Abu Dhabi Time
My mom always used to make fun of me for making lists. I list everything. I love to-do lists, packing lists, grocery lists.. You name it, I list it. My mom would probably be laughing right now at the number of lists I have. I have about 12 post-it lists on my table next to my computer, 6 lists on the notes section of my iPhone, and most recently a giant scroll of paper I taped to my closet with lists in pretty marker colors. I am not even counting how many lists are on my desk at work. I guess other than my obsession with lists, I am a fairly normal person.. Unless you count my obsessions with calendars and countdowns. With the school year coming to an end and a trip to the States coming up, my obsessions are in full force. Not only do I have a calendar labeled with the number of days left with students, the number of days left of work, and the number of days until I fly home (8,24,36 respectively, in case you were wondering), I also had my students make a giant paper chain with a link for each day of school left. Every day during calendar time, my calendar helper gets to remove a link. We have seen our chain get smaller and smaller every day!
I guess the lists, countdowns and calendars are really just a way to occupy my excited mind. Just like how kids keep the chocolate advent calendars to countdown the days until Christmas... (Oh God, I think I just came up with a new countdown to start tonight)... Anyway, living overseas can definitely mess with your head, your emotions, your goals, and your priorities.. Maybe mine needed to be messed with..
I absolutely LOVE it here, but it is NOT home. The United States of America is my HOME! I would love to continue to travel and maybe even live abroad in another part of the world, but I know for sure that I bleed red, white and blue...
I wouldn't say I am "homesick". I hate that word.. I don't really have a "home" to be sick for anyway. But lately I have found myself missing people, places, and things that I never thought I would. Of course I have a list for these things. I have one list of things I MUST buy while I am home to bring back with me. This list consists of:
Endust
Flavored Coffee
Children's Read-Aloud Books
Sea Breeze Astringent
Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing
Swiffer WetJet Liquid Cleaner Refill
My Shoes That Didn't Make The First Cut
A New Set of Bed Sheets
Makeup
Biore Face Cleanser Cloths
Crystal Lite
Scope
Jello Instant Pudding
Redkin Shampoo and Conditioner
3M Hooks
The list gets longer each week. Everything on my list I am either unable to find here, or the price is way too much. My shampoo and conditioner here costs $30 USD per small bottle.. Eeeekk!
The closer I get to coming home, the more I think about what I miss at home and what I need to fit in while I am home. I have a list for this:
In Atlanta, I MUST treat myself to some lemon pepper wings from Three Dollar Cafe in McDonough and in Peoria, of course I will have to hit Agatucci's and hopefully Jonah's Oyster Bar.
So as I cross days off of the calendar, I can't help but get excited. My summer trip home is looking like this:
July 9-12: In Georgia
July 13-20: On a cruise to Bahamas, St. Thomas and St. Maarten..
July 22-26: In Illinois
July 27-30: Back in Georgia before flying back to Abu Dhabi
It will be a somewhat rushed trip. I can only spend a certain amount of days in the US this year so I can claim non-residency on my taxes. After August 11, I will be declared a non-resident and can spend up to 90 days a year in the States going forward. Also after I am declared a non-resident I won't owe Uncle Sam another dime! Around this same time (July 27), I will pay my final payment on my Escalade here.. Financially, this year was a break-even for me, but next year I should finally be able to not only enjoy life here a little more, but stack some savings!
As I close out my first year of teaching and living abroad, I can step back and take an honest look at how far I have come. Not just as an educator, but becoming the woman I have always wanted to be. I visited a friend this weekend who taught with me in Georgia. She lives in the Western Region, which is all desert and only small towns. We spent the day at the beach and stopped for food on the way home. While we were eating, I just paused and asked her "A year ago, did you ever imagine that you and I would be sitting, eating a meal together in the middle of the desert in the Middle East??".. Of course our answer was NO!!! It still seems surreal at times. I have always been independent, but being here this year has taught me to be more daring, step out of my comfort zone, and experience the world - good or bad! At the same time, it has put in perspective how important some people are to me, and how much I really want to settle down, depend on another person, and have a normal life! Crazy how you can feel pulled in two opposite directions at the same time! Either way, I am having a blast here and taking everything else in stride!
There are a ton of exciting things going on in my life right now, I could list them here, but I realize most people don't share my affinity for lists.
I guess the lists, countdowns and calendars are really just a way to occupy my excited mind. Just like how kids keep the chocolate advent calendars to countdown the days until Christmas... (Oh God, I think I just came up with a new countdown to start tonight)... Anyway, living overseas can definitely mess with your head, your emotions, your goals, and your priorities.. Maybe mine needed to be messed with..
I absolutely LOVE it here, but it is NOT home. The United States of America is my HOME! I would love to continue to travel and maybe even live abroad in another part of the world, but I know for sure that I bleed red, white and blue...
I wouldn't say I am "homesick". I hate that word.. I don't really have a "home" to be sick for anyway. But lately I have found myself missing people, places, and things that I never thought I would. Of course I have a list for these things. I have one list of things I MUST buy while I am home to bring back with me. This list consists of:
Endust
Flavored Coffee
Children's Read-Aloud Books
Sea Breeze Astringent
Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing
Swiffer WetJet Liquid Cleaner Refill
My Shoes That Didn't Make The First Cut
A New Set of Bed Sheets
Makeup
Biore Face Cleanser Cloths
Crystal Lite
Scope
Jello Instant Pudding
Redkin Shampoo and Conditioner
3M Hooks
The list gets longer each week. Everything on my list I am either unable to find here, or the price is way too much. My shampoo and conditioner here costs $30 USD per small bottle.. Eeeekk!
The closer I get to coming home, the more I think about what I miss at home and what I need to fit in while I am home. I have a list for this:
In Atlanta, I MUST treat myself to some lemon pepper wings from Three Dollar Cafe in McDonough and in Peoria, of course I will have to hit Agatucci's and hopefully Jonah's Oyster Bar.
So as I cross days off of the calendar, I can't help but get excited. My summer trip home is looking like this:
July 9-12: In Georgia
July 13-20: On a cruise to Bahamas, St. Thomas and St. Maarten..
July 22-26: In Illinois
July 27-30: Back in Georgia before flying back to Abu Dhabi
It will be a somewhat rushed trip. I can only spend a certain amount of days in the US this year so I can claim non-residency on my taxes. After August 11, I will be declared a non-resident and can spend up to 90 days a year in the States going forward. Also after I am declared a non-resident I won't owe Uncle Sam another dime! Around this same time (July 27), I will pay my final payment on my Escalade here.. Financially, this year was a break-even for me, but next year I should finally be able to not only enjoy life here a little more, but stack some savings!
As I close out my first year of teaching and living abroad, I can step back and take an honest look at how far I have come. Not just as an educator, but becoming the woman I have always wanted to be. I visited a friend this weekend who taught with me in Georgia. She lives in the Western Region, which is all desert and only small towns. We spent the day at the beach and stopped for food on the way home. While we were eating, I just paused and asked her "A year ago, did you ever imagine that you and I would be sitting, eating a meal together in the middle of the desert in the Middle East??".. Of course our answer was NO!!! It still seems surreal at times. I have always been independent, but being here this year has taught me to be more daring, step out of my comfort zone, and experience the world - good or bad! At the same time, it has put in perspective how important some people are to me, and how much I really want to settle down, depend on another person, and have a normal life! Crazy how you can feel pulled in two opposite directions at the same time! Either way, I am having a blast here and taking everything else in stride!
There are a ton of exciting things going on in my life right now, I could list them here, but I realize most people don't share my affinity for lists.
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