Observations – AD 8 months later

Pretty much everywhere I have lived has had both good and bad aspects of living there.  This is of course, no exception.  It is however, a very different lifestyle in comparison to well, any place I have been before.  That is to be expected of course, but the differences are not at all what I envisioned.  In some ways life here is much better.  In other ways, not so much.  Most of life here is neither better nor worse, just not the same.  Sometimes I love it.  Sometimes it is not so fun.  And sometimes it’s very frustrating.

There are the obvious things that one would know in advance of arrival.  For example, having my name on the bank account and full access privileges requires a rather lengthy discussion with the bank manager.  (Really it’s just a conversation Larry has to have.  I am ignored.)  It also requires something like 15 or 16 signatures of all parties (me included this time.)  That said, unlike other countries in the region, if I were working I would be able to have my own account.

Once we figured out what we wanted to do, and where we wanted to live, we went to get a post office box.  It was surprisingly easy to put my name on it.  I really expected a banker style discussion, but none was forthcoming.  We opted to use a smaller local post office instead of the main PO downtown.  So many people we have spoken with have had issues getting mail there.  Our rationale was that a smaller office, with fewer employees affords us the chance to get to know them personally, and by doing so perhaps have a better chance at really good service.  To date that has proven to be true.  We do not have long waiting lines, and Larry is always greeted with huge smiles.  I went by myself today for the first time, and was happily surprised to have been greeted with almost as much enthusiasm.  One of the guards had his 3 year old son there with him, who was providing entertainment for the 6 employees that work there.  It is a very nice experience, and I think a really good decision.  Hopefully this move will alleviate the issues we have had to this point with mail in general.  To date, we have used our apartment building address.  We have gotten exactly one piece of mail here.  We were sent 6 that we know of.  1 was returned.  The others have been lost in a black hole somewhere.  I suspect they are in a drawer somewhere here at the doorman’s desk.  They have absolutely no process by which to get it to us.  When we have asked they have gone through drawers, pulling out piles of stuff and going through each piece.  No rhyme or reason to it.

Healthcare here is an interesting exercise.  Like so many other places, they get some of it right, and some of it… not so much.  The system is much like that in the US.  You have health insurance.  Some places and providers are in network, others are not.  That changes regularly.  If you have company provided insurance, you can opt to buy up to a higher benefit plan, the top of which has -0- deductible and is good anywhere in the world.  (Not surprisingly that one comes at a hefty price!)  On the plus side in a huge way, when you have a doctor appointment, you are actually seen almost right on the dot of the scheduled time.  Can you imagine that?  That is with waiting rooms that are as busy, if not busier, than what I have noticed in the US.  Doctors here all appear to be hospital based.   That means that their offices are within hospitals, not free standing.  So to go see the doc, you go to the hospital.  The one where our doctors are based is a private hospital called Burjeel that is quite nice.  There is a harp and piano duet playing in the lobby during busy afternoon hours and a great restaurant inside.

To the down side, there is nothing like HIPAA here.  The providers can chat about you to anybody they wish to, and apparently do.  My insurance is under my husband’s name, so when I went in for a checkup, they called him with my results.  That wouldn’t happen in the US.  It would also be different if I were working and/or had my own insurance.  (I think.)

In the category of frustrating comes dealing with medications.  One example is that Larry arrived taking one naturally derived medication that was working very well for him.  Unfortunately the medication is not legal here for religious reasons, so he was forced to switch to a synthetic product.  In another instance I was very recently prescribed a medication that was not available in the hospital pharmacy.  Pharmacies that dispense prescription meds appear to be hospital based.  The free standing ones can dispense everything else.  (And a lot of things that require a prescription in the US do not here – or just about anywhere else in the world).  I was sent to the small hospital next door.  They were also out, ostensibly due to the fact that doctors at Burjeel keep prescribing it, and the Burjeel pharmacy never seems to stock it, causing the closest pharmacy to regularly run out.  The pharmacist there suggested I got to a third hospital, and thus began my adventure.  I was astounded to learn the number of hospitals there are in Abu Dhabi, and how close together they are.  Prior to my adventure, I knew only of Burjeel and Cleveland Clinic.  I am now aware of and have knowledge of how to navigate, 7 additional hospitals within a 3 square mile area.  Calling the pharmacies to ask if they had the medication in stock was futile.  If they answered the phone at all, they told me I had to come to find out.  Finally the 8^th hospital informed me that they had the medication, but they would not give it to me.  I had to transfer my file to a doctor there, or open a new one and start over.  I like my doctor.  Not going to do that.  So I picked up the phone and called my doctor.  I have his mobile number – something I do not think would ever happen in the US – and he ANSWERED IT!  Another highly unlikely scenario given other experiences.  I told him quite unhappily about my trip around town in search of the meds he prescribed.  He told me where I could get them.  Ummm… why did you not tell me that sooner????  Anyway, I went where he told me to, and had everything in hand within 10 minutes.  I will know to ask next time.  Perhaps one of the most frustrating moments was when the head pharmacist at the very large public hospital that had the medication in stock, told me all that the Burjeel hospital had to do was call and ask for stock, and they would provide it.  Other hospitals regularly do so he told me.  Nice.  My opinion of their customer service dropped dramatically when I learned that.

I think I’ve indicated before that I love grocery shopping here.   One of my favorite places to go is the Fish Market.  It’s in the main port, and everything is fresh off the boats.  You negotiate to purchase by the fish or by the pound.   You can take it home as is, or take it to be cleaned and/or filleted.  If you aren’t handy in the kitchen, somebody will even cook it for you right there – grill or fry – up to you.  After 8 months of the standard grocery stores here, I have learned that if I see something I want I should get it.  Even if it isn’t on my list and I don’t really need it at that moment.  There are so many things here that I haven’t worked with, and am learning about.  The thing is, the stores do not stock the same things consistently.  This isn’t limited to just one store either.  I find a product or brand or new thing I like and go back to find it isn’t there any longer.  This isn’t the case with everything, but it is with more things than I can count.  It’s very frustrating!  I just wish that at some point one of the things they would get is some chipotle chilies in adobo.  Seriously.  Embasa brand.  Just once.  Don’t they realize how much I need those?  LOL!