Transportation Woes

So we had quite the experience the other evening.  I helped another friend in my building with setting up her Fire Stick.  The ordeal took longer than we expected so in appreciation, she offered to take me out to dinner.  I thought it would be a quick trip to Marina Mall, but we didn't get home until three hours later.  This was our first time to going to the mall on a Friday evening so we had no idea catching a cab home would be so difficult.  Any other day, the cabs would be plentiful but on this particular day, not a cab in sight!  Did I mention that the taxi line was ridiculously long? 

We thought of taking the bus, but since we're not familiar with the bus route, we decided not to use it. Because of the long line and no taxi cabs in sight, we decided to walk a little further up and hopes of getting a cab, but no such luck.  To make a long story short, we ended up walking about 3 miles until we successfully hailed a cab.  I've never been so happy to see a yellow light on top of a taxi.  We didn't arrive home until after 12 am, we left the mall after 10:00 p.m.  So we learned a valuable lesson, avoid going to the mall on a Friday evening, unless you have a car.  It's so funny that earlier that evening I said I could make it without renting a car but after this ordeal, I quickly changed my mind.  

You see the taxis lined up, this was on a Thursday evening.

Until next time!

Change of Attitude

Hey Everyone!  I've been meaning to update this blog but I kept putting it off, I believe I shared with you all before, I'm a huge procrastinator.  I'm really going to try and do better with updating you all. A few days after posting my last entry, I found the words above on Facebook which turned my whole attitude around.  I've decided that I'm going to take advantage of this opportunity and enjoy it.  I'm sure that there are many other people who would like to be in my position right now.  

I keep up with the Facebook groups in hopes of meeting up with new people.  On this particular day a woman posted that she'd just arrived in Abu Dhabi the day before, and was looking to connect with other people.  I commented on her post and so did a few others, we arranged to meet that same day before dinner.  I'm so glad I reached out to her and got out of my apartment.  Everyone exchanged numbers with promises to stay connected.  Cheers to making new friends!    

P.S.  If you read my blog titled Day 17, I fixed the videos that were on there.

Until next time!

Making the Best of It

Well I survived the first 7 days of school!  Although it's only been 7 days, it feels so much more longer.  I'm officially off for 9 days due to the celebration of Eid Mubarak.  I'm going to take this time to regroup and hopefully visit other emirates of the UAE.  Yesterday, I attended church with another teacher who lives in my building.  We work for the same company but different schools.  Anyway, I enjoyed the services, it was well needed.  I have good and bad days here.  It's a mixture of missing home, teaching a new grade, and just getting use to how things are run here.  

If I'm being all the way honest, I was contemplating coming home during the winter break and never returning.  I've heard that several families have already returned home for a number of reasons and I can totally understand.  Yet, I was reminded that I prayed for this opportunity and He granted my request.  Things won't always run smoothly but it doesn't mean I need to throw in the towel.  I'm extremely grateful for this opportunity and I promise to make the best of it.

Until Next Time

Day 17

Hello All!  I finally have Internet and I should be able to update more frequently.  It was hard living without the Internet but I made it.  Lol!  I've been in Abu Dhabi for 17 days now, and I'm adjusting quite well.  

After a delayed opening of my school, we finally received the green light to begin school on Wednesday, August 31st (3 days ago).  I love my new students and their parents.  My students are from Hungary, India, Yemen, Pakistan, US, Jordan, Malaysia, Canada and of course UAE.  I have 19 kids on my roster, but only half showed up.  I probably won't meet all of my students until after the Eid Holiday which is coming up soon.  So we'll be in school for 7 days before we have our first break.  During that time I plan to go to Dubai.   

I'm debating on whether or not to rent a car.  My goal was to get to know the area first then rent a car my second year here.  But having a car would be so much easier for me.  I like the area I'm in and can easily access a cab to just about anywhere, but those taxi cabs add up.  So the question still remains...

Here are a few videos of my new neighborhood. Enjoy!

Never Alone

"Sometimes I'm alone but never lonely." - India Arie

When they say you're never alone and everyone is like family here, they're telling the truth.  On yesterday, I left my apartment keys at school, the school is a good 30 minutes away, I have no car, and a taxi would be quite costly to travel round-trip.  Thankfully there were teachers still in the building but they weren't coming back right away.  My next door neighbor whose Egyptian took me in, fed me and entertained me for about two hours until my keys arrived. I was so grateful for her and thanked her several times. She told me not to worry about anything and if I'm ever in need, she's there to help.  She reminded me that we're family now, and indeed sisters.

Today, I had yet another experience leaving my personal items at work.  This time around was my wallet 😯.  One of my  colleagues began a WhatsApp group which has come in great handy, so I was able to contact a teacher who was working late at the school.  The teacher found my wallet and brought it back to my apartment.

I was on my way to get something to eat when I noticed my wallet was missing.  One of my grade group partners gave me money so that I could still eat. She didn't stop there, she later picked me up from my apartment took me to the teacher store and gave me additional money so that I can put minutes on my phone.  I'm just so grateful to have a support system all the way in the UAE.  When I prayed for this job, one constant request was that i would work in a school where I would build healthy relationships among my colleagues, students and their families.  God has honored all of my requests thus far, and I'm sure He's not done yet.  😇😇😇

 

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!