Yas Mall Adventures

All the little things seem like an adventure when you're in a new place. But for me, food is one thing that I decidedly DO NOT like being adventurous on. I have been craving home food so much here recently, so we decided to take a trip to the grocery story! 

Now, you might ask why I put "Yas Mall Advnetures" when we went to the grocery store - well, here in Abu Dhabi they have everything you could think of in their giant malls, even grocery stores!!! 

So we went to Yas Mall - which is much better than the first Mall I went to! It had this huge waterfall thing in the center of the three story (or four..?) mall! It changed colors and everything! (It doesn't take much to impress me)

The grocery store itself was such a fun time. They have such a crazy selection of food. They have meat from West Africa, dates from Saudi, potatoes from Ireland - if a country has a special food, this grocery store probably had it! (Actually, they had some red potatoes from the US - so that's kinda neat!) 

I had fun just walking around I looking at the neat - and sometimes weird - food!

They have these stalls set up for nuts, grains, etc. Many of the spices had such intense smells! 

I thought their sign for the eggs was humorous..."We're tasty"

The broccoli had an interesting selection of colors...and shapes!

They even had some glucose! 

In the candy aisle (where I bought way too many sweets), there was a cute panda candy holder - made me miss AOII! 

After we finished getting the essentials (re: candy, goldfish, and a ruler), we decided to eat! And again...instead of trying some local cuisine we went for American food - The Cheesecake Factory!!

It was yummy - and definitely made the stress that classes bring totally disappear! I had my favorite cheesecake - Godiva Chocolate! 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

First week in the UAE

My first week here was definitely one for the books! Between getting acquainted with my new job, moving to a new country, and discovering a whole new culture - I have been very busy! 

The first part of the week was mostly going over what was to be expected as a field engineer - aka long hours, harsh weather conditions, awesome learning experience! 

Safety was also a big topic - I thought a funny saying was "You're with SLB now, that means your blood is blue. We don't want to see any red!" It is nice to know that safety is taken so serious in an industry that can definitely be dangerous. 

If I haven't mentioned already, one of my favorite things about this place are the drink machines! There are these vending machines that give out FREE HOT CHOCOLATE or coffee - all around campus! It is amazing. Truly amazing. 

We have started learning in the workshop - which means I get to look fabulous in my PPEs! 

 
 

Dinner at the Shangri La Hotel

Tonight was our welcome dinner to the Middle East Training Center - and we got to go to a 7 star hotel, the Shangri La! Pulling up to the building was so amazing - it was huge and it screamed royalty!! 

Our table was right next to the window, which looked over the downtown city of Abu Dhabi! Going out to the pool area, we were able to see the Etihad Towers (look to the far left), the Grand Mosque (which we visited two nights ago), and so many other amazing buildings!

 

The backside of the hotel was so gorgeous - and included the infinity pool, bar, and several lounge areas! 
 
 

The dinner itself was absolutely fantastic! They had such a wide variety of options, and it was buffet style - so you could get everything!! I have become "adventurous" and extending my dining options to include lamb (poor little guys), which tastes surprisingly a lot like beef. By far the best thing of the night were the desserts! They had unlimited options - so I grabbed as many chocolate things that I could! The mouse was probably my favorite, but the chocolate toppers were equally yummy!!

It was such a wonderful evening getting to hang out with all of the Wireline students and our professors! 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

For the fourth night in Abu Dhabi, the gang decided to take a tour of the Grand Mosque! It was such a stunning building - the architecture is truly something else!! 

Before we could actually tour the Mosque, the girls had to get Abayas (basically a robe that covers most of your body and your hair). 

The outside of the Mosque has these reflective pools - the light from the inside makes for such a beautiful sight! 

The center is a huge prayer area, but there was a section where we could go to take pictures!! 

There were also other side prayer rooms - and they were just as breath taking as the outside! I especially loved the giant chandeliers that they placed in each room. 

 It was a wonderful experience, and I am so so happy that I had the oppurtunity to see such a <Grand> Mosque!! 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Bawabat Al Sharq Mall, Abu Dhabi

Today we went and visited the Bawabat Mall in Abu Dhabi!

The drive to the mall consisted of more roundabouts in 30 minutes than I have taken in my entire life - and A LOT of sand. It is crazy looking out in the distance and just seeing so much sand everywhere. 

The architecture of even the most basic houses is truly amazing. Everything looks so picture perfect! 

 Upon entering the mall, the first thing you notice is the smell - there is so much perfume/musk! They just spray the stuff everywhere. While it does smell very good, it can be a bit overwhelming. Also, it was the first time I had been in a public setting in the UAE, and most of the locals wear the traditional garb (black coverings for women, white for men). It was refreshing to see that every store had its name and labels in both Arabic and English - although, I think us Americans are a bit spoilt. There was even a Starbucks!! 

The twenty of us went to a classy restaurant that truly reflected the culture of the UAE - well...we intended to...but there was a Chile's, and we just couldn't resist the draw of American food!!! =p

The plan is to go to the Grand Mosque tomorrow, wish me luck!! 

Traveling to the UAE!

I began my journey to Houston, where I met some of the other field engineers! The day was a crash course as to what to expect for the coming months. 

On Friday we set off for Abu Dhabi! I was very excited for my first international flight. 

The flight to Paris took about 9 hours - of which I probably slept for half! The food was...interesting...but they did have hot chocolate! I was able to watch a couple of movies - I definitely recommend "Jungle Book"; "Me Before You" made me cry; and "The Good Dinosaur" was super cute. By the end of the flight, my excitement had run its course. 

We had two hours in the Paris airport - all were spent getting through customs, making our way across the massive airport to the next terminal, and barely making the boarding time! I recommend giving yourself a couple more hours so that you can grab something to eat (because noodles with marinara sauce do not make for a nice meal). 

We hopped onto the flight to Abu Dhabi - this was "just" a 7 hour flight. The blankets were warmer, and the food was slightly better...but a long flight in economy is not going to leave you very happy...

 AT LAST! We made it into Abu Dhabi! We went through customs, got our baggage, and then made our way to the training center. We got in around 10pm, and I was definitely ready for some sleep in an actual bed!! 

 All in all, I have to admit I am not looking forward to the flights back to the US - but I have two months to re-coup! :p

P.S. 

The bed is even fluffier than it looks!!