The first reaction I received after telling my friends and family that I had taken a job as a flight attendant in Abu Dhabi, UAE, was "You're moving where?" After a brief explanation that Abu Dhabi was a small Muslim city and the capital of the United Arab Emirates, they still thought that I had made this place up! To be honest I wasn't sure if I was ready to move thousands of kilometers away from home. But after unfailing encouragement from my wonderful parents - my dad, Lee, my mom, Anna, and my step-dad Michael- I was off to a land far far away.
I began my new job after a 14 hour flight to my new home in Abu Dhabi on November 1 2007. Only 20 years old, I'd never been overseas before and I could count on one hand how many time i had been on an airplane. I had no idea about the culture shock I was in for. Little did I know I was about to learn, first-hand, more about the Middle East in one year than most people in my small town of Berwick, Nova Scotia, would probably learn in a lifetime.
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| First week at the training academy |
I'm not going to sugar coat it; it was hard being in the minority for the first time in my life. I'd never been the only blonde in a room before, let alone a entire building! Being from a small town, I hadn't met many people of different cultures and religions. The traditional Arab dress of a dishdasha and abaya were new to me and I found myself staring at them just as much as they were staring at me.
My first Christmas away from home was spent in 30 degree weather with my new colleagues. Rather than a white Christmas, it was golden-thanks to the sand. My first Arab summer can be summed up in one word: HOT - and I mean 55 degrees kind of hot!
Things became easier the longer i was in Abu Dhabi. I became used to being stared at and covering up my shoulders and knees. I loved that all the new friends I made were from so many different parts of the world; I've even picked up a bit of a British accent from some of my closest friends.
The religious melodies emanating from the mosques were also something that i just became accustomed to.
My job allowed me to travel and see parts of the world most people only dream about; Paris, Bangkok, New York, Johannesburg and Munich, among others.
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| London |
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| Paris |
I still knew where the most beautiful place in the world was though, and i quickly realized how proud I was to be Canadian, I missed the leaves changing colour in the fall; the snow falling in the winter; the rain hitting my windshield and the tulips in bloom in the spring. Not to mention silly things such as a Tim Horton's coffee in the morning, or a hockey game on a Saturday night. I really missed the friendliness and slow pace of a small town and the warm fuzzy feeling I get when my plane lands in Halifax. Though I have lived in the Arabian Gulf for a couple of years now, I will always call Berwick my home. And whenever people ask where my favourite destination is, my answer is and always will be the same - Nova Scotia!
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| Munich |
