Nine months ago, last October, had a specific and non-predictable event not happened, my life here would have been a little different. Maybe a lot different. I don't know. A month before this unforeseeable accident, my company Abu Dhabi Education Council, had placed us (gratis) in a gorgeous hotel, the Beach Rotana, which is located in the Tourist Club Area. I loved it at this hotel. The staff were extremely gracious and accommodating even though they were servicing about 300 teachers. This could not have been an easy feat. Teachers can be loud, fussy, unforgiving, demanding, and actually in some instances quite unreasonable. At any rate, this five star hotel was more generous and more lovely a place than I have ever stayed in America or abroad. We woke up on lush pillows for weeks on end to a massive all inclusive hot breakfast buffet, and the concierge was on hand to answer our every beck and call. There was an on site gym, sauna, and a private beach available to us directly behind the hotel! I say all of this to say, that I think ADEC was generous in it's welcoming us to the Emirates, and wanted us to be comfortable. Because it could have very well been Motel 6 style accommodations with no wifi....Omg kill me.
Here are the digs at the Beach Rotana.
Lobby of the hotel, where we lounged everyday and had five star capuccinos and Pellegrino........
View of the private beach at the back of the hotel. I know, roughing it.
After lazing it up in this terrible, terrible place for four weeks, the company started making accommodations for us to move into our actual permanent digs. It was to be a very large, almost compound style apartment complex. It was called Al Rayyana, and it was in a neighborhood in Abu Dhabi called Khalifa City A. (You guessed it, there's also a Khalifa City B. :) The complex was gorgeous and brand new. They had just been built. When I say "just" I mean, only just. They were really honestly incomplete when we moved in; the construction guys were still there working on units and apparently still doing inspections... blah blah blah, right? Khalifa City A is nice enough, kind of far from the heart of the city, but you can't ask for everything now can you? Being completely honest, this location and the complex itself came with it's own set of problems. For one, the incompleteness of the buildings themselves caused problems large and small with many tenants. Some people had small problems like leaks and electrical issues, and some of them had larger complications like sewage, mold, plumbing back ups and air conditioning that didn't work. Needless to say, some of the teachers dealt with these issues more graciously than others.... The other thing that was difficult for us teachers who didn't have cars was that we were in sort of a remote area, (maybe it was just remote because it was new) and the taxi drivers, bless em, couldn't find the place. So. You would call them up for booking, praying all the while that he would speak English...and you would try to coach them on how to find the place, even though you barely knew where it was yourself. If there happened to be a language barrier which was quite frequent, well then it was extra fun! Other than these technicalities, it was a great place to live. Here are some shots.
Bathroom
So. Like I said. The place was fine. The apartments were spacious and state of the art. Everything was new and there was a brand new pool and gym and grocery story being built. The kinks could have been worked out. Until. Small accident. Okay, it was kind of a big accident. The ground sort of fell in. I'll tell the story. I cook dinner for myself, take a shower, and lie down for a quick nap. It's about 8 o'clock. I may have been lying down for about 10 minutes, and that's when I heard it. A thunderous roll that wouldn't quit. I don't know why it's comical to me and why I'm smiling now as I type this. Yes I do, but I'll explain that later. Anyway, my room shook a bit as I was lying in bed. But it didn't shake in an earthquake kind of way. (I know this because I've experienced an earthquake here in UAE as well. Lol, my life is a freaking adventure!) No, it wasn't an earthquake kind of shake. It was more like the kind of shake you feel when a huge eighteen wheeler truck or a concrete grinder truck comes too close to a residential area and it just trembles the ground a teeny bit because of it's sheer size and power. But the trucks are never really quite this..... loud. This sound was unbelievably loud. I think one of the reasons I'm laughing now is because I just continued to lie down after I heard it. You see, my apartment was one of the ones that had a faulty AC unit, and it was bloody hot in the place. I literally had to lie very still in order to not break a sweat. And so I suppose that even with the imminent threat of a possible concrete truck smashing straight into my bedroom wall, I couldn't be bothered to move to see what it was. Now. I don't exactly sleep in apparel of a modest nature, so you can imagine my chagrin when the tiny Pakistani security guard banged my door down with the strength of ten men and demanded that I get out of the apartment, NOW!!! So I do what any self respectable Muslim lady living in the Emirates would do in this situation. I put on my abaya and run! I'm one of the first few people to get outside because my apartment was on the ground floor. Then I see it. It, is a massive, and I do mean massive hole in the ground where the courtyard used to be. Where I'd sat on a bench just four hours ago waiting for a taxi driver with limited English and little to no understanding of how to find the place. This entire courtyard, complete with structures, fountains, benches, and newly planted trees, had fallen through the ground, down a full story below to the underground parking garage. Oh and also, there were also some teachers cars that were parked on the ground level, that had fallen into the parking garage.....I'm laughing again. What? It's nervous laughter. Now before you think anything, I'm going to say what anyone could plainly see. This was an accident, and it could have happened anywhere. Here's a picture of the hole. Massive.
Alright, stop gawking already! Accident. It was an unfortunate accident. I can't say it too many times. Because when it happened, and months after it happened, some people, who will remain nameless and after this blog is posted they will be launched right back into the most obscure branches of my brain where they've been living ever since the incident. They hemmed and hawed, and cried and slung enough snot to put Kleenex out of stock for a while. I mean, honestly. People seriously believed that they were traumatized. I mean it was scary, but honestly it was an accident. You mean, there were never any structural collapses in America, or UK, or Canada? Never? Not one? Oh, okay, then yes, this place is a living hell indeed. Scoff. Yawn. Get over yourselves. Let's remember what's important. Myself and a few other people sat in that courtyard day in and day out, using our cell phones, waiting for taxies, playing with children. Noone was on the courtyard when it collapsed. Noone. That's important. It has to be noted. Noone was underneath the structure in the parking garage. There could have easily been security guards or construction workers down there as the place was teeming with them all day and all afternoon. That's a blessing from Allah! Some teachers were yelling out that they refused to go to work for the rest of the week. Some were shouting no justice, no peace. Others were about to pull out their Sharpies and pickets..... Our employer responded professionally, swiftly, and with the safety and comfort of people and their families as their immediate concern. They transported us to another roach motel, AKA another five star resort style hotel. This time it was the Yas Viceroy Hotel. You know the huge one on Yas Island with the Formula One RaceTrack built underneath it's haunches. You know the one that sits on it's own Marina lined with million dirham yachts. Yep, that one. People were still crying buckets. Every meeting, every update, every single piece of correspondence sent out. Eyes red. Cried out. Why is this happening to us? Why did I leave my sweet sweet hometown? I knew this was a mistake!!! Why are we at the Yas Hotel!!!??? It's sad, I know. I completely understand. I too, had been hoping for the Econolodge. Ridiculous.
Here's some pics of the Yas Hotel. Enjoy. I know I did.
Here are the digs at the Beach Rotana.
View from the gym, which has an on staff trainer.......
Inside of the hotel rooms that we were given to lounge in. Free. For a month. See the roaches on the walls? :)
After lazing it up in this terrible, terrible place for four weeks, the company started making accommodations for us to move into our actual permanent digs. It was to be a very large, almost compound style apartment complex. It was called Al Rayyana, and it was in a neighborhood in Abu Dhabi called Khalifa City A. (You guessed it, there's also a Khalifa City B. :) The complex was gorgeous and brand new. They had just been built. When I say "just" I mean, only just. They were really honestly incomplete when we moved in; the construction guys were still there working on units and apparently still doing inspections... blah blah blah, right? Khalifa City A is nice enough, kind of far from the heart of the city, but you can't ask for everything now can you? Being completely honest, this location and the complex itself came with it's own set of problems. For one, the incompleteness of the buildings themselves caused problems large and small with many tenants. Some people had small problems like leaks and electrical issues, and some of them had larger complications like sewage, mold, plumbing back ups and air conditioning that didn't work. Needless to say, some of the teachers dealt with these issues more graciously than others.... The other thing that was difficult for us teachers who didn't have cars was that we were in sort of a remote area, (maybe it was just remote because it was new) and the taxi drivers, bless em, couldn't find the place. So. You would call them up for booking, praying all the while that he would speak English...and you would try to coach them on how to find the place, even though you barely knew where it was yourself. If there happened to be a language barrier which was quite frequent, well then it was extra fun! Other than these technicalities, it was a great place to live. Here are some shots.
Bathroom
Kitchen
Bedroom
Courtyard. Before Shot.
So. Like I said. The place was fine. The apartments were spacious and state of the art. Everything was new and there was a brand new pool and gym and grocery story being built. The kinks could have been worked out. Until. Small accident. Okay, it was kind of a big accident. The ground sort of fell in. I'll tell the story. I cook dinner for myself, take a shower, and lie down for a quick nap. It's about 8 o'clock. I may have been lying down for about 10 minutes, and that's when I heard it. A thunderous roll that wouldn't quit. I don't know why it's comical to me and why I'm smiling now as I type this. Yes I do, but I'll explain that later. Anyway, my room shook a bit as I was lying in bed. But it didn't shake in an earthquake kind of way. (I know this because I've experienced an earthquake here in UAE as well. Lol, my life is a freaking adventure!) No, it wasn't an earthquake kind of shake. It was more like the kind of shake you feel when a huge eighteen wheeler truck or a concrete grinder truck comes too close to a residential area and it just trembles the ground a teeny bit because of it's sheer size and power. But the trucks are never really quite this..... loud. This sound was unbelievably loud. I think one of the reasons I'm laughing now is because I just continued to lie down after I heard it. You see, my apartment was one of the ones that had a faulty AC unit, and it was bloody hot in the place. I literally had to lie very still in order to not break a sweat. And so I suppose that even with the imminent threat of a possible concrete truck smashing straight into my bedroom wall, I couldn't be bothered to move to see what it was. Now. I don't exactly sleep in apparel of a modest nature, so you can imagine my chagrin when the tiny Pakistani security guard banged my door down with the strength of ten men and demanded that I get out of the apartment, NOW!!! So I do what any self respectable Muslim lady living in the Emirates would do in this situation. I put on my abaya and run! I'm one of the first few people to get outside because my apartment was on the ground floor. Then I see it. It, is a massive, and I do mean massive hole in the ground where the courtyard used to be. Where I'd sat on a bench just four hours ago waiting for a taxi driver with limited English and little to no understanding of how to find the place. This entire courtyard, complete with structures, fountains, benches, and newly planted trees, had fallen through the ground, down a full story below to the underground parking garage. Oh and also, there were also some teachers cars that were parked on the ground level, that had fallen into the parking garage.....I'm laughing again. What? It's nervous laughter. Now before you think anything, I'm going to say what anyone could plainly see. This was an accident, and it could have happened anywhere. Here's a picture of the hole. Massive.
Free car. If you can pull it out of the hole. Is it too early to joke about that? I don't think so.
Some fountain structures, and a couple new trees..... My bench....:) So Close. Whew!
Yes, it is as scary as it looked! Haha. Why am I still laughing then....Actually what's wrong with me?
Nice aerial shot for you blood thirsty hounds. There was no blood. At all.
Alright, stop gawking already! Accident. It was an unfortunate accident. I can't say it too many times. Because when it happened, and months after it happened, some people, who will remain nameless and after this blog is posted they will be launched right back into the most obscure branches of my brain where they've been living ever since the incident. They hemmed and hawed, and cried and slung enough snot to put Kleenex out of stock for a while. I mean, honestly. People seriously believed that they were traumatized. I mean it was scary, but honestly it was an accident. You mean, there were never any structural collapses in America, or UK, or Canada? Never? Not one? Oh, okay, then yes, this place is a living hell indeed. Scoff. Yawn. Get over yourselves. Let's remember what's important. Myself and a few other people sat in that courtyard day in and day out, using our cell phones, waiting for taxies, playing with children. Noone was on the courtyard when it collapsed. Noone. That's important. It has to be noted. Noone was underneath the structure in the parking garage. There could have easily been security guards or construction workers down there as the place was teeming with them all day and all afternoon. That's a blessing from Allah! Some teachers were yelling out that they refused to go to work for the rest of the week. Some were shouting no justice, no peace. Others were about to pull out their Sharpies and pickets..... Our employer responded professionally, swiftly, and with the safety and comfort of people and their families as their immediate concern. They transported us to another roach motel, AKA another five star resort style hotel. This time it was the Yas Viceroy Hotel. You know the huge one on Yas Island with the Formula One RaceTrack built underneath it's haunches. You know the one that sits on it's own Marina lined with million dirham yachts. Yep, that one. People were still crying buckets. Every meeting, every update, every single piece of correspondence sent out. Eyes red. Cried out. Why is this happening to us? Why did I leave my sweet sweet hometown? I knew this was a mistake!!! Why are we at the Yas Hotel!!!??? It's sad, I know. I completely understand. I too, had been hoping for the Econolodge. Ridiculous.
Here's some pics of the Yas Hotel. Enjoy. I know I did.
By day it looks like the throw of a fisherman's net.
By night, it looks like a whale!! It's massive.
My bedroom. Which was later upgraded to a king suite with a dance floor, because I was so nice to concierge!!!
Sitting area leading to the patio for Formula One Track viewing.
My little sister Naima and I enjoying Yas Brunch on the patio. BMW's were zooming by below us. Swanky.
Me. Because....Nice photo...??? :)
My patio was directly under the "throw" of the fisherman's net of the hotel. Formula One engines kept me up all night. Told you it was harsh living.
In a later post, I'll show you what happened after the Yas, the new accommodations, and how things shifted. A lot. In a good way!
