So I know that I have not yet
blogged since I have been here but what a couple of weeks I have had! I
will start from the beginning...
The flight…
On Sept 5th my family
dropped me off at the airport at 12:30ish- we had a really fun game of weighing
my bags and moving luggage around to make sure that everything could fit!
I was able to bring 3 bags- a 50 pound bag and two 70 pound bags.
My bags weighed 69.5, 69.5 and 50 pounds. I was most certainly
cutting it close! Then my carry on was only supposed to be 14 pounds and
veryyyy small (has to fit in a box for the Etihad airlines). My poor
brother was taking my bags back and forth from the scale to weigh my bags.
Thankfully it all worked and I was able to bring all the things I had
packed. So after my bags were checked I headed through security. Of
courseeee- I get stopped to be searched and then they had to go through
both of my carry ons. I made it to my
gate with a couple of minutes to spare and as I am sitting there I am wondering
why my flight is not boarding. My flight
was supposed to leave Charlotte at 1:55 and land in Chicago at 2:55 (an hour
behind NC) and then I would have a direct flight to Abu Dhabi leaving at
8:30pm. So I was not really stressing
that my flight was not boarding yet seeing I was going to have 5 hours to kill
in the Chicago airport. I am just
sitting at my gate texting away enjoying my last few hours of my USA
number! However, the next thing I know I
look up and it says my flight is delayed until 8pm! I go literally running up to the gate to try
and beat the rush- clearly I would not be able to leave Charlotte at 8 and then
be on my flight to Abu Dhabi at 8:30. So
as I go up to the counter the poor people working there had not even been
informed yet that the flight was changed.
I was probably the 5th person in line hoping they could get
me to Chicago ASAP! However, they tell
me they are going to send me on a Delta flight (I was supposed to be on
American) to JFK and then I would have a direct flight from JFK to Abu Dhabi-
however now I have 5 hours to kill in Charlotte and an hour and 45 minute
layover in JFK. At this point I asked if
that would be enough time for me to get to an international flight and if I
needed to do anything else with my luggage since I was no longer flying
American. The response I get is of
course it’s enough time and no we will handle your bags. So now I am all sorts of stressed out seeing I
just wanted to be able to be on the flight and to begin this insanely long
journey. I then thought I would find the
currency counter and change some money so I would have dirhams to use when I landed-
granted I had no idea what was what or how much it was worth- but I had
dirhams! After that I decided I needed to try and eat dinner there since I
would no longer have my time in Chicago to eat.
So I sat and ate dinner and
wasted time until my JFK flight. I then
had to be on a tinnyyyyy plane to JFK which I was not thrilled about. But I made it to JFK safely- they then tell
me I have to ride a shuttle to get to my gate.
So I am fine with all of this- ride the shuttle and get to my gate and
have about an hour and a half to spare at this point. I go up to the gate and explain I need a new
ticket since I was sent on a Delta flight rather than an American and my flight to Abu Dhabi is now from here and not Chicago. Here comes the start of my awful flight- I was
told I had to go completely out of the secured TSA area and go through the
Etihad line to get my ticket. When I get
to the line- the line is SO LONG- the stress begins. I am just looking at my watch and watching
the time go by that I have to make my flight.
I am in tears now that I am going to miss my flight. I finally get to the counter and show them my
tickets from the Charlotte airport and my baggage confirmation. They then tell me I have NO bags and they cannot
locate them (realize I have packed 80% of all my things/clothes). At this point I am at about
30 minutes to get back to my gate and on the plane. Let’s talk about the waterworks
beginning. I am completely exhausted as
well seeing the nerves of it all I couldn’t sleep the night before and got up
at 6am to finish packing and its now 10pm.
I am calling home saying I am not going- telling my mom I am getting on
a plane back to Charlotte- calling Jackie in tears- needless to say- I was a
MESS! Well I run over to Delta and ask
them if they have my bags and they were totallllyyyyy unhelpful and had no clue
what I was talking about- telling me I could go down to baggage claim to look
for them- with 30 minutes to make an international flight- how would that
work?! I am just looking at the security
line now and really getting stressed! So
my mom then tells me she is going to start calling the airlines to figure it
out. At this point I feel I could bet my
life that all of my bags are lost and I am going to have nothing when I reach
Abu Dhabi. But there I was running
through the airport to get on the plane- I was literally one of the last 5
people on the plane. I then lost my
aisle seat due to the fact that I was thrown onto a new flight and now I am
stuck in the middle of people- and all of you that know me well- that’s not a
great place for me to be! I move way too
much to be stuck in between people! The people around me were probably
wondering- what is wrong with this crazy girl?! Why is she crying and saying
she is not going anymore?! However I was on the flight and decided to start
flipping through movies. Throughout this
whole flight they gave us 2 full meals, popcorn, ice cream, pretzels, and
drinks like every hour. They certainly
do treat you well on the plane. I could
not sleep at all now because I was so past the level of exhaustion and I was
just stressed. About 8 hours into the
flight I decided to buy the internet package for an hour- I then texted home
and asked if they had heard anything about my luggage- my mom texted me back
saying that they said all of my bags were on the flight- however I was not so
hopeful seeing they told me the opposite.
But that was probably the fastest hour of my flight and well worth the
12 dollars- next time I will for sure be paying the 24 dollars for 24 hours. So I finally land in Abu Dhabi after 23 hours
of being dropped off at the airport. My
first thought off the plane- holy humidity- were people not kidding when that’s
what they write online! I had to go through an eye scan and then through customs & get my visa stamped and off I walked towards baggage claim.
I am waiting for the bags to start coming around- fingers crossed the
whole time that I am going to see two lovely blue bags and one purple bag come
around. During this time I am pulling up
my wifi to let my family know I have arrived and to be in touch with them! However, after about 20 minutes I come to the
realization that I need to head over to claims and file a report for my bags. So I walk up to claims and I am trying my
hardest to hold it together- they ask me to describe my bags and what not- no
big deal. Then the questions start- what’s
your PO box? What’s your UAE number? The water works are back. Literally I have been in this whole new
country for the FIRST time ever for 45 minutes and they are asking me all sorts
of questions I do not know the answers to.
I then think to go through my emails to find the principals number and
tell them that’s all the information I have and also the name of my school and
tower I will be living in but no PO box numbers. I then am
super stressed and upset as they are telling me it may be 3-4 to 5-7 days for
my bags to get. So literally a brand new
country and the only things I have are my electronics and a small bag of
toiletries. At this point I realize
there is nothing else I can do today about it and I know my principal is
waiting for me outside the baggage area and I have to go find her. What a FABULOUS first impression to make with
someone- face completely red and trying to hold back the tears! Well I went out
to try and figure out where my principal would be standing and luckily I spotted
the head of the school and head of elementary holding signs with our schools
name on them right away. So that was a
relief! When I introduced myself to them
they asked where my bags were and such and it took almost everything I had in
me but I only got teary eyed.
To
the apartment we went…
So then we were off to the
apartments. Let me tell you something
about Abu Dhabi driving that I learned real quick- there are no rules. People squeeze in the tiniest of spaces, cut
people off, make 3 lane wide u-turns, CRAZY!
Also there are cameras everywhereeee to catch people speeding. The head of my school explained to me that if
you drive in the UAE you will most likely get fined. However, unlike the states you only have to
pay all your fees once a year when you go to get your new registration. So as we are driving from the airport I was
able to see the Grand Mosque all lit up since it was night time and so many
neat looking buildings that fill the skyline of Abu Dhabi. My principal shared very interesting facts
with me about Abu Dhabi- places to see, things to do, and just basic general
knowledge- but that’s to come with my own stories to tell about what I learn! So we finally make it to my apartment about 2
hours or more after my flight landed. I had
been in touch with another teacher and told her about my bags- she came down
when I was dropped off and gave me a couple of things to help me survive until I
could get to the mall and such. Luckily,
our apartments are completely furnished and even the bed was made so that was a
huge relief- because lets be real- if the bed wasn’t made with how tired I was I
do not know if it would have been made that night (sorry mom and dad but that’s
the sad truth!).
The
first day…
Anyhow, I made it through the
night and the next day went to tour the school and work in my classroom to get
to know everything and meet my team. My team
is wonderful! There are two ladies from
Canada and 1 teacher from Charleston!
They were all at the school last year so it was super great to have people
to go to with questions and just to gain basic knowledge of the school and the
culture. The school is also across the
street from the palace! How crazy is
that to hear?! I work across the street from the palace! Anyhow- I am teaching Grade 5 at the school
and have an all girls class. The girls
and boys separate around grade 4 and 5 into different classes. It has also been a huge adjustment for me to
say grade 5 students and not fifth graders.
But I got a lot done that needed to be done at school that day! I then got VERY specific instructions from a
fellow teacher on how to get to the mall.
I had two priorities that day then- CLOTHES/ETC. & A SIM CARD! I
know, I know- why would a SIM card be needed right away- well being so far from
home in a foreign country I did not want to get stuck somewhere and have no
idea where I am and then on top of that not have a phone! So I luckily was able to find my way around the
mall and get a phone- so I was able to get in touch with another teacher and we
decided to grab dinner in the food court.
And this food court consists of: McDonalds, Burger King, Pizza
Hut, Popeyes, Fudruckers, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, TGI Fridays, KFC, Dunkin
Donuts, Baskin Robbins, Coldstone, and Tim Horton- just to name a few! So for all of you worried I wouldn’t find
anything to eat for the next two years- American-ish food is everywhere & I
hope to get brave enough here soon to try some new foods! Anyhow- we ate dinner and then shared a taxi
home. When you walk out of the mall
there are huge lines of taxis and people standing in lines to get into the
taxis. It is actually a fairly organized
process! I was sooooo happy just to get
home that night and lay down!
The
apartment…
So I live in a tower that is on
an island that is up and coming. There
are about 25 teachers that live in this tower just from our school. There are also tons of other teachers that
work in other schools as well. I have a
one bedroom-1.5 bath apartment as I have wrote about before. The apartments are super nice and HUGE! I had to move some furniture around to make
it feel a bit smaller! And thank
goodness- in the bedroom there are blackout curtains because the sun is up
super early here! Jackie- if we would
have had to try to hang these curtains we would have had more holes in the
walls than ever before. The apartment
has 24 hour security and if you have any guests you have to sign them in and
out. It’s really nice to feel so safe! We also have a nice pool, gym, and spa
area. The island really is still being
built up so we are constantly having to explain to drivers how to get there but
it’s getting easier! There is also a British
grocery store within a 10 minute walk of the apartment that we can get mainly
everything we need- it’s just a tad more expensive but it is convenient. The girls that live in the apartment with me
are great and I have made some really great friends already! We all joke and say that this is college but
with money and the chance to travel the world!
How
we get around…
CABS, CABS, AND MORE CABS! The taxis here are all over the place and
fairly inexpensive when you are sharing it will a couple other girls. It is a rare occasion that you go somewhere
by yourself. We have a shuttle that
takes us to school every morning but we have to find our own way home. To get home from our school it is about 25
dirhams for a 20ish minute ride which is about 7 US dollars. If only they were that cheap in Charlotte! They also don’t peg us with the fee for each
person over 2 that is oh so lovely at home!
So the fact that we are usually sharing taxis makes it not so bad to
look at the overall cost!
Interesting
Phrases/Things…
-As I said earlier- Grade 5 now-
no more 5th graders.
-Take Away= To go
-Lemon in diet cokes- and
sometimes they pile the ice on top of it! I need to remember to ask for no
lemon! (Mom and Jackie would you like this!?)
-Inshallah= God willing- if things
don’t happen or don’t happen on time- inshallah- no big deal it’s the UAE
Other…
The number of expats over here is
crazy! I have already met two people
from Charlotte! So funny! I have had the chance to meet people from all
over the world and I cannot wait to continue this! It is so cool to hear about parts of the
world I know very little about! It is
still super hot and humid here so we really have not gotten out to explore too
much and with school starting that’s been hard to do but we have had lots of
nights with the girls and explored the malls and stores a bit so we know where
to find things. But this weekend we have
plans to go to Dubai! I cannot
wait! My principal told me in the car
that a phrase that is used around here is “Dubai has the flash but Abu Dhabi
has the cash”. SO excited to see the
flash of the UAE! Greece is also in the
plans for a week in October! Then to the
desert for a weekend of camel riding (SALLY THE CAMEL! Jack & Nic!!) &
dune bashing! Also, Rihanna in
October! Can’t at all complain about my
life over here yet! Everything has been
wonderful and I cannot wait to see what this adventure has in store for me!
Well- that’s all for now and I will be very impressed to
anyone who made it through this whole post- and you will also know I wrote this
exactly how I would tell you about this in person! :)
More to come after Dubai with pictures included!
OHHHH!and my bags came!!! one bag came after my 4th full day here and the other two after my 6th. What a pain!!! But at least they are here!
<3 A
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This is the door to my apartment!.jpeg)
A view from my window in the living room- notice the sand that covers the windows! Remember I live in the desert!.jpeg)
My living room!.jpeg)
Usually I probably would of lived out of my suitcases for months but I was SO happy to get all of my stuff I unpacked it all!!.jpeg)
Looking at Abu Dhabi from the apartment!
My students taught me how to write my name in Arabic! I am hoping to learn way more!!
Just a typical day in Abu Dhabi- notice what it feels like- HOTTTTTT!.jpeg)
View of the Grand Mosque from dinner one night!.jpeg)
What a longgggg journey- I think I looked at this on the TV screen on the plane every 10 minutes towards the end I wanted to get off the plane!.jpeg)
Looking towards the corniche from the Marina Mall.jpeg)
Tallest building in the world! Burj Khalifa in Dubai!.jpeg)
Dubai!.jpeg)
Ski Dubai! Indoor ski slope in the mall!