F is for...Free

I love that word. Free. 

Another thing that attracted me to teaching in Abu Dhabi - besides the beaches - was the benefits from the employer. I mean, an untaxed salary? Travel allowance at the end of each school year? Furniture/appliance allowance? Living rent-FREE in a high rise apt? Yeah, I was so there. I don't know what I expected when they told us they'd put us up in housing. It sure wasn't a high-rise apartment. I love my roomy, 2 bedroom home away from home. And I have an awesome view. My only bill is the cable/internet bill. We will eventually start paying electricity, but that hasn't happened yet. Here is a pic of my apt building...

So, yeah. Free is an excellent word!

And now for more Arabic vocabulary...

Febrayer (feb-brah-yer) - February

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E is for...Emirati vs Expat

E is for Emirati vs Expat


The locals in the UAE are called Emiratis. Less than 20% of the UAE population are native Emiratis.The rest of the residents are known as Expats (expatriates), people who've moved here for work. Though most of the people who live in AD are expats, it's the Emirati people who hold most of the money. The word emirati actually means "commander". 


And now for some Arabic vocabulary...


Esmee - My name is...

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D is for...Dubai

D is for Dubai


Dubai is not only the name of an emirate in the UAE, but it's also the name of a city in the emirate. Dubai has the largest population and the second largest land territory in all of UAE. Let me just say that, while I love Abu Dhabi, I LOVE Dubai. I guess cos it reminds me more of the US than Abu Dhabi. Parts of Dubai looks like a big, busy US city. Dubai is home to several cool buildings and designs.

Atlantis, The Palm

Burj Al Arab - one of the world's most luxurious hotels

Burj Khalifa - the tallest building in the world, featured in Mission Impossible 4

The Palm - a set of islands in the shape of a palm tree

The World - a set of islands in the shape of the world; still under construction

This is what it'll look like when completed!

And now for Arabic vocabulary...

dub - bear

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Coming Up...

My D, E, and F posts are coming. I've been busy showing my mom, who's here in Abu Dhabi on vacation, around town. But I promise the posts are coming....just running behind. :D

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C is for...

C is for Cars


One thing I've noticed here in Abu Dhabi is the fact that they are all about cars (among other things). I guess if you're worth $17 million, you can do that, right? I think I've mentioned before that it is said that the average Emirati is worth $17 million. Whether that's true or not, I don't know. But sometimes, looking around, you'd think it is. Anywho, back to cars.


Porshes, BMWs, Range Rovers, Bentleys...you name it, I've probably seen it. All decked out, shining, tinted windows, etc. The men love their cars. And they love racing them, too. They have the Formula One races here on Yas Island, so I'm sure some of the men fashion themselves race car drivers. They sure do act like it. I'm always hearing them rev up their cars.


And they have an interesting system on the license plate tags, too. From what I hear, the lower the number, the more important you are. For example, a car with the tag # 33 would be more important than a car with a tag that has, say #436 400. The lowest number I've seen is a 10, which means that person was pretty darn important...part of the royal family, perhaps?


Here's a pic of fancy cars...

And now for Arabic vocabulary...


I don't know any Arabic words yet that, when written in English, would start with the letter "c", so I'm gonna do a "c" English word. Since I blogged about cars, I'll use that.


C is for car


car = sayara (sigh - yara)

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B is for...

B is for Beaches!


One of the things that sold me on moving to Abu Dhabi is the fact that it is an island, which means it's surrounded by water, which means...BEACHES! I am such a beach bum. I love the sound of the waves, the feel of sand under my feet. I love all things beachy (except the heat...can't stand the heat). I'm from Houston, where the closest beach is Galveston. Now, I love Galveston, but the water there leaves something to be desired. It's not the blue/green/turquoise color you see on pictures or movies. But here in Abu Dhabi? Here in Abu Dhabi, the water is gorgeous! Take a look for yourself...

Gorgeous, right? And the best thing is, Abu Dhabi is surrounded by beaches. I'm just minutes away from several beaches. Absolute paradise!

And now for more Arabic vocabulary...

B is for Bunee

Bunee (boo - nee) = brown

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A is for...

For this month's A to Z challenge, I've decided on the "ABC's of Abu Dhabi" theme. So, all this month, I will be blogging about Abu Dhabi, my experiences here, as well as Arabic words/phrases I've learned so far.

A is for Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi is not only the name of one of the seven emirates of the UAE (United Arab Emirates), it's also the name of the capital city of the emirate of Abu Dhabi. The name means "Father of deer." It's kind of an oxymoron...a desert island. When you think of desert, you think of sand, sand dunes, cacti, camels, etc. Abu Dhabi has all that. BUT, it also has beaches, beautiful blue/green water, and greenery (trees, plants). The official religion is Muslim, but they practice freedom of religion, at least for expats. Locals must practice the Islamic faith. A cool fact about Abu Dhabi is only about 20% of the population are locals. Most of the people who live in Abu Dhabi are expats, or people who've moved here for employment reasons. The Sheikh of Abu Dhabi is Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed. The main language the locals speak is Arabic. The city of Abu Dhabi is only about an hour away from the emirate of Dubai, which is all kinds of awesome cos weekend trips are easy.

Abu Dhabi is a beautiful place. I love it here...not enough to make this my permanent home (even with all it's issues, America will always have my heart), but I do love it here. One thing I do not like is the weather from about April to October. It's HOT. Ugh! Not only can the weather get to be 100+ degrees, but it's also humid. Sometimes, the atmosphere literally takes your breath away.I never thought I'd be moving thousands of miles away from family, friends, and all that I know, but I'm glad I did. This has definitely been an experience of a lifetime so far! I look forward to whatever else God has in store for me during my Abu Dhabi experience!

And now for some Arabic vocabulary...

A is for Ana/Anta/Anti

Ana (ah-nah) = me
Anta (ahn-ta) = you (when talking to a male)
Anti (ahn-ti) = you (when talking to a female)

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