Signs around my school

My school is full of bizarre signs that have been translated by the social worker who doesn't really speak good English. This one had us in stitches for a few days. She has since asked me to help her with the translation of signs, which I happily do, although it does mean we don't have as much to laugh at.

Driver's Licence

I have finally received my residence visa, and applied for my Emirates ID card, so it was time to get my UAE driver's licence. Firstly, I had to get my Queensland licence translated. I knew where I thought I had to go to get it translated, but of course was in the wrong place, and finally found the building I needed. Mark came with me, and we entered the building only to find it was a supermarket, with a small department store downstairs. We asked for help, explaining that we were looking for the translator, and were directed to the back of the building. We entered a really smelly lift, and found the translator sitting at his desk. He looked to be about 85  years old, and took my Queensland licence and said "That's too small for me to see, you'll have to get it made bigger." He directed us to where the copying shops are, so off we trudged. We got my licence copied, and Mark's too while we were at it. We made our way back, going past a pet shop that had rabbits, chickens and parrots for sale. One of the parrots had a beak that was so long it had curled around. I wanted to buy it to get its beak clipped, but we are not allowed pets in the flat. The old man translated our licences, then directed us to go to the fifth building down the road to get the translation typed up. We went to the fifth building and couldn't find anyone who looked like a typist, so we went to the fifth door, but no typist. We made our way back to the old man who this time told us the name of the building we were meant to go to...of course it was the sixth building, why didn't I guess that? We had the typing done, then went back to the old man to get him to sign the typed version, and to pay him the 140 dirhams to do all this work. Three hours later, we made our way home, only to find that the typist had put the wrong date of birth on my translation. My god! Mark offered to return the following day while I was at work, then after work we drove to the other side of town, where the traffic section is, and I paid 200 dirhams and got my licence. At least the woman there let me see if I was happy with the photo she took. I didn't really care by that stage, and just took the licence and went home. No driving test, no eyesight test, just pay the money and you're done. But what a rigmarole!

Getting to know Al Ain

I've been here just over two months, and am living through my second bout of head cold. It feels good to just stand in the sun to dry out. The weather is still warm, but very pleasant first thing in the morning. Mum and Dad called in for a weekend on their way to London, we took the opportunity to be tourists in Al Ain while they were here. We took them to Jebel Hafeet, the mountain we can see from the lounge room window. It is about 1200m, with a Mercure Hotel part way up. From the hotel you get fantastic views of the oasis (when it is clear, a lot of the time it is dusty because of the sand). We took them to the palace museum, which is a large compound/house where the sheik used to live, and is now preserved for all to wander through. We took them shopping to see the amazing range of goods we have available for pretty cheap prices, and we took them to the Golf Club for lunch. The best thing though, was actually driving through the Oasis itself. We got to the gate, where a sign reads that you can only come in if you are a farmer or a tourist. Not for locals!! With our Australian accents, we easily passed as tourists, and headed on in. From the outside, the Oasis is fenced, and all you can see are the tops of the trees. From the inside, you see a warren of narrow roads, with meandering turns, so you don't know which way you are going. There are irrigation channels, as under all the date palms is where local farmers grow the fruit and vegetables that are sold very cheaply in the local supermarkets. We eventually found the exit gate, and were amazed at how large the Oasis is. There are a few more oases around the town, but not as big as this main one. Their visit was over too quickly, and now we just talk to them on Skype while they are visiting my sister. Mark and I will be heading off to London on December 17, for Christmas.