The view from our home office.

We only have a little table and floor cushions in here but this is what I looking at when I call you or when I am working on the computer. It is even better at night when it is all lit up. I am off this morning for some errands, have to deal with some banking issues (of which there are many), find a ticket to Egypt, call the repair link in the building...again. Last night I decided to take a nice lavender bubble bath before going to bed and found out that the drain floods the bathroom. Not so much fun at one am- I only have 2 towels at the moment and now they are really wet and gross! We are still having a problem with sand in the toilets too but I know you don't feel too bad for us, that's what we get for living on the beach I guess.

Yesterday my friend Sue took me to Deira (old Dubai) to help her find her doctor's office. We were escorted by a nice man to the ladies only line and her medical for her visa only took a minute. It consisted of someone asking if she was married, if she had TB and taking her blood. As we left we saw hundreds of male laborers from India and Pakistan in the same lines that undoubtedly are still there now. It is nice to be a woman. Afterwards she took me to a great Lebanese food stand and we had this cheesy bread that I don't know the name of and fresh fruit juice. She knew the place because her husband grew up here and takes her to lots of more local places. The meal was about 4 dollars. Then she took me to buy our tv, not fun to drop so much cash but necessary since we are paying for cable and I think it will help me not feel so lonely at night in here if I can watch a movie. Later I went to Palm Island for dinner at Hanne's. Her husband is also in Saudi so myself and another woman from Finland joined her for dinner. She has her shipping already so has an actual apartment. It was nice. Tonight I volunteered to cook for 7 women to avoid going out for yet another overpriced mediocre meal. I do have 8 chairs, a dining table, tea light candles, place mats and a lasagna pan so it will be rustic but bearable. We also have a stereo so it's actually quite nice in the kitchen area. I hope to also go for a nice long swim and walk on the beach, I can't wait! The water is perfect right now.