Observations

Driving is dangerous, no matter how careful you are someone is bound to hit you eventually. Heading to Dubai for a Cerner meeting you take a 5 lane ultramodern highway..it was pretty light traffic, I was doing 120 KPH in the center lane and people were buzzing past me, some on the right shoulder . There was no reason for this as 2 of the 5 lanes were pretty empty. Some cars were probably doing well over 100 MPH.

Heat - It 's all relative...99 with 50% humidity will be as bad as 140 later in the summer with 60
% humidity...U sweat upon opening the door !

Wonderful Local Friennds - Making friends with the local Emeratis takes effort, however I am finding it facinating, better then a college class...I am learning the customs. Today I met a guy my age who has 4 wives and is still smiling.....God bless him !

Expectations - Don't have any, explain everything 3 times and perhaps it will get done. The work here is 20 years behind our work lives we left behind in Fresno. The word Challenging does not even begin to describe work life !

USA friends - We have made many good friends, being in a different country away from friends and families forces you to either hole up with your computer or go out and meet people and experience new things... We had a fun weekend with 3 new friends last weekend and we pooped out after 1 day. Had a lot of laughs.

Bathrooms, OK mostly up to US standards, but public toilets are really bad...a tree or trench is better any ole day...flooded toilets are the standard it seems.

Maids - You gotta have one, for about $80 per month u can have ur entire house and laundry done each week...tipping helps her make $ to go home in July to visit her children...we learned that and the tips went way up...seeing your kids 1 time a year really sucks.

Chilis - Same crappy food here as in the US...never again..and they don't sell beer....

Cuban Cigars - What can I say, smoke em

Paperwork - We are having the same ole problems iwth our marriage certificate in getting an apt. An unmarried couple cannot rent an apt, we are married and have 2 original marriage certificates with raised letters and all , but these people need it to be 'attested' to by the Calif. State and the US State dept before they recognize it. So we are delayed another month...

Marta - I ask her all the time....when can we go home...soon I hope...July for me and August for the both of us....maybe u will see us in Fresno sometime this summer.