Tuesday, May 27, 2014

DAY TWO HUNDRED EIGHT - Antici-pay-ay-shun!

"This will be my last time here", I told my manicurist at Marshmallow, a salon two blocks from my Sama Tower apartment. "I'm moving to the new NYU Abu Dhabi campus on Saadiyat Island", I added by way of explanation. I didn't want her to think I was dissatisfied with her service, but driving all the way to the center of Abu Dhabi for a manicure doesn't make any sense. 

After years of hearing about the new NYU campus under construction on Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, and then being in the U.A.E. for the past eight months for the final push to meet the June 1st deadline, it's hard to believe that the campus is finally done and we'll be moving there in two short days. 


There are boxes in every room, not just these few.

Once our May 29th move date was confirmed, I started packing. Boxes, tape, wrapping paper and bubble wrap were dropped off by the company handling the campus move, and I just dug in. Mentally and emotionally I am already in our campus apartment, so I needed to do something physical, something tangible, to make the move feel real. Packing was all I could do, so I did it. 

There is still a lot of mystery involved with this move. Unlike 99% of the people moving from Sama to the new campus, I have not seen our actual apartment. When residents were bused out two months ago for a final look at their apartments, Doug and I had not yet been assigned a place. There are two apartment buildings for faculty and some staff, and we didn't even know which building we'd be in much less which apartment. We settled for peaking into open doors, and if an apartment was empty we walked in and looked around. This was helpful because the apartments all have the same floor tile, cabinetry, appliances, and bathroom fixtures, so I got a good "feel" for the place. And it was a good feeling: new and light and bright and open with clean, modern finishes. 

Finally a few weeks ago I was presented with some apartment options and was able to make a selection. We'll have two bedrooms and two full baths, so my offer to come out and visit still stands. Guests are most welcome! The living area has an open floor plan, so I'll be able to cook and entertain and not be hidden away from guests in my kitchen, and that's a feature I like. And.....drum roll..... I'll have an honest-to-goodness stacking washer and dryer, not another one of those tiny, pretty much useless, washer-dryer combo machines. The window you see in the living room is flloor-to-ceiling, so the room is flooded with light. 


Floor Plan - plenty of room for the two of us

Like our Sama Tower apartment, the new place will be furnished, and that's where the remainder of the mystery lies as I have no idea what to expect. It will be new, but that's all I know - not the color(s), not the style. The furniture pieces shown are for a suggested layout only and do not necessarily represent what will be provided. So, yes, it's a mystery. I will walk in the door on Thursday and hopefully be pleasantly surprised. Needless to say I am holding off on buying accessories until I see what I have. 

So stand by! If all goes well I will move in Thursday and spend maybe spend two days unpacking what I have. Then I'll be off shopping for all the little things that personalize a home. I want to make it mine for the time I am there. I know right where I'm going to put my new Turkish carpet, you may be sure ;-)

My next blog will be a photo tour of the apartment and a walk around the new campus. I can't wait to share it with you!











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