Leaving on a jet plane...

... don't know when I'll be back again.

But hopefully this isn't goodbye forever. I love it here

too much to think that I won't drive down Sheikh Zayed Road again or walk along the Abu Dhabi Cornice. I know I have to come back to my favorite lebanese restaurant and go watch another movie in my favorite theater.

Is it weird that I'm freaking just a little? This is it! It's my very last night in what has been my home for the past three and half years. Ironically I am staying just down the road from American University in Dubai - where I spent my first night.

I am full of emotions. Sad to say goodbye to my friends, my mentors, my favorite places, my life here. Yet excited for the new adventure. Excited to be closer to our families again, to be home where I am use to "things", where people know where Oregon is (usually).

But I'm sure we'll be back. There are too many memories here.

p.s. It might be a few days before I get back online again. Hold tight I'm sure there'll be a big update shortly!!!!

Things I learned from living abroad

Patience – I learned to be much more patient in dealing with others. There are just too many cultural differences out here to assume that everyone will do what you expect. Or that when they say something (like “I’ll have it done in an hour”) that it’ll mean the same thing (like they’ll be here in an hour)

Charades – Sometimes the best way to get past a language barrier is to act it out. I (point to self) want (smile and nod) some binders (open and close hands like a book) (more nodding and smiling). In fact this has become such a big part of the way I talk that I find myself acting things out even when whomever I am talking to understands what I am saying perfectly.

Defensive driving – Need a crash course in defensive driving? Come drive here for a week and you’ll be set for life. It is you against the world out here and add to that that everyone is driving close to (or way over) 100mph and you learn real quick how to keep your eyes open and get out of the way. I also learned how to cut off taxis. But they started it.

Equality – We (Americans) might have a long way to go when it comes to equality and treating people fairly but oooh boy have we sure made some progress. It’s not the locals I refer to but just about everyone putting everyone else into a box.

Friends - There are people out there living in the world with the same interests as you and the same likes and dislikes. They talk similarly and just seem to "get" you. I have realized that you can find friends just about anywhere. I know I did! Of course I found the very best ones that could have been found.

Same same but different – We all basically have the same agenda same goals in life. There are things that cross all cultures and all religions. Loving family and food on the table come to mind.

Stereotypes – These are hard to over come and it’s amazing how quickly people decide things about someone else based on very little knowledge -like nationality. I have had to work hard not to give in to this as I think it’s human nature when meeting people from so many cultural backgrounds to want to figure them out before you know them. But I refuse to let a few decide (whether good or bad) how I feel about or treat many.

Passport – When abroad this thing is more valuable than it’s weight in gold. Guard it accordingly and know your rights. It is unlawful for someone to hold your passport so that you don’t have access to it. If you have any doubts or concerns call your embassy. Trust me it works.

Healthcare – Dang it’s good to have healthcare and it’s even better to have affordable medication. If you ever want to know what that feels like then head on over.

Coke is better – I heard it was because of the sugar they use or maybe it’s that you can buy it in glass bottles but it is so good here and just what you want on a hot day.

Acclimating – People are adaptive. I had no idea just how adaptive I could be until I moved here. Take for example that really 110° just isn’t that big a deal to me anymore. Yeah I don’t look forward to it but really I don’t notice it much when out weather gets that hot. Now 30° is just plain scary! I have no idea what that feels like anymore and when I was back home last winter I practically froze! I was cold ALL THE TIME!

Self respect – Like I talked about in my previous post I gained a lot of self respect here and I am a better person for it. Looks don’t last forever but respecting your self does.

Ambiance – One thing I may never have again is a view of the aqua blue sea with swaying palm trees, a nice breeze and a beach spread out before me as I eat my dinner. There is definitely beauty in this desert.

reflections

So we’re down to our final week in the UAE. Everything is coming together and we are getting things set-to-go. Of course there is a never-ending list of things to do that just WON’T STOP getting longer but I know we’ll get there. And if not, well then, I guess it won’t get done cause we are running out of days.

It’s kind of hard to believe that we only have a week left. I always knew this day would come but it was like getting married or graduating college. I just can’t believe it’s finally here. After all the planning, waiting, complaining we are going home.

It’s turning out to be harder than I thought. Saying goodbye to friends and saying goodbye to a pretty incredible place is just plain hard. As I sit, looking over the sea with my coffee and knitting as a nice cool breeze comes through I’m having a hard time understanding why I wanted to get away so badly.

I have been reflecting on my time in the UAE and have realized that living here has been amazing for me. So much of my life has happened in the last three years. I finally became a grown up and started living on my own taking care of my self, I also met the man of my dreams and married him. I got my first “grown-up” job with steady hours and health insurance as well as having to figure out life abroad.

I would never trade this experience for anything and I feel blessed to have lived in the Middle East during a time where this culture is so misunderstood. I know that when I go home I can break people’s stereotypes and misconceptions of how the world lives over here.

Believe it or not but observing the women here has taught me how to be a stronger, more confident woman. They have taught me, through their actions, how to value my self and how to show that, as women, we are more than looks. We don't need to use our bodies to be noticed because we are more than just our bodies. We are just as intellectual, just as strong, and just as capable as any man.

Perhaps instead of looking at being conservative as being oppressive we could view it as a woman’s right to be more than her body but to be her mind.