The new abode

Weare moving to a new place in Abu DHabi soon. I am excited but very worried too. We don't know where we are moving to and we need to get out of our villa within a month. Backhome, I would have planned everything by now - the moving date, the company that would help us, the new fixtures/appliances I would have there etc etc. Here, I can not book a place until much closer to the movein date which has be be less than 15 days in advance. That's because the market moves very fast here. The properties come and go very fast and no on wants to hold one down for you for a long time. Its like you show up for something when you are ready and if you have the right documents and the money, you get it right away. Now when the property will be ready for your move in is another story.

So yah. I am nervous. I want to live close to the kids school and the corniche. Preferably in a house with smaller footprinct than our current villa.

The likes and the not-likes

There are things about Abu Dhabi I like. There are thins that I don't. I am fascinated and impressed by the conservative culture of this country, specially of Abu Dhabi. It is like living in the 80s when things were not so-in-your-face. People here are generally respectful towards ladies. They let you go ahead in the line, steer the path clear for you, are kind to the children and don't stare at you. I like the old world charm of this place, intermingled with the modern day luxuries. If there is a place where you can have it both, it is here.

I don't like the weather much. It gets so hot that you feel sick at times just staying out for a few minutes. I don't like the fact that people drive their cars recklessly.

Tomorrow is my first ramadan here so I will get to see this country in a different light. I have hard about how different AD is during Ramadan. This is my first ramadan here so I am a bit nervous and excited as well. We will see:)!

Shakespear and Co cafe

We had a lovely breakfast at Shakespeare and Co. cafe in Mushrif area the other day. I was impressed by the sheer character of the place - so unique and refreshingly non-glitzy. It was a wonderful blend of traditional victorian parlor and modern layout. Open and airy without being too cold.

We ordered freshly squeezed juices - watermelon for A and Mango for myself. hubby had his usual tea. For the brunch, we ordered: Pancakes with maple syrup, mediterranean saj, lentil soup, cold mezze, side salad.

Everything was fresh and delicious. The menu was extensive, The service was quick and there were lots of options to choose from. There are separate seating area for families. We preferred to sit in the common area coz it was much brighter. My favorite part was the separate kids area - my daughter could entertain herself for a long time without bothering us. Bliss!

My rating: 4.9/5.0. Must go there again!

GEMS American Academy

I am touring different schools for my Little One. Yesterday I got to tour GEMS American Academy located in Khalifa A.

I was Impressed by:
The school Building:). It is nice to have your kid go to a school which has well kept and safe interiors. I was impressed by how beautiful the school looked - both from inside and outside. The facilities were world class - there were separate swimming pools for older kids and little kids, well lit and expansive indoor play areas for KG students, well stocked library(which is open for parents's use as well), music practice rooms, music composition rooms, 500 seat auditorium, indoor basketball area, big sports complex for outdoor play, shaded play area for little kids, well kept canteen with vegetarian and meat options, well maintained laboratories, and a Planetarium(Yup!).

Academics:
The school provides IB Primary Year Program for younger kids and IB diploma programs for second students. Till 6th grade, students are exposed to English and Arabic in a regular classroom environment and after that they have english, arabic and spanish as part of their language curriculum.

Sports:
Apart from excellent sport facilities, I like the fact that with some extra fee, the child can enroll for after school hour sports training from the same coaches. The school also provides swimming classes for little learners(included in the school fee).

The school also provides transportation facilities to most of Abu Dhabi. They also have a clinic for sickness or minor injuries.

Overall, I was satisfied by the visit and would recommend any parents looking for an international curriculum for their kids to pay a visit to the school.

PS: Mr. Sunny Varkey, an non-resident Indian education interpreter and philanthropist founded the GEMS education system. 

Ushna - Indian Restaurant

Ushna, which means 'Heat' or 'Hot' in Sanskrit/Hindi, is the name of an Indian restaurant located at Souk Qaryat Al Beri in the Al Maqta area of Abu Dhabi. Interestingly, it seems like Ushna also means 'Fragrance of flowers' in Urdu. I am only aware of the hindi word:).

The first impression:
This was our first time visiting the Souk and I was pleasantly surprised that the name actually reflects the decor and feel of the place. It had the old world feeling of being in the indoor Souq of a hot, desert city. The lighting inside the building doesn't blind you like in the other malls. The walkways are narrow and partially lit by the natural light coming from the windows lining the way giving it a more natural ambiance. You can peek out and see that the building is surrounded by a water canal(quite narrow and shallow, but so refreshing to see water on a hot day from inside an air-conditioned souk).

The Restaurant:
We went on a Saturday lunch. They are open from 12 pm-11 pm all days. We were the first ones to arrive so we chose a spot with a view of the outdoors - the sea. We could not really see the Grand Sheikh Zayed Mosque but saw a few yachts on the waters. They have outdoors seatings and I am sure when we go there next, I would love to sit outside to enjoy the lovely view throughly, weather permitting. The decor is warm and romantic - lots of red blended with neutrals. The decor style was a mix of Indian and Arabic with a modern flair. I loved that we got a seating on a Jhula(Indian Swing) style table.

The menu:
Lots of north/south indian meat and vegetarian options. We, being vegetarians, tried only the non-meat items. We started with the complimentary popadoms with different chutneys. We ordered Aaloo Chana chaat for starters, Tandoori apple salad for sides, Rice, Daal makhni, Kadai paneer, Roti for the main course. Desserts were Ras Malai and Gulab Jamun, followed by Masala tea. We were offered Rose lemon drink which was complimentary and refreshing.

The food was delicious. Aloo chana chaat wasn't overwhelmingly spicy/sour as is the case with many indian chaats. Their Daal makhni was one of the best I've ever had. It was flavorful yet light. Tandoori apple salad had a unique flavor combining the sweetness of apple with the earthiness of indian spices.  The portion sizes were good - each order was plenty enough for two.

The service:
In Abu Dhabi, we have gotten used to great hospitality at most good restaurants. Ushna takes it a step forward - from being ushered in by polite staff who knew the menu well, and who could offer inputs on what to order, we felt they were also attentive to our specific culinary needs.

The bill:
Ushna is on the pricey side. However the quality of food and service justifies the bill.

The surprise:
Our server asked us if he could take a picture of us. Though hesitant, we agreed and were given that picture as a keepsake when we left. Such a sweet gesture:).

Recommendation:
Yes. With 4.9/5.0.

Note: Kids under 3 years are not allowed during dinners.

Introduction

I moved to Abu Dhabi with my family in December 2014. The idea to document my experiences in this new world has been on my mind since the day I arrived. Finally, the idea comes to exist as this blog - a place to share my experiences, my adventures and my finds of Abu Dhabi.

Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. Thank you!