Small steps

Sorry it's taken me so long to give you an update on our new life! It's been a very busy week and a half, full of lots of paperwork (they love their bureaucracy here) and lots of shopping and unpacking, getting our new apartment how we want it.

It's also had its ups and downs. For the first few days I felt very homesick. Life here in the Gulf is so different to life at home, that the culture shock really got to me. It didn't help that my husband had to work for three days last week, and without a car (more on that later) I was rather isolated at home in the compound. Not that it's not a nice place to be; there's a lovely sports centre here with lots of great pools, a gym, and a nice restaurant and coffee shop, and there's also a great feeling of community, too.

Anyhow, I've been feeling more like my usual self the last few days, and we've been having a lot of fun. Last night we went out with an old friend of mine who by a fantastic piece of luck lives our here too now! It was so great to see her, and we had a lovely time. She's very excited about me moving out here too and is plotting a "Welcome" dinner party for us, which is fabulous.

After dinner we went for a night-time walk along the sea front, and it was really rather beautiful. The breeze was warm and scented by the flowers in the park nearby, and the strobes on the skyscrapers glinted at us from across the bay. On nights like that, you can't help but like this place.

The other lovely thing on the horizon is that my mum is coming to visit in less than two months! It's great because it gives me something to aim for, getting the flat and our lives in general ready for her to enjoy during her visit.

Now - the car! We've spent a lot of time since I arrived trying to decide which car to buy. The roads are absolutely crazy here (think wacky races) so we've settled on a 4x4, something we'd never even consider in the UK, given fuel prices and car tax! Still, out here it's a different matter. Our chosen car (think truck)'s 4 litre fuel tank costs a whole £10 to fill up here. Incredible - it's cheaper than buying water! It's also an extremely safe car, which is the main thing, and also very comfortable, and as my husband pointed out yesterday, probably the nicest car we'll ever own! So that's all very exciting.

My husband has his first flight tonight. Very exciting, and nerve wracking for him too, of course, on a new and much larger aircraft type. But I know he'll come back with a huge smile on his face! Then he'll know for certain that all the hard training was worth it.