We're back home in Dubai after a great three weeks in Sydney. The trip back was exhausting and some 36hrs later I am still feeling jet lagged, but it was great to see all of our families and friends.
It was difficult too though with so many appointments and we had to keep to a pretty tight schedule which was also very demanding. The other difficulty too was each time we saw someone for the first time, we had to relay the standard answers to the questions that everybody asks... over the 3 weeks, I am sure I lost count and probably bored someone silly by repeating myself.
Adding to this was the business of Christmas and we had to fit in our shopping as well but on reflection, I am glad we arrived a good 2 weeks before Xmas day.
So overall, a great trip! We have also taken a large number of photos, many of which will eventually make their way onto Facebook and the best ones I will post up on here soon.
The other thing that was interesting was how we felt about Sydney. Whilst I missed everyone greatly whilst away, it was really fantastic that I was able to pick up with everyone pretty much where we left off and it felt like I was away for a weekend and not 10 months. I put this down to the power of the internet, skype and facebook which help tremendously in keeping in contact with people.
Outside of the people however, I must say that Sydney as a whole has lost some shine in my mind as I really struggled with the traffic, the costs (conceptually, not monetarily) and how much more intense a lifestyle it is to live in Sydney. Everyone is busy, everything is rushed and I really missed the relaxed lifestyle we lead here in Dubai. I know that it was Christmas etc, but really Sydney is alot more "intense" and I have fallen out of step with that.
For me as well, I felt like I was visiting on holiday and not "home" and it crystallised how I now consider Dubai to be home. For the girls, I asked them both when we touched down in Abu Dhabi yesterday as to whether they felt that they had come home or not. Brooke agreed that the UAE was now home and Kate was a bit 50-50 so that was interesting.
Now, looking ahead, its 2010 and we will be getting some visitors in the coming year. Niki's girlfriend Julie will be visiting in April with her daughter Hannah and also my parents will make the trek as well. We were also happy to hear other people indicate that they're thinking of coming over and I hope thats the case. We're experiencing a very different but enjoyable life here in the UAE and I want as many people to come over and experience it as well :-)
On top of that, we're looking to plan our next holiday to Europe... I am thinking Paris / Rome and perhaps driving between the two but whatever we do, we're looking forward to doing some more world exploring this year. Some quick breaks around the Middle East too would be nice.
Its going to be an exciting year!
It was difficult too though with so many appointments and we had to keep to a pretty tight schedule which was also very demanding. The other difficulty too was each time we saw someone for the first time, we had to relay the standard answers to the questions that everybody asks... over the 3 weeks, I am sure I lost count and probably bored someone silly by repeating myself.
Adding to this was the business of Christmas and we had to fit in our shopping as well but on reflection, I am glad we arrived a good 2 weeks before Xmas day.
So overall, a great trip! We have also taken a large number of photos, many of which will eventually make their way onto Facebook and the best ones I will post up on here soon.
The other thing that was interesting was how we felt about Sydney. Whilst I missed everyone greatly whilst away, it was really fantastic that I was able to pick up with everyone pretty much where we left off and it felt like I was away for a weekend and not 10 months. I put this down to the power of the internet, skype and facebook which help tremendously in keeping in contact with people.
Outside of the people however, I must say that Sydney as a whole has lost some shine in my mind as I really struggled with the traffic, the costs (conceptually, not monetarily) and how much more intense a lifestyle it is to live in Sydney. Everyone is busy, everything is rushed and I really missed the relaxed lifestyle we lead here in Dubai. I know that it was Christmas etc, but really Sydney is alot more "intense" and I have fallen out of step with that.
For me as well, I felt like I was visiting on holiday and not "home" and it crystallised how I now consider Dubai to be home. For the girls, I asked them both when we touched down in Abu Dhabi yesterday as to whether they felt that they had come home or not. Brooke agreed that the UAE was now home and Kate was a bit 50-50 so that was interesting.
Now, looking ahead, its 2010 and we will be getting some visitors in the coming year. Niki's girlfriend Julie will be visiting in April with her daughter Hannah and also my parents will make the trek as well. We were also happy to hear other people indicate that they're thinking of coming over and I hope thats the case. We're experiencing a very different but enjoyable life here in the UAE and I want as many people to come over and experience it as well :-)
On top of that, we're looking to plan our next holiday to Europe... I am thinking Paris / Rome and perhaps driving between the two but whatever we do, we're looking forward to doing some more world exploring this year. Some quick breaks around the Middle East too would be nice.
Its going to be an exciting year!
1 comment:
Sydney has always been too intense for me. One day is enough for me.
btw gumbi showed up about an hour after you left! haven't seen him in years.
Post a Comment