We had a week of break before meeting family in Greece, so we decided to spend a week in Turkey. We started with three nights in Cappadocia, a region in central Turkey famed for its otherworldly landscapes. Like many visitors, we hoped to experience Cappadocia on a sunrise hot air balloon ride. By “we,” I mean Simon, Mila, and I, as Alden was a bit … Continue reading Caves of Wonder-A Hole New World

December 2nd was the UAE’s 51st National Day Celebration. The event is celebrated across the UAE in the days leading up to the 2nd and the following weekend. We checked out the activities in our apartment complex. Mila got a henna design on her hand, made a bracelet with UAE colors, touched a falcon, and had a staring contest with a mascot. There was music, … Continue reading National Day- Wadi Sur-prises

Simon’s parents, Seymour and Luba, celebrated their 50th anniversary in October. In anticipation of this landmark, we decided it was fitting to have a mini-reunion during our fall break with the whole Frumkin/Morales clan along with Luba’s sister Galina and her husband Rick. We debated where best to celebrate and ended up choosing Portugal. We began our adventures in Lisbon where we stayed in the … Continue reading Fall Family Adventures in Portugal

After summer adventures with family on the east and west coast, we returned to Abu Dhabi for our second year. Fall is incredibly hot here, so we have been mostly engaging in fun indoor activities like solving Rubik’s cubes and playing games or cooling off at the pool. Mila is taking part in the school play, Aladdin, as an Agrabahn. Simon is coaching Varsity Boys … Continue reading Abu Dhabi 2.0

The holy month of Ramadan begins and ends with the appearance of the crescent moon. This year the first day of Ramadan fell during our spring break trip to Italy and Istanbul. Since returning from our trip, we have enjoyed experiencing this festive time of year. To start, we have been blessed by shortened school days with school starting and ending one hour early. This … Continue reading Ramadan and Eid

We were blessed with an extra-long spring break this year and took advantage with an adventure in Italy and Istanbul. After a half-day of work, we rushed to the airport to catch our flight to Rome, with a layover in Jeddah. Everything was looking smooth as we approached Jeddah. The many religious pilgrims to Mecca were changing into their white Ihram in preparation. Each screen … Continue reading Pasta, Pizza, and Gelato, Oh My!

The World’s Fair initially planned for 2020 in Dubai was postponed due to Covid until this year. We feel lucky that we happen to be in the UAE at the same time as EXPO. When we first heard about it, we weren’t really sure what to expect. We decided to check it out while my mom, Simon’s sister Bonnie and her husband Israel were in … Continue reading EXPO 2020

We had our midterm break in February and were delighted to have the Frumkin/Morales crew visit for just over a week. After winter break, we had been in and out of distance learning and were definitely ready for some rest and relaxation. In the new year, all schools in Abu Dhabi switched to a 4.5 day work week with every Friday wrapping up at 12:30. … Continue reading Frumkin Family February Funfest in Fujairah (and Dubai, Sharjah, and Abu Dhabi)

We knew this year that the holidays were going to be rough, but we were so glad that Emily, Michael, and my mom were willing to make the voyage to come be with us. Though we shared the sadness of missing my dad, we made some happy memories too. My mom arrived first and we took advantage of our first few days of break with … Continue reading I’m Dreaming of a Sandy Christmas

Four months ago our family left behind the forests of Russia and the Pacific NW and moved to the desert, to the city of Abu Dhabi. It’s taken me some time to post about our transition here. There have certainly been some interesting experiences and positives to our time here, which I will share below. However, as many of you know, my father died unexpectedly … Continue reading Abu Dhabi–Mr. Smart Returns