Is This Really My Life?!

I know I haven't posted for a week now, so much has happened too. It has been quite an adventure out here so far with so many wonderful people. I will have to catch you all up sometime very soon...hoping that I can balance those "old" memories with the new ones. For now though I decided to write about the day I had today and hope to start keeping up with this blog daily since *so* much has gone on in a week. Yes, can you believe it? I have been living here in Abu Dhabi already for a week. Here we go for today:

     Today was quite a day to say the least. After only having four hours of sleep and surprisingly still making it to our tradition of 9:00am breakfast I had quite an adventure.  After breakfast we decided to check out our apartments, which are about about twenty minutes from the hotel we are staying at.

 If I have learned anything about living here so far is that the cab drivers take a major advantage of you especially if you do not know the city and its ways around. The city does not have very many street names to help you understand or explain where you are going. Imagine that on top of some of the language barriers. Our first cabby took us about an extra five minutes around the town until we reached our destination. So, seeing as how we are no longer living in a country to speak your peace; we had no choice but to pay him the full price. We finally made it to our apartment building which was pleasant. It was hard to get a good clear perspective of them since they are still under construction. I took a few quick glances, but didn’t hold my breath for too long since I had really wanted to wait to see them until they were finished. There was no harm going though. I just decided not to take pictures of the unfinished project. I take it that is why the council has not set us up with a ride to go see our places. Coming back from the hotel our cabby seemed to be much friendlier and I decided to try and make conversation. I found out that he was from Pakistan and has lived here in the Emirates for three years. He tried moving to America, but it sounds like either paperwork or money was why he didn’t make it in. We talked about a variety of subjects and he thought I was from the UK, Australia, or Germany. I finally told him I was an American and he said “Ahh yes, Obama….Hilary Clinton”. He also knew about New York, Chicago, and California. It was interesting to say the least…..oh and the cab ride was six dollars cheaper coming back (since he wasn’t trying to cheat us out of our money).

On Top of A Sand Dune

  After arriving to our hotel we relaxed for a bit in our own rooms. I saw one of my co workers for a tad to make sure we had things ready to go for our evening adventure. Shortly following, I came back to my room and a few more co-workers came over and had some lunch. Before you knew it….it was time to start heading out for our adventure in the desert.



Our Traditional Iftal Meal

 There was much anticipation as we all met up in the lobby and finally boarded a shuttle that would eventually take us out to our desert safari excursion. The ride was about an hour long and very lively on the way out to the desert. Many people were laughing and conversations were not scarce. Eventually after much anticipation we made it out to the desert and ride a land rover to our specific destination. There you first rode on a camel which was rather amazing. You are so high in the air while riding a camel. I just felt really bad because the camel I rode on did not want to cooperate and you could tell that it did not enjoy being ridden on by so many people. Following our camel ride we were able to sand surf from the top of a very tall sand dune. I only made it down about an eighth of the way before falling. It was truly a thrill despite the fact that I fell so quickly. I really should have gone back up and tried it another time.  Oh well, maybe a different time. Finally, we got to ride in the Land Rovers and go “sand bashing”. This was by far the best part of the excursion for sure!  We must have gone sand bashing for about twenty minutes; with each and every moment an adventure and never a bore.  There were some parts where you thought that for sure the vehicle was going to flip over and it was going to go tumbling down the dunes. I would have to say that “sand bashing” is for sure something to do for the thrill seekers.

Dressing Up Was an Activity on the Excursion

                When all the sand “excursion” was done they had a nice place for us to sit down, mingle, do some activities, and eat. The food was what they considered a traditional Iftar meal (the meal breaking the fast for the evening).  It was quite delicious and the portion was very generous. Actually there has not been a meal here that I have not enjoyed. Once done they shut off all lights and had us sit in the desert with nothing, but the natural light from the stars. The peace and serenity was unbelievable and had me thinking yet again….”Wow! Is this really my life right now?”  I also thought about my how amazing it was that I was sitting underneath the stars about to finish my day while my family and friends back home were still working in the middle of their days. This is truly amazing and still mind boggling to me.  Then once the experience was completed we all loaded back on the shuttles and headed back to our hotel. The ambiance of the shuttle was quite different than on our way out there. This time many were sleeping or much quitter. I’m positive our adventure and the sun was the culprit seeing as how it was only 9:00pm and many of us have still not adjusted to the “time change” in our lives.

   Today was an amazing day and had me excited to have done something that most only get to think to do. I really am still in the “honeymoon” phase of this process and want to take full advantage of it. It really is wonderful to be surrounded by people who are a lot like you and have the same thoughts, wants, and goals. We all for sure were able to cross off something on some kind of “list” we have.

Sand Surfing!!!