My 1st Weekend Getaway!!

It took exactly 3 months and a couple of days before the itch came... to get out of town! It's a loooooooooong loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong story of how and why I ended up where I did, but here are a few hints of where I went:

• The country is about the same size of Montana, however with 82 million people and is considering one of the most densely populated countries in the world considering the amount of space.
• Despite the above, 1/3 of the country is filled with forests and woodlands
• It's in Europe
• Despite having one of the best public transportation systems in the world, they love their cars, and they should, it is home to top dogs like: BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Porsche. 
• There are 300+ different types of bread
• They loooove, and I mean, loooove their beer. It's one of the cheapest places to buy beer. However, make sure you have something in mind because there are more than 1500+ brands of beer here! They of course host the largest beer festivals in the world, Oktoberfest.
• Their economy, not like the rest of Europe, is relatively strong and they are practically holding Europe up themselves..

Eh? EH? Any idea? Well, here it is... Deutschland!!! It was my first experience of being someplace central, the flight was only 6 hours and I was able to do it with relative ease to take a weekend trip. Why Deustchland, you ask? It's a super loong story, and part of the roller coaster of life here, but the friend that I am staying here with had to have a sudden emergency surgery, and a particular doctor out there is known to be the best of the best, so she went out there. Her hubby had some work obligations here for part of it, so I went to basically be there for her and keep her company. It's the least I can do, they've already hosted me for 3+ months here in Dubai and I was happy to get away.

Can I just say it was a GREAT time?! Not only did I loooooooooove and get excited about the cold, dreary, 4-seasons-in-a-day (maybe I am a true Chicagoan afterall!), but it was just nice to get out of town and have a change of scenery. Here are some things that I particularly enjoyed:

• Nature!!! Nothing like seeing hills, green, and where I was, Kiel, was right on the Balkan sea. 
• Because of the rains, (which, speaking of, there was some wet snow! Snow!), the air was just sooo fresh and crisp. Loved it.
• Drinking! On! The! Streets!!! People being loud and obnoxious in public! PDA!!!
• Beer and alcohol available and accessible almost everywhere!
• Efficiency and organization! Everything was exactly on time, the buses, the doctor visits, appts! Not the Arabic "in-shallah" (god-willing) 'sometime in the next couple of hours.' 
• The town Kiel is just such a small quaint typical European town. Cobblestone streets, little small boutiques and stores (darn it, although I did see a Starbucks, I didn't see too many other chains), and....
• People outside! Walking and biking!!! In Dubai, people don't really walk for pleasure and it is quite rare to see someone biking around, the streets are definitely NOT conducive for that. Anyway, there were bike stands everywhere, and although it was cold, I saw runners in shorts and again, people commuting by bike. Love it.
• Everyone takes public transportation, the well-off and the not-so-well-off. In Dubai, it's considered "lowly" to take public transportation and it was nice to see all walks of life on the buses. 

Besides reading (yea! Time to pleasure read!), watching TV and movies, hanging out and lounging around with my friend and making her take walks around the hallways, what else did I do??? EAT!!!

Hehe, and yes, I need to go on a food detox now.

Anyway, I have to add this as a lesson because I REALLY felt rejuvenated and refreshed after this long weekend getaway. This is one of the reasons why I came to Dubai, to have opportunities to travel, and I made a vow to myself that every 2-3 months, I'm going to go somewhere! Watch out world!!

Lesson #19: Take advantage of the central location to the world here in Dubai, and try and get out and see something new! 

Auf Wiedersehen!

3 months in, ???? to go

Today is January 19th.... a sound 3 months since my plane landed in Dubai. For some reason I feel like I've already been here forever, my life back in Chicago seems like it was in another life. Umm... is that saying something? If it wasn't for nearly expat telling me it's totally normal and they all went through it and it takes a year to get comfy and feel adjusted, I may start having doubts. I think I've had more ups and downs in these past 3 months than I have my entire life, hence I feel I've been here forever because of the emotional roller coaster. But ah ha, it's all part of the experience!

I HAVE accomplished a few things these last couple of months: I self-rehabbed a herniated back, I got my employment visa, I got my drivers license, I sublet an apartment in downtown Dubai literally steps away from the Burj Kalifa, the world's tallest building (the hot! hot! hottest part of Dubai!), I'm back to exercising, I've made a couple of friends, AND I'm feeling settled and comfortable at work.

What I have NOT accomplished is: getting a car (it's coming!) and... getting an apt.

The car part was relatively easy (thank gaaaawd for that!). I was treating a co-worker and was talking about my... ummm.... obstacles here (really, life here without a car is H-A-R-D), and she said that someone from the clinic is selling his 4-door car for a good price (she would even buy it herself but she just got a car), good mileage (40,000ish), 2006 Nissan (I don't even know which type). Later that day, I went to look at it, was clean, had no accidents and documented maintenance reports, windows slightly tinted, replaced tired a couple of months ago, soft gold color, and good stereo system :-) I liked it immediately and.... SOLD! We negotiated a price, and that's that! The reason he is selling it is because he wants a bigger car (they are ALL about SUV's here, and the bigger the better) and he was waiting to buy a car from his friend until he sells it to me. Long story short, he said it would be available by the end of January. Sooo I was happy with that, car hunting can be quite stressful when you know NOTHING about cars, so I'm glad it worked out so well. And if anyone knows what I was driving in Chicago, a 1996 Geo Chevrolet Prizm, which I ended up selling to a friend, this is definitely an upgrade, it looked like it went through 3-5 tornado's. This one, when I was looking at it, he said, "well, you'll see, there are a few scratches." I looked all the way around, and I said, "umm.... where?" And I literally had to crouch down and see it. So I'm excited, and my life will be 01348320483208432048320 times easier now!

Now, the apt hunting, that's been.... umm.... harder than I thought. I'll talk more about it later, BUT basically I am now back to sleeping on the couch with the friends I came here to stay with, super nice, buuuut.... still literally living out of a suitcase. I think once I get settled in a new place, I'll def feel more adjusted. I've had my hopes waaaaay up... then way down, then up again, and you see where I am going! I'm learning the city, trying to be reasonable with my budget, trying to find an area that works for me, etc etc etc.

Work stuff..... I haven't had too much experience with office politics working in a small work place (I know, I know... where do I come from?), so that's new, BUT I again really really enjoy what I do, loooove the 1-1 patient care, AND feel I am developing as a person and professional with having time to expand and learn new skills. The docs at the facility are all super nice and approachable, and I really appreciate that!

Overall, content? Yes! Finding my happy place? Working on it, but it will come! Life here is A LOT harder than I thought, but it was a challenge I was looking after and I found it, that's for sure!!!

VIP

As anyone here can attest, Dubai is all about VIP. There is "VIP" metro seating, VIP areas at every media event, VIP seating at any and every concert, VIP seating's at many many restaurants, and... as I am learning, VIP patient's. But that too can be hit or miss.

I was working a Saturday a few weeks ago, and right before  my lunch break (hmph), a doc runs up to me, looking all frenzied, saying he has a "VIP" patient that needs to be seen ASAP... and that he has "connections"  and a good referral source (what is it about people and their "connections?). Of course with VIP it always has to be NOW and URGENT. I was having one of those days where I had a totally packed schedule, was running late with pretty much everyone, didn't even have a second to go to the toilet, drink water, or even eat anything. Buuuuuut, darn it, I'm a sucker and made a little huff about starving myself, but I would see this local guy during my lunch break. Of course it happened that I did treat him and he was nothing else than an accountant. How is this VIP? Just kidding, I didn't know the extent of this accounting business, and whatever. I tried not to be disgruntled about it because again, I was just having a crazy crazy day and NEEDED some down time to just catch up on notes, breathe.... eat something. Now it's a few sessions later, I still don't see how he is VIP but he offered not only to take me to Milan to see a soccer game, but also he would buy me a TV because I was saying I am going to try and live without a TV (which I have done before and don't think it will be too hard). He on the other hand just could't believe it and said that when I get an apartment, just to tell him, and he will bring me whatever size and shape TV I want. In that case, VIP or not, I won't complain. Of course, will I really have him do either of those? Probably not, but it's fun to think about. :-)

The next "real" VIP came just a couple of days ago. I got a call that our Medical Director specifically asked me to treat this Sheikh that our building is named after. Wow. 1st of course I was flattered, 2nd was trying to fit him in my schedule with his via his assistant. I finagled something without too much hassle. The funny thing was before the admin said it was the wife of the sheikh (or should I say one of them), then it was the sister of the sheikh, then when I spoke to his assistant she said it was a HE and he's 20 years old. Well, whatever. So of course he came late (grrrr... I hate it when they come so late, it just throws everything off) and ... just looked like a kid, but in a silk gold-colored kandura (or dishash, known by the expats, the long cloats that locals wear). I admit I was a wee bit nervous and tried to be as professional and efficient as possible because again, he was late and I had a patient scheduled next. He was pretty normal and I kept the conversation going about the States because he's been there, he goes to an American University, etc. I mostly was giving him exercises to do at home, and was breezing them fairly quickly. When we finished, after I gave him my little speech about how important it is to do the home exercise program  (I wrote out all the explanations, how often, how much, etc), he waltzed away and I was left with the assistant to give the exercises to. Then came the fun part... we were walking out, and she kind of grabs my arm and tucks this small envelope in my lab coat (yes, we have to wear lab coats). I of course lasted about 2 seconds before I tried to sneak off and see what was it... and i was 1000 dh, which is the equivalent of $272 USD!!! Awwww yea!!! So then the assistant (he had gone by then) said that she is 100% sure he will NOT do the exercises and he NEEDS to come back again. I won't complain about that if I'm getting close to $300 each time! Just kidding (kinda). He does really need to do it and although it's a bit stressful finagling VIP's in, it really is good connections.
So that brings me to my next Lesson. For the uber rich locals, it really really is customary to tip for every service. An Emirate Airline worker I was treating says that whenever their is a Sheikh or someone of that caliber on board, they will give like $3000 to the crew and have them divide it up. Wow... do have all that money.

Lesson #18: It is customary to tip for any service if you are a sheikh or uber rich local. 

THEN, this is the same day I saw the Sheikh, I was treating a local girl that I had treated several times before. You could tell she was spoiled and was always talking about how many animals she has and about her horses, etc. I randomly just commented how I need to learn more about horseback riding because I'm getting some patients with injuries from it, like just today this patient with a shoulder dislocation. Then she's like "really? What's his name? Is he local?" And I said his name is the name on our building AND Rashed. And she's like, "that's my brother!" Eh? And then I did the, "your brother brother? Not like a cousin who you call a brother?" She said her brother brother. I was totally floored. I didn't even believe it, and we both went back and forth making sure it was the right person. The confusing thing is the name is different than what it should be, and here, because there is a lot of wives and inter-family marriages, it's hard to differentiate who's who and everyone's status. I actually preferred NOT knowing she too was a VIP because I felt a little different after she told me that, like more on guard and I guess professional (oops to the sessions before! hehe). But then on the other hand, I thought how different it was just her being female and him male and him wearing these special robes and having an assistant that travels after him, and she was just... like everyone else. After the session, then I noticed that she did have a fancy abaya (the cloak garb for woman).

Phew! That's my VIP connection! Maybe a TV, maybe a trip to Milan, $270 USD, and who knows what's next?!!? :-)

Ah ha! 2 "easy" Things in Dubai - Banks and License

It's happened. Considering Dubai is one of those places where literally NOTHING is easy, there is always some redtape to something, I finally discovered 2 things that were relatively "easy," and when I say "easy," I mean it took only 3 visits/trials to get these things done! Which brings me to another Lesson...

Lesson #17: Hardly anything in Dubai takes less than 3 tries.

What are these 2 "easy" things???

1. Getting a Bank Account
2. Getting a Driver's License.

Yes, you may be surprised by #2, BUT the biggest thing with that is that I am a US citizen. Some other lucky Western countries have this luck also because UAE considers us good and safe drivers from our training to get a license in our home countries and DO NOT ask for us to take a drivers test, written or in a car, and basically just need paperwork. Ha! On the other hand, if you are from India, Phillipines, Central/Eastern European countries, you HAVE to take lessons at a driving school, take a drivers test which 90% of people fail (cha-ching, that is just a scam $$ maker), take another series of tests, take the test again... and it is just a loooong and expensive process.

Here is what goes down for each:

Bank Account:
Here it is pretty much finding one because there are A LOT. Dubai has gotten REALLY strict with taking out loans, so if you are looking for a bank here, the 1st thing you should do is go around and see which ones will actually give you a loan and also their interest rates. I have the fortune of NOT needing a loan, so I just chose Emirates NBD bank because their is an office IN my work building AND the ATM machines are pretty much everywhere. So all I needed was:
1. My original passport WITH my employment visa (seee? Nothing without the visa!)
2. Copy of passport and employment visa
3. Letter from my work's HR stating my salary.

That's it!!! I didn't even have to put money in there. Ha ha. Here it's funny because some things they are very tech savvy, and others they are not. But banks is one example of how they ARE... they sent me texts saying my account is open, how to set up online banking, AND when you make an ATM withdrawal, they text you also.

Driver's License:
Here it was more or less straightforward as well, but this really took me 3 trials to what is considered their DMV, the RTA....
-I went to the branch by the Emirates Mall, but the Metro stop is First Gulf Bank, it's just like 100 m to the right.
-You need: 2 passport size photos, a copy of your passport, copy of your employment visa, a copy of your license, and a letter of No Objection from your employment, HR provides this (once you ask for it). Again, sometimes you don't even ask why they need these things... what does my employer have to do with me driving? But ah ha, my work is my sponsor and if something happens to me with my driving or something like if I get fines and the police get involved, I guess the employer can reject my sponsorship? Here you can't mess around with things like that.
-An eye test
-$$: Basically it was $112 USD to get the license, $30USD for the eye test, and $10 ... I don't even know what this is for, I think they translated something. And NO, they do not use US dollars, they use Dirhams, but I just thought it would be easier to understand.

And wah-la! Once you have all the papers, the process is all of 15-20 minutes and you have your license!

I have to give a quick story about my eye test. Most of you know that my mom is an eye doctor. As ironic as it is, I have been lucky to have 20/20 and great vision my whole life.... until I turned 30. That is when slowly but surely I realized I was having "challenges" seeing distances, especially at night. I realized I actually hadn't had an eye test in awhile, had my mom do it, and yup, needed glasses. My vision wasn't really that bad, but my mom said I should wear them at night and when driving. So the first month or so, I wore them because I felt smart, he he, and it was something different, but I definitely wasn't used to it... just having something on my face felt weird. Then I kinda forgot about it... then went traveling for a year and didn't wear them at all, forgot about them again,,,  until the summer of this year came and I, no surprise, felt my vision even worse, so I got tested again, got new glasses with a stronger prescription (but still, not that bad), and started the story all over again. So I admit, I haven't been the best about wearing them, so needless to say, I was a bit nervous about my Eye Test, this would be the real test. So she covers my left eye and has me read the 1st 3 lines. The 1st was a little blurry, but okay. The 2nd... umm.... I kinda mumbled "3.... 8...... 5..... 3.... (then thinking, darn it, why does everything look like a 3 and 8! This can't be right!" and mumbled into the 3rd line where I really couldn't see anything. Then when the next eye came, my left, it was even worse, and I could hardly see ANY of the lines and really was just making up lines as I went along. I figured I failed and started mumbling something like "oohhh... I have glasses here... uhh...." and then she asked me if I wore them,  and I was like, "welll... I have (which I actually had with me, just in case!) them, buuuuut,, well, not really... uhh..." Then she told me to pay her, filled out some stuff, and I was sweating because I thought she should just SAY something so I can re-take it with my glasses. BUT then after I paid her, she gave me this slip that said, "FIT for driving, NO glasses." hahahahahhahahahahahahahhahahahah! I COULD NOT believe it and literally almost laughed outloud! Wow, no wonder there are sooo many bad drivers around!!!!

So watch out Dubai, I'll be hitting the road soon! :-)

Happy New Year from Dubai!!

Ahh.... the end of something a new year the start of the new year. I am just like everyone else when I say, "boy, where has the time flown by?. haha.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

And here's a nice youtube video of it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxueEPFA5B0&feature=share

Also, as with most people, around the end of the year, I think back and reflect on the year at hand... and think about what the next year would bring. If 2012 is anything like 2011, I am in for a treat. I CANNOT believe sometimes how much my life has changed in this little year alone. This time last year I was traveling in Sri Lanka, about to spend New Years with this lovely local family (that was affected by the tsunami that I had met 3 years prior during my travels), some friends from that previous trip with some new ones, and it was just an intimate lovely New Years by the beach. At the time, I was thinking I would travel a bit more, make my way back to Chicago.... and start a new job and kinda continue my Chicago life where I left off. Flashforward 12 months, and here I am living and working in Dubai. What the? I left my comfy life... good job, good friends, wonderful family, great living environment, to start a new life where I hardly know anyone and pretty much every aspect of life has changed.

Life can be quite the adventure, right?

So I bring in this New Years quite different than the rest.... most of my life I've spent it in the mountains with my family or traveling somewhere (Sri Lanka, India, Argrentina, Serbia) to name a few and have been with friends or family. This year, I'm continuing my independence and self-growth by celebrating with me, myself and I. And I'm actually okay with it! I forgot what I last updated with my living situation, but looong story short, one of the doctors at the hospital was going back home for a month and he offered to sublet me his PHATTY apartment in the heart of the city, literally, around the corner from the world's tallest building, the Burj Kalifa and the Dubai Mall, one of the biggest malls in the world. It is lively and action-packed and I would be silly to not take him up on his offer. The Burj Kalifa puts on a spectacular fireworks show. So I figured when in my life will I have his opportunity to roll out my apartment, literally and figuratively, haha (I'm slowly starting to develop the "Dubai stone," i.e. newbees gaining weight) and be right in front of the heart of the action? Where people from all over the Dubai will be stuck in traffic or the metro for hours at a time to get there? I was lucky in that a co-worker who lives very close to me joined me to bring in the new year. I have to admit, it was a fabulous show, one of the best fireworks displays I've ever seen!! What a way to bring in 2012!!

LN's reso's for 2012:
-Find my own place to live
-Travel to my 7th continent (already planned!) hehe
-Be involved more in athletics here, which will help me personally and professionally
-Save $$
-Keep in contact with friends and family from back home
-Have ze fun and enjoy life in Dubai!


HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone!!!

Health and happiness always!!! :-)