The plane has landed and the journey shall now begin!

Before my departure, many of my friends asked me why I would want to travel to the Middle East. They were likely asking because, like I once thought, they were under the impression that the entire Middle East is a war zone. After I was approached by my brother with the opportunity to live in Abu Dhabi with them for a three month period, I began doing some research. I quickly discovered that not only is Abu Dhabi a young city, it is also a safe city, in fact, the safest city in the Middle East for women.

The trip from D.C. to Abu Dhabi was surprisingly easy considering I was traveling with two adults and their two small children (Ages 22 months and 6 years). We flew Etihad Airways. Our plane was an 787-9 Dreamliner, which was very large and quite comfortable. The customer service was excellent and the on board entertainment was sufficient enough to keep even the antsiest of kids entertained for hours. They also served us three complete meals which were tasty and relatively healthy.

When we arrived at the airport in Abu Dhabi, getting thru customs was the easiest experience ever. 1st, there were no lines, and 2nd, the customs consisted of showing your passport and visa to get stamped, and then getting your photo taken for facial recognition (they have one of the most advanced biometrics systems in the world). That was it! We collected all 10 of our bags from the baggage claim, walked outside to where the taxi’s were, the driver loaded up our bags, and we headed to the hotel.

When we arrived to the hotel it was just about 9pm, and the entire family was exhausted from the long day of travel. All any of us wanted to do was lay down and get some serious sleep. Of course though, once we walked through the hotel doors, we got excited and stimulated all over again.

If you’ve ever been to or looked up anything about the city of Abu Dhabi, you would learn that everything here is elaborate and quite stimulating. This made going straight to bed quite difficult, so my brother and I decided to hit the gym to blow some steam while his wife got settled in to our new hotel home with the kiddos. After the gym we grabbed a snack outside at a neighboring hotel. Beside us sat three women in full hijab’s sitting back and enjoying a hookah.

(I can definitely get back into the hookah while I’m here!)

When we got back to the hotel room, I showered and went to bed excited about what the next few weeks would bring.

I slept with my blinds open, as I often do, so that I can be woken up by the rising of the sun. When I woke up to the sun rise this morning, I felt surprisingly refreshed and ready to start the day. It was just past 6am.

After about an hour I heard my nephew rustling around in the other room, so I opened my door to let him in so he and I could begin to enjoy the morning together. We hung out on the patio until my nephew looked at me and said, “Sarah, can we go back inside? It’s too stinkin’ hot out here” (😆). We then played some games that only a child with his imagination could ever think up, and then decided that since the rest of the family was still sleeping, we would take off to the lobby for breakfast. When we returned to the room the rest of the family was starting to get up and get ready to head out and explore on our first family mission; the grocery store.

We boarded the bus to Yas Mall where the closest supermarket is, and headed off.

Again, the efficiency of this place floored us.

At current, we’ve all arrived back to the hotel and the kiddos and their momma are taking a much needed nap (surprisingly there were no meltdowns while we were out).

Once they awake, we’re off to the pool!! It’s currently only (yes, only) 95 degrees F outside, so we want to make sure we take advantage of the outdoors while it’s still bearable to do so!

Be Happy. Be Well.