Right. So what's ridiculous is that I haven't actually blogged in, well, 9 months. I've been here now for 10 months, so that makes me pretty inconsistent I'd say. I'd like to say I've been too busy getting my life to write about it, but that would only be half true. The other half of the time I've been relaxing. I've actually never relaxed so much in my short life. I've never drank so much tea in life either. I've always liked tea, but now I enjoy tea. Shisha is definitely so bad for me, but it occupies my time some days when the evening feels deliberate and honeyed. Life is really good though. I don't know what I'm doing. I'm moving so slowly, but I think the time here has taken me fast. I honestly love it though, whatever it is. I wish I could blog about the ten months past, but obviously that would require a book binding, so I suppose I'll just start off where I am and pepper this and future blogs about remarkable things that happened during the ten months. Yes, I suppose this is best. Actually, I'm overwhelmed now just thinking of all the remarkable things that have happened in the last year....
What I want to say the most, is that ten months ago when I said that I fell in love with this city, I meant it. I'm still quite in love with Abu Dhabi. It is not unrequited. This city wraps its arms around me. I feel lucky in many ways. I am not here to work. I came here for that, to work, but that's no longer why I'm here. I am here now because being here means that I've finally stopped letting things happen to me. I've actively engaged myself in living here not through obligations, but through sheer happiness. I don't mean to sound overly obscure or even romantic...maybe I do. I control everything now. I control myself. I control my advancement. I control my enrichments and achievements. How is it possible to feel as though I'm standing still and yet to have moved so far ahead of where I used to be?
Some who come to this city aren't so enchanted. They can't get into the culture. They can't understand the systems. They're not interested in local norms and customs. That's alright I suppose, if you feel like trapping yourself in a bubble with people who are exactly the same as those you said goodbye to before you came here. There's something refreshing about sticking yourself in the middle of the Arabic lady teacher table during the faculty meeting and then they ask you what kind of lipstick you're wearing. You want to explain that it's actually a lip crayon, the latest color by Tarte, but instead you just take it out and show them which results in them fawning over it and you. They say, "This is only in America, sah? Oh, they have the best make-up in America. I don't see this even in Dubai. Okay, when you go to America, you will bring me 3 of these Ms. Khadijah. And also one for my daughter." It's exciting when you walk through the mall and local girls walk up to you, and after you tell them your name is Khadijah, they immediately ask you for your phone number and say, "Nice to meet new American Muslim girl. Give me missed call on Blackberry, I call you." And it's absolutely disco when they invite you to their 11 year old daughter's birthday party which happens to be being held at the brand new Ritz Carlton hotel. Yes, please. Maybe I'm a fool. Maybe, just maybe, I've gone about things in a devil-may-care manner and I've danced into a huge time vortex. But, I don't think so. I think I've got it all right this time. I think I'm winning, Sheen style. It's not too early to joke about that.
What I want to say the most, is that ten months ago when I said that I fell in love with this city, I meant it. I'm still quite in love with Abu Dhabi. It is not unrequited. This city wraps its arms around me. I feel lucky in many ways. I am not here to work. I came here for that, to work, but that's no longer why I'm here. I am here now because being here means that I've finally stopped letting things happen to me. I've actively engaged myself in living here not through obligations, but through sheer happiness. I don't mean to sound overly obscure or even romantic...maybe I do. I control everything now. I control myself. I control my advancement. I control my enrichments and achievements. How is it possible to feel as though I'm standing still and yet to have moved so far ahead of where I used to be?
Some who come to this city aren't so enchanted. They can't get into the culture. They can't understand the systems. They're not interested in local norms and customs. That's alright I suppose, if you feel like trapping yourself in a bubble with people who are exactly the same as those you said goodbye to before you came here. There's something refreshing about sticking yourself in the middle of the Arabic lady teacher table during the faculty meeting and then they ask you what kind of lipstick you're wearing. You want to explain that it's actually a lip crayon, the latest color by Tarte, but instead you just take it out and show them which results in them fawning over it and you. They say, "This is only in America, sah? Oh, they have the best make-up in America. I don't see this even in Dubai. Okay, when you go to America, you will bring me 3 of these Ms. Khadijah. And also one for my daughter." It's exciting when you walk through the mall and local girls walk up to you, and after you tell them your name is Khadijah, they immediately ask you for your phone number and say, "Nice to meet new American Muslim girl. Give me missed call on Blackberry, I call you." And it's absolutely disco when they invite you to their 11 year old daughter's birthday party which happens to be being held at the brand new Ritz Carlton hotel. Yes, please. Maybe I'm a fool. Maybe, just maybe, I've gone about things in a devil-may-care manner and I've danced into a huge time vortex. But, I don't think so. I think I've got it all right this time. I think I'm winning, Sheen style. It's not too early to joke about that.
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