Monday, 18 August 2008

Finally! I now have all my paper work done, have paid for all my expenses here at school, and am on my way to getting a permenant visa. Things are very intense here in terms of what needs to be done before anything can be issued. For example, I had to have a physical exam and have my blood typed before I could get my student ID, and I still need to have blood drawn and another physical to get my residence visa. But after months of paperwork, the end seems near!

Today was a very easy day. I slept almost the entire afternoon as my body has still not adjusted to the time change, and I am very awake at night and tired during the day. The ongoing construction outside my window also makes it difficult to sleep at night, but it appears they may not be working tonight, so maybe I can get some sleep.

This evening, we went on a bus "tour" of Sharjah with the school. There was very little tour; basically we drove around Sharjah for awhile, and then they dropped us off at a mall where we could shop for a little bit until they took us back to school. It was nice to see the city from a higher vehicle like the bus. Even though Sharjah is supposedly more industrial than Dubai, it is still a beautiful city with amazing and huge buildings. Bigger is definetly better around here. We were able to see the waterfront and a local fish market during the trip. Tomorrow, a couple of us are heading back to Sharjah to go to some free museums, a local souk (market), and maybe Carre-four again to buy yet more supplies.

On the bus, I sat next to a boy from Jordan (though he had lived in the UAE his entire life). He was very nice. He is from Abu Dhabi but said he came to AUS because it is the best university in the Emirates. I'm constantly amazed at the kindness of everyone I meet. Everyone seems to want to help even if they can't. It is a nice change from the US where people will do just enough to show that they sort of care. Here, they seem to go to great lengths to ensure everything is going well, even if these efforts result with less than satisfactory endings. I'm still enjoying my time here and missing everyone.

-Lindsay