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!!!
Right on Ellen!!!!!!
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