After one week in Abu Dhabi, not one minute has gone by where I think I’ve made the wrong decision to come out here.

Although I’m stuck inside a hotel room with a rather slow internet connection (think dial-up, but a bit slower), the city is a vibrant, dynamic, busy metropolis – nary a sign that this so-called “global economic slowdown” has hit the place hard. Dubai, on the other hand, hasn’t fared out so well but Abu Dhabi remains a strong financial pillar of the Middle East. It’s definitely something I don’t take for granted given the bad news I hear from back home.

Anyways, I’ve wanted to write a bit more but I’ve been pretty busy with getting work documents processed, training and the odds and ends of relocating to a new city.

Like, for instance, dealing with my laundry. After shopping around for a laundromat, I’ve found a place near my hotel where, after some hand signals and repeated haggling, three Indian men will clean my shirts, socks, etc. for about $20.

There’s also the call to prayer, or adhan, which every mosque broadcasts from its speaker five times a day. The first begins around 5 am and the last ends around 6 pm. It’s a beautiful, fascinating experience, one that always helps to draw me away from the rather westernized-environment and remind me where I am again.

Lastly, the customer service model they have over here is something that I don’t think I’ll ever get used to. For every car wash that has no less than three men scrubbing, vacuuming and waxing your car for about $10, there’s a restaurant whose servers will not pay attention to you for almost an hour, even though several other tables have already received their food.

So, aside from some minor inconviences (have I mentioned the internet? or the indoor smoking?) I still haven’t been hit with any major culture shock. It’s fairly westernized here and most people speak English, albeit with a strong accent.

Regarding work, I’m not really going to talk much about The National for a number of personal reasons. However, without any sense of hyperbole, I will say that the newsroom has been everything I’ve imagined it would be and a bit more. Along with the brand new chairs – a welcome change from my old newsroom – I’m really enjoying my job and the people are great to work with.