Adjusting

Up until this point, everything has been going fairly smoothly here in Abu Dhabi. I found out two days ago that I have been placed in Al Ain which is a city outside of the main Abu Dhabi city. I was a little disappointed at this since I had really hoped for the main city, but they did say we could be placed anywhere so I figured I should roll with it.

You can see Al Ain listed just to the right of Abu Dhabi (Al Ayn). It is on the border of Oman and about one and a half to two hours outside Abu Dhabi city (depending on traffic). It is known as the Oasis in the desert, since the temperature is a little less severe there and they do get some rain.

Yesterday we were taken on a bus to Al Ain to see our living accommodations. I can definitely say I was not in the city anymore after about an hour of driving..

We arrived at our apartments in Al Ain, and I was immediately disappointed. From the outside the apartments looked dingy and old. Inside was even more distressing, with large cockroaches cruising around, and overall just a generally dirty apartment. I had an immediate reaction that it was not fair that some people were getting amazing, clean, new apartments and I was getting this old thang. This feeling was fueled by many others who also felt disappointed. Many of us did not sign our lease for the apartment. We have appealed to our employer to place us somewhere different. Upon some reflection and a good night's sleep though, I am less worried. If my employer provides me with some newer, nicer accommodations I would be happy. If not, all the place really needs is a good cleaning, some serious fumigation and some decorating. Another lady who is slated to live there has a husband who inspects properties for safety, so they are going to take a look at my unit to make sure it would be safe and fit to live in. If all is safe, I might go ahead with it.

The selling points on it are that it is HUGE, has 2 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and it already has several pieces of furniture. I get a furniture allowance of about $5000, but I might even be able to save some of it since it already has beds and couches and tables.

Here are some pictures to give an idea..

I think I had my standards set really high since I had heard the apartments where sweet. Realistically, this is a huge space and it is free, so I need to be grateful for that. It may also be really close to my school, I don't know yet. I am still learning to adjust my reactions to a UAE style and standard. Many people say cockroaches are very common here (which I believe since I had them in my 5 star hotel room) and since I am in Al Ain, there are fewer newer places or high rises to live in.

I finished off the day yesterday by joining my friends at the mall for some relaxation. Since it's Ramadan, the malls here are open 7pm-1am, so it a pretty cool feeling to be chilling in a mall at 11pm and have it be normal.

Today I have some city wandering planned with a friend, where we will hopefully visit the Emirates Palace and Heritage Village, if we don't pass out from the heat :) Yay for a fellow city explorer!