The Emirates Family – Old Friends

Monday 8th February 2016

Today, the day after Kingsley turned 26 months, my original Dubai friends – Erin and Michelle – came to visit. Last time I saw Shelly we both happened to be in Sydney (May 2015) so took the kids to Taronga Zoo for the day (via ferry, no less!). As for dear Erin, well I am ashamed to say it has been two years since we saw each other…and in the meantime she has given birth to her second son, Declan, whom I met today as well.

Like myself, both women are part of the extensive Emirates Family; one married to a pilot, the other to an aircraft engineer. We met over the Internet (as expats do) over seven years ago, and from our newly married, carefree partying ways back then, have all settled into rearing children and stepping away from paid employment.

Our babies play together rarely. However today’s triumph in impromptu play dates has reaffirmed our collective desire to make greater efforts to be in each other’s lives. You would think by watching Declan and Kingsley play so brilliantly today, that they’ve known each other all their short lives. We mums like one another, and so do our kids. Cheers to our expat family.

26 months

26 months