Life this Year

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is bliss, taste it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.
Mother Teresa

Sacrifice. Joy. Gratitude. Attitude. Survival. Persistence. Hope. Perseverance. Perspective. Emotion. Friends. Time. Fun. Adventure... these words exemplify my life as I know it today.

What has life been like for me this first year living abroad?

This year I have felt the sacrifice of living out a personal dream. I missed out on some of very important events in the lives of my friends and family, such as the death of my dear Grandma Smithson, the birth of a friend's first baby, the graduation of another friends Master's program, the ending of a relationship with a friend and the love of her life, a send-off of my niece's first trip abroad,..  but the sacrifices I have made seem pale in comparison when I speak to the vast majority of expats here from countries like the Philippines, India, Bangladesh, to name a few. I hear countless stories about how they make a mere 2000aed/a month and send home most of that money to feed their children, husband and parents ... just so they can paint nails, wash and park cars, fill gas tanks, bag groceries, iron laundry, deliver pizza, etc.  

My life lesson: Sacrifice according to my definition is merely a way of life for others.

This year I have felt true joy and gratitude. The freedom to enjoy a new part of the world while maintaining the most balanced work/play lifestyle I've ever been able to enjoy has instilled a new level of joy into my life. The experiences I have had here has given me a new lease on life and released me of some of the workalcoholic-syndrome I have incurred over the course of my adult life. The UAE is also one of the safest places I have ever visited in my entire life and to feel completely void of being harmed by another human-being with a gun, assault, or theft has allowed me to feel another element of joy. Of course, driving is another story, but leaving that out of the scenario, I am not so sure there is a safer place on earth as the UAE. 

My life lesson: listening to the mass media about life in the Middle-East is harmful and extremely inaccurate. By overcoming the fear of the unknown and moving to the UAE,  empowered me, taught me courage and also brought me loads of joy and gratitude towards the people I love the most.




This year my attitude towards people of the Islamic culture/faith has radically changed. Prior to my move here I thought the people of the Muslim religion were mostly hateful, unloving and radical human beings. I have learned just the opposite and that the Muslim faith is that of love, forgiveness, modesty and charity. It's radical Islamic extremists that bring about a negative image of Islamic culture and the US media is only portraying negative images of a very small percentage of the people who call themselves Muslim. When in fact, everything about the Muslim religion negates the actions of these extremists, so for them to call themselves Muslim is a far cry from what is truly acceptable in the faith itself. One of the major missing elements is the love flowing from the hearts of the mass majority of Muslims I have met and grown to respect. The children I have taught every day greeted me with hugs, smiles, "I love you's", the Arabic staff I have worked with have been kind, resourceful, kind, respectful, caring.  What more can I say? My attitude and paradigm has finally shifted.

My life lesson: Read, listen and learn from all type of people and not one source of news. It's important to get the "big picture" vs. the "propaganda picture."

The list persists... I could continue writing for days about surviving a year abroad alone without familiar friends and family, the persistence it took to overcome homesickness, the hope I have for my future, the perseverance it took to get overseas and to maintain composure even during the days I felt life flying home in an instant, sharing all the emotions I have experienced living and learning a new culture, the awesome friends I have made that will surely be friends for life, using my time balance both work and play, and by sharing all the tales of fun and adventure I have experienced since living abroad....in due time, I will write. Inshalla.

Peace,
Me-Shell