The Upside of Blue

Returning home for winter break was the best thing that happened to me this year, and leaving...well that was the worst. After this much needed trip home I came to realize a plethora of things that I had taken for granted. Simple things that I never cared to give my time or attention. Things like the beautifully barren trees of winter, the smell of rain, the tranquility of cold winter air, the charm in my mother's house, the way my dad sings (very old songs) while he cooks, hearing my cousins play, being annoyed by my Shakiya's constant questions, standing in line at Panera, arguing with my best friend. I know this list may sound cheesy, but it's all the things that grabbed my attention and didn't let go. It is all the things that I never knew I loved and never fathomed that I would miss. It's all the things that makes home...home.

So upon my return to Abu Dhabi, not only did I miss my friends, my church, and loved ones buy I missed the trees, crisp air, rainy days, and parental homes. I missed the smell of coffee, the touch of loved ones, and driving familiar roads. Everything that felt right was a 14-hour flight away and that downright sucked! I was in a serious funk and all over again ready to leave. I could not even remember why I moved here or why I wanted to move here in the first place. I felt foolish that I packed up my life and moved to the middle east. It's been weeks and I'm still trying very hard to make sense out of WHY I left at all! In the grand scheme of things, two years is not very long, but right now it feels like I'm staring eternity in the face.

I had to lift myself up out of it, or at least try to. So I made a list of the character benefits of living in Abu Dhabi. I had to go past the surface stuff of saving, paying off bills, shopping, and traveling because although those things are great they are material and I've been able to survive without them. So I chose to focus on the experiences that are building character within me.

Patience!

I claimed to be a patient person, but ohhh was I impatient. I couldn't wait for anything! Lines in the grocery store, relationships, answers to text messages. I hated waiting. Well until I had to get directions from someone who didn't speak English, I hadn't realized what patience meant. I'm still a work in progress, I still don't like waiting but I can handle it a little better. I've learned that patience means listening closely. It also means understanding that what you want is no one's concern but yours and just might not be an actual emergency...so chill!

Firmness.

I'm a nice person. I don't yell, unless extremely provoked. And I try to get my way with smiles and sugar. Well I guess sugar melts too fast in this Arabian sun because nice was not working when it came to getting things done. A co-worker gave me a piece of advice when complaining about how I just couldn't get things delivered or connected on time. Her advice, "You just gotta be a b*tch." WHAT! ME! lol. So shortly thereafter I put her advice into action and low-and-behold, it worked!! I was rude, cut the man off when he was speaking; I was demanding and in my opinion down right insufferable. But the next day, my cable/internet was fixed! And this seems to still work anytime I need a service completed! So I came to realize that my version of b*tch was actually firmness. I was persistent without a smile. I was sticking to my guns and not taking "no" or "okay later" when the answer should by all means be "yes ma'am we will take care of that".

Communication:

(Disclaimer: I'm still working on it. Best when emotions are not involved)
It's easier to communicate with someone when you both have the same primary language. But being thrust into an environment where English sounds foreign to both parties is quite a quandary. I'm more conscience about how fast I am speaking, not using contractions, splitting verbs, or using sayings that are common to in our American vernacular. I've also learned to listen more closely and ask more questions because I have to keep in mind the dual meanings of words. For example: "open the light" or "turn the lights on"...same same.

Directness.

This combines firmness and communication as I've found myself in situations that were very new to me and probably would not ever occur if I were at home. There are the numerous times that I've firmly reminded strangers that they could not cut in front of me in the grocery store line, or any other line for that matter. But the best example is this one: while standing in line for cell phone services there was a man standing dangerously close to me and he was repeatedly touching his privates! Ummmm eww gross! But I didn't freak out (although I wanted to). I looked him in the eye and with a straight face said, "Back up, now." He then apologized and backed away.

I'm glad to be able to learn new things and develop in such unique ways. I don't think missing my loved ones will go away or decrease in these next two years. But God knows what he's doing.

Thank you for partaking in this dose of 'A Journey Along the Journey'! I hope that you continue along the ride, until we meet again...be blessed!