I love to say I took my life on a field trip, but the truth is that part of that field trip is work. Today was the first day of actual work. The orientation agenda stated that we would open bank accounts and receive our housing allowance. So, essentially my first day of work consisted of filling out paper work and receiving 20,000 AED just for showing up. I love this job already.
The agenda also said that tomorrow should be an off day, but the note slid under our doors at the hotel says different. Surprise.....be ready at 7:00am!
Monday, August 25, 2014
RECAP: The Journey
Today was the first official day of working abroad. However, before I get into details about the day, I must recap with how it all started...
Picture it, I was sleeping soundly when I woke up to a ring at 4:43am. As nosy and addicted to the phone as I am, of course I checked to see who it was. This time, it wasn't a "who," it was a "what." The ring was an email alert. I had received my "Golden Ticket." This is the ticket that I, along with hundreds of others had been waiting over a month for. I was so excited, until I scrolled down and saw that my departure date was August 19th. I was reading the email on August 19th. Yes, out of the 800 teachers chosen to teach abroad, I was the one they chose to give 9 hours notice. They must have known that I was barely packed. It was probably a sick joke to show me that when they said be ready any time in August, I should have believed them. Welp, from that moment, things went downhill. The adventure began BEFORE the adventure actually began.
Day 1, August 19th:
4:43am - received ticket
4:54am - cried
5:15am - called mom
5:30am - mom called back to say she was on the way (that woman is amazing)
6:00am - decided if I go back to sleep the date might change or another email might come through
6:40am - the sleep trick didn't work so I went to see a friend to clear my friend (the only friend that I could wake up with this kind of news)
9:00am - decided to finish packing
11:00am - still packing
11:30am - mom, aunt, and cousin arrive
1:00pm - get dropped off at the airport to catch the 3:00 flight......I cried
3:00pm - look up at screen in terminal to see that the flight was cancelled and was given an 800 huber to call and rebook
4:00pm - finally rebooked on a flight that ended up being delayed by a couple of hours
8:20pm - arrived in Chicago just in time to miss the flight to Abu Dhabi (thanks American Airlines and United Airways)
10:30pm - after running back and forth in O'Hare, I was finally rebooked on another flight for the next night on a different airline, and offered a cot near terminal L to sleep on for the night.
11:45pm - staring at hundreds of people on cots, I decided that this could not be my life. Therefore, I called every hotel near the airport. I finally got a room at Motel 6. Yes, you read it right, Motel 6.
Day 2, August 20th:
Sitting in the Motel 6, I began to think of how I could have had one more day at home to at least say goodbye, to at least prepare my hair for Abu Dhabi. It was a mess!
Things were looking horrible, but they worked out. A friend and her son came and saved me from the Motel 6, we ate dinner, and then she dropped me off at the airport. This time I was on time!
I boarded the flight at 8:45. The plan was to fly from Chicago to Doha to Abu Dhabi.
Day 3, August 21st:
The plane ride wasn't so bad. I was placed in the emergency row seat so I could stretch out the entire flight. They fed us a lot. I didn't care for the food but there was a lot of it. I arrived in Abu Dhabi Thursday night (Abu Dhabi time). I arrived but my luggage didn't. Plus, the driver holding the sign that represented the company I work for told me "NO" I could not ride with him because I was not on his list. All I could do was laugh......no luggage, no ride, no phone. Thankfully, my mentor was returning to do her second year and just happened to be sitting next to me on the plane. She stayed with me until we finally convinced the driver that I belonged with him. Then I proceeded to Novotel Hotel which would be my home until I received housing placement.
Day 4, August 22nd:
Same clothes, different day! It feels like when you open an oven outside. The wind only blows hot air in your face.
A group of teachers and I took a trip to Marina Mall. I would say it was a pleasure trip but I just needed toilettres and other things that people must get when they are in one country while their luggage is an another. In other news, the malls here are Lenox and Phipps on steroids. They have some of the same stores found in the states, and they sell the same items. I expected all of the merchandise to be very "modest." However, I saw so many shorts, tight dresses, and revealing clothes in the stores and walking around the mall. I had been bamboozled because our recruiters told us to be as modest as possible at all times. Obviously everyone in the country did not get that memo.
After the mall, we decided to try to go out and celebrate another teacher's birthday. However, due to the fact that none of us had working phones yet, we sort of got left. Yup, we were here and the rest of the group were there. Since we were not sure where "there" was, we decided to stay in the hotel.
Day 5, August 23rd:
Good news today. They found my luggage. The only problem is I had three bags and they found two. But, two is better than zero.
This is the day that we explored the hotel. The pool overlooks the city and has a hot tub right next to it. Now, I initially thought the pool was a bad idea because they keep the temperature on HELL here. However, it wasn't so bad. After the pool we went to Mushrif Mall which is closer to our hotel. This mall was more like Arbor place than Lenox. I wasn't familiar with a lot of the stores.
That night we went to the Grand Millennium where other teachers were housed. We thought we were going to "Ladies Night" but once again this was a case of miscommunication. We ended up at a pub with the other teachers and then continued the gathering at a restaurant. Not quite the party we were thinking of or dressed for, but it was fun anyway.
Day 6, August 24th:
My luggage was still traveling. It took me three days to get here, why shouldn't it take my luggage at least six?
After being told by a coworker that our cardigans had to cover our entire butts, a teacher friend and I decided to go back to Marina Mall. We went on a dummy mission because we found no cardigans. Plus, who really wanted to buy a cardigan anyway? I already owned cardigans. It's not my fault they were packed in the luggage that was still lost in transit.
While at Marina Mall, we visited Tips and Toes and got pedicures. This was a different experience as they do all of your services at the same time. In addition, this was the first time I got to see Emirate women take off their Abayas in public. The women wore a lot of make-up and were getting the works (manicures, pedicures, eyebrows, eyelashes, tinting, hair, etc). Not sure what I expected under the Abayas but some of the women dress really nice under them. Being around the local women makes me want to learn so much more about their culture. I have so many questions. I plan to learn the answers through this experience. I wonder if it would be rude to ask these questions. I will probably just wait until I get to know a teacher from my new school and ask her.
So that concludes the long recap. To make a long story short, I am happy to be hear but would've appreciated an easier journey.
Picture it, I was sleeping soundly when I woke up to a ring at 4:43am. As nosy and addicted to the phone as I am, of course I checked to see who it was. This time, it wasn't a "who," it was a "what." The ring was an email alert. I had received my "Golden Ticket." This is the ticket that I, along with hundreds of others had been waiting over a month for. I was so excited, until I scrolled down and saw that my departure date was August 19th. I was reading the email on August 19th. Yes, out of the 800 teachers chosen to teach abroad, I was the one they chose to give 9 hours notice. They must have known that I was barely packed. It was probably a sick joke to show me that when they said be ready any time in August, I should have believed them. Welp, from that moment, things went downhill. The adventure began BEFORE the adventure actually began.
Day 1, August 19th:
4:43am - received ticket
4:54am - cried
5:15am - called mom
5:30am - mom called back to say she was on the way (that woman is amazing)
6:00am - decided if I go back to sleep the date might change or another email might come through
6:40am - the sleep trick didn't work so I went to see a friend to clear my friend (the only friend that I could wake up with this kind of news)
9:00am - decided to finish packing
11:00am - still packing
11:30am - mom, aunt, and cousin arrive
1:00pm - get dropped off at the airport to catch the 3:00 flight......I cried
3:00pm - look up at screen in terminal to see that the flight was cancelled and was given an 800 huber to call and rebook
4:00pm - finally rebooked on a flight that ended up being delayed by a couple of hours
8:20pm - arrived in Chicago just in time to miss the flight to Abu Dhabi (thanks American Airlines and United Airways)
10:30pm - after running back and forth in O'Hare, I was finally rebooked on another flight for the next night on a different airline, and offered a cot near terminal L to sleep on for the night.
11:45pm - staring at hundreds of people on cots, I decided that this could not be my life. Therefore, I called every hotel near the airport. I finally got a room at Motel 6. Yes, you read it right, Motel 6.
Day 2, August 20th:
Sitting in the Motel 6, I began to think of how I could have had one more day at home to at least say goodbye, to at least prepare my hair for Abu Dhabi. It was a mess!
Things were looking horrible, but they worked out. A friend and her son came and saved me from the Motel 6, we ate dinner, and then she dropped me off at the airport. This time I was on time!
I boarded the flight at 8:45. The plan was to fly from Chicago to Doha to Abu Dhabi.
Day 3, August 21st:
The plane ride wasn't so bad. I was placed in the emergency row seat so I could stretch out the entire flight. They fed us a lot. I didn't care for the food but there was a lot of it. I arrived in Abu Dhabi Thursday night (Abu Dhabi time). I arrived but my luggage didn't. Plus, the driver holding the sign that represented the company I work for told me "NO" I could not ride with him because I was not on his list. All I could do was laugh......no luggage, no ride, no phone. Thankfully, my mentor was returning to do her second year and just happened to be sitting next to me on the plane. She stayed with me until we finally convinced the driver that I belonged with him. Then I proceeded to Novotel Hotel which would be my home until I received housing placement.
Day 4, August 22nd:
Same clothes, different day! It feels like when you open an oven outside. The wind only blows hot air in your face.
A group of teachers and I took a trip to Marina Mall. I would say it was a pleasure trip but I just needed toilettres and other things that people must get when they are in one country while their luggage is an another. In other news, the malls here are Lenox and Phipps on steroids. They have some of the same stores found in the states, and they sell the same items. I expected all of the merchandise to be very "modest." However, I saw so many shorts, tight dresses, and revealing clothes in the stores and walking around the mall. I had been bamboozled because our recruiters told us to be as modest as possible at all times. Obviously everyone in the country did not get that memo.
After the mall, we decided to try to go out and celebrate another teacher's birthday. However, due to the fact that none of us had working phones yet, we sort of got left. Yup, we were here and the rest of the group were there. Since we were not sure where "there" was, we decided to stay in the hotel.
Day 5, August 23rd:
Good news today. They found my luggage. The only problem is I had three bags and they found two. But, two is better than zero.
This is the day that we explored the hotel. The pool overlooks the city and has a hot tub right next to it. Now, I initially thought the pool was a bad idea because they keep the temperature on HELL here. However, it wasn't so bad. After the pool we went to Mushrif Mall which is closer to our hotel. This mall was more like Arbor place than Lenox. I wasn't familiar with a lot of the stores.
That night we went to the Grand Millennium where other teachers were housed. We thought we were going to "Ladies Night" but once again this was a case of miscommunication. We ended up at a pub with the other teachers and then continued the gathering at a restaurant. Not quite the party we were thinking of or dressed for, but it was fun anyway.
Day 6, August 24th:
My luggage was still traveling. It took me three days to get here, why shouldn't it take my luggage at least six?
After being told by a coworker that our cardigans had to cover our entire butts, a teacher friend and I decided to go back to Marina Mall. We went on a dummy mission because we found no cardigans. Plus, who really wanted to buy a cardigan anyway? I already owned cardigans. It's not my fault they were packed in the luggage that was still lost in transit.
While at Marina Mall, we visited Tips and Toes and got pedicures. This was a different experience as they do all of your services at the same time. In addition, this was the first time I got to see Emirate women take off their Abayas in public. The women wore a lot of make-up and were getting the works (manicures, pedicures, eyebrows, eyelashes, tinting, hair, etc). Not sure what I expected under the Abayas but some of the women dress really nice under them. Being around the local women makes me want to learn so much more about their culture. I have so many questions. I plan to learn the answers through this experience. I wonder if it would be rude to ask these questions. I will probably just wait until I get to know a teacher from my new school and ask her.
So that concludes the long recap. To make a long story short, I am happy to be hear but would've appreciated an easier journey.
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