We are "home". I have had to put that word in quotations because our definition of home is different. Brian says that his home is in Texas, that we live in a house in Dubai. Sarah says this is home, but Texas is too. I always say home is where the heart is. OK, not original and you've heard that before, but it raises a question. Does that mean it is physically where your heart is? Of course our hearts are physically here, but my heart aches for Texas and all people and the life there. But sometimes calling this place "home", just doesn't have the right ring.
While on vacation in Barcelona last week, several people asked where we were from. I thought it was so interesting to hear the answer. Sometimes the kids would say "Texas". Sometimes they would answer "Dubai". Jim, in his politically correct way, would answer "we're Americans, but we live in Dubai".
I knew I was back to my Dubai home yesterday when I drove up to the school. I was out of the driveway about 3 minutes...not even on the expressway and I was almost in an accident. I had to honk my horn and hit the brakes. Yep...I'm back "home". After I mumbled a few choice words to myself, I had to laugh. In June, before we headed back to the States for our two month visit, Jim told me I'd have a hard time driving in the US again. He said I had become a very aggressive driver. I completely disagreed and said I drive just fine and am very safety conscious. The first full day in Texas, we all had dentist appointments. I was driving through our little Friendswood and Pearland on the way to the dentist and I started to feel my chest tighten, my breath quicken, and my foot tapping. It was almost like an anxiety attack. The cause for this reaction? Well, people were going 35 mph, the posted speed limit and there were frequent stop lights. No 12 lane highway with people passing in their Ferrari's and Maserati's. A road of law abiding citizens driving Fords, Chevy's, and just taking their time. Took me almost a week to adapt to the new normal!
Today Sarah and I visited our favorite nail salon - Tips and Toes. We had our pedicures and manicures and are now ready for school. The lady who did my toes was from the Philippines. As we tried to have a conversation (language challenge), she told me of her four children. She had one son and three daughters. The oldest son is 20, the youngest girl is 10. She saw them for a month in June and will see them again in two years. While this is common here, it always makes my heart ache. As I watched and listened to her, I wonder if there was any doubt in her mind where "home" was.
Well, for now, this is "home". Still using those quotation marks I see! Oh well.....
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Adios Barcelona...
Today was our last day in Barcelona. After a long, lazy morning in the apartment, we took a ride to the Telefericos de Barcelona. This is the gondola ride that goes over the waterway. It was kind of scary, but a truly beautiful view. Brian and I are a bit afraid of heights, but I wanted to ride this gondola as there are very few left in Europe. When we reached the end of the ride, we had lunch at the top of the hill overlooking Barcelona. There was a cool breeze and it was a wonderful way to end our time here.
Tonight Jim and Kevin attended a bullfight. Sarah, Brian, and I decided to skip this event and headed back to the apartment to pack and just relax. Effective January 1, 2012, bullfighting will no longer be allowed in Barcelona. They still allow it in other areas of Spain, but no longer here. As Jim and Kevin described the fight to Brian and I (Sarah left the room), I am SO glad we did not attend. It sounds so cruel. I will not share any description of this event and must say I am glad that Barcelona will no longer support this - although their reasons for not supporting bullfighting has nothing to do with cruelty to animals.
We are all ready to be home. It has been a wonderful summer. We've spent time with family, friends, and each other. My reasons for coming to Barcelona were not only to see Spain, but give my family time to reunite and have some fun together. Mission accomplished.
Tonight Jim and Kevin attended a bullfight. Sarah, Brian, and I decided to skip this event and headed back to the apartment to pack and just relax. Effective January 1, 2012, bullfighting will no longer be allowed in Barcelona. They still allow it in other areas of Spain, but no longer here. As Jim and Kevin described the fight to Brian and I (Sarah left the room), I am SO glad we did not attend. It sounds so cruel. I will not share any description of this event and must say I am glad that Barcelona will no longer support this - although their reasons for not supporting bullfighting has nothing to do with cruelty to animals.
We are all ready to be home. It has been a wonderful summer. We've spent time with family, friends, and each other. My reasons for coming to Barcelona were not only to see Spain, but give my family time to reunite and have some fun together. Mission accomplished.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Beach & Burn
Today we decided to spend another day at the beach. Kind of odd that we are enjoying it so much since we live 10 minutes from a really nice warm beach at home and NEVER go! Guess that is why this is called a vacation. We vacation from our real life and do different, fun things.
The waves were really high today and the boys and I had such fun diving in them, body surfing (kind of), and just splashing around. Since I never burn, I am the only one who didn't apply suntan lotion. I didn't apply any the other day either, and was just fine. Guess something was different today and I have obtained a little burn. Not bad, but just enough to make me hot and really feeling tired. It is Saturday night at 10:00 and Sarah, Brian, and I are all tucked into the hide-a-bed ready to watch some 1970's detective show....that is all they show here. Jim and Kevin headed out to a local theater to see what movies are around. Jim said that 10PM on a Saturday night is just to early to call it a night. Hmm..this is obviously vacation Jim!
I also have to add a note about how much I am enjoying watching Jim and Kevin together. I mean, Jim and all the kids are great, but seeing my almost 18 year old boy having such a good time with his dad is awesome. My brother is 10 years older than me, so I don't remember seeing he and my dad having such silly times. Jim and Kevin laugh together, share stories, wrestle in the water and just really enjoy each others' company. I am so blessed. I don't know how or why I was given such great kids, but I do know it is a blessing from above.
Tomorrow is our last day here. Not sure what we'll do. We've seen all the sights of Barcelona. The boys want another beach day, but not sure I'm up to that again. Maybe Sarah and I will hit the shops. We would like to ride the gondola, but the winds have been so strong, it is just too scary for a few of us (no names mentioned).
So, off to bed. Still just loving my vacation and the time with the kids and my sweetie. Such a rare gift.
The waves were really high today and the boys and I had such fun diving in them, body surfing (kind of), and just splashing around. Since I never burn, I am the only one who didn't apply suntan lotion. I didn't apply any the other day either, and was just fine. Guess something was different today and I have obtained a little burn. Not bad, but just enough to make me hot and really feeling tired. It is Saturday night at 10:00 and Sarah, Brian, and I are all tucked into the hide-a-bed ready to watch some 1970's detective show....that is all they show here. Jim and Kevin headed out to a local theater to see what movies are around. Jim said that 10PM on a Saturday night is just to early to call it a night. Hmm..this is obviously vacation Jim!
I also have to add a note about how much I am enjoying watching Jim and Kevin together. I mean, Jim and all the kids are great, but seeing my almost 18 year old boy having such a good time with his dad is awesome. My brother is 10 years older than me, so I don't remember seeing he and my dad having such silly times. Jim and Kevin laugh together, share stories, wrestle in the water and just really enjoy each others' company. I am so blessed. I don't know how or why I was given such great kids, but I do know it is a blessing from above.
Tomorrow is our last day here. Not sure what we'll do. We've seen all the sights of Barcelona. The boys want another beach day, but not sure I'm up to that again. Maybe Sarah and I will hit the shops. We would like to ride the gondola, but the winds have been so strong, it is just too scary for a few of us (no names mentioned).
So, off to bed. Still just loving my vacation and the time with the kids and my sweetie. Such a rare gift.
Fish and Boats
Today we visited the Barcelona aquarium. It was not very big, but we certainly did have fun. We then walked around looking for a Subway for lunch. I knew I had seen one, but I did not remember where. We ended up at Burger King, which was an OK substitute for all of us, except Sarah (she won't eat Burger King). On our way back to the waterfront, we found, guess what...the Subway! We stopped in for Sarah to have a sandwich. We then kept walking down to the water and took a nice sight seeing boat ride. It was fun until it started to rain. Odd thing about this summer, wherever we have been, it has rained. I kind of expected it in Holland, but not in Texas, Chicago, or Rhode Island. We have had rain in each spot. Sarah stood on the front of the boat and let herself really get wet. She loves the rain and is something she really misses in Dubai. We went back to our apartment for a few hours and then walked to a nearby Italian restaurant for dinner.
It has just been one of the laziest vacations we've ever had. We are really enjoying the slow mornings and having time to lay around and talk and dream together (and surf the internet and make some postings on Facebook). Tomorrow will be another beach day. We (Jim) have mastered the metro, so we'll take the ride to the beach, rent a few chairs and umbrellas and hope for sunshine all day long. We only have two days left of our vacation and then real life begins again.
It has just been one of the laziest vacations we've ever had. We are really enjoying the slow mornings and having time to lay around and talk and dream together (and surf the internet and make some postings on Facebook). Tomorrow will be another beach day. We (Jim) have mastered the metro, so we'll take the ride to the beach, rent a few chairs and umbrellas and hope for sunshine all day long. We only have two days left of our vacation and then real life begins again.
Thank You
Every night my prayers begin with a thank you. I thank the Lord for the day. I am not really sure when I started thanking Him for each day, but I do know for sure that since we moved, I have not missed the opportunity to say thank you.
In February 2008 Jim called me from a soccer game in which he was a referee. He said he had spoken with his boss and had been offered the opportunity to move to Leiden, The Netherlands, for a new assignment. He asked what I thought. As we spoke, it all sounded pretty exciting to me, so I told Jim I would talk with the kids. I took the kids to Jakes, a favorite local spot for dinner. While we sat at dinner, I asked the kids what they would think about living in Europe for a few years while daddy took a new position. Kevin and Sarah immediately said "yes!". Kevin said "How can we pass up an opportunity like this?" Sarah also thought it would be great fun to discover Europe. Brian, well, he was the one hold out. Brian said that he just didn't want to move again. Moving to The Netherlands would be Brian's 5th move (Sarah's 6th and Kevin's 7th). We talked about it for a while and decided we would go for it! In August we packed up and headed to Holland.
Holland was a wonderful place. Of course, it is easy to say that 3 years later! The town we lived in is Wassenaar. It is an absolutely beautiful place. Huge trees that hang over the roads, brick streets and sidewalks, the most quaint little town you can imagine. The main shopping area of Wassenaar is called the Laangstraat. Translation: Long Street! It is filled with small shops selling cheese, chocolates (best EVER), wine, clothing, stationary, and housewares. Picture Mayberry...that is our Wassenaar. The shops all close at 5 PM every day and nothing is open on Sunday. And when I say things close at 5 PM, that means key turned and shop owner walking down the sidewalk closed! While that was a bit frustrating at first, we certainly learned to love that relaxed, slow atmosphere.
Sunday's in Holland are certainly family days. It is when families spend time together biking, walking, going to the dunes (beach), exploring, or just spending the day at home together. You are forced into family time and it is something that certainly pays off. I give Holland a lot of credit to the closeness of my family. Gone were the days of leaving at 6 am and returning at 4 PM for soccer games. Gone were the days of Jim taking Sarah to one soccer field, me taking Brian to another, and us leaving Kevin alone in the dust. There were no long 4 nights of soccer practice. There we no longer early morning band practices. Our hectic, but typical, American schedule came to a skreetching halt. My family learned to actually spend time together telling stories, watching movies, playing games and....here it is...talking.
I now have 3 teenagers in my house. Kevin will turn 18 next month; Sarah will be 16 next month, and Brian has just turned 14. Last night the 5 of us sat in our TV room here in Dubai and told stories about school, friends, and (sorry) the kids teachers. We laughed until we cried. Jim and I had planned to sit in the TV room and stare at the box. As we were all laughing, Jim said..."who needs TV?!" How true.
So last night I again said thank you. I have three amazing teenagers who still want to be in the room with their parents and siblings. They talk, help each other with homework, compare notes of their day, and laugh together. Wow. How blessed I am.
In February 2008 Jim called me from a soccer game in which he was a referee. He said he had spoken with his boss and had been offered the opportunity to move to Leiden, The Netherlands, for a new assignment. He asked what I thought. As we spoke, it all sounded pretty exciting to me, so I told Jim I would talk with the kids. I took the kids to Jakes, a favorite local spot for dinner. While we sat at dinner, I asked the kids what they would think about living in Europe for a few years while daddy took a new position. Kevin and Sarah immediately said "yes!". Kevin said "How can we pass up an opportunity like this?" Sarah also thought it would be great fun to discover Europe. Brian, well, he was the one hold out. Brian said that he just didn't want to move again. Moving to The Netherlands would be Brian's 5th move (Sarah's 6th and Kevin's 7th). We talked about it for a while and decided we would go for it! In August we packed up and headed to Holland.
Holland was a wonderful place. Of course, it is easy to say that 3 years later! The town we lived in is Wassenaar. It is an absolutely beautiful place. Huge trees that hang over the roads, brick streets and sidewalks, the most quaint little town you can imagine. The main shopping area of Wassenaar is called the Laangstraat. Translation: Long Street! It is filled with small shops selling cheese, chocolates (best EVER), wine, clothing, stationary, and housewares. Picture Mayberry...that is our Wassenaar. The shops all close at 5 PM every day and nothing is open on Sunday. And when I say things close at 5 PM, that means key turned and shop owner walking down the sidewalk closed! While that was a bit frustrating at first, we certainly learned to love that relaxed, slow atmosphere.
Sunday's in Holland are certainly family days. It is when families spend time together biking, walking, going to the dunes (beach), exploring, or just spending the day at home together. You are forced into family time and it is something that certainly pays off. I give Holland a lot of credit to the closeness of my family. Gone were the days of leaving at 6 am and returning at 4 PM for soccer games. Gone were the days of Jim taking Sarah to one soccer field, me taking Brian to another, and us leaving Kevin alone in the dust. There were no long 4 nights of soccer practice. There we no longer early morning band practices. Our hectic, but typical, American schedule came to a skreetching halt. My family learned to actually spend time together telling stories, watching movies, playing games and....here it is...talking.
I now have 3 teenagers in my house. Kevin will turn 18 next month; Sarah will be 16 next month, and Brian has just turned 14. Last night the 5 of us sat in our TV room here in Dubai and told stories about school, friends, and (sorry) the kids teachers. We laughed until we cried. Jim and I had planned to sit in the TV room and stare at the box. As we were all laughing, Jim said..."who needs TV?!" How true.
So last night I again said thank you. I have three amazing teenagers who still want to be in the room with their parents and siblings. They talk, help each other with homework, compare notes of their day, and laugh together. Wow. How blessed I am.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Park Guell
What a lazy day we had today. I've started waking the kids up early in preparation for our official back to school routine starting in 10 days. Of course, early on vacation means 10 AM; not really early, but at least it is before noon. We took a walk to a local market for groceries and then a leisurely train ride to Park Guell. It was a wonderful day spent together just walking and talking. I can not even express how much I appreciate this time with my kids.
While we are enjoying Barcelona, it certainly is not being ranked as one of our top vacation spots. Our rankings still are Kenya, Rome, and Jordan. As I write that I can't help but think about how lucky we are to have been able to take such wonderful vacations over these past three years. I'll save that comment and my thoughts about that for another day though.
Back to Barcelona.....It is an interesting city. We wonder if it would be a big vacation spot had it not been for Gaudi. Seems everything is tied to his works. We've wandered along the streets of the city freely and without worry. Our tour books advise to really watch for pick pockets, so Jim actually bought a fanny pack! I didn't think we'd be buying one of those until we retired and traveled alone, but since we don't have much to carry, we decided now was time enough. I am using a small but useful purse that I received from my friend Barbara for my birthday. It is perfect for my small items that I want to keep close.
After another dinner at Hard Rock tonight, we headed back to the apartment to watch the one show on the single English channel.....you guessed it ....Columbo AGAIN! It is hard for me to just relax and spend time sitting around the apartment, but I'm also spending some time preparing for our schools' wonderful Orientation Day. There is a teacher at the school who has organized this day for all new students. He was new from a school in Russia last year and found that this type of program was missing. I am so excited to be helping him with this event. It has taken lots of time, but I love this kind of "stuff"!
So, it is 11:00 and we are all ready for bed. Another get ready for school exercise. Time for my prayers which always start with a Thank You for this wonderful day.
While we are enjoying Barcelona, it certainly is not being ranked as one of our top vacation spots. Our rankings still are Kenya, Rome, and Jordan. As I write that I can't help but think about how lucky we are to have been able to take such wonderful vacations over these past three years. I'll save that comment and my thoughts about that for another day though.
Back to Barcelona.....It is an interesting city. We wonder if it would be a big vacation spot had it not been for Gaudi. Seems everything is tied to his works. We've wandered along the streets of the city freely and without worry. Our tour books advise to really watch for pick pockets, so Jim actually bought a fanny pack! I didn't think we'd be buying one of those until we retired and traveled alone, but since we don't have much to carry, we decided now was time enough. I am using a small but useful purse that I received from my friend Barbara for my birthday. It is perfect for my small items that I want to keep close.
After another dinner at Hard Rock tonight, we headed back to the apartment to watch the one show on the single English channel.....you guessed it ....Columbo AGAIN! It is hard for me to just relax and spend time sitting around the apartment, but I'm also spending some time preparing for our schools' wonderful Orientation Day. There is a teacher at the school who has organized this day for all new students. He was new from a school in Russia last year and found that this type of program was missing. I am so excited to be helping him with this event. It has taken lots of time, but I love this kind of "stuff"!
So, it is 11:00 and we are all ready for bed. Another get ready for school exercise. Time for my prayers which always start with a Thank You for this wonderful day.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Barcelona Babes!
Today was spent at the beach in Barcelona. I have to say that Barcelona is certainly a dream come true for any 18 year old! Kevin was able to order a Pina Colada and then sit on the beach, or float in the water and watch the many, MANY, topless swimmers and bathers. Being the true Americans that we are, these sights are still able to make us a bit uncomfortable and, I'll admit, make us share the occasional giggle. There truly are some people that should just not be allowed to go topless! ANYWAY, the beach was wonderful. The water was warmer than that in Rhode Island, but definitely not as warm as our own Arabian waters. We were diligent to put on suntan lotion all over our white bodies, but seemed to forget our bright, smiling faces. We are all red faced tonight and most definitely look like tourists!
We shared a meal at KFC since we had promised Brian fried chicken and then took in a movie. We saw Super 8, which was shown in it's original version (english). We have found that in all the European cities we've visited, the movies are always shown in their original english version with the native language posting the subtitles. I wonder how people here (and in Holland and Switzerland, etc., etc.) feel having to watch movies with subtitles. I avoid subtitled movies as it seems that I am reading and not watching the film. Also, it still amazes me that wherever we go, most everyone knows english. It really makes it easy for us American travelers, but also makes me feel inadequate that I haven't mastered a second language.
I also did laundry today with the typical european washing machine. They are tiny and only wash...no dryers here. Right now all of our shirts, shorts, and delicates are hanging on the balcony to dry. This is certainly a sight I never get used to!
We rode the Metro (underground) to the beach today. The trains here are very clean and we saw security personnel on every train and at every stop. What a wonderful system. The directions were so clearly posted that even I could navigate my way around. This is something else we are lacking in the good ole USA.
As soon as we came in from our movie all 4 computers were fired up along with one blackberry. Even on vacation, we still need our technology. Good thing we have this though as our TV has one english speaking station and today the only choice of shows was Columbo! Oh Apple TV, we miss you too!
We shared a meal at KFC since we had promised Brian fried chicken and then took in a movie. We saw Super 8, which was shown in it's original version (english). We have found that in all the European cities we've visited, the movies are always shown in their original english version with the native language posting the subtitles. I wonder how people here (and in Holland and Switzerland, etc., etc.) feel having to watch movies with subtitles. I avoid subtitled movies as it seems that I am reading and not watching the film. Also, it still amazes me that wherever we go, most everyone knows english. It really makes it easy for us American travelers, but also makes me feel inadequate that I haven't mastered a second language.
I also did laundry today with the typical european washing machine. They are tiny and only wash...no dryers here. Right now all of our shirts, shorts, and delicates are hanging on the balcony to dry. This is certainly a sight I never get used to!
We rode the Metro (underground) to the beach today. The trains here are very clean and we saw security personnel on every train and at every stop. What a wonderful system. The directions were so clearly posted that even I could navigate my way around. This is something else we are lacking in the good ole USA.
As soon as we came in from our movie all 4 computers were fired up along with one blackberry. Even on vacation, we still need our technology. Good thing we have this though as our TV has one english speaking station and today the only choice of shows was Columbo! Oh Apple TV, we miss you too!
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
THIS EXPAT LIFE OF MINE!
OK, so one year ago I decided to start a blog. I am now ready for my second post! I never got into the habit of blogging because I wanted it to look really fun and interesting, like my friend's blog. Well, forget that! The most important thing for right now is that I want to blog my entire last year as an expat. If I have time to add pics and fun stuff, then it will happen.
Secondly, I am stealing the title from a friend of Sarah's. I always see on Facebook Nicole writes "This Life of Mine" and puts comments; her favorite things and happenings. Well, now I will use her example and write about This Expat Life of Mine. I will write about daily happenings, if it is an interesting day. If not, I'll recap something about our past year. I will hopefully have a nice diary for our final year of adventure.
First official post of my final year! I am writing from Barcelona. We have just finished our final summer visiting "home". The kids and I left Dubai at the end of June, spent four days in Holland, then four weeks in Houston, two weeks in Chicago, and 10 days in Rhode Island. We had a wonderful time. Jim was able to join us for one week in Houston and for one week in Rhode Island. Because our summer visits home are crazy with shopping, eating, and catching up with friends and family, we decided to add Barcelona as the final leg of our trip. While we are all ready to be back in Dubai, this final week of holiday gives us a chance to regroup as a family. We have such a good time sharing stories over dinner, sightseeing, playing games, and just plain old hanging out. It is really what we needed.
Leaving the States this year was harder than the past 3 summers. I think that us knowing we'd be moving back in just a year made us want it even more. Last year we had the anticipation of our move to Dubai, had my friend, Trish, meeting us in Holland for one last hurrah (her 40th birthday was the real occasion), that leaving the States was relatively easy. Oh yes, there are ALWAYS tears, but we knew we had a new adventure on the horizon and we were actually a little excited. This year, it is like seeing the presents under the Christmas tree and then being told you can not open them! We are so ready to be back home. The tears were abundant. We are all OK now and ready to start school again and get back into the swing of our crazy life.
So, enough for Day 1! I am really dedicated this year to doing this. No, not like a New Years' resolution dedicated, but for me, myself, and I, dedicated. I want to write down some of these feelings, thoughts, and events so that I don't forget them!
Secondly, I am stealing the title from a friend of Sarah's. I always see on Facebook Nicole writes "This Life of Mine" and puts comments; her favorite things and happenings. Well, now I will use her example and write about This Expat Life of Mine. I will write about daily happenings, if it is an interesting day. If not, I'll recap something about our past year. I will hopefully have a nice diary for our final year of adventure.
First official post of my final year! I am writing from Barcelona. We have just finished our final summer visiting "home". The kids and I left Dubai at the end of June, spent four days in Holland, then four weeks in Houston, two weeks in Chicago, and 10 days in Rhode Island. We had a wonderful time. Jim was able to join us for one week in Houston and for one week in Rhode Island. Because our summer visits home are crazy with shopping, eating, and catching up with friends and family, we decided to add Barcelona as the final leg of our trip. While we are all ready to be back in Dubai, this final week of holiday gives us a chance to regroup as a family. We have such a good time sharing stories over dinner, sightseeing, playing games, and just plain old hanging out. It is really what we needed.
Leaving the States this year was harder than the past 3 summers. I think that us knowing we'd be moving back in just a year made us want it even more. Last year we had the anticipation of our move to Dubai, had my friend, Trish, meeting us in Holland for one last hurrah (her 40th birthday was the real occasion), that leaving the States was relatively easy. Oh yes, there are ALWAYS tears, but we knew we had a new adventure on the horizon and we were actually a little excited. This year, it is like seeing the presents under the Christmas tree and then being told you can not open them! We are so ready to be back home. The tears were abundant. We are all OK now and ready to start school again and get back into the swing of our crazy life.
So, enough for Day 1! I am really dedicated this year to doing this. No, not like a New Years' resolution dedicated, but for me, myself, and I, dedicated. I want to write down some of these feelings, thoughts, and events so that I don't forget them!
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