11 Random Things in Dubai in 2011

All right, I have been here for a little over 2 months and although there are many many things I still need to see, in honor of the close of 2011, here are 11 things, quite random, that I have done:

1. Been a total tourist and spectated Ski Dubai, or skiing inside the Mall of the Emirates. And I will do it, just waiting to do it with a friend that comes to visit:

And gawked at the World's Tallest Building, the Burj Kalifa:

2.  Missed Chicago by seeing things like this and Uno's Pizza:

3. Admired being in the desert... and in a city:

4. Went to the "old" part of Dubai, by Bastikiya:

5. Went to the Jumeirah Mosque, the largest mosque in Dubai and also where they have informational tours about the mosque, Islam, and the culture here. Very good, and I recommend it to visitors!

6. Went to a Beach Soccer tournament:

7. Celebrated the U.A.E. National Day, December 2nd.... 40 years! Here they celebrate with the flag everywhere, nothing else new right? BUT also the Sheikh Mohammad is on practically every car and storefront:

8. Saw a camel!! I know, I know... I live in a desert. BUT contrary to what you would think, it is quite rare to see a camel being trucked around!

9. Went to Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi... yes, an entertainment/amusement park centered around Ferrari's. Random, yes I think so!

10. Went to a Philippino Xmas dance show:  

11. Went to a children's Xmas party... with African drummers:

Let's now see what 2012 will bring!!! :-) 

Merry Xmas from Dubai!

Merry Xmas from Dubai!!!

A few things to note, YES, they do "celebrate" it here. There are enough Expats here, that most hotels have some sort of xmas decorations as well as malls. Here are a few pics of a couple of hotels:

BUT it is about 1/129308238094th of what it is like back at home. My company actually "bans" xmas music (gasp!) and believe it or not, I've really missed it! Where is Chicago's 93.9 with 24/7 xmas music when you need it? And yes, I tried doing online radio, BUT of course it is banned here. As well as many other things. Most of the Expats have left town to celebrate at home, however now the city is overrun by tourists.

A couple of 1sts....
1. My 1st holiday season here
2. My 1st time working on xmas eve AND day (with a FULL patient load!). Welcome to working in a Muslim country!!
3. My 1st time not really doing much for it, i.e. spending time with fam or friends. Here is a blond moment for you all... a patient that I've become friends with invited me to xmas dinner, which was super nice. She texted me on Xmas eve to give me some details. At the time, I was ?? about it, but then because I was feeling a bit lonely NOT being with friends and family, I thought it would be nice to spend time with a boisterous British family. That evening I got some dessert for them, and the next day planned by whole excursion out there. After I left work, I texted her to say I was on my way, running a bit late, and needed her villa number. Luckily I was still heading towards the metro when she texts me back and says, "good grief Ellen (side note, she said 'good grief' just like Charlie Brown! Love it!), the party was yesterday! All we have today is a hangover and some leftovers." hahahahahah! Oops. So there went my Xmas plans. Wah wah. I admit my head has been foggy lately because I'm overwhelmed with all these things I have to do here, get a bank, car, find an apt, etc., but wow, I really messed that up! She still said I was her favorite physio, so that was nice :-)

Instead I went to the couple where I was staying with before (I've now relocated into the city! Am subleasing a phatty apt for the month!), and unfortunately, she has some serious health issues going on and not only was it a bit depressing environment, but I didn't even eat because I didn't grab anything on my way there and they didn't have that much food there (and felt awkward asking considering the circumstances). Oh well.... at least one of my co-workers was super nice and treated a few of us to a nice Lebanese lunch, so I can say I at least did something for Christmas!

But anyhoo, no sob stories... makes me appreciate everyone I have in my life, my fam and friends, and I hope everyone had a wonderful Xmas!!! Miss you all a lot!!!!

Yea! I got my Employment Visa!!!

Lesson #16: You cannot start a life in Dubai without your employment visa.

So, as usual, down to the wire just when my 2 month temporary visa is about to expire, I FINALLY get my employment visa!!! Let me remind you why that is important:

Because of this LACK of visa,

1. I can't get a bank account
2. I can't deposit a check
3. I can't get a car
4. I am  living on an uncomfortable couch in a living room because I can't get my own place.

Soo.... needless to say, I've been anxiously awaiting this day, and it has finally come! December 18th! Woo hoo! But too bad knowing how things run around here, I haven't done much to research all of those above things and now I am a bit overwhelmed of where to start. 

Hmm...  what to do first... what to do first.... 

Ins and Outs Of Work in Dubai, Part 3

There's more? Yup, working in Dubai is not a piece of cake. Here's more inside scoop:

You've done the job hunting and landed a job.
You've done all the paperwork.
You've submitted your paperwork to HR.

CONGRATULATIONS! You are on your way to becoming a true Expat.

But now what? Ah ha, yes, more logistical stuff.

The good thing is that your company is  now in charge of you. There are fees for all the things I am going to mention here, but the company pays for it. But finally, this is where the company actually helps you. Most all companies have what is called a PRO service, which HR usually organizes. Basically the PRO service is a dude that helps the workers with these next steps. Once you've submitted all your authentications/attestations and have your Employment Visa sheet of paper that you received a the airport, the PRO takes care of the rest.

Before you get your Employment Visa in your passport, to be a legit employer in U.A.E. you need to have an Emirate ID card. In order to get this, you have to have your fingerprints taken. I'm not talking about a simple thumb, it was all 4 fingers together, then my thumb, then each individual finger, then my palm, then the side of my hand. For both sides. Then you take a nice snapshot (no smiling. Really!). The PRO takes you to Knowledge City where this takes place. Once you get that done with, they take your passport and papers, and then you cross your fingers and hope for the best.

Next comes the medical screening. Every employee, from the taxi driver to the CEO of a company has to take a medical test. This includes a blood test to test for HIV and a X-ray to rule out tuberculosis. This is quite the amusing process. As I mentioned, GENERALLY, and this will make your life 2039843204 times easier, the PRO takes you there and as they usually come here at least weekly, they know the ropes. Otherwise I would be lost. It's at a government facility and as usual, no signs, and really no direction of where to go or what to do. The PRO pushed through these crowds of people, and somehow we found "Registration." Again, if I were by myself, I probably would have just stood in one of the lines and hoped for the best. Then it becomes the test of who can get away with what between the PRO's. Mine snuck my paper to his friend, who put my paper at the top of the list, and I was called next for the blood test, he he. I won't complain about that, but then I later got shafted while waiting to take the X-ray because someone snuck in front of me. Oh well, what comes around goes around. Basically, this whole process shouldn't take more than an 30-40 minutes, but it depends on how many people are there... and the sneakiness of the PRO.

Of note, when you are getting the blood test, have an extra form of ID with you. I fortunately had my drivers license with me, and used that, because as I mentioned, you submit all your paperwork either upstairs when you submitted it for the Emirates ID or at the Registration at the Medical  Office. I saw a lot of people running around trying to get their copy of the passport back.

As with most things in Dubai, there is a hierarchy. There are the "VIP" people that have that stamped on their papers (hot shots), and they get whisked the quickest. Next, the people with the PRO's are generally labeled "Express" and you're the next best. If you come without a PRO, you are basically waiting the longest because everyone is going to be cutting in front of you. Which brings me to another lesson,

Lesson # 15: Dubai is all about Titles... and stamping. Pretty much everything has a VIP section so people can feel important, and pretty much every formal document has to have some kind of stamp on it.  They looooooooooooooove stamps. 


Then it's just the waiting game. The employment visa should come fairly quickly, they say between 2 and 5 days. The Emirate ID card, 3-4 weeks. But again, no one really tells you anything and you ALWAYS have to keep asking questions. The other reason why is because things are always changing, so double check your resources!

Lesson #16: Don't assume you will get information because you asked for it. You have to keep asking, otherwise you will NOT get any answers and whatever you asked for will not happen. 

All and all, you pretty much CANNOT do anything in Dubai without:

1. Employment Visa
2. Emirate ID card

Now I am waiting for those things. After I get it, you can bank account, car, apartment/villa/home, etc.  Aaaaaand, that's a whole another topic of conversation. Stay tuned....

Ins and Outs Of Work in Dubai, Part 2

Forewarning: Again, this is details (many) of how to get work here in Dubai. It will be more applicable to someone who is really thinking about it and is geared towards medical professionals!

Part 2:
Part 1 talked about the logistics. But how do you even go about finding a job? Here's the truth, I did the usual, looked online (went directly to clinic website as well as www.dubizzle.com, expatwoman.com), sent my C.V. just by googling which clinics/hospitals had PT, followed up on emails, blah blah. Honestly, I hardly got any responses. When I got here and physically went to these clinics and had some face to face, everything changed and the opportunities came rolling in.

Lesson #13: If you are looking for a job in Dubai, BE HERE!


Here are some important things I found out right away:

1. Not to took my own horn, BUT honestly, just being an American and having an American education, I was pretty much a shoo-in. Almost every person I met was like "when were you looking to start? Buutt...
2. The BIG question which everyone almost immediately asks is, "are you licensed." It was a HUGE bonus, especially for DHA, that I was doing it by myself. As you can see from Part 1, it's an expensive and lengthy process, and no one wants to deal. Pretty much if you do all the grunt work yourself, all the company has to do is sponsor you and not help with all this dirty work. 
3. Again, it helped to be here and I went on my own to clinics, submitted my resume, set up interviews, etc. Unfortunately, one of the bigger issues was basically people not hiring. They wanted to hire me, but there were no spots at the time. I really made an effort (before I sealed the job I have now) to keep following up and showing my interest. In the process, in various clinics, that a satellite clinic was going to open, someone may leave, but as you will see in Dubai, people are very good about over-promising, but usually nothing comes of it.

Lesson # 14: Be careful with overpromising. It is fairly common to that here... and nothing usually pans out. 

Before I forget, the 4-step process I mentioned in the CPQ section of Part 1 is not only needed for educational certificates, but also marriage/divorce certificates. You need to pay those fees for EACH document. HOWEVER, if you are a bit overwhelmed by all the Steps and don't want to be stubborn like me and want to do it myself, there are of course services that will help... but a price quote from Helpline was $500 USD.  Ouch. They have 2 agencies in Dubai called Helpline and Index that can do all of this for you. Helpline is in Deira (971-4-227-9916 and helplinegroup@hotmail.com) and the other one, Index, is in Bur Dubai (971-4-355-0888. Email: index101@emirates.net.ae). 

Soo.... another bit of info I'm finding out, yes, Dubai is taxfree. Although my salary here is comparable to U.S., it is more beneficial to be here because there is NOTHING taken out of the paychecks. So what they offer you... is really what you get. Most all companies will give you:

• A monthly salary (yes, you get paid monthly not bi-monthy)
• A round-trip ticket to your home country
• Medical insurance for you and your family (NOT taken out of your paycheck)
• If you are in the medical profession, medical malpractice. 

As you see, there is no retirement, so I am paying that on my own.

So, what's the catch? As you may have caught even just from skimming my Part 1, the fees. You have to pay for some kind of fee for everything, and THIS is where $$given for that adds up quickly. Many of the long-term expat locals said that to me, and now I am realizing it more and more. So although it was fairly obvious just 4-7 years ago when Dubai was totally booming and literally money was being thrown out the window with all these great salaries and packages for employees, that has definitely come to a stop. People are a lot more stingy here than I would have thought. Dubai's oil in particular ran out in late 2010 (although Abu Dhabi still has a lot), so that is not a reliable source of revenue anymore. 

All and all, I'm not kidding when I say EVERYONE, every single expat coming into Dubai deals with some kind of bureaucratic red-tape run around, it's part of the experience. I'm now 6 weeks in, and already  have had my fair share of run around with paperwork. You are told to go someplace, they tell you to go somewhere else, and on and on. You need this, no, you don't. This is where patience comes in and .... what work life in Dubai is all about!!!

Ins and Outs Of Work In Dubai, Part 1

Forewarning: This is a bit detailed, and really, more applicable if you are a PT looking for work here. So feel free to skip this! 

Part 1
Before I get started, have to mention something important: Things in Dubai are ALWAYS changing. I did this in 2011, spring and fall. I did most of the job hunting and licensing in the spring and came back in the fall with a contract for work! Don't be surprised if it is a few years from now (or even the end of this week!) and none of this applies. So please do your own research!!!

If you are considering working as medical professional in Dubai, here are 3 important things you need just to get started:

1. Patience
2. $$$$$$
3. Documents, documents, documents (I'll be getting to that in a bit). 

Having said that, what I experienced can be made as Lessons generally for life in Dubai:

Lesson #10: Things in Dubai are always changing, logistics, procedures, so always do your research!
Lesson #11: There is no such thing as "straightforward" here, if you need to get something done, expect to do it in about 5+ extra steps than what you are used to.

I'll give a quick background to my situation and how I got to where I am now. #1 is connections. In Dubai, it really is not what you know, it's who you know.

Lesson # 12: It's not what you know, it is WHO you know.

I was visiting some family friends, and one of them is a sportsmed doc, and he had info and/or connected me to a bunch of clinics.... and also helped me sort out this maze of requirements. And pretty much all my co-workers that I've talked to are there because of someone they knew. Like wise for many jobs here in Dubai anyway.

In this Part 1, I will try to summarize and make it as simple as possible the basics on what to do BEFORE you come.. and some of what happens WHEN you are here. Again, this biased toward becoming licensed as a physical therapist but it can be generalized toward medical professionals (nursing, docs, etc).

A couple of things to note though first:

1. Know WHERE you are applying. In Dubai there are different "zones." There is what is called a DHA zone (where you need a DHA license) and a free-zone which is in HealthCare City (CPQ license). Both zones have ample hospitals and clinics. You don't have to apply to both, especially if you have an idea of a particular organization or company where you want to work. To keep my options open, I applied to both. I will write more about them later. 
2. Have at least 2 years of experience. That is the general requirement for most all jobs. Some asked for more, but generally 2 years is accepted.
3. Be prepared with your documents! Mucho importante. Here is what you need for both zones:
1. C.V.
2. Notarized and attested undergraduate and graduate degrees AND license from the State in which you received the degree. You can do this at the Secretary of State in your State (http://travel.state.gov/law/legal/treaty or www.statelocal.net). For all of these, I did not use my original. Having said that, I had a copy and then in the presence of the notary republic, on the backside of the degree/license, I had to write (okay, my dad did this), write " This is a Copy of the Original" and has his name printed and then signature. Then there is the "official seal" of the notary republic and this other stamp that says "state of" ____, "County of" ____, Signed (or subscribed or attested before me on " (date)" by "(my dad's name)". And then the signature of the notary republic. THEN, he/she should provide a separate sheet of paper that is stapled to the document, that is a "Certificate of Authority" and that the State of Illinois (in my case) was authorized to authenticate this document. It's dated and has a stamp on it. 
1. I think all of this is less than $10 per copy (I think). 
2. Of note, just in case, I had 3 of each made, 3 copies of my undergrad, 3 of my grad, and 3 of my license notarized and authenticated. Just in case one got lost (which it did), I had a back up.  
3. I was not present for any of this. My dad did this (thanks dad!). He didn't need an appointment or anything, but it did take a full morning to go there and get this done. He says it was fairly straightforward. 
3. Dates of Employment. Basically get your company to write a brief blurb with your name in full was employed full (or part) time from X date to X date as a XX (your title). Include a brief blurb of your responsibilities. I actually had them include an attached formal job description, and then they, by "they," I mean Human Resources, write in the blurb that a job description is attached.
1. Make sure it is formal looking, on the company stationary
2. Also make sure that there is a handwritten signature WITH the human resources title. I preferred to get my signed by the Director of HR. As long as it has a legit person's signature, it is fine. 
3. Can be PDF or doc. It doesn't have to be original, I had my sent to me over e-mail, and it was fine. 

Now onto the different zones, DHA and CPQ:

DHA, Dubai Health Authority:
-Their website is: www.dha.gov.ae... or www.dohms.gov.ae (which is the same thing). Here is a perfect example of how things change. Back in April/May 2011 when I was here, this website was somewhat informative. There is a "Licensing" icon and then it had different medical professions and their appropriate requirements. That is not there anymore (it's now November/December 2011).
-Paperwork: C.V., copy of passport, dates of employment (legit letterhead and signature), notarized and authenticated undergrad and any education received, notarized and authenticated license.
-FEES:

• Total for what I had to pay to get my DHA license was: 2970 Dh (dirhams) which with a fixed 3.67 USD exchange rate, comes out to $813. Ouch. 
• Break-down: 
• 200 dh (credentialing fee) ($54 USD)
• 10 dh (x3) (8 USD)
• Knowledge fee, 200 dh  $54 USD)
• Exams and Interview fee. This could take up to 6 weeks, but since I didn't have that time, I did a "urgent" exam.... which was 2000 dh ($547USD).
• And 700 dh ($190USD)... for I don't even know what... Interview fee? Bottom line, come here with cash! (all of these take cash by the way, not credit card).

-How to know what to do? This is a little fuzzy because again things are always changing and there is no clearcut way to find out what exactly to do. The DHA office is actually in HealthCare City (Building 64, block C, 1st floor, level 1, office 1017). I went there just to get info on what to do, but no surprise, it is totally chaotic. I was fortunate in that the friend that was staying with knew someone that worked there (back to, "who you know, not what"), and he kinda guided me. But I think you can go through that office to find out information, just be patient. All and all, I think they will provide you will all the information you need.

-Assessment interview. Here's the biggie... ALL DHA professionals (medical) are required to have an Assessment Interview. It USUALLY should be people in your profession, BUT I have heard all sorts of stories. I can't even begin to describe how random it is. Before I had mine, I heard all sorts of stories of random and bizarre questions that were asked.... and people, smart people failing because of stupid questions asked. How to study? I had NO idea. I am an orthopaedic therapist and feel pretty comfy with orttho stuff, but basically, they can ask anything from pediatrics to cardiovascular, etc. Needless to say, it is quite stressful preparing for it, especially considering someone like me that had less than a week to prepare. I had a panel of 3 PT's, one Indian, one Phillipinna and 1 Arab lady. I don't know if this was a good thing or bad thing, but one of the 1st things that was said to me by the Arab lady was "why do you want to work here? Everyone wants to come to America. It is a steady job, the pay is good, here it won't be much better and..... why Dubai?" Ahh... that is the question. I blabbed something about the cultural experience, trying new things, etc. But they seemed like "whatever." Basically each of them asked me a question. The 1st 1 was straightforward, about adhesive capsulitis. The 2nd one was about a hand/elbow. I have to admit, having an Occupational Therapist at our clinic, I am VERY foggy with that, but somehow managed to fumble through it.... but obviously fumbling. My confidence slowly was waning. After literally like 10 minutes of me sweating, I said, "to be honest, I would refer the patient to a specialist in that area, such as an OT." And AH HA... that is what they were looking for. Eh? THEN the local lady asked me this SUPER vague question.... it was something like a woman with pelvis/low back pain. Soo... I was thinking like "proper" PT, full examination, top/bottom evaluation, mechanical dysfunctions, blah blah. So I was just rambling and babbling, and she kept on saying, "is that it? Is that IT?" Really short and cross. So of course I got even more nervous thinking I was missing something obvious. THEN when I was all out of things to say, she says, "you missed THE most IMPORTANT thing. EVERYONE seems to miss this, but it is PATIENT EDUCATION!" I almost D-I-E-D... that is soo obvious that it almost seems too silly to mention because that is like 80% of our job. I tried to pull myself out of it, but needless to say, I was just digging myself into a whole. So I left TOTALLY feeling devastated and dejected and depressed. There was NO way I could have studied for that, and just felt stupid because I told all these clinics I was taking this exam and I thought 110% that I failed and would have to wait until when I got back in the fall because you have to wait 6 weeks, blah blah. BUT after 2 days of totally being cranky and depressed, I checked my results, and for some BIZARRE reason, I passed. Needless to say, it is a stressful and nerve racking process.

What next? I would generally say (if you do the "urgent" assessment and have everything ready,  3-4 weeks later, you paid the fees, you passed the exam, now what?
-You pretty much can't do anything until you are sponsored by a company. You have a year to do this...if not, you have to do the process all over again! They will provide you with a resident/employment visa.

HealthCare City (where I ended up taking a position):
-CPQ website: www.dhcc.cpq.ae
-This one, easier in one way, harder in others. You can set up a meeting with someone that works there, and they tell you what you need. But here goes from my experience:

• Paperwork: 
• C.V.
• Notarized and authorized education degrees and license (see above). THEN... this is different than DHA, for the Professional License (not undergrad or grad degree) you need to do this: 
• Step 1 (same as DHA): get your license and educational degrees notarized by your state
• Step 2: Send this document with an $8 fee (money order or check to Department of States) and self-addressed stamped envelope to get it Authenticated by the U.S. Department of State
• Department of State Documents and Authentication office, 518 23rd Street, N.W. SA-1, Columbia Plaza, Washington, D.C. 20520. Phone: 202-647-5002 or 1-800-688-9889. Email: aoprgsmauth@state.gov. Website: http://www.state.gov/m/a/auth. 
• If you're wondering what happens if you send it and forget to include a self-addressed stamped envelope? Well, you do get it back... but it takes 2 months and it is sent by train. If you think it is lost and re-send it in the meantime, but somehow your $8 check gets lost, you don't get your document back. BUT, if you rely on your smart parents who have it DHL'd both ways with a money order for the whopping $8, the turn-around time is literally 4-days. Ha! And yes, all those things happened to me. 3 times a charm, huh?
• Step 3: Either:
• IN Dubai, you have to go to the U.A.E. Consular district of the U.S (U.S. Consulate, which is located in the Embassy area in Bur Dubai), pay a 180 Dh fee ($49 USD) and get another sheet of paper that certifies that annexed document is legit. FYI, with a U.S. passport, walk-in hours and appt hours are 12:30pm-3pm.
• IN the U.S., submit this chain of authentications to the UAE Embassy in Washington, DC for the almost final authentication:
• The Embassy of the U.A.E., 3522 International Court, N.W., Washington D.C., 20037. Phone: 202-243-2400. Website: http://uae-embassy.org/
• Step 4: IN Dubai, go to Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Embassy area in Bur Dubai, walking distance from the U.S. Consulate), pay 164 Dh ($45 USD), then get it stamped, sealed, and signed by them. Hours are 8-12, FYI. 
• Dates of employment (follow same guide as above)
• Copy of passport
• Letters of recommendation (I had 2 already handy, 1 from my old manager and another one from a colleague).
• FEE for the CPQ  license itself: 2800 Dh ($767 USD). Flat rate.
• They actually asked for experience letters of the last 5 years of employment. I didn't have that many, but you had to have at least 2, so it was okay.
• Because I had some gaps in my employment (hehe, from my travels), I needed to provide proof that I was doing something. So fortunately, during some of my volunteer work, I had 2 letters of reference, and that seemed to be okay.
• BLS (Basic Life Support card). I didn't have one at the time, but as long as you get it eventually, you are fine. 

So what happens is mid-month every month, they all meet and go through each application and review it and then accept it or deny it. Then they notify you via email if you have been approved or not... and if there is any pending documents (i.e. BLS card) that will be needed.  

Then, same as above, then you just need to get sponsored by an employer and then they will provide you with resident and work visa.

This whole process takes, I would say, at least a month for CPQ, maybe less if you catch them right around the time of the review process. 

next up... Part 2: Once you are here and ready to work!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving from Dubai!!!

Although they don't officially celebrate it here, there are Americans and there are some restaurant sponsored dinners. But... I just didn't partake in them. I worked the whole day, then went out to a Lebanese restaurant, skype'd with fam and friends from back home, and there you have it!

Although mine was a bit lame, I am holding to tradition and did spend some time thinking about all the things I am thankful for! In no particular order:

-The family friends I am staying with. I stayed with them for 6 weeks in the spring and I'm already 5 weeks in this time. I have comfortably made myself feel at home, and they have not mentioned once, "umm... how long do you plan on staying here?" They (appear at least!) to enjoy having me around, and it seems to have worked out for everyone to have me here! I am super thankful for their generosity, kindness, and for making me feel like I am not alone in this new foreign place.

-My dear mom and dad. I can't even ask for more awesome parents than the ones I have and am super thankful. They've been super supportive my whole life, but especially now when I'm in a new place and getting through some ups and downs.

-My awesome friends and fam. Couldn't have dropped my comfy life in Chicago for something totally new and different in all aspects of my life without all your love and support. THANK YOU!!!!

-Well, up until a few days ago, my health. Finally I am feeling 90-95% after a bad bout of back pain these past 2 months. So thank you body for recovering and hope it continues so I can can get back to all the sports/activities I like to do!

One month down, ??? to go

Hard to believe I've been here for a month! I feel the time is going to fly by here... although on the other hand, sometimes time is sloooowwwly ticking by... i.e. now, I'm actually at work writing this because I just have a few patients today. No.... I'm not a slacker, here it's fairly common to have cancellations and no-shows even though from the beginning I was having a full schedule, by the end of the day there are always at least a couple of cancellations or no-shows. Am I already starting to develop the stereotype of Arab laziness by actually looking forward to easier days or am happy when a patient cancels? he he.

For now... and this may change when I do my "yearly" update, ha ha, I like work! Besides the cultural experience, I am here for work and now I like it. Everyone I work with is super friendly and nice. I like having 1-1 with patients and I've already seen some interesting cases. I've definitely had to adjust to how I practice, but I feel I am doing less "fluff" and more concise treatments than at home. It's also been interesting working with soo many walks of life, and I'm learning a lot about different customs and cultural differences from all these varying nationalities. Looove it! It's funny, when patients call to make appts they don't ask about experience, how long you've been there, your title, etc., they ask what is your nationality. Although I see quite a mix, I have noticed that our Lebanese therapist sees more Arabs, our Philippino sees more Philippino patients, and I see the Westerners!  Another interesting thing for me is, and this isn't just work, pretty much everyone in Dubai is in their 20's, 30's, 40's. Kinda fun to work with a "younger population" but sometimes I think, "where are the geriatric population?" Then I remember that this is a transient place and as most of the population are expats, they go home to their native country. And again, you can pretty much ONLY be living here if you are sponsored by a company, so if you are retired, there are no options here.

I won't dwell on this because I still have a positive attitude and am mentally strong, but it's been a bit of an obstacle for me to deal with that for the 1st time in my life, I have a health issue. Teaches me to be stubborn and take moving responsibilities on my own, because a couple of weeks before I left and still now, I have low back pain. Which, looong story short is now officially diagnosed as L4-L5, L5-S1 herniations. Wah wah. So I'm kinda on 'bed rest,' but still working, doing my own PT exercises, and REALLY watching my mechanics. One day at a time, right? Sitting is a disaster, and I had a total flare-up that is still lasting me a week later when I went out to a bar and sat at a low seat, so needless to say, I've been taking it easy. And... let's just saw as far as my social life, it's kinda low key. To be honest, I don't even remember when I had so much free time! I've actually experienced the "b" word, which has rarely happened at home, but here quite a few times... and that is "boredeom!" I think I've already watched like 239048230948 episodes of random TV show reruns. Thanks Vureel (international version of U.S.'s Hulu)!

As anyone who has asked me, I am more than happy to brag about the weather. I came just at the right time for perfect Dubai weather... sunny and pleasant in the 70's and 80's. I understand it gets cooler in the next month or so, so glad I bought those jeans! I honestly have with me a few "warmer" clothes.

My other obstacle has been some paperwork, some authentication papers are "in process" we'll say, and once I get sorted out with that, THEN I can open a bank acct and actually get paid, or find an apartment/villa to live in, or buy a car. In the meantime, I am kinda in limbo and thank gaaaaaaawwwwwddd for the friends I am staying with, they've been SUPER nice and accommodating to me! And patient with my low back "disease." Hvala puno D&R!

Stay tuned! Once I get up on my feet more, literally, hopefully I'll have more action to talk about!! :-)

Same same, but different: Work life

For any of you that have traveled SE Asia, you are all to familiar with the expression, "same same, but different." I still laugh when I think about when I was in Laos and I was with my Philippina friend. Someone asked where she was from (pretty much no one could guess), she said from where and they would say, "oh! Same same, but different." And we would sit there and be like, "umm... actually, not really" but at that point they had already moved onto something else. Ha ha.

Anyway, this isn't southeast Asia and no, no one has mistaken me for being non-other than American. BUT, I couldn't help think of this expression during my time at work. This will probably be more interesting to fellow PT's or anyone that has had PT or.... if you just want to read about my work life. So far I felt a LOT of similarities, in my field of rehabilitation we are doing just that anywhere we go, BUT... it's just different.

Here are a few things:

• Here, mostly because people are so high maintenance, as I am told, we have to do one-one treatments. Which of course isn't a bad thing. Instead of what i'm used to, patients on the half an hour with plenty of overlap, here it is 1-1 for 45 minutes. 
• Time. Generally I've found that locals typically come late and Expats either early or on time. Which can be a bit tight when it alternates, but also by looking at the name and knowing the nationality, I can gauge how much time I have. 
• Like any business, they of course are involved in marketing, etc, but it's a LOT more low key and NOT as productivity driven as the States. Yesssss.
• I've never worked in a more or less hospital setting where you have such close interactions with the docs. Yes, during internships I did a little bit, but it seemed "closed door," it still wasn't the easiest getting a hold of the MD and they weren't the most approachable. Here, it is all pretty much in the same complex, so besides running into them daily, it really is "open door." They told me that themselves AND my co-workers agreed. Nice! I experimented once when I really did have a question about a patient and walked over, knocked on the door, and it really was that easy! It's sometimes those little things in life that make a difference. At home you have to stalk them over fax's, phones, stalk the physician assistant, and it is a mess. So I like this!
• The other nice thing is that we have a universal medical system online so I have access to MRI reports, MD evaluations, pretty much everything about the patient. I cannot tell how wonderful it is. It actually cuts my history taking in 1/2 (which I need to do because I am feeling rushed with only 45 minutes for an initial evaluation vs. an hour, mostly because patients are late!). 
• I've already taken advantage of this personally by getting a couple of free-bee consults from some back pain I've been having. Hehe. 
• There is an office boy here. Actually, I understand 2, but one is on vacation. Literally someone to bring tea and coffee to you.... and clean-up/stock-up on stuff as you need it. Ha! I guess they learn how everyone likes their tea or coffee and individually prepare it. Funny! Too bad I don't drink tea or coffee but maybe I'll have him fill up my water bottle. Ahhh... Dubai.
• I believe it is temporary, but I have an office/treatment room! There is my computer station and also a high-low table to treat, and although at first I felt TOTALLY isolated because I am used to this dynamic environment where patients and PT's are running around and it is VERY interactive (and fun!), I'm not going to complain! Everything is literally right there and I don't have to move much! I already am doing some typical bad work things by closing my door and playing on the computer, making personal phone calls.... dozing off. He he.
• Internet. Everywhere. Yes, I have access to internet! As most people know, usually there is NO internet at clinics and that has been great! Granted I have dabbled on my email, etc, BUT I actually look up stuff for work as well. Love it!
• If I were to describe how things run in Arab countries, I would say one word: Disorganized. This seemingly looking professional setting is not different. I pretty much came in not knowing anything and despite a brief briefing on their computer system, it was basically me running around trying to figure things out. If anyone knows me, you know I thrive... THRIVE on organization, so this is some getting used to. I am getting things down and biggest thing is getting "my office" (hehe) organized, it's been better. But not just that, I don't know when I'm getting back, how I'm getting paid, how often, etc. Don't know when health insurance starts and when I can start using it. Don't know about vacay days and taking time off (very important). HR supposedly was going to meet with me, but we'll see when that happens.
• Same same, but different. My last job I came in and had several patients instead of "gradually being settled and by the end of the month you will have a full load." Ha! By the end of the week, I had almost a full load. I was overwhelmed and exhausted. Here no different.... 2nd day had 2 patients, end of the week I had almost the same as everyone else. Hmph. Again, I don't mind being thrown in, that's how you learn, BUT.... when I am still getting used to paperwork and other stuff, I'm already AGAIN staying late after work. Darn it! I thought this was my big break in NOT working through lunch or staying after work because everyone keeps talking that people leave on time and leisurely have time for lunch. Alll right, it's still early so I won't get ahead of myself, but I just don't want it to become a bad habit.
• Paperwork. Now, dear PT's, as we ALL know, besides actually treating patients, this is the 2nd biggest aspect of our job. At home in the USA, because of litigation and insurance, we document, document, document. Although I am the 1st one to complain about it, I do have to say sometimes it was nice to have detailed notes so you always have a great background on the patient before they come in or just know what they've been doing. Here... I understand until THIS YEAR they didn't document at all. I LITERALLY fell over when I heard this. Now it is starting and when I say it is fairly basic, it is fairly basic. Here would be a typical SOAP note (for you non-PT's: Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan):
• S: Patient doing well.
• O: Exercises performed.
• A: Patient doing better.
• P: Continue PT

Really..... no joke. Although that is a legit note I saw, fine, some are a TAD bit more detailed, but still about a 10th of what I would write. When someone saw my note they were like, "whoa, you write a lot." THEN... even dared to say, "you don't need to write that much. It's not necessary." So at first I was like "Woo hoo!" because this has been my dream... little note taking. BUT.... why give up a good habit? When I go back to the States... or anywhere else to work, I will have my  head in the ground because it will be hard to get used to that again. So now I am trying to work on a happy medium. We are sooo trained, almost brainwashed, to be soo detailed, but really? What is really necessary? I'm trying to cut to the chase more, so we'll see what happens.

• The patient population... I would say it's about 50/50 Expats (expatriates) and Locals. Which I'm fine with because it is REALLY interesting to work with such a diverse environment. I may change my opinion sooner than later because I can see already working with the locals can be a tad frustrating. Besides almost always coming late, they typically don't exercise at all and don't really know anything about it.... or even what we do. One lady came in and said, "my foot hurt. You make it go away." Okkaaay.... .last I checked I wasn't a miracle worker. Then they have a HORRIBLE time explaining their pain. The vague, "everywhere" I've already seen too many times, and just answered basic questions like "what makes it better/worse, etc" was almost a non-response. Soo... that's been hard to deal with. And also I am used to major patient education and going to a bit of detail about anatomy or the "why" aspect of pain, and here there is a bit of language barrier so they just don't get it and I have to keep things REALLY simple... and kinda start from scratch with treatment/exercises. They say "pain" for everything when I think they mean "soreness," but really, it's hard to tell sometimes. A bit frustrating, but I guess I'll get used to it! I have to!
• Many people have asked if I can treat local men. Yes. And local woman in their abaya's (the black cloak thing... that is actually what it is called. Not burka). This also has taken some getting used to. Most are good.... you just take them to a private room and they remove the abaya. Underneath I have everything from a hideous PJ to a beautiful Dulce & Gabanna outfit. Then it's always fun when they come in with literally everything covered except their eyes, and then they take it off (obviously with the clothes underneath still on).... some are exceptionally beautiful, some... umm... not so much. Because they CANNOT show themselves to men, I have to keep them in the private room. Fine. BUT that means I have to lug any equipment with me to the room, which can be a bit of a pain in the butt. And again, I just feel so isolated sometimes. 
• It's just a bit and I've already had a cultural issue. Here we have walk-in patients and one came in that asked for me...but already 20 minutes late for the actual session, so I was a bit annoyed and frustrated to do an evaluation in like 20 minutes. So it was a local lady fully covered and I took her into a room and was like "how can I help you?" And when she took off her abaya I realized it was a patient I had already worked with I just didn't recognize her eyes! Oops! I didn't make it better when I said, "sorry, I didn't recognize you, I thought you were a new patient." She was understanding but... I felt like a fool. 
• Both Expats and locals expect quick and almost immediate results.... which seem to be feeded by the docs, "try PT for 2-3 sessions and see how you feel." Physiologically there can be little difference in such a short time and it's hard to jump like 3 steps ahead. So a lot of it seems education on a home exercise program, which we give them. Which is waaaay different than how we do it at home... we usually see patients for 4-6 weeks and have time to really rehab them appropriately and properly. Muscle alone takes one month to develop. There is like a 80% chance patients (especially the locals) don't do their home exercises and hence I feel that we can't be effective. Well, that's a conversation for another rainy day.
• I am a minority at the PT department! There are 2 Indians, 1 Philippina, and 1 Lebanese. It's been interesting how people react... Westerns love it, locals are hesitant, and everyone in the middle is like "whatever, as long as I am being treated." 
• They seem fairly flexible with vacay days. No matter what, we work 5 days a week... 48 hours (a lot, huh?!!). We alternate working on Saturdays and when we work a Saturday we can take any day of the week off or... in maybe 1-2 circumstances, add it to our vacay. They also REALLY emphasize work/life balance and encourage you to take days off and there are always opportunities to do so. Hey, you don't need to tell me twice!
• Which, speaking of vacay days, I have to mention holidays. Here there are a lot of holidays. I was working only a week... then came Eid and got 4 days off! Because I said I would work on one of the days (it would have been 5), I get an extra day added to my holidays. Yes! So after working a week, I'm already up to 26 days off. Sweeeeet. I guess there are 5 Eids throughout the year. Nice! 
• They don't plan out too far ahead of time. The hospital decided to extend the hours, and ... well, it's a long story, but between us, we were deciding who works when, blah blah. Some wanted to do it on a bi-monthly schedule and I actually stepped up and was like "NYET" because that is NOT good patient care because then for sure a patient will be bouncing around between patients. Anyway, we worked it out to do it monthly and even planned for the next 3 months, which I think will work out... that's how we did at my old clinic (for vacations) and it worked out fine. 

Well, I think I've blabbed enough. I"m sure there are lots of other things that will come up, but I'll talk about them as need be. All and all, I like it! They say I should be involved in athletic sports, so that should be cool. Now it's not the case, but supposedly I should be the one directed to for sports cases. But then again, I don't mind this random stuff in between. My field is lot about experience and seeing and learning from different things. 

What can I say? Work life in Dubai.... Same same, but different. 

Quotes of the Week

"Don't worry, being blond and blue eyes will get you places and can get things you want" - said by the director of the hospital I'm working.

"I love you" - said by a local male patient I am treating.

"You have a L4-L5, L5-S1 herniation... and scoliosis" - said by an orthopedic doc.

"Geez, there are some bad drivers here" said by my co-worker who was driving me home and who is a local.... who almost killed us 20398320983 times with her horrible driving.

"There is a marathon this weekend".... "are you running the marathon this weekend?" Referring to the 5K on 11/11/11 (I wasn't).

Lesson #7:  Take advantage of what's in front of you (i.e. me working in a medical hospital and getting free-bee consults and getting 'worked in' for medical needs like radiological imaging).

Lesson #8: If you can avoid it, NEVER have a local drive you! It is a death sentence waiting to happen. They are known to be horrible drivers.

Lesson #9: Any race, whatever distance, is pretty much referred to as a 'marathon' here.  Find out beforehand what the actual distance is (5K, 10K, actual marathon) if you plan on running a race! There really is only 1 Dubai actual marathon (In January).

1st Week of Work, Done!

Well, one year and a half later.... I'm a working woman! Before you shake your head in disbelief that it has seriously been this long, know that I did my international volunteering during that time and also worked part-time. Hehehe. So needless to say, I was actually looking forward to working and WANTED to work... it's been almost too long (although I really won't complain, ha ha).

Where to start? Well, the 1st thing one should note, and I'll make this a Lesson...

Lesson #7: Arab nations are typical very disorganized, and Dubai is no exception. Be patient.

It wasn't so much that I was thrown into a situation, it is just the place is a bit disorganized anyway, and I felt a bit all over the place with patient care, where I should go, where's what, who's who, everything. Which I know is TOTALLY normal in any new environment, but I thrive... pretty much function, from planning and organization, so it's a bit daunting to me. Deep breath and .... as in my fave movie Finding Nemo, "just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming."

Needless to say, I survived my 1st week! I began seeing patients the 2nd day and am up to 8/10 by the last day of the week. So they are definitely getting me up and running. There is A LOT for me to get used to, and I am already staying late to catch up with stuff, which again, I know is normal, but I don't want that to be a habit or routine like it was with my old job. Everyone has been super nice and I especially like my co-workers. There is only 5 of us: me, 2 Indians, 1 Philippina, and 1 Lebanase (the boss). So for once I am totally a minority! They treat a lot different than I do, and so far I've already learned a few things from them. They are also flexible and I feel everyone is accommodating and flexible. Just impressions, we'll see if that is really the case!

So far it seems really great that we are practically in direct contact with the MD's. I had a questionable referral from the podiatrist, and I just walked to her office, asked her my question, and that was that! No longer calling, calling, faxing, stalking the PA to try to get a hold of the doc, nice! And the other funny thing is cell phones.... it is soo ingrained in me to NOT have a cell phone anywhere near me, that I don't even think about it. Until pretty much everyone that has talked to me is like "what is your mobile?" The boss finally stalked me, and she said that is how we communicate... obviously more to track us down for patient purposes, but it seems a lot of people get personal calls as well and it is fine. Hhahaha. So there you have it, if you call me during work hours, you will most likely get a hold of me! Yea!

I'm pooped now, but I'll write another entry about what I've observed so far with how things run around here... and then we'll see my impressions 6 months from now, right? But I also don't want to bore myself or people by only writing about work, so I'll promise I'll try to limit it. BUT.... really, some things are different and interesting!

All and all, have a good feeling about work, feel very comfortable, and feel I can grow professionally and personally here! Woo hoo!

The Devil Wears Prada

Welp, I have to say.... my 1st weekend here was quite a whirlwind. A great introduction to My Life as an Expat. Now, one of the 1st things you will here about Dubai or even the U.A.E. or surrounding Arab nations is about the money, cha-ching! Yes, there is oil here and YES there are plenty of really ... really... REALLY rich people and there is NO doubt that people like to show off. I will be first to admit that. BUT contrary to popular belief, Dubai took a big hit with the recession and isn't as "bling bling" as it used to be, but of course it is still here.

So when it happens that I go to a lounge/club and "dress-up" Ellen style (really, I swear, in Chicago it would be dressed up), why is it that I might as well have worn my work-out clothes? Note to self: next time I go to a bar, dress like I'm going to a fancy wedding. I've never seen so many Channel, Gucci, Prada and 230940324 other name-brands in one place WITH heels that I would NEVER even be able to take ONE step in. I'm NOT talking about fake stuff here. AND besides everyone being dressed to the 9's, it was a plastic surgeon's dream.... most people looked like they had some sort of botox, collagen implants, fillers, whatever cosmetic procedure you can think of and it really was hard to tell the ages of people. One lady I swear looked younger than myself and then she glowingly showed me pictures of her 20 and 18 year old kids. Eh? So yes, as you can imagine, it was GREAT for people watching (which I love). I took a nice stance by the wall, yes, I was happily a wall flower because I felt so under dressed (I have no shame in saying that) but really still had fun people watching and chair dancing.

Lesson #4 as Life as an Expat in Dubai: If you want to show off, this is the place to do it.

One interesting thing I took note of was the drinking. As you know, Dubai and most Arab countries are "dry" and have strict "no tolerance" to drinking. But don't for a second think that you can't get drinks at clubs/lounges/bars. I think the rule is that alcohol can only be served in hotels, which explains why most all hotels  have clubs/lounges/bar inside them... as well as restaurants that serve alcohol. But the funny thing is that they have a FANTASTIC selection of mocktails. Yes, you read correctly, mocktails for adults. Loooooooove it! But anyway, I'm still figuring out the buying of alcohol... from what I understand you can only buy it "freely" is at Duty Free at the airport and in Abu Dhabi. In order to buy alcohol in Dubai you have to have literally an alcohol license and I think you are limited to 5 bottles of whatever a month. I think (I'll keep you updated).

The other thing that people have mentioned and I didn't find really true until the next night, is that you are everyone's friend. My friend's friend sister's friend's friend was having a party... (and yes, I had trouble even writing that!). Would that seem kind of random at home? Yes. Was it strange that the friend didn't even come to the party but we were there full swing (without even my friend's friend, it was with her sister)? NOT AT ALL! We might have been the hosts BFF. It ended up being a Halloween party, which oops, of course I didn't know about, but fortunately the sister brought some New Orleans style eye masks, so we kinda fit in.

It ended being at a PHATTY loft apartment in the hottest part of town by a NYC girl that probably looked around my age (hmph), and was a lot of fun and was in full swing of socializing (much more my scene than the previous night's club, it was low key, people friendly and approachable, etc). The best part was, during typical small talk when people asked about how we know the host, and we told our whole spheal about the "friends friend..." blah blah, that we realized most of the people there had some sort of random connection to the host with the middle person not even being there. Hahah. But, the important part of all these random connections, is good 'ol beauty of networking, which is pretty much how we function in today's society.

Lesson #5: At all costs, network and make connections as much as you can. Here it can really get you places.

I cannot emphasize the importance of this not just in life, but here especially. Here it REALLY REALLY is about who you know. You can benefit from all sorts of things by connections, and here is the place for that.

In other news, which really isn't of importance to anyone but me, but literally after a month being almost disabled by a bad back (really, no joke), the last couple of days I've been med free and about 80-90%! NOW I feel I can begin my life here. I mentally and physically feel good, and as exercise is such an important part of my life, now I can start exercising slowly but surely. I'm glad I trusted by gut (which by the way, is getting bigger by the non-exercise, ha ha) in that I asked for an extra week before I started work. That is BY FAR the best decision I've made. The reason why I'm here is for work, and if my future employment saw me how I was just a week ago, as a physical therapist mind you, they would have sent me back on the first plane. Now.... I have my clothes ironed, lunch packed, am mentally positive, and am ready to....

Lesson #6: Always make a good first impression.

:-)

Dubai, My New Hometown!

Well, 12 hours to Amman, Jordan, 3 hour layover in Amman, and a 2 hour flight to Dubai later... I made it!!! What a journey! Who would think sitting for so long can be so exhausting? Although I was plenty prepared for my journey: lumbar roll, an eye mask, earplugs, a book, an ipod, flip flops, neck support pillow, when I arrived at 1am on Wed, the 19th.... literally 2 days after I left, I was pooped.

After spending 6 weeks here this spring and now coming back to live, my first thoughts were "wow, this place is really clean and new" (last time I was coming from India, so you can only imagine my reaction!). Then as before, another almost immediate thought was "if there is an easy way and a hard way to do things, here everything is done the hard way." To make a long story short, in order to work here, I have to get my license authenticated 3 times. Not once, not twice, but 3 times. I had completed the step 1 when I was here in the spring. I was home the WHOLE summer, but yet, it was told to me just a couple of weeks before I was leaving that I had to get this Step 2 authentication... (a US Authentication from Washington, D.C.) which of course takes 3 weeks and didn't make it back in time before I left. So my work was expecting these papers and as gentle and as polite as I tried to make it sound, "umm... it would have been nice if you told me this in JULY, when I accepted the position, not a couple of weeks before I was leaving," I look totally incompetent because not only did this other authentication not make it before I left, I realized that I didn't include a self-addressed stamped envelope. Oops. So basically to make a long story short, I had to have it couriered to the US from here to do it all over again... which will take another couple of weeks. Grrrr. Hence:

Lesson #1 of My Life as an Expat: Patience is your Friend
Lesson #2: Always, always be as polite as possible when dealing with locals here. I can't emphasize that enough. Whatever sounds the most cheesy and fluffy to you, that's how you communicate.

So besides dealing with that, the other not-so-fun thing was that my back had taken a turn for the worse and really acted up... to the point where I literally couldn't get out of a car and was walking slowly and with a great limp. As a health care professional, I admit, we make the worst patients. Although this started the last couple of weeks in Chicago when I was packing and moving, I mostly ignored it (aren't I such a great patient? Yes, you can say so) except for keeping an eye on my body mechanics, because I had to get this stuff done! Okay fine, I admit, I'm stubborn and didn't ask anyone for help. So here I am in Dubai... and my Week 1 mostly consisted of me maxin' and relaxin' at home lying on my back. I was supposed to start work a few days after I arrived, and after the 2nd day here, there was NO way I could work or even stand or walk for more than 5-10 minutes at a time, so I said I was ill (which was true) and asked for a week delay, which thankfully they didn't have a problem with. I only had a problem that I haven't even started yet and they probably think I'm an incompetent fool by already delaying my start AND this mess with the stupid authentications. Sigh...

BUT on an upbeat note, I literally came at a PERFECT time! The weather has been FAB-U-LOUS... sunny everyday and in the 80's and 90's! It's greeeaat and that alone just puts me in a good mood. I've "exercised" (which pretty much has been the thing I miss the most considering this summer I was exercising twice a day doing running, swimming, biking, yoga, tennis, and weights) by dabbling in the outdoor pool and the ocean. Yes, you Chicago people, late October and I'm hanging out in an outdoor pool. Woo hooo!!! (okay, I'll try not to rub it in too much!).

Soo.... although I told myself I wouldn't write on this blog unless I had some interesting things to say, here I am talking about my back pain and me doing nothing. Hmm.... well, I'm bored (which is a word I NEVER say!), and writing this is keeping me somewhat entertained. I do admit I'm suffering from "newbee syndrome" (I just made that up, BTW) in that I am feeling a bit lonely and out of sorts.... again, not being healthy and not being productive with my life just yet, does take a toll. And of course just knowing the 2 people I am staying with vs having a whole community in Chicago can be a downer. BUT, this is what Life as an Expat is all about! Starting over, new environment, new place, new people... I know in no time I'll be back on my feet (literally and figuratively) and will be missing these days when I'm just lounging around thinking of stuff to do :-)

Lastly,
Lesson #3 of Life as an Expat: Per other expats or people that have moved to new places: It takes 6 months to a year to get adjusted to your new life.

My Windy City

I'm baaaaack!

Back by popular demand (haha), I thought I would do something a little different and write about My Life as an Expat! My last 2 blogs have been about travel: sights, history, experiences, people, culture, etc. Although I kept it mostly as a PC online journal to myself and for others to find out Where in the World I am, I have to admit, it was stressful at times to be up to date with it... mostly because as I'm aging I am forgetting things more often, hehe, so the more on top of it I was, the more I could have it fresh in my memory and write about it.

Soo.... what you'll notice about this blog is:

1. There won't be 0398403480984320 pictures
2. I won't be writing as regularly
3. It won't be as fast moving as my other blog because I will just be in one place!

To summarize my summer in Chicago, just imagine a high speed roller coaster going up, down, to the side, backwards... over and over again. That can describe my emotions.... happy being home after a year's worth of travel, sad to be leaving it so soon, enjoying the city and friends, and doing the big job of detoxing my childhood-> adult home... a.k.a. going back in time and reliving many memories. So yes, quite the roller coaster! I did accomplish a couple of things that I really wanted: I ran a 1/2 marathon, I learned a new sport (tennis!), I competed in Tough Mudder 2011, "probably one of the world's toughest event" (which it really wasn't), did Chicago touristy things, and spent quality time with friends and family. Of course, as with life, unexpected things are always being thrown in your direction, and in my case, it was the marriage of my brother! It was a bit of a whirlwind to help him and his now wife with that (their engagement was just 2.5 months), but everything turned out great and I am super happy for my baby brother and his new awesome wife Noelle. :-) Congrats guys!

I was so busy before I left, I didn't have time to think much about my arrival here in Dubai, "once I get on that plane, I can relax and have it digest" I would tell people. Packing up my house along with myself was a HUGE task and consumed most of my remaining weeks in Chicago. Of course having said that, because of all that moving/packing/organizing, I developed major back pain, but that is a whole different story.

So then, just like a blink of an eye, there it was.... Monday, October 17th, 2011.... the date of my departure. Thankfully, my flight was at 10pm, so I had the day to take care of stuff. I woke up feeling excited and happy, "this is it! The start of a new chapter in my life!" then almost immediately (literally, didn't get out of bed yet), I felt sad to leave my beloved tempurpedic mattress, which literally, is the BEST thing that has ever happened to me. The day passed quickly, and before I knew it, my mom came by a little early, and.... that's when the breakdown happened. It just all of a sudden hit me that I'm leaving. For a long time. When I get back, if I come back (you never know!), will I even have the house? Will it be rented? Will I ever go inside it again? And if so, how different will it be? Besides some long travel journeys, I literally have ALWAYS lived in Chicago... ALWAYS had my home to go back to. Now.... who knows where life will take me? Needless to say, I was a hot mess. Especially when I was saying bye to my parents. Sniff sniff. When I did the last walk through the house, as cheesy as it sounds, I literally had a flashback of my life in the house.... sharing a room with my sister, all the people we had in/out, high school years, Thanksgiving dinners, coming home from college.... adult life after college, so much! But... then when we pulled away and headed to the airport and after I took my last breath of polluted Chicago air (I was at the airport, ya know!), then I felt ready.

Goodbye Chicago, Welcome Dubai!!!