One Major Project Out of the Way

Well, I got one big project out of the way.  Although I have had several smaller projects completed during my first seven months in UAE, this is the first big MILCON (military construction).  The project is a 2.5 mile aboveground pipeline that will allow aircraft fuel to be delivered, safely and efficiently, from outside the base with tanker trucks, to the US side of the base.  This project is one reason why I have not been able to take time off, miss my planned European backpacking trip, and miss out on my fourth straight attendance to Munich's Oktoberfest.

From this past Saturday until yesterday, we had been conducting testing and commissioning of the new pipeline.  It passed all the testing, including hydrostatic pressure.  The last batch of test was to test the quality of fuel being received at one end to ensure that the pipeline is clean, free of debris, weld slags, and other particulates.  After running fuel into the line for most of the day yesterday, the third sample of fuel tested late in the afternoon met the AF quality requirements for aircraft fuel -- less than 1 gram of particulates per liter of fuel.

There are a few minor items left to be done, but they are unrelated to the operations of the pipeline.  I will turn over the new pipeline to the AF by this Saturday.  It should take about two weeks to completely finish the project and for the contractor to demobilize from the base.  What does this all mean to me?  Vacation time.  I just purchased my airplane ticket to visit the Philippines from 28 Oct to 8 Nov.  I plan to visit a friend in Germany and check out Berlin, and Krakow and Warsaw in Poland during late Nov to early Dec.  I should be in Seattle between Christmas and New Year.  There is a 4 or 5 day UAE holiday in the middle of Nov.  I may even venture out to Cairo or another Middle East location during that time.

Fun times ahead.

Al Ain

 

Al Ain is located in the Emirates of Abu Dhabi, about 75 miles south of the city of Abu Dhabi.  It is adjacent to the border with Oman.  Al Ain is also known as the Garden City because of all the greenery right smack in the middle of the desert.  Al Ain has seven oases.  They are known for the underground irrigation system which brings water from boreholes to the palm trees.  The photos above and the next two photos are from the Al Ain oasis, the largest of the seven oases in the city.

One of the entrances to the Al Ain oasis.

Al Ain Palace Museum.  My visits to Al Ain have been on Fridays.  The museum does not open until late in the afternoon of Fridays.  So, I've not had a chance to visit the inside of the museum.

City park near Al Jahili Fort.

Al Ain Mall.

And lastly, the road sign as you leave Al Ain.

Cameron

Cameron is a great-niece, daughter of Sonya (my niece) and Steve.  They are my neighbor in Seattle's Beacon Hill area.  Since a sister, who is Cameron's grandma, is staying at my place, I get to see her quite a bit during my visits back to Seattle.  Cameron is a social butterfly, very talkative and inquisitive, unlike either of her parents.  She will definitely butt in anytime I am talking to Payton or Gavin.

I will never forget her birth date because she was born a day before I was given a surprise 40th birthday party in 2004.  Cameron reminds me so much of her mom who was just a baby on our arrival to the US many moons ago.

Picture below is Cameron with Salia and Ina at Grace and Jason's wedding in September 2009.

Picture below is from a family (mostly distant Antonio relatives) reunion in Yakima in July 2005.

Picture below is on my front deck in Seattle when I spent the entire day with her, her brother Payton, and her cousins Gavin and Jeremiah in June 2008.

Picture of Cameron cheering is from the 2008 family camping in Nehalem Bay, Oregon.

Autumn

It is early October.  My internal system thinks it should be Autumn -- expecting a few gray days and cool weather.  Autumn has always been my favorite season.  I always welcome the coming of autumn during my time in Seattle, Portland, and Wiesbaden -- all three locations with very similar weather conditions.  Although the temperature has cooled a bit and the humidity has decreased considerably in Abu Dhabi, the temperature still reaches 100+ degrees F during mid-day.  It certainly is not even close to autumnal conditions.

Autumn time, in the US, is when schools open and it is also when football season begins.  I enjoy my dose of college and pro football games during this time.  The interest has lost a bit of luster since I have been overseas, but I still watch a few of these games.  I don't have AFN reception in Abu Dhabi, but a few of the sports channels provide a few college and pro football telecasts.  I was able to watch two Seahawks games so far.  I haven't seen the Huskies yet.  It would have been great to watch that USC upset.  But it isn't the same, especially when watching these games very early in the morning.

I have been fortunate to visit New England, on work related trips, during peak time when the leaves are changing colors.  The scenery is always spectacular to see.  This was way before I started carrying camera wherever I went.  So, I have no photos to share of these visits.  I do have the following autumn scene photos to share:

The first three photos are from Berlin back in November 2007.

Here are a few more autumn themed store displays from Munich taken in October 2009.

6 Months in Abu Dhabi

It has been a little bit over six months since I moved to Abu Dhabi.  Aside from the neck and back issues now and then, which I really can't blame Abu Dhabi for, my stay here has gone fairly well.  The heat and humidity has not really affected me as much as I expected.  There were times, when my neck was bugging me, that the extreme conditions added to the misery of neck discomfort.

The positives:  Work that is not as stressful as in previous positions, great living conditions, and compensation and benefits are fairly competitive.  There are no expenses to speak of except for the occasional dinners and weekend meals.  The completely furnished, 3-bedroom apartment is cleaned and bed linens changed every other day; towels are replaced daily; garbage cleaned out daily; bath soap, shampoo, lotion, bottled water, coffee, tea, and creamer are replenished as needed; internet service (although not the fastest) is free; and all other utilities are covered.  A nice vehicle is provided free of charge, including insurance and maintenance every 3000 miles.  Fuel is free if it's filled up in the base.  Meals, snacks, and beverages are free in the base.  The dining fare inside the base is not too bad with a host of selections of snack food, salads, soups, sandwiches, grill orders, main courses, and desserts.  Dry cleaning and laundry/ironing services are also free inside the base.  So my laundry duties in my apartment are only for undergarments, socks, and t-shirts.  Everything else get sent in for washing and ironing.  If you're frugal enough, you do not need to pay for any significant expenses except for the occasional dinners out or day trips outside Abu Dhabi. 

The negatives:  Since it is a small office (usually only two people) to oversee a host of projects and the contractors work six day work week, I usually put in a six day work week.  Leading to the fiscal year end of 30 September, I had to work on my days off also to award new projects.   Again, because it is a small office, it is difficult to find time off for vacation during the summer months.

At work, we are basically on our own.  The Area Engineer works mostly at home and spends a lot of time traveling.  The Resident Engineer has been reassigned to another location.  So I have been acting as a Resident Engineer for our small office.  I wanted to avoid this when I accepted this position.  But since we are a small office and I am the only engineer, I get to do the RE duties as well as project engineer duties by default.  I also do my share of construction representative duties to help out when coverage is lacking.  Once in a while, they will send construction representatives from other areas to help out temporarily.

It should be a fairly slow November, December, and January, work-wise.  I plan to take full advantage of this.  I have a trip planned to the Philippines in late October thru early November.  I will probably go to Europe during Thanksgiving week and Seattle during the Christmas holiday.  In between, there are a few local holidays that I can probably take off for trips around the Middle East -- first on the list is Cairo.  I have some training scheduled for DC and San Diego in the middle part of 2011.  So I should be okay as far as time off and travel holidays.

I have no real problem working here a bit longer.  I can easily do another 6 months, or even longer.  But I am always keeping my eyes open for opportunities back in Europe and possibly in Japan or Korea.  And if that opportunity is attractive, I will not hesitate go after it.