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!!!