i would like to thank first and foremost the guy who didn't fuck cronenberg in college and made him like that, unsung hero for the arts

In true Katie style, I procrastinated packing my actual suitcases was until the last possible second. Starting to sort through everything I’d unceremoniously stuffed into suitcases at 10pm when I needed to be ready to head to the airport at 7am was ambitious and completely reflective of my overall mental state in preparing to move to Abu Dhabi. Yes, I was excited, but yes, I was also an emotional wreck thinking about leaving the people and places I had loved and called home for the last 5 years. In those last 5 years I had been blessed with the most amazing roommates, and spent the majority of that time with the two GENUINE ANGELS who helped me pack late into the night, despite having their own lives to carry on with the next morning. Tolerating my neurosis in sorting all the clothes I wanted to bring into piles by type, to make the necessary executive decisions at the last second as they helped me literally pack my life into 3 checked, 1 carry on suitcases and 1 backpack is an expression of love I sincerely hope to repay them for some day. I could not have walked out of that apartment in any sort of composed manner if it weren’t for their help and for that I am eternally grateful.

wishing I could pack @sassypatchy into a suitcase and bring her with

The first leg of my journey was the flight from Boston, to New York JFK, as that’s the direct flight hub to Abu Dhabi on Etihad Airlines, with a casual 13 hour flight time. However leaving from a domestic terminal, and not the more familiar international terminal, was unnerving for me. Purely by my own preference, I’d taken at least twice as many international flights as domestic since I’d started a salaried job; and the natural departure point in my mind should have been the glittering tiled globe on the floor of Terminal E directly in front of the security line. The Universe saw fit for me to leave from Terminal C instead, which has by far the best banner compilation of Boston-sports championships I’ve ever seen. So after the slow, tearful goodbye from my family, instead of stepping onto and over a globe to start my move, I’m faced with a winding queue*, back and forth, and back and forth looking at representations of some of the best parts and memories of the city and time in my life that I was effectively leaving behind. Having a layover in New York on my way out gave me time to finish downloading all of the music, podcasts and Netflix series I didn’t want to live without, and continue building myself up that I really was ready and excited for the steps ahead.

I’m not the pickiest flier, but without a doubt the nicest flights I’ve ever been on have been with Qatar Airlines and now Etihad Airways. The way companies are using science to work with the lighting and food in the cabins to make long-haul flights easier on your body as you fly is really outstanding. They also don’t skimp on the in-flight amenities in terms of eye covers, earplugs, mini toothbrushes, blankets, and headphones. It might also help that on each of my experiences with these airlines I was given the gift of having no one in the same row as me, so I was able to stretch out and actually sleep on both flights. Plus their food is excellent and Etihad had paneer as their vegetarian option. So science, goodies, sleep and food, I’m really not hard to please. Having some genuine shut-eye on my flight helped me feel significantly more presentable when meeting all of my future administrators at the arrivals gate too.

yaaaaasss

Getting our UAE SIM cards at the airport with the school staff’s assistance helped our transition into our apartments immeasurably as I immediately had issues in my apartment within about 20 minutes of arriving, and needed to call the maintenance team and our transition coordinator. Apparently, when we turned the hot water heater on, a pipe was loose and started leaking, so my kitchen ceiling was drip, drip, dripping for a while before I even realized what the sound was. Within an hour, two teams had been to the apartment to check it out, had hopped up on ladders, looked around and actually fixed the issue and left. Given that a verrry similar pipe leak had been occurring in my Boston apartment, for the actual last five years, and my landlord had danced and danced around actually addressing the problem, until the ceiling had fallen through with mold, all signs point to my apartment-maintenance experiences in Abu Dhabi will be much better than in Boston. After the leaky ceiling debacle, to be productive on our first day in the UAE, one of my new coworkers and I hopped in a cab to the IKEA at the Yas Mall. God Bless the Swedes and the relentless need for all retail shops to look the same no matter what country you’re in. After some well earned 1 dirham ice cream, we managed to jam all of our goods into the back of a cab. However, once arriving home I realized I didn’t have scissors to open the impossible plastic around the drill I’d bought and would be stuck until I headed to the mall the next day with the school team. I’ve heard the UAE criticized by other travelers for having shopping and malls as tourist attractions, but they undoubtedly didn’t need the free home delivery from Carrefour as desperately as we did, and couldn’t enjoy a leisurely lunch without their massive bags full of home goods the same way.

obligatory IKEA selfie

The way my school transitioned their new teachers, gradually step by step, taking care of so many of the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs for us made this move so much less stressful. Other teachers who were new to my school, but have had previous international school experience said that this transition was by far the smoothest they’ve ever experienced. A great example is how our first day of the new teacher orientation started with a casual networking-get to know you breakfast/presentation time with the opportunity for a cash salary advance before loading us all onto buses to the Yas Mall to get more of the essential items to make our apartments feel more like homes. The school’s unofficial motto is that “kindness starts at the curb” and as a new teacher stepping into a new role, system and grade level that really started at the arrivals gate of the airport for me. I couldn’t be more grateful to the people who made my transition easier through setting up the apartment, helping with my visa and flights, and the general understanding from the administration how difficult the transition is, and communicating how supportive they can be for us within their roles at the school. The whole first week was broken into small chunks on general need to know information about the school itself, but also about Abu Dhabi and the UAE overall. So while definitely presented with overwhelming amounts of information, I was surrounded by other people in the same boat as me and that’s made such a difference. A larger school, taking in 51 new teachers in a year is an endeavor to say the least, but each step of the way has been steeped in understanding and kindness, and the overall positivity is something I’m really looking forward to in the school year to come. Outside of school, anxious to actually do some touristy things besides shop, two girls and I bopped around Abu Dhabi during the week and actually ventured up to Duabi on our first full day off. Hitting up the Emirates Palace for a very bougie-cappuccino with 23-karat gold flakes was a definite must. The Palace overall is a wonder of opulence and the giant domed ceiling’s gold and teal colors are definitely something I’m going to try to incorporate into my apartment as I attempt to match the brown couches that were provided with my arrival. Having views of the sea on one side, and a skyline on the other, Emirates Palace seems to embody the harmony of old and new that the UAE has been developing in its 46 years since becoming an independent nation. Later in the week, on the first day of Eid-Al Adha, we got to visit the Corniche, and expanse of beach that runs along the north side of downtown Abu Dhabi. The first day of a holiday, the beach was packed, but the 102 degree heat meant that we were able to walk along, see the view across the water to the ferris wheel on the island opposite, and breathe the sea air before hustling back to the air-conditioned sanctuary of the car. On our first Friday-weekend, we decided to head up to Dubai to visit the Green Planet, a rain forest in a building on the outskirts of the city. Looking out the windows to sandy expanses, while surrounded with vegetation and animals from the Amazon and other tropical rain forest climates was surreal. The optional “encounter” with a sloth was an absolute must for us, and after almost getting pooped on by some birds, we were happy to hang with Liam their male sloth in a meet-and-greet space in the basement of the building. Sleeping for 18 hours of the day, and typically only waking up for 20 minutes at a time to eat, Liam definitely embodies the lifestyle I’ve dreamed of after some long days of working with middle-schoolers. In a seemingly newly developed area of Dubai that had stunning views of the Burj Khalifa, the drive between the cities was easy enough, I will absolutely returning for other weekend trips.

Above all, in the first week in Abu Dhabi what I mostly felt was an enduring sense of gratitude.

Above all, in the first week in Abu Dhabi what I mostly felt was an enduring sense of gratitude. Grateful to my friends and family at home for supporting me in so many different ways in my preparation and actual departure. Grateful to have no one sit next to me on the plane, (seriously, how often does that actually happen?!). Grateful to my new school for taking a chance on me, and being so incredibly kind and welcoming in the first few days. Grateful for my new work buddies who are fast becoming my closest friends here. Grateful for my American passport having an easy (and free) tourist visa entry into the UAE after I had been stressing about the process, and so many additional privileges as an expat here as well. Grateful to the soft-start I had in beginning to actually work. Grateful I didn’t have to apartment hunt, or move the main furniture in while jet-lagged. But truly grateful for this opportunity to use my profession in a way to follow my dreams; this is just the beginning. As “Your Joyologist” would say: I am stepping into my fears, and choosing gratitude as my attitude.

*sorry not sorry for all of the British English phrases that will inevitably make its way into my general expressions; it was bound to happen at some point, might as well start that process now.

PS. Whadddupp Euphoria stage! Can’t wait to return to these graphics when I’ve moved on

PPS. Only two more months until I have a string of days off in a row and can start planning #1vacationatatime 🙂

Abu Dhabi: the final rush in preparation & the flurry of��firsts In true Katie style, I procrastinated packing my actual suitcases was until the last possible second. Starting to sort through everything I’d unceremoniously stuffed into suitcases at 10pm when I needed to be ready to head to the airport at 7am was ambitious and completely reflective of my overall mental state in preparing to move to Abu Dhabi.