The Delcambres in Abu Dhabi

Today was a good day. Mostly errands and such. I brought some coloring books from home to Evelyn's teacher so she could see exactly what Evelyn does at home without any distrations, etc.

All of this wonderful weather talk and "it feels like autumn" on facebook makes me straight up depressed. The weather here is getting better, but not like at home. Fall is my absolute favorite time because it means the end of hot weather and the beginning of the holidays soon. This is the time of year that I start my Christmas shopping. Well, the weather here is 70's in the morning and up to 90-l00 by the evening. The humidity is down. It is pleasant outside compared to last month. And I don't feel completely wet when I walk from my car to inside.

I don't know if I have explained before, but our villa is off of the main island. We have a hefty commute to make everyday for school and work. Now that all of the schools are in session and Ramadan is over, the traffic is in full swing. Lance has to leave by 7am to bring Evelyn to school at 8 before he goes to work. The traffic is terrible in the mornings to say the least. And Heaven for bid there is a wreck. Thank goodness Lance brings her to school in the morning and I only have to travel the distance once a day. Plus the traffic is much more pleasant in the evening and I can make it there in 45 minutes with time to spare. This commute is already wearing me out and we have been in our villa for almost a month. I just hope it gets more tolerable and I stop letting it stress me out. This week Lance is in Oman, so I am the morning and evening driver. There is a bus that comes to our compound that we could pay (yes this is an extra cost) if we wanted her to ride, but we think she is too young. I am afraid of her knowing when and were to get on and off the bus. I feel safer driving her.

WHAT IS DIFFERENT IN ABU DHABI: The currency here is called Durham (spelling?) or AED (Arab emirates Durham) as you may have seen me say before. 1 US dollar is equivalent to 3.67 AED. So we have to divide the AED amount by 3.67 to see what it costs in US dollars. For example 100 AED is about $27 US dollars. This is a constant rate, meaning it doesn't change and will never change as an agreement between the UAE and the US. Some people, like those from the UK have to deal with their currency from their home country changing according to the market. So if they went to the ATM and withdrawn 100 AED one day, and withdrew the same amount the next day; it would not be the same amount deducted from their account both days. This becomes a problem with people who are paid their salary in their home country. They have to watch the market and see when it is a good day to exchange.