Fine!

Or as Robyn would say; frustrated, insecure, neurotic and emotional. Well, my day has been a bit fine. More frustrating than fine really. Actually the frustrations started the day before when I realised that I had to re register my Toyota. The UAE have just bought in ID cards, to register a car you need one and I haven't got around to getting mine yet, plenty of time I thought. Wait until most people have theirs and there will be less waiting time.

Yesterday I chased around trying to find the place to get said ID card, then found they had shifted buildings and they may or may not have been open on a Saturday. Because I couldn't find them, I couldn't find that out either. Then Jane and I went to the licensing place, they were shut too. Plan B, tomorrow. That would be today, the day my registration runs out.

Or does it? Tomorrows date is on my new insurance papers so it seems that I have to go back again tomorrow to get my registration. No problems, they are open until 9pm and the lady was so helpful. She didn't ask for my ID card so fingers crossed I'll be fine without it. There's that word fine again, oh did I mention I had to pay my fines before I could do anything at all?

I sat there waiting, a little worried about how much it might be, prepared for the worst. With several, supportive friends looking on with bated breath to see my final total, to see my face when I heard it. It was not that relaxing really. The lovely man sorting out my fines was more interested in chatting and, as I like a bit of a chat, I obliged. I cannot believe how friendly and forgiving the Emirati people are, how welcoming and how the stressful job of paying fines is made a pleasure by the attitude of the people in the fines department. We had a lot of laughs when he tried to get one of his colleagues to charge my Visa, she was giving him grief about his bad handwriting. Behind my smile, I was hoping that she had put the decimal point in the right place.

All done, all paid it was Rau's turn. Hers were a little higher than mine. Mine topped the scales at 4370dhs or about 1620NZD. They halve the fines so I paid a grand total of 2185dhs, not bad for a years driving here where the speed limits are fluid and the speed cameras set at a variety of speeds regardless of the speed limit. Actually, since I got none in the first six months, that's the cost for the whole time I've been here. The traveling I do for work and pleasure means that I've put 25000ks on my car this year.

I also dropped my phone today, broke the screen, so that had to go in to be fixed. Somehow my contacts were not on my SIM so I have a limited phone with no contacts until mine is fixed. My phone account will be lower, but I'm not very happy about not being able to be in contact. I suspect the Apple company conspired to make me drop my phone. I just may have to visit with their i-phone 4 if my phone is too long getting back to me. No wait, my i-phone money just went on fines. There's that word again.