Settling In The Land of Tatooine

It has now been 6 months, since the big plane ride to the other side of the world. We are finally starting to

We are in Ruwais 4, building 129. Can you find us? 

feel settled with a routine of work and daily habits. Our plants are beginning to shoot up new leaves and the "fruit shop" man is smiling and welcoming us by name when we come by. We have walked most of the streets in town and know where the shops are to get the necessities.

What is it like to live in the Western Region of the UAE? The most vivid and colorful description that we have found to be useful in describing our life here is a reference to the two planets in the movie series "Star Wars." Life here is a cross between the planets Tatooine, a desert planet that is rough around the edges and is on the outer rim of civilization and Coruscant, an entire city planet, high tech, teaming with life and a diversity of culture. As with anything, it helps to be creative and add a little humor to things here. :)

We live in Al Ruwais (Tatooine), as Wikipedia says "is a town located some 240 kilometers west of Abu Dhabi city in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi Emirate. The Ruwais industrial and housing complex has been developed byADNOC as a major contributor to the national economy and represents a series of multi-million-dollar investments by the company. The Ruwais story began in the 1970s, when plans were laid to transform a remote desert site into a self-contained industrial town, geared to fulfilling the downstream requirements of Abu Dhabi's booming oil and gas industry. Centered around Takreer's Ruwais Refinery, the complex was officially inaugurated in 1982 by Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the late President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, and the visionary behind Abu Dhabi's remarkable development and prosperity. Once a small fishing headland from which a handful of people scratched a seasonal living, Ruwais today is one of the most modern industrial complexes in the Middle East. In addition to the original 120,000 barrels (19,000 m³)-per-day refinery, which was expanded in 1985 with the commissioning of a 27,000 bbl/d (4,300 m³/d) hydro cracker complex, major facilities at Ruwais include a natural gas liquids fractionation plant operated by Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Ltd (GASCO), a fertilizer plant run by Ruwais Fertilizer Industries, Borouge, a marine terminal and a sulfur handling terminal (Borouge). Industry needs people and so Ruwais has also been developed into a model 'new town' with a population of several thousand. The Ruwais Housing Complex, covering an area of six square kilometers, is located 10 kilometers away from the industrial plants. In line with ADNOC'S policy of offering staff and their families all modem amenities, comfortable air-conditioned housing units are set in beautifully landscaped grounds. The complex has its own shops, schools, banks, mosques, clinic and hospital, and a wide range of sporting and leisure amenities including a beach club and an 'in-house' TV and video station (taken from Wikipedia, 2013)."

The entrance of the mall! The refinery off in the distance.

The surrounding area of this gated housing complex is only a few miles away from one of the largest oil refineries and peatroleum plants in the world. From our school, on a clear day, I can see about 8-14 burn off flares atop huge chimney towers. These towers give a unique impression and are often fondly referred to as the towers of "Mordor" (reference to Lord of the Rings) by the Expats living here.

The Ruwais complex is always under construction and in some places it undergoes construction in the same place multiple times a year. If not under construction, they have continuous work crews sweep the sand off the streets and sidewalks or else they would be buried in only a few days.

We have a  new mall! This is very useful for many reasons. One reason is because Abu Dhabi is 2 hours away and is the closest place to get the things you need and want to live here with. Like on Tatooine, all social life takes place inside. This is why the Mall is so exciting, because Ruwais now has a meeting place where both men, woman, and children can meet. Third, the mall has a major grocery, house wares, and clothing store. We still choose to go to our local fruit shop, as it is more personal and possible more organic. All the fruits and vegetables in any store come from Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Sudan, Oman, Yemen, South Africa, Pakistan, India, Philippines, Australia, France, and the US.

I would have never imagined have such a huge global foot print in my eating choices, yet this would be a common experience for most of the world. Just think of all the vehicles, gas, man power, shipping, packaging, and work that goes into getting this produce just to the UAE not to mention other places. We have come to see even more how blessed and unique Oregon and the US is in its lifestyle and way of life.

We have people over for dinner about 1-2 times a week. Some are regulars and others are new. Most of

Dinner with a local family out on their camel farm.

them are people we know from work. It is nice when we get a chance to meet others here working for different companies as we hear a new perspective and local news. Having people over is what makes living here a lot easier as we get to share our lives together and talk together about other stuff. Sometimes we even get out a board game and in the near future will pull the projector out for a movie.

Recently, we heard that many of the Europeans are leaving as their companies are about finished with their building projects. Some of the companies are Borouge, building a plastics manufacturing plant; Siemens, building a natural gas power plant and nuclear plant; and Schlumberger, managing the oil extraction and refining process. The nuclear plant will be completed and operational in 2-3 years, which will provide power to the major cities of Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Their are hundreds of other companies here as well, which makes Ruwais a transient town of families and workers coming and going.

I will save the comparison of Coruscant and the big cities here for another post.