Bitter Sweet!

As I sit here in my apartment in Al Ain ready to visit the US for 6 weeks, I am amazed at all God has done for me. I have learned a lot about myself and a new culture. It has been 11 months and 1 day since I left the US to come on this amazing journey. I have made new friends who have become my family. These friends come from all over, the US, Egypt, Pakistan, India, UAE and many others. These people are no different than I am. They are amazing in their faith, their acceptance of others and I have learned many things through all of them. 

I have learned about a new culture and how the US media is completely wrong in how they portray this entire culture. While the US is happy to portray this entire region of the Middle East as radical Muslims, it is entirely NOT true! The US media has led most Americans to believe that all Muslims are the radicals in the Jihad and are "out to kill" all Americans. After living here, I can say that is entirely not true! I have not met any Muslims who act in anyway that the media has portrayed. Here, they are accepting, faithful, respectful, caring, kind, loving, honest people who are living a spiritual life they way they were raised. 

I have learned that I am stronger than I think most of the time. Sure, there have been times that I have cried and wondered "what have I done?" but at this point, I would not change this experience for the world. I am extremely happy in the adventure God has taken me on and look forward to more!

So, today is bitter sweet! I am sad to be leaving my new home here in the UAE for a brief 6 week visit in the US but I am extremely excited to see my family and friends that I have missed in the past 11 months. 

For now, it is so long and I will see you all in the US!!

Strange but Normal

I have almost completed my first year here in the UAE. I have been amazed at the new things I have learned about this country, culture, and myself. 

I am a part of many Facebook groups that are teachers or expats based here in the UAE. In one group, the question was asked "What are somethings you thought were strange when you first came but seem normal now?" I have compiled this list from the Facebook group and added my own. 

Once strange but now normal:

• Men "bumping" noses as a greeting
• Men in kandouras, long, white "dresses"
• Going to the mall to go grocery shopping
• Having my car washed while shopping at the mall/grocery store
• People honking outside the store and restaurants and the workers come out, take the orders, money and bring back whatever was purchases. This is the same for having laundry done. 
• Not slowing down at stop signs
• Honking if you are not going fast enough
• People layering dresses over jeans and a long sleeve shirt
• All restaurants deliver, McDonald's, Applebee's, KFC, etc
• Men sitting around of the grass in the median between lanes or on the side of the road
• Camels walking around the school while you work
• Round-abouts
• Flashing lights if you are not going fast enough when driving
• Seeing kids playing soccer in a round-about and the ball going in the street
• People parking in the round-about for casual conversations
• Cheating on exams-students and teachers
• Friday and Saturday as the weekend
• Working on Sunday
• Making left turns from the far right lane
• Using cold water taps to get hot water in the summer
• Cars/Trucks reversing down the highway because they missed their exit
• Queues being 1 person deep and 30 people wide 
• Drawing a map for deliveries rather than giving an address
• Seems every dress shop has MEN tailoring, sewing and measuring the women for custom fittings
• Children sitting/standing in the front seat of the car
• Kids standing on top of the counter at food places
• Kids at the shisha cafe
• Kids being up and out late shopping/playing at the malls
• Hose next to every toilet in the bathroom
• Hole in the floor in some bathrooms (Asian toilet)
• Camel(s) in the back of a pick-up truck
• Holidays and days off school confirmed a day or two before because of the sighting of the moon by religious leaders
• Official calendars, news reports, traffic signs, road rules are merely suggestions
• 3 weeks post-planning at the end of the school year
• Lines on the prescription boxes to show the directions on how much to take and when
• Weighing produce before going to the check-out counter
• Staff members talking non-stop during meetings, coming in late, and being offered tea or coffee
• Maid's room, the size of a closet
• Locals carrying 2 phones
• Ray Bans on when shopping
• Locals taking their shoes off in Starbuck's and hiking their feet up in the chair underneath them
• Kids running in the mall like it's a playground. There is a playground in EVERY mall
• "Rounding" the costs at stores because no one has anything smaller than 25 fils. Sometimes it rounds in your favor and sometimes not. 
• Thinking to myself "It's cool outside, it's only 100 degrees"
• Men wearing white sandals. 
• Full-service gas stations including washing the windows. 

This is by no means the only things that seem strange but this is quite a great list.