Moving to Abu Dhabi, need some advice!

HI! Sorry to respond so late, the expat email went to my junk so I didn't see your post! We have been here now for 9 months and have learned a lot!! When you come, the first thing you'll learn is that everything is done at a different pace than in Canada, patience is key. Reach out and ask for help from all people you meet, as most of us are expats and are happy to help out! Facebook is huge here with several groups to, sign into....ex: AbuDhabi Q & A has loads of stuff! Overall, I'm enjoy the experience, even with the transition! Our kids are really enjoying an American school. They love it and are finding it really easy to make friends, which was a huge relief, and the school itself offers them everything they want. If your still looking for a school get your applications in ASAP, they all seem to fill up fast and your kids will need to do pre-testing to see where they are at. You will need a transcript from the kids current school for their grades. (we did for high school at least) I'm not to knowledgable on the British schools. You can easily switch schools down the road if your not happy wherever you end up as there aren't any districts/boundaries. Housing is pretty straight forward, but yes, living close to school and work, just makes life easier as traffic can be a headache at rush hour. If you have an agent looking for your home, know that they can try and deal on the price, as theres lots available and they have come down since we got here. Our agent didn't even try and also told us we couldn't get a place by the water. (Insert eye roll....ugh!) We live in Khalifa City and find it really easy to get anywhere in Abu in 15-20 min. The bigger the home, the more power your using and its not the cheap. I really enjoy it here but I do wish we got water front or had a pool of our own. We ended up with a villa style home, lots of room and very small yards. House or apartment is up to you of course.....but there are huge 2 floor apartments so you can still have lots of space. Theres probably a lot of information I could share with you.......when are you planning to move here? Shoot me your email and we can chat a bit more in depth about the details! There are certain foods that you just can't find here or they cost a small fortune so you may want to pack extra when you come. Ummm....what else can I think of.....Canadian drivers licenses make it easy to get a UAE as they are considered equal. You just need to know where to go and what to bring. We just got back into Abu and I've got a bad head cold, so I'm not on top of my game yet between that and jet lag! lol! I'll check back soon to see if you still need a hand!! Jan

Hey Les27, Thank you so much for responding! I do have a number of other questions if you have time! We are actually moving from the U.S., but are Canadian, so we could attend the Canadian school. How is it going for you guys there? How soon should I be applying to schools in order to be accepted, we will get there at the beginning of August, so not sure when they do these tests either. Are they really difficult or are they just to see where the child is at in their grade level. I did look into your area for living, it sounds like a good fit for us with the amenities and sense of community! It seemed close to the airport on the map, is that ever bothersome? I saw various rentals on the water in the Al Raha Creek area for beach access and water views but its right by a busy road, whats your thoughts. My hubby is working in the Industrial area, so we have to watch for his commute time and school drives too. I saw on dubizzle that some places charge a fee to just look at a home, have you heard of this? You mentioned I could get more help on the Abu Dhabi site....I thought i was on it. LOL! Can you direct me to the better one! Sorry theres so many questions all packed into one post....this is the short version, I cut out a fair bit! And your right, we are newbies, it's crazy to try and figure this all out, I really appreciate the help! Thanks :)

Hi, We are moving over in about 3 months and I have been on line searching for places to rent. I am asking for advice on what people prefer.... apartment living in the towers, townhouse/ villas or compounds? Kids are 16 and 14 so we will need to be close to American based schools. As far as the hubby and I, we want to be able to make some friends in the community and get out on the weekends. So having some fun amenities or places to go important...pubs, restaurants etc! Can't wait to use the beaches!! We are bringing our dog with us so we have to have decent sized patio/deck, or just places to take her for a walk. ANY other suggestions or ideas, feel free to let me know!! :) ps... I may be posting more questions as I think of them!! lol!