Random Dubai life

One of my friends keeps commenting on how most, well, almost ALL, of my pictures are from travels and that I really haven't taken many Dubai life pics. It is true!!! I guess I forget and don't think about it, but below are a few pics I've taken recently at random things... but a smidge of Dubai life. I should REALLY make more of an effort, that will be my goal for next year!

Below! My super running group, Dubai Creek Striders!

Below: The Dubai Opera! We have all been anxiously awaiting the opening of this beautiful and modern Opera house. I saw the Mozart symphony, gorgeous venue and performance!

Below: This may look familiar, because it is. My awesome Serbian friends live at this beautiful complex literally... right on the beach. I stayed there the 1st few years I was here. I used to go regularly, literally, almost all Fridays, but somehow the last.. umm.. year, got super busy with trainings, travel, my MHA, that it had been ages! Now I am able to manage all these things and am more relaxed, and have made recent efforts to this wee bit of relaxing! So this is where I go running if I go on my own, literally, this is less than 1km from where I live, in downtown! 

Below: Peacock lane! Ahhh, not only is this route close to me, amazing how just minutes away from downtown, there is the Zabeel Palace which is lush, empty, quiet, and ... full of peacocks! Really! So gorgeous and among my friends and I, we all have sentiment towards peacocks now. Actually, I always did as it was my grandma's fave bird, and she would always talk so lovingly about the gorgeous colors of peacocks. So it is extra special to me! 

Below: My super non-running (haha) friends! Next to me is Ami, and across is Fatos and Busra (Turkish). Funny, Fatos came to me for physio, and then referred these other 2 ladies, and we all became friends and now every 4-6 months we have a nice little catch up. Wonderful people! 

Me and my good friends Kay and Paula

Caterina and I, she's a super podiatrist that used to work at our clinic

Nathalie, me, Jill, and Brinda - super friends from running

Below: Random work pics, a farewell party for our dear friend Jannette and some pics of our team through various events, even found a pic of a bday party for me from my co-workers (who are awesome, BTW):

Below: Marketing events!!! Finally, after so long we finally had another change and this new person is bringing along marketing events, some promo things. So it's nice! 

Below: Dubai is all about awesome and wonderful hotels, the flower displays are a part of it! Lovely! (From JW Marquis and from Meydan Hotel, my faves!)

Below: As we all know, Dubai is all about awesome buildings and ... because of that, always construction going on! Here's a tribute to my fave Burj Kalifa and the canal they are in the works of building:

There you have it!!! Some random Dubai life things, my Life as an Expat!!

Another update soon! No surprise, a travel update!!

5 years down, ??? to go!!

Welll... here it is!!! 5 years!!! It is quite a hallmark anniversary! October 18th! Gasp, and shows how time slips away as it is now October 19th! Usually I am good about these kind of things and even had a draft of what to post on the 18th, but technical difficulties with the draft and then the day flew by. Anyhoo, 5 years!!! Not only being here that 'long' is an accomplishment, but now I get some perks! Here, because they don't have retirement plans, they give you what is called, "end of service." So the end-of-service pay-out is less than 4 years you get 21-days paid for each year that you've worked on your base salary (here it is all in one, but it is divided, base salary is usually a bigger chunk and this this supplement to that is $$ for accommodations, food, living, etc). Anyhoo, after 5 years, you get 30 days paid for every year that you've worked. It's not some huge grand amount, but some nice pocket change to do some travels, uhh... I mean savings.

As with these anniversaries, I've gone back and looked at my other yearly anniversaries. It is nice to sit back and reflect, what I felt at that time, reviewing some ups and downs, and just reflecting. I do definitely think the 1st year, maybe even the 2nd, was quite difficult. Difficult to adjust, get used the mindset of people and things here, find friends... actually, find a whole new life!!! Although my work itself and the environment were super, I had that witch manager that had left after the 2nd year, and after that it's been all uphill! People keep asking me why I am still here (haha, people here move around a lot) and even with better opportunities, I like it!). I mean my clinic and work. We have such a good team, it is super relaxed, I get along with everyone, the work is as challenging as you want, and... it's actually a pleasure going to work every day. My team is ahhhhhh-some! We all genuinely care about each other and get along. And here our schedules can be flexible enough that I can do all my travels and take all this time off, he he. So yes, super comfy. Then my exercise groups and people I've met through there are all super and fun and ... well, I wouldn't say a pleasure to get up at 4:30 in the morning to run, but not so bad when you have super people to run with or do sport with. So hence the years have come and gone. BUT I do have to say, and anyone that has been in Dubai can possibly attest to this, there is a 5-7 year itch. If you stay beyond that, you are here for ... a long time. But this period is when you itch to go back home. You've done your time, experienced the life, and .... time to go home. I DO have to admit I am getting there!  Da da dumm... am highly considering for the big o move back to Chicago sometime in 2018! (we'll see what the "6 years down, ??? to go" blog, ha ha).

Change. I am a Taurus and thus resistant to change and don't like change... well, more in my "home" life. I've been living in my 1-bedroom apt for 5 years now and within the last 3 years the rent has gone up 30%! Wah wah. Last year I just wasn't ready to move, but now I am... sadly. I REALLY love where I live, all my friends are in the area, there is 24/7 grocery store and pharmacy steps away, restaurants, walking distance to Dubai Mall.... but, it's eating such a big chunk of my salary, time to move on. And actually, now am ready for it. If I downsize next year with living, I can REALLY save for my hopeful 2018 travel sabbatical! That is my goal! So we'll see where I end up!!! It is quite amazing when I look back, I literally came with a few suitcases, and now I have a full apartment of 'stuff.' It is always good to do a little detox every now and then of "stuffs,' and I have... umm... a little, but I have made a home for myself here! Even when I do move I plan on a suitcase or two to bring home if I visit next year.

Other than that, this year from Oct to Oct, was again full with super travels! Last October went to Ethiopia, then March it was my first Ultra marathon in Cape Town, S. Africa (have been there before), then Japan in April, Sicily/Serbia in July, Krygystan in September, and now some more travels coming up! Travel has been probably the main reason the years have come and gone, I just can't keep enough and Dubai is in such a fab location!!!

Health wise had a blip with my back somewhat recently, but I am on the mend and am now doing everything I can to be balanced and strong so that I can fulfill possibly my last athletic season in Dubai. We'll see though!!

5 years! I do have to say that I don't feel like so much as only happened to ME during these 5-years, but Dubai itself!!! Dubai is soo innovative and amazing with the constant changing and development. It is almost unbelievable (in a good way). I was just driving to work the other day, the same route, and was just thinking how much has changed. When I do my rare 2-2.5 year visits home, more or less things seems as they were before. Here, I leave for 2 weeks, sometimes even less than that, and something new is there or not there! Or if I don't go to an certain area in a few months, it is dramatically different. So cool! That is something that I will miss for sure. And I feel I am contradicting myself when I just said a couple of paragraphs ago that I don't like change, but here I am saying that the constant changing is amazing, but I meant I like my personal comforts such as living not to change (especially if it is good, ha ha).

Soo.... there you have it!!!

5 years down, ?? to go!!!