Week 17 One Daily Positive - Preparing to leave Dubai

I'm more than ready to leave now, many love Dubai but for me I've never really been able to make it home. I'm not a fan of city living or of large crowds of people. 

Too hot to be sitting outside for too long. I'm up at 6am and can manage 2 hours in the garden before the sun comes up fully, it's over head pretty much all day.

114 Saturday Out and about to take photos for my Construction project. Before, During and After. Dubai has changed so much since we first moved here just over 5 years ago, not just physically but how it operates also. I had to return a pair of sandals to Coach for a repair and collect Peter's watch after a repair also. Afternoon and evening spent watching the football and tweeting about it. Really hoping I will be able to get back to St Andrews every week to watch live football again.

115 Sunday To Ibn Battuta where I did some shopping and Peter sold his car.

116 Monday I had the Dr's first thing so walked, caught the train and used a taxi to get to there for blood tests, ECG and x-rays. I travelled home via the metro stopping at Mall of the Emirates for a drink and some food and stopped at the Marina to walk some more as I didn't want to just spend the afternoon in the house.

Mask wearing outdoors is compulsory in Dubai, at 35c it's stifling and slows me down.

117 Tuesday Up early and finally caught up with all my blogging comments, tweet outs and replies. Shipping company came out for a quote. We needed to hire a car but need a credit card for the deposit and as our Dubai one will be closing soon, we had to take a trip out to check our UK credit card was actually working as it's never been used. 

118 Wednesday Out to collect car hire from the Marina, then drove out to Dragon Mart and the afternoon was spent sorting through remaining paperwork, kitchen ware, clothes and garden stuff having a clear out getting rid of/donating items and arranging for the rest to be removed along with all the garden if we can't sell it.

The malls are very big and airy, it's easy to socially distance in them.

119 Thursday I had the dentist at 4pm, getting across Dubai on the weekend, just before fast is broken was NOT my finest idea. It was mayhem on the roads. Had a deep clean of my teeth and gums making the most of the medical aid before it expires on our return to the UK. We looked into keeping it on but at £23,000 per annum (yes, you read that correctly) we've decided not to. 

Sand storm and stormy skies happens as the weather changes, a sign that summer is firmly on the way.

120 Friday Woke up to rain, we decided to go to brunch. The days of walking around and getting your own food have now been replaced with menu and table service. We were at the Hyatt hotel in the revolving restaurant having got a taxi there and back to take advantage of the drinks package.

On the blog this week:

Preparing to leave Dubai.

Post Comment Love - A weekly linky (feel free to join in with any post you've written this week).

Before and After photos 7 years apart. Documenting the ever changing skyline in Dubai.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Christmas in Dubai 2018

Yes they do do Christmas in Dubai. They play carols in the malls, they sell decorations in the malls and they erect huge trees in the malls.

You can't escape Christmas in Dubai.

From shopping, through Santa to Christmas Brunch on the QE2, it's Christmas everywhere.

Mum is visiting us for Christmas this year, she came in 2016 and is on the hunt for the biggest Christmas tree she can find, we're going to every Christmas market, eating Christmas cake from M&S, watching movies, shopping and she's getting freaked out by spending days on the beach in December.

So far Mum is disappointed with the Christmas trees she's seen, there's no point taking her to the biggest ones in her first few days. She has no concept however of the size of the malls she is in and says this tree is too small.

Another disappointment, but this tree is inside a shop in the mall.

Here we go, she was happy with this tree, but wants more.

The Souk Madinat

Mall of the Emirates I'm stood on the 3rd floor to get the tree in one shot.

I'll be adding more photo's leading up to the big day, so don't forget to check back as the trees are going to get bigger and better.

I'm wondering if Costa Coffee are using the same throughout their stores like they are in Dubai.

It's too hot in Dubai, despite it being winter, so I have a selection of Christmas t-shirts from Primark bought over the years. It's the Christmas pub quiz on Wednesday, help me choose one to wear.

One daily Positive - Week 45

More bloody tests, had to go on a lactose and fructose free diet on Sunday in preparation. Started the week with a migraine also, probably too much screen time over the weekend (which is Friday and Saturday for us in Dubai) trying to get google on the new laptop in English as translating Arabic is not easy every time you want to sign into a new account. Peter has been very busy with work this week, so spent a lot of time in the evenings alone

308 Sunday Spent the morning cleaning the house, sweeping up dog hair and sand as we've been able to have the doors open and of course the sand has been blown in. Caught up with blog comments and in the evening had my induction for Marshalling at Jumeriah Golf Estate for the upcoming DP World Tour, Race to Dubai.

309 Monday 3 hours at the doctors, hadn't eaten or drunk since 11pm the night before so straight off to the coffee shop afterwards, got my nails done, visited the garden centre and after sunset planted my new shrubs out. Peter was out for the evening with work. No bonfire night here so Bob and I took a walk around the neighbourhood to look at the Diwali lights.

310 Tuesday Dog park to catch up with human and doggie friends. Did some gardening in the afternoon, suffered with heat exhaustion, it's cooler but still in the low 30's.

311 Wednesday Tested my new walking shoes/trainers out in the Marina Mall today with a friend. Did a food shop and had a nap. Pub Quiz and dinner out. Peter was out with colleagues from work.

312 Thursday Peter announced he was bringing a colleague over for the evening so gave the house a quick dust and swept up the cat hair I seem to be collecting. Popped out for a coffee and another trip to the Doctors for more results and more 'what next?' Can't believe how quickly my seeds are growing.

313 Friday Met friends for breakfast at Dubai Mall then went to see Bohemian Rhapsody, which we really enjoyed, spent the evening in the garden.

314 Saturday Woke up to a mess downstairs from Bob, he'd been poorly in the night, think it was the raw bone I'd given him the day before. Popped out for coffee and off to a Thanksgiving dinner this evening.

On the blog this week:
Why I'm sick of being sick. I've really had enough of test after test and for what?
Autumn and Spring on my travels to UK, Dubai and South Africa 
What makes good customer service? I'm fed up of being laughed at when I ask a question.
They're building on the beaches in Dubai

An InLinkz Link-up

Week 50 - One Daily Positive and Project 366

My last week as a teacher in Dubai. I survived a year, but it wasn't for me. After 5 years of not being able to work, I think I probably took the wrong job, so I could reclaim some of my identity.

There's no sadness about leaving. The work load was manageable and I loved teaching the kids, but I felt under so much pressure to be 'better' all the time. My reasons for leaving were because of this, but I told the parents it was because I needed to spend more time with my family in the UK. 

My official letter wasn't issued till Tuesday and it implied that the school had asked me to leave.

'From time to time we have to restructure staffing arrangements.........'

My colleagues came to say goodbye and threw me a little party, the parents and children gave me some amazing gifts of jewellery, flowers and perfumes, but the management team didn't say goodbye, my salary cheque wasn't ready and I was even told I had to do planning for the new teacher for the first week back.

So no regrets.

My mum is still finding it too hot to go out during the day so it's home from work and off out somewhere. this week we visited Mirdif City Centre Mall, The aquarium on the Palm, Mercato Mall, City Walk and The Green Planet Rain Forest, Dubai Festival City and the beach at sunset for a walk and dinner.

Day 346 Carol. Mirdif City Centre, christmas shopping.

Day 347 Dark. The Atlantis Palm. A visit to the aquarium, a drive round the Palm and fish and chips for supper on the Board Walk.

Day 348 Teacher. Completing the final pieces of paperwork in school. In the evening we popped to Mercato Mall where I picked up some Jack Wills clothing for the 2 youngest kids for Christmas as there was 40% off.

Day 349 Looking up. The Green planet rain forest.

Day 350 Family. Last day at work and some of the gifts from the families of the children in my class. 

We went out for a meal in the evening to The Walk at JBR with Peter's colleagues.

Day 351 Cake. A visit to Dubai Festival City, including a trip to Ikea.

Day 352 Thank you. Bob and Jelly's party bag from Dog Walk. 

We're looking after a friends dog until the New Year.

Christmas in Dubai 2016

I'm slightly disappointed with Christmas in Dubai this year, probably because I've been working all year and just haven't had the time to explore fully. This is our 3rd Christmas in Dubai, the first year was spent in a hotel with 2 teens; and the boys had their Christmas lunch in Subway while Peter and I sat around the corner eating salad in The French Bakery.

From what I've seen this year, it's pretty much the same as last year. We're off to see Santa tomorrow with Bob and his friend Jelly. I planned to go to Carols in the Desert, but I just don't have the energy, there have been a few Christmas Jumper parties, but I just didn't get the energy up to go along.

I'm not feeling christmas this year, we've booked lunch with child 4 of 5 at the Sheraton Grand and we've plans for the New Year on the beach with child 5 of 5 and our 24 year old niece who is visiting also.

Christmas chocolates have been bought and replaced several times already. Any one else do this?

It's also been particularly warm even though it is winter, although gloves, fleece and scarf are worn on the way to work at 6am and a good coffee has helped out.

I'll add more photo's to the blog as now I'm no longer working, I'll have time to visit a few more places.

The shops have been full of christmas stuff since the beginning of November.

Carrefour Supermarket.

 Ace Garden Centre.

There are very few 'real' trees in Dubai, and at around £140 for an 8ft tree we certainly won't be buying one.

Our purple tree of nothingness. no theme, just a home to hang all the owl decorations that we've collected for some reason, we're not owl fans.

Our main tree, that the Pandas on the Veranda (Elf on a shelf alternative) have been messing around with.

Having lived on 3 continents, Europe, Africa and Asia over the last 6 years, we've bought lots of local trinkets which we like to hang on the tree.

UK

Dubai

South Africa

Not designed as a Christmas Tree but looks good.

Display Windows in Dubai Mall

 The Souk Madinat Jumeriah.

Mirdif City Centre Mall

The Palm

 Mercato Mall.

The Walk at JBR.

Mall of the Emirates, Ski dome. We still need to explore the rest of the mall.

We're off later to Festival City and of course there is still the Dubai Mall to fully explore, but for me this is the best Christmas tree in the world.

The Burj Khalifa with it's daily LED display.