Taking wing

I'm convinced that you don't really arrive in a place until you show it to someone else. It's like becoming an older sibling or getting a promotion. All of a sudden, you realize you've 1) developed a wing and 2) now have someone under it. Instead of being the wide-eyed newbie, you are the expert. You also realize how deep the groove you've been in all these months has truly become.

K's friend Teni arrived last night from Trinidad. She may be the only representative of her island to land in Abu Dhabi this year, and she wasted no time on small inconveniences like jet lag, rising this morning at 7:40 a.m. less than 12 hours after touching down from Port of Spain via Miami and an unscheduled 20-hour layover in London. She wanted to explore the city while K and I were teaching, and explore she did.

She got a lift from a friendly driver named Hasan who offered to drop her at the nearby mall. (Random offers of rides are common enough to have happened to K twice, but I have yet to be so favored.) Once there, Teni discovered the roller coaster and checked out the bowling alley, neither of which K and I have set eyes on, despite visiting the exact same mall almost daily for the past four months. Tonight we dragged her back, to go to the Mexican restaurant, then took a walk along the Corniche. We pointed out the landmarks and marveled at the beautiful weather (I was comfortably wearing jeans, a t-shirt and a pashmina--this is a huge change from even a week ago.) We said at least three times each that the city was growing on us. Now that's it's breezy and pleasant (as opposed to a sauna on steroids) and approaching the long December break, it's easy to look up from the daily grind and appreciate the city, the walks to school in the early morning chill (yes, there is one), the roller coasters in the mall (child-sized but quite extensive), the cheap taxis, the act of opening windows rather than turning on the AC, and the time to show off the city to visitors. My college friend J comes next Sunday. By then I'll be a hostess expert.

It is cool to be at the point where things feel settled and almost home-like. This is also a totally-not-subtle hint to all of you out there contemplating a visit. So far, Teni says she has had the best vacation of her life (over ice cream on the Corniche). Come on over! You'll be glad you did...