Everybody Is Doing It....

As the old saying goes, "if everybody jumps off a bridge, are you going to jump too?" Well, no, I wouldn't jump off a bridge....that is a bit extreme (and scary). But, as for daily acts in life, if everyone else is doing it, can't I??

I should have known, or at least learned, since this is a childhood lesson that we are all brought up on...it isn't okay to do what everyone else is....someone is going to get caught eventually. And, knowing my luck, I should have known, it would be me.

Parking in the great place of Abu Dhabi is a struggle...anywhere you go, anytime of the day, and any car that you drive; The architects forgot to create parking when they created these extraordinary buildings. So, off to the store we go....

My friends, Michelle and Sev, and I decided to do a little bit of shopping at Marks and Spencers one day. Pulling into the parking lot, and circling a couple of times, we were coming up empty handed on the parking spaces.

*NOTE: Parking in Abu Dhabi is random. Since parking is such a hardship, you find that people park in the most random places. You park in normal parking places, on curbs, down the middle of streets (where the yellow or white stripe would be), etc. Parking down the center stripe is a normalcy here...you would think. (END NOTE)*

Well, low and behold, we come around a corner to see ONE spot....parallel parking, down the center strip, just like everyone else....about 70 other cars parked this way. Parked and ready to go....shopping here we come!

It was a short shopping trip, we were done and out of there within a 2 hour time period. Dinner was awaiting, along with the wallets becoming empty, so to the car we stroll....

Plastered nicely to the windshield was a nice little ticket....along with the other 70 cars that were parked like me. The little guy, wearing the little blue vest, that I now want to run over with my car, had ticketed ALL of us for illegal parking!! Everyone does it, EVERYWHERE in Abu Dhabi (because of the lack in parking), and TODAY it is illegal?? And TODAY, I get a FIVE HUNDRED DIRHAM (about $150 American dollars) ticket?? REALLY, are you serious?? Tis the season!

Well, remembering where I am, the full American doesn't come out...where as I would have come unglued and probably ripped someone a new one, I kindly tried to speak to a police officer about the ticket. But, of course, the one I find doesn't speak English! URGHHH!

So, again, remembering where I am....I "kindly" paid my UNFAIR ticket on Wednesday of last week....500 Dirhams, down the toilet. May that be the last of the tickets, INSHALLAH, and may I NEVER find myself in the Abu Dhabi Department of Transportation again! :(

The End!

I say Hello, You say Goodbye...

We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day. -Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Hello 2011 and Goodbye 2010!!

Each year I tell myself that I am going to loose weight, become better organized with my life, and do new things. And although I started some of those in 2010, I still have more to do.

- In 2010, I started doing new things: I moved 7,000 miles away from home and I am living/working in Abu Dhabi.

- I have lost weight, not quite to my goal weight, but I am getting there....slowly but surely.

- Organized life...at this rate I don't think anything can be organized. I am in a new country with everything new to do....so life will be as organized as possible. Most of my life here is not and is very last minute.

Ringing in the new year, Abu Dhabi style:

Some of my friends and I went to a house party. Mingling with all sorts, meeting new people and old friends...the night was full of good laughs and memories.

Well, here it is, a new year. A new year with a clean slate, new choices, and new opportunities.

I have decided NOT to set goals this year, for I don't want to fail at them. Instead, I am following in the footsteps of a friend of mine, whom I think has a GREAT way of making New Year Resolutions, and I am going to name my year! So in the midst of a thyroid issue, knee surgery, and laziness....I am naming this my "YEAR OF HEALTH!"

In this year of health, I am going to become a healthier person, inside and out. I am going to better myself throughout the year in prep to yet another new year.

Anywhere but home....

Life abroad has led to so many cool experiences, the ability to meet so many new people, and a new life. And with that new life, there has to be new traditions made. I had not thought about such simple things, until the month of November rolled around. Thanksgiving had come and passed so quickly, I almost didn't realize the holidays were here!

Thanksgiving is a holiday, a day to really think about what you have to be grateful for. It is an appreciated holiday, but not my all time favorite. It is a holiday that puts me in my place, reunites family members after a long year, and basically starts the "holiday" season. Thanksgiving is the start to all good to come....it is the reminder that my FAVORITE holiday is right around the corner. CHRISTMAS!

This year, 2010, Thanksgiving was spent in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. I had spent it with friends, around the city....just like any other day. It was okay that I wasn't at home, for I had missed Thanksgiving with the family before. Those long drives from Lubbock to Austin often times made me rethink the visit. So, it was normal/okay not being at "home" in Austin. The hardship would only come after.

This holiday season is different...for many reasons. First, being in a country where Christmas isn't celebrated, really can put a damper on the holiday season. Sure, the National Day lights are still illuminating the streets of Abu Dhabi...they are even red and green. There are stores with Christmas trees and Christmas decorations, but it isn't like home. I wasn't able to pull all my boxes down from the garage and decorate my home like a winter wonderland. But, then again, I am not at home in America. So, needless to say, this holiday season was a bit hard. Communication is hard....where I would usually call or send a text to friends to say "Happy Holidays", I didn't....it is too costly. Where I would usually be sitting around a fire with family and friends, I wasn't....I was in Abu Dhabi. Where I would be shopping and wrapping Christmas presents, I wasn't. Where I would be wrapping Christmas bandannas around my dog's necks, I didn't...I don't have them with me. And where I THOUGHT I would be spending Christmas in Abu Dhabi, semi- alone....I wasn't, there was an alternative.

There were very few of us that stayed back in the Emirates. A lot of people either went home or had a big trip planned. I had not thought that far in advance, but little did I know a trip was in my near future.

Last minute, within a 48 hour period, a friend and I decided to take a trip. We were going to be anywhere but home, so we decided to go to Turkey (Istanbul). By golly, we weren't going to spend it alone, we were going to spend the holidays doing something fun!

Since coming over to the UAE, I haven't taken any major trips...just around Abu Dhabi and Dubai. So going to Turkey was going to be GREAT! Heck, if I am not spending it with family and friends back home, why not spend it with friends traveling! :)

Istanbul, Turkey

What a fantastic experience! A country so rich in history, beauty, and atmosphere! It was so easy to fall in love with the country and it's people, it was hard to leave. The buildings and museums that make Turkey what it is, they were amazing to see. The streets of Turkey and everything they had to offer people/tourists. We had an absolute blast and I would highly recommend a trip there! I will definitely return for another trip.

Christmas in Turkey 2010 Scrapbook

Turkey and the Junkie

Having left the United States 3 months ago, my life has been turned upside down, shaken, and stirred. I had not realized how important a set schedule had become to my life and just how strictly it was followed- anything from house cleaning day (Sat.), TV show schedule, dinner nights with friends, meetings, etc.

Another thing about leaving your home country, one doesn't always think about the traditions that are lost. We fall captive of our own doings, celebrations, and beliefs, yet forget that not everyone else is held in captivity too.

Television in this country has been a hardship. I used to have a set schedule of shows:

Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters, Grey's Anatomy Oprah, Dr. Phil, The Doctor's, Glee, Biggest Loser, etc.

All of which are seasons behind, so my Junkie days of TV watching are over. It is actually nice not having to depend on watching TV shows, but instead living life! TV has become of little importance to me lately, which made me realize how much I depended on it back home!

I am writing this, having just passed through Thanksgiving. Giving thanks to a years plentiful harvest, and not forgetting the newly developed relationship between Native Americans and the Pilgrims. But yet, the Pilgrims didn't land in Abu Dhabi, UAE to meet the Native Americans....so what do they have to be thankful for? Nothing I suppose, if you label thanks under a day. And, this is where the story begins.

Thanksgiving Day, Thursday Nov.25th. Being in a land of so many ex-patriots, Americans especially,you find yourself longing for a tradition that you are so used to. I had awakened that morning, looking at my watch all day, mapping out what the family back home was doing. I was living the life of "Turkey Day" through a watch, past memories, and 7,000 miles away. I could picture my mom putting the turkey in the oven, along with that stupid ham that I hate the smell of. I had green been casserole, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie dancing around my head. It was that day, I realized how many traditions I am losing for the next 2-3 years of my life.

As the day started to end, I had a sudden sadness hit...I realized that I was going to get through Thanksgiving Day and not have a TURKEY meal. We, myself and a few friends, had decided that we would go "celebrate" Thanksgiving by having dinner. We had decided to go to one of our favorite hot spots, The One. I had walked in planning to have my normal routine meal, create your own pasta dish. But, there upon the menu, a Thanksgiving meal. Turkey, dressing, stuffing, carrots, etc. The feast was upon me, UAE style. Although it would never compare to what I would have at home, it was the thought. It was the mere fact that I had put the tradition monster to sleep...I had my turkey day!

So although it isn't the tradition I am used to....this experience was about making new traditions. Heck, I consider myself the luckiest gal ever...I have old traditions to fall back on and new ones to add.

So, wherever you are, wherever you were, and however you did it...I hope everyone had a wonderful Turkey Day!

Dunes at Dusk

Starting on this journey to the Middle East, I have created another "bucket list." A list that I hope to accomplish all, but it is a far fetched idea. A list that has the top places I want to see...things I want to do....and places I want to travel.

Among the things on that list, and something that has taken me SO long to complete, being that I live in a desert....OFF-ROADING! Yup, I want to hop into a 4X4 car, and blitz through the sand dunes of the desert, in the middle of NO WHERE!

So, Friday October 22nd, there was an off-roading event raising money for a well known charity, Race for the Cure: Breast Cancer Awareness. It was an all-day event, including a day trip, a bar-b-que, and then a night trip (how we were getting home).

Being that Race for the Cure is primarily pink, Barbara and I were going to dress the part. We had found matching pajama sets that had pink, hearts, and were comfortable. Comfort would be key on this trip!

We attended the event, and rode with a good friend of Barbara's, a local Emirati by the name of Nasser. He is one of the nicest, giving, and extremely accommodating individuals that I have met (although they have all been very pleasant). He is a Marshall, so he was leading the afternoon group.

There was a time when I thought I was completely nuts for jumping out of an airplane, but knowing my personality, it is fitting. Now, I have to question my sanity again, by asking why someone would get in a car, in the middle of no where, and fly through sand....hoping you don't get stuck! HA, because it is FUN!!!

The amount of speed that you are able to use, as you literally glide through the sand dunes, in the middle of no where, is absolutely amazing. The skills that it takes to navigate through the desert and the dunes, it is something else.

During the day trip, it is so neat at how much you see in the desert...yes, a little bit of nothing, but you also see camels, creatures squirreling around, some neat plants, and a clear blue sky! It was very pretty, actually reminded me of being in the middle of the hill country somewhere in Texas (ironic enough).

The bar-b-que was yummy. Just as any good ol' Texas BBQ, it was pool-side.....steaks, chicken, and sausage. Sides galore, consisted of salads, pastas, and of course, dessert in the desert. :) It was nice....I was able to meet some of the other off-roading club members, chat a little, and rest before our big journey.

Getting home to Abu Dhabi is normally an easy route....a straight shot on a perfectly paved road. With caution of a few speed trap cameras, there isn't a lot that could get in your way. BUT, not this group!! Our journey back home to Abu Dhabi was going to be done 100% by desert. We wouldn't touch a foot of highway until the end. We were going to travel through the desert, as if we were in the olden days, but instead of camels...it would be by Cadillac (or Nissan Patrol, Toyota FJs, etc.). The really scary part to this ride, opposite of the day trip, you can't really see! So I could see when a big dune was coming, or how my driver was going to handle getting us over, but at night...things are different. Granted, the guys that were driving this trip had been doing this for a while and were rather good at off-roading....but at the same time, you are depending on a leader with a GPS, the car, and the lights on the car. Hmmm....well, here we go....

I hopped into a Nissan Patrol, orange of all colors, with one of the marshals Khaled. He is a friend of Barbara's, which I have come to know. He is a nice guy....very well traveled (travels to the States every year for work), very smart, and just a very like-able guy.

Off-roading at night has got to be by far, one of the coolest things ever! The unknown and the unexpected all by the glare of the moon...WAY COOL! Up and down, through the sand we go, all the way to Abu Dhabi. There were about 20 cars on this trip, which I now understand is WAY too many for a night trip. I think we were stopping every 10 minutes because someone got stuck, someone popped their tire off the rim, or we lost someone; the stopping got rather old, but what do you do?

* Putting the tire back on the rim, in the desert....let me just say, I don't ever want to do it. You think changing a tire on the road is hard or tiring, well, you ain't seen nothing yet! This is pure skill....balancing the jack atop sand (which sinks) by weight of 2-3 guys on the other side of the car...pure genius!

* Getting stuck in sand... it is just bound to happen, period...end of story! Every driver does it at some point, experience or not, but you know, they ALWAYS get out! (I don't know how, it just always works out!)

* Bathrooms in the desert- Well, you have one of two choices....you either hold it or you find something to go squat behind. There are no portable potties, and there darn sure isn't any running water! You are really roughing it out here!

It was mid point through the trip that was my Oprah "ah-ha" moment in the desert. We had reached the biggest sand dune, Negro Dune. It was HUGE! It was as if we had reached Mt. Everest and were prepping for the climb of our life! The boys had all raced each other to see who could get to the farthest point up the side of the dune. It was so steep, cars were sliding back down the dune...just crazy. The rest of us took a soda break, relaxed and "chatted."

When taking a night trip, warnings should always be remembered. As it was reaching past midnight, the marshals were worried about fog starting to settle. Being that I was not familiar with the desert, I couldn't imagine what they were so worried about! Yeah, right....fog in the desert, and it is going to obstruct our way home. Well, low and behold, I got my spoon full of fog alright. Not thinking, it only makes since that with the temperature of the sand being so hot, and the night time so cool in the desert (yes, it really does get kind of chilly at night) that the drastic temp changes would create an abundance of fog. It was starting to get so foggy, views were being blocked...windshields wouldn't clear (even with the defrost on), you couldn't see but 5-10 feet in front of you, etc. The guys were having to maneuver through the dunes blindly...guessing when to use speed and when not.

Toward the later part of the night, with the fog settling, the sand started to get wet, turning into a mud type. Getting up the dunes was becoming even more difficult. We passengers were having to hang out of the windows, being a watchman for the drivers. Barbara was so far out the window, she has stains to prove it. She looked like a freshly bathed puppy dog....wet hair matted to her face. I didn't look any better....curly hair and humid fog...not a good mix.

With all complications aside, the trip finally came to an end. There is a gate, which lets you on to the highway that takes you the rest of the way home. At this point, 3:30 am, I was never so happy to see the road. The fog had become to much, and I knew it just wasn't safe. In fact, as memory has it, Nasser got lost. He didn't see the rest of the crew turn off, so he kept going. He had missed the turn by a long shot. We were waiting for about 45 minutes before he had found his way back and picked us up. Another 30 minutes and we were home, showered, and in bed. I had never been so happy to see a shower too! One thing about sand...it gets EVERYWHERE...in your shoes, hair, bags, etc. Aghhh, a warm shower....

It was a total blast and a complete success, something that I would love to do again. Being that I still have plenty of time here, I am sure I will!

Birthday Bonaza

October 8, 1981

The day I was born, in Humble Texas. Twenty nine years later, and here I am....in a foreign country that I now call home, not sure where life is taking me, and so much to look forward to.

This birthday was different from all others...it was spent in a VERY different place, with friends (wonderful friends at that), but 7,000 miles away from family and close friends back home. It started out a bit strange, because it was so out of the ordinary. But, just like everything else, it turned out alright.

It started out just like any regular day. We had planned to go to a little Italian place for dinner. Barb and I had just found the place a week before, and ultimately became a favorite. You have to know, Italian food and Erin, we are good friends! Chantal was coming down from Al Ain to join us for dinner. It was to be small, quiet, just as any day. Another mistake I had made, this dinner night fell on the same night that there was a dragon boating competition, everyone had already made plans, and it was the end of a work week and people were tired. Again, no worries, it is just another day! I am come to the reality, as you grow older, birthdays aren't as much fun. Once you hit the main markers, 16....18....21, there isn't too much more to look forward to but getting older. :)

So, carrying on through a normal Friday afternoon, hanging out, running around town, shopping, etc....it was just like old times. We had decided to attend the Abu Dhabi car show. Barbara had heard about it, heard that the drifting team would be in town and out on a show, and it would be great fun.

We had returned to the hotel, everyone was to take a shower and get ready. So, within an hour, I was ready, but had not heard from the other two. Minutes later, with a ring of my doorbell, in walks Chantal and Barbara....rolling a tray in with a BASKIN ROBBINS ice cream cake, candles, balloons, and gifts. Pink bunny ears atop my head and my wishes were made. We gorged ourselves on decadent chocolate cake, giggled at the surprise of it all, and opened gifts. The girls went above and beyond!! I got:
1. a little shisha smoker....really cute
2. my favorite perfume, Samsara
3. a keychain, which marks so true..."Lost in Abu Dhabi"

So, the rest of the deal was, starting from this moment, the balloons were to go wherever I went. Yup, that is right....I walked around the car show, where the manly of the manliest men go....cars and motorcycles roared, and music blared...here I was with a trail of balloons attached to my purse. I must say, it was quite a scene, as there were many people who asked to take a picture, especially photographers from the local newspapers (I am yet to see the paper that published the pictures). There was no losing me...I could be spotted a mile away.

Next was dinner....off to Palazio Italian Rest. we went, balloons included. This has become one of my favorite rest. in the Abu Dhabi area! Not only do they have good food, Italian food at that, but the atmosphere of the rest. is absolutely divine. It is like you stepped off a plane and landed in Venice. The murals, the paintings, the decor, and even the chefs...it all reminds you of those quiet nights within the Venetian City...gondola rides, Italian music, and the smell of sweet Italian wines. Took me back to a place I didn't stay as long as I wanted, but enjoyed every moment of the experience.

We had stuffed ourselves to the brim....enjoying a divine feast of Italian favorites. We were so full, that by 10:00 PM, our beds were calling our names.

It was a great birthday..another year older, another year wiser, and another year spent with great friends, having a great time.