Irini's 10th!

The problem with early January special days is that they fall right on that line between holiday and school day. This was the case - as it often is -with Irini's big day. One decade that has made our lives so much more complete. One decade that has shone its light on all that we do, has made us more whole as a family, has brought with it pride and so much more love than we could ever had expected. Our little girl is not so little any more and when we started this blog just over ten years ago - as a chronicle of our lives together - we could not have known just how beautiful it would all be. Our girl has made us rich beyond description. She has filled our soul and brought a deeper sense of togetherness to who we are. 

This time around her day came on the very last day of the vacation. We still had a large group of people in town - the travel plans had been worked out to ensure that this alignment of family stars was all in place - but many of the friends were not. So, of course, why settle for just one special day when you can have two?  And so it was... one day with the family, with the requisite 10s (now quite the family tradition) paving the way to the morning presents, the pancake in a "10" to start off the day on a positive note, and people all over the place showering love in every which way!  A couple days later it was the turn of some of her closest friends. Much to daddy's chagrin the theme chosen for the party was that of a beauty salon so, as he cringed on the periphery, the girls happily received manicures or pedicures from the two young ladies who came to visit from the neighborhood beauty salon. They too shared in the festivities and were delighted to be part of the fun!

And so, as time ticks on and we find ourselves with a maturing and beautiful young woman on our hands instead of that little girl we once held in our arms, we find ourselves even more in love with the life and joy that this girls brings to our lives. May it continue to shine brightly on all she does!

A Family Celebration in Dubai!

Let's say you're going to celebrate the Christmas season and New Years with you family. What would it look like?  In our case it looks part UAE, part Colombian, part Swedish and a teeny part Greek. As life would have it the family - or at least a big part of it - descended on UAE for an extended visit with us!  

From Malaysia, from Madrid, from Askersund and from Bogota they arrived, and our week was filled with so much!  A visit to the Midnight Mass. Putting up the Christmas tree, of course. Constructing a nativity scene with clay. Visits everywhere. Laughter. A fantastic Christmas dinner. A visit to Abu Dhabi (and a wonderful chance to share celebrations with Ralph, Anne and Maria as well). Etc, etc., etc. Suffice it to say it was busy, of the happy type. :-)

But most of all, it was a chance to be together. International living has some things in its favor, but being close to family is not one of them. And so, chances like this, where being together can be celebreated and taken in stride, are hugely important. We all arrived from different places, and we all returned happier. But while we were here we were the hubbub one might expect of a tourist/family multi week event. Love to one and all, and a great big wish for a wonderful year ahead!

Out and About, Tourist Style.

What good is it having family in town if you can't take the time to show them around?  And so, of course, it was that the family was packed in cars and run around the city and beyond. From the iconic Burj Al Arab and Burj Khalifa, to the downtown area to the surrounding locations it was all tourism for this group!  We also took the opportunity to head to Abu Dhabi (twice for some of us) to visit the Grand Mosque, the Louvre Abu Dhabi and, or course, Ralph, Anne and Maria (isn't their place on the "Insider's Guide to Abu Dhabi"?). 

From the sunshine (and rather cool) winter, it was all smiles!  Love all 'round!

Cultures Unite!

Somewhere between cichy and an ever expanding cultural understanding was this visit to the cultural center. It was introduced to us when we first arrived - as part of our orientation - and we love going back to enjoy the food but, more importantly, to partake in the deeper understanding of the UAE and the little things that make it wonderful. Along with a short presentation of the culture comes the food - and what food it is! - as well as an opportunity to ask questions related to the UAE and Dubai in particular. The center offers this opportunity as a chance to get to know this place, and to give visitors (or regulars) a chance to delve deeper into what it means to be here, the history of the place, the dynamics of culture and the celebration of diversity here. Oh, and there is always the opportunity to dress up in local garb. Optional, of course. We loved it!

Being Tourists in Dubai.

When we first arrived in Dubai we had a really well organized orientation which included a few visits to key locations in the city: Shopping trips, setting up our telephone lines, etc. It also included some cool tourist elements, one of which we fell in love with. The visit to the Cultural Center is one thing that we feel is important for our visitors to do. It takes people into a typical majlis (courtyard) and offers typical culinary fare of the country (we couldn't stop eating those dates!) as well as opens the session to a question and answer experience. Though they hope for lines of questioning that focus on Dubai and/or the UAE they are open to all forms of questions. This alone is worth the cost as visitors can ask all sorts of questions about the culture, the traditions, the history, you name it!  

So with the family in town we had to, of course, take them here and enjoy the experience together. As an added tourist thing they invited the participants to try on traditional outfits from the UAE. Though not all of us opted for that, a good number did and what a sight it was. The Colombian-Swedish-American-Greek hodge podge or family members all dressed in Emirati garb. Of course photos were the natural extension of capturing the moment for posterity. And here they are! :-)