We're Mobile!

I'm sorry it's been so long, but I can't tell you how quickly time flies here! We've already been home from the States for a month, and our next mini vacation will be in about three weeks (exotic destination TBD.) Ah, public holidays in the UAE. I don't understand them, but man do I appreciate them.

Anyway, I have plenty to tell you, but think my most compelling news is that we got a car! It's a 2006 Ford Focus, ironically my first American car, and it's red. Well, it was probably red in 2006 before seven years of desert sun and dust took their toll. Needless to say, it's a real beauty.

Aside from dishing out the money, our main hesitation was rooted in the fact that we've observed maniac drivers from afar for the better part of a year.

And it's terrifying. It's the chaos of people from more than 200 different countries, each with their own interpretation of laws and opinions about what constitues proper driving etiquette. I've never been a timid driver, but if you don't regularly invent your own lane of traffic or lay on your horn at least eight times on your commute to work, you'll be eaten alive.

So with whiter-than-usual knuckles, I've speedily toughened up during my three short weeks on the road (interrupted by the times the car has been in the shop. Three so far.)

For citizens of the US and many other western countries, getting legal permission to drive these precarious roads is simple. Just a letter from your employer, a hundred dollars and more paperwork than could possibly be necessary. For many other people, it's an extremely rigorous and expensive process, with driving lessons, a questionable and extremely subjective analysis of whether you've passed a driving test, and even more lessons if you don't.

The whole system is a bit suspect, but we're grateful for the comforts that so often accompany an American passport.

Here I am in front of our new car:

No, not really. This is a ridiculous Rolls Royce, the likes of which we see multiple times on a daily basis in this city.

Here is OUR sweet ride:

We always oblige tourists who want their photo taken with it.

It's not a Rolls Royce. It's not beautiful and it has plenty of imperfections. But no more metro, no more buses and no more sweating off half my body weight on the walk to work. At the end of the day, I couldn't love our little car more.