and this is my first blog entry from Abu Dhabi. I've been here for 30 hours, a lot of them asleep. John picked me and Jackson up from the airport after we breezed through immigration and inspection, and I almost starting crying with relief that we had made it and Jackson was still alive. I slept that night pretty well, only waking up with the Muezzin call at 5 am, and going for a walk in the already hot and sticky outside. I ambled around the block and then shuffled back into the hotel, petted Jackson and was so relieved to hear his low purr. What a resilient cat. He had his first drink of water then. He'd spent all night under the wardrobe, suspicious of the bed, but I opened the curtain and he was immediately thrilled with the view. We are on the 9th floor, and there are construction cranes outside, and a man very far below shoveling sand. Jackson was amazed. A man-shaped ant! He stared in disbelief. He had never, ever imagined such a sight. Traveling has been terrifying and eye-opening for him.
And now the muezzin is calling to prayer again, and here I am, awake again. It's a beautiful melody, so much more so than the Lucknowi calls.
I think the baby is about 3 pounds now, and maybe 15 inches long. It certainly looks that big from the outside. I think if it's a girl we should call it Cokie as a nickname, even if we don't name it Iola, which we may do.
I went back to sleep after my walk, and then later had a late Iranian breakfast with John, and then I drove with him in a taxi to the paper and dropped him off, and I continued to the Wahdi Mall, very shiny, and had a gelato and got a phone. I went to the hyper market and bought yogurt and juice and looked at all the things I could buy if I had a kitchen. Then I got a taxi to the post office and finally mailed the card I had been carrying around with me since the Creekhouse, to my cousin. Post offices make me feel a bit more grounded. Funny, though, in the midst of all this internet, skype, cell phones, and gmail-chatting, that has made travel such a million times easier. My cell phone is not yet activated, I think I may have a faulty sim card.
Tomorrow I have to sign up for the birthing class, and so first I have to find it... The Urdu helps, a lot, but it's a new city and newness is so crazy and big. But that is my main goal. I may also try to find a yoga place. John is in Dubai working on a story, he left this afternoon and will be back tomorrow afternoon.
Anyway, welcome to the blog. I needed something to start with.