arohadxb | ExpatWoman.com
 

arohadxb

arohadxb
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Latest post on 21 April 2011 - 18:20
beach, bunny run building, dinner out, visiting satwa, bbq with friends and on the Sunday we're having a lovely traditional lunch with friends. Himself is working, but lil miss is finally on holidays. He will take 2 days off next week and we'll head to RAK for 4 days. Really enjoying hearing about other countries traditions for the egg 'finding' in the morning from lil miss. We do a hunt with the plastic eggs and sweets inside but just for fun, otherwise the bunny comes in the middle of the night to leave the eggs. We've heard about them hidden through the house, left hanging on a basket on the door..all sorts. Very cool.
arohadxb
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Latest post on 21 April 2011 - 18:14
well you an ozzie if I ever saw one. Hmmm...i have a feather one, and think I got it at at homes r us....but that was years ago, so not convinced it was there entirely and not sure they'll still do them. that actually wasnt a lot of help now, was it?
arohadxb
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Latest post on 21 April 2011 - 18:11
yes and its been 4 years...nuts I know. Having said that, I also convert from my home country to dhs when I'm there... lol! me too, am always roughly calculating how much something costs in another currency. When we travel it's a nightmare because first I do dh, then I do some dollar or another. At home I convert to dh and go wow, this is great, and here I convert to dollars and try not to think too much about it.
arohadxb
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Latest post on 21 April 2011 - 18:06
another vote for the red wine (and beef stock together). Whats ale when it's at home? Is it a dark beer? I have a selection of lord knows whats you can pick up if handy to the springs?
arohadxb
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Latest post on 21 April 2011 - 08:54
I'll let S&D know youre asking and hopefully she'll be able to give you a definitive answer either way. I only have 1 passport but too many names...pain in the proverbial every time.
arohadxb
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Latest post on 21 April 2011 - 08:50
how can you tell?
arohadxb
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Latest post on 21 April 2011 - 08:37
put a message on here for scotch and diet, she'll know if the thought of ringing the air5line traumatizes you.
arohadxb
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Latest post on 20 April 2011 - 17:40
@ manubhaduria - we booked our whole flight with emirates as they code share/ connect with Bangkok ariways to Koh Samui. If you look at the bangkok airways website, their older planes which are slightly slower are cheaper too. Also has the advantage of taking your luggage right through. @ arohadxb - we're going to Samui in August too - where are you staying? I haven't been to Samui for 10 years and that was without kids so not sure where to stay as I'll be on my own for 2 weeks of it with a 4yr old and 1yr old. Have heard that Mae Nam and Bo Phut are better for kids as quieter can the sea is calmer but don't want to be miles away from things and Chaweng does have a lovely (albeit busy) beach. I'll be there on my own for 10ish days too...will head to Maenam and see how that has changed in the last 6 or 7 years since we were last there pre kids too. We always just stayed in very basic bungalow type things on the beach, and the beach is lovely...we used to hire scooters to get around but with kidlet in tow we'll be making use of the wee local jitneys to get to chaweng when we need to. There are proper resorts along that stretch of beach too, but have no clue what the names are now.
arohadxb
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Latest post on 20 April 2011 - 16:19
15 hours is horrid, but do able (ask any kiwi or ozzie) and you;ll be on your own, and if you can get a night flight you could maybe sleep most of it? Vodka will get you on the plane and off the ground..regularly top it up, and I have rescue remedy if you need it.
arohadxb
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Latest post on 20 April 2011 - 16:09
very cool.
arohadxb
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Latest post on 20 April 2011 - 16:07
we did a yacht cruise for 4 days from Olympus to Fetiyah on the med coast of turkey. Was just something we booked on the spot in turkey on a whim, and I wouldnt have called it luxurious, but still a great trip. So that sort of suggests that trips are possible from there. Travel agents have lots of glossy books on cruises.
arohadxb
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Latest post on 20 April 2011 - 16:07
ah you know, kids bounce. Sooooooo, where you going?
arohadxb
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Latest post on 20 April 2011 - 16:03
I've been in different countries from my daughter, for work and play so I say go. I've never been 24 hours travel time away though...the most would have been a 4 hour plane ride and then all the fussing about either end. My mum, and mil stepped into look after flossy and all was well (and himself was at home too) I have to say the one time himself and I went to australia with out her for a wedding and a holiday, it was absolutely great for the first 3 days and then I was ready to come home. Funny how being woken at 5am by sticky little girl is strangely addictive.
arohadxb
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Latest post on 20 April 2011 - 15:19
always found emailing them to be effective if expecting a reply
arohadxb
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Latest post on 20 April 2011 - 14:33
have decided that fish and chips from the F&C room are going to cure all evil....
arohadxb
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Latest post on 20 April 2011 - 14:22
not a religious post, non religious question? yeah right...its Easter for goodness sake, whats NOT religious about it? On this forum there has recently been questions about where people can go to see the Easter-bunny, participate in Easter-egg hunts, have an Easter-brunch, etc. At the same time all the supermarkets are full of chocolate easter eggs and more. None of this is religious as far as I know. I was asking why people do these things. What do you tell your children about easter-egg hunts and the easter bunny. I am sure it has nothing to do with what we learn in church. The replies from coffeebuz and simpleasabc are informative and relevant and what I was looking for. Thank you. I am not attacking any one who do celebrate or don't celebrate these things. I am only trying to understand it. But you are trying to understand why non religious folk celebrate a religious holiday with these traditions which are seeped in the roots of early christianity and paganism prior to that. Again, whats not religious about easter?
arohadxb
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Latest post on 20 April 2011 - 14:19
I was thinking about this yesterday, and thought if you are worried about coming back to Dubai and your daughter losing her place in school, that you should arrange to return from your travels at the beginning of the third term, rather than at the beginning of the academic year, which, as I understand it, would make it a lot easier in terms of there being a place for her. I agree with everyone here, this trip will be so much more of an education for your daughter than staying here, don't worry about that aspect of things, you'll find ways that she can keep up! would cut the trip too short, lol! I'll just discuss it with the school closer to the time and see what we can work out as it's not written in stone that we will return to dubai. All depends on how the world stands in terms of jobs available really.
arohadxb
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Latest post on 20 April 2011 - 14:09
thanks for the link, I'm thoroughly enjoying all my reading. Talking of financing it, hubby did a first draft of the expenditure and had a rather messy kitten, lol! And has decided that I will be quitting smoking and drinking...in his dreams. We always planned to go when we were 40, but we are giving ourselves an extra year to save a bit more. We'll use our gratuity from here, and what we have saved for it. We COULD buy a house, but this year off seems just a tad more interesting. The trip has now been extended to 60 weeks and includes china and tibet. With 2 years to go til d-day, am sure we'll have many many revisions. :)
arohadxb
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Latest post on 20 April 2011 - 13:58
I am just wondering what exactly do people celebrate at easter. I know Christians celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus and the J*ws celebrate pass over. But if you are neither one of the two and you celebrate easter with chocolate eggs, etc, what do you actually celebrate? what is is all about? This is not a religious post. It is a non-religious question. not a religious post, non religious question? yeah right...its Easter for goodness sake, whats NOT religious about it?
arohadxb
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Latest post on 20 April 2011 - 10:10
Pizza hut delivery on way! My Saviour!! it's 10am!!!! lol!
arohadxb
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Latest post on 20 April 2011 - 10:02
I stand corrected. Think might come round to yours for a ****** mary....my hangover may just be about to kick in.... eta, oh for petes sake...bl00dy is a swear word? <em>edited by arohadxb on 20/04/2011</em>
arohadxb
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Latest post on 20 April 2011 - 09:56
suck it up diva :D Yeah. What she said. I dunno ... lightweights ... Sheesh ... ;) says the lady who only just got up :D
arohadxb
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Latest post on 20 April 2011 - 09:31
yeah, but the buses arent as fun, or as comfy as the train. The local bus (as opposed to the VIP or tourist bus,) arent as flashy but you get fed and entertained. The trick is with the buses, that the drivers are all insane and you need to survive.
arohadxb
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Latest post on 20 April 2011 - 09:21
there is an overnight train with sleeping bunks that leaves in the evening from BK. Goes to suri thani, 2 min bus ride to the port and then a 3? hour boat trip to island. Is REALLY good fun. Looking forward to taking lil miss on the same trip come august. Tickets can be bought at train station or any local agent in BK...cost is peanuts.
arohadxb
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Latest post on 20 April 2011 - 08:57
yup...full monty here, sausages, eggs, toast, tomatoes....:D
arohadxb
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Latest post on 20 April 2011 - 08:48
ewwwww, amy,yuk.
arohadxb
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Latest post on 20 April 2011 - 08:41
lol! mr a let me sleep til half 7, bliss. Hair of dog? sossies and eggs?
arohadxb
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Latest post on 20 April 2011 - 08:38
suck it up diva :D
arohadxb
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Latest post on 19 April 2011 - 15:48
our cleaning lady was telling us the other day when it rained that all the other cleaners were saying the rain was acid and poisoned from the radiation in japan, so there is ignorance, and there is ignorance....
arohadxb
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Latest post on 19 April 2011 - 15:36
well that blew that theory. yeah, weird huh.
arohadxb
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Latest post on 19 April 2011 - 15:31
hmmm, the bit about 'basics' is interesting. Has your sil travelled at all, lived in another country, lived out here? She sounds as if she's travelling to the outer himalayas and has no clue what hardship she will suffer so is lining up things for her kids to ensure their needs are covered. While I still think she should bring her own stuff for the kids (you are doing an amazing job btw) maybe you should let her know that we hardly live in a barren wasteland and while the specific things/brands she needs may be difficult to come by, we are fully covered with range upon range of other things. Reassure her, that you tv, electricity, running water and vehicles too ;)
arohadxb
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Latest post on 19 April 2011 - 10:25
But while they finish the road there are LESS speed bumps than normal and really has contributed to the increased speed (and accidents) along that road. Seeing as lights are going in, will they put the bumps back do you reckon?
arohadxb
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Latest post on 19 April 2011 - 10:17
Honestly, the lady needs to bring the stuff her kids need. What would happen if they holidayed elsewhere? Not at families homes? Her responsibilty to bring at least their formula, bottles, sterilizer, specific baby food and nappies. Just tell her it's near impossible to get the brands she needs here, and if she is that fussy best she bring her own. Say you will take her shoppping once she is here and she can decide out of what is available will best suit her needs. A high chair is not a neccessity for a weeks holiday...they can sit in their push chair, and make do otherwise. You've got them somewhere to sleep, and thats enough. Absolutely enough. No wonder you say you all got on so well with brother BEFORE marriage. ;)
arohadxb
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Latest post on 19 April 2011 - 10:11
I just has sossies and eggs...valiant effort to eat so much ladies night won't tip me off my stool :D
arohadxb
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Latest post on 19 April 2011 - 10:06
you are not seriously trying to tell me that these books still exsist?
arohadxb
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Latest post on 19 April 2011 - 08:41
SD? thanks lady...I heard that mum! mum! mum! in my nightmares last night :D Thanks for the link LB, I have a load of reading to do now and all of it looks fascinating, so no chore at all. And yeah CP...I need to keep that motivational thing in mind, and keep it interesting. Thanks girls, as always you have been a great help.
arohadxb
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Latest post on 19 April 2011 - 08:34
is the speed limit still 40? difficult to tell... There was a bad smash at the roundabout to 10/11 on Sunday...saw one of the car occupants this morning with a huge bandage wrapped around his head but otherwise relatively unharmed looking out taking photos of the site. With everyone driving crazy speeds down the highway, the new (hopefully very temporary) configuration of that r/a is an absolute disaster. Is incredibly dangerous.
arohadxb
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Latest post on 18 April 2011 - 11:33
oh don't say it SD...thought terrifies me!
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Latest post on 18 April 2011 - 11:22
I think its a terrible idea and you are being so incredibly selfish! I mean, what am [b'>I[/b'> going to do?????????? come with :D
arohadxb
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Latest post on 18 April 2011 - 11:18
It's my dream to travel like this..... DH is not so keen hehehe!!!! don't give up LB. Many years ago it was himself that had to be taken by the ear and marched off travelling. He was always the 'sensible' one who worried about jobs etc, while I was the one who was all, oh never mind that we don't have any money, it''l all work out. Now we have kiddo, and I"M the one who is doing the freak out about $ and jobs and he's all for leaving tomorrow! Swings and round abouts :)
arohadxb
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Latest post on 18 April 2011 - 11:08
just starting now LB, and thought I'd start with the ever helpful EW guru's (you guys are better than google I swear) Hubby thinks I'm nuts to be doing the education reserch 2 years out, but I think he's nuts to have his maps out this far in advance. I think we suit each other after all :D
arohadxb
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Latest post on 18 April 2011 - 10:35
Aroha are you in a school where places are a probem? Would the school just take her back when you get back? her year group is full with waiting lists closed, as the children go up the school as the school grows, each year group will be full, if that makes sense? (school only 3 years old, so doing a roll out of the later primary years...Yr6..or is it7? starts sept) so my thinking is we will have to work closely with the school, get them on board and hold a place somehow for her as after the 15 months are up we may well end up back here. Specially if himself takes the time as a sabbatical and doesnt resign entirely. Thanks for the links Gleeky, will be doing lots of reading like this. Pity am not really that homeschooly mothery type...the thought terrifies me!
arohadxb
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Latest post on 18 April 2011 - 10:22
I worked at a primary school in the uk and when parents requested extended time off for trips like this, the head always willingly granted them. The life experiences gained, fully outweighed the school time missed and at such a young age the time can easily be made up. She always asked that the child keep a diary, make scrapbooks, chart a map of places visited, distances between stops, temperature, the local currency, the price of staple items, usually a can of coke, loaf of bread etc and whenever possible email the school with an update. It sounds an amazing journey I am sure you will all have a great time. thats exactly the sort of thing i had in mind...I know my parents took us out for 4 or 5months at a time for round the world trips when we were kids so, i don't foresee this as being too much of a big deal. The school has got rather tricksy with applying for leave for even a day, but even so, I am sure that they will see this as the opportunity of a lifetime, as we do.
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Latest post on 18 April 2011 - 09:54
arohadxb, you are a Kiwi? The correspondence ed through the gov't is available and may be more flexible than you think. I'm sure that the learning and experiences that you'll have will allign well with the material supplied by the school system. This sounds like a fantastic opportunity! You must be so excited. We are, and thanks, I will look into that. It's only that she has been in the British curriculum her whole (short!) life to date, and her learning is just so different from what the kids at home have, that I think I'd rather keep her on track that way as it's probably/possibly highly unlikely she'll end up back in the kiwi system any time soon. Any resources I guess that we can use on the move, don't weigh too much/take up too much space/ rely on internet/power are going to come in VERY handy. I'm musing about her doing a blog now as well as a written and photographic journal..it could all tie nicely in together. As for the planning...it's 2 years away and himself has charts and excel spread sheets already..I may go slightly mad, but I'll try not to bore you all too much with the lead up. :D
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Latest post on 18 April 2011 - 09:09
It IS exciting, and very very scary too. I was just adding up on my fingers and it's sort of 15 months. I am so glad that you all have given me this reassurance about the year off school, and if i remember right sgillli..your children had awesome results back home? Something to be proud of. We've travelled a year before, but that was pre lil miss, and I guess being a parent means we can't or won't take the same decision to pack up so lightly, and then theres the whole getting a job thing on our return! lol.
arohadxb
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Latest post on 18 April 2011 - 08:42
forwarded it to himself...his job :D
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Latest post on 18 April 2011 - 08:36
you are a star! thanks babe.
arohadxb
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Latest post on 18 April 2011 - 08:34
aww, thanks ladies. We do know that the experiences she will have (and us!) just can't be replicated in the classroom. It's 2 years down the track and it's a fine balancing act if you know what I mean, by making sure she is old enough to enjoy it, remember it, keep an independant journal etc, but also young enough that the impact won't be too huge, we hope, on her classroom education. (lets hope school feels the same way!) This is a promise Mr Aroha and I made ourselves, and we'll be travelling overland from dxb to paris, then east coast of the US to the west coast in a winnebago, couple of months in NZ doing the great walks (and seeing the family) and then we're heading straight up SE asia for 4 months. Where we end up after that is all job dependent :) (thats the freaky bit!) Pretty sure lil miss can just do an assessment of sorts and get back into school at wherevers appropriate. Coming back to Dubai not ruled out, so our household will be in storeage here, place held at the school 'just in case' and the pets looked after. After that we'll knuckle down and work some more....when lil miss does to Uni we're going to take another year off and travel from the top of alaska to the bottom of south america...she'll just have to do that trip on her own :D
arohadxb
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Latest post on 18 April 2011 - 08:24
that'll do MB, can you give me instructions though please? We get totally lost in that area every time and never find plant st even! Thanks
arohadxb
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Latest post on 18 April 2011 - 07:58
Has anyone done it? Obviously we'd work with the school on this closer to the time, and I am sure that we can work something out with them, but i do want to look at all our options, and am looking for ideas. We'd be travelling for a year and remote a lot of the time, so on-line correspondence schooling isnt really going to work for us. Lil Miss will be 8, so able to keep a journal and a photographic diary. Reading and Art, easily taken care of.Currencies will be part of her numeracy etc. We won't be able to carry a years worth of course work, and can't garrantee power let alone internet access for a computer. She is one of the youngest in her year group, and already studying at a year above her age, so really am not worried about the year off or her going into the year group she missed, or effectively repeating the year she missed. So, ideas? Anyone done this or similar? How did it go for you? Thanks
 
 
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