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

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

Thailand - Part 2 - Ko Samui

Ko Samui was my favorite part of the trip, and probably one of my favorite places that I've ever visited. I feel like I just need to start this post with a picture... 

It's pretty easy to love a place that is this beautiful. Our resort we stayed at was the Renaissance Ko Samui Resort and Spa... and it was amazing! We decided to splurge a little bit on this part of the trip since we were only going to be there two days, so we ended up getting a villa with our own private pool.

The nice thing about Thailand is that even though we "splurged" on this villa, it still was very cheap compared to a normal hotel room anywhere else we could have traveled. Enough about that though...

The first day in Ko Samui, we explored the resort (and probably looked so out of place with our wide eyes and chins hitting the floor) and then we decided we wanted to explore a national park nearby. The resort set up a taxi for us and took us to the park. When we got dropped off, the first thing we saw (after the amazing jungle we would be hiking through) was elephants!!!! The one thing I wanted to see while in Thailand was an elephant and I got to see a bunch up close! They were doing elephant rides but we decided to just hike instead. The elephants were so cute though!

Next time I go to Thailand (and I sure hope there is a next time!) I will be riding an elephant. Now, on to the hike. We were hiking up to a waterfall in the jungle and had a great time! I love hiking and exploring so it was a great way to spend the day. The jungle was beautiful and the views were amazing. 

There was also a totally random mini-waterpark inside the national park (?) with two big slides. Seemed a little weird to me but it sure would have been refreshing after a long, hot hike! When we got to the waterfall, of course we wanted to hike more. So... we found this little off-path trail that took us up higher and higher. We literally had to pull ourselves up the mountain with ropes and branches to get up. We ventured about half way to the top before decided it was time to head back down. Getting down was just as hard... I felt like I was rock climbing! It was so much fun though (and I didn't fall, yay!). After the hike, we headed back to the hotel to enjoy happy hour and an amazing sunset over the water.

On our second day in Ko Samui, we signed up for a speed boat tour through Ang Thong National Marine Park. This was one of the places I really wanted to see while in Ko Samui but to get there, you really need to book a tour. We wanted to kayak and snorkel as well so we found the perfect tour!  The guides were awesome and we got to do so much in a short day. We started the trip by taking the speed boat out about one hour towards the national marine park. Our first stop was snorkeling at Koh Wao. They gave us or snorkel gear and we dove right in! The corral and fish were so pretty - we had a great time swimming around and looking under water. 

The next stop of the trip was to hike up to a lookout point at one of the islands. We climbed tons and tons of stairs (seems to be a reoccurring thing on this trip...) to where we could see many of the islands, the beautiful water, and a lagoon.

 Our next stop was a small fisherman's village on the only inhabited island in the Ang Thong National Marine Park. There were children selling crafts, people just hanging around, and a delicious traditional Thai lunch (including yummy shrimp!). 

Last but not least... kayaking. Kayaking was awesome! We were give a couple of hours to explore in the kayaks or lounge on the beach. We decided to kayak first and found some cool caves and rock formations in the water. 

On the way back, we saw a rope dangling from a rock so of course Will had to climb the rope and jump off the rock :) 

We lounged on the beach for a bit, then it was time to head back. I was so exhausted that I dozed off on the boat ride home. To end the night, we had dinner at the resort restaurant. 

The next morning, it was time to fly back to Bangkok. We were both very sad to leave this beautiful, tropical paradise. I would absolutely love to return again and explore all that the island has to offer.

Overall, Thailand was definitely a success. I hope to spend about 2-3 weeks in Thailand again in the near future to see more! Hope you enjoyed this post and all the pictures :)

Love,

RLD

Thailand - Part 1 - Bangkok

Beware... these posts will be quite long! 

For Eid (an Islamic holiday in the UAE), we were given 9 days of holiday. This is unheard of - normally they only get 4-5 days off so I knew I needed to take advantage! Will was already planning on coming later in October but since I had such a long break, we decided it would be a perfect time to travel! As you can tell by the title of the blog... we chose Thailand! We had been talking about going there so it was the perfect choice. (PS. most of the pictures were taken by Will - his photographs are awesome! Much better than the iPhone)

Our flight had a connection through China on both ends of the trip. The layovers were in Kunming, China, which was a rural town and very few people spoke English. When we got off the plane, we were planning to go straight to our gate since we couldn't go through customs. Americans need a travel visa to enter the country and it takes days to get before the trip. If you enter without it, you can pay huge fines or go to jail. Well... we got off the plane (without the travel visa) and the workers kept pushing us through customs. We knew we weren't supposed to enter the country but they didn't give us a choice. We had to go through customs then go back through check-in and security to catch our flight to Bangkok. We were both very worried. They ended up giving us a temporary 24 hour visa so it ended up being ok, but it was very stressful for a while. The way back was even worse. We had a 22-hour layover and didn't make the best decision about where to stay that night - some airport worker (we think...) encouraged us to stay at this cheap hotel in "town" so we got into this sketchy van, the van picked up two random girls wandering down the road, and got dropped off in this tiny rundown town where nobody spoke English. At that point, we decided we wanted to go back to the airport to stay at the airport hotel but since no one spoke English, it took many hand motions and to get back. The story is much crazier but I don't want to have to relive it to write about it. Basically, I won't be traveling to China for a very long time after that experience. 

We finally made it to Bangkok and took the sky train and metro to our hotel. We stayed at the Grand Millenium in the business district of Bangkok so it was really nice! We were exhausted that night so we didn't do much except plan our next few days in Thailand. We wanted to go to Khao Yai National Park but it was too far for just a day trip. Then we decided we would go to Ayuthaya but found out it was flooded. Our next option actually worked out! We went on a boat hop-on/hop-off tour on the Chao Phraya River where we were able to visit all the temples. The temples were amazing! I really loved getting to explore Wat Pho, which has the giant Reclining Buddha. The reclining Buddha is supposed to represent the passing of Buddha into nirvana. The temples and grounds were beautiful and very fun to explore! 

We got back on the boat when it stopped at the dock again and headed to another temple - Wat Arun, Temple of Dawn. 

We climbed tons and tons of stairs to get to the top area (well, it was more like pulling ourselves up the stairs with the railings... it was very steep!). There were beautiful views of the river and city from the top. We had to get a few pictures from the top!

Oh! I almost forgot about the flower market!! Off one of the docks where the boat dropped us off, it said there was a flower market about 1km down the road. I love flowers so we decided to head that way. After walking a while, we thought we were either lost or that it was way farther than we thought so we got a tuk tuk (a bike taxi thing) to take us to the flower market. We went all around then when he dropped us off, we realized all we needed to do before we had got on the tuk tuk was cross the street and we would have been there. At least we got to experience a tuk tuk! The market was great and the flowers were beautiful. They were SO cheap too! Large assortments and arrangements of flowers were less than $10. It's too bad I couldn't bring some back to Abu Dhabi with me! 

That pretty much wraps up our Bangkok adventure except for the hookers. Yes, thats right. Hookers. Funny story - we were walking back from the metro one day and saw this restaurant/bar called Country Road. We thought it would be a nice place to get dinner and drinks that night so we got all ready and headed down there. Something seemed a little off about it when there were about 10 girls standing out front with lanyards with some card in it, but we thought they were just waitresses. Well, they may have been waitresses but we definitely stumbled upon the red light district. We realized soon after sitting down that the girls were there for single men (that's all I'm going to say about that..). Then, we decided to wander down the street after dinner just to see what other crazy things were going on. Well, it was all strip clubs and more hookers. And some were just walking around half naked in heels. Don't worry, I'll spare you from seeing the pictures. It was quite an interesting night that's for sure!

Can't wait to write about Ko Samui next. It was by far my favorite part of the trip :) 

Love,

RLD

Marhaba and Eid Al Adha

The past week has been SUPER busy but also super exciting. Let me start by talking about an event that was held for the new staff at our school - Marhaba. Marhaba is an event that was thrown by the 9th grade girls and some of the Arabic staff to welcome all of the new staff to the school. It was amazing! Wednesday after school, the girls gave us a short presentation to tell us about the history of Abu Dhabi and UAE, the 7 Emirates, and weddings. They put together a Power Point presentation and had music and pictures. It was a great learning opportunity!

Then, we went outside where the courtyard which was set up with a traditional tent with rugs, pillows, games, and coffee set up. There were also tables and tables of traditional Arabic food for us to try. In addition, one of the girls brought her pet falcon. I did not hold the falcon because I got to hold a falcon earlier in the week at a class field trip to the Falcon Hospital (I'll talk about that later!). The girls also brought in jalabiyas, which are their traditional dresses, and we were able to try them on! 

After trying on the jalabiyas (and deciding we all wanted our own, which we bought at the Gold Souk later that night) we ate some yummy food! At Marhaba, there were two ladies doing free henna, so of course we all had to get some! I got mine on my right hand but many of the girls got it on both hands and feet. The women did a wonderful job... I love it! (You can kind of see the how the tent looks in the background.)

I wish I could have taken more pictures but the students are not allowed to be photographed for security purposes so it was really hard to take good pictures without them in it. Overall, I really enjoyed Marhaba and am so thankful that I got to experience such a big part of the culture.

On to Eid Al Adha...

Eid is a holiday here that is determined by a moon sighting. On our school calendar, we had tentative days marked off for the holiday but nothing is official until a special sighting of the moon. It is all a little confusing to me. We were pretty much guaranteed to have Wednesday and Thursday off of this upcoming week but there was a chance we could have Monday - Thursday off. Well... On Tuesday this past week, it was announced by the government that we would have off the ENTIRE week (Sunday - Thursday)!!! Instead of having a 4 or 6 day weekend, we were lucky enough to get 9 days off for Eid. This is completely unheard of and crazy, but I'll take it! 

Since we have 9 days off... I'm flying to Bangkok, Thailand tomorrow!! Thailand is somewhere I really wanted to travel to and even though it won't be a ton of time there (6 days), it is better than nothing! I'm so excited and can't wait to blog about my experience there. I don't know if I'll be able to blog while I'm in Thailand but I promise to post the full update (with pictures!) when I return to Abu Dhabi :) 

Time to start packing...

Love,

RLD

To-Do List

Now that I've been in Abu Dhabi for a whole month (WOW!), I feel like I can begin to make my to-do list for things I want to do and see while here!

Let's start with the most important thing on my list at the moment - traveling. One of the reasons I came to the Middle East to work was so that I could have the opportunity to travel. There are so many places I want to go that I'm hoping I will be able to do it all! Here are my "Top 5" travel destinations...

1. Thailand
2. Australia
3. Italy
4. Greece
5. Maldives (round trip plane tickets are under $500! Spring break?!)

Another big thing on my to-do list is to go to Dubai! I think a trip to Dubai will be happening very soon :) I can't wait to post pictures and write about it! One of the sayings here is "Dubai has the flash, but Abu Dhabi has the cash". I'm ready to see some flash!

In Abu Dhabi, there are a few things I want to do and see but I need it to get a little cooler first! It's still getting to around 105 degrees every day so hopefully in October it will be more pleasant outside. 

• Desert Camping - I was planning to go with my dad in October but he has postponed his trip until Spring so my visitors can be more spread out. Hopefully I'll still be able to go desert camping very soon! Some of the activities on a desert safari or camp trip are dune bashing, camel rides, henna, and eating lots of yummy Arabic food!
• Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque - I think a picture will sum up why I want to go here. It is so big and beautiful. 

• the Corniche - similar to a boardwalk... it is a beautiful path around the water and beaches. You can see it winding and curving around the water in the picture below. I think it will be a wonderful place to walk!

In other news... I have tickets to the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in November!!! I will be going to three days of races and 4 nights of concerts. The practice races are on Friday and Saturday and then the qualifying race is Saturday night. The big race will be Sunday night!! I can't wait! AND Jay-Z is one of the concert performers I get to see! I'm so excited for this event!! 

I'll update on school in an upcoming post! 

Love,

RLD

Getting in the swing of things

Abu Dhabi is definitely starting to feel like home. It really is a great place to live and I feel more and more settled each day.

Last weekend, I got the chance to go to the exhibition center to experience the Abu Dhabi Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition with two other teacher friends. It was not what I was expecting at all! We were hoping to make it in time to see the camel show (I want to see a camel SO bad!!!) but we just barely missed it due to a long dinner and a long taxi ride. One thing I've learned from being here is to budget way more time than I think I need. I'm an early person in general and normally get everywhere 10 minutes early but here I need to plan to be places almost 30 minutes early! Dining can take a long time and you never know what kind of taxi ride you are in for!

At the exhibition, it was mainly local Emirati men and very few women or expats. We were expecting it to be all hunting and equestrian exhibitions but there was so much more! There were many falcon sales (some falcon's were selling for up to 45,000 AED, which is about $12,000)! There were also exhibits where you could buy traditional garments and other items, like baskets and local crafts. A huge weaponry section took up a large section of the exhibition hall where there were rifles, shotguns, and many, many other types of weapons. There were also boats, cars, RVs, and much more. Overall, it was a great experience and I'm so glad I was able to go! Next year, I want to see the camel show and auction!!

In other news, I am done with week one of school! I survived!!!!! It was a great week but I have definitely realized that this year will be much different than teaching 2nd grade in the US. Since our school is on an international curriculum (Common Core and international assessments), it is a very rigorous curriculum. All of my students are Emirati, meaning they are all ELLs (English Language Learners). This poses a challenge when we are supposed to be teaching them a challenging 2nd grade curriculum, but I know they will succeed! The students are so sweet and seem to love school, which is always good :) One very different thing about teaching at this school is that the children, K-12, all call their teachers and administrators by their first names. So, this year I am Miss Rachel! Here is a picture from the school's Instagram account of my on my first day:

The only pictures that are allowed of the kids are ones that administration takes to put on the Instagram so feel free to follow @szpag to see the adorable kids!

I know this will be a challenging but great year for me, not only as a teacher but also as an expat in a country half way across the world. 

Check back soon for my list of things I'm looking forward to doing and seeing this year :)

Love,

RLD

The Life of a Teacher

I've almost been in the UAE two weeks and I'm still loving it! I've adjusted to the heat (well, as much as anyone could), I've met awesome teacher friends, and I've had the chance to explore more of the city. We are on our second week of teacher workdays and the returning teachers are back so it has been a crazy and hectic week! 

Our work week in Abu Dhabi is from Sunday to Thursday, which is something I don't know if I'll ever get used to. Sunday is probably my favorite day of the week but here it just isn't the same because it's like a Monday! I'll have to get used to relaxing on Saturdays and treating them like the Sunday I'm accustomed to back home. The nice thing is that today, Tuesday, is my hump day! 

This week at school has been packed full of meetings. Staff meetings, Elementary meetings, GEMS meetings, PLC meetings, and on top of it all... our first day of school is SUNDAY! I'm freaking out a little. Earlier in the week, I felt extremely overwhelmed because I felt so unprepared to have 25 7-year olds walk into my room in a few days. Luckily, I was able to find a teacher supply store here in Abu Dhabi where I was able to buy some of the supplies and classroom decorations that I'm used to. Now, the room is starting to look more like a place where children can learn and have fun. Once the classroom is set up (hopefully by Thursday since the new students have their orientation!), I'll post the before/after pictures. 

On another note... let me tell you a little more about what I've been up to the past week. 

• Shopping. The malls are huge and extravagant and nothing like malls in the US. The one that we go to a lot (because it is fairly close to our apartment) is Al Wahda Mall. It has hundreds of shops, restaurants, and a cinema in it. While this mall doesn't have an ice rink or a kid's roller coaster like the Marina Mall, I think it has the best shops in it. There are a few other malls in Abu Dhabi as well but I haven't had a chance to explore those yet. There is also an IKEA, which the teachers visited last week to work on decorating our apartments.
• Medical exams, Emirates IDs, and First Aid/CPR class. These were all things required by the school to obtain our residency visas. While the process was fairly painless (aside from the part that literally did cause pain - the blood draw), it was very time consuming. Luckily, the school was great and provided us time and transportation to complete these items during the work day. They also prepared all of our documents so all we had to do was show up and follow directions. Simple enough! 
• Dinner and drinks. We have found some great places to eat. We have also found great places to get drinks, which is a little more difficult in the UAE. There are pubs/restaurants at the hotels that serve alcohol so we have tried a few out. Last night, we went out for one of the girl's birthday to a place called Trader Vic's. It was a delicious Polynesian-style restaurant. We all had a great time chatting and eating dinner together! We have also found places with "ladies night" specials where ladies can drink wine and cocktails for free. It has been a great time going out with the girls!
• Taxis. Honestly, I'm getting a little tired of taking taxis everywhere. However, I would be scared to death driving on these roads with these drivers so I probably just need to suck it up and keep getting taxis. The only problem (besides the fact that it costs money every time and sometimes they are crazy drivers) is that there are not frequent taxis to our island. Since it is so new (started being developed in 2010), taxis don't come out here often so we always have to call the taxi service. Then, it is really complicated to explain how to get to our building, especially if the driver hasn't been on Reem Island that much. We are hoping that the drivers are starting to get more familiar with our location so it will be easier in the future. 

I'm sure there is so much more I could talk about but I need to get to bed! I'm finally over the jet lag but waking up at 5:30 every morning is hard to get used to! I'll leave you with another picture of my tower... I love it.

Love, 

RLD

I'm here!!!

For starters... I'm in Abu Dhabi! The past 6 days have been a whirlwind. So much has happened! Lets start with the flight...

The school had booked my ticket on Etihad airlines, which flew a direct 14 hour flight from Chicago to Abu Dhabi. We left around 9PM and arrived in Abu Dhabi around 8PM the next day. They served great food and it was a very comfortable flight! The best part is that they had tons of free TV shows and movies to choose from to keep us busy when we weren't sleeping! After we got off the plane, we had to get an eye scan, go through passport control, then collect our bags. The school was waiting for us to take us to our accommodation. There were 10 other teachers from my school on my flight so it was great to meet people right away!!

Our apartment is on Reem Island, which is an island right off the main Abu Dhabi city. It is an amazing (and new!) building and the island is just starting to be developed. It will be very neat to see how the island changes over the next two years! The school furnished our apartments before arriving so we had bedroom furniture (including sheets!), kitchen table, living room furniture, and kitchen supplies. We also had a fridge, oven, and washer/dryer combo machine delivered a few days ago. Now all I need to do is add some cute and decorative items to personalize it. More pictures will come once it looks a little more out together but here are a few...

This week was our first week of New Teacher workdays at our school. The school is amazing. It is big and beautiful and the staff/administration seem fantastic. I think it will be a great two years working there! We got to see our classrooms, learn about the school, and start setting up. We also had our medical exams today where they drew blood and did a chest X-ray. The exam is part of the process to get our residency visas. Tomorrow is First Aid/CPR training then it's the weekend!!!!

So far, everything is going great. I really like it here and have had a great time getting to know the other teachers! Now that I have Internet set up, I will be able to blog more frequently so check back soon for another update and pictures! 

Love,

RLD

Waiting to Depart

Well... I made it to the airport with my two suitcases, a carry on, and a tote bag. The past few weeks have been absolutely crazy trying to pack and see everybody before leaving. Here are a few of the things I've done:

Getting my documents ready - This wasn't really a time consuming process. Since I had already created my travel binder when I first got the job, all I needed to do was go through everything again to make sure it was all there. Two things I was missing that I needed to get were 10 passport photos and 20 color copies of my passport. From everything I've heard and read, I probably won't need that many but it's better to be safe than sorry! I got my passport photos taken at CVS Pharmacy for about $12 and it only took 5 minutes. Then I headed over to the UPS store to get the color copies of my passport. Easy!

Technology - Thank goodness my dad is great with technology or I would be so unprepared! We also used the help of a Teacher Tech Facebook group that is designed for teachers moving to Abu Dhabi. The "tech specialist" created easy documents to tell us everything we needed to buy and set up to have internet/TV/phones in the UAE without all of the restrictions. I bought the suggested Buffalo router and a VPN with Astrill and got them all set up on all my devices. I also purchased an Apple TV to stream Netflix, Hulu Plus, and other Apple features. I chose the Apple TV over the Roku because I am bringing an iPhone, iPad, and Mac Book Pro so the Apple product seemed like the best choice. Plus, I can stream my music, pictures, and anything on iTunes wirelessly through the TV! When I get to Abu Dhabi, I will purchase a prepaid sim card with data to get my through the first month or so until I learn more about the cell providers and what I will need.

Packing - This was very challenging! I was limited to 2 checked bags and a carry on which may sound like enough... but trust me, I barely fit all my clothes and shoes! The bags needed to be under 50 pounds to be free or between 50 and 70 for a $50 charge. I was able to get one of my bags to 47 pounds and the other to 69.5 pounds. Yes! 0.5 pounds to spare!! So considering I'm moving across the world, a $50 charge isn't that bad. My priority when packing was my teaching clothes and clothes that respected the culture (long skirts, no tanks, etc.). After that all fit, I packed my workout clothes. With having a gym in my building, I'm hoping to get back into great shape (if my back doesn't start hurting again!). After all that got squished into the bags, I packed a few outfits that I could wear if I traveled to Europe or anywhere outside of the Middle East. Overall, I'm pretty proud of my packing skills! 

Goodbyes - This was the hardest part about the whole process. As I'm sitting here in the airport waiting for my first flight, I'm still sad about having to say goodbye to friends and family. I cried the whole way through security and got some very interesting looks from the people around me... but oh well! Last week, my parents hosted a small little going-away gather at my house so I could say goodbye to my friends and extended family. I also made a trip up to Pittsburgh to see grandparents and family up there. All of that was fine - I was very sad to say goodbye - but saying goodbye to my parents was the worst. I know I'll be Facetiming and Skyping them a lot, and I'll be home at Christmas, but its not like just going away to college. I can't just come home if I get homesick or want to visit. Thank goodness my Dad will be coming to visit in October! 

Next stop - Chicago! Then I'll be boarding my 13 hour and 55 minute flight straight to Abu Dhabi! I can't wait to get there and start this adventure! 

Love,

RLD

It's Really Happening

Well... It's official. I finally received my employment visa for the UAE and my flight information so I guess this is really happening!!

Waiting for the employment visa has made the past few months very stressful. Since anything could have happened to prevent my visa from coming through, I was hesitant to resign from my current school. My new contract is only valid with a work visa, since obviously I can't work there without it! It was hard for me to hold off on resigning but I knew I needed to make sure everything was official before giving up my job. Thankfully, it all worked out and I was able to resign so my old school could fill my position. 

A few hours after receiving my employment visa, I also received the information about my flight to Abu Dhabi! I will be departing on August 22 and arriving in AD on the night of the 23. My connection is in Chicago and it seems like I will be meeting a few teachers there to fly to AD on the same flight! I'm so glad I won't have to do it alone. The flight from Chicago to AD is 14 hours long!!!! 

I also received information on my housing. All of the new teachers will be living in a brand new tower on Reem Island (right next to Abu Dhabi city). The room looks amazing and the property looks ideal. There is a pool, fitness center, shops, and close beach access... Perfect! I'm glad the teachers will all be near each other for support and to get to know one another! 

Now it is time to start figuring out how to pack all my belongings into 2 suitcases and a carry-on... Wish me luck!

Love,

RLD

Not going as planned

Over the past 7 months of teaching and going through this authentication process, I've learned more than ever the importance of being flexible. Life does not always go as planned. For me, this authentication process has not gone as planned at all... but I have to keep moving forward.

This week, I got my affidavit notarized by the bank, checked by the Clerk of Court, and ready to be sent to the Secretary of State. I decided to call the Secretary of State (Authentication department) to double check where to send it and how much to write the check. Thank goodness I did because the nicest lady informed me that I hadn't done it the correct way! It is so nice to know that there are good, kind, and helpful people in the world... even to people they don't know! The woman talked me through the whole process then double checked everything with me to make sure I did it right this time!

My first mistake was that I did NOT need to write the affidavit stating that the documents were true and original. I guess the state of NC has their own "True Copy" form that I have to fill out for EACH document and get notarized. Then, I can skip the whole Clerk of Court process and send the True Copy forms and my documents straight to the Secretary of State. I'm glad I didn't go ahead and send everything and then have to find out it was wrong!

My second hold up is that I still have not received my FBI background check back and it is due on Monday! Ah! I sent it in plenty of time for their 4-6 week turnaround but unfortunately, it has not made it back to me yet. I know these things will not be the last unfortunate things to happen but that's life. Honestly, I need to work on being more flexible when things don't go exactly as planned so this is great practice for me!

Wish me luck that everything works out from here on with my documents...

Love,
RLD

Authentication Process

Well, the authentication process is underway! I received the instructions from my school and to be quite honest, the process is not as easy as I thought it would be! When I was first told I would need to get my education documents authenticated, I thought that maybe I would have to have them notarized and would be good to go. Well.. that isn't even a quarter of the process! Now that I have received my new diploma, I'm ready to get everything authenticated! Here is the list of documents needing authentication:

- College Diploma
- Official College transcripts
- Experience Letters
- Teaching License

Now, onto the authentication steps...

1. Write an affidavit swearing that all of the documents are true and original.
2. Find a local notary of the public that has been certified in my county to notarize my signature on my affidavit.
3. Take affidavit and signed materials to the county clerk to certify that the previous notary is true and legal.
4. Take affidavit to the state capital to have the secretary of state certify that the county clerk was an actual and legal county clerk.
5. Take/mail all of that (with cover letter from both the county clerk and the secretary of state) to the US Department of State where the entire process will be checked.
6. Lastly, take/mail all of the documents to the UAE Embassy in DC to be authenticated.

Seems like they really want to make sure everything is legit? Good thing I can start working on this stuff now! I'll post again soon for an update... hopefully no more documents will be lost in the process :)

Love,
RLD

First Hiccup

So I hit my first snag in the process of providing all of the necessary documents for my Visa/authentication. You know how when you graduate college and get a diploma that you normally frame it (or at least keep it somewhere safe)? Well somehow I managed to misplace mine and it is no where to be found! Whoops! This week I was in a hurry to reorder my diploma, which was easier than I thought it would be. My university sent me a form that I had to fill out and send back with a check. The only issue is that I am in a time crunch and need my diploma ASAP - this calls for a more expensive rush order. Cross your fingers that I get it in time and don't misplace it again!!

This week I also sent off the things I needed for my FBI record check. I had to go to my local police department to get a set of fingerprints done. The good news is that it was all done electronically through a machine... so no inky hands! The bad news... different police departments take fingerprints for different reasons so I had to find the one that would take mine for work/travel abroad. Luckily that wasn't too hard. I just had to make a few calls and schedule an appointment! Once those were done and printed, I was able to send them and my Record Check Request form to the FBI. Now I wait...

See you soon!

Love, 

RLD

Baby Steps

The process of moving to the UAE is officially underway! Every week, I receive an email from my new school with the documents to provide them by the end of the week. One thing I'll have to get used to is a Sunday-Thursday work week! So far, everything I've had to do has been fairly easy. The school is fabulous and is really helping me through the entire process!

Here's what I've done so far...

- Signed my contract
- Scanned a color copy of my passport to email
- Had passport size photos taken and scanned them to email
- Filled out the information needed for my Visa
- Signed off for a CBC

Not too bad!

Here is what the next few steps look like...

- Obtain a Criminal Record Check from the FBI.
- Scan my education documents: diploma, transcript, and teaching license


Now the education documents are easy but the Criminal Record Check will be a more difficult process. If you ever need an FBI check, visit http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/background-checks to get the information right from the source. This will give you the information you need to obtain a background check. Since I need mine done directly through the FBI (not through a Channeler), I visited this link to get the detailed steps of the process: http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/background-checks/submitting-an-identification-record-request-to-the-fbi . An important thing to note when getting a record check like this done through the FBI is that it could take anywhere form 5-6 weeks to complete. Looks like I will be getting started right away!

I'm off to fill out my Applicant Information Form and find a time to get my fingerprints done!

More to come soon!

Love,

RLD

Nerves and Excitement

Hello! I would like to dedicate this post to my nerves and excitement about my upcoming move. I'm extremely excited about the teaching job that is awaiting me but teaching is what I'm used to. Living in Abu Dhabi is something else entirely...

I'm excited about...

...meeting new people from all over the world
...learning about a new culture
...having new experiences - boy, there will be a lot of them!
...the food. I wonder what the "local favorites" are.
...traveling!!! I'll be so close to places I've always dreamed of visiting!

I'm nervous about...

...the heat. Average temperatures of 110 degrees Fahrenheit?!

...the food. Unfortunately, I'm a picky eater (but I'm getting much better!) I'm anxious to grocery shop in Abu Dhabi to see what "familiar" foods they carry.

...missing my family (and dogs!)

...finding my way around a new international city 

I love reading other blogs to learn about other people's adventures in Abu Dhabi! It's amazing how much it helps to read about someone else's experiences. Even though I don't leave for 6 months, I feel like I kind of know what to expect. Kind of. I already have an idea of places I want to see and things I want to do when I get there. But that will come in another post. Its also nice to know that hundreds of other teachers are going to embark on this same adventure with me! 

Even through the nerves, I don't know if I've ever been this excited for something in my life. 

Love, 

RLD

And So It Begins...

Welcome!! Big changes are on the horizon and I am loving every minute of it! In August, I will be packing up my life and moving somewhere completely unexpected: Abu Dhabi, UAE. To start at the beginning - living abroad has always been something I've wanted to pursue but it just never ended up working out. When I first started looking for teaching jobs (over a year ago... goodness how time flies!), I applied through a program called Teach Away, which helps teachers pursue their dreams of teaching abroad. One thing lead to another and I ended up pursuing a teaching career in my hometown. Luckily, I got a job here and have spent my first year teaching in the second grade - my dream!

A few weeks ago, I received a call from Teach Away about a job they wanted me to interview for - in Abu Dhabi. I had heard of Abu Dhabi but I wouldn't have been able to locate it on a map at this point! In case you are like me, here is a map to help you locate the UAE:

I did some research with my parents and decided that I should interview and just see what happened! Little did I know... this possibility was becoming more and more of a reality every day. I began to picture my life in Abu Dhabi - looking up landmarks I wanted to visit, researching the language and the culture, and spending hours on the school's website reading everything I could! As my interview approached, this "possibility" was something I couldn't imagine not being able to do.

Long story short - I got the job and feel beyond blessed and thankful to have this once in a lifetime opportunity!! I can't believe I will be moving to this beautiful place in 6 months!!

In this blog, I will keep you updated on the preparations and process of moving to the Middle East, my experiences teaching and living in Abu Dhabi, and my travels/adventures in the UAE! Check back soon for my next post - the lovely "To-Do List"!

Love,

RLD