It's Been a Year Already!

Today marks the one year anniversary of the Hello, Dubai! blog and subsequently marks our one year residency in Dubai. Matt and I celebrated by marking the occasion with just the way we marked our very first night in Dubai - going out to dinner. This time was a bit different however, we weren't jet lagged, we didn't have to survive a torrential downpour, we didn't have to use our cell phone calculators to figure out the conversion rate, and when we hopped in a taxi we actually knew where we were going. A 100% improvement, I would say!

The blog started as a simple idea to keep in touch with our family and friends, but it has taken on a bit of a life of its own. We've been contacted by newspaper outlets for comments on expat life, we've been approached on more than one occasion by people who are considering moving to Dubai for advice, and we’ve even been added to a UAE community 'super blog'. We aren't sure why we are still writing, or really why you are still reading?! If you've made it this far, give yourself a pat on the back. As long as folks are reading, we are honored to keep on writing, we love your comments and thoughts so keep them coming!

A few fun stats on the year's look back on the blog:

-We've had nearly 7,000 hits in the past year (yeah, I know not that much - we aren't Google!)

-Over 100 people actually subscribe to our updates, some coerced of course...

-The Top 5 Readers by City are:
1. Dubai, UAE - "People here actually read us? Uh oh."
2. Hackettstown, NJ - "Who lives here?"
3. Downingtown, PA - "Thanks Mom"!
4. Washington, DC - "We miss all of you guys too!"
5. Fairfax, VA - "Thanks Mom and Dad Mueller!"

-Our #1 comment poster is none other than the FOG himself, Jim Mueller! Thanks JimDad!

-Some of the most interesting key word searches that have lead to our blog are:
'dairy queen Dubai'
'head oil massage for men in Dubai'
'mexican food Dubai'
and my all time favorite...
'speak up I'm wearing a towel' (No, I am not kidding.)

Although we've received quite a few hits lately for 'Matt Mueller Katie Shaver Wedding', hmmm, all I have to say is, hold your horses, Matt will be posting that site soon.

-We've shockingly have gotten hits from all over the world, just this week we've had hits from Burkina Faso, Finland, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Pakistan, and Romania, just to name a few. Below is a map of the hits that we received yesterday. Matt and I agree that we really need to try and break into that whole Greenland market, man those guys are tough!
So we'd like to express our gratitude, and a huge thank you to those of you who have taken the time to read and connect with us. Thank you for giving us an excuse to keep this online diary and allowing us to share little pieces of our lives with you. Being away from home is never easy, but there is something about knowing that out in cyber space we might be getting a few smiles or chuckles from you, that makes it a lot easier. Thanks for reading!