Old Friends, New Experiences

Just yesterday we had one of those international lifestyle "blast from the past". Shawna and Mike arrived on an early flight from Jordan and spent the day with us before boarding a night flight to Oman. It had been a long time - maybe eight years - since we had seen them (and our little Amalia had never met them before) and we tried to pack the day with as much tourist experience as possible. 

But first, a home breakfast (also giving the girls enough time to wake up before heading out). Once the breakfast in the house was enjoyed and the girls up and ready, it was off to Bastakiya (the old part of town), the Textile Souq and the canal for a meander in the shops and a snack along the water. From there it was a visit to the Downtown and Burj Khalifa area in a rather quiet mid-day stroll, followed by an afternoon stroll on an ever-popular Kite Beach (complete with sushi meal and yummy desert) before the return to the airport and an positively emotional goodbye. 

But in there, in the spaces between the views and the photos, there was the essence of the visit. The stories and friendship. The "bringing you up to speed" conversations focusing on the past eight years. The reconnections that make our life so much more meaningful and complete. And, with the day now complete, we have one more shared experience - filled with stories and memories of its own - to add to the ever growing repertoire of international friendships. 

Mike and Shawna passed the test for the girls too. Friendly (as always), curious, supportive and patient they were the perfect guests in a day of trying to pretend we know the city while trying to ensure that children are happy and engaged. It was a marvelous day. Thank you Shawna and Mike, for popping over!  How wonderful to know that you're in the region and that, hopefully soon, we will reconnect (in Oman?)!  Big big smiles and appreciation for your visit!

Christmas 2018. Small Crowd But Lots of Love.

After last year's extended family extravaganza we knew this year was going to be a rather solemn affair.  Still we went out and got the tree, bought the presents (in shifts since mommy had to leave town to go to Bogota to be with her family), wrapped them and, bit by bit, filled the tree. In the end the girls were happy as can be with their presents, including a fist time that the girls individually determined what they were going to purchase for each other (that is, without adult guidance). By the time December 24 came around we were able to piece together a semblance of a holiday tradition. The presents were opened, appreciation and excitement shared, hugs all around (of course) and a beautiful series of exchanges - both in terms of presents and in terms of human connections - was the essence of the experience. Love all around!

As a bit of a bonus for our little family unit, Nats was around this time around and, in the absense of extended family that was present last year, she took part in the mini-festivities!  It was great having her share in the opening of the presents as well!  Happy Holidays everyone!

Baking (Cookies & Meals) for Christmas

When we found out that mommy would have to head out for the holidays we had to come up with a Plan B. After all, mommy is typically the social coordinator and such extended holiday seasons are almost entirely domain from an organizational level. We had a few things set up - like the trip to Musandam - but the little things hadn't taken care of themselves just yet. Daddy was, in so many ways, out of his league. So what does one do?  They find friends!  

Other families in the neighborhood who were staying around jumped in and offered their time and energy to support holiday experiences. One was a wonderful Christmas dinner at our neighbors' Adam, Anna and their daughters Ava and Nyla. It was the type of event that revolves around being together, meeting one another and sharing memories and fun. 

Another family that jumped in was Daena and Gabe, with their daughters Anna and Audrey who had indicated an interest in making Christmas cookies with us. So when we invited them over they arrived to share the celebrations with us. For nearly four hours and girls works to make the dough, do the mixing, make the little balls and squish them onto the pan before waiting for them to be cooked and cool off. Then, happily, they added the frosting and decorations!  A big success for all!  The many cookies were spilit with each family taking a good number to eat or share. 

And with such a success already in the books from the day before, the girls and daddy decided to find a recipe that was within their ability level to make a Christmas Eve meal. The choice: Baked Ziti!  The girls and daddy found the recipe, went through the cupboards, made the shopping list, headed out to shop for the things, returned to make the ziti and (admittedly with the help of a much more experience Nats) were able to come up with a great meal! 

Yummy times in our house!  Oh, and Merry Christmas! :-) 

Musandam People & Place

 As much as the waters around Musandam impressed us, the town did it's fair share of that as well. What first seemed like a town with little to offer (as one drives through one doesn't immediately see much), Khasab soon started to show its face to us. Apart from its port, Khasab is also home to a small but cute fortress where one can poke their head around and see both architectural and cultural details that make Oman a special place. 

There was also the search of food which which, after a few options we passed up on, took us to a small, family owned Iranian-Omani restaurant named Wadi Qada. We never did get the name of the young owner who bent over backwards to give us a culinary history of the food offered in his restaurant, a personal inter-national story of his family as well as an overview of the region. Most importantly he was a model representative of both the town and country. The food was excellent (made that much bit more flavorful by the explanations provided) and consumed happily. And, at the end, we indulged in some traditional Omani tea, served with a small honey sugar stick. Apparently one places the stick in the cup, pours the hot water and uses the stick to stir until the sweetness is sufficient. As far as the girls were concerned it was also a great bonus to have a sugary candy (the left over in the stick) afterwards too!  

 The hotel staff too were wonderfully friendly and service oriented. Add the view to the sea immediately in front of us from the hotel and we had pretty much the perfect holiday. The only slightly-less-than-ideal was the fact that it was somewhat windy and the water in the lovely pool was cool enough to keep even the most die hard swimmers at bay. Still, the place and the magic of the view, the people and the experience was simply marvelous!  We look forward to sharing this place with mommy in the not-so-distant future as well!

Musandam Water Wows!

Musandam had been one of those places we had heard about ever since we got to Dubai. It was, literally, "on the list" from nearly day one. And yet it took us a good two and a half years to finally make it there. Mommy, unfortunately, was unable to join us as she rushed off to Colombia to be with her family at a difficult time. That left our Abu Dhabi - Dubai family (yup.... Ralph, Anne and Maria have been officially been adopted!) to head out to the east coast of the peninsula to discover the wonders of the "Norway of the Middle East". 

It's quite spectacular, really. The three hour drive begins in the outskirts of Dubai with a rather light colored (and largely developed) sandy landscape. As one drives east the sand color starts to turn a more robust rust color and, with a smattering of roaming camels, becomes more impressive. As the border approaches so do the mountain ranges that separate Oman from the UAE. As one leaves the UAE at the border it is amazing what a sudden change takes place. The big roads of the UAE are replaced by seaside winding roads along small villages with a backdrop of amazing rocky mountains. One side beautiful blue. The other side a sudden drop of beige (with a goat here and there for good measure). Amazing!

We spent three days in Musandam and have promised to return (with mommy this time!). The waters were a beautiful blue-turned-green inside the fjord areas. The dolphins seem to be waiting for the visitors to arrive and the families (the baby dolphins are cute as can be!) are happy to pop up and visit with the boats. On our return we were fortunate to be the only boat (it was a slow day, we were told) and the captain (a very friendly Bangladeshi named Muhammad) decided to "go fast" allowing the dolphins to use the displacement of the boat to do their own surfing... all a mere meter or two from the dhow we were on!  The girls (and all of us) were thrilled!

Skill-Building on Horseback

When we arrived in Dubai two years ago we started looking around, as families do, for activities for our children to enjoy the develop their skills in. Horseback riding was not high on the list since that wasn't really an option in Malaysia but, as luck would have it, the girls decided to give it a shot and see if they liked it. It wasn't always easy, and the weather was so hot that at some point Amalia declared she had had enough of the late morning sun. But we were able to give it one more shot and, with the move from one stable to another (closer by and with an earlier timeline - which makes a big difference in April in terms of temperature) things seemed to normalize. 

Two years on and our girls are riding without support. Irini has now moved up a level meaning that she is working on cantering (essentially a jog). Amalia too is doing great but, being two years younger, needs a bit more time to develop to that level. Still, the girls are growing with confidence, feeling much more comfortable and are - week by week - showing great strides in their ability to work with the horses. Going back to old video of two years ago the difference is quite impressive!  

Now, thankfully, the girls are loving riding, have no problems with the heat (or at least can deal with it) and are happy to go to their classes. A higher level, thankfully, also means more direct time on task which, from a parent's perspective is great. A half hour can get a whole lot of riding in when you're allowing to ride the entire time (rather than the elementary walking one and a time and stopping for adjustments to the equipment, style, etc.). It's a true pleasure each week to watch them trotting and learning how to work with the horse to better themselves. 

These are things that daddy (at the very least) had never envisioned his children doing. But how wonderful it is to see one's children challenging themselves in ways one had never considered before. And so, in their own growing, so too the parents are growing in understanding, and pride. :-)

Neighborhood Upgrades of the Playful Kind

We had heard about it through our friends. It was a growing rumble in the community. You could see the work behind the temporary walls placed around the neighborhood.  But we hadn't seen it in person until, late early November, we were informed that the new park was in "working" condition so we made our way through the little opening in the wall panels and took a look for ourselves. Though not yet fully open it was, none-the-less, as described: A fully functioning playground and park area with adult workout stations, a tennis court and a half court for basketball too! 

The girls (and daddy) were thrilled that it was so colorful and has so many types of activities to offer!  We parked the bikes over by one of the benches in the shade (next to a couple families already making good use of the space) and let the girls go crazy among the new toys on hand. How cool to have so much great stuff right here in the neighborhood!  And only a short bike ride (or walk) away!  

Scan Clan (now Eng & Ire Land Clan) in Dubai!

 We love our cousins/nephews!  It's hard to believe that two brother four years apart could have children nearly 20 years apart, but so is the fate of this family. An early wedding and a later one will make a big difference just one generation down the track. But it doesn't seem to worry anyone that this difference exists at all. So what if Vince and Sammy are 20 years older than Amalia?  So what if we're brining in a new member of the soon-to-grow family (yipee!), Tanya?  We love it all!

The beauty of this family is that when we are all together it's as if time has not passed. Though the fun and games that Sammy and Vince were up to have now been taken over by Amalia and Irini, and our location is different than the Greek summers of yesteryear, the essence of family, the sharing, the being together, is what keeps us all united. 

Tanya had come a few days before for a conference (with her work) but we found the time to see her for dinner one night. It was the first time we had just been us and her and it was delightful!  As we walked around City Walk (new for us) and decided that pizza sounded good, we were able to catch up and get to know each other a little bit. Then, a few days later, the boys decended... Vince and Sammy and Aleko all flew into town and were met with a smiley Laurence at the airport. 

And so began the whirlwind tour of Dubai (with one day in Abu Dhabi) over three days (Thanksgiving weekend). We went all over and saw all sorts of things but there is still much left to do. We had conversations about ethics, and plans, and upcoming weddings. We talked about work, and social life, and family life. We played and we laughed. As families do. And we used the time to reconnect (all together for the first time in years) and re-energize our family dynamic. 

And, of course, we took the opportunity to have our customary "older sibling -vs- younger sibling" half-court basketball game in the neighborhood court. Some in sandals, with a kiddie sized ball (with the older siblings calling "foul") we had new members of the family to initiate and, for some, to introduce the nuances of the sport to. In the end the younger siblings prevailed with Natalia receiving the MVP award for the game. Who knows when the next game will be?  But we do know that the friendly competition is slated to continue, whenever and wherever that might be. Game on!

Reunited (in Barcelona)!

When we said goodbye to 'Cott and 'Becca in 2015 there were tears all over the place. We had spent the night at the same hotel as them to maximize our time together prior to their departure. It was a heavy and tear-filled experience which prompted a promise that we'd get together again every summer after that. So far, it's been a promise well kept. The summers together have taken us to Greece, to Norway, to Colombia, to Sweden and now to Barcelona!

The visit was tricky to plan since we needed to return early and Lizzie was unable to make it prior to that, but for the four days we were together we settled into the part-catch up / part-tourist approach that now characterizes our reunions. Barcelona was a fiercely busy city with tourists lining most streets. But the charm of the city, and the sheer number of opportunities to visit beautiful places wasn't lost to us. Was it the Sagrada Familia? Riding bikes down the beach by Barceloneta? The visit to Casa Batllo, Las Ramblas the Gothic Quarter or the walk up the side of the mountain to Parc Gruell... no matter where we were we came face to face with amazing architecture, splederiferous (our girls would like this word) sites!  We simply could not take it all in during our short visit, so we did what we could and enjoyed our time together!  

It is always a warm and enthusiastic visit with them. There is a spirit in there that is great to share and we shared it happily!  There was talk of the future, and plans and life in general. There were chats of tapas and complaints about the continent's most extreme heatwave, and naps on the livingroom floor of our apartment (where the only air conditioner was located). There was worry about pick pockets and yummy food. There was long walks and metro rides. If anyone has ever gotten a great 'feel' for Barcelona in four day, it was most certainly us. 

But, as always, it's the company that makes it worth while. We found ourselves, in one meal, planning the future all the way out to summer 2021. We can't know, of course, if we will be able to follow through as we are planning, but it's great to know that this chosen connection has such potential for a journey worth following!  We love you guys!

Vive la France!

Add France to the list of places we've been!  Southern France, to be exact. It was two weeks is beautiful Agen and Montpellier along with a few-hour-long stop over in Toulouse. We suppose it was what we'd all expected... castles and little winding streets, country roads flanked by vineyards or fields of sunflowers that go on forever. This time we followed mommy to Agen where she had a conference. So why not go there too! Daddy and the girls filled their days with running around to parks (both of the natural and of the amusement variety) and then met up with mommy in the evenings for dinner. Walking down the pedestrian streets and trying to learn basic French or figuring our how to pay for parking, it was an exercise in cross-cultural, and quite delightful, living. 

Once mommy was done we packed it up and headed to Montpellier to see the world on that side. The Mediterranean, it turns out, is quite beautiful on the western side as it is on the eastern. :-)  More walks in the center of town - with a great discovery of a super old-school toy store than ran through indoor passageways from one end of the block to another - to visits to castles (Carcassonne, to be exact) meant more discovery and more learning!

Perhaps the unexpected gem was Toulouse!  Described as an "industrial town" we had rather low expectations, especially given our hotel's location near the train station (rarely a good neighborhood), but a walk around the center or town revealed a very beautiful experience!  The biggest success there, though, was a water fountain that shot water out from one place to another. The girls were delighted to give in to the temptation and get completely drenched! Mommy and daddy, sitting on the sidelines, happily clicked away. 

Then it was off to Barcelona to meet up with 'Cott, 'Becca and Lizzie!