Welcome to Abu Dhabi

It's Saturday, August 20th and I've been in Abu Dhabi for four days now.  On Tuesday, August 16th I boarded a plane bound to Doha, Qatar from Philadelphia, PA.  After a 3 hour layover in Doha, I finally landed in Abu Dhabi the following day.

This was my very first international flight and it went pretty smoothly.  We had a little turbulence, but it was a great flight.  Qatar Airways is a first class airline and they did not disappoint.  We were fed 3 meals and we had plenty of entertainment on board.  In between sleeping, I watched 3 movies: Barbershop 3, Creed, and one of my favorites Hair Spray. I also listened to music and read books on my kindle.  The flight to Doha was about 12 hours.

I transferred planes in Doha, still using the same airline.  The first leg of my trip was first class, the second part was...I guess I was spoiled with the big plane and comfy seats.  Once I made it to my seat on the second plane, I immediately began to dose off.  The fight from Doha to Abu Dhabi was 90 minutes long but it felt like 30.

After getting my passport stamped, I picked up my luggage and headed to the arrival hall where I was greeted by my Principal and other HR representatives.  I was so thankful that I made it to Abu Dhabi safely, and with no mishaps. After I arrived two more of my colleagues arrived, and wouldn't you know one is from Jersey too!  We eventually left the airport and was taken to our accommodations.  

We're already off to a great start, here in Abu Dhabi!  I'll write more about my accommodations in another post.  It's getting late here, and tomorrow is the first day of work.

Until next time...

Flight Itinerary

So the day that I've patiently waited for, finally arrived yesterday!  As with everyday, I woke up and checked my email but there wasn't an email from my school.  So I went ahead and began to prepare for my day.  I headed out to the salon to get my hair braided for my trip.  As soon as I step foot in the salon, I hear a ping from my phone indicating a text message.  My new grade partner sent a message telling me to check my email, so I immediately opened up my Gmail account.  I opened it up and was greeted with a ton of information.  It had everything from the schedule of the Induction program, to housing and the most coveted prize, my eTicket!

I'm so happy that I don't have to fly to Chicago.  We were told that we would fly Etihad Airlines but I'm now flying Qatar Airways.   I can't tell you how many times I've searched for fights going to Abu Dhabi from Philly.  I'm so glad one of the routes I continuously searched, is my chosen path.  On Tuesday, I will depart from Philly and head to Doha, Qatar (12 hour flight).  I'll have a 3 hour layover there then board another plan for Abu Dhabi which is approximately 1.5 hours.  I've already chosen my seats, an aisle seat for the first part of the trip and a window seat for the second leg. It's recommended that you get up and walk a lot, so an aisle seat is necessary.

I have my housing and searched all day for pictures and information on it.  But I couldn't find anything. I did learn that it's brand new, but that's about it.  I've decided to just let it be, I'm looking forward to seeing it for the first time on Wednesday.

I just have a few more things to pack and I'm all set!  I had my Bon Voyage party last weekend, I'll talk more about that on my next post.

Until next time!

Flight Update

I love my wall calendar!  How fitting for the month of August!

So I received an update from HR concerning our flight arrangements.  I now know that I'll fly Etihad Airways and we're currently waiting for the airline to issue the tickets.  We're still scheduled to arrive in Abu Dhabi on the 17th, just 16 days away!  Yikes!  It's really getting real!

Until Next Time!

Let the Packing Begin!

Since my last post, I've begun packing and I'm extremely proud of myself.  I quickly learned that trying to fit everything in four suitcases wasn't a good idea.  My school offers a shipping relocation allowance for approximately $800 for singles.  And since I don't want to struggle with 6+ pieces of luggage at the airport, I've decided to take them up on the offer.  So far I've packed four boxes and one large suitcase.  My school requires three quotes for shipping, so tomorrow I will need to go to three different places to get pricing and send to HR.  I'm still waiting on my eTicket and Visa, as well as my housing.  Hopefully I'll get this information sometime this week. 

Until Next Time!

Any Day Now

Just 24 days before I board a plane to Abu Dhabi!  I'm still waiting on my eTicket and visa to make it official.  On Tuesday, I emailed the person in charge of booking our flights only to find out that she's on vacation and won't return until Wednesday, July 27th.  So I'll have to wait another week or so before I get my ticket.  Like I said in my last post, it could take a week or two weeks before I get my ticket but I'm scheduled to arrive in Abu Dhabi on August 17th.

On another note, I purchased a new luggage set along with a rolling duffel bag and packing cubes.  I still haven't gotten any closer to actually filling them, but I'll do it soon. I've been glued to Facebook today, as teachers are beginning to arrive in Abu Dhabi.  It's so exciting seeing their updates as they travel from their various countries to their new home in UAE.  I can't wait to be one of them, updating everyone on my new journey.  Any day now, I'll receive that email with my golden ticket!  

Until next time! 

A Lesson in Patience

The Public Holidays are officially over in the UAE and I'm expecting my flight itinerary any day now.  I was expecting to get my eTicket during the week of June 19th but that day has come and gone and we're now in the month of July.  Last week we received an email from HR informing us that we will receive our itineraries this week.  I woke up several times during the night, early Sunday and Monday mornings to check my email, but still no itinerary. Last night I turned my phone and tablet off so that I wouldn't be tempted to check my email during the night.  If there's anything I've learned during this process, I've learned that you need a great deal of patience and faith to make it through.  I know my ticket is on the way, so I just need to be patient.  It might come this week or even two weeks from now, but I have faith that it's on the way! Besides while I'm waiting, there are a ton of things that I can and should be doing.

Until next time... 

Patiently Waiting

So I finally managed to take my luggage out of the closet.  Lol!  I don't know where I'm going with it because it's way too small for this journey.  I'd rather have two large suitcases that will fit all of my belongings, than to bring over 4 small overstuffed bags.  I received an email update from my school informing us of that the HR department was closed and will reopen on Sunday, July 11th.  We were also informed that we will receive our flight itineraries during this week as well.  I'm hoping it comes on Sunday.  Housing is still being worked out and we will receive it by the end of July.  It's really getting real!  I don't know what I'll do when I finally receive my flight itinerary and tickets; shout, scream, run, dance, cry, or maybe do all the above

Until Next Time...