Tallybalt | ExpatWoman.com
 

Tallybalt

Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 10 March 2011 - 15:51
It is right next to the Greens.... Sidewalks would be a big improvement.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 07 March 2011 - 16:54
You're not looking very closely. There's plenty of flatshares advertised on Dubizzle. You need to set the price range filter at around 2500 AED for the western expat flat shares as those will be between 2500 to 5000 a month. As regards being illegal, technically it is illegal for different genders to live in the same place if they are not of the same family, but in practice this happens all the time. There was a crackdown on villa shares a few years back but it's largely not an issue now that the real estate market has collapsed and landlords are desperate for any tenants they can get. I Hey, Thanks but I did have a look already. However there is a lot available for Indians and philipinos only.. Guess this is not too common for europeans outside their countries. Anyway, thanks again...
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 07 March 2011 - 09:00
Yes and no. I always go for quality insofar as possible, but only because I intend to have it for a long time. I'm still wearing clothes I bought ten years ago (oh Lord, there's me turning into my mother). I don't care about brand labels and prefer not to have any visible logos on my clothing because it's only free advertizing for the brand. They're not paying me to walk around in their clothes, are they, so why should I volunteer to do it for free? But I am very materialistic when it comes to certain things. I must have spent a small fortune on kitchen and cooking supplies and tools, and back home I have boxes filled with All Clad and Le Creuset pots and pans, along with top of the line mixers and blenders. I still miss my china and silver, buried in boxes back in the States, and I can't pass Villeroy and Boch without having to go inside, and it still rankles me to be dining off cheap Ikea plates and cutlery after nearly four years in Dubai. I had such a pretty kitchen and could set a beautiful table for all occasions back home and I dearly miss it. <em>edited by Tallybalt on 07/03/2011</em>
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 07 March 2011 - 08:48
The UAE statistics are even more worse than published. According to a friend of ours who worked on a PR campaign for the RTA, the road death statistics only includes those who died on the highways, not those who were badly injured and later died in a hospital.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 07 March 2011 - 08:44
I did half a summer and one full summer in Dubai and now I glady stay away from June-August. People are correct in that you can survive the summer. Avoid going outside during the day and everywhere is air conditioned. But for me the real problem is that the summer seemingly never ends. It's not just blasting hot for a few weeks. It's blasting hot from June - October. Every single day seems just as hot as the day before and there's no respite of a few cooler days here and there to break up the monotony of the ceaseless heat. On top of the heat you have the perpetual white glare which is very harsh and you won't see any blue skies for at least four straight months. Then there's the sand of course. The air is filled with so much sand in the summer that people have to wash their cars every few days. The summer here just wore me down with its grinding, ceaseless perpetuality. If you do come out in April, try to take two vacations during the summer. Escaping even just for a week at a time helps quite a bit.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 06 March 2011 - 11:55
Air drying is better for clothing as the intense heat of the dryer breaks down the fibers and causes holes to appear, particularly at the seams or at weak spots (men's pant crotches...) When we first moved out here I told DH to bring all his old t-shirts thinking that they would wear out quickly in the intense heat of a Dubai summer and then we'd buy new ones. Three and a half years later we still have all the t-shirts whereas back home they would have worn out long ago due to regular dryer use.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 17 February 2011 - 10:21
Mattress only, range from 1250 to 4,000. The cheaper end was still very comfortable. The baseboards/springboards seemed to be a fixed 1250. Carrefour has identical baseboards for 500AED less so it may be worthwhile to buy the mattress from one place and the baseboard from C4. Intercoil does require five working days for delivery. what type of prices were intercoil??? expensive?
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 17 February 2011 - 10:04
I imagine that the local Borders are franchises and owned not directly by Borders but by local companies that pay for the rights to use Borders' name and receive Borders' merchandising. But as long as we have Kinokuniya at the Dubai Mall or Magrudy's, I won't be missing Borders.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 17 February 2011 - 09:56
If you want to be an expat for life, you must look thirty years down the road and ask where you want to be. If you've been moving every five years and your friends are scattered across the globe you likely won't have a home base with a strong network of families and friends to support you as you grow older and retire. Second, and very importantly if you are American, you are probably not contributing to social security so when you retire you will have a tiny pension. You must prepare to support yourself independently in your old age if you plan to not pay US income tax and SS for the next thirty years. Every month DH sets aside a portion of our income into the "retirement" savings, which is distinctly separate from our regular savings and investment portfolio. The retirement savings account is to cover the lack of regular contribution to our SS accounts in the US as well as the lack of proper pension plans and 401/IRA Roth contributions that we would be getting if we had remained in the US. Thank you for the thoughtful replies. HAK - it is nice to hear the experience from someone who grew up as an expat. The good and not-so-good. Would you be able to explain Dark Side a bit more, or is it enough for now? Don't want to pry, but would like more information if that's ok. SS - My home country is the US. We've lived and worked in Qatar, Sharjah, Dubai, Bermuda, US and UK. We move about every 2 years - the longest was 3 years in the UAE recently. We've been in the US for a few months now and dh is ready to move back to ME! We always hope the next move will be for 5 or so years, but it just doesn't work out that way. We end up enjoying our time, but looking forward to the next move. I really like the idea of moving around during specific school years - preschool, primary, middle, secondary... That is something I think I can use to help us plan. I am so glad I can discuss this with you ladies - it is so difficult to get a positive response about living overseas from family and friends here. They just do not get why anyone would ever leave home!
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 16 February 2011 - 16:43
I would always go for the direct flight if possible. We've flown BA a number of times and in general had a fine if unremarkable experience. We did, however, get caught up in the Heathrow meltdown that left us stranded in London for a week (but hey, who wouldn't want to be stranded in London at Christmas?). We eventually got back to the US on US Airways and being in a position to directly compare BA and US Airways from an inflight experience I can safely say for all the complaints about BA, there are even worse major airlines out there.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 15 February 2011 - 10:31
And a laptop. Yes, I saw this once, while stuck in traffic at the Defence Center roundabout/bridge/flyover. The driver had the laptop powered on, sitting on his lap with mapquest or some type of satellite navigation program running. You forgot the coffee.... (the foot that isn't on the dashboard is needed on the steering wheel)
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 13 February 2011 - 15:56
Hmm. Over the Christmas holidays in the US I stopped at Bed Bath & Beyond and bought two sets of queen size sheets, 600 count Egyptian cotton. Each set contained two sheets and two pillowcases. Cost: $99 USD per set (less than 400 AED each). I will never buy linens in Dubai.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 13 February 2011 - 15:53
We flew from Istanbul to Nevsiher airport (the main airport serving Cappadocia). Turkish Airways has very cheap domestic flights and I think it worked out to $100 USD per person for a round trip ticket. Our hotel in Goreme picked us up at the airport and ferried us to the town. We stayed in Goreme for four days and used it as our base. The hotel was absolutely fabulous as it's built right into the rocky hills perched high above the town: http://www.kelebekhotel.com/ The kids will love this place as it's so atmospheric with tunnel-like corridors and bedrooms carved out of the rocks. There were several families with children your age when we stayed there. You'll find that Turkey has a well-established network of guides and travel agents. Once in Goreme we booked day tours to the local sights, sometimes with the hotel and other times with the travel agents in the town center. In addition to the historic sights (the painted cave churches and chapels are marvelous), Cappadocia has positioned itself as a center for outdoor activities with trekking, riding, bicycling and dune buggying, among others.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 13 February 2011 - 09:12
Darling, I admire your optimism. But I think it will be a long, long time before AD catches up to Dubai in terms of amenities. It's hard to imagine anything topping the cathedral of consumerism that is the Dubai Mall. Perhaps someday, but it's still quite a few years away and in the meantime I easily understand why people choose to live in Dubai and commute to AD. lots of people do it. there is more to do in dxb, but then it costs more if you are going out all the time. yes the rents have always been much much much cheaper, and you can also have more flexible payments, and the facilities are much better. but driving up and down that road is a killer!!! and i mean that literally too! i would suggest you look at al reef which is out past the airport then you are sort of closer to ad but not in ad central. eventually you will be able to move into al ghadheer when they build it on the border of ad/dxb. the malls in ad will improve, they will have more than dxb when they have finished. new ones to open are in baniyas, huge one with car4 and cinema. the rest of delma mall in mussafah, mushrif mall off airport road, deerfields up at al bahia, the new ikea at yas along with yas mall. so all in all they will be much better than dxb for shopping.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 13 February 2011 - 09:08
You can't compare Dubai to other expat communities. It's much bigger, for one, and Dubai is also unique in that it's common and easy for wives to find work here should they want to. In more traditional expat communities like Jakarta or Kuala Lumpur, the wives just don't work. As for the OP, you will have to resort to the same standbys as back home. Child care, baby sitters, after school programs. But you may find it cheaper to hire a full time maid than to spend the extra fees on additional after-school care. Dubai is so unlike many other expat communities in the child care respect, there is such a lack of community spirit here where mums will help out and child mind each others children. <em>edited by Tallybalt on 13/02/2011</em>
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 13 February 2011 - 08:38
DH's company (free zone) announced the holiday two weeks ago.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 13 February 2011 - 08:13
As someone who worked in the antiques industry for a few years - mostly in high end antiques but I have a good knowledge of the whole range of antiques - there are very, very few actual "antiques" in Dubai. Most of what is passed off as antiques are "distressed" reproductions, especially the Asian and Indian furniture and decorative objects. It's amazing how much money some stores ask for what are just knockoffs made in a factory somewhere in China, and these shops includes a couple of those outfits in Al Quoz that shall remain nameless. You're much better off buying proper antiques from vetted dealers and auction houses in the UK or the US and shipping the pieces to Dubai, and it's probably cheaper as well. But if you're just looking for "antique style" furniture, I second Lucky's and Pinky's. They have that rustic, colonial handmade look. Dubai really isn't the best place for antiques because if you want to resell the market is limited and you won't recoup your investment, or you'll need to ship the pieces back overseas. The climate here is also bad for wood furniture.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 09 February 2011 - 15:48
DH's birthday is coming up and he's requested roast beef. In the US I would by a prime standing rib roast. Normally I buy most of my meat at Spinneys and it's perfectly fine but I do wonder if Waitrose carries a better grade of meat? What about the new food hall at Galeries Lafayette at the Dubai Mall?
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 09 February 2011 - 15:23
Really? Hmph. I went to Lulus two weeks ago hunting for it as C4 didn't have it. Couldn't find it on the shelf and the stock boys said they didn't have any. Spinneys, Carrefour and Lulus didn't carry it. I bought some from Lulu Al Barsha Monday night :)
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 09 February 2011 - 14:52
I've only seen it at Choithrams. Spinneys, Carrefour and Lulus didn't carry it. Choithrams has a surprising range of odds and ends. It's also the only store where I can find Thai style fish oil.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 09 February 2011 - 12:27
Yes.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 09 February 2011 - 12:26
Another mother with a pajero here. Very comfortable family car. Plenty of room for two boys and all their toys. It's not quite as nice as DH's Prado and the air conditioner isn't as strong, but otherwise I'm quite happy with it.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 09 February 2011 - 08:58
If your husband is working in Internet/Media city, why are you considering Green Community? It may not be that far as the bird flies but living there will require a trek through traffic every day. Even Victory Heights which is geographically closer requires driving down Hessa Street from Sheikh Zayed and Hessa is badly backed up during the morning and evening rush hours. For the rental cost of a villa in Green Community you can easily get a pleasant villa in Umm Suqeim and Al Sufouh which are much closer and accessible via back roads/the Beach Road, which has much less traffic. Those neighborhoods are more centrally located, right by the beaches and only minutes from the Mall of Emirates, Marina and Dubai Mall, as well as a plethora of schools. We are expecting to settle further south than you guys - maybe around the Green Community or Victory Heights which is closer to Internet City where DH will work.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 06 February 2011 - 14:08
We've been to Istanbul a few times. Always flew Emirates - it's one of the few west-bound Emirates flights that's actually competitive or even cheaper than the other airlines. Istanbul has thousands of hotels and it's a very cheap hotel market to boot. You can easily spend a fortune at the Four Seasons, but you can also find a bright and cheery hotel for 50 euros a night. We've stayed both in high end and "low" end hotels in Istanbul and found that the price differential was much greater than the quality differential. Our favorite place to stay at is: http://www.hotelpeninsula.com/
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 06 February 2011 - 11:37
If your DH is willing to contemplate hiring a driver for 30,000 AED per year (assuming he found one), why doesn't he just go out and buy a second hand car for that amount of money and drive himself? He can get a decent five year old Toyota or Mitsubishi for about that much money and it'll be fine for getting to/from the office each morning. Thanks for the data on the driver. For some reason, he is telling me he can get a driver for for about 30,000 AED ($8,000) per annum - live out. So I will need to sanity check that one now.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 05 February 2011 - 21:09
When our maid started with us, she wore her own work clothes, shabby t-shirts with worn out designs on them and frumpy capri type pants. I didn't like it as she looked tacky, like low class hillbilly women back in the States. So I went to Carrefour and bought her several sets of matching single colored cotton shirts and pants to wear around the house. When we entertain she wears the black ones. Its worked out great. We certainly don't buy her her own clothes.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 01 February 2011 - 18:51
Wiki: "According to the Congressional Quarterly Press '2008 City Crime Rankings: Crime in Metropolitan America, Newport News, Virginia ranks as the 119th most dangerous city larger than 75,000 inhabitants.[34'> I grew up in Baltimore which has one of the highest crime rates in the country and easily features in the top ten lists of most dangerous American cities (and is, of course, home of the Wire). But there are large stretches of the city that are just as safe as any suburban areas and Baltimore is also home to fabulous and wonderful neighborhoods. So I always get annoyed when someone makes a blanket statement inferring that an entire city (or state) is dangerous. One doesn't need to be "careful" in deciding where to live because 99% of the US is perfectly safe and the dangerous areas are going to be very readily obvious. To OP: if your heart is set on the Virginia Beach area, google search for high performing school districts and use that as a basis in deciding where to live. In general the better the schools the nicer the neighborhood. I didn't blanket Virginia!!! Read properly before you choose to respond, I said Virginia Beach in particular is LOW in crime. However, Newport News is HIGH in crime. So be careful where you choose to live.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 01 February 2011 - 17:32
You can't blanket an entire area as having high crime. It will be very much on a neighborhood by neighborhood basis. Virginia Beach in particular is low in crime (good you are looking there!)...however, other areas are a definite "no go." I remember in particular Newport News was terrible.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 01 February 2011 - 17:31
And, pray tell, Mrs. Gleek, what are those areas with very high crime rates? Richmond has its poorer, higher crime areas, just as is the case with any major US city. The northern Virginia suburbs of DC are among the safest in the country. To OP: Virginia is a large state with several distinct areas. Northern Virginia is really part of the Washington, DC conurbation and is where most of the job growth currently is. Norfolk/Virginia Beach has a large US Navy base, but it's several hours' drive from Northern Virginia so your husband won't be commuting from one to the other. Central Virginia has Richmond, which is a lovely small city but not without its problems. The Richmond suburbs are perfectly fine and liveable. Further west is the Shenadoah valley, which is gorgeous, and the college town of Charlottesville is a wonderful place to live. Southern and southwest Virginia are very different areas altogether. Rural and poorer. I would be very careful in choosing a place to live in Virginia. There are several areas in Virginia that have very high crime rates. <em>edited by Tallybalt on 01/02/2011</em>
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 14:01
Oh dear, I just realized I used the phrase "small island." Bad, bad, bad Tally! It is dehumanizing to describe the home of sixty million people as a small island. Is it better to write: "geographically challenged island?" Oops. My bad. Let me rephrase. I'm about to order a DVD of a program featuring a family of anglo-saxon and protestant origins who just so happen to be of the pale skin color, and who are unfairly alloted a higher socio-economic status due to the racist and economically oppresive order of the day. I will be ordering this DVD from an international website's operations that happen to be based in their division located on a small island across a narrow strip of water from a continent that is widely known as Europe. Better? A little, but really should you use the term anglo-saxon? and religion too?? On a serious note, use Amazon UK all the time - never had a problem with them.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 13:55
Oops. My bad. Let me rephrase. I'm about to order a DVD of a program featuring a family of anglo-saxon and protestant origins who just so happen to be of the pale skin color, and who are unfairly alloted a higher socio-economic status due to the racist and economically oppresive order of the day. I will be ordering this DVD from an international website's operations that happen to be based in their division located on a small island across a narrow strip of water from a continent that is widely known as Europe. Better?
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 13:42
I'm about to order Downton Abbey from it. Has anyone had trouble with parcels being delivered to Dubai from the UK website?
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 13:41
I'm American and I'm happy to admit many of the tv programs are trash. Sheer, outright garbage. I also have no problems using white trash, redneck or ghetto trash....or geeks or dweebs or dorks. Izzy....watch out. She seriously means it.......WHY CAN'T IT JUST BE CALLED TRASH TV? hehe because it's American....... <em>edited by Tallybalt on 31/01/2011</em>
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 10:49
There's no place to "avoid" unless we're talking about places like Camden, New Jersey. What kind of place do you want to live in? Do you want a big city? A small historic town? Rural or urban? Suburban? New suburban/exurban with large new houses or older closer-suburbs with historic older houses? Do you want arts and culture or do you want to go skiing and hiking every weekend? Do you want year-round sun or do you enjoy four seasons? Are good public schools a must or are you happy with private schools? Come up with a list of the features you want and then it'll be easier for us to recommend places to live rather than relying on random "top 10" lists issued by generic magazines. Thanks Tallybalt, so on the list are there places that are better than others or any to particularly avoid? edited by jwal on 31/01/2011
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 09:57
Most of them have in common in that they are very suburban, family centric places. Good schools, good chain retail and chain restaurants, usually good park and public facilities. But other than Newton I would find most of these places uninteresting and only worthwhile if you are looking for a large single family colonial on a large lot in a good public school district. Eden Prairie, MN Columbia/Ellicott City, MD Newton, MA Bellevue, WA McKinney, TX See the top 100 Fort Collins, CO Overland Park, KS Fishers, IN Ames, IA Rogers, AR Apparently these are the top 10 places to live in the states with family! Can the Americans on here say out of these which ones really are good places?
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 08:55
I'm from Maryland, DH is from Washington, DC, and we both went to college in Rhode Island. New England is lovely and offers a high quality of life but the main metro areas (Boston, the CT suburbs of New York and even Providence) are very expensive for housing and the winters are long, long and [i'>long[/i'>. The cities in the cheaper parts of New England are not particularly attractive places. I loved both Providence and Boston but if we were to return to the States and had a choice of anywhere we wanted to live on the East Coast and weren't restricted by family ties in the Maryland/DC vicinity, I would look at North Carolina. The weather is wonderful and the summers, while hot, aren't too bad. The cost of living in places like Raleigh, Charlotte and Chapel Hill aren't too high and the lifestyle is generally easier and less hectic than up north. But if money was absolutely no objective, Charleston would be a fabulous place to live. It's one of my favorite little cities in the US, a wonderful historic downtown and the proximity of the marshes and rivers of the lowcountry, along with wonderful beaches, makes this a great place to live. The only downsides are that cost of housing in the nice parts of Charleston is quite high and the public schools can be a hit or miss, but the private schools are generally good. I am not the biggest fan of Washington even though that's where we lived before coming out to Dubai. It's very expensive and if you have a family odds are you will be living the regular suburban lifestyle miles outside the city. If you do have the resources than the older suburbs like Chevy Chase and in town neighborhoods in NW Washington are wonderful places to live, but you will pay for it. That said, the cosmopolity and diversity of Washington are attractive features of the place.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 27 January 2011 - 12:53
We get one check each year for the rent. It's up to us to use it however we which. The check is expected to cover DEWA expenses as well. We spend about 65% of the check on the rent, another 5% for the DEWA and save the rest. :cool:
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 27 January 2011 - 10:24
The movie is fabulous, but the book is much, much better. Scarlett is one of the most complex yet believable characters in fiction.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 27 January 2011 - 10:14
DH gets 30 working days. In theory he should be able to add any weekends worked to his annual leave tally so he will add another five days but not the rest of it (he works, on average, 1.5 weekend days a month).
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 27 January 2011 - 08:48
Doha and London are two extremely different places that offer very different lifestyles. It's comparing apples and oranges. As for me, I would jump for London, no questions. Doha wouldn't even be a consideration except possibly if the package was exceedingly generous. For all the talk about the quality of health care in the two places, there's no question you will have a much wider range of choices and options in London than in Doha. There are thousands of cancer specialists in the UK and a huge choice of clinics and hospitals. I could be wrong but I get the impression you may be Canadian. If you have close family in Canada London is much closer and much easier for Canadians to reach than Doha. That may or may not be important for you in your battle with cancer.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 25 January 2011 - 15:34
Well, if more Emiratis were attending the international schools they would crowd out the expat children, and the schools were founded primarily to educate expat children who, until very recently, weren't even allowed to attend the local schools. Acceptably logical. Imagine if it were happening in your country for a moment. You have public schools but they aren't that good quality and when you try to give your child a school of good quality they put your application to the back because you have access to the public school. The public school which may not cater to your childs' individual needs, where the teachers are not as qualified as the private school ones. It is discrimination against locals because they have another option. If this were happening in your country, let's say you're from the UK and you are in an area with poor quality public schools so want to go to the good private school but find out that most of the places have been taken by Afghanis/Iraqis/Chinese etc. And they tell you to go to the public school. Or your child gets accepted but has no friends because he/she is the 'odd one out'. And given that many places are paid for by companies, it's nearly similar to being told in the UK that the places aren't available for your child then finding out those children are in there not from their own money but from tax benefits. So, yes, it's completely logical that she would want more Emirati's in the school. Many people have attitudes towards Emirati's and de-socialise their children, telling them not to make friends with them or they see how their parents disrespect them/joke about how their country wouldn't exist without expats. I'm with her. More Emirati's need to be accepted into private schools and should not be discriminated against because they have a free option.
Tallybalt
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EW GURU
Latest post on 24 January 2011 - 14:50
Let me see, you do not celebrate or focus on marriage because....you do not celebrate or focus on the love between you and your husband? I know this isn't what you're saying, but you're trying to render marriage as a meaningless form or institution that means nothing except what the people who chose it put into it. A marriage isn't something one necessarily "believes' in as one would believe in a particular god. It's something one does because of a whole host of reasons, most of which have to do with symbolism, love, duty and sensibility. If you want to cop out of marriage, fine, but that doesn't preclude me, or many people, from describing your perspective as morally and culturally weak. It is the exact idea of conforming to something you don't believe in for yourself. I do not feel like it adds anything to OUR family or OUR lives. It is not something we celebrate or focus on. It is like saying: - Because I live in an Islamic country, I should become a Muslim. I don't believe in religion. I respect religion and beliefs of Islam (and all other religions), but it's not in MY HEART so I couldn't revert just because it would conform with the life here. Bless the people that do feel the attachment in their heart, I'm sure it's an amazing thing for them. - Because I was born in the US, I should feel obligated to say the pledge of allegiance. Well, I don't. Because I don't believe in my heart that it is "one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all." There is liberty and justice for most, not all (ie gay rights). I respect other peoples beliefs about marriage...they are just not my own. Why must I be judged? I am living lawfully in the country -- it infringes on my personal beliefs, but it's a sacrifice I made for our family.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 24 January 2011 - 14:06
They were illegitimate. If that bothered you you should have married in the first place. I wouldn't discriminate against your children because of their parents' failures, but it still doesn't obscure the simple fact they were born out of wedlock and as such, were illegitimate. I still do not understand why a couple who genuinely loves each other and have all intentions of staying together for the rest of their lives refuse to get married. You are the product of a society with its expectations and to turn your back is still selfish. A society requires commitment from its citizens and accepting its rules and expectations is part of the dues we pay to be in a civilization as opposed to an anarchy. @Tallybalt Thank you for casting a dark cloud over our very loving family. Yes my children were born out of wedlock -- as I said, DH and I don't believe in getting married. I dare you look in our children's faces and tell them that they are illegitimate -- what an ugly, ugly term. I don't have to justify our life decisions to you...and I don't think others have to justify theirs to me! Like I said, it's a personal choice for us. I don't think it's a choice all people should make -- maybe read my other posts and you'll see that in fact I do think marriage is a wonderful people that respect and value it as it should be. To do something because it's the done thing to do (along with the societal pressure to conform to such a life event) is not what makes strong marriages last. <em>edited by Tallybalt on 24/01/2011</em>
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EW GURU
Latest post on 24 January 2011 - 13:32
Yes. Mom, dad, a couple of illegitimate children. Lovely. I find your take on relationships to be selfish and intellectually weak, to be frank. A marriage is a wonderful symbol of the unison of two people, that they have formally decided to step forward as a couple in the eyes of society. When you turn your back on marriage because "it's only a ceremony or a piece of paper" you completely ignore the importance of the role of marriage, both as a symbol of love between two people and as the basis of a family, in the history of human society - there's a reason why every major civilization and culture has marriage as a cultural institution. To opt out of marriage for no good reason is just being selfish. @CT Really, we only got married for legal reasons. We were already living together as a family and considered ourselves as such (ie mom and dad went to all school functions/meetings, dad coached weekend sports teams, etc). Nothing has changed for the better/worse and we don't plan for it too. If we hadn't been in our particular situation, we would have continued on living a "normal" unmarried life...but committed and happy just the same. So for us, shedding something we never wanted will be returning to our true intentions for our family...nothing will change though (except now I have a banging life insurance policy, and it's tempting, very very tempting! J/K). :) I think staying true to ourselves is important and I'm glad he and I agree on it. Though for power trip reasons, I may have to file first! :) @SQ I think for people who want to be married and have that connection with tradition, religion or whatever...then marriage is a great and beautiful thing for them. If my children want that, then I support it and will love it! It's just a personal thing both DH and I share...we were for all intents and purposes married before we were actually married. In fact, other than our marriage certificate (which is genuine -- not Karama genuine), our marriage could be a total hoax ... no one was invited and we didn't announce it to anyone. We just did it and moved on. I emailed my mom and she said, "good job" or something to that effect. No wedding gifts, no cards, no hugs...just another day in the GleekFamily life.
Tallybalt
654
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 23 January 2011 - 14:11
[b'>[/b'>The company gives us a cheque for a year's rent. It's up to us to use it however we want. We are expected to cover DEWA from the housing allowance. Company pays school fees at any school in Dubai we choose, but not seat deposits (don't ask, it's unique to the American School of Dubai). If we had teenagers, the company would also contribute to boarding school tuitions up to $25K USD per child a year. One company car - a Prado. We get 2 x sets of flights home a year. We are on one income. Are they a myth or a reality? Do you get an allowance for rent and schooling? Or Does the company cover rent/schooling completely? Do you & your OH (other half) both work or is there only one income? What is your gross monthly income? 0 - 20,000 20,001 - 40,000 40,001 - 60,000 60,001 - 80,000 80,001 - 100,000 Above 100,000 <em>edited by Tallybalt on 23/01/2011</em>
Tallybalt
654
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 23 January 2011 - 10:06
There's no straightforward way into the Greens despite being right on Sheikh Zayed. If you are coming from Mirdiff, the best way is to get onto Sheikh Zayed and drive past the Mall of Emirates. Immediately veer to the right lanes and look for the signs for Hessa Street. Head EAST on Hessa (you will go into an underpass ramp underneath Sheikh Zayed). It comes out alongside TECOM. Make the first right into Tecom and drive through to the other side (go through three roundabouts, always staying to the left) and you will come out at the Greens. Drive into the Greens and at the fountain make a right turn and the Choithrams shopping center is down that street by a block.
Tallybalt
654
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 22 January 2011 - 20:29
When my cousin lived in Jakarta, she had three servants, two maids and a driver, as well as a gardener who came with the compound. That was very much the norm for an expat family, it was a way of supporting the local economy, and one does need a driver in a place like Jakarta. But I wonder if there is an expatwoman forum for Indonesia where people post threads wondering about the families that hire six servants.... Each to its own. Our one maid is perfect for us but if we were in Jakarta I wouldn't hesitate to have more. The tasks would become more specialized, one for the cleaning, one for the cooking, and perhaps even a third as a nanny. It does make life easier...sort of. Managing a staff is probably a full time job in itself!
Tallybalt
654
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 19 January 2011 - 16:22
I know next to nothing about homeschooling, but I do know of the Calvert School homeschooling support system and curriculum, whcih is very highly regarded and widely used by expat families living abroad in areas without a good international school. http://homeschool.calvertschool.org/
Tallybalt
654
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 19 January 2011 - 15:04
Our boys will still depend on us, financially, when they are 20. They'll be in university and fully funded by us. DH and I will do everything to ensure they grow into mature and responsible adults, but it's not a case of saying ok, fine, you're 20 today so you are a fully grown adult and therefore responsible for all your affairs and from this point onwards we will no longer be providing financial support and you must move out from our house and support yourself. I imagine it will be similar as to what it was like for us, that the early twenties are a transitional period. <em>edited by Tallybalt on 19/01/2011</em>
Tallybalt
654
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 18 January 2011 - 10:34
DH went to Camp Winaukee on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. It's a glorious location on a gorgeous lake in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. It's about several hours from Boston or New York, but the camp will arrange to pick up students at airports. The camp is an all boys' camp but has a long history and is very popular. http://www.winaukee.com/about.htm
 
 
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