Gaylene's Ramblings: Thanksgiving

With the advent of yet another birthday (I hope I’m still going as strong as my parents when I’m 80) I decided, once again, that it was time to do some exercise. The down side of this quality of life here is that it’s too sedentary for us from NZ. For us kiwis who are used to an active lifestyle the inability to get out for a nice long walk is hard to bear. The two main reasons for not getting out are the heat, and the shocking footpaths when it’s not too hot.

As I live in the most magnificent building with fantastic facilities I am trying to use them more frequently. The cooler weather helps heaps with temperatures down to mid 20's! Soon I’ll be moaning that it’s cold.

So with my new togs on (no bikini yet!) {I can hear you laughing from here} it’s been back to the pool for me. I’ve managed to work myself up from one length to 10 this week. 50 metre lengths that is. Mind you the 10 had a pause after 4, then after 7, then stopped at 10. But a vast improvement on my gasping at the end of each length before. Normally I’d get to the end and prop my chin on the edge (I have to do this as the pool is too deep to stand in) and gasp while my breathing returned to normal. I have no idea what the skinny people lying by the pool sunbathing thought as they listened to this noise. But, hey! They’re only looking good, I’m doing it!

So after my 10 I head down the next day and off I go. The water is noticeably cooler which aids swimming, or so I tell myself. I’ve got the goal of 10 again but trying to not stop until after 5. 5 lengths come and go and I don’t even feel like stopping so I carry on. 10 arrives and I feel like I could keep going. So I do. 12 lengths in total. Then I propped my chin up and breathed but nothing gasping like before. Yeah!

Today I headed down to the gym and did 30 minutes on the treadmill, just walking - I don’t intend to become silly about this, then 10 minutes on the bike in preparation for my cycling around Amsterdam. I think I’ll give the swimming a miss today as I’m heading out at 4pm for a thanksgiving dinner with my American friends.

The teenager has already been to one thanksgiving, a new experience for us. He came home last night to tell me it was at an American diplomat’s house as his friend’s mother works for the Embassy. So moving and shaking in the right quarters. He said it was a large gathering with around 40 there. When the boys here the other night mentioned they’d been invited to thanksgiving by this boy’s mother, I don’t think they realised what they were going to. I certainly didn’t. It turned out that I’d ‘hosted’ this boy’s birthday party on Thursday night!

The said birthday prompted me to do something about getting a maid. I’d been thinking about it as each Friday morning when I’m doing my cleaning, the teenagers friends turn up while I’m in my shorts and singlet mopping the floor. You can just about put money on it happening. Anyway, I was getting sick of feeling and looking like the maid and had discussed getting one but hadn’t gone any further. I’m sure the maid in the apartment opposite me thinks I’m the maid here as the only time she sees me is when I’m putting out the rubbish or cleaning the front door. So after two 17 year olds telling me they’d pay for a maid to clean the flat after the party I decided it was time to take action. When in Rome, do as the Romans do! So when in Abu Dhabi, get a maid.

Luckily a woman had given me her card a few weeks back in the lift so I phone her. She’s here within two hours and spends three hours cleaning the place while I sit around wondering what to do. All up for the three hours and a taxi it cost 125 AED which is about $42NZ. She is now coming weekly.

Then the next big breakthrough for me was sending the washing out to a laundry. I’ve only sent a duvet before as it was too big to go in the machine. But my machine is back in the shop and the washing was piling up, including wet towels from swimming. So I phoned up the laundry and the man arrived within the hour with a bag and took it all away. It’ll be back tomorrow and I have no idea what it will cost. Everything went, including my undies... OMG! Talk about a different life.

I mentioned second hand goods in my last blog and the popularity of them. I am keen to buy a boxed set of books for the teenager for Christmas but have only found them in Dubai. Anyway, books are expensive here and there are no libraries so I decided to sell some of the books we have accumulated since arriving here. Not the good sets I’ve put together but the random one-offs. So I photograph them and place the adds on the facebook site. There are lots here and I belong to three, even a Christmas one. I had made the books into sets of similar genre or authors and sold the first one last night, then met another woman this morning downstairs in a coffee shop with another set. So hopefully they will sell quickly then I’ll have to have a trip to Dubai to buy the others - George Martin series.

I’ve managed to Skype all three of my sisters this weekend as well as Mum and Dad. We attempted a conference call with four of us on it but I’ll need to pay to get the facility to see them all. What a good way to catch up with family. Sister number 3 just needs to get her microphone working then we’ll be all set. I suggested she pop around to visit Dad who is now an expert on the computer, even getting his own facebook page at 80! Way to go Dad.

I know this is an extra entry but we have another long weekend coming up. It’s National Day which is a big thing here. Already all the shops and schools have decorations up. Buildings are being decked out in lights and flags. We have two days of celebrations with food at school then a four day weekend. Apparently it’s chaos down on the Corniche with cars banked up for hours. There has also been several warnings (not publically of course) about Western women going down there as last year a group were attacked by around 50 men. So I’ll be keeping away. And of course it’s the Dubai 7's. I did plan to head out west to stay with my friend then go to Sir Baniyas Island which has an animal reserve and outdoor activities but she’s phoned to postpone it. So not sure what I’ll do. Sri Lanka still sounds good... But will probably stay at home and save some money as my other son from Christchurch arrives for three weeks shortly.

I’ve just returned home from my first Thanksgiving Dinner and it makes me want to give thanks for the wonderful friends we have made here and who have invited us into their lives and vice versa.

Lochie, Andy, Darryl, Martin, Maureen & Sian.

The aromatic smell emanating from the apartment hits us as we exit the lift. The teenager and I are the first to arrive armed with a chilled bottle of bubbly. Nibbles are brought out and we chat while the hosts pop in and out from the kitchen. Pumpkin pies line the cabinets and the table is set up for a large group. The turkey is cooking nicely in the oven when I pop into the kitchen.

Other guests arrive in groups and we catch up with each other’s news. The hostess hands us ladies a pair of socks, a tradition in her family where female guests are given Christmas socks. Check ours out. See if you can figure out which feet belong to whom?

More guests arrive and good cheer and company flows. The turkey arrives and is duly carved by the chef. After grace, we sit down to an enormous meal of turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes topped with crispy marshmellows, beans & onions, brussel sprouts, stuffing & gravy. For desert there is pumpkin pie, strawberry cheesecake and jelly.