Having a baby in UAE: Baby shower and sunsets

This was the scene atop Le Royal Meridian Hotel inside the Stratos Revolving Lounge in Abu Dhabi over the weekend.

As you can see from the photo, the clouds are back and the temperatures have started to cool. Yes, it is a splendid time of year to be in the capital.

And speaking of living in the UAE, Miranda and I were at our friends' baby shower ready to welcome the country's newest residents when I captured this photo. I suppose I should have been documenting the small sandwiches the ladies had during high tea or the many baby gifts the happy couple received.

But instead, I was drawn to this stunning sunset piercing through those rare Abu Dhabi clouds hovering just above the Corniche.

It was a co-ed baby shower, so we had two parties going on simultaneously. The ladies stayed in the restaurant, took in the views, sipped on tea and relaxed while the young mothers openly breastfeed their new babies. Always a refreshing sight.

Meanwhile, the lads retired downstairs to PJ O'Reillys Irish Pub, where we waited out the feminine festivities, huddled around the bar and tried to keep our alcohol intake at an appropriate level. The party started at 2pm. Day beers are always fun but too many can be destructive when you have a little one to care for (and a wife who has had too much fancy tea).

After an hour or two, the conversation at the upstairs party started to stall while the downstairs party conversation started to slur. Eventually, we combined forces again because someone had to finish off all those egg salad and cheese mini sandwiches that the women wouldn't touch.

And together, we all watched as the happy couple opened their baby gifts and the sun went down on another balmy winter day in the desert.

For any expecting parents in or around the UAE: If you have any direct questions about what it was like to give birth in Abu Dhabi, the different hospital options, doctors, the access to drugs, birth certificate shenanigans, etc. please send me an email (aarongray2337@gmail.com) and I will respond promptly. Trust me, we know what it's like to not get straight-forward answers from trained professionals here. All I can do is tell you exactly how our situation played out and offer my wholehearted advice. Cheers.

Rainy weather in UAE = Armageddon

Brace yourself, but yesterday I wore a long-sleeved shirt.

In the desert. Because it was actually cold.

I awoke around 7.30am and there were clouds in the sky. Real clouds! They were dark. And they were angry. We had not felt the comfortable sensation of rain falling in this land for some time now. At least a few months based on my calculations. 

Rain soaked the country and there were photos in The National that showed hail had even fallen. Social media was awash with photos of some snow on the side of roads.

One woman was quoted as saying she was 'completely astonished' by the weather and that 'nothing like this has happened since 1993.'

Now I like to kid around with my 'way back when dates' from the 1990's, too:

"Whoa, I haven't heard this song since '95..."

--OR--

"I haven't dunked a basketball since Desert Storm..."

Maybe this woman was playing on that. What really happened in 1993 that incited her reference?

Anyway, reading about the driving issues during inclement weather can be funny and downright scary at the same time. Like when a drop of rain falls, everything breaks down...

According to this article in yesterday's edition, one person died and three were injured in seven road accidents blamed on rainy weather in Abu Dhabi. In Dubai, two more died as 556 road incidents were reported.

Now I don't know what the difference between 'road accidents' and 'road incidents' are but doesn't that seem like a big disparity of numbers between the two cities? Are Abu Dhabi drivers less likely to freak out behind the wheel during rainy weather?? Car insurance companies in Dubai must be licking their lips at those numbers.

As one colleague pointed out -- and this was taken directly from the article -- the Al Ain Municipality held a meeting of it emergency and crisis committee in response to the rainy weather. Complete hysteria! Emergency! Red alert, red alert!!

Oh, and last but not least, we had another case of conflicting headlines in yesterday's paper. On one page, there was mention of 'harsh weather conditions' next to photos of mild flooding from the deluge and citizens walking in the rain.

The very next page, the headline read "Farms in east UAE face water shortage".