Day 4--The Royal Treatment

There was a civil servant strike today. Not sure what all the implications of that were. The tube was a little more crowded, I suppose, but for the most part we got around without many complications. Again it was a pretty laid back morning, the highlight of which was a picnic lunch with Mom and Mike in the gardens behind the house. How we will miss those gardens.

A Belated Thumbs Up for 'The 39 Steps.'

Then off to M&M world because everyone simply had to experience it. Apart from the aborted evacuation of the building (let me tell you when a fire alarm goes off at M&M world, the people there know how to organize and clear out the place in an incredibly efficient manner), we had a great experience. Miranda, Lucy and James enjoyed creating their custom coloured bags of M&Ms (did you know you could get them in silver and gold?), Liam found a T-shirt that he liked, and Julie picked out some M&M themed silicon trivets that spoke to her.

If you could judge a personality based on the M&Ms they would choose
this would be Miranda.

This is Lucy!

We then headed off to the London Eye for our afternoon appointment. Now the thing with booking an appointment for the London Eye is that you're not really booking a time to get on the ride, but rather you're booking a time to get into a long line to get on the ride. Understanding this, we gave ourselves plenty of wiggle room before. However, soon after we stepped into the line, a man with a clipboard approached us and asked if we'd like to be moved to the front of the line for a "capsule experience" that would entail us taking two trip around the circumference. Obviously I was a little suspicious. You've got to pay big bucks for the fast pass experience and two times around seemed too good to be true. It turned out there was a catch, but a relatively minor one at that. They were experimenting with some new interactive guides in one of the capsules and they wanted to see how people interacted with them. It was a pretty spectacular view and James was very appreciative of the opportunity it afforded him to sit down for an hour. There's a lot of things we've been doing over the past few days, but sitting down is not one of them.

We then passed by Trafalgar square to see some of the Canada day celebrations. It was quite the party, and, judging from the pavilions set up around the square, our national identity is pretty wrapped up in our hockey and our beer. Maybe that's why I've always struggled to fit in.

Canada Day at Trafalgar Square. The beer's to the right.

Dinner at Sophie's Steakhouse!

From Trafalgar Square we made our way to the Covent Garden area where Mom and Mike treated us to a great dinner and a performance of the Lion King. About seven or eight years ago, while we were living in Arizona, we bought tickets to a travelling company version of the show, so I wasn't all that excited to see the production again. I remember being impressed by many of the puppets, but I also remember being a little bored at different points in the show. It was a completely different experience seeing it here. The show didn't start until 7:30 and with the full day we had before, I honestly believed it would take a miracle to keep James awake through the show. Well, it turned out the show was the miracle (I'm sure the constant stream of sugar from Grandpa Mike's Tommy Tucker didn't hurt either). He didn't nod off once during the play, though as soon as it was over, he made it perfectly clear that his legs were no longer functioning and would I be so kind as to carry him just a little bit more. Note to self, 4 year olds aren't too big for strollers.

Is it only Day 3?

Today started off a little more slowly. But by the afternoon, you never would have guessed anything was amiss yesterday. With the aid of a little medication, Lucy seemed to bounce back from her slump of the day before. James, as usual, was bounding with a surplus of energy. We hung around the apartment in the morning trying to get as organized as our suitcase existence permitted. It was a much needed breather.

I do need to write a little about where we're staying in London. 56 Onslow Gardens is quickly becoming one of my favorite places in the world. For the week, Mom and Mike volunteered their apartment (or flat) and have taken up residence in a nearby hotel. You might wonder how we've all squeezed in here. Obviously, six people in a 1 bedroom flat can feel a little tight, "James, get off me!" is a phrase that I think everyone has uttered (we understand our children's need for personal space, but we're trying to teach them how to say, "Leave me alone!" with as much love and affection as possible). But with the gardens out back (the best yard that you never have to mow), and all of London just outside the door, it actually feels quite spacious. We're so grateful for how they opened their home to us and its permitted us to have experiences as a family that we never could have imagined having even a year ago.

Present sleeping arrangements!

The South Kensignton tube is a five minute walk (8 minutes for James' legs). It's just far enough outside the city to get away from the chaos, but close enough to easily steal away for an evening of theatre. And with the Natural History, Science and Victoria Albert Museums a ten minute walk, it feels like we could stay here for weeks and still see and experience only a fraction of what's available. We couldn't have asked for better accommodations. Even the Lamborghini dealership on the corner is a touch of our Abu Dhabi home.

At lunch we went down to the Hyde Park chapel for one of their weekly lunch time concerts. It was a world class performance in a very intimate setting. Even James was more or less attentive for the duration of the recital. After the concert, we had a nice lunch at the Natural History Museum across the street and then Grandma Edwards and Grandpa Mike treated the kids to a Butterfly Garden experience which was incredible. The quantities and varieties of butterflies flittering about was overwhelming. The kids became quite adept at welcoming them onto their hands, their shirts and their heads.

Mom and Mike had mission duties to attend to, so we took in the Natural History Museum, or at least a couple of rooms of it. Of course, when given the choice of any room in the museum to visit, the kids picked the Creepy Crawly exhibit. We also were able to visit an impressive display on birds and we learned a lot about the different ways rocks are formed and shifted around. It felt like we walked around for a while, but there were whole wings and floors that we never even glimpsed. I know that we can't see everything, but it's hard not feel like we have to make the most of every moment here. But, alas, we do have to sleep and there's that eating thing we have to do too.

The Natural History Museum and Butterfly Experience

The Lobby of the Natural History Museum

Lucy with a lot of birds!

In the evening, Julie stayed home with Lucy, Miranda and James so that Liam and I were able to take in a play together. Liam's was so great to hold down the fort for us the night before, I really wanted to do something for him (and, selfishly, for me too). We watched a West End production of 'The 39 Steps' which was the perfect play for the two of us. There was a cast of four actors playing over a hundred characters through the course of the show. (http://www.love39steps.com/). Liam and I then got to meet some of the young adults Mom and Mike are working with. It was great to see them in their element.

Did I Blog Too Soon?

The day started off with such promise. We were going to the London Eye to get a view of the city from above. It was the only thing Lucy really wanted to do and seemed like a nice, relaxing and recuperative activity for a family still recovering from a red eye flight and jet lag. Alas, the best laid plans of mice and men.

First there were the tube delays. What started out as an adventure on the London Underground soon devolved into the tedium of waiting. I give this to the British, they are a people who know how to wait (as evidenced by their natural affinity for the queue)

The view of the Parliment Buildings and Big Ben roused us briefly, but it was not to last.

Then there was the disappointment of not going on the London Eye (we really should have booked on line). The lines, though well ordered, were a little excessive.

Are we there yet?

Followed by that there was the seemingly interminable walk to The Tate Modern.

There was this big green sofa at the National Theatre but there was no real joy.
It was an obligatory photo op.

Even the happy discovery of my new favourite fast food restaurant did little to lift the spirits of my children. http://www.leonrestaurants.co.uk/ The food was great. How can you not love a fast food restaurant where they don't even give you the option of fries as your side? Miranda and James had fish and Lucy and Liam both went for the Sweet potato falafel. Julie and I shared a great salad and meatball dish. I not sure if my rhapsodizing about the restaurant speaks to the quality of the experience or to the disappointments found throughout the rest of the day.

"This is art?"

And then there was modern art, which failed to do anything but confuse my children. I instantly fell in love with the space, but I could only push my kids so far before eventually abandoning the enterprise. At least I got to see some Picassos and a Lichtenstein.


The Millenium Bridge was just more walking and the sight of St. Pauls Cathedral lost some of its grandeur because it was so hard for some of the kids to lift their heads to take it all on.

Julie headed back to the apartment with Lucy, Miranda and James while Liam and I forged on. Our new mission, and it was nice to have a mission, was to procure tickets for Les Mis for Julie and I. Julie had never seen a production before and that was something that simply had to be rectified. Unfortunately, the sign on the box office door said the show was sold out (another lesson in the merits of advance booking), but I thought I should ask anyway. It turned out that the theatre had reserved a few seats for Wimbledon players in case they wanted to come, and those tickets had just opened up before we arrived.

It was fun to explore London with Liam for a bit in the afternoon. We got turned around and lost a couple of times while looking for the theatre. But getting lost in London for us meant we got to see Trafalgar Square, China Town, and, best of all, M&M World. By the time we came back to the apartment, Liam was riding the Tube like a pro and walking with the swagger of an experienced world traveller. I felt so proud.

"Look at me in Trafalgar Square. I don't get what the big deal is
but Dad says it's a pretty important place."

The people who work here really like their jobs.

After feeding the kids and getting them set up with a movie, Julie and I were off on our date (I must say there is something devastatingly romantic about attending a West End show with the love of your life). The show was fantastic. Great staging and phenomenal performances across the board. Liam really rose to the occasion holding down the fort, and we were really grateful to Mom and Mike for being on standby in case the kids needed anything. So I guess the day wasn't a complete disaster for Liam, Julie and I, which kind of makes me feel a little like a heel.

Today's lesson was that adrenaline will only carry you so far for so long even in London.

London--36 Hours, No Sleep and, surprisingly, No Tears!

Lucy anticipating. I hope we didn't get her hopes up too high.

Our good friend Quin Seamons drove us out to the airport on Monday night at around 11:00 PM. I'd heard stories about the mass exodus of expats from Abu Dhabi at the commencement of summer and we didn't want to get left behind. Our fears, it would appear, were unfounded. I don't know if I've ever had a smoother airport experience in my life and that was with two airport security checks and an immigration officer. Even though our flight was full, we had no difficulty getting on early and becoming quite comfortable situated.

Bored waiting to board.

James at 12:30 "What's the big deal?"

There are times when Abu Dhabi has a small town feel, especially when you look around the plane and see that you're flying with two families that you know pretty well. We visited a little with one of my coworkers and with a family we knew from church, but it was mostly just nice to have some familiar faces around us.

The flight took off at 2:15 in the morning, and for most of its 7 hours, it was pretty uneventful. I struggled a bit with getting comfortable, but most everyone else seemed to be able to steal a little bit of sleep. Sure, there was a little bit of confusion with the airport taxi we had hired and the traffic was atrocious, but even with those minor bumps, we couldn't have asked for a smoother experiences.

After the grand tour of Mom and Mike's new digs and their accompanying garden, we packed up and headed to the Science Museum. It was a pretty remarkable facility, definitely too much to take in all at once, but what was most remarkable was how our kids just kept going and going and going. What I understood about the body and its limits was redefined this day.

Onslow Gardens. One forgets how one misses the little things, like the color green.

If we could somehow tap into James' energy source,
I truly believe we could halt our dependence on big oil and
save the environment too!

TV and Nintendo in London. We're giving our kids a true international experience.

The science museum.

I call this: "Liam, a study in blue."

Still standing (most of us that is)!

We ended with a great dinner at Nandos (peri peri sauce is my new favorite) with Mom and Mike. The food was good and the quantities able enough to sate my ravenous brood. Only James fell victim to the soporific qualities of roast chicken. He was eventually roused and conceded to walk home with minimal complaint. Before this, I was trying to get the kids to join me in a betting pool to see who would be the first to break down in tears from stress and fatigue (my money was, of course, on me) but no one was willing to take me up on it. Oh, did I mention that everyone but me and Lucy is sick with sore throats? And their still smiling until they have to swallow something. Best family ever!

Everyone say, "Sleep!"

What difference can ten months make?

Every one's become much more fashionable.
Obviously the prevalence of Prada has rubbed off.

As we come to the end of our first stage of Middle Eastern living, I want to identify and catalogue the ways I've changed. The empirist in me likes clear and tangible data, goals that I've met, mountains I've conquered. This is one of the reasons I find I'm a little jealous of Liam, Lucy and Miranda and their adventures in Karate. At the very least they have their belt progressions to show for their efforts here. They came here as white belts and they'll go home as blue, green and yellow belts respectively.

Well, when I look at the last year, I feel that my life has consisted of many of the same routines I was experiencing in Nova Scotia. Sure there are a few differences in how the organization is run, but those changes have little real impact on my day to day interactions with the students. I get up, I put on a tie, I go to work and I teach English. I feel like I’ve made improvements as a teacher. I’m better at incorporating technology into the classroom which should come as no surprise to people who know me. And I’ve learned from some of the excellent teachers with whom I work. Sure, it's a little warm and there's a little bit of suspense every time you interact with someone not knowing how well they will understand you, but I'm basically living the same life I lived a year ago.

Watching the kids grow, makes me feel like I’ve been standing still the whole time. Even the way Julie and the kids have taken the challenges of a new culture and new lifestyle has made me feel downright slothful in how I’ve embraced the newness of the place. One of the greatest blessings of coming here was to learn how resilient and adaptable my family is. Whether it's the new language or culture, the new foods and smells, the adjustments to downtown apartment living, or the difficulties of being so far from friends and family, Julie and the kids have risen to each challenge in a manner that has humbled me. I feel like I'll be going back to Canada with a new family, but perhaps they're the same and this place has just given me an opportunity to see them more clearly. So maybe I have changed after all.

Anyone who visits needs to see Red Sea Antiques, that is if they can fit into the shop.

Lucy's green belt test.

Yes, my son now intimidates me.

We've got wheels!

Well, we’ve gone as long as we could, but it was time to get a vehicle. That vehicle ended up being a Mercury Mountaineer, a beast of an SUV, and no friend to fossil fuels. I believe the word I used when talking about people who drove SUVs was 'unconscionable.' Now, the buses and cabs made getting around the city very doable, but not always pleasant. There were some drawbacks to being a car-less family of six in Abu Dhabi.

• I will not miss those looks of pity as we walked away from church in search of a cab, nor will I miss the apologies people have made for not being able to squeeze the six of us into their vehicles.
• I will not miss the sense of guilt I felt sitting in the front seat with ample leg room while my wife and four children squished into the back of a Nissan Altima.
• I will not miss mentally having to calculate the weight of the groceries in my cart because I had to get everything from the cab to the apartment in one trip.

We're really looking forward to how having a vehicle will open up the rest of the country when we come back in the fall. There are so many places that we want to visit and experience. We're running out of blog fodder.

Some Karate Pics of Liam and Miranda

Some friends invited Liam and I out for a day on the ocean. It was a lot of fun, but we paid for it with sunburns (I could've sworn the sunblock said Waterproof).