People vs. Place; Do vs. Be

As an expat living and working abroad as an international educator many of the conversations I have with fellow foreigner colleagues revolve around one of two things: work or travel. The shop talk can be tiresome and therefore I try to avoid it or navigate to alternate topics. The second topic is a discussion of where one went on their last holiday, or where one will be traveling to for their next break. Everyone seems to have a list of places they want to see, things they want to do or try. I confess to having started a “travel bucket list” once I knew I would be relocating to Turkey. I created a list for INSIDE Turkey and another for places outside of the country. 

Working at a private national school in Turkey, which is a secular nation, our two-week winter vacation did not fall over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays (as it would have if I worked at an international school). Our holiday occurred at the actual break between semester one and two, and therefore was at the end of January and into the start of February. All schools in Turkey are off at this time.

I traveled to Abu Dhabi for the break to see both family and friends. This was not a “place” or “destination” trip as most of my colleagues journeyed, this was a trip that was about the people.

My brother, his wife, and two children are currently residing in Abu Dhabi where his employer has him “stationed” for now (though not military, it’s the best term I know). He has been there a bit more than a year and will be there perhaps one more year. We hadn’t seen one another since Christmas of 2016; we were overdue. My father and his wife also journeyed over from the U.S. and our time overlapped some, sweetening the pot that much more. ADDITIONALLY, a number of former colleagues from my time spent working at ASU in Mongolia are currently teaching in Abu Dhabi. Yes–there were a LOT of people to see and catch up with!

The timing was especially nice because while it’s winter in the UAE, it is not a winter such as the rest of us know it. With the weather peaking around 75 degrees or so during the day, it seemed like the ideal time to go for a visit. I spent two weeks in the UAE–one week with family in the middle,  bookended by time with friends, most old, but also some new friends were made.

When I was with my family I did see some of the sites of the city–the Grand Mosque, Qasr Al Hosn (historic fort), the Emirates Palace, and the Louvre Abu Dhabi to name some highlights. I knew nothing about this corner of the world before the visit. And to be honest it wasn’t on my list of “places to see”–but of course, when in Rome! We enjoyed a kayaking trip in the Mangroves and I visited my niece and nephew’s school (also where my sister-in-law now works) and my brother’s office. While we are all far from one another most of the time, I enjoy being able to picture my loved one’s going about their everyday lives. Now I can do that. 🙂

The best surprise of my time in the UAE was spending two nights in the desert with new acquaintances. One of my friends working in Abu Dhabi has colleagues that go “dune bashing” on a weekly basis. This is a collection of men from various middle eastern/Arab nations, all of whom live and work in the UAE and have created a brotherhood of sorts around their hobby of dune drifting (this is MY term for the experience). I was hopeful that I might get to experience this adventurous pastime. And I did. Not just once, but twice!!!

As foreigners I felt we (my girlfriend and I) were gifted with a unique opportunity–spending a night in the desert, eating a delicious meal of lamb, vegetables, and rice (that had been cooking in a barrel in the ground for 3 hours!!! That is what the featured photo is at the top of this post.), sitting around a bonfire, watching the night skies in an area with absolutely NO light pollution, and waking to cool sand and Turkish coffee (yes!) cooked in the campfire. Once everyone is awake and loaded up, the dune drifting begins! What a rush it is to climb up and slide down mountains of sand!

While I very much enjoy the ease of living in a city with all of my needs easily accessible, I also recognize that there is a part of me that needs and wants an off-the-grid nature experience from time to time. When I lived in Colorado, I would take off on the trail or hike in the mountains. While I was in Mongolia I had numerous countryside adventures–from the Gobi desert with my father, to mountains in Huvsgul for my fall break, to the steppe of Terelj National Park. And then there I was, in the dunes of the UAE, when I felt that familiar feeling. I was at peace with nature and my self. I was able to re-ground or re-center my core in these various times and places. When I get antsy and agitated in or with life, it seems it is a nature experience that my spirit is seeking. 

I will wrap up this post with one last observation. There is something most liberating about finding oneself in a foreign place, with (mostly) foreign people, and doing that which is “normal” to them, but foreign, to me, as the outsider. Yes, it does require faith in the humanity of people. Yes, it might require a little courage or bravery.

But in this new chapter of life I am working to be always present, to be IN THE MOMENT, and WITH the people I’m with…to be, as I like to call it, conservatively reckless. Life is too short to waste time on the past, or stress too much about the future. In our time in the dunes of Abu Dhabi, which totaled less than perhaps 35 hours, I was alive. I felt free as a bird. I felt the blood rushing through my veins. You see…I was embracing the state of “being” and not the act of “doing.” This perfectly complements or embodies my Word of the Year–ENJOY! I choose to relish, revel, and rejoice in whatever my daily experiences offer up to me! I encourage you to consider the same. Cheers Friends!