This note is mainly about the wonderful opportunities we have to meet new and interesting people here in Abu Dhabi. We have been to several nights out with people we meet. Last night for instance we had dinner cooked for us by the gentleman who runs another department. He is of Chinese decent, from Canada, another guest was from the Philipines and yet another was from Palestine. We had interesting conversations and learned alot about their cultures. Most interesting was Fred from Palestine. He was actually born in the USA, his parents evidently went back to Palestine and he travels a lot. He tried to visit his parents recently, but they live in Israeli occupied Palestine and the soldiers would not let him in, even with a USA passport. So he had to carry his luggage around and between checkpoints to 'sneak' into the occupied zones..It was much easier to get in, then getting out...his stories were lively, I like him a lot as he 'gets things done', as they say here. One time he commandeered a truck that was driving in the parking lot of the hospital...He stood out in front of the poor driver, waved him down and insisted he load his pharmacy shelving into the truck and take it around to the other side of the large hospital facility and unload it into his retail pharmacy....he said the poor guys were'nt sure what to do, but is waving, and ordering about must have meant to them that he was some kind of authority (he's not), but anyway his stoires are amusing and we laughed a lot. Everyone here has a storey on how they came about to come here and just now Art got home in a taxi driven by a Nepalese driver who has been here only 6 days and did not know his way around. He already had been fined 500 Dhirams (he only makes around 700Dh / month plus tips. So Art tipped him well. All Taxi drivers want to go to America. Many are from Pakistan and 100% of them ALWAYS say "Taliban are bad and just kill people". The Mountain area is unsafe. Taliban must go".... Over and over we hear that from every Pakistani driver.. We don't ask, they just all tell us that once they hear we are Americans.
Yesterday we walked 7.5 Kilometers accross town. We were looking for a 30 story apt. building that was just completed and starting to rent flats. We never found it, got lost (kinda) but eventually found a mall that we had been to before. We had to rest before we took a taxi home. Today Art found the Apt. building way on the other side of the Island from where we were looking, actually just accross the street from the back of the hospital. We were so close all the time...Oh well, we all know how directionally challenged I am. It is a beautiful place, brand new and renting now. Tomorrow we will go have a look inside. They become available at the end of March and Early April . 30 stories, sea views from some, adjacent to a large shopping center and supermarket and liquor store and near a multitued of ethnic food establishments. And 1 block from the back of the hospital I work at. Art still does not have a job, he will apply at 2 other places tomorrow, my hospital still has not made him an offer after 4 interviews, we are not sure why....but there are several places here in Abu Dhabi for him to work. In the mean time he is a 'kept man'.!!!!. Here is a pic of the apts we are looking at, not a very good picture, but you get the idea. This was taken in August. They are almost done now, working on the interiors and finishing touches.
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