My Stories 

This is me wearing a traditional Al-Battullah. (This one made in China) I get e-mails from time to time from readers who are contemplating a move here to Abu Dhabi. So far, it’s mostly women and their questions are no different to the ones I asked just last spring before we came. Do you have to wear a Burkha? Can girls wear bikinis? Can I jog there? Is it safe for Westerners? Can I drink/buy alcohol? All the important questions, I tell you! The answer is a resounding No to th

So how much do first impressions really matter? In my last post, I went on and on, ad nauseum probably, about our first impressions of Olympia, WA and how much we adored it upon first sight. So what are my first impressions of our new home? It is hard to say. I have yet to see much. This is the first time that I have ever had jet lag (I have flown further and longer but never in my 40s or with kids—might have something to do with it?!).  Also, we are westerners staying in a v