Yes, yes, I know it has been a long time since I last posted. I'm back from my first trip to the US since moving to Abu Dhabi.
It took me several days to get ready for the month long trip. Planning, packing, planning, packing...
I edited and edited and stilled ended up probably taking too much stuff. I did some shopping ending up with more stuff, of course. So much for saving money this trip. At least we only had to stay in a hotel for one night the whole trip. I'd like to thank the makers of Claritin...
I couldn't help buying a few new clothes for myself and the kids. I just couldn't pass up the deals at Target for little girl. Oh and I stocked up on diaper duck refills. For those who haven't heard me rave about this scented diaper trash bags, they are one of the few things I really believe are a MUST have to contain the odoriferous mess of a new baby.
We had a fantastic visit with my in-laws including lots and lots of good Mexican restaurants. I ate my fill of Carne Asada and fish tacos. Now I really need to loose a few kilo.
As our Disney passes were set to expire, we spent two days at Disneyland. Little Girl hit a milestone at reaching 40 inches (102cm), and rode the Jumpin' Jellyfish ride. We also took her on Star Tours, which proved to be a mistake as she screamed and cried through the whole ride. Oops. I think my favorite ride was the new Toy Story ride in California Adventure. Lots of fun shooting balloons, plates, etc. from a moving cart with an electronic "gun".
After a couple of weeks with my in-laws and some wonderful visits with friends, including a visit to my high school and lunch with my French teacher. I went North of LA to see my sister and her family. Luckily it was a holiday weekend so we had a chance to enjoy her husband's fabulous barbecuing, get a manicure, go shopping, and have a pajama party with 5 kids under the age of 8 (my sister's three boys and my two kiddos).
I even managed to get to the pool to train with my sister and her triathlon coach. I enjoyed the workout so much, I'm going to start swimming here as soon as the jet lag has worn off and we're all sleeping.
Speaking of which, I think I'll try to take a nap while the house is quiet...
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
Lap child?
I'm not quite sure how it could be legal to have a kid the size of William (mind you, he's small for his age) sit for 14 hours on your lap. Seriously, how do people do this?
I will not be flying from Abu Dhabi to New York without William having his own seat.
I will not be flying from Abu Dhabi to New York without William having his own seat.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Obscured Vision
Here's what I was alluding to with the last post about Mom's health. She started having headaches a couple of weeks before the Italy trip. Then the vision in one eye suddenly diminished. She said it was like looking through a piece of lace or a veil. She saw several doctors and went to three different hospitals. She was treated for a sinus infection then told that she had an issue with the optic nerve. Getting an MRI was a bit of a hassle and then it took a week before we could get the results (we decided to go ahead and go to Italy).
The radiologist said that she had a sinus infection and Mastoiditis (infection of the temporal bone behind the ear). The optic never looks perfect. So hopefully the vision will just return to normal as the antibiotics clear up the infection. I'll keep you posted.
The radiologist said that she had a sinus infection and Mastoiditis (infection of the temporal bone behind the ear). The optic never looks perfect. So hopefully the vision will just return to normal as the antibiotics clear up the infection. I'll keep you posted.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Two strollers, three suitcases, a backpack, a totebag and small carryon.
What I learned from traveling to Italy with a small child and an infant.
1. TAKE LESS STUFF
2. Bring travel size laundry soap so you can TAKE LESS STUFF
3. Check the airline policy before bringing the car seat on board and paying extra for an infant under the age of two. Etihad's policy is that the car seat MUST be forward facing. What a weird rule! Sitting in my lap is NOT safer than being in a rear facing car seat.
4. Business class is SOOO worth it on a long flight.
5. Don't leave things loose in the back of the taxi - you'll never see it again.
6. Check with your hotel and see if there are stairs. Just because there is an elevator doesn't mean you can get to your room (or even the front desk) without a flight of stairs.
7. TAKE LESS STUFF
8. Use goggle maps to plot your hotel. The website might not be accurate as to HOW LONG/FAR it is to the airport/train station, etc.
9. Definitely take a baby carrier like a sling, snuggli, baby bjorn, etc.
10. Don't bother with a big stroller, just bring the umbrella stroller and see if you can bring it on board to stow in the overhead - you might not get it back on the jet way and will have to carry your baby in the car seat you couldn't use on board all the way to the baggage claim.
11. TAKE LESS STUFF.
12. Just because your train ticket says Rome it doesn't mean that's what is the final destination of your train and therefore the name on the schedule board saying what platform you need to be on to get on your train.
13. Leave an hour and half OR MORE before the train leaves the station to get something to eat and find your train.
14. Don't bother trying to pee at the train station. It costs a Euro and takes WAY too long to find and get back to your train. Just wait for the train, the bathrooms on board aren't too bad.
15. First class train cabins are ALLLLL the way down at the far end of the train.
16. TAKE LESS STUFF.
17. Take Sara as your tour guide, she knows the travel books by heart so you can relax and follow her lead.
18. TAKE LESS STUFF so you can keep up with Sara.
19. One big room is cheaper than two small rooms.
20. Stay near the airport/train station and make day trips.
21. Just because the taxi driver says there is a meter, doesn't mean he really has one.
22. TAKE LESS STUFF
23. Take one pair of SUPER comfy shoes that you KNOW won't give you blisters.
24. You can see a lot more when you leave the kids at the hotel with their grandmother.
25. It is nice to have an excuse to take a break and do things at the kids pace.
26. Restaurants in Italy often don't open for lunch until noon, close at 3ish, and then don't open for dinner until around 7:30. Buy a few snacks to have on hand for little people.
27. TAKE LESS STUFF, but don't forget the camera (with extra batteries)!
1. TAKE LESS STUFF
2. Bring travel size laundry soap so you can TAKE LESS STUFF
3. Check the airline policy before bringing the car seat on board and paying extra for an infant under the age of two. Etihad's policy is that the car seat MUST be forward facing. What a weird rule! Sitting in my lap is NOT safer than being in a rear facing car seat.
4. Business class is SOOO worth it on a long flight.
5. Don't leave things loose in the back of the taxi - you'll never see it again.
6. Check with your hotel and see if there are stairs. Just because there is an elevator doesn't mean you can get to your room (or even the front desk) without a flight of stairs.
7. TAKE LESS STUFF
8. Use goggle maps to plot your hotel. The website might not be accurate as to HOW LONG/FAR it is to the airport/train station, etc.
9. Definitely take a baby carrier like a sling, snuggli, baby bjorn, etc.
10. Don't bother with a big stroller, just bring the umbrella stroller and see if you can bring it on board to stow in the overhead - you might not get it back on the jet way and will have to carry your baby in the car seat you couldn't use on board all the way to the baggage claim.
11. TAKE LESS STUFF.
12. Just because your train ticket says Rome it doesn't mean that's what is the final destination of your train and therefore the name on the schedule board saying what platform you need to be on to get on your train.
13. Leave an hour and half OR MORE before the train leaves the station to get something to eat and find your train.
14. Don't bother trying to pee at the train station. It costs a Euro and takes WAY too long to find and get back to your train. Just wait for the train, the bathrooms on board aren't too bad.
15. First class train cabins are ALLLLL the way down at the far end of the train.
16. TAKE LESS STUFF.
17. Take Sara as your tour guide, she knows the travel books by heart so you can relax and follow her lead.
18. TAKE LESS STUFF so you can keep up with Sara.
19. One big room is cheaper than two small rooms.
20. Stay near the airport/train station and make day trips.
21. Just because the taxi driver says there is a meter, doesn't mean he really has one.
22. TAKE LESS STUFF
23. Take one pair of SUPER comfy shoes that you KNOW won't give you blisters.
24. You can see a lot more when you leave the kids at the hotel with their grandmother.
25. It is nice to have an excuse to take a break and do things at the kids pace.
26. Restaurants in Italy often don't open for lunch until noon, close at 3ish, and then don't open for dinner until around 7:30. Buy a few snacks to have on hand for little people.
27. TAKE LESS STUFF, but don't forget the camera (with extra batteries)!
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Wasta
Two weeks ago I made the fortunate decision to go into HR with J. We were planning an evening out with friends and we heard that there were coupon books for Etihad employees if you asked the right person. On the way home from picking J up from the airport, we stopped by the office. I have a pregnant friend in the complex that works in HR so while J was working on the coupon books, etc. I stopped at her desk to see how she was feeling. She asked about Mom and I told her about the latest denial by the Immigration Appeal Committee.
This is when the universe shifted. My friend told me that what I needed in this situation was Wasta. At my puzzled look she explained that we needed someone with influence and the next thing I knew she was on the phone speaking arabic at increasing speed and volume. I almost got worried when she started making gestures with the hand not holding the phone to her ear. In a blur J and I were in a cubical drinking really nice cappuccino from china cups with an Emirati man with a warm smile and good things to say about his time working in the US and hearing promises of him taking the visa application to the Chief of Immigration himself. He told us that the Sheik (King/President) offered him the choice of working at Etihad and living near his family or going abroad as an ambassador. I really began to see how Wasta worked. This man's job as Government Relations Manager frequently includes smoothing the path where necessary.
That afternoon J and I gathered up the application and supporting documents, adding some changes that we had been thinking of making to the appeal letter based on the advice of another friend in the building who managed to get her mum a visa. The letter now said that Mom is widowed and has no sons to care for her. I also noticed that the copy of dad's death certificate and my birth certificate may never have made it out of the envelope from the translator into the last application. We took all these documents back to the Emirati gentleman, but missed him as he was needed at the airport to handle another situation. So we waited all weekend.
On Sunday, the first day of the work week, we took the documents back to HR. We made several trips back to HR that week to gather remaining documents, copies of Mom's passport, the 5000 dirham fee, Mom's actual passport, John signature on the forms, etc. Once we had a temporary visa, Mom needed to get the Medical FItness Test (AIDS test and TB xray). The Government Relations Manager had called ahead and had someone meet mom at the clinic for the testing who walked her through the process, jumping to the head of the lines in front of about 50 other women. We waited through another weekend for the results. As Sunday came and went and we still hadn't heard I got nervous, worrying that we wouldn't get her Fitness Certificate for some bizarre reason.
Finally we got the call, they had the certificate, but needed more documents, money or signatures (I'm starting to forget what they needed when - a checklist would have been REALLY handy). Tuesday we took the Medical Certificate downtown and purchased a cheap health plan. I took the receipt back to HR. They needed another two signatures from John so after getting those I met a man at the airport who works for the Governement Relations Manager and he took the application straight to immigration. Yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon we got the call that Mom had her visa! Praise Allah!
This morning I ran down to HR again to pick up the passport and there was even more good news. Most visas of this type are good for one year, Mom's is good for three! Yippee!
Now we can go to Italy next week without worrying about visas! Now I don't have to worry about Mom making a visa run every thirty days and possibly not been let back in the country. I don't have to work full time to sponsor her myself. Whew! I would have gotten a job and probably would have been fine, but I just really don't feel ready to leave Little Man. It broke my heart thinking about it.
So now all we have to do is worry about Mom's health, but that's another story for another day...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasta
This is when the universe shifted. My friend told me that what I needed in this situation was Wasta. At my puzzled look she explained that we needed someone with influence and the next thing I knew she was on the phone speaking arabic at increasing speed and volume. I almost got worried when she started making gestures with the hand not holding the phone to her ear. In a blur J and I were in a cubical drinking really nice cappuccino from china cups with an Emirati man with a warm smile and good things to say about his time working in the US and hearing promises of him taking the visa application to the Chief of Immigration himself. He told us that the Sheik (King/President) offered him the choice of working at Etihad and living near his family or going abroad as an ambassador. I really began to see how Wasta worked. This man's job as Government Relations Manager frequently includes smoothing the path where necessary.
That afternoon J and I gathered up the application and supporting documents, adding some changes that we had been thinking of making to the appeal letter based on the advice of another friend in the building who managed to get her mum a visa. The letter now said that Mom is widowed and has no sons to care for her. I also noticed that the copy of dad's death certificate and my birth certificate may never have made it out of the envelope from the translator into the last application. We took all these documents back to the Emirati gentleman, but missed him as he was needed at the airport to handle another situation. So we waited all weekend.
On Sunday, the first day of the work week, we took the documents back to HR. We made several trips back to HR that week to gather remaining documents, copies of Mom's passport, the 5000 dirham fee, Mom's actual passport, John signature on the forms, etc. Once we had a temporary visa, Mom needed to get the Medical FItness Test (AIDS test and TB xray). The Government Relations Manager had called ahead and had someone meet mom at the clinic for the testing who walked her through the process, jumping to the head of the lines in front of about 50 other women. We waited through another weekend for the results. As Sunday came and went and we still hadn't heard I got nervous, worrying that we wouldn't get her Fitness Certificate for some bizarre reason.
Finally we got the call, they had the certificate, but needed more documents, money or signatures (I'm starting to forget what they needed when - a checklist would have been REALLY handy). Tuesday we took the Medical Certificate downtown and purchased a cheap health plan. I took the receipt back to HR. They needed another two signatures from John so after getting those I met a man at the airport who works for the Governement Relations Manager and he took the application straight to immigration. Yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon we got the call that Mom had her visa! Praise Allah!
This morning I ran down to HR again to pick up the passport and there was even more good news. Most visas of this type are good for one year, Mom's is good for three! Yippee!
Now we can go to Italy next week without worrying about visas! Now I don't have to worry about Mom making a visa run every thirty days and possibly not been let back in the country. I don't have to work full time to sponsor her myself. Whew! I would have gotten a job and probably would have been fine, but I just really don't feel ready to leave Little Man. It broke my heart thinking about it.
So now all we have to do is worry about Mom's health, but that's another story for another day...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasta
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