SUNDAY
Did you know that the work/school week begins on Sunday here in the UAE? I'm actually not sure how many or what other countries this extends to, but it has definitely been one of the harder adjustments for us (me!) here in Dubai. Our family still jokes on any given Sunday, as the kids try to drag themselves out of their beds, "It's a Monday!"
Sunday starts like any normal week, with the kids trying to wake up and do the typical morning rush for school. Jeff usually goes to the gym in the mornings, so he's working out while the kids and I do the morning shuffle. Breakfast, pack bags/lunches, school uniforms (don't forget the ties!), etc. We leave our villa before 7:00 a.m. and I drop the kids at school around 7:15-7:20.
Back at home (as I enjoy the peace and quiet!), we have a cleaning lady that comes each week on Sunday mornings. Many services in Dubai are quite a bit cheaper than what we were used to in the US, so I can have someone clean our villa once a week for less than the cost of someone coming every other week back in Katy. Needless to say, I love Sundays!
I pick up the kids from school around 2:45 (I have to leave home by 2:00 p.m. or I will get stuck in crazy traffic) and we head home. Kaitlynn is now taking piano lessons on Sunday afternoons, and those happen at 4:00 p.m. at a nearby music center.
MONDAY
Mondays for us are more relaxed. We don't have any after-school activities, so we mainly just focus on family time and homework. The only other thing happening on Mondays currently are my weekly meetings with the parent group at the school. Yes, I have jumped in to the school volunteering already!
I've also been trying to throw in a couple of fun after-school activities now and then, and Mondays are a good afternoon for this. Recently we found another trampoline park called FlipOut that offered a buy-one-get-one-free deal on our Dubai Entertainer app. Entertainer is like one of those huge coupon books where you get access to a ton of deals, and it's a good way for us to try various restaurants or activities.
TUESDAY
Every Tuesday is an early release day at the kids' school. Their day ends one hour earlier than usual, so I pick them up at 1:45. From there, we head straight to a nearby gym for Kaitlynn's weekly tumbling lesson. She has a private lesson with a Russian gymnastics teacher and is really enjoying the 1-on-1 coaching.
WEDNESDAY
I recently began attending a Wednesday morning Bible study called Community Bible Study International (CBSI). It's the same study/curriculum offered in the US which I've known of for years, but this is my first time joining. I'm really enjoying the study and fellowship already!
On Wednesday afternoons, the parent association at the school hosts an after-school snack bar called The Spot. The money raised is used to fund the athletics programs on campus. After visiting The Spot for a snack of popcorn, cookies, and/or hot dogs, Connor heads to one of the student areas to do homework or hang out with friends while Kaitlynn heads to her weekly choir practice with the music teacher. There are about a dozen elementary kids participating in the choir group and they'll put on a concert later in the spring.
Choir wraps up around 4:00, and then we sometimes head to the baseball fields for Connor's weekly Wednesday night batting practice. Jeff will meet us there to help out with the team, so then Kaitlynn and I can head home.
THURSDAY
We love Thursdays and still refer to them as "our Friday" and the start to the weekend! After school, the kids usually end up playing outside in our cul-de-sac with neighbor friends. We've been told that it's unusual to find a neighborhood where the kids commonly play outside together, so we feel lucky that our kids are able to enjoy time with neighbor friends outdoors while the weather is so beautiful. When Jeff gets home from work, we usually decide to eat out for dinner. Back in Texas, our usual spot for our family night out was anywhere with Mexican food. Here, it's typically our new family favorite, the Lebanese spot Mezza. YUM!!!
In case you're wondering what it is about this restaurant that has become our new obsession...Mezza is located right outside of Jeff's office building. Out of convenience, he began eating there for lunch several times a week and always ordered the same thing: a boneless chicken breast with salad, rice, hummus, and fresh bread (like pita bread). When we moved here, Jeff shared his favorite spot with us and it soon became ours as well. The kids order the same thing as Jeff except they substitute fries for the rice, and I order the chicken shawarma wrap. The grilled chicken is juicy, flavorful, and oh-so-DELICIOUS!! Jeff's company has recently relocated, making it more difficult for him to enjoy his Mezza habit. There's no doubt we will continue to visit Mezza on a regular basis, perhaps our ongoing Thursday night dining tradition to kick off our weekend.
FRIDAY
Similar to Sundays, Fridays are a difficult schedule to get used to because every Friday is the day of worship here in UAE. Since moving here last summer, Jeff began attending Fellowship of the Emirates. We have thoroughly enjoyed the services and fellowship there already. Ever since Connor joined Dubai Little League, he is currently attending Friday morning baseball practice which conflicts with our preferred church service, so we are working around that until baseball concludes later this spring.
Friday afternoons/evenings are typically the popular time for family activities here in Dubai. Most parks are PACKED on Fridays this time of year with families and friends enjoying a picnic and any other excuse to get outside. We tend to run errands and grill a family meal together at home. Connor refers to it as our Friday Grill Fest, and we try to grill enough chicken/steak/hot dogs to last for several quick dinners the following week.
SATURDAY
The last day of our week is currently dedicated to baseball. Connor typically has an afternoon baseball game, so our family spends several hours at the ball fields. Kaitlynn can usually find other little sisters to run around with while we cheer on our favorite Red Sox player. Connor and Jeff also attend baseball practice for the newly formed Dubai tournament team on Saturday afternoons, so it makes for a long but enjoyable day of baseball outside to close out our week.
No comments:
Post a Comment