The Big Move

I now reside in the United Arab Emirates.
My final destination appears to be Delma Island
in a few weeks.
Right now it seems there are about 600+ people
from all over the world
hired to work as teachers
and we are staying in 3 hotels in Abu Dhabi...

For a week I have been thinking about my first post
to write involving my newest adventure

it hasn't been hard to think of things to write about
It is beautiful and lavish here
the people are very warm and friendly
oh, and when I say "the people"
I, definitely, definitely, mean the emirates....

but the story that comes to mind today,
in the spirit of this blog
that is for my children

is a Christmas story.

I love holidays, as you know
and probably my favorite as an adult is Halloween
one of the things I know I will miss from the US
is celebrating Halloween

However, as a child
my favorite holiday was Christmas

I remember my dad, A Ray, loving Christmas
in fact, he enjoyed all the other holidays too,
and is probably the main contributor
of my love for celebrating any holiday
real or conceived for a reason to celebrate
 every chance I get.

Every Christmas, for as long as I can remember
I hated having to wait to see what my presents were
I could not stand not knowing
The anticipation was pure torture

The beautiful wrapping of so many treasures
sitting out in plain sight
just waiting til I could caress them
and admire with wonder and excitement
for they had to be
the desires of my heart
surely everyone knew
as I am positive I told them
EXACTLY what I wanted.

As an adult, my skills as a pseudo detective,
interpreter of meaning, super secret sleuth,
I must say,
are directly results of my experiences
during the holiday season as a child

searching behind closed doors,
under beds,
in secret spots
and even
*gasp*
unwrapping and re-wrapping
gifts with such precision
to be undetectable
or at least in the eyes of a child
they were

it was best for me to know what the gift was
because if it was something
I did not like or didn't want
I could act surprised and happy to have it

as I am horrible at hiding displeasure
or disappointment.

the thoughts of Christmas
and the sneak peeks
have come to mind
because as I wait in this hotel room
to find out more
about the teaching adventure before me
I am not unwrapping the gift early.

I am waiting
patiently
to learn where I will be (if it changes)
what my new home will look like
what all the logistics are

while other teachers (many arrogant americans)
are emailing, antagonizing our employers and others
and spouting off information
that may or may not be true.

So I guess, my boys,
sometimes,
and I hate to admit this,
it is better to leave the gift in the box
with the beautiful wrapping intact
the way the bearer intended
until the time arrives,
the time set aside to open it.
Have Patience...

Late Night Ramble

Everyday
everyday I think of things
I want to write about
in 500 words or so
and when I sit down at the computer
they are gone
sometimes I think about them for days
and finally get them out of my head
and on the screen,
but not to the extent of my other blogs
where there are some days
of two or three posts...
or there were
a few years ago...

In three days
 I leave for Abu Dhabi
in the Middle East
where I am told
I am as safe as I am in the US
as long as I follow the rule
"when in Rome..."

Many thoughts resurface
of big changes I have experienced
in the not so distant past
that didn't turn out the way I wanted
or even resembling anything "good"

at least
not at the time

and then I am reminded
that to become stronger
we must face adversity...
well I know I haven't seen as much adversity
as many people
but I think I have seen enough
to feel like an amazon
strong enough
to take anything on...

This move is for many reasons

The first is to
satisfy my adventurous spirit
of seeing the world
and having the opportunity to do it

The second is
 to have a chance to continue teaching

It became abundantly clear
in the last 8 months

as I searched
 to find myself
regain:
myself,
my inner strength,
my life,
my sanity

that there are many things
I CAN do
and I might enjoy doing
but the one thing
I truly WANT to do
is teach
and to teach very young children

and that just wasn't going to happen
in Texas
any time soon,

The third is the opportunity to save
over half of my salary
pay no taxes on it
have housing provided
and still be able to travel
to anywhere I want
with reasonable costs

the short list
of travel destinations?

Italy
Germany
France
Greece
Australia
New Zealand

So, three great reasons to work overseas
plus, children are grown
no grandchildren in the next several (please) years
parents are both dead
Unattached with no plans to be
anything else again...
It truly is
a great time to have
The adventure of a lifetime

and then return to the states
when I have saved enough to retire
and start a whole new adventure
living off grid
with no bills


that is the plan...

Let's Roll

Watch Out

Once upon a time I wore a watch

A simple watch with easy to read numbers

A comfy two tone watch 

to wear with gold or silver jewelry

Shortly after my last husband 

(yes he is and will remain my last husband)

and I married,

 I became a teacher

It seemed a good time to replace my watch

with one very similar 

so students could see 

and read the time on it as well

The day we divorced

I took it off and laid it down

and didn't pick it up again

until last month

Last month while going through everything I own

 I found it in a drawer

A smile appeared 

as fond memories surfaced

 a trip to the jeweler ensued

A battery and new crystal later

 it is on my wrist 

wherever I go

May not seem like much 

but it is a huge paradigm shift

I don't know if I associated the watch

 with the loss of my married life

and best friend

This much I do know

 when an experience is soured for me

any representation of it is soured as well

Clothes worn when something negative has happened

rarely worn again

I no longer geocache regularly even though I love it

Gone are the days of collecting quarters 

sorting them by state and mint and organizing them

in fact I cashed them in at the bank

 except for the sets from the mint

and I really enjoyed that hobby

There are others but really these are the ones that stand out 

in this moment

So, my watch looks great

It feels great

I forget I have it on

Like an old friend

we have taken up 

right where we left off

Perhaps I will start collecting coins while overseas