The grown forest area is about 100,000 hectares, including about 20 million green trees. Some on-shore oil fields are located in this region. The biggest oil refinery in the country is located in this region at Al Ruwais city. 

As one of the world's most modern capital cities, Abu Dhabi prides itself in having a beautiful corniche, skyscrapers, beautiful mosques and magnificent fountains. The most striking feature is the lush greenery everywhere and the very impressive entrance to the city. The old fort in Diwan Amiri has been restored to its original glory and is now a center for academic research. Open "souqs" have much to offer - fruit, oriental spices, rich colored fabrics and the prized Persian rugs, together with traditional and modern jewelry. 

Here is a link to a great website with a lot more information:
http://visitabudhabi.ae 

We have our 'Pre-Departure' webinar on Wednesday, so hopefully we will know more about when we will be leaving.

Take care,
Stuart

It's my turn to add something

Well, I thought this blog was to be used to help our family and friends keep up with our adventures while in Abu Dhabi. And since we are not in Abu Dhabi yet, I didn't see any reason to post anything. However, in the last few days I have felt pressure to write SOMETHING since there have been posts already and none from me (Dana). 

So it is the middle of June and most of the 'chores' we have assigned ourselves to do prior to our departure have already been done. We have been beyond productive in the time since school ended. As my mother said, 'You are going to have everything done before July and then be bored and just be staring at each other until you leave in August'. I'm pretty sure she is right on the money with this comment. 

The entire experience to this point has been full of excitement and anticipation as to what the future holds for all of us. We continue to explore websites and Facebook communities to learn more about what we can do to prepare ourselves for the next two years. However we are aware that every experience is different and what works for some may not work for us. I suppose we will just have to wait until we get there  and live it ourselves. 

We have started our 'world tour', as my friend Sue calls it, seeing friends and having quality time either poolside or for dinner. We are so blessed to have so many people who are very excited for us and who love us. We hope to have a last gathering at some stage but are not sure when or where at this time. We will email, text, Facebook, and any other type of media we can think of once we know details. We hope to say a 'see you later' to all who have been so supportive of us throughout the years we have been friends. 

Hopefully future posts will be a bit more exciting to all who read. There, my first post!

Love to all,

Dana

One car sold!

Sold this within 5 minutes of posting it on Craigslist!!!  We are sad to see it go :(