suzannainthesand

We’re short-staffed at work, so everyone’s been swamped lately. I’ve even been tackling work duties at night and on the weekends, which I haven’t had to do in quite some time. There. That’s my excuse why my post detailing my sister’s visit is long overdue.

After a year and a half, I wasn’t sure Jackie would make it to the UAE, but the plan finally came to fruition. Since she was only here for a week, we charged full speed ahead from day one. Yes, I ran my sister ragged, but there were a million things I insisted she “needed” to see in order to better understand my life as a desert-dweller.

 We began with the good stuff- sun and sand at Saadiyat Beach,

followed by a sunset pilgrimage to the Grand Mosque.

We taxied to Cooper’s for trivia and scored a 4^th place “victory.”

Day 2: After a stop at Heritage Village, a great place to buy souvenirs,

we hopped over to Emirates Palace.

Unfortunately, the gold ATM is still out of order. I was disappointed because Jackie’s probably the only visitor I’ll have who would’ve actually contemplated making a purchase (gold shoes would’ve sealed the deal.)

Next, we headed across the street to Jumeirah at Etihad Towers for afternoon tea.

Food here often looks better than it tastes, and this was no exception (“If you ever wanted to make a prawn sandwich that tasted like nothing, you’d make this.”)

But the hot and cold teas were both good and, BONUS! we found a mirror in the lobby that made us look like toothpicks.

We wound down the afternoon at the prosecco bar at the Intercontinental, my home away from home when I first arrived in Abu Dhabi.

The following day I insisted that we hit up the Qasr Al Hosn Festival, which showcases Emirati culture past and present. But to be honest, it’s all about the people-watching.

Later in the week, we “Mexican brunched” ourselves at El Sombrero. Jackie had several hours to meet and chat with my amigos; from here on out she’ll know who I’m talking about and why I love them all.

We ended the week with a stop at Mushrif Central Park because I was hell-bent on her leaving with the quintessential falcon photo.

Disappointed that there wasn’t a handler in sight, we were lucky enough to spot an owl (which, blame it on my blindness, I assumed was a falcon until I got up close and realized I was mistaken). Still, super-cute… we’ll take it.

The following day, it was time to have one last chicken shawarma and say good-bye until July. Not my strong point, I kind of drop-kicked my sister out of the car at Dubai Airport. I told one of my friends on the phone the other day when she asked how happy I’d be to return to the U.S- yes, I’ll be happy. But I must say, after the first six months in Abu Dhabi, the insanity here became my “normal,” so there will be sadness along with an adjustment period back to my former life. I’m thrilled that I’ve hosted a few friends/relatives over the past year and a half because they’ve shared some of my UAE experiences. They’ll agree that it’s good living in Abu Dhabi and the people I’ve been fortunate enough to meet are absolutely awesome, just like everyone back home.