O dear

Crisis. I don’t know my blood type.

And whilst this may not seem like something to be concerned about, this little bit of information is standing between me getting my resident’s permit, my computer, and (most importantly) my company BlackBerry.

It’s either O+ or 0-. I think. Are they really that different anyway? What happens if I just pick one or the other?

On another note.... work is fab. The people are amazing and talented and the environment is wonderfully creative and stimulating. So much to do and the possibilities are endless...

Here’s some interesting Abu Dhabi things I have discovered:

• Palmito. My new favourite vegetable. Also known as the “swamp cabbage” or “palm heart” (this discovered after extensive consultation with the Oracle, Google). Had it in a salad yesterday. Tastes kind of like artichoke and asparagus combined. Delicious. I have subsequently discovered that these plants are endangered in the wild. Hope it was a cultivated one I was eating....

• Second-hand cars cost less than an average monthly salary. No jokes. And I’m talking, like, a Rav4 - not a Corsa Lite 2001 model. Am going to have to get my head around driving on the other side of the road, so I can drive and not rely on lifts. And have my drivers licence translated into Arabic (dying to see what my name looks like in this alphabet!). But that’s all it takes.

• On car sales, insurance is usually thrown in for free for a year. And it’s not much either. No theft risk. Only accident cover. Ponder that for a bit folks......

• SA banks need to catch a wake-up. The interest rate here is perfectly acceptable. You don’t feel like you’re getting ripped off and end up paying 3 times what the value of your purchase is. Kind of like: “OK, you’re giving me the loan, thanks for that, of course you can have a bit extra for all your trouble!”. Only downside to getting a loan is that you (apparently) have to write a blank cheque to cover the unlikely event of your debit order bouncing. If they cash the cheque and that bounces, the police come a’ lookin’.... And then it’s criminal and you’re screwed.

• The women here are beautiful. My boss aptly says:”they don’t walk, they float...” I was on the balcony having a cigarette today and met quite possibly the most exquisite girl I have ever seen. She’s Egyptian. I’m talking supermodel tall and intimidatingly drop-dead. She’s a production co-ordinator for another channel.

• The weird light is due to the dust. (OK OK I should have guessed that. But hey! I’m new here and clearly a little slow.)

• The South Africans behind the hotel bar are still amazing. Only been here 3 days, but each time I come in they bring me my standard sun-downer automatically: a glass of dry white (with ice and soda) and a coke lite. They very clearly want the SA connection as much as I do. “So, how was your first day at work?”. “Did you finish your proposal?” And they shake my hand in our way and we chat for half an hour about home and how much we miss it. Apparently all the good customer-service oriented South Africans work here.

• The food in general is un-freaking-believable. I am having to stop myself trying everything in sight and attempt to swim 10 laps in the pool every morning (I’ll do that tomorrow, I promise). In the office, the talk is generally of food and the amazing cuisine everyone has discovered. And the snack du jour? Dates stuffed with cashew nuts. You don’t understand.... Tomorrow night is “Seafood buffet night” at a colleague’s 5-star hotel. AED120- eat all you want. (DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CONVERT CURRENCY IN TO ZAR. I REPEAT: DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CONVERT - you’ll go mad). But we are going for what is known as the most incredible feast ever. Crayfish tails until you can’t anymore, all made by world-class chefs.

• There are pigeons and mosquitoes everywhere. Dammit.