Eid Mubarak: Eid has begun... which means Ramadan has officially ended! For those of you who don't know what that means for me as a Westerner, it means that I can now eat and drink in public! It hasn't been as hard as I expected it to be to not eat and drink out in public, but I have had my grumpy days and headaches. All of the restaurants around town have been closed all day and only places in the hotels have been opened so it has done some damage to my pocket book. I did go to the market and get some snacky foods (which really only helps if you are at your hotel in the day--which I have not been). Here is a picture of my new friend, Angel, as we are in the mall (yes, the markets are IN the mall) and you have to go up and down the giant escalators.

 It's not abnormal here to see people pushing their shopping carts along inside the mall trying to get their groceries out to the car. There aren't little convenient stores or grocery stores on the street corners or anything like that... and the pharmacy's I have seen are not like CVS and Walgreens--they just have medicine. 

For those of you who were worried about me eating, I think I'm going to be okay here. There are a LOT of foods from the US here in Abu Dhabi. They do taste a tad bit different then in the states, but it's not bad at all. I even found my Peter Pan peanut butter!!! I will be okay now! :) 

 Sorry this post has been about nothing but food... I am starving right now so I guess that's where my focus has been. Will post more later about my flat and some things I've done around.

heartstrings 5.0: beginning a new journey

Good morning from Abu Dhabi... it's around 7:00 in the morning here and I just wanted to write a quick post before I head down to breakfast.

My journey so far has had some ups and downs but overall, I could not have asked for a smoother transition period over to this new country (that to be honest, makes me feel right at home). My trek across the Atlantic started off on a wonderful note (sarcasm inserted here). My precious iPhone fell out of my backpack on the plane to Doha, Qatar and was then taken by someone. Wouldn't have been so bad if said person had not decided to send out some nasty spam emails and german iMessages to all my friends and former co-workers. There are better ways to spend your time then mess with people's daily lives. The gentleman at Qatar Airways was very helpful in trying to get someone from the plane on the phone, but we never heard back from them in my hour layover. Go figure... apparently iPhones can go for over a $1,000 over here. So I had to give up hope pretty quickly on finding my phone. I tried locating it on the Find My Phone App, but it was switched off. Putting a passcode on it did not work so I had to do the only thing left--wipe the phone clean, which gave up all hope of recovering it. Oh well... just a phone I suppose. Just sad to lose all the videos I took on it before I left of things that would make me smile when I was a little homesick.

After that though, treatment here has been nothing short of amazing. The people here are extremely friendly. It is their pleasure to do EVERYTHING for you with a smile on their face... it's very refreshing and different from the States. I have nice accommodations at the Beach Rotana Hotel... the water here is beautiful and just the perfect temperature to wade around in--sand gets a little/lot hot.

I've met some really great people over here from Houston. We were on the same flight over and are staying in the same hotel. There is a group of around 8 of us that hang out together. I will post more on them later...

I have visited Dubai already (wonderful trip about an hour and a half away maybe.) I will post some pictures later and talk about our adventure up there.

Malls here are everywhere... I am not much of a mall person, but I have been to one every day here because everything is located in the mall.... even their grocery stores. It is nothing to see a person pushing a cart through the mall with their groceries. More on that later though... but I have found food here that I can eat. Shocking, I know. But there is actually a LOT of similar things here that are back home in the States. I think I have actually seen more of that then local foods.

I need to start heading down to breakfast here now... today is a big day for me. I will be heading over to see my apartment at 9:00. It is located about 20 minutes from my hotel and close to the Abu Dhabi Airport. Seems like a really good location... off the highway with quick access to Dubai and Al Ain and easy access to the edge of Abu Dhabi. Haven't found out my school placement yet--that is still to come.

I will post more about things that have happened here and more details about the things above (with pictures). This was just a quick post to update y'all... good night to you guys! My adventure will continue on this Monday morning...

heartstrings 4.0: lasting memories

Tonight is my last post before I leave US soil and head on over to Abu Dhabi. At the moment, I have several mixed emotions going on right now. I left my co-workers today and it finally hit me...

I
am
leaving.

Like, for good. It's weird to process.

It always seemed so far away and now it's just a matter of savoring every last moment.

It was my last time to step foot in the only school I have ever worked at. It was my last time to sit in my old classroom (as I watched the new teacher decorate and hang out with a few old co-workers). It was the last time I will drive with Nikki from Bryan to Huntsville. My last dinner was at Roadhouse (and was sent away with a dozen rolls--yum!). Tonight I got my last night-night kiss from Issac (which makes me extremely sad as I sit here and think about it). My last night to sleep in this bed is tonight. And it's the last night Nikki, Fernando, Issac, and I will have alone.... ever. Strange.

But as I sit here and think about the lasts... I can't help but think about the list of firsts that I am about to embark on. I look forward to those and will hold on dearly to those lasts and the people in my life that have created those memories. Even though I may be thousands of miles away, I will carry them in my heart as I start my list of firsts in a new place with this mixed happy-sadness in my heart.

Heartstrings 3.0: lost voice

“…I am reminded how many preconceived misconceptions we have to face in the Muslim world as Westerners. We have to go the extra mile to overcome these preconceived ideas so as to remove as many stumbling blocks as we can. So I think that we need to do all we can to learn from the people how to live in their culture as insiders, with an understanding of their language and their culture, so that we are better equipped to handle the many challenges we face. We also need to ask God to give us help in every situation to have the right words and the right response.” – Miniskirts, Mothers, & Muslims by Christine A. Mallouhi

This is something my heart has been feeling since I decided to go on this crazy adventure overseas but I have never quite figured out how to express it in the vocal form myself. This is a prayer I have for not only myself, but for all of those who are going with me and who are currently there. May we all seek God before speaking and acting so as to bring a change of opinion to a culture that has a pretty bad viewpoint of what true Christianity is about. May our hearts and minds me open to His teaching and words over the next few years. May we be receptive to each person around us—no matter what our different beliefs are. May we love them the way that Christ loves us.

It’s amazing to think that it’s only been a few short months since I took this job and over the course of the past few weeks, I can feel my heart changing for these people and their country. I find myself wanting to stand up for people I have never met before and respecting a culture that appears on the outside to be so far from who I am. I will never take their beliefs and practices as my own, but I can at least head over there with respect for them… just as I hope they have respect for me as a Christian.  

On a lighter note, I had a wonderful weekend spent with some extended family. My friend, Fernando, and his family took me out to Texas Roadhouse (where I almost took home a basket of rolls to freeze and take with me on the plane) for a good-bye dinner. It was such a sweet gesture and meant a lot to me.

Speaking of the little Fernandez clan (be prepared to be jealous): look at what I get to spend time with and receive night-night kisses from every night (and fun afternoons where we pretend it’s night-night time just so I can get kisses) until I leave.

My main little man, Issac. I’m loving every second I get to spend with him and cherishing the few moments I get to hold him as he falls asleep for a nap. Gonna miss this little guy and his growing little family. I even video-taped him and his mama playing so that if I get a little home sick, I can hear his sweet little laugh 6,000 miles away.

Heartstring 2.0: First Goodbyes

3 weeks until potential D-Day... and by D-Day, I mean Departure Day.

Last week I left Tejas and ventured to Yankee-land to visit the family. On the way there, I decided to stop in one of my favorite cities in the states... Washington DC. It was nice to go back after 4 years and see things I wasn't able to do the last time I was there. I was able to visit the National Archives and see the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and the Bill of Rights along with some other rad documents. I visited the National Aquarium (major letdown), Martin Luther King Jr's memorial (pics below), had a morning stroll around the Tidal Basin, re-visited some memorials since I was in the area, went back to the Air & Space museum and Natural History Museum, visited the Botanical Gardens, and saw a pretty cool concert outside around the Capital. Every time I go, I fall more and more in love with that city. Here are some Instagram pictures I took (I was definitely on a kick... so get ready for those as I make the big move overseas. I just <heart3 Instagram!)

Washington Memorial

MLK Memorial.. bigger then I expected

Jefferson Memorial on a morning stroll along the Tidal Basin

Figured I would get a good shot of some US flags since I won't be seeing them for awhile.

Happy Independence Day, America!

In between my DC trip was my family time. I got to visit with some of my most favoritest people in the whole world. It was a slow trip as I spent most of my time at my grandma's house and my family came to visit. We didn't do much other then sit around and occasionally watch some of the tube. It was nice to see them though. Glad to have everyone there healthy and everything. My aunts came over several times, which was nice. I got to meet my cousins daughter for the first time. She was a sweetheart! My cousin opened her own business and I couldn't be more happier or proud of her. She now rents a nice little booth (which I will have to come sit in one day for a hair-did!) The trip went by super-fast (unusually fast actually) and before i knew it; it was the night before I was leaving. I said my goodbyes rather quickly and told everyone that they should just pretend I was going back to Texas instead of Abu Dhabi. Thinking back on it, I'm not sure if that was more for them, or for me. By saying that, it makes it seem as though I am going back to the norm... maybe its a coping mechanism because I'm not good at "goodbyes."

I'm now back in Texas at one of my closest friend's house with her husband and baby. I think this goodbye will definitely be the hardest when the time comes. And here's why:

Best way to spend the last month. Goodnight kissies from this sweet boy and listening to his beautiful laugh. This will probably be the thing I will miss the most as I get more and more used to hearing it on a daily basis. Gotta post this quick as Little Man is trying desperately to get on my lap.

heart strings 1.0

I'm not sure what was going on in my heart yesterday, but I was ready to be done with Huntsville, Texas for good. By the time I leave here in August, I will be closing in on a decade in this small country town. Although I have met some of the most amazing people here and my life has been forever changed, I think I'm ready to move on from here and experience something new. Will I miss the people here? For sure. Will I miss the town? Not so much... at least, I don't think. I never do when I'm gone for the summer... people make the place you live in. Not the place itself (although it certainly doesn't hurt).

That's what's been pressing on my heart the most these last few months. Relationships. I've been praying that the Lord put some pretty amazing women in my life to walk alongside as we leave the good ole USA and head to the UAE. I will continue to pray for this future fellowship of women (and men) as well as pray for the women I will meet and learn from over there. I want my heart to be open to their culture and be accepting/respectful of the lifestyle. The closer it gets, the more excited I am to experience a new way of living. I don't think God intended me to live in one place my whole life and never experience people outside of my comfort zone. Jesus certainly didn't do that. He didn't pick a town he was comfortable in and make it home base for all of his healings and teachings. He went from town to town, experiencing and relating to people... teaching them a righteous way of living and then leaving them with the knowledge that would help them seek His Father.

I think it this journey will ultimately help me understand and love people for the wonderful differences that we all have. I pray that it helps me love people more the way God does--not always because I will agree with the way they live or the things they believe. But to be understanding and respectful of the way God designed us to be. To show people Christ's love without being able to shout it from the rooftops. To live the way God intends me to live; by example. So that in turn, they may one day feel free enough to ask me about my Father. Or even if they never ask about it, that it may be a seed placed in their hearts that roots deep down and eventually they may look into it when their heart is accepting and ready.

"Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification." Romans 14:19

Check List

It's almost the end of June now and this summer has been flying by! It's not going to be too much longer before I jet off to the other side of the world for a crazy adventure. I've been super busy this week trying to get my to do list checked off (the teacher in me just LOVES crossing things off of a list!) Here's my list, just so you can get a small look into what goes on in an overseas move: 

• Notarize teaching certificate/college degree 
• Authenticate teaching certificate/college degree in Austin
• Mail documents to ProEx.
• Authenticate documents with Secretary of State (Washington DC)
• Authenticate documents with UAE Embassy 
• Scan documents and submit to Teach Away
• Call HR for service letter (to get correct salary)
• Physical Therapist appt. 
• finish scanning math files to PDF
• upload movies to iTunes
• purchase VPN (astrill)
• purchase Buffalo router 
• unlock iPhone (in July)
• get prepaid cell phone (to keep number and have a way to contact people when in the states)
• Microsoft Office for Mac 
• purchase Magic Jack Plus (to talk to people back home)
• copies of passport photos (8)
• copies of passport (4)
• Allergy Doctor appt. 
• Power of Attorney for legal stuff back home
• purchase luggage (carry on, 26", and 30"... backpack?)
• finish packing and move to storage (early-mid July)
• purchase adapters (so my things don't fry!)
• HDMI cable
• sweaters
• get long skirts/maxi dresses?
• pack up clothing suitcase
• get vacuum bags
• set up dropbox account for files
• find a place to store car
• call insurance company to find out about car insurance while away
• set up USAA savings account (free international wire transfer)
• set up Schwab bank account (free ATMs worldwide)
• get Hulu + for TV/movies
• cancel cable/internet
• go to Apple store (iPhoto working... iTunes music synch correctly)
• get prescriptions (epipen, pataday, inhaler)

So as you can see, there's a lot to do and I haven't done much of it. I can't imagine having to do all of this, ship all my possessions over seas, get work visas, look for a place to live, put deposits down, and whatever else goes on behind the process that Teach Away, Inc. is doing for me behind the scenes. I can truly say thank you to God for setting me up with this amazing opportunity and with a company that is so supportive and helpful. One less thing to stress about!