Nine months ago today we said goodbye to our family and friends and boarded an airplane to start our new life here in the United Arab Emirates. In some ways it seems like just yesterday, and others it seems like ages ago. We knew it would not be easy, we knew there would be challenges, but we knew deep down that it was the best move for our family.
I'm lucky because this is not my first time living abroad. In college I was able to live and study in England for a semester and got a taste of the world by exploring Western Europe. I guess I caught the travel bug then. In the back of my mind, I always hoped I'd be able to see more of the world, but until I ran into this job opportunity on a whim, I never dreamed I'd live abroad again, especially not with two young children in tow.
In the fall of 2011, Mark and I knew it was time for a change. We were working opposite shifts (he worked nights, I worked days) and never saw each other or our children it seemed. He worked overtime whenever he could and I took on a second job waiting tables a few nights a week, in addition to my demanding teaching job, which included sponsoring several after school clubs and serving on leadership teams. This, combined with financial problems due to the fallen housing market, and the guilt I always felt that there wasn't enough time in the day for all of the responsibilities I had taken on, made me long for something better. It felt like life was passing us by.
So, I began looking for jobs and somehow happened to find a website for an international teaching recruiting agency called Teachaway. They had many different placements, but the more I read about Abu Dhabi, the more intrigued I was. Mark and I discussed this as a possibility and he encouraged me to apply and see what happened. We researched the history, economy, culture, and religion and were connected to several ex-pat sites, message boards, and blogs to learn more.
Over the next few months, my faith was tested many times. I knew this opportunity was where God wanted us, but I had no idea how to give up my teaching job I loved and move 7000 miles away from the security of family and long-time friends. After accepting the job, I kept expecting for something to go wrong and waiting for a sign to appear saying we shouldn't go. But summer vacation came and went. We packed our house, packed our bags, resigned from our jobs, got our affairs in order, and said our goodbyes. It almost didn't seem real.
And here we are nine months later...there are so many different words that come to mind when I reflect on this time in our new country: I'm thankful, definitely more resilient, more patient, a better teacher, more tolerant, in awe of the world, more aware, more understanding, and absolutely changed by this experience. Even on my worst days (and they've been bad,) this experience has been worth it for me and for my family. Our lives are so much simpler; there is no stress, no guilt, and very little worry in our lives here. If I could do it all over again, I would in a second, and I am a better person for this wonderful, life-changing, amazing nine months!
I'm lucky because this is not my first time living abroad. In college I was able to live and study in England for a semester and got a taste of the world by exploring Western Europe. I guess I caught the travel bug then. In the back of my mind, I always hoped I'd be able to see more of the world, but until I ran into this job opportunity on a whim, I never dreamed I'd live abroad again, especially not with two young children in tow.
In the fall of 2011, Mark and I knew it was time for a change. We were working opposite shifts (he worked nights, I worked days) and never saw each other or our children it seemed. He worked overtime whenever he could and I took on a second job waiting tables a few nights a week, in addition to my demanding teaching job, which included sponsoring several after school clubs and serving on leadership teams. This, combined with financial problems due to the fallen housing market, and the guilt I always felt that there wasn't enough time in the day for all of the responsibilities I had taken on, made me long for something better. It felt like life was passing us by.
So, I began looking for jobs and somehow happened to find a website for an international teaching recruiting agency called Teachaway. They had many different placements, but the more I read about Abu Dhabi, the more intrigued I was. Mark and I discussed this as a possibility and he encouraged me to apply and see what happened. We researched the history, economy, culture, and religion and were connected to several ex-pat sites, message boards, and blogs to learn more.
Over the next few months, my faith was tested many times. I knew this opportunity was where God wanted us, but I had no idea how to give up my teaching job I loved and move 7000 miles away from the security of family and long-time friends. After accepting the job, I kept expecting for something to go wrong and waiting for a sign to appear saying we shouldn't go. But summer vacation came and went. We packed our house, packed our bags, resigned from our jobs, got our affairs in order, and said our goodbyes. It almost didn't seem real.
And here we are nine months later...there are so many different words that come to mind when I reflect on this time in our new country: I'm thankful, definitely more resilient, more patient, a better teacher, more tolerant, in awe of the world, more aware, more understanding, and absolutely changed by this experience. Even on my worst days (and they've been bad,) this experience has been worth it for me and for my family. Our lives are so much simpler; there is no stress, no guilt, and very little worry in our lives here. If I could do it all over again, I would in a second, and I am a better person for this wonderful, life-changing, amazing nine months!
