Our New Desert Home

the lounge

So this week has been tumultuous.  For so many reasons!  I've had to make a big decision about where our family will live.  It is a huge decision because it affects mostly Jason, Lily and Ben.  They are the ones who will be at home during part of the day and obviously I've wanted to get the absolute best that I can get.  So over the last two weeks I've been to see about six different apartments.  ADEC provide us with free accommodation.  The more people in the family the more you are entitled to.  So because we have two children we are allowed a three bedroom apartment.  Having arrived so late to Abu Dhabi our group of teachers has to some degree been disadvantaged with what is available.  Those 800 or so teachers who arrived early August managed to score themselves the best accommodation that ADEC housing can provide for families.

looking at the front door

So it has been frustrating because there are no more apartments left in some of the bigger complexes.  'The Village' and 'Greenlands' are two of the best for families.  They have large three bedroom accommodation (and a maid's quarters on top of that) with generous living areas.  I've missed out on these complexes as ADEC have no more contracts with their management.  So I was given keys to look at an apartment.  The process (as with most processes here) involved me taking the keys, getting into a taxi and trying very hard to use the scant directions to find the place.  I've spent many a frustrating journey trying to 1) communicate with the barely-English speaking taxi driver and 2) driving or walking around in the desert streets looking for where the apartment may be.  Nothing is named here - it is by sheer luck and perseverance that you find the place.

The first place I saw was nice.  But the lounge (I've mentioned before) is tiny for a family to live in.  You cannot fit a dining suite in the apartment.  So I took those keys back and got another set.  Hmmm.  The second option was smaller, further out from the town and my school and had no other little children nor facilities around.  The next option was a two-bedroom apartment above a set of shops in the middle of town - totally wrong! Then I saw a really nice two-bedroom with huge living areas (just checking out other teachers' apartments at this stage) but no other little children and no facilities (e.g swimming pool etc).

second bedroom

So I went back and decided to stick with the first option.  Well, the housing man and I had become good acquaintances by this stage and he told me he had given the first set of keys to someone else.  The tears welled up.  He was kind and reassured me it would all be ok.  Two days later he got those keys back and gave them to me.  How on earth he took them off the other person and allocated them again to me is beyond me...I just didn't ask.   Things work in a very weird way in this country...

So here's our apartment!  It is not perfect, but it is brand new, and it has lots of awesome facilities for the family.  It is called the Nael Bin Harmel Complex, Al Muwaiji Village, Al Ain.  We are in Block A, apartment 120.  We are on the second storey in a three bedroom apartment.  It has two full-sized bathrooms (with baths) and extra toilet bathroom.  It has a smallish kitchen and lounge, but good sized double bedrooms (master is bigger).  The master has sliding doors onto a small balcony.  It also has a weird little storage room (not enough room to swing a cat) and an alcove along the hallway for the washing machine.

ensuite

The hallway

The best part of this complex is that it has a free swimming pool, a free men's and women's gym (kept separate), a grocery shop near our apartment, a coffee shop and a daycare facility that will open in the next couple of months.  The property manager is awesome.  I gave him my list of things I wanted fixed in the apartment and two days later everything was done!  Over here many people have trouble getting their managers to do fixing work.  It is quiet, although our apartment does face the road - so we do hear some traffic noise.

Master bedroom

We are going to be able to sit at the end of one of the little streets as the end is blocked off and at night watch the kids play and ride bikes.  There are families galore with lots of little kids.  Our family has three car parks in the covered parking building in our block.
 

The best news though, is that our Kiwi friends Angela, Pete and Meriana are living in the block just across from ours!

the complex

 I'm sure we're going to be happy here.  It is the next stage in our journey and feels good after 4 and a bit weeks to be finally putting down some roots.  After all, that is what Kiwis love to do, isn't it?  I'm tired of living out of a suitcase and not having a 'home'.  It has been wonderful having the hotel pools and gym to use, but it is time now to move on.  I'm heading off today to spend some of that lovely furniture allowance on the children. They will arrive soon to new bedrooms, with new toys and a new life.  Wow, I can't believe we've got this far. :)