Well, we are finally here after months of preparation. We arrived a week ago and have been very pleased with our accomodations. I will send emails to you all, but thought I would post pictures for everyone to see on this site.
We stopped in Paris en route and had a wonderful day at the Eiffel tower. We ate wonderful chocolate topped waffles and crepes, and went to the very top of the Eiffel tower. We ate dinner at a sidewalk cafe and really enjoyed the cool weather. Everyone was very tired by the time we took a taxi to the airport, but it was worth it!
When we arrived(it's already been a week!), we were met by friendly work associates who had a dinner party waiting for us at home. We got to meet associates and their families. The kids got to explore, and it was very nice. The second day, we went out a bit to explore and go to the grocery store. It was quite different than what we are used to, but I found another store today that is much better. I registered the kids for school and they will start soon. I have already taken one child to the hospital for an ear infection, and let me tell you...the wait is very short. I was there and back within an hour. What a shock! I felt very comfortable with the medical care we received...similar to home. I have also been to dinner with friends, to IKEA, and a few malls. There are a lot of malls here, with new malls under construction. The shopping is quite nice. I bought my first abaya, too. I like the clothing styles here...very loose and comfortable. I think once the kids start school I will have to do more shopping ;) .
Thanks to everyone who helped us get here, either with babysitting, travel, or packing...we couldn't have done this without your help. I am very grateful for the amazing family and friends that we have been blessed with and plan to keep you all informed of our upcoming adventures. Things are definately different here (like finding spices I recognize in the grocery), but we look forward to getting the most out of our experience. We are learning to like dates (especially the chocolate covered ones), and we will also learn to golf and speak some Arabic. Until later, J&JM
