Month: February 2017

tonight I made my first ever Arabic dinner! 🙂 I don’t mean to brag, but…okay yes I do, it was DEEELISH! super easy to make!

Continue reading →

ok…so as you may or may not know I have recently relocated to the UAE a little over a month ago. quick update I now have a permanent place to wash my butt AND I have transportation! Yes!

ok enough about that…the following will be a few things I have been able to experience since moving here.

foodie…international version

the most important thing to me when traveling is FOOD, and let me tell you there is definitely not a shortage of that here! I have eaten so much biriyani & lamb chops it isn’t even funny! food is definitely a HUGE part of the culture here and I’m more than happy to oblige…my school feeds me at least 3 times a day…it’s amazing lol on nice days my vice principal will make a fire pit outside of the school and cook for us (I’m truly in heaven)

culture (and I’m not talking about the Migos album…sorry that was corny, but oh well!)

the people here are very helpful and welcoming. as long as you’re respecting them and they’re culture, they will respect you. the women are most respected and extremely modest and mild mannered. contrary to popular belief, the UAE is the #1 country in the world with the highest respect for women. when out and about it is common to see the men pushing strollers, carrying shopping bags, while the women walk freely looking at whatever they like. (one thing I’m going to adopt fasho) religion is very big here. the predominant religion is Muslim. now I’m not 100% knowledgeable on the religion, but I have been able to learn a lot. everyday there are a total of 6 prayer calls. this is an alarm loud enough to hear from wherever you are. during this time those believers of the Muslim religion will go to the mosque to pray. in some cases attendees can be seen carrying their prayer rugs to mosque. it’s a beautiful thing to see…I would love to attend, but need to double check if it’s allowed first!

what to wear

women traditional dress is an abaya (ah-by-ya) accompanied by a shayla, while men wear a kandoora (can-door-ah). this is a form of modesty. although there are many different designs for abayas, it’s most common to see women in  black because this is the most opaque color & hardest to see through. I have not been required to wear an abaya, but that has not stopped me from buying a few. although I don’t wear an abaya all the time, I’ve been advised to wear clothes that are loose fitting, skirts/pants that come to my ankles, and shirts that come past my elbow. honestly I really enjoy my new dress code. being comfortable has always been my #1 priority when choosing what I wear.

self sufficiency has gone out the window!

I should be ashamed to admit this, but here it goes. living here is taking a toll on my want to do things for myself! all services are available & I’ve just been eating it all up. upon moving into my apartment I really wanted a deep cleaning done. someone recommended me to get a cleaning lady to come in, at first I thought this was silly, but I called anyway. she was at my door in less than 10 minutes (the same day!) she cleaned my apt for 4 hours and it looked amazing! I’ve gotten my car washed from an onsight man while I went grocery shopping. grocery stores also deliver to your house. (I haven’t been able to use this service because I never really know what I want until I get there)

you drive me crazy…

something that has taken the most time adjusting to is the driving. everyone seems to be in such a rush. don’t get me wrong, I like to get where I’m going ASAPington, but this is different! overtaking (or switching lanes in order to pass a slow driver) is not allowed, so instead people behind you will flash their brights until you move out the way lol this happens to me about 10 times a day! almost every street will have a roundabout containing 3-4 exits. if I’m ever confused on where I’m going I will go around that thing 5 times until I figure it out (bahahaha) if you miss a turn, you have just added at least 7-10 minutes onto your trip. there are not many places to self correct…you can’t just turn onto a side street and go back (this is why the GPS is ALWAYS on)

I know I said I will be better at posting, but I’ve just had a lot going on! I will definitely make a post about most of the places I’ve gone in the next post. 🙂 stay tuned! love you all!

hey guys!! it’s been a little minute since my last post! MY BAD! i have just been all over the place…literally! but here’s a small recap/update…

i have been living in the United Arab Emirates for 15 days now. thus far this experience has been a-MAY-zing! although i have been enjoying myself since i’ve landed, the journey here has been an emotional rollercoaster (*cues Vivian Green*) i’ll save you the time and trim as much fat off as possible lol

i have always wanted to live abroad, but imagined it would be in an English speaking country. the seed of teaching abroad was planted by my stepmother who also serves as a teacher. i googled “teach abroad” and clicked the first company that popped up lol “Teach Away” (pretty straight to the point right? what can i say, i’m simple) the process took roughly 6 months altogether. i was originally offered a job in july, quit my full time teaching job 3 weeks later in order to avoid inconveniencing my principal, took on the job of a substitute (which, by the grace of the Big Guy i was able to be full time for 2 months & then received pretty low, but steady jobs), moved out of my apartment november 23, subleased a friend’s apartment from then until new years eve, AND THEN onto the couch of another dear friend from new years eve until i left january 20. this was the first time i hadn’t had a full time job since i was a sophomore in college. the instability was killing me. i mean, here i was, without a full time job, paying full time bills, with NOBODY’S benefits! i just wanted to be able to go to the doctor if i wanted to! lol can a girl just get a checkup in dis bih & pay a copay or nah?? at one point i interviewed with an awesome school, was offered the position, and accepted only to get my overseas contract less than 24 hours later. crazy how things work right? to say i wanted to give up on the idea and just stay in the states is an absolute understatement…if not for prayer and hearing encouraging words from my family & friends i was patient and restored my faith that what was meant for me, would be for me. and now look at me! out here, living in the UAE and ish! i’ve put a deposit down on an apartment, surrounded by a great support system for work, and have managed to make a few friends along the way. (imagine that…me, making friends lol) i promise to blog MUCH more! i want to start uploading videos, but that would involve me upgrading my blog package & ya girl hasn’t received a full time paycheck since july 31st so ya’ll gotta just keep reading until march lol

please feel free to comment below and don’t forget to subscribe! 🙂 love you all!