Al Ain arrival - anxious! | ExpatWoman.com
 

Al Ain arrival - anxious!

51
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 09 October 2013 - 23:42

Hi everyone

My family and I are coming to Al Ain where my husband will be teaching at a British School. We have had a horrendous time in Jeddah and Qatar and although we have seen Al Ain online and have red about it, we have had such bad luck, we are still anxious....it looks like a good family place to live - we have a 21 month old and a 13 yr-old - yes, I know! Is it possible to have a chilled out life on a fairly low budget? Our apartment and utilities are paid for so our outgoings should not be high. Also is there anything I should bring from the UK that is hard to get in Al Ain? Finding tampons in Jeddah and Qatar was like looking for 4 leaf clovers...any advice would be great - we are due to arrive in December.

63
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 24 October 2013 - 13:47
Hi everyone My family and I are coming to Al Ain where my husband will be teaching at a British School. We have had a horrendous time in Jeddah and Qatar and although we have seen Al Ain online and have red about it, we have had such bad luck, we are still anxious....it looks like a good family place to live - we have a 21 month old and a 13 yr-old - yes, I know! Is it possible to have a chilled out life on a fairly low budget? Our apartment and utilities are paid for so our outgoings should not be high. Also is there anything I should bring from the UK that is hard to get in Al Ain? Finding tampons in Jeddah and Qatar was like looking for 4 leaf clovers...any advice would be great - we are due to arrive in December. You can get tampons in most if every supermarket In the UAE If you like vino then bring in from airport, then you can get your alcohol licence once here I find perfume, favourite brands of makeup more expensive here. Baby calpol, baby gaviscon ( They aren't here) Unless you prefer the Tam**x Compak, they're not available here :( I'm not sure for the originals as I haven't looked lately but Carrefour do an own brand version of those.
170
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 23 October 2013 - 15:51
Thank you very much Mrs.B. Yes like you I am very content & I realise how blessed I am. I think I may have been a strong woman but 2 assaults at work within 2 weeks knocked that out of me. I keep thinking I will get strong again . But its sometime now since it happened & I continue to have PTSD. However God is good I know this for sure.
4393
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 22 October 2013 - 12:06
Hi everyone My family and I are coming to Al Ain where my husband will be teaching at a British School. We have had a horrendous time in Jeddah and Qatar and although we have seen Al Ain online and have red about it, we have had such bad luck, we are still anxious....it looks like a good family place to live - we have a 21 month old and a 13 yr-old - yes, I know! Is it possible to have a chilled out life on a fairly low budget? Our apartment and utilities are paid for so our outgoings should not be high. Also is there anything I should bring from the UK that is hard to get in Al Ain? Finding tampons in Jeddah and Qatar was like looking for 4 leaf clovers...any advice would be great - we are due to arrive in December. You can get tampons in most if every supermarket In the UAE If you like vino then bring in from airport, then you can get your alcohol licence once here I find perfume, favourite brands of makeup more expensive here. Baby calpol, baby gaviscon ( They aren't here) Unless you prefer the Tam**x Compak, they're not available here :(
Anonymous (not verified)
0
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 22 October 2013 - 12:03
Thank you Neamhai what a lovely thing to say. I am fortunate to be a contented woman, happy with my lot in life - family home work. I think being happy with what you have is one of the most important things in life. I can imagine that working with adult special needs would be very challenging and fraught with physical and emotional dangers to say the least. You must be a very strong women to work in this area. I have every confidence you will find you next challenge when you are ready. I wish you all the best.
170
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 21 October 2013 - 22:44
Hello Mrs.B. Yes I would love to meet you unfortunately Im in KSA now. I always find your posts interesting & honest & seem to come from one very strong lady. :) I don't have to agree with everything you say but I can still respect your opinions. I think an insight in to your world would be amazing.So very different than mine but in basic terms similar. Children family work home. I don't work now though after some trauma while working with adults with special needs mental illness & challenging behaviour. I hope you & your family had a very blessed Eid . God bless you & yours.
Anonymous (not verified)
0
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 21 October 2013 - 20:27
NEmom how are you? So your off to Al ain?? Im sorry it was awful for your husband here. Did you get to KSA? We visited Al Ain often when we lived in Dubai. We enjoyed it there. Im just back from London the funeral of my brother in law RIP. Completely unexpected . Good luck In Al Ain. I would love to meet Mrs B by the way :) You would like to meet me???? Why??? I think I am me of the more controversial posters on this forum. I have been called quite a few names with many more insinuated! Hahahaha Seriously, if you would like to meet up, we could. I am always up for meeting new friends.
170
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 20 October 2013 - 19:54
NEmom how are you? So your off to Al ain?? Im sorry it was awful for your husband here. Did you get to KSA? We visited Al Ain often when we lived in Dubai. We enjoyed it there. Im just back from London the funeral of my brother in law RIP. Completely unexpected . Good luck In Al Ain. I would love to meet Mrs B by the way :)
51
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 13 October 2013 - 16:07
Thank you so much everyone for your help - I am finding out a lot more about Al Ain - it looks fresh and if it is away from the bustle and bling, then that is fine by us! All we have to do is negotiate salary and extras with the school - it is a bit of a drop but we figure if the lifestyle is better, then it is worth it. Hopefully see some of you in Al Ain!
63
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 13 October 2013 - 13:44
Hi everyone My family and I are coming to Al Ain where my husband will be teaching at a British School. We have had a horrendous time in Jeddah and Qatar and although we have seen Al Ain online and have red about it, we have had such bad luck, we are still anxious....it looks like a good family place to live - [b'>we have a 21 month old and a 13 yr-old[/b'> - yes, I know! Is it possible to have a chilled out life on a fairly low budget? Our apartment and utilities are paid for so our outgoings should not be high. Also is there anything I should bring from the UK that is hard to get in Al Ain? Finding tampons in Jeddah and Qatar was like looking for 4 leaf clovers...any advice would be great - we are due to arrive in December. Al Ain is a lovely place for families. It's quieter than the cities but not so far away to just get in the car and go if you're suffering from cabin fever! The winter months have plenty of things to do in the great outdoors. If you're on Facebook then you can search for the Al Ain Expats Parents Group (it's a closed group so make sure you have your settings set to receive messages from the administrators and check your "Other" inbox).
309
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 12 October 2013 - 14:55
Just to add, surprised about not finding tampons in Qatar. Lived there for 7 years & never had that problem! Good luck with the move.
Anonymous (not verified)
0
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 12 October 2013 - 12:04
Al Ain is a great place to live and work if you come with a family and can "make your own family fun". There is little here to do for single people. Al Ain is a quiet city. Schools and housing are much cheaper than Dubai which is good news for many. There are some good shopping malls with all the major shops and supermarkets. The cost of living is no higher here than elsewhere in the UAE. Overall, the cost of living here has risen and is becoming more expensive than in other parts of the world. We find utilities in Al Ain more expensive than in Dubai. We relocated here from Dubai about 2 years ago and are very happy. It is a much better place for kids to grow up. I still have two young ones DD (9) and DS (8). Dubai is only about one hour drive away on a great highway and Abu Dhabi is about an hour and a half so getting out and about is easy. There are a couple of nice big hotels which offer membership for gym, pools etc for the family and have some great restaurants which do special family buffet nights. When you arrive, if you have trouble settling or finding things, please contact me. I live in Al Khabisi.
8965
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 10 October 2013 - 11:16
Hi everyone My family and I are coming to Al Ain where my husband will be teaching at a British School. We have had a horrendous time in Jeddah and Qatar and although we have seen Al Ain online and have red about it, we have had such bad luck, we are still anxious....it looks like a good family place to live - we have a 21 month old and a 13 yr-old - yes, I know! Is it possible to have a chilled out life on a fairly low budget? Our apartment and utilities are paid for so our outgoings should not be high. Also is there anything I should bring from the UK that is hard to get in Al Ain? Finding tampons in Jeddah and Qatar was like looking for 4 leaf clovers...any advice would be great - we are due to arrive in December. You can get tampons in most if every supermarket In the UAE If you like vino then bring in from airport, then you can get your alcohol licence once here I find perfume, favourite brands of makeup more expensive here. Baby calpol, baby gaviscon ( They aren't here)
1285
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EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 10 October 2013 - 10:45
Hi there. I don't know much about Al Ain, I live in Abu Dhabi. I think this web site is a great start. I would also post on the dubai forum as it gets alot more traffic. I'm sure it will be a million times nicer than Jeddah and Qatar! LOL about the tampons. You wont have that problem here. It's very modern compared to the other gulf countries. Good luck with your move. Stay active on this forum, you'll get a lot of help and support.