Waiting in Abu Dhabi

Everyone is pretty much playing the waiting game, waiting for money that is.  We will be getting an advance on a portion of our first month's pay as well as a furniture allowance.   I am starting to get a little anxious about that but not too much.  I know it will come its just with Ramadan and everything, the process is slower.  Speaking of Ramadan, there is good news and bad news.  The good news is that it is over in a week.  The bad news is there is a religious holiday celebrating the end of Ramadan for the entire last week, so the folks that would otherwise be processing our paperwork so we can get paid is now on vacation until September 4th.  We have been given the go ahead to start putting items in our apartments to start the moving process if we have our keys, which I do. 

I have been getting out in the meantime however, taking a total of four trips to IKEA in four days.  I think I have narrowed down the basics that I want to pickup for the house.  I'm working on getting an accurate address for the apartment so I can direct the store where to drop off and set up.  I just need a futon, a George Foreman, and a small refrigerator to survive until we get the rest of the stuff when Tova gets here. 

I also just got in from a group dinner at a Chinese restaurant near by.  There were a some other teachers from group one and two there.  We had good time just talking about housing, family, and general stuff.  It was really good to get out of the hotel room.  I have only been here a week and I am about ready to go.  I can't imagine what it must be like for group 1 who has been here a month!  But they can't complain too much because technically they are getting paid to vacation at a 5 star hotel.

Tomorrow if I get a chance I am going to the big mosque near the hotel.  I don't know the real name of it but it is one of the landmarks of Abu Dhabi, not to mention incredibly massive and architecturally beautiful.  It is the second largest mosque in the world, only the one in Mecca is larger.  This thing towers over everything around within several miles.  Think "Arabic Vatican" and that is pretty much what you have with this mosque.  I will take pictures and post whenever I go.