Danger in Dubai?

Alot of my friends back home keep asking me if I feel safe here in Dubai. I keep telling them that they need to read their local papers and see if they are safe in the US? Last weekend when I was home in Columbus, there were 3 murders in the news as I drove into town on Monday morning--and another 2 had been solved over the weekend.

In contrast, murder and most other major crimes (and petty crimes) are pretty rare here in Dubai. There aren't really any parts of town that you would fear to travel. So I feel pretty safe and comfortable here...or I did until I saw that I may need Insurance for my GOLF GAME!!!

While waiting at the insurance office to get car insurance, I noticed a brochure for golf insurance.
For 250 aed (about $70) you get coverage for any damages your golf game may inflict upon the innocents of this world. You are covered for property damage, bodily injury, permanent disablement and/or accidental death to your 'caddy' or other persons on the golf course. If you suffer a dibilitating injury that keeps you from said threat of inflicting golf injury or damage, you will be reimbursed pro-rata for your membership fees. Also covered is accidental loss or damage of clubs, bags, and other golf equipment (excludes balls, sadly).

Also insured is your bar tab, in the event that you score a hole-in-one.

Soap Opera

There is a soap opera brewing in the parking garage here at our apartment building. Apparently, a woman named Helen, side-swiped the rear bumper of a Nissan Grandis station wagon which is parked as you round a corner and was not pulled all the way into it's parking space...because there was a bike parked against the wall infront of the Nissan. But they could have pulled in another 3 ft. I also think the car is a rental. I haven't searched the garage for a dented front right fender...Helen's car.

Anyway, Helen left a very nice note under the rear window wiper, giving her apt # and some phone numbers. Note stayed there for a day or two and then I noticed some more writing on the note. Someone else had told Helen she shouldn't pay, since they had complained several times to building security about the lousy parking job.

In the meantime, it's been another 3-4 days and the note is still there, and the car hasn't moved. I just know the big showdown will occur while I'm out of town next week. Maybe I should copy Helen's # and ask her how it turns out!

Tundra Update, Part 2

Another Tundra sighting today…the black one again. No sign of my Grey Tundra, though the customs broker says that it made it past the Somali Pirates (drats!) and is in town. Here’s what’s been happening, in case you ever want to ship a vehicle and contents overseas. First of all, no matter what the shipping broker says, insist on listing all the personal items that you are shipping inside the vehicle. I’m pretty aggravated with Air7Seas, who arranged the transport of the Tundra. I asked them on 3 specific occasions if they needed to know what items I was putting in the truck. Every time, the answer was ‘no’ (which really made no sense to me, but I kept saying they do this every day, so they must know). Also, once the truck was on the boat (and remember, I hadn’t paid a single cent yet) I got an invoice where the cost of the container had jumped from $2450 to $3550. I emailed, and called and left msgs, but never heard anything back. I did mail a check for the invoice amount minus the $1100 difference. So I just let it go for the time being.
Anyway, the Tundra sailed from Savannah around Nov 7 and was due in around Dec 2nd. I started looking for a Customs Broker (because it’s required here in Dubai, and I doubt my Arabic is sufficient to get thru all the documentation). My shipper recommended one—they never answered their phone for 3 days. I finally got the name of a broker from a classmate who was shipping a container from New Zealand. I called them; they emailed me an estimate (about $800) within 30 mins and I filled out the requisite form, attached a passport photo, included a copy of my passport and my resident visa. Then we hit a little snag. None of the personal items in the truck are listed on the Bill of Lading. They also needed an original of the Bill of Lading or a Telex Release (whatever that is) or an express release (whatever that is). Soooo, I emailed the shipping broker and told them that I needed the Bill of Lading amended, and I inquired about the telex or express release. Emails weren’t really working with these people—though they do like to send them. Since I was in the states the first week of December I was able to get the Air7Seas folks on the phone and got them working on the Bill of Lading—apparently that had to be done by Orient Overseas Shipping Line who carried the Tundra thru the dangerous Gulf of Aden and past the Somali Pirates. Anyway, they also wanted to talk about my unpaid balance. I argued my case and they finally came up with some bogus charge of $300; I paid it. They are one step below car salesmen and I will be talking to the BBB once I get the keys to my truck in hand. They got the documentation straightened out and sent it via DHL to Dubai, I typed up a packing list, and gave everything to the customs broker yesterday. They seem happy…now we will see what happens. I do know that there will be a duty tax to pay…just depends on what value they assign the truck. I have some more photos just in case.

Sidebar: In the middle of this whole process, Bellsouth, who told me that my email would be available for 60 days after I terminated my account, cut me off after 30 days and dumped all my email--including most of my correspondence with Air7Seas. Fortunately, I had downloaded and printed a couple crucial documents. Thanks Bellsouth!

In the meantime, I’m trying to get insurance on the truck. Again, I will need to fill out a form, sacrifice another passport photo, copies of passport and visa, and I also need to get a letter from Toyota saying they can get parts for the Truck (they can) since it’s a restricted import. I also need a letter from my US insurance company saying I haven’t crashed into anyone over the past 4-5 yrs so I can get a 30% discount. That’s in the works. Still haven’t seen the quote.
And I’m looking forward to trying to get the truck registered. Which reminds me, I need to get a front plate holder while I’m in the US next week, so they can nail me with the radar cameras.

Sorry, if this has been a ramble thru the red tape tangle that is International Shipping and Dubai. Maybe there should have been a warning label. I wrote it more for my own reference…or for whoever is foolish enough to follow in my shoes. Sorry…hope it wasn’t too much like real life.

Back in the Saddle

I finally started my On-the-job training today--felt good to talk to airplanes again, even if I couldn't understand what alot of them were saying. Mostly, I stumbled over unfamiliar call signs (Azerberjaini, Ariana, Kish Air, Osman, Omani, Bahrani, Saudi, Donarvia, India Express, Swiss Ambulance, Blue Silver, Safa, Aerostana, and a few that just used 3-letter phonetics) and some off the wall operations. I also had to deal with the ideosyncracies of some of my old work habits...everytime I cleared someone for takeoff I picked the strip up to scan the barcode--except we don't use barcodes; gave one aircraft 'taxi in position and hold' instead of 'Line up and wait' (didn't even realize I had done it until my trainer said something). I did get to clear DAL 8 to land, but didn't stick around to see if he actually made it...time to go home!

One of the clearances they use over here is one I swore I wouldn't use...and it was one of the first ones I used: 'Behind the landing A330 line up and wait RWY 30 R.' All I can say is when in Dubai, do as the Dubains do. We also had a GulfAir cleared runway heading (and he even verified runway heading) make a 60 degree right turn off the runway. I wanted to ask him if he was using one of the Atlanta RNAV SIDs. Apparently there are a few air carriers you really have to watch.

My crew consists of some ex-Heathrow guys, a South African, and a couple Emerati nationals, including the first female controller--who is also a member of the Royal family (haven't got the whole story yet, but she is very funny and pretty cool). I think I wound up with a good, laid back, fun crew. My trainer got a kick out of the fact that I actually say 'niner;' said he had never heard that used before.

Training is mandatory 40 days, so target mid February for the checkout party. Everyone is invited!

Sharing is good...

Unless it's your airline seat on a 14 hour flight.

I flew back to Atlanta last week to surprise my son for the Columbus High Chorus Holiday performance. And he was sufficiently surprised, his jaw literally dropped--and he had a surprise for me. He sprained his ankle the day I arrived and was on crutches. My daughter was very happy to see me, too, once she realized I wasn't a doctor taking care of Max's ankle.

Anyway, Max took the stage on crutches and the whole group performed very well. He even managed to go up and down 4 flights of stairs for the reception afterwards.

I was only in town for 3 days, but I got to enjoy some time with the kids; hang out with my friends for coffee, and take care of a couple loose ends. I even got to wear a light jacket and scrape a little frost off the windshield...oh, how I miss that!

Now back to sharing...DAL 7 to ATL wasn't too bad. I had a big guy next to me, but I was on the exit row, so lots of leg room to stretch out. DAL 8 to Dubai was a different story. I prefer the aisle seat and when I showed up to claim mine, the large gentleman in the middle seat had already raised the armrest and claimed a few inches of my seat. Also didn't have the leg room to make it work, so I spent alot of time in the galley. I know I'm not skinny, but I do fit in my seat. And I know alot of people are just the way God made them...as bad as it was for me, I know I would not have survived being that guy in the middle seat.

Now, I have a suggestion for Delta and all other airlines. Let's start making people state their weight when they make their reservation. They should be able to do this and claim it's for load planning and weight balance. Then when someone claims a seat they can color code the seat by weight class...green for less than 100lbs; blue for 100-200lbs; red for over 200lbs...that way, when I pick my seat I can try and find someone smaller to sit next to and both of us will be comfortable. And the aisle seat I had will eventually fall to someone who is in a smaller weight class and everyone should be able to ride in relative comfort. How about it Delta?

In the mean time, I'm working out and trying to get out of the red.

Abu Dhabi Boat Show

Friday was an RDO, so Ricky and I hopped in the Yaris and drove down to Abu Dhabi for the Emirates Boat Show. I was pretty sure that the show was from 10am-6pm and we arrived a little after 9, only to find out the show was 4pm-10pm. My Bad! So, we had an unplanned day to spend in the UAE Capital City.

It's a very lovely city, tree lined boulevards, lots of parks, very clean, and a nice, accessible shoreline. It's also pretty easy to navigate. Dubai is a great city, but I would not call it a classic city...it's more of a phenomenon and an experience.

We drove around a little and found a Southern Fried Chicken restuarant for lunch. They did a pretty fair job with the Chicken. They also had 'Mississippi Pizza' which looked like it had just about everything on it...maybe next trip to A.D.

We walked around the shore a little; then decided we would take a trip up the observation tower at The Marina Mall...except we discovered it's still under construction (the Tower, not the Mall). We did find a bowling alley in the Mall, so we ducked in for a couple hours of bowling and pool. Except for the Arabic music being piped in, I would have thought I was at Peach Bowl lanes in Columbus.

We finally made it to the boat show. They were a little lacking on sailboats (4 models) and with affordable petrol, it may make sense to go with a power boat--except I really get a kick out of sailing. From talking to the Dubai based retailers, dock space could be a problem; or trailer storage, if i decide to get a small power boat. I plan on spending the next couple months checking out the local docks...and even some of the docks in the neighboring emirates where prices are much cheaper.

We saw alot of impressive yachts...some they wouldn't even let us board without an appointment! It's nice to fantasize.

Wacky Wednesday

Wednesday we spent the day running Simulator problems all day--learned alot about the way things are done here. I'm starting to get Dubai-ified...I can say things like 'traffic vacating right' 'climb not above 2 thousand' and the ever dreaded 'line up and wait'. I have mostly gotten out of the habit of saying 'Atlanta Tower', but I still let a 'Dixie' slip when I should be saying 'delta'.

Wednesday after work I got to watch the QE2 make her final Port of Call in Dubai. They are going to make her a floating hotel/museum, tied dockside the trunk of the Palm Jumeirah. She sailed in past the World Islands and had an escort flotilla of 40-50 vessels. I saw a few cannon flashes firing a salute on her way in. They also had an Emirates A380 (the same one we toured) making low passes on the ship. Sorry the pics are a little hazy--I'm about 2 miles from the port--but, that's the QE2 on the left approaching the harbor entrance. For better pics, click here.

After that show, our class hooked up with Ricky's class for some drinks at the Irish Village. A few other DXB controllers joined in for the evening. Aside from adjusting to life in Dubai, the big topic of discussion was the Dubai 7s Rugby Tournament this weekend...it's a very big deal for most of my co-workers. Teams are 7 on 7, for two 10 min halves--instead of twice and many on a side and 90 min contests. Scrums are a little lacking, with only 3 guys on each side butting heads...but it's good theatre. I'm still trying to get a grasp of the rules...if there are any.

So, while we are sitting outside enjoying some fish n chips, a few pints, the weirdest thing happened. It started raining...and raining...and raining...and lightening...and thunder; and no one really cared. We just sat there getting wet and enjoying the rare phenomenon. My first Dubai rain shower.

Had heard alot about how dangerous it was to drive in the rain here--roads are very slick and folks don't know to slow down (on a side note, landing at DXB in the rain is also an adventure. They do alot of rubber removal, but the runways are not grooved and are very slick in the rain).

Well, I drove home--sober, and didn't have any problems with the expressways, except I couldn't make out any of the lanes. Once we got on the side streets we drove thru alot of flooded streets...worried about the Yaris going u-boat on us. One area near the apartment was about 100 yds long and water was 18 inches deep--well above the bottom of the door. But the Yaris stayed watertight and didn't drown--may have floated.

They say it only rains 4-5 days a year, but this is the rainy season.

An Airport by Any Other Name...

Our ATC class took a field trip Monday. We drove 25 miles to the new Jebel Ali Airport (also known as Dubai World Airport, Dubai World Central or Al Maktoum Airport, but known to us as JXB). The airport is still under construction and will be for the next decade at least. There is one runway (of six parallel runways eventually) some ramp space, and several buildings under construction, including a temporary passenger terminal and the new tower and approach control. We actually had to 4-wheel across the desert to get to this place.

We donned safety vests and hard hats and took a tour of the new tower/approach control.

Now, this place was supposed to open in March 09...there are about a dozen controllers in trailers out here in the middle of the desert training for the new tower. They even have a 360 degree simulator in a trailer. Unfortunately, this place isn't going to be ready in March. They are now shooting for June...rumor is maybe September. And these controllers will be here waiting until then...making the same pay as we are at Dubai Int'l.

Anyway, after watching an approach control and tower get built in Atlanta, I can feel safe saying they are probably looking at next fall. Building still needs a few months of work before they even start putting in equipment and getting it working right. The terminal building is just temporary until they build the mid field complex (similar to ATL). The runway is actually the southernmost of 6 to be built...and there will be at least one other tower...maybe 3 total if they will still do ramp control.

Click here and Enjoy the pics

Random Firings...week 3

For my Beautiful daughter, Julia…They really like ‘bendy’ straws in Dubai—they come with almost every drink.

They use radar cameras to enforce speed limits around here. It sucks to be driving down the road and have a flash go off in your face…you know you’ve been caught and somewhere down the road, when you register your car, or have to renew your driver’s license, or maybe even when you load up your Salik toll card, you will also be paying your fine (or fines). So far, both Rod and I have both been ‘flashed.’ He got tagged for his fine (21km/h over) when we converted our temporary driver’s licenses to permanent. ..500dhm ($135). I’m still in my rental car, so I guess I will get my bill from National when I turn in the car. The other bad part of it, is you can't let a faster car run interference for you; you will both get caught--but they will pay more. On the plus side, you do learn where the cameras are if you drive the same roads every day.

Salik? Means open or clear, and it’s the name of the toll system for Sheikh Zayed Road and a couple heavily used bridges. It’s all automatic. You register and buy a card to mount on your windshield and you pay on your account to stay ahead of the tolls that you plan to incur. Everytime you pass underneath one of the electronic toll gates, you are charged 4 dhms ($1.08). I usually hit the gates once each way to and from work…and a few other times if I’m running around town. Guess that will be another expense on my rental bill.

There is a spray hose next the toilet…I haven’t figured out is it’s for spraying my ass clean or spraying the bowl…I’ve done a little of both. TMI?

How about this? The bathrooms at the tower have cold water to wash your hands and warm water to flush the urinal…anyone want to know how I know that?

I’m having my first VCD experience…video cd (or cds in this case—it takes a couple to hold a movie). They are dirt cheap…about $3 for ‘The Bucket List’. The quality is comparable to watching on a regular analog or a vhs tape, which is probably not what you want for a cinematic epic; but is just fine for a buddy movie like this—the movie was very good, if anyone cares.

I have had to return a few of my purchases. An iron…which was the cheapest available and worth every penny. Unfortunately I had lost the receipt (ok, threw it away while moving in), so that made the return a little trickier; but 3 folks at the HyperPanda (yes, that’s the name of the store) plugged in the iron and watched it light up for about 10 seconds and then turn off—so I think they felt sorry for me and offered me another of the same type. I told them I would rather spend a bit more…it all worked out. Also returned some pots and pans; and some bed sheets—just found something better, and I had receipts for those.

Speaking of returns, I bought a living room suite…a 3-seater, a 2-seater, and 1-seater, to use the local vernacular. Well, the delivery guys tried their best, but they could not fit the 3-seater into the elevator. They got very close, getting the door to within inches of closing, before shoving so much pressure on the overhead light, that it blew and blew the fuse for the elevator. A crowd of workers had gathered by then and I think they were prepared to carry it up 23 flights of stairs; but I dissuaded them because someday in the future, I will have to carry it down 23 flights of stairs. So now I have two 2-seaters and a 1, and a 1200 aed credit at TepeHomes.

I found a nice Caribou Coffee shop nearby—but I’m getting back online at home (along with cable and phone). Guess I will just have to use it for coffee and reading. It’s at the Al Bahar Souk in Old Town Burj Dubai. There is a Starbucks right next door. The Souk is right next door to the Dubai Mall which has 2 Starbucks (that I have found so far) and a Caribou opening soon directly above Starbucks in the main atrium. (guess I should mention there is also another Starbucks across the street from the Al Bahar Souk and they say a Starbucks is going to be opening in the retail level of our building in a few months). That’s a lot of Java.

My spell check goes nuts with all the local terms and names.

I keep forgetting to mention it, but I have heard Xmas music playing and seen Xmas displays since I set foot on the ground here.

I went to the gym here at the apartments this week. Treadmill asked me for my weight and I entered 240…well, it doesn’t go that high, because I only weigh about 108kg. I feel thinner already.

I just counted 14 different high rises going up outside my window within ½ mile. Most are still at ground or basement level—one is about 4 stories. There are work crews in blue, green, and yellow jumpsuits…or yellow ants, green ants and blue ants.

I had another Tundra sighting. That’s number 3…maybe. This one was black…so was the first, so they may be the same one. There is still the chance that the Tundra will be hijacked and ransomed by Somali pirates—I’m not paying the ransom.

I discovered something new today. There is a knob on the front of the sink with a logo on it. I couldn’t really figure out what it was for other than decoration or to plug up a place where some kind of option (like a spray hose) might go-though it made no sense for the option to be placed at the front edge of the sink. Essentially I just wrote it off as some things are just a little different here. Well, yesterday Rod showed me what the knob did (his realtor had shown him)…if you have a full sink of cold, greasy water, instead of dipping in up to your elbow, you turn the knob and it will dislodge the stopper enough for the sink to drain. How clever.

Reinforcements arrive

Ricky made it to town last night. For those of you who don’t know, Ricky and I worked together at ATL, and both got the wild idea to come out here. Of course, I got picked up 3 weeks earlier, so I will still have seniority over him...ha! I picked him up at the hotel he is staying at on Sheik Zayed Rd. It’s much nicer than the Mirdif Villa Rod and I shared for 3 weeks…he’s got tv, phone, internet at the French Bakery next door, restaurants in close walking distance…and it’s not under the flight path of the airport. We are extremely jealous.

That being said, he is living in the SECOND ugliest building on Sheikh Zayed Rd. My realtor is next door in the UGLIEST building. (see photo above; Ricky is in the building on the right)

I took Ricky to Festival City Mall for his phone and eye test for the driver’s license; Told him what to expect for the next week and then Rod and I told him about all the stuff I couldn’t tell him before or he would have never got on the plane. Just kidding...it’s all good; just different.
It is nice to hear another American voice, and Southern, at that!

Random Firings

We have a lifeguard named Adonis.

I found the worst job in Dubai. Carrefour is a large grocery/everything store located at the Mall of the Emirates…crowded as heck most of the time. In the Dubai grocery stores you have to go to a weigh station to have your produce weighed and they slap a sticker on it for the checkout—stuff we used to do in the USA 30 yrs ago. Anyway, there are 3 gals at this weigh station surrounded by about 90 people trying to get stuff weighed. There is no order, you just push your weigh to the front if you need something weighed—with your shopping cart. And these 3 gals are going a 1000 miles per hour, excuse me, 1600 km/hr, grabbing bags of produce thrust in front of them, slapping it on the scale, typing a code in, and putting the bag in a tape machine to seal it and slapping the barcode on it…and they do about 20 bags in the time it took me to type what they did. They are fast, efficient, and non-stop. I don’t know how long their shift lasts, but I wouldn’t make it more than 15 mins. I at least gave my girl a sincere thanks, but if she heard it, she didn’t acknowledge—she just stayed in her zone for the next customer.
I also found the easiest, most useless job in Dubai. I watched a guy sweeping off the top of an orange/white construction barrier.

I know these people make a pittance; and I also know it’s more than they can make back in whatever home country they rear from. But everyone of them has been so polite and always greet you with a smile and call you by some honorific, whether it’s ‘sir’, ‘miss’, ‘mom’…except for the produce gal at Carrefour, God Bless Her.

While we are on the that topic, i was headed out for coffee last night and I met a nice Filopino lady who had just finished cleaning a neighbor's apartment. I chatted with her a bit and got her number, just in case. I got off the elevator at the garage and she continued to the lobby. As I was driving away, I passed her and stopped. Asked her how far she had to go; about 2 miles, but thru a very unpedestrian friendly part of town--thru construction, and somehow across the free way--plus it was dark. I told her to hop in and I would drive her home.

She told me that she charged 30 AED per hour--3 hr min. (that's about $25 for 3 hrs). Plus it cost her a 45aed cab ride to our building. I told her I doubt I would have 10 mins of cleaning for her to do, but I'd keep her number. She told me her 'day job' is cleaning at The Iranian Hospital, six-days a week. She makes 800 AED per month ($230); pays 550 AED/mo for a bed + 100/mo Utilities and works at nights cleaning Apartments. Turns out she also goes to St. Mary's Church on Friday's--her day off. We had alot of time to talk, because I made a wrong turn and had to take a detour thru the Dubai Mall parking lot to get turned around (not the first time I have had to do that). She sais she had also worked for a few years in Rihyad, Saudi Arabia and in Japan. She has 3 kids at home, split between her Mom and their Father. Suddenly, six-days a week for the FAA doesn't seem so bad.

I bought a bunch of frozen goods for the new place last night. I couldn’t get it all in the very cramped freezer, so I had to eat a quart (ok, 500ml) of ice cream rather than let it melt away.

I’m going to have to get some curtains…or else just learn to live with the world’s tallest night light.

I can’t wait to feel like a whole person again. Hard to live without having internet readily available when you are so far from home and friends. When I was in my temporary villa in Mirdif, Caribou Coffee was only 5 mins away—2 hours of internet with purchase. Now at the new apartment, we have Starbucks close by, but you have to pay to use their services. I have found a couple other places that have wi-fi, but they are usually limited to 10mb of download—that doesn’t last very long. I’m still running over to Mirdif a couple times a week for internet. Alas, I drove over after work today and their internet is down. So I wrote a blog about it, want to hear it? I didn’t think so.

So far I have an office chair, a couple rugs, a long, low table for the TV, a surround sound system, and an air mattress. All my entertainment comes from playing cds that I downloaded on the laptop, reading books, or studying maps and procedures. I have also been doing a bit of shopping—which is a form of sport here in Dubai. They tend to wear me down to where I will pay anything to be done and say I accomplished something. Right now my mission is sheets for the new bed. 180cm x 200cm? No thread counts on the packaging. And generally not a whole lot to choose from. They do like duvets over here, so I guess I will have to get one—and a cover.
Things should be getting a whole lot better by the weekend. Thursday (the 20th) I will have all my furniture delivered along with a TV. Saturday they are coming to hook up Internet, Landline, and Cable…then I should be whole again. I will also be getting some more company when Ricky touches down Thursday evening. I will try and find out where they are putting him and go round him (and his roommates) up on Friday. He will need to do the eye exam and get a phone…and if they stick him in Mirdif I guess I will have one last cup of coffee at Caribou. (I must say, it really is a nice Caribou Café…very roomy and comfortable; also includes a small bookstore; and a Gourmet Burger Kitchen—delicious-- is also connected—plus it’s in a nice open air Mall and the staff is very friendly and accommodating).

Since writing the above paragraph, I did find a wi-fi link at the Starbucks at Border’s Books at the Mall of the Emirates…it’s about 15 mins and 2 toll gates from the apartment.

By the way, if anyone wants my address or phone, just holler and I will get it to you. Hope all are doing well on the other side of the pond...and anyone else on the planet who is tuning in.

A380...The Big Dog

Monday we were in class discussing CAT 1 and 2 protected areas, when we decided it would be better served to hop in the ATC Truck and drive out on the airport and see for ourselves. While we were touring the different areas we did notice a shiny new Emirates A380 sitting on the EK Tech Ramp…it had just been delivered to the airline (3rd for Emirates), so we helped ourselves to a self tour. This is my first time seeing the A380, much less going exploring inside it. The thing looks like a huge Brahma Bull…not overly lengthy but tall, thick, and stocky...and 4 massive engines to power the monster.

We hopped up the stairs, and entered near the cockpit…you have to go up a short flight of stairs to reach the cockpit. There was one gentleman in the right seat checking a few things out. The plane still had all the wrappings from the factory and that new car smell. The lower level is all economy class, ten across, 3-4-3. Didn’t count the rows, but probably room for about 260-280 folks. Then we went up the stairs to 1st Class. Each person gets their own little private cubicle, with TV, bed, stereo, desk, and I think a personal masseuse. The bathroom, and I mean a bathroom bigger than what I have in my apartment, has a shower in it. You can join the mile high club and pretend you’re drowning in a U-boat, all in the same flight.

Behind first class, is business class and they have smaller cubicles, with many of the same amenities, except you can’t close a door and have privacy like in 1st class. At the back of the plane is a small horseshoe bar and a big screen tv, and then the galley. There are stairs at the rear to go back down amongst the great unwashed in steerage, I mean economy. Didn’t find the crew quarters, but I’m sure they have one. In case you weren't aware of it, the B777 has sleeping quarters for the relief crew up above the passenger area.

Seats seemed roomy enough in economy…I may have to give it a try on one of my trips to the states. Right now they are flying the A380 to Heathrow and JFK. Maybe when I’m coming home for a long stay and can afford a couple extra hours changing planes.
I haven’t seen the plane in action yet. We have only spent about 30 mins in the tower so far watching the operation. As we drove away and got a little distance we could see the A380 compared to a B747 parked next to it. Maybe not quite as long, but taller, especially in the tail—the tail is massive and probably tops the B747 by at least 30 ft.

Anyway, it was a nice bonus for the day.

Moving Day

Been a little lax getting my blogs posted, but it’s been a busy week starting ATC training and finalizing things for the new apartment. The landlord flew in from France to get the place ready. It’s a brand new building, so she had to go thru a punchlist of items to fix. I also had to take care of the financial end. I had deposited the housing allowance on Tuesday morning and the funds were available that afternoon. Thursday morning went back to the HSBC branch to get a ‘manager’s check’ for the rent, security deposit and the agents fee. But let me backtrack a little, because while it’s been a glassy smooth for me; some of my classmates have been enjoying a real struggle, trying to keep eager Realtors at bay.

It takes awhile (but not a long while) for money to trickle in from Serco. You have to make a request and then it takes a day or two to get a check. Then you have to deposit the check, but you can’t deposit the check at a teller—you have to use special Deposit ATMs (which are pretty cool, because they scan a copy of your deposit check and print it on your receipt). Anyway, after the deposit, since the Serco check is the same bank as ours, it normally clears within a day—one even cleared in about 2 hours. However, one of my classmates check didn’t clear for 3 days—3 days of daily phone calls, texts, and emails from the realtor, threatening to kill the deal. He had already paid a security deposit, and explained how things work on our end, but it’s like the people either don’t believe you or they just aren’t listening.

So, once your check clears you have to go to the main branch of HSBC in Deira (older part of Dubai = zero parking). Let me back track again…HSBC is the bank; they have 3 full service locations and about 20 ‘Service’ centers, but you can really only do something at your home full service location—which for us is Deira. The only thing the ‘service’ centres can do is show you how to use the deposit ATM…you can’t get money (except from the regular ATM), you can’t cash a check, you can’t get a cashiers check, you can’t deposit cash, in fact, I think the only thing they can do is sign you up for new services that the bank may offer. So anyway, back to HSBC Deira…my first trip down their was last Tues. I drove 2 of my classmates down to get ‘Manager’s Checks’ so they could pay security deposits, school tuition, etc; I also had a check to deposit. Because of a closed street due to Metro construction, to get to this branch you have to negotiate thru a detour with about 30 different turns thru alleys, parking lots, around a couple green spaces…all to traverse one closed block.

We parked wedged between a dumpster full of last nights leftovers baking in the sun and a car that looked like it hadn’t moved in a few months (which I have since learned, looks like about any car here after 2-3 days without a wash). We walked the block and a half to the bank , and I made my deposit in the ATM while the others arranged for their checks. You have to sit down and fill out a form with all the info for the payee and the amount, they have to go get it approved, then they have to go to another place and have the checks printed, then they have to have 2 signatures. You sit waiting and you get a text msgs each time they cut a check saying that the money is being taken from your account. The whole process takes about 90 mins. Since my business was finished, I chatted with one of the ladies at the bank, Zania, who said she was from Jordan, but was born and raised in Dubai (?)…but insisted I visit Jordan before I leave. I had heard they were opening a new Deira office with better parking and I asked her when it was opening…she told me ‘this is the new branch.’ Oh.

I got Zania to help me a couple days later when I went for my own manager’s checks—she pulled me out of the queue. I had also left my ATM card in one of their machines, so I asked her to help me with that—after a little running around, she said they had the card and I could pick it up at the Deira branch on Sat. Sheepishly, I asked (ok, got on my knees and begged) if they could mail it to me.

Back on track now, I had received an email from my realtor outlining what I needed to pay:

Rent and Security Deposit: 213,000 aed

Agency fee: 10,500 aed

Fee for making the best apartment in Dubai available: 2,000 aed in cash

I got my checks, called my Realtor, Sharham, and arranged to meet him in about an hour at his office. If you remember from last week’s blog, I’d never met him in person and I had never seen the apartment—everything up to this point was phone, texts, and emails. I met him, handed over my checks (not the 2000 cash), signed a Tenancy agreement—he said he’d get the landlord to sign and get the keys. The next day, I met him at the apartment (and paid my 2000 cash)…my first time seeing it. Pretty sweet and obscenely expensive—but as I have heard a lot in the past 2 weeks, That’s Dubai.

I went out and bought a few things…mostly cleaning supplies, because it was pretty dusty. I also went to a look at a bunch of Furniture stores. After about 5-6 stops I decided to buy something before I got more confused. That seems to be the Dubai way…you get so overloaded, you just want to be done so you can say you accomplished something.

The next morning I took my first load (you can only get so much in a Yaris) and found my new landlord there, supervising the cleaning (yea!) and a few small repairs. She’s from France, but has split time in Dubai for the past 10 yrs. I came back a few hours later and had the place to myself. I made about 3 more runs for stuff, crap, food, and necessities. I also went by DEWA (Dubai Electric & Water Authority) to put utilities in my name.

I have one piece of furniture (an office chair from IKEA). I’m sleeping on an air mattress. I bought too much for my very small freezer and had to eat a quart of ice cream that wouldn’t fit. My only entertainment are cds I have downloaded on the laptop. But it’s still better than living under the flight path. And this morning, it’s 90 degrees and sunny…again, and I’m sitting pool side catching up on my blog.

Just a follow up note about the sandstorm…it blew open one of the glass doors here at the pool and shattered it to pieces! I also hope to come back and add some photos to this blog and others after I get settled in--right now internet time is still limited to how much coffee I can drink.

And they call the Wind Mariah

I keep telling everyone that it’s 90 degrees and sunny here every day…and it is. But I did get my first taste of a Sandstorm while driving on Saturday. From a distance it looked like a heavy brown haze or fog with buildings sticking out the top. Once you got in it, visibility evaporated to almost nothing. Winds were probably 30kts, gust to 50kts. Many cars on the freeway just stopped. I crept along only being able to see about 20 ft ahead. It was worse than any fog I had ever driven through. The worst of it only lasted for about 5 mins but visibility was still restricted to about 100 yds for much of the next hour. Not sure how common this phenomenon is, but it got my attention. Also, they had just cleaned my balconey and windows that morning…so now I have a fresh layer of protective sand everywhere.

Logical Acknowledgement Prohibitted

Well, I just finished my first week of ATC class at DXB…2 more to go. There are 5 of us in our class, an Irishman from Scotland, an Aussie, a Kiwi (originally from Canada) and Rod and I from the states. While they have 2 Americans working in the radar room, we are the only two in the tower. Couple surprises so far; don’t have to get tested on the map or all the city and airline identifiers. That’s probably a good thing. The other thing I have to get used to, is that I’m no longer a radar qualified controller…can’t assign headings.

One of the first things we had to do is sign a form that said English was our mother tongue and we were proficient. I signed with a big smile on my face. Then I went home and read thru the ICAO manuals and realized I may have lied on my form…I didn’t understand half of what I was reading. I think whoever wrote the ICAO is the bastard cousin of the person who wrote the FAA .65. I think the favorite one I came across, and it has sorta become my mantra out here, was a coded SELCAL message…USE OF LOGICAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT PROHIBITED. (I think it means ‘shut up’) A lot of the ICAO phraseology is screwy and I think it only sounds right if you say it with an English accent…so far it doesn’t sound very smooth in my southern American tongue.

Wake turbulence is a big issue here. Probably 80% of their flights are heavy jets. With 2 closely spaced runways it is always something you have to have at the front of your mind. There doesn’t seem to be much room for turning missed approach aircraft, with Sharjah airport 9 km north and the Worlds Tallest building 9 km south…so they stagger the departures with the arrivals regardless of the weather (kind of like the 2 increasing to 3 mile rule at ATL).

I will also be doing ramp control here since they push back onto active taxiways…so that’s something new. Have to get used to a different barometer and visibility measurements. We have procedures to deal with Royalty priority, helos for the police, oil fields, and sightseeing. Helos seem very cumbersome here. Runway separation seems excessive…previous dept must be clear of the departure end or turned clear of the runway before you can land or launch the next , and one of our runways is nearly 3 miles long (no 6000ft and airborne). Basically, I've been told not to worry too much about logic and find a 'happy place.'

There are other head down tasks that you need to do while you are working. Lots of strips (arrival and departure), different ink colors for different positions, stop bar lights that are controlled by the controller, and probably a few others I haven’t discovered.

On the plus side, there are almost no Traffic management issues, and we’ve basically been told that the ‘grey area’ here is pretty big and as long as you are being safe, you can say things the way you feel comfortable. We will also be able to drive vehicles around the airport—ATC does the runway checks on the weekends....so cool!

Our class day is usually 5-6 hours—no lunch break. We do get plenty of short breaks and the staff is quite understanding if you need to stretch it out to make some calls or do something move related. We also have access to the Departure Terminal and there are places to eat up there…And we get a discount!

Everyone has been treating us very well. Luke is our primary instructor and is a very laid back Aussie. He organized a trip to the pub after class Thursday. Mohammed Dosari, or Dos, is a Saudi and gave us some background on the local culture, and will be teaching us in the simulator.
We are on 12-8 shifts this week, except Thur. Simulator starts in anger on Wed. and I will be a permanent resident in my 'happy place' mumbling my mantra.

Random Observations from the first 10 days in Dubai

Not too many Dryers are used around here. If you do use one, it is probably a ventless condenser model. So far we have just been using the clothes line in the ‘garage’. Our new apartments will have a washer—no dryer. Guess it will pay to be a redneck from Georgia and have laundry hanging on the balcony.

The water taste pretty good and I don’t think it’s making anyone ill. Most water here is from desalination plants (which also double as power plants).

Road aren’t really safe to ride bikes on; and yards are mostly sand, so families bring their tykes with bikes and trikes to the malls in the evenings and it’s quite the demolition derby. Kids are kids, no matter where you go in this world. I can’t understand what most of them are saying, but I’m sure it’s no different than what I hear from my kids and their friends—yes, I do listen, Julia.

Books are pricier than at home…haven’t noticed if you can get a discount card. I shipped a box of books I haven’t read in the Tundra.

Speaking of the Tundra…I may have some problems parking that sucker around town…some of these parking lots are snug for the rented Yaris I’m driving.

A few other things seem pricier…Plastic goods like hangers, laundry baskets, etc.; Computers are a bit higher, though if you look hard you can find some sales. I haven’t found many discount shops—you do have to put in some footwork to find a sale (and that’s not really my style). Motorcycles are pricier—even the Japanese models; cars seem to be pretty reasonable and almost all the sales people have been very low key—they don’t hound and follow you around. There also isn’t a lot of stock on the showroom floors and many vehicles have to be ordered. Did I mention apartments are kind of expensive?

Usually you have a wide choice in fresh fruits and veggies, both in variety and price. I have seen items from all over the world…US, Italy, Holland, China, Australia, NZ, all over. For the most part, groceries are very reasonable.

Sticking with the market—it tests your math skills converting AED/kg to $$$/lb; Best I can figure, you divide the AED price by 8 and it comes out pretty close to the US price. Study harder Max…I will test you.

I had to get more passport photos made when I went for my physical Wed…they needed pics without glasses. I ran across the street to Spinney’s ( a grocery chain) and found a Kodak shop where I got 12 photos for 30 AED…I’m making progress. And now I can ask if they want my photo with or without specs.

The Fast Food concept is somewhat lost on the restaurants in the food courts around here. When they hand you a pager to let you know your food is ready, then something has gotten lost in translation. I have had several 10-15 min waits for food. Now, aside from the wait, most of the food has been excellent. I’ve purposely tried to avoid most of the major US players—only one visit to a KFC so far. Lebanese seems to rule and is delicious.

While we are still on food, they really, really, really like french fries here...the only meal we've had without fries is pizza. And I highly recommend Debonairs Pizza.

There aren’t a whole lot of Americans here…but there are a lot of people from everywhere else in the world. At the tower, we have Brits, Kiwis, Aussies, Canucks, Danes, Swiss, French, and the local Nationals. I hear rumors that there are other Americans about, but so far we haven't met them.

It took me about 6 months to master driving in DC...I think I will knock it down to about 2 months here. Still making a few wrong turns. Basically you have to know a few major highways, which bridge you want to cross, and then you have to know the different regions of town, because all the signs point to someplace. There is no east, west, north, south, uptown, downtown, etc.

Dubai is a true melting pot…kind of like New York City, except they speak English here.

Bond, James Bond

Had some free time this past Saturday and decided to take in a movie. The new Bond flick started here last week—I don’t think it starts in the states until the 14th. Don’t worry I won’t spoil the ending, but it was pretty good—lots of chases and action; fairly easy story to follow.

I’m not sure how it is at all theatres over here, but at the Grand Festival Cinema when you purchase your ticket you have to select your seat…I took row 6, seat 13 (and the rows are counted from the top of the theatre, so I had the 6th row from the top). Price was 35AED or just shy of $10…kind of pricey for an afternoon viewing, but they make it up on the concessions. Med popcorn and a bottle of water was 13 AED or about $3.50.

They had an usher to show you to your seat; no ads, but lots of previews. No one was talking on their cell phone (as I had been told to expect). Overall, a very enjoyable experience.
Oh yeah, the movie did have Arabic subtitles...and It was rated PG15.

More netting appearing...

I had another Tundra sighting today at Festival City Mall...that's 2! Maybe I'll start a club.

This one is dedicated to Larry, friend and Realtor

We just spent a solid 3 days looking at property, but both Rod and I found something we can enjoy for the next 3 yrs. I was focused on a 2 bedroom, so Ricky, another controller at ATL would be able to stay with me for about 6 months until we figured out what we wanted to do…also to have room if the kids or friends are visiting (you are going to visit, right?). Rod was looking for a 1 bedroom.

Real Estate works a bit different in the UAE than back home. Each realtor just concentrates on showing his own property listings. And an owner can list his property with as many realtors as they choose—not sure if there is a cost involved. What you wind up with is the possibility of several realtors showing you the same property…like apt 2003 at 8 Boulevard; we saw it once on Wed, twice on Thur, and then we requested to see 2003 again at night on Thursday…but that’s getting ahead of the story.

Rod got the name and # for a realtor from a lady he talked to at a bar on Halloween—my arrival night. She lived in the Downtown Burj Dubai area and that was one of the areas we were interested in seeing. He called the realtor, Marshall, and arranged a meet on Wed. With no appts Tues we just went driving around different areas of town to get a feel for what’s available and what the commute would be like. After looking around the Dubai Marina area (about 20 miles out) and getting caught in a couple traffic jams, I convinced Rod to my way of thinking and look for something closer to the airport. My goal was a 5 min commute, but there wasn’t a whole lot to choose from on the airport side of Dubai creek. Also, it was very difficult to reach realtors from ads on the internet—many went to fax #’s, others just didn’t answer--and, of course, there is no voicemail. We drove around the Burj Dubai area and liked what we saw—plus it looked like we would have 2 equally close ways to get to work...as in 2 different bridges we could use.

Anyway, we finally showed up for our meeting on Wed and were introduced to another idiosyncrasy of Dubai realty…we got a call from Marshall and he told us which units in the building to go look at (they were unlocked): 3005 and 3006, for starters. Then another call and another unit to look at, 2003; and then one more call to look at one more unit. Crazy, but we were at our leisure to check things out…we were at 8 Boulevard near the Burj Dubai, which was brand new—just weeks since it opened, and it had some very nice units with large balconeys and great views. Pool was nice too; gym and game room; bbq patio—only real drawback is that it’s a couple hundred yard walk through a construction area to reach civilization, aka, Old Town Dubai and the Dubai Mall…and it will probably be under construction the whole time we are here.
Next, Marshall told us to drive over to Old Town and find another apartment—it took a little searching and another phone call, but we managed to find it. It was more classic Arabic architecture (thus the name Old Town!). The units were smaller, darker, and just didn’t feel as nice as what we had just left. We were done looking for the day and headed home soon after.

Oh, you are probably wondering how much??? Well, the one bedrooms at 8 Boulevard were 140,000AED…about $40k per yr; 2 bedrooms were around 210k AED or $60k. The Old Town 2 brdm was also 210k…we ruled it out quickly. We stopped at Festival City Mall on the way home and ate dinner. While we were there we talked to a fella at real estate kiosk. He didn’t handle rentals, but he did give us a website to check out. That helped quite a bit, and the next day we had 4 appts.

First was back at 8 Boulevard with Craig. While waiting for our realtor—in person this time, we met another of our controllers and his wife coming out of 8 Boulevard with their Realtor. We talked to them for a few, then we looked at a 2 bdrm corner unit on the 28th floor (out of 35)…this was very nice with great views of the Burj Dubai and the Gulf Coast (photos don’t do it justice). It was also priced at 250k AED…yikes! Next he took us to one of the 1 bdrms we looked at Tues. and then to 2003 again…which is a very nice 2 bdrm with a straight on view of the Burj Dubai. About this time I had another appt in a complex called South Ridge to see a 2 bdrm. Rod stayed with the realtor to go see a couple 1 bdrm units. Before I could drive away, the realtor who was showing to our friend approached me about the properties he was showing and prices. One was 3202 (the corner unit) for 220k…hmmmm.

I showed up at the South Ridge 2 lobby and waited for the realtor. After about a 15 min wait I called him and he asked if I was in the lobby…I was…and he said go look at 2902, it’s open. So I did…by the way, all these places have a security desk where you have to sign in and surrender your driver’s license. I went up to 2902 and really liked what I saw…very roomy, except the 2nd bedroom was a little small, and only one balcony off the living room. Price was 210k. About that time, Rod’s agent was bringing him into South Ridge 6, so I joined them to look at another 2 bdrm. Rod liked it even though it was a lower floor (6) for 200k. I kept telling him that 2902 was much nicer.

After that, we went back to 8 Boulevard—we are learning our way around by now—to meet another realtor, Bibi. Bibi showed us 1802, (the corner unit) and the price was 210k. I asked her to try and get them to come down a little on the price and I would take it. I would take it even if they didn’t come down, but I didn’t tell her that. Maybe I should have. Bibi showed us a couple more properties at a place called The Residences and at South Ridge…nothing spectacular.

Last Appt was with Ziad and Christian…back at 8 Blvd. First we had the mandatory visit to 2003. Then we saw a couple 1 bdrms and finally another corner unit, 3002 for 220k. By now, Rod had pretty much decided to go with a roomier 2 bdrm, and he liked 3002. But he wanted to see it at night. So we arranged to see it again around 730p. That gave us a few hours to kill, so first i took Rod up to 2902 South Ridge, jsut so he would be even more confused with choices. Then we went to the new Dubai Mall to check out the aquarium, hockey rink, and grab a bite to eat. By the way, the Mall is the largest in the world and it ‘opened’ Wed. I say ‘opened’ because only about 30% of the stores were open and ready for business.

While we were eating, we got a text from Bibi…1802 was already gone at 210k. That put me in a hard spot because I knew Rod was very interested in 3002. I called our other co-worker Dave to see if he was going to be taking 3202. He said yes, but that they also looked at 2302 with another agent, Sharham, and it was 215k. I called Sharham and told him I would take the apt sight unseen. He sent me a text about 30 mins later saying the landlord agreed—so I was set. Now we would have 4 controllers all living in the same corner of the same building—I had received a 5 floor promotion, but was still low man.

We went back at 730 and we were told that 3002 was no longer available…oops. Anyway, Rod went and looked at 2003 again and decided it was pretty nice…so everything is all set, right?
Well, we have some paperwork to do and some very big checks to write. I think it was Craig who told us that this was the wild, wild west of real estate…and he was pretty dead on. Stay tuned, there is more to come.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my Mom’s birthday and I am making a special effort to figure this Dubai phone service out so I can call her. Etisalat is the national carrier that I’m using for my cell phone. I purchased my phone Saturday (I think it in a previous blog); got a SIM card for it…waited a day and a half for it to get activated. Once it was activated, it was pretty cool. Folks from the US can call or text me and it doesn’t cost me anything. I have signed up for a reduced Int’l plan, but haven’t quite figured out how to use it—but I’m on a mission today for my Mom.

Cell phones, or Mobiles, as they are called here are about as important as a social security number back home—God forbid if you ever have to change your number. Every official agency wants and uses them. First of all, you load your phone by purchasing a pin # for a certain amount of AEDs and using a dial code, type it into your phone…Voila! You now have more time to burn. Your bank will use it to inform you that a transaction has been made on your account. The Salik or toll road will text you when your card is running low on cash. You will get a text if you are caught on camera speeding or running a red light. We have also noticed--and it took a few days to realize--that they don't have voicemail here. There are probably quite a few other quirks I haven’t come across, but tonight I think I will just be using it to call Mom.

Happy Birthday Mom…Love, Don

Induction Day

Sunday was our first day at DXB…lots and lots of paperwork; but amazingly I only had to sign my name twice. They really, really, really, really like passport photos here. I had about 30 made and sent here before, back in the application process, and now they are stapled to just about every paper I see. Plus the ones I had made this weekend. Thank goodness all us new folks are good lookin. They covered about everything: health benefits, retirement scheme (the word scheme doesn’t carry the same sinister connotation here as back home—but I still perk up when I hear it; especially in relation to my retirement!), Airside pass processing, and most importantly, our Liquor card, which you need to purchase alcohol in the stores around here.

They also brought in a banker from HSBC (I forgot to ask him what HSBC stood for) and he opened accounts for us—we get a bit of a deal since Serco also uses HSBC and it makes it easier for Serco to get our pay and reimbursements to us. We also got ATM cards, a Mastercard, a Visa, and we get to set up free monthly money wires home. It all sounded pretty good.
A couple managers came in and gave us a rundown of the next couple months. They are a little behind in their training due to heavy use of the simulators getting ready to start split locals later this month (I don’t remember getting any simulator time at ATL when we split our locals?) Anyway, it works in our favor because our option for a week off is pushed back into the Xmas break—so looks like I will be home at least sometime around Xmas. Big Thumbs Up!
Next we had to go get a Temporary Dubai Driver’s License. Now, if you are just visiting Dubai on a tourist visa, you can just take your US drivers license and rent a car. But, since we are on a temporary work visa, we can’t rent a car until we have converted our US license to a Dubai license. And after we get permanent residency we will have to convert our temporary Dubai license to a permanent license. Make sense? Sounds like I’m going to need some more passport photos.

Thank goodness for Kiri, our family liason officer. First of all, I forgot my wallet at the villa, so three of us who needed to go to the Traffic Bureau hopped in a taxi back to the villa where Kiri picked us up. Then we went to the bureau which is like the DMV on steroids. We just got behind Kiri and followed her blocks thru the whole process. We each had a stack of 6-8 papers and photos, plus visas, passports, letters written in Arabic; then our number was called and we would sit in front of a very nice Emarati man or woman and smile and nod as they typed and poked around our papers. I kept waiting for something to go wrong, but it never did…until I looked at my receipt as I walked over to get my photo taken and I noticed my first name was Doland. It got fixed easily and I now have a pretty gold Dubai temporary Driver’s license.

The rest of the day, Rod and I drove around looking at different areas of the town. After getting stuck in several traffic snarls, I am redoubling my efforts to find a place with a 5-10 min commute to work. I will say there are alot of different nice areas of town---and alot of construction...everywhere! Tuesday we are going out for the day and I will see how many cranes I can photograph.

The Net is coming together

As you may know from my previous blog, I shipped my truck to Dubai with a lot of question marks still bouncing around my head. Well, since then, I did find out that Toyota plans to export the Sequoia to Dubai and the Mideast this fall (same chassis and I hope the same engine). Also, I was walking from the mall in Mirdif back to our villa (about 20 min walk) and what did I see? A black 07 or 08 Tundra. I told you I wasn’t the only fool out there!

As for the rest of my first full day here…I met my roommates finally. They were out drinking til 330a; I was crashed out by midnight. Rod is about my age, retired FAA (ORD, LAX), and just spent a year doing contract ATC in Basra, Iraq. He and I are new here. He showed me an aerial photo of the base in Basra with little red dots showing where all 353 mortars fell during his year there. Smartly, their quarters were right next to the US Embassy building, so they dodged quite a few close calls.

Daniel is from Scotland…10 yrs at Aberdeen; he has been here 5 weeks and he will be working at Jebel Ali when (and if) it opens. Opening has been pushed back from March to June 09.
I had to get a couple things done today, before work tomorrow. One was an eye test for my driver’s license. And I needed some passport photos. We walked around an outdoor mall here in Mirdif and found a photographer. When I told the woman that I needed passport photos, she said ’12 for 50AED’. I told her I had some passport photos on my memory stick and can I just get a couple prints (12 photos)? Not a problem…they printed out a sheet, cut them up and put them in an envelope. And she gave me a bill that said 12 for 40 AED. I only counted 6 photos and asked her about the price. She saw I was right and crossed out the 12 and wrote 6…but the price stayed the same. A few seconds I walked out of the store shaking my head and Rod told me that was an argument I was never going to win. Chalk it up to experience and having a funny story to tell.

Then back to the optician for my eye test, which lasted about 8 seconds.

I also needed a phone, which consisted of going to the Fone store, buying a phone, going to the Supermarket (Spinneys) and buying a Sim card, going back to the Fone store to have them insert the SIM card, and now charging the sucker. Tomorrow I will have to buy some time—it’s all prepaid here. If you want the number, email me.

We did find a nice, friendly pizza place—very delicious. Tonight we will be back at the mall to use the free internet at Caribou Coffee (so that’s why I am downloading 3-4 blogs at once tonight), and then tomorrow we get started at the airport. Yeehaw!

What th Hell Have I Done?

Usually when you make big changes in your life you get to that certain moment when you say “what the hell have I done?” When I moved from Atlanta to Washington DC back in 1989 I had one of those moments. We moved the first week of November and the 3rd week we were there, about 20 inches of snow fell—I was trudging the half mile to the Metro station the next morning asking myself ‘what have I got myself into???’ There was a foot of snow on the ground for the next month and I kept thinking I had just made a huge mistake coming up here. Turns out, that was pretty much the last big snow until the big blizzard of March 93—all my peeps in ATL remember that one, too. I left DC about 2 weeks later and now I only play in snow that I’m paying to be in…like Winter Park or Ski Dubai

I had another moment, well, actually bunches of them when I transferred back to ATL in 93. I was an Enroute controller prior to 89 and now I was going to the Tower/Approach option…new rules, new equipment, a whole new ballgame, and I hadn’t talked to a plane in almost 4 yrs. I purposely bought a place north of the airport, so I wouldn’t be tempted to quit and go back to work at the center in Hampton. Anyway, I felt like I was starting over in the world of ATC…and I had many ‘what the hell have I done” moments. But it all worked out and for 15 years I had one of the best jobs in the world.

So, if there is anyplace more prime for a ‘what the hell have I done’ moment, it would seem that I have landed here…7000 miles from home in an alien world, away from my kids, all new friends, and learning new rules, new equipment…

I thought I might have one of those moments on the flight over, but I was probably too tired. I think it will all work out just fine…but I’m still expecting some of those ‘moments.’

And Away We Go...

Well, moving day finally arrived and almost everything got done—some things better than others and there are still a few things I will have to clean up via the internet when I find a connection (Caribou Coffee at Uptown Mirdif). I was up til 5am cleaning house; got a few hours sleep and then it was getting busy hauling off the last of trash, donated items, stuff to storage, and few deliveries to friends and family. In fact, my last trip around town went something like this: Walmart to get spare house keys made (sure hope they work), Barnes and Noble, Jason’s Deli, and Moe’s to get gift certificates for the kids—which I later mailed in Halloween cards (unfortunately, they had accidentally locked the keys in the manager’s office at Moe’s so I would have to make a return visit), Then to the realtor to drop off keys and get a letter notarized, Then stop by the kids house to drop off one more box and some last minute stuff, then to U-haul to sell back unused boxes (by now I’m realizing I am behind schedule to get to the bank in Griffin before it closes), home to load up some ladders, a king size bed, and my luggage. I called my Dad and told him I was running out of time, and he said he could meet me in Locust Grove around 5:15. I knew I couldn’t make it to the credit union in Griffin by 4, but I could make the bank in Newnan…so off I go; goodbye Cataula. Made it to the bank with 10 mins to spare, got a few checks to finance my new life in Dubai, then off to meet my folks. Can’t tell you how much I enjoyed being stuck in an ATL traffic jam one last time (I-75 South). Met my parents about 45 mins late; had dinner at Wendy’s and then off to the airport.

All week I meant to haul my bags up to the gym to use their scales and see how much over weight I was going to be…well, it was one of those things I never got around to. My suitcase clocked in at 62 lbs; my golf bag, 80lbs…50 is the limit, 70 the limit for overweight. I repacked a few things into my carry-on; and put some other stuff in a small duffle and gave it to my Dad—I will get them next time I’m home. Anyway, I got down to 50 on the Suitcase and 68 on the golf bag and paid $150 for the extra weight…maybe I can get it back from Serco. Ironically, I think my carry-on was probably more than 50 lbs by the time I finished.

Got thru security with no problem. Everything ran on time for a 925p departure; I had a nice aisle seat on the bulkhead (worth every penny of my $15 ‘upgrade’), empty seat beside me. I had about 2 hrs of sleep in the last 2 days, so I basically saw the first 15 mins of Baby Mama, Get Smart, Wall-E, The Visitor, and Tropic Thunder…I also read 26 pages of my book. For a 14 hour flight, it went very quickly—I’ve been on worse flights across the US.

When I got off the flight in Dubai it was about 730p the next night. I was met by a lovely young Filipino lady named Maya, who had my temporary visa, and walked me thru immigration. She kept telling me I needed an “Ice Gun,” And I kept saying ‘Ok’ (Ice gun? In case I get too hot I put a round in my head?) Turns out, she was saying ‘Eye Scan,’ which was an Iris scan for the residency visa. We quickly went thru immigration, and then picked up my bags and before I knew it we were thru customs—I guess they weren’t checking bags since it was the weekend. (weekends are Fri-Sat here).

Maya handed me off to Kiri, who is the wife of a Serco employee. She drove me to my villa, who I will be sharing with 2 other controllers. Rod is retired FAA (ORD, LAX) and just finished a year in Basra, Iraq. Daniel is from Scotland.

The villa is nothing to brag about; it’s clean and roomy, but sparce—no TV, no radio, no phone, no internet. Kitchen is well equipped, just not much of the equipment works—microwave is out and most of the stove. AC works fine (the thermostat is in Farenheit). My bed room has a built in closet with shelves for clothes and there is a full size bed). The bathroom looks nice and the shower was nice once I figured out I had to turn the hot water heater on.

Anyway, it won’t be home for very long—I should start looking within a few days. Daniel has been here 5 weeks and has the #s for some real estate agents that I will use. I will try and get some pics up soon—for now I am depending on Caribou coffee for my internet.

"Leap and the net will appear"

I just read that line in "A Salty Piece of Land" by Jimmy Buffett and it certainly stikes a chord with my decisions this past year. Of course, I could use the mantra from "Risky Business" too, "sometimes you just have to say wtf." I've made alot of decisions, taken the leap and now we will see if the Net appears. I'm reasonably certain it will, though it may be quite bouncy with a few ups and downs before things settle.

Anyway, My latest leap might be the most foolhardy...I'm shipping my Toyota Tundra to Dubai. I will put it in a container in Savannah next Thursday and 6 weeks and 4k dollars later it should arrive in Dubai. Doesn't sound too risky, does it? what can go wrong? Plenty!

1. Toyota doesn't sell Tundras or anything with a Tundra 5.7 engine in the UAE or actually anywhere outside US territories (I did see them for sale in American Samoa). If anything goes wrong with the truck, parts will probably need to be shipped in for the repair. I'm going to load up on spares to take with me...belts, filters, brake pads, etc.

2. I share ownership of the Tundra with the credit union (who has generously granted me permission to take it out of the country). And though I've researched things and it seems like it will be ok, I can still forsee problems cropping up when I register the vehicle...because that's what unforseen problems do!

3. I will have to rent a car for about 6 weeks, here and there. Or it gives me a good excuse to buy another motorcycle as soon as I get to Dubai!

4. Think I can find a DVD for my Navigation system over there?

On the other hand, lots could go right:

1. Shipping, Customs, and registering the vehicle will go swimmingly...after all, I'm sure I'm not the first person to try this.

2. Some well-heeled oil or construction executive might see my 'unique' truck and want to buy it at an exorbitant price. I did see Dodge RTSs advertised for over $100k in Dubai. I couldn't get $20k here for the Tundra.

3. Wonderful Toyota engineering will not let me down.

Stay tuned...Still lots to do here and I think I hear a paintbrush calling me name.

The Focus of Procrastination

47 days from starting work at Dubai International Airport and I have a list of things to do that is much more than 47 days long. Packing, selling, storing, downloading, painting, replacing, studying, and generally liquidating my life here in the USA. Pretty daunting, but I can only do one thing at a time--so tonight, I'm setting up this blog which will be my conduit to my friends and family. (I'm also downloading cds onto my hard drive to take with me--ok, 2 things at once). My intention is to let you have a peek into a new life in a new place.

For those of you unfamiliar with the back story, I have spent the past 28 yrs as an Air Traffic Controller for the FAA. I was privileged to work with some of the best, brightest and busiest controllers in the World. These people are, in their own unique way, the smartest, proudest, and most motivated people in the world. I'm still in awe of some of the things we accomplished together--we worked a lot of damn airplanes and didn't scare too many pilots.

I won't go into why I left the FAA, except to say I felt the institution no longer had anything to offer me--and I was tired of driving 90 miles (150km) each way, 6 days a week. So I looked for an escape plan. After leafing thru several alternatives, it seemed like Air Traffic Control in Dubai offered the best chance of professional, financial, and personal gratification.

What's a Dubai, you may ask? Well, first of all, it's not Iraq (war torn), it's not Saudi Arabia (hard core Islamic), it's not Lebanon or Afghanistan (with suicide bombers and car bombs waiting around the corner), and it's not even Columbus, Ga (Dubai's crime rate is about a tenth of a typical US city). What Dubai is is one of the 7 Emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates. Dubai is also a huge work in progress and home of a 3rd of the world's cranes. Dubai is the city of Palm Islands in the water, the worlds tallest building, Indoor skiing, the Largest Shopping Malls, New canals, New transit system, and lots and lots of sand--desert and beaches. It's Islamic, but tolerant of many other religions. Mosque are as common as Baptist churches in the south. The sounds of the call to prayer echoes thru the city 5 times a day. Dubai is also a melting pot, with almost 80% of the population being ex-patriot...Indian, Pakistani, Filopino, Irani, UK, European--everywhere! Dubai is a mix of taste, smells, and sounds of many cultures. Most everyone is warm, friendly, helpful and happy to be there.

So here I go...I start Nov 2. I already have procedures and maps to study. I'm trying to pick up what Arabic my old brain will absorb. Working on a million little chores (if I told you once, I told you a million times, don't exaggerate!). And also trying to enjoy my friends and family who I will see too little of over the next 3 yrs. It will all get done, because it has to--but wish me well anyway! Next time from Dubai...