singingwales | ExpatWoman.com
 

singingwales

singingwales
35
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 March 2012 - 18:26
Brilliant!
singingwales
35
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 March 2012 - 18:24
I guess we just have to wait and see what happens. There is a long way to go before he's ready to move out here. He has to make applications and arrange to visit the schools he's applying to (which would have to be in several weeks' time because I've checked the passport situation and it will take about 6 weeks and an interview because it's his first adult passport). There's no guarantee that he'll be offered a place. If he is then we need to look at our living arrangements and work out how to get him over here in time for the start of the school year. I think Ramadan ends on the 19th August and the lease on our apartment expires on the 17th, but I'm supposed to be flying back to the UK on 20th August and DH is supposed to join me on the 29th for a family wedding on the 30th! I don't relish the prospect of leaving him here on his own while we travel back to the UK (if it's even legal!) and it would be such a shame to miss the wedding. Oh, and then there's sorting out the visa and medical for him and we haven't even done that for me yet because we only got married in January and there didn't seem any point going through the hassle yet when I'm to-ing and fro-ing between here and the UK a lot this year. I just have to believe that things will turn out for the best. And possibly self-medicate with gin in the meantime! :)
singingwales
35
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 March 2012 - 14:44
Roxan, thank you for your concern. I have to say that it's a nerve-wracking prospect. I don't have children of my own and the thought of having a (nearly) grown-up step-son living with us is quite alarming. I don't know what we would do if he doesn't attend school or pull his weight around the house and we would have to talk well in advance of him arriving about exactly what our expectations of him were. But, on the other hand, I think that if it's something he really wants to do then we have to give him the opportunity. If it doesn't work out then it could damage the relationship between DSS and DH, but not giving it the chance could do the same thing.
singingwales
35
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 March 2012 - 14:25
English College is less than 60k! Snap! :)
singingwales
35
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 March 2012 - 14:24
Looks like English College and Dubai British School are around 50k.
singingwales
35
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 March 2012 - 13:49
Aah, understood. ;) I've sent off a load of emails today asking whether various places are still accepting applications so we'll see what comes back. Next thing (once a couple of applications are in) will be to get a passport for DSS. It's been talked about for months (actually a year or so!) but the forms never quite made it to the Post Office. I wonder whether it's still possible to get one on the same day in Peterborough. Better check. We're going to the UK for a trip in just over a week so it would seem the perfect time to get it done.
singingwales
35
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 March 2012 - 13:24
Can anyone give feedback on Cambridge International School? The fees seem to be tiny compared to some other places. Am I missing something?!
singingwales
35
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 23 March 2012 - 11:41
When did he leave school and what has he been doing since? Will he have a good school report? By good GCSEs - what do you mean by " good" ? These questions are crucial for a school application plus I am detecting a hint of a school refuser/low attendee? You need to be realistic here and know that the good schools refuse even their OWN students from going on into Sixth Form if their GCSE results are not up to scratch. There is heavy demand here for this and schools can pick and choose. edited by spongemonkey on 22/03/2012 I didn't respond to this properly. He left at Christmas and hasn't been doing an awful lot since. That's not entirely his fault though as his Mum isn't keen for him to work and for her to lose the Child Benefit that she gets for him. He's under Connexions, which is a service for young people who aren't in work or education. He tried to register with a temp agency, but they wouldn't take someone with no work experience, so we've tried to encourage him to do voluntary work.
singingwales
35
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 23 March 2012 - 11:25
Vixen - Thanks for the info about the fees. We had thought that we could maybe find somewhere a bit cheaper, but I now suspect that won't be the case. I guess the few with lower fees are less expensive for a reason. ;) We will look into the universities, although I'm not sure that he knows what he wants to do after A-levels and I'm guessing they would offer foundation studies for specific degree courses. Trigg Beach - You would think so, wouldn't you, on the shopping front, but this particular teenage boy has managed to get himself quite a designer clothes habit! I will be the evil stepmum when it comes to that. :) Spongemonkey - The official reason for him leaving school was being unwell. Reading between the lines, I think he expected that he would coast though his A-levels like he did his GCSEs and then found that he was getting behind. The recurrent throat infections are real, but I also think that they are a good excuse when things don't go as expected. We've kept saying to him that he needs to learn to manage them and get on with life as much as possible. We would be ready to string him up if he gets in to a school out here, we sort out the fees and getting him here, and then he doesn't either turn up or do the work to the best of his ability. Our expectations will be made very clear though! (Oh dear, I really do sound like an evil stepmother.) As far as I recall, his GCSE results were mostly As and Bs with one or two Cs. Thanks again for your advice. It all seems very daunting at the moment, not least because we will probably have to stay an extra couple of years to make up the money spent on school fees and a bigger home. Then there's the logistics of moving in August and getting him settled in time for the start of the school year. Deep breaths!
singingwales
35
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 22 March 2012 - 15:56
Thank you all! Wow, Daffers, I thought we might be short on time but didn't realise we'd be that short! Still, it would be better for us to know sooner rather than later so we can make plans about where to live. Shamat, I thought that might be the case with the visa and medical, but I saw something on a school website that mentioned medical as part of the fees. Maybe that's just for accidents that happen at school? It's good to know that there's a mix of age ranges in the sixth form years. It will certainly make life easier for him. Thanks again.
singingwales
35
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 11 May 2011 - 18:13
The overstay charges don't seem so bad when you bear in mind that a tourist visa for Oman now costs 200AED. Add in the cost of petrol and maybe stopping for food en-route and it adds up. Might just be easier to pay the overstay charges.
singingwales
35
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 11 May 2011 - 16:08
I think the diamond in my engagement ring is GIA certified. OH bought it from Calesh in the Gold and Diamond Park. HTH
singingwales
35
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 10 May 2011 - 22:19
Yep, can recommend herbal essences. That's what I'm using now and it seems to be working for the moment. In the UK I always used shampoos and conditioners for dry and damaged hair, but here I have to go with those aimed at normal hair. I think it's the heat and humidity.
singingwales
35
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 10 May 2011 - 13:24
We take ours to Spinneys on Al Wasl Road. Driving down Umm Al Sheif Street from Beach Road you go past the entrance to the carpark and then turn right. There are definitely bins for glass, paper and plastic (and possibly cans too, although I can't quite remember).
singingwales
35
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 10 May 2011 - 13:13
Definitely try changing your shampoo if it turns out not to be your hormones. I'd been using the same one for ages with no problems and suddenly developed a horrid greasy patch. Finally worked out that it was the shampoo when I shampooed twice in a desperate attempt to clear it, dried my hair, and found that it was worse! Hate, hate, hate feeling like I'm not clean!
singingwales
35
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 09 May 2011 - 13:23
I feel for you CC. I think I would be asking him to look for work in SA, because it sounds from your post as though he hasn't yet. I'd also be trying to find out from him what his reasons are for wanting to live in the UK because it will affect his search for work - if he really doesn't want to live in SA then he won't be motivated to properly look for a job there. It's really difficult. When we moved out here we were at a point in the relationship where he would have come regardless and my decision was whether to join him or not. If we had to make a similar choice now it would be much more collaborative but I really don't know what would happen if we completely disagreed. I believe that we would sit down together and talk about the pros and cons of the situation and make an informed choice... But, I also know that my OH would want to make a decision based on the more practical / financial aspects whereas I would be susceptible to my own emotional response. If it's really important to you then make sure he knows that. Sometimes that's enough. But try not to play the emotional card too much. I don't think I'm being much help, sorry. I'm not really offering advice I don't think; just trying to let you know that lots of couples face this and you're not alone.
singingwales
35
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 09 May 2011 - 13:06
It's purely anecdotal as I can't prove a link between the two, but when I stopped taking Starflower (stronger than EPO) after several years on it I had a couple of migraines quite close together. I've always had headaches, but only had proper migraines (with the visual disturbance and sickness) when I was in my teens. My theory is that coming off it so suddenly caused a dip in my hormones. Please ask your doctor about it. If there's no connection then you still need to know what's causing your symptoms.
singingwales
35
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 27 April 2011 - 18:13
I dont know, I guess we were so close while growing up that I felt that bond would run into adulthood no matter where we ended up. It was the line my mum kept uttering, blood is thicker than water. I think my hurt/anger stems from the fact that I love them so much, no matter where our lives have ended up. I wouldn't write it off - in my experience, family relationships go through phases. There's possibly a sense for some of us that we don't need to work as hard on sibling relationships as on friendships, because we'll always be connected to our siblings, so we feel we can let them lie for a bit while we are getting on with other aspects of our lives. Might your brothers simply be having a tough time and putting all their energy into some aspect of their own lives, leaving them little time for anything else? It may not mean they love you any less, just that they can take your love for granted for a while. Funnily enough, I was going to say the opposite of this: that we worry more about the relationships with our family members drifting than we would if it were a friend whose life had gone in a different direction to ours. In that case we'd be sad over the loss of a friendship but would probably give in gracefully after a while. I've got three siblings and three different relationships. The closest brother in age is also the one I'm closest to. He's three years younger and is great. We don't talk all that often because we're both a bit rubbish with emails and things but we chat for ages when we get the chance and we'd always be there for one another in a crisis. The other two are half siblings, so perhaps some of the reason I'm not so close to them is because we didn't grow up together (although I hated my little brother when we were young, so I'm not sure how things have turned out so well). My sister is the oldest of the four of us and there are ten years between her and me. I get on fine with her when we're together but struggle to stay in touch because I feel like it's always got to be me that makes the first move. It's not helped by her hardly ever being on FB and not having Skype. Mind you, I think that if I had a problem and asked her for help, she'd come running, and I'd do the same for her so maybe the lack of contact isn't such an issue. I worry about it more though because we don't know each other so well having never lived together. There's not the tacit understanding that I have with my younger brother. The other brother is three years younger than my sister and he never contacts anyone, her included! I'm not sure I'd even know what he looks like. OH and his brother aren't on speaking terms, which is fun when the family wants to get together! Edited for me repeating myself! <em>edited by singingwales on 27/04/2011</em>
singingwales
35
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 April 2011 - 19:54
Party rings! I've been trying to find them out here for months but they're no-where to be seen. :(
singingwales
35
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 April 2011 - 19:45
How about a biscuit spread too? Fox's crunch creams, chocolate hob nobs, jaffa cakes...?
singingwales
35
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 April 2011 - 18:48
I love what is really a CAKE Party being disguised in the name of a Tea Party.... edited by Sugarbeach on 26/04/2011 What's your point?! :) ..that the TEA bit seems co-incidental.:) Oh I see. Thought you meant the sandwiches and other foody bits, which I can definitely do without. I'd have to have at least one cup of tea before I started on the stronger stuff (although I went to a brunch where they served pink gin in a china tea cup, so that might do).
singingwales
35
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 April 2011 - 18:45
Ours is a complete waste of money. We've had to pay extra to subscribe to Abu Dhabi Sports for the Premier League football and the only time the TV seems to go on is for matches and for the 24 hour news channels occasionally. We're stocking up on box sets instead so should probably look in to cancelling the channels we don't use.
singingwales
35
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 April 2011 - 18:40
I love what is really a CAKE Party being disguised in the name of a Tea Party.... edited by Sugarbeach on 26/04/2011 What's your point?! :)
singingwales
35
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 April 2011 - 16:21
Lemon drizzle cake! No afternoon tea is complete without it and it's apparently really easy too. I've never baked it but it's one of my favourites that Granny makes. Found this recipe: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/4942/lemon-drizzle-cake
singingwales
35
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 12 April 2011 - 17:03
Thank you so much everyone. I think we're going to try Lauren at the Osteopathic Health Centre as she seems so popular (as long as she treats men too!) I'll probably be toddling off to see her too is she's a hit with OH. I've been living with quick trips to see my osteopath whenever I'm back in the UK.
singingwales
35
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 12 April 2011 - 14:40
Cool. We need some for our Volvo and OH is finding his decision to put nice wheels on it a bit on the expensive side!
singingwales
35
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 12 April 2011 - 14:36
Are they still the genuine article if you go to Sharjah? And are they un-used?
singingwales
35
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 12 April 2011 - 14:05
Sorry, I'm not thinking straight! You only said x-rays. I'll get him to check whether those are covered.
singingwales
35
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 12 April 2011 - 14:04
We don't really know whether his health cover includes complimentary therapies. He said this morning that he thinks he needs a referral from a doctor to be covered, but initially he's more worried about getting treatment fast. I guess if the osteopath thinks an x-ray is necessary then we'll know it's time to worry. Backs and necks are scary things.
singingwales
35
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 12 April 2011 - 14:00
I like PQ. Don't know how good the coffee is - I'm not a great connoisseur - but I love the fact that it comes in a bowl! Reminds me of a school trip to France when I was about 10.
singingwales
35
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 12 April 2011 - 13:52
... oh, and we're dosing him up on ibuprofen now and have bought an ice pack this morning that is chilling down as I write.
singingwales
35
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 12 April 2011 - 13:18
Sorry that you haven't managed to find a solution to your problem yet JS. I see what you're saying about the scans. I hope they show up what needs fixing for you so that you can get better.
singingwales
35
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 12 April 2011 - 12:58
Yep, that quick fix has been my experience of osteopathy too. I think maybe chiropractics is too light-touch for our preference. I remember going to my first session thinking that I was wasting the guy's time because I wasn't in constant pain and was just trying to find a solution to regular headaches. After the first few cracks from my spine I realised that maybe I did have a problem!
singingwales
35
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 12 April 2011 - 12:43
Thank you both. Did Lauren insist on any scans or x-rays before treatment? I've never had that before and can't help feeling that it's a way to generate income.
singingwales
35
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 12 April 2011 - 12:36
Have you used either Beverley Palmer at Keith Nicholl Medical Centre in Umm Suquiem or Nicola Molnar at Emirates Golf Club's Physiotherapy Centre? Are they good? Do you have to be a member of the golf club to see Nicola? OH is in a lot of pain with a problem in his upper back and it's terrible to watch. He went to see a chiropractor this morning, having been in pain since Thursday, but didn't have his back manipulated at all! They want him to have an x-ray and go back next week. There's been no discussion of a treatment plan, and the prospect of another week of pain and not sleeping fills us both with horror! The chiropractor was recommended to us, but we both see an osteopath in the UK so I'm thinking that we should stick with what we know. I'd really appreciate any feedback or recommendations. I found the two ladies above on the British Osteopathy Association website as I thought it'd be a good place to start. Please help! I just want him to get better. TIA
 
 
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