Christmas in May!

I was so excited to get my second care package from my Mom!  I could not wait to rip in to it and see what awaited me.  When I get a care package here it is like Christmas!

The package contained many items but the first and most important was my actual wedding dress!  I have two dresses, one for the wedding and one for the evening.  We will be taking pictures at both times so I wanted to make sure I had two different dresses.  The wedding dress is really pretty and just perfect for me.  It is a very elegant style that can I can still be barefoot on the boat.  I tried it on right away before even looking at what else was in the box.  To my surprise, it fit perfectly!  I won't have to alter this one at all...As long as I don't gain or lose any weight.

Mom tried to pick out shoes to go with the dress, but they were too busy for the dress.  So I am on my own now to try and find the right sandals.  My evening dress I think I might see if I can find a low heal sandal for, but the wedding dress needs a very plain yet feminine flip flop or sandal.  I am sure this means I will have to take a day off sometime in the next two months to go shopping!

The rest of the box contained all sorts of goodies.  One thing that I cannot find here is Mac and Cheese - so I now have several boxes of that.  The canned tuna here is packed in oil or salt water - I now have three cans of tuna in spring water.  Mom has stocked me up on rice crispy treats, flu medications and a year supply of gum!

I LOVE my care package!  I can't wait for the next one!  THANK YOU MOM!

Yesterday I received an email that the head of operations for our mission is in town and planned a lunch for all of us here in Dubai today at noon.  The offices will be shut down for an hour so that everyone can attend.  It is a mix between a meet and greet for brass and also to show appreciation for all the hard work we are doing here.  On a side note to that - it is also a celebration for my 10 years with the company.  I can't even believe I made it through 10 years!  I am a little nervous but I think it will be a very nice lunch.  I wonder if they will give me my 10 year pin today???

Planning

I am struggling with trying to help plan our wedding and working so many hours.  The wedding itself is fun, but I just can't find a whole lot of time.  We have not even discussed registering.  I think with this being a destination wedding (very similar to eloping), me working in another country and the fact that we have both been through this once before kind of makes it a mute point.  We are old enough also to already have everything we could need.

I was reading a friends blog and found she is struggling with the same issue, yet different circumstances.  Another friend of mine here had mentioned a new concept for registering.  I can't remember what it is called but I think it is something similar to a stock shower or stock gift.  It is where people buy stocks based on what they wish for you in life.  Some examples would be:  wishing you a healthy life - they would buy stock for you in a green or organic company;  wishing you many travels - buy stock in airlines; wishing you a family - buy stock in Johnson & Johnson, etc.  Gift cards are always great too since that is something that can be used later when I return home.  I have no idea what to do and I am sure Kirk and I will have this talk soon.  But for now I think we are just happy to get married and spend our lives together and our only wish is that if someone can join us for the special day that is more than enough for us.  It would be an honor to have friends and family join us - be we know that it would be too expensive, especially in the economy now.   I am very happy with a blessing and best wishes.  Maybe once we establish our home, we will have a house warming and belated wedding party!

I am finally settling in to life here.  My schedule will change again next week but I am hopeful that it will stay steady at that time.  I will be working noon to midnight, with a few hours extra on nights when flights arrive late.  It is still 7 days a week - which I really don't mind as long as I can get one or two days off in the next coming months.  I planned on working 7 days a week anyway so it is not too bad.  The long, changing hours is what is doing me in.  My body finally gave out this past week and I got a migraine that was so bad I was sick to my stomach and was seeing spots.  I had to go home - spent the next 24 hours in bed sleeping.  When I finally woke up - I felt like a brand new person and ready to start all over again!

The door bell rang and my third care package has just arrived!  I know it is my second wedding dress (yes, I have two) and some surprises from my mom!  Going to go open it now and get all excited!!!!

Strange In Dubai

I finally had some time to sit and share a few photos.  I worked until 3:00 AM this morning so I get to take a couple of hours off this morning before I head in to work.  Of course it is the afternoon here so I can't sleep.

I have been asked to put together a bunch of graphs to show our progress.  This includes ALL of our work and not just mine.  I am up for the challenge but it sure is a challenge.  I have no idea how to present all of the data and what exactly they are looking for.  I need to paint a picture of everything these operations are doing to show that we desperately need help.  Hopefully I can come up with something good.

Yesterday I had a chat on sametime with another employee about business.  Then it changed to a bit more personal and he stated that he remembered me from way back when I was working for the company in CA.  He recalled all of the help I had given him over the past 10 years and he could never forget me for everything I have done for him and other employees.  That made me feel really great to know that I truly have accomplished something - and something good.  It makes it all seem worth it just to hear things like that.

This is a picture outside I took after watching this guy hoe this entire space with one little tiny spoon.  It is about 110 degrees out and he is fully covered.  There is nobody else helping him.  I see this all the time and it just makes my heart hurt for the laborers here.  They work so hard with no proper equipment for pennies.

This is the dinner I had one night from the restaurant down the street.  It is lebanese and actually really good.  They give too much food but it is all very healthy other than the french fries.  Lebanese food always comest with a big plate of vegetables, olives and pickles.  I don't like the pickles here at all. They are way too salty.  

I took this picture at the hospital when I went there to visit the operations.  On the female ward, they decorate the outside of the doors since nobody is allowed inside - especially men.  It was really cool to see and I thought it was a great idea.  It tells everyone that walks in to the woman's ward which one had a baby and if it was a boy or a girl.  Also, see how neat and clean it is - and very private/quiet too!

I carry my camera with me now so hopefully I will be able to share more pictures with you soon!  Time to start getting ready for work...

May I please have some Half and Half for my coffee?

As you can imagine, working long hours - I can't resist a few cups of coffee throughout the day.  I LOVE my coffee with a half a teaspoon of sugar and a whole lotta half & half.  To my dismay, Dubai does not seem to even know what half & half is!  Not even cream!  I can't find it anywhere!

What they do have is plenty of milk in a box or can.  I have been using rainbow milk in my coffee.  It is condensed milk in a can.  While it is not the same, it will do since I have no other choice.  Oh, and trying to find a fresh brewed cup of coffee is unheard of!  I can get an espresso at the coffee shops, but no fresh brewed coffee.  Everywhere I go it is Nescafe freeze dried coffee.  Lets just say I am trying my hardest to get used to powdered coffee with canned milk.

Unfortunately that is all I have time to write.  I need to get to work to start my 12+ hour shift!  The only other news I have is the wedding date changed due to availability - July 21.  We will see if it stays at this date.  Other than that - work, sleep, work, sleep.  I have not done anything to mention.  I wish I had some spare time to see this beautiful place!

Ugh...

The only reason I am on right now is because my work computer crashed.   Right now, I feel about as big as an ant.  I have programs on my computer that only I have access to and I may have just lost ALL recorded data for the project since day one.  Funny thing is - I was going to back it up today because I was afraid this might happen.  Just one day too late.  And wouldn't you know it - all the "big wigs" just came in today to be here for a few weeks.  They want to view our operations and see why we are asking for more help.  Ugh...  Lucky for me though I pulled all of the numbers together last night on my job to show that my position has grown ...ready... 680% since I took it over.  Um, yeah, I think I need help.

Since I have no access to anything, and we have no IT person here, I have to wait and wait and wait.  We are hoping to get someone in here within about three days - a person who is passing through on his way to R&R.  I am starting to wonder why on earth we would be here without an IT person.  We have about one computer crash a week.  My understanding is the computers are good, but with all of the encryption, anti-virus etc they add to them overloads and corrupts the systems.  Since I receive and respond to about 150 emails a day I can just imagine what I will see when I can get back on.  I am already having anxiety over it.

One of my coworkers is trying to take apart my computer now to see if he can extract and recover all of my data.  I am praying and trying to stay positive.

In the meantime... I am now a Visa Dubai Resident!  I also have my drivers license!  I don't have a car yet since I was waiting to get used to this place.  I am finally figuring out my way around here - at least the area I live and work in.  I discovered a Gloria Jean coffee house in my neighborhood!  Wooohoooo! I don't know if it is open yet, but hopefully it soon will be.

I walked to work a few days ago and it was actually a very nice walk.  But today it was so hot that I just about melted when I stepped outside.  It has to be over 120 degrees today.  I have never felt heat like this ever in my life.  And we have not even hit the hottest time of year.

Since I had some free time on my hands I decided to take a trip over to the hospital so that I can see where the tail end of my work ends up.  It is such a beautiful hospital.  I got the full tour, including the laboratory where all of our blood work is done.  It is the second most advanced facility on this side of the world and it was amazing.  They have machines in there that can read 10,000 samples an hour with over  20 different tests on each.

My coworker/contractor took me to the female ward (they separate woman and men here).  It was so quiet and there were beautifully decorated doorways where woman had just given birth.  I will add the picture on here later.

My work schedule will be changing a bit and as of this coming tuesday I will only have to work out of one office.  I am happy with the change and think it will work out just fine.  It will also give me about 30 minutes to an hour more time (cutting out travel time) to do my work.  My only concern about moving to this new facility and not working at the office is that I won't be able to take care of Sissy and Jersey anymore.  Oh!  Did I tell you?  Sissy is pregnant!  Her belly is huge!  I am sure she is going to have those little ones any day now!  With it being so hot, she is miserable.  She lays on the cement with her belly in the air and her paws on the side of the building.  She looks like she is playing dead.  I feel so bad for them.  I asked if I could have pets and was given a big fat NO!  Yes sir, understood.

As far as getting out and seeing the sites - fat chance.  I work and sleep.  Then start the process over again the next day.  I am stressed to the max and can't seem to find time to get anything more done than my daily routine.  I have added reports, processes, and projects everyday and I can't even touch them.  I had to write a simple outline of my job function - bullet points - one liners - leave out the simple details...it was three pages long.

So, long story short - I wish I could share with you my great adventures but I just have none to share with you at this time.  I wish I did, but I don't.

Kirk is coming along with the wedding plans nicely.  I put in my 2 cents every now and then but he is mostly planning it along with the travel agent.  In all my life I have never met a man who enjoyed planning the wedding - or let alone plan a wedding!  The major part I am contributing to it is my dress (I actually bought two) and I have to write my vows.  I have not started on the vows yet, but need to get going on those.  Kirk is already done writing his!

Here is the scoop on the wedding... We will be leaving on July 20 to head to Santorini, Greece.  The Santorini will be preformed on a yacht by the captain on the afternoon of July 22.  After the Santorini, we will enjoy a fun day of sailing, swimming and snorkeling around the islands.  The rest of the trip will be enjoyed on one of the other islands and then in Athens to see the ruins.  We will return to Dubai and have a few extra days off to explore the UAE and possibly Oman - returning to work on August 8th.