Mom and Dad Come To Visit The UAE

Unlike last year I didn't have as many visitors this year because there was not a major deal on discounted tickets to Abu Dhabi.  But luckily, there were still some pretty good deals out there and my parents were able to make there way to the sandbox.  When I first moved to Abu Dhabi, my dad said he was going to come and visit.  My mom on the other hand wasn't so eager to visit my new residence and needed a little motivation.  As a family we came together and gave her the motivation she needed.  After all isn't that what family is for?

I found a great deal for a companion flight on Emirates in November around Thanksgiving.  I immediately forwarded the deal to my sister, Asani.  I told her to speak with my dad who was in town for the holiday to see what they could work out. That's where the plan was created.  Asani would tell my mom to make sure her passport was in order because they would be taking a trip in April.  We would then tell my mom closer to April that she would actually be going on a trip with my dad to The UAE. We weren't sure how my mom would take this surprising news, but when we all got together via Google Hangouts to tell her, after her initial shock she was...nervous.  But there wasn't much she could do but go along with it, the tickets were already booked!

In April, my parents landed in Dubai and we immediately hit the streets.  I took them to all the main attractions - a desert safari, The Grand Mosque, The Burj Khalifa, the beach, Dubai Mall, and the souq.  I then brought them to Al Ain so they could get a glimpse of my every day life.  They were able to see where I lived, visit my school, meet the people I work with, and meet the friends they had heard so much about.  Needless to say my mom and dad had a great visit.  My dad was amazed by the unique architecture and my mom actually wished she would have come sooner so she could have visited more than once.

Take a look at some of the moments captured from my parents visit.