Dubai Update 01/11

Life is busy in Dubai !!!

What is new with me?
* I have moved out of the Holiday Inn hotel and into a nice 4 bedroom apartment in the marina called Horizon Tower. I have the master bedroom with ensuite bathroom, a colleague Maria has another bedroom, a Pakistani professional man lives in another bedroom and one bedroom is still not occupied. Apartment sharing is normal here so I dont really feel uncomfortable living w strangers, especially since this was the norm for modeling. The apartment is quite large and has a stunning view of the marina, and in the distance, I can see the beach. This is quite a change from the winter cold and snow, especially since I keep getting updates on how cold it is in Canada. Since I moved in rather quickly, I still dont have internet, television or kitchen appliances, but this will come soon. We even have someone who comes in to clean for us a few times per week :) The building has a gym, which I have yet to even see and our pool is currently drained.
* I have completed my first week at work as a coordinator. I like the job so far, its a great work environment, and I like my colleagues. It is a bit challenging when I make the phone calls, but Im getting more comfortable and feel more at ease with everything. This week my target was to book 5 appointments - so one a day, and I got 6 ... so I was quite happy with that. There is still alot to learn so it keeps things interesting. Considering I had no previous interest in finance, I do find it mentally stimulating - it is certainly not as dry as the economics courses I had taken in University that is for sure.
* I went out networking a few times this past week: one night I went to the Yacht Club with Jason for the quiz night. We met a few people, and enjoyed the evening. Another evening we went to an InterNation event at The Address hotel; it was great to meet new professional expat people so it was well worth our time to go :) so many different people here with interesting stories !
* I have joined the International Business Women's Group Dubai so my first event is on Tuesday - a breakfast event on Goal Setting for 2011. Then 2 weeks later, there is a luncheon on The Laws of Attraction...Im rather excited to attend these events.
* I volunteered at the Dubai Marathon to help raise awareness for Parkinson's disease. Our company has sponsored a runner who has Parkinsons himself, and is running 100 million meteres in one year across the world - so here in Dubai he completed his first 100 million meters. You can check out his story if you google Alex Flynn - extremely motivational and inspiring.
* I have checked out some more nightlife as well - Trilogy, Rock Bottom, Buddha Bar. I have yet to find the "Stereo" of Dubai :P As a side note, considering I dont wear shorts and skirts often in Canada, my tattoo was never really THAT noticeable - here in Dubai, everyone keeps seeing it and asking about it. I have met someone who has even been to Stereo - so that was fun to talk about it. Im looking forward to seeing a DJ I like spin here...not sure when that will be. I have been offered a weekly DJ gig at a new club so Im looking into that with one of my colleagues who also DJs.
* If possible & time permitting, I might get into modeling and promotions here too - more info to come...
* Alcohol here is expensive - but it can be found in many restaurants, hotels and clubs. I have sampled a few drinks that are amazing but dangerous hahaha- the Ticca Bucca (5 different shots of alcohol - tastes like juice) and the BullFrog (again potent but tasty).

The city itself is great. The weather has been cool - actually there was rain a few days, and in the evenings sweaters are necessary. But everyone keeps saying how nice this is compared to the excruciating heat in the summer. Im just happy there is no snow! I have made it to the beach and walked on the sand - sometimes I find it hard to believe that this is now home. I have found everyone to be very welcoming - for the most part, people are friendly and receptive to new people. I have yet to meet another Canadian. People at work are mostly from the UK so sometimes I do struggle with the accents and expressions - but I think Im getting used to it.

xox <3 xox

Training Week

Brief introduction to my first week at work:

After a fun-filled weekend in Dubai, I started my work training this week from Sunday January 16 to Thursday January 20 ~ hours are 7:45 am to 5:30 pm. And, it was fabulous – meeting a new work team, a lot of knowledge transfer, questions, scenarios, and really just observing how everything functions. The work environment is definitely different than what I have been used to in the past, but I like it and I can see myself excelling.  

Most people wonder: what exactly does a financial co-ordinator do? Basically, I work with a senior financial consultant Jason whereby my main responsibility is to book appointments for him through networking and referrals, and his job is to provide the financial advice at this appointment. Of course, this isn’t as simple as it sounds – and it involves other responsibilties as well.

I think my forte will be with the networking – meeting new people and chatting are two things that I enjoy, and then organizing & planning our time. I have already gotten some business cards that I will be able to call once I am more comfortable with the phones. I did get the opportunity to finish my training with an hour on the phones during what we call “power hours”. To be honest, I was rather nervous – the material is still rather new, you never know what people will say – nice or not, all whilst trying to project confidence to get that appointment booked. I didn’t manage to book an appointment, but I have the weekend to rest up, move into my new apartment and familiarize myself more w everything so I can start fresh on Sunday.

xox <3 xox



PS: I have not really had proper internet access in my spare time since it has not been connected yet in my apartment...fingers crossed for this weekend !! but I do apologize for the lack of updates

First Impressions...

As we all know, first impressions are everything – and Dubai certainly knows how to make an impression.
I was extremely busy in my first few days in Dubai so here is a basic breakdown of what I have been up to and what I think so far...

·    Thursday lunch with my new work team at the hotel I am staying at (Holiday Inn Safa Park) – while I was really jetlagged, it was great to meet everyone.

·    I needed to get phone credit & a data plan so I headed off to the Mall of the Emirates with Tom, a new recruit from the UK. This mall was rather impressive with a large indoor ski hill inside, amongst other things.

·    Thursday night my consultant Jason took me out for dinner and drinks at the Marinet complex – hotels, stores and restaurants. Jason has been with PIC since Sept 2010, from the UK, 38 yrs old, married with two teenage boys, very nice – easy to get along with.

·    Seeing as the weekend in the UAE is Friday and Saturday, Friday was a free day to explore.  Later in the afternoon, Tom and I went to a market area called Karama, where there is a large selection of genuine fakes and bargaining for good prices. For those that know about my shopping escapades in China, discovering that this existed here in Dubai was a major bonus – perhaps I wouldn’t have brought 3 large suitcases with me haha.

·    Afterwards, we headed to the Dubai Mall – the worlds largest shopping mall; there are so many stores, restaurants, services and areas in this place, it is incredible!!! There is a large aquarium – with the largest acrylic glass panel, a huge skating rink, a Sega theme park, cinemas, and so much more. Surprisingly, there are plenty of stores and restaurants from back home such as Costa Blanca.

·    We were supposed to go to a birthday party, but the birthday girl had a little too much fun in the afternoon/evening & needed to rest, so instead a few people got together at a bar called Cabana’s on The Palm – the island shaped in palm tree. From there we went to a popular Western club, and then continued on to a Ministry of Sound club called Sanctuary inside The Atlantis. Fun filled night.

·    Saturday while I was rather hung over & jetlagged – tricky combination there, I still managed to go explore in the afternoon to see the Burj Khalifa – the tallest building in the world, and the surrounding areas. I must say that from a distance it isn’t so impressive, but up close it is pretty neat – in the daytime and at night – but I have yet to go to the top.  

·    The Armani hotel is inside the Burj Khalifa – where everything is designed by Giorgio Armani. Apparently, if you like the furniture and other things in the room, they can be purchased.

·    Saturday night I just prepped for my first day of training on Sunday ! Nice and relaxed evening, although I was so excited to start work that I did not sleep...yikes.

What do I think so far !?!?!?
** I think I very much like what I have seen up until now !!! **

While everyone in Ottawa is freezing, I am enjoying beautiful weather with a warm sun and slight breeze – about 25 degrees during the day. It is rather humid here – that was a bit surprising since I was expecting a dry heat. The dry heat will come in the summer where it is apparently unbearable to be outside. I was also surprised to see so much sand in the city – I did understand that the city was built on the desert, but it was still surprising. There are palm trees everywhere, beautiful flowers, grassy areas, parks, and beaches ! Sadly, I have not been to the beach during the daytime yet - plenty of time though :)

I see Dubai as a great combination of my favourite Asian cities, with some North American flare, and obviously, a Middle Eastern twist. English is spoken everywhere so it is easy to communicate with people – signs are also in English. In terms of food, you can get just about anything and everything here – including pork. Alcohol is not available everywhere and is more expensive; it can be found in certain restaurants & hotels. And, there is certainly money in Dubai!!!  

I was worried that Dubai would be too restrictive – but with so many Westerners here, it is rather open minded. Of course, we must be mindful of the culture here, but it isn’t as strict as I had expected.  There is call to prayer 5 times a day, but to be honest, I have only heard it a few times since being here...

Unfortunately, the Internet is expensive in my hotel room so images will follow in another post. I have started my work training so I will try to post in the next few days about that :)  

xox <3 xox 

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Welcome to my new blog
~ a place to share my stories & pictures about this new adventure !

~~~

Final Ottawa Preparations & Arrival to Dubai

On Sunday January 9^th, my parents hosted a beautiful surprise going away party for me so I could see my family and friends once again before departure.  While I do not recommend surprising someone with this sort of party – unfortunately, the surprisee does not have time to mentally prepare for the “see you laters” – it was amazing to see everyone I care most about together at my house for a final gathering. Thank you to those who came and made that Sunday extremely special to me !

~~~

My bags were packed and everything was in order for departure; however, true to a Chloe adventure there was a glitch along the way...I had one final errand to run – to pick up my visa.  On Monday afternoon the UAE embassy in Ottawa called to say my visa was ready, but shortly thereafter they called back to say that I would have to go on Tuesday morning for the visa pick up.  Tuesday morning I still had not heard from the embassy, so by 12:30 pm I went in.  Having waited in the waiting room for over an hour, they proceeded to tell me that the visa issued was only the short term visit visa of 1 month, and not the long term visit visa of 3 months, so I could either take the short term visa, or delay my flight a few days until this got sorted. To have to pay $500 CDN for a three month visit visa – the most expensive visa in the world – you expect attention to detail, efficiency and customer service. I told them to try to sort this problem as quickly as possible since I had to go home to get ready – the bus was leaving in 2 short hours. I felt sick – what do I do now?!? Finally, and luckily, they were allowed to issue a visit visa stamp in my passport so my Dad went to the embassy to pick it up while I showered, and made my way to the train station with my mom.  Thankfully, my Dad arrived with the visa on time and I was able to leave with everything I needed.

Departure:
Tuesday January 11, 2011 at 3:35 pm Ottawa Train Station on Air France shuttle bus to Montreal
Tuesday January 11, 2011 at 7:45 pm Montreal to Paris
Wednesday January 12, 2011 at 8:45 am Paris to Dubai
Wednesday January 12, 2011 at 11:30 pm arrival in Dubai

Beautiful sky from the airplane - another plane in the distance

The bus ride and the flights were good – no real delays, or major problems.  The flight from Montreal to Paris was a bit tough since it was a red-eye, and the plane seemed to be rather old – very little leg room, tight seating and small television screens in the aisles (ie. no individual tv screens on the back of the seats). However, the flight from Paris to Dubai was in a newer plane so it was more comfortable. 

Once I arrived in Dubai, I had a company help me get through customs (with no problem), get my 3 large suitcases – I brought 150 pounds worth of stuff with me!!! and show me to the hotel car. The car ride was a bit annoying – I couldn’t really see much or get a good impression of the city.  By the time I got to the hotel – the Holiday Inn Express Safa Park, it was already 12:30 am Dubai time – 9 hours ahead of Ottawa, so I was happy to have arrived safely - and relatively stress free, had a great chat with my parents and went to sleep. As you can imagine, I couldn’t wait to see the city during the day, and start this adventure...  

xox <3 xox