A head for Heights

I just recieved this in my morning trawl through my emails, it's a photo from the top of the current tallest building in the world, the Burj Dubai (It's not finished yet so some would say it doesn't count but I am not picky). It is currently 629 meters tall, the only other structure to reach this height was the Warsaw radio mast which collapsed in 1991. Apparently office space is selling for $4000 a sq ft. The Burj is currently schedules to open in Sep 2009, 9 months late (and counting).

If you look on the far left you can see a patch of green, it's Safa Park. I work just to the left of this and live just above it near the sea. Also on the left you can see a group of buildings, this is where I will live, sometime, when they hurry up (?) and finish our apartment. Hopefully before I am 60....

My Beach

With our apartment still not ready, we are still living in a villa in a lovely suburb of Dubai. There may be others living with us... (sharing a villa outside of family members is illegal in Dubai).

It's going really well and we are very lucky as we have a beautiful pool (I'll post pics when I think of taking them) and the location is great, near my work (20 mins) and the beach (5 mins if you walk slow...). I often stroll along the beach in the evening and enjoy the sun set.

And another one....

Yesterday morning I was in my classroom chatting with Julia when we heard a MASSIVE boom and the whole (rather large) school shook to it's foundations. Now you can imagine, although we all feel very safe living here there are moments when you think, 'What was that and what's it going to mean to me and all the others that take up the space of my life?'

We dashed outside and saw a huge mushroom cloud hanging about 5 kms frome the school, closely followed by this thick grey smoke. Turns out to be an illegal firecracker factory/paint factory (depending who you believe) and the smoke is toxic. SO we get the kids in and shut all the doors and the AC goes off. An hour later the word comes that the school is shut! All kids to go home! This is the same term as George Bush day, remember? And the 2 days off because of flooding? We wont forget it in a hurry. Last day today.

Only in the Middle East...

WELL, we have had a very bizarre week here in Dubai. We dragged ourselves into work like normal on Sunday morning expecting/dreading the first 5 day teaching week in quite a while due to various school and public holidays. Early in the afternoon there was a stir as emails started filtering through about road closures due to the arrival of George Bush. As the afternoon wore on some people wondered if they would get to school at all. Now rumours started doing the rounds that some schools would not open, and low and behold, at 4pm the goverment declared a public holiday for all of Dubai as most major roads and bridges would be shut, supposedly to ensure the safety of Mr. Bush on his first ever UAE visit. You can imagine the uproar that followed with those on the actual route being asked to stay in their houses and people not having the warmest feelings for afore mentioned politition. I however, am one to see the bright side, I got to stay in bed and read an entire Marian Keyes book (Watermelon, very entertaining...) and walk around my area as I often do but without the mountains of traffic that usually gets in my way!

Pic is of Sheikh Zayed Road (car park?) 12 lanes wide and usually choc-a-block with traffic... Just a few police cars zooming up and down and supposedly at some stage Mr. Bush himself.

Back in Dubai

So I am back in Dubai, back at school, the kids start next week.

Zadok has just quit his job after signing with a new company and is counting down the four weeks until he can leave and have 2 weeks leave.

We are stopping with friends at the moment but need to decide where we will live for the next 6 months or more until our apartment is finished.

I have been a very lazy blogger and I blame this 10% on besyness, and about 140% on FACEBOOK... hahaha.

Rach put some pics on hers a while back when we were visiting her in Hobart. You can see them on.... Rach's Ramblings .

Pizza Cat

There are many hundreds, probably thousands of stray cats in Dubai. They are generally skinny, ragged looking things. The lucky ones get 'adopted' by individuals or businesses and maybe get a meal a day or someones scraps, the unlucky ones become a meal.... But that is another story!

There is one that lives arounf the bottom of our building that we refer to as 'Pizza Cat'. She is fed each day by the pizza shop downstairs. She likes to lay on/under our car.

Pizza Cat is certainly not the most attractive thing we have ever laid eyes on... For some reason though, my not-usually-superstitious husband seems to think if he sees her in the morning he will have a good day...

Maybe you will too!