The day I fell in love with Abu Dhabi.

Our day started around 3:30 AM thanks to the cruel West-to-East jet lag. After breakfast at the Rotana, TQ (the husband), drove us straight to the corniche where my feet touched sand and water for the first time since Portugal in 2008.

It wasn’t even 8am yet, but children were waddling in the water with their parents, and teens were close by soaking up the pre-afternoon sun. As the cool waves met my ankles and 90 degree beams of sun pierced my face, it dawned on me that this is a true desert paradise. Safe, diverse, family-friendly, PG-13, sunny, international, you name it. Abu Dhabi is the beach-blessed land of opportunity.

As we sat in on the sand, swapping college-entrance exam stories, the heat gradually increased to the point of unrest. An hour later, we decided to move on with the day, cool off (at 9am) and prepare for Jumuah prayer. I swapped my sundress for the ever-cozy all-black abaya and continued to sport it for the rest of the evening (more posts on this to follow).

I visited the Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque in February when I was visiting Abu Dhabi, but only as a tourist. This time, I sat in the Female prayer hall for the weekly Jumuah prayer sermon and prayed there.

Overall, it was a nice experience. The carpets were plush and super clean. As infants and designer purses littered the room, it became harder and harder to concentrate on the all-Arabic khutbah (sermon), but I managed. So when T quizzed me (he’s a native Arab speaker), I correctly summed up the overall message: How to Earn the Love of Allah (God), and the reward of doing so.

After Jumuah, the jet-lag set in all over again. Luckily for us, the malls and stores stay open late. We even managed to get our phones and numbers situated. I’m officially and iPhone user with an official UAE line :D. Nice! The husband and I got matching iPhone 5s at the Etisilat stand in Abu Dhabi Mall right before they closed at 11pm. Not bad for a Friday (weekend here).