The Settling In Process

Hello to all our friends!

The UAE is, in many ways, similar to the US and in many other ways, not so similar. 

The retail stores work quite the same way as we are accustomed to, but deliveries...  Well that is an entirely different situation.  Ramadan, a month-long religious period of atonement, makes it difficult to arange deliveries of large items.  Immediately following Ramadan is Eid al fitr.  The culmination of the fasting and atonement period.  During this time we found it difficult to find lunch!  It is forbidden to eat in public during daylight hours.  This would not have been a problem if we could have had our fridge in place, but delivery was delayed until AFTER Ramadan!

To compound the issue we "live in the desert on a street with no name."  Addresses are not very precise.  We have to give directions based upon cross streets.  We live between Mohammed bin Khalifa and Delma streets.  Our main street is Al Karamah.  However, off of Al Karamah is 5th street.  That sounds easy enough, but Mohammed bin Khalifa St. is also know as 15th St and Delma is known as 13th St.  Okay folks, you do the math.  How is it that 5th street is between 13th and 15th?  Further, we don't live on 5th street, but on the first cross street, which... HAS NO NAME.  We are in Villa #9 of the Mushrif Compound (one of many similarly named).  UG!

So, we FINALLY get our beds, fridge, washer/dryer, and our cooker.  Only one of the deliveries seemed to understand where we lived on the first explanation.

Now, let us discuss the school.  I was scheduled for an orientation meeting on September 8.  That meeting did not happen because the government declared a holiday.  We still aren't sure of the reason.  We thought it was to end Ramadan and begin Eid, but Ramadan did not end until Friday night.  So, no big deal.  Canceled meetings happen all the time, right?  True enough, but I didn't find out until I showed up for the meeting that the school was closed and NO ONE was going to be in the building except security and janitorial services.  I did find that an email had been sent (to my un-activated email account).  So, I show up.  I go home.  End of the day! 

Well, we can't have new hires in a new system without having an orientation for them, right?  Right.  The meeting is rescheduled for the 15th.  Not a big deal except that I have class all day long!  I am told to reschedule my classes or find a substitute.  Uh... how do I do that?  I talk to my supervisor!  Uh.. who is that?  No one really knows.  There is the lead faculty for the maths (yes that has an s on the end) foundations and there is the chair of foundations 1 & 2, and there is the maths chair (yes that has an s on the end).  No one seems to know who my direct supervisor is.  Ug, again!

I'm almost done!  I then find out that I have to be at a university-wide conference on Saturday.  No big deal except that it is in Dubai.  Uh, how do I get there?  I have no passport, visa, drivers license.  My passport will be returned when I get my residency visa.  I can't get a DL, phone, internet, nor bank account until I get my visa.  It turns out they will provide a bus to Dubai.  Nifty, but it leaves ar 6:00 am.  Now I have to find a cab that is running around 5:00 am to get here for 6:00 am.

As the locals say: "Inshalla"  God's will.