Getting to know you....

pollydxb43945

1280

Posts

EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 16 October 2011 - 14:22

I can see that this board is as diverse as the general population of Dubai, and I'm curious to know a little more about all of y'all. Forgive me if this has been done, I can't help that I'm naturally a bit nosey. :) Feel free to skip anything that is too personal. I'll start! [b'>You and your family....[/b'> [b'>Where are you from?[/b'> I'm from the US. Texas, to be specific. [b'>Are you married or single?[/b'> I've been married for 7 months. DH and I dated for 3 years before getting married. [b'>Children?[/b'> I have two beautiful stepdaughters, ages 7 and 5 who live in the States with their mother. DH and I keep in touch with them via skype 3 times a week, plus a couple of phone calls and emails. They're precious and we miss them so much! [b'>Do you have any extended family living in the UAE?[/b'> No, it's just us. We're trying to talk DH's mother into coming over at least for a visit and possibly to stay. [b'>Your life as an expat.....[/b'> [b'>Is this the first place you've lived as an expat?[/b'> As an adult, yes. When I was a child we lived in Mexico City for a short period of time. [b'>How long have you been in Dubai?[/b'> DH has been here for 7 months (he left a week after we were married). I've been here exactly 4 months today. [b'>What do you do? What does your DH do?[/b'> I was just hired last week as an executive admin, but haven't started yet. Prior to this, I was a district manager for a major retailer in the States, but was laid off over a year ago and was never able to find work. DH is a law enforcement instructor. Back home he was a police officer. [b'>How long do you plan to stay in Dubai?[/b'> We initially thought that we would just be here for a year, but now we've decided to stay for at least 2. DH isn't under contract at his job, but I will be. [b'>Do you feel that the life you have here is better than what you could have "back home?" If so, in what ways?[/b'> Right now, yes. With the state of the US economy, there was almost no chance of me finding work in the forseeable future. With the tax-free income that we bring in here we're able to provide a better education adn standard of living for my stepdaughters both now and in the future and that alone makes being here worth it. Still, we miss our families and look forward to when we can move home. [b'>What is your favorite thing about living in Dubai?[/b'> I love how everything is new and different for us. DH and I are seeing things and having experiences here that are new for both of us and exclusively OURS together. I think that's been invaluable as newlyweds. [b'>What is your least favorite thing?[/b'> The heat, easily. There are other frustrations of course. But I've had days where I felt like the heat and humidity were literally sucking my soul from my body! [b'>What has been the biggest challenge for you living in Dubai?[/b'> Really just getting used to the way things are done here. At first, nothing seemed intuitive at all, especially with regard to finding a place to live and then setting up everything related to establishing a household. Also, learning our way around and dealing with insanely bad drivers has been difficult. But everything seems to be coming more easily these days. [b'>What do you miss most about your home? (Other than family and friends)[/b'> Really good Tex-Mex food with frozen margaritas. [b'>Just for fun.....[/b'> [b'>Where is your favorite place to shop for clothing?[/b'> Banana Republic! [b'>Guilty pleasure?[/b'> Reality tv. It's embarassing, but I can't help it. The "Real Housewives" series are a major weakness for me. [b'>Favorite hobby?[/b'> Reading. Give me a great book, or even a not-so-great one and I will get so caught up in it that I'll read the entire thing in less than a day. [b'>Favorite movie?[/b'> The Sound of Music. [b'>Pet peeve?[/b'> Messiness. I'm more than a little obsessive-compulsive about cleaning.

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