1 Year.

One year ago right now, I was about to land in Dubai, not for a visit, but to call it home. We have lived in Dubai for exactly 1 year today, and so I thought it might be fitting to reflect on our first year here. A lot has changed in a year, and my knowledge and world-view continue to expand daily. Although many things have been hard or stressful, I do not regret my decision to move here for one minute, and continue to be grateful for the opportunities this experience has afforded me, and for the wonderful people we have met along the way. So, let's see if I can adequately sum up our first year living in the Middle East:

Living Arrangements: Actually, my living situation here for the last year has been more steady and consistent than any of my living arrangements in the last three years. In the four years I lived in Boston, I lived in five different places (moving three of those times in my last year!). We lived in the Belvedere Court Hotel for our first two weeks, but since September 17th of last year we've been in our lovely furnished apartment and have signed a lease renewal so will be staying in the same place for two years in a row! I haven't lived anywhere for more than a year since 2007! Our possessions will remain in storage for another year, but the longer I go without them, the less I miss them (perhaps it's because we've been acquiring mementos and art through our travels), or perhaps it's because I am just not even remembering what I have. We've been able to improvise in the kitchen without our excess gadgets (still miss my food processor and immersion blender all the time though), and we still love our garden and grill (so maybe that fills in the void)...

Jobs: Well, my job record hasn't exactly been as consistent as my living arrangement, but I think I am in a good place now. I now work at the American School of Dubai (ASD), which is my third job this year. To be fair though, I had to quit my first job because I was working illegally (without a visa, by no fault of my own) and I wasn't getting paid regularly or on time. My second job was for another tutoring company, which I still work for, but they could only employ me part-time. So in April, when I was offered the opportunity for a full-time position at an American school, how could I turn it down? I started as an elementary library aid, and with the new school year will be working in a Kindergarten classroom as an aid. I'm so excited, and love going to work everyday, so although I am not currently practicing family or juvenile law, I am happy and satisfied with the work I am doing (and I am making enough to pay my bills and save some), so given the continued state of the world economy, I can't complain. Jared's job record is exponentially more consistent than mine, and he is coming up to the third year anniversary of working for his firm. He was just promoted to head of employment and banking/finance, and is fairly happy. So really, we both count ourselves as extremely fortunate with our job situations in Dubai.

Health and Fitness: Well... right now is not the best time to discuss exercise frequency and healthful diet, in the height of Ramadan (Iftars!) and the summer heat (110 and humid everyday), and still recovering from summer travels and my birthday. But, generally speaking, we eat healthier here than when we lived in Boston (more Indian with grilled meat and natural spices and less fried wings and nachos). Also, having a free gym and pool on our floor has been wonderful, and something we definitely take advantage of. I have taken up swimming pretty regularly (so relaxing and such good toning!) and bike when I can't run. We also drink much less alcohol living here, so our overall health and fitness are better than when we lived in Boston. Just give it another couple weeks to get back into our good routines and habits.

Legal Status: We are both legal residents of the UAE with visas, bank accounts, P.O. boxes, and driver's licenses (however it took Jared 6+ months to get his due to 'failing' his eye test, but that's another story...). It took awhile to maneuver the bureaucracy on my own, but generally speaking, we've both been pretty settled for awhile (it only took 6 months...).

Things I miss the most: I still miss all of the same things, especially with the fall coming, and the festive holiday season starting with Halloween. I think I miss New England the most in the fall, when it's still yucky here, and lovely at home. However, we've made more friends and become closer with others, so I don't usually get that heartache homesickness anymore (only when I miss something special like a friend's wedding). It was really hard to come back after my summer trip home, but as soon as I was back and into my routines, Dubai felt like home again. I still miss my friends (I love my friends, especially those who live in the Boston-area, as I was reminded of again when I was home in July). I still miss my little cousins, who I feel like are growing up in my absence (the youngest just started kindergarten!). I still miss Target (Carrefour just doesn't fill the cheap toiletry and seasonal goodies void). Most other things we've been able to work around, finding replacements for food and products we miss from home, and making the most of our time here. Instead of getaways to Vermont and NH (I love TINH!), we go to Oman and Qatar. It is what it is living here, and it won't last forever, so I am trying to embrace what we do have.

Things I love about Dubai: Wonderful interesting friends from around the world. Superlatives. Exotic weekend getaways and taking advantage of geographical proximity. Most of the other things I love about Dubai include the lack of winter and year-round outdoor activities, but those feelings are lost on me right now, while I've been living in constant air conditioning for the last 4 months. I miss fresh air. I miss precipitation. Hopefully within the next month or so, my love of Dubai weather will return, just about the time everyone back home has to start bundling up.

Countries Visited: Oman (x3: Muscat and the Musandam Peninsula). Qatar (Doha). England (London). France (Paris). Jared has also been to Spain (Madrid). More trips planned, and hopefully something for Eid in a week or so.

So when I think back on this year, I am first in awe of how fast it flew (we're half-way done!). I am also so grateful for all the once in a lifetime opportunities that have come our way, just by taking the risk of living here. You never know what tomorrow may hold, as evidenced by all the sad news I've received from home since I've been here (death and illness), so I try to live everyday of my life to the fullest, and never want to have any regrets in my life about missed opportunities. However, given the uncertainty with what life holds, while grasping opportunities, we are also mindful of not wanting to spend too much time 6000+ miles away from the people we care about the most... Let's see what the next year holds, shall we.