It's Tuesday but it's Wednesday but it's Friday.

I am going to try and totally confuse all you normal weekend-having people with this post. This morning Kirsty who teachers year 4 in the class next door to me greeted me with this, Oh it's so great, It's Tuesday but it's Wednesday but it's Friday! Which just totally cracked me up. In the UAE all schools have a Thursday/Friday weekend, returning to school for the first day of the week on Saturday (commonly reffered to as 'Monday' by staff who have too many other things on their minds). so therefor, Wednesday is Friday.... If you get what I mean. This week we have Wednesday off due to the Islamic New Year, so Tuesday felt like Wenesday and in turn Tuesday had that lovely Friday feel to it..... Understand? Put simply, I have the next three days off!

Za'abeel Park

A few weeks ago Za'abeel Park was opened, just over from our house. It's sort of behind the big Trade Centre Building. I have been walking around it for months (there is a jogging track) but I hadn't been inside. There are a number of parks in Dubai and they are all quite impressive. You pay a small fee to get in, once in there you can forget that you are living smack bang in a massive, water deprived desert.
Here I am, this looks back towards our house.

The little boats were very cute, we didn't go on one however. Maybe another day.

In section 'B' (there are 3 sections) there is this really big man made stream and lake.

Apparently Dubai and the Gold Coast are sister cities, and this is the sculpture that celebrates it! Yes it is a kangaroo surfing on a wave coming up out of a big Australia. Note the koala grasping the roo's leg....

In typical Dubai fashion (well, sometimes) something that has only been open to the public 3 weeks looks like it has been there for many, many years. Someone should have figured a glue stick just wasn't going to cut it!

We had a great Australia Day, we headed out for a BBQ with a whole bunch of Aussie's (and some imposters) at the apartment of some guys that just moved here. What did all you get up to?

Jacci's Wedding

I stole these photos of Jacci and Matt's wedding off Josie's Blog. Jacci and I met when we both went to Smithton to complete our Internships, Jacci at Smithton High and myself at Edith Creek Primary School. We stayed in the nurses quaters at the hospital, the whole time was quite an experience. Little did we know 6 months later we would both be LIVING in Smithton working in the above mentioned schools. For those of you that don't know, Smithton is in the very North Western tip of Tasmania and has a distinctly rural taste to it. We enjoyed a year of drinking in the local pub, quiet DVD evenings, aerobics classes in the Guide Hall etc. etc. I also had a lot to do with cows... That is another story though!
Here are Jacci and Matt, I hope you guys had the best day, I can't wait to here from you!

Jacci and Matt got married at Grindlewald near Launceston. Isn't the Chappel cute?

And here are Jacci and Josie, Josie also spent a year in sunny Smithton with us.

This was my first really 'big' event that I have missed, a close friend's wedding, and I coped ok. The time leading up was probably worse than the actual day. When I am home in August we will have to relive the whole thing... Hahaha

The New Car

Here is a picture of Zadok with his new car!

It is a Peugeot 307. I think it is 2003 (I know I wrote 1993... I am not quite that thick, just trying to blog before school! 1993 is ancient as far as cars go here). It is really very nice and goes well. Zadok is enjoying driving it around. The yellow car is at the mechanics, when he is finished with it we will advertise it and see if we can sell it.

I don't have my licence yet, it is very expensive to insure people under 25, it was diffiult to even get insurance for Zadok, so there is no point me driving before May.

Yesterday my Smithton friend Jacci got married! CONGRATULATIONS JACCI AND MATT! As soon as someone sends me a picture I will put it here. It is also our wedding anniversary today, which is hard to believe! One year already!

Flowers for Me!

These flowers were given to me by my dear husband....

BECAUSE I AM SPECIAL!!!!!

He he he he

Benihana

On Thursday night the four of us headed to Benihana, a Japanese/American restaurant, to help Amber celebrate her birthday with some of her other friends. Amber and Anthony are an Australian couple we sometimes do stuff with, Anthony works with Sandie at Orthosports.

The restaurant was amazing, each table had a big Tepenyaki grill in the middle and after we had ordered our meals the chef came out and made them right there in front of us!

Ther was much knife throwing, catching and clanking. When our food was being cooked it was great but it was actually quite annoying when other tables were being cooked for as the noise was quite loud. As he finished cooking each thing he served it into the big bowl in the photo below.

All in all it was a very interesting experience!

More Holidays

Due to the sad demise of HH Sheikh Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, I have had all this week off. He was the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. It is also the second (and lesser known) Eid holiday. Zadok has unfortunately had to continue working right through the period of mourning and into the Eid holiday also.

I just linked to Doug's Blog (ahhhh.... blogs are taking over the world!). There are some great photos of Tum and Doug in Vietnam. Also if you haven't already you should follow the 'Tasmania' Link in the links bit of the page, it is quite amusing (especially if you live there or know a bit about the place).

Photo of car still to follow, I haven't forgotten!

Happy New Year!

2006 is here.... Happy New Year to you all from Zadok and I. We spent New Year at Irish Village which is a great outdoor venue on the other side of the creek.

It was cold! It poured with rain in the afternoon of the eve, our second dose of rain for the season! The mornings are cold and dark now, but it is still sunny nearly every day. The good thing about the light cloud cover is we have had some great sunsets.

If i take a photo from this spot next year you will be able to see the Burj Dubai looming up in the background, it is going to be the tallest building in the world (so they say).

Here is an oddity for Dubai!
I am back at school now for a few days, next week I have a 5 day break for the 2nd Eid. Stay tuned for pics of the new car... Everything is sorted and Zadok is happily driving it around!