Tuesday, December 31, 2013

What a year it has been...

As I sit here on New Years Eve (avoiding packing to go back to Abu Dhabi after 2 wonderful weeks at home), I just want to use this post to reflect on this crazy, exciting, and unexpected year.

When I first started thinking about all that has happened this year, I actually felt like it all went by so fast!  Don't get my wrong... time has flown by... but there has also been so much that has gone on this year.

Almost exactly a year ago, I had just got approved to BUY a house. Yes, a house. Well, technically a town house... but almost the same thing. I started the year with a tight budget and a Pinterest board full of ideas for decorating and furnishing a house. I was supposed to close on the house in early February...but clearly there were other plans for me. My closing got pushed back and then one night at dinner with my family, I checked my e-mail and saw an e-mail from Teach Away about a prospective job in Abu Dhabi. Everything happened so quick and next thing I knew, I had accepted a job teaching in Abu Dhabi and cancelled the closing of my house - all within about 2 weeks. Things really do happen for a reason. Now, my Pinterest board is filled with all the places I want to travel during these two years and the rest of my life.

Fast forward a few months (after hours of preparing documents for teaching abroad) and it was finally time for my summer trip. I had been saving up for months (long before deciding I would move across the world) for my first trip to Europe. I have always wanted to learn Spanish but took Latin in school. I found a great immersion program and had 6 weeks planned in Barcelona and Valencia to learn the language and soak up the culture (and sun on those great beaches!) The trip ended with a wonderful visit from Will where we spent almost 2 weeks in Valencia and Paris. 

When I got back, it was time to fully accept the fact that I was moving across the world in just a couple of weeks. After lots of shopping, packing, and tear-filled goodbyes, I was on the plane headed across the world. Let me just say that 14-hour flights are pretty rough, but I was so excited and nervous that it went by quickly (sleeping for 6 hours of it helped a little, too). 

Fast forward again. The weeks went by and I started to settle in to my new "home". It still doesn't quite feel like a home but I'm thinking an Ikea trip in the near future will help that situation a lot. All the pictures I printed that I'm bringing back with me will help too. In just 4 months abroad, I have started a new job, met tons of new friends, explored the new city I live in, gone on a desert safari and rode a camel, experienced traditional celebrations, seen a UAE National Day event, attended the Formula 1 race and a Jay-Z concert, saw my first sandstorm, and traveled to Thailand, China (kind of), and London.



So yes, this year has gone by very fast! I am so blessed to have all these amazing experiences and to have family and friends supporting me the entire time. I am so thankful to have made such great friends over in Abu Dhabi to make this transition easier and to give me something to look forward to all the time. It will be hard to say goodbye to my family and dogs again, but there is so much in store for me in 2014 and I can't wait to embrace it all. 

In the spirit of New Years Eve, I just want to share a few of my resolutions. I'm normally not one for these but it doesn't hurt to try something new!

Live healthy and be more active
See more of the world each chance I get
Be open to adventure and new experiences
Follow my heart

I know I've promised a blog post on the desert safari... and I also have one I'm working on about London! I guess I know what I'm doing on my 14-hour flight tomorrow! I should also probably add "blog more frequently" to my resolutions... 

Love,
RLD


Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Exploring Abu Dhabi

Now that it's not 115 degrees and unbearable to be outside, I have finally had a chance to explore some of the great city where I live!

While Will was vising, we went to the Corniche, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, and the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Crazy!!

The Corniche is a road that runs along the water and the side of Abu Dhabi city. It has a boardwalk, some shops/restaurants, bike rentals, and the beaches! We decided to go on a Saturday (which is bascally our Sunday) and we had a great time! We took a taxi from my island and got dropped off at the main area on the Corniche. There were giant set-ups for the FIFA U-17 World Cup and the Formula 1 event. There were tents, games, activities, falcons (there are always falcons), and much more. We decided to head down to the beach first and check out the events later on once the sun started to go down. {Side note: there isn't any daylight savings here so the sun is setting around 5:30PM and rising around 6:45AM so daylight is very valuable!}We ended the day with some ice cream and a beautiful sunset!

We decided to visit the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque after I got done with school one day and got there just in time for the 5:00 tour. Our tour leader was great - funny, informative, and very knowledgable about the mosque and culture. We started outside just as the sun was going down and then went inside. You can't wear your shoes inside so there were tons of shelf things to put your shoes so you could enter the mosque. It is truly an amazing place to visit. The architecture was stunning and the inside of of the mosque was absolutely beautiful. 







We also had the opportunity to attend the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in November! We decided to get the 3-day tickets so we could attend all of the practice races, qualifiers, and concerts. On the first day, we walked around the circuit grounds and saw the marina and the giant yachts. We had some lunch, had a few drinks, and then watched some of the practice races. The best part of the day was getting to see Jay-Z in concert! We were lucky enough to win some "golden circle" tickets for the concert, which meant we were front sections. We ended up being about 10 feet from the stage! It was an awesome show… probably one of the best concerts I have been to! Saturday at the race was basically the same, except for no Jay-Z concert afterwards. Sunday was an Islamic holiday so I didn't have school. I was able to attend all the race events and see the final race! It was much more entertaining seeing the cars actually race, rather than just practice driving around the track. Here are a few pictures from the race!



Next up: Pink Polo, desert safari, and national day! 

Love,
RLD