Day two in my new role is in the books! Today I met my supervisor, who strangely enough, works out of Dubai. He is a very intelligent, driven and intense guy, but with a good sense of humor. I think we are going to get along very well. The to-do list I have after our meeting is as long as my arm. As I suspected, this is going to be a very demanding position. I'm really looking forward to being challenged!

I hope you have read Gail's posting about the Grande Mosque. While the statistics and facts are amazing, they can't compare to standing in and around this beautiful structure. There are light towers that surround the mosque that are cleverly disguised. At night they light up the mosque beautifully, and the shade of blue changes as the moon moves through the lunar changes.

The paper work here must have been designed by the IRS. No offense to my friends there! Todays adventure involved bailing out of work at 3:15, jumping in a cab and heading to the center for disease prevention. They take that very seriously here. If you have it, you get booted out of the country. "It" includes HIV, TB, and a few other acronymes that I can't remember.

I shot through the process thanks to a tip I got from a fellow employee.....go after three in the afternoon. So, my cab ride both ways and the blood draw, xray and paper work took less than an hour! I was prepared for two or three! On the ride back the cab driver asked me a question right before we got back to my hotel. As hard as I tried, I could not understand him. I felt horrible. I apologized profusely and left him a nice tip.

There are people from all over the world here. While you can pretty much skate by with English, you really feel bad for the low wage people from places like Sri Lanka, India and Malaysia that are trying to learn new languages just so they can work and support their families.

After medical I went on a 40 minute walk around the area. Amazing how large Abu Dhabi is! A block here is like walking a block in Vegas! What is fun is getting off the main roads and cruising through all the side roads and back alleys. There are so many little shops. On every street you can find a laundry, a travel agency and a pharmacy! There are little groceries everywhere, and many translation shops. Several of my documents will have to be translated to Arabic before being submitted.

I feel very safe wondering around. The biggest danger seems to be the drivers! It's crazy here. The other thing I don't miss is panhandlers. Sorry if that sounds crass, but I had to pass by 3-6 everyday of my 13 year commute to Seattle. And while I wish I could change their lives somehow, the skeptic in me thinks they'll turn my well meaning contribution into cigaretts and booze.

I hope all my friends are doing well! Love you all.....Mark