time to chillax!

So, I survived the inspection hell while surviving the I-just-moved-to-the-middle-east mania.  I’m back to believing the people who said it’d get easier after my first three months.  I’m still in month two, but (now that I have time to breathe and live normally again) I just noticed a few things that tell me I am adjusting, and yep I’m back to being excited about this little adventure of mine.

Here’s how I know I just might be getting used to all of this:

• I no longer pray when entering a roundabout, but I think God misses my incessant “Oh thank you for letting me live!”  There are a LOT of roundabouts in Al Ain!

• I almost picked up the phone to call a new sushi place that only delivers, and then I remembered wait if there’s no where to dine it’s probably made in someone’s home.  We have a lot of apartment businesses here (thanks to expat spouses usually not being able to find work), and they’re great (I love my neighbor’s cajun takeout service!).  But, is it wise to order sushi from someone’s home in the middle of the desert?  Western me won over on this one, so the call wasn’t made.

• I hear the word shoe, and instead of thinking about feet I immediately re-explain what I just said using more hand and facial gestures.  I believe shoo in Arabic means I have no clue what you’re saying, but your eyes are pretty, and can I just keep staring at them?

• Speaking of eyes, I no longer think it’s creepy when a girl demands “give me your eyes!” I also no longer flinch when some girl runs to touch my hair.  I do, however, wish they knew what kooties were so I could freak them out by telling them they just nabbed mine.

• I have no problem walking past a bunch of laborers in their dusty kanduras to get into my special Spinneys to get my special grape juice.  Hell I don’t even realize I’m the only woman in there until standing in line —- especially when there’s a buy 6 sale!

• I no longer worry about whether or not I should go into a store or restaurant that has only Arabic writing —- there’s usually good shit inside there, and I’ll enjoy eating it (well except for the grape leaf thingy —- that one not so much).

• While drinking my coffee in the wee hours of the morning I find myself mentally chanting Allah Akbar right along with the call to prayer.

• I feel naked when I go outside in a t-shirt and bermuda shorts. Along the same lines I raise my eyebrows when I see the new Indian girl at work wearing short sleeves.  Hahahah it totally shocks me every time!

• It doesn’t even phase me until later that I’ve just seen a man pop out of a trunk with a shovel in his hand.  Ten minutes later I think “wait that’s effed up even for here.”

And last, but certainly NOT least, it’s Wednesday night and I am stoked because tomorrow is Thursday, my new Friday.  I don’t know what I’m doing yet, but I know it’ll be fun, and I won’t be wasting any time worrying over what I cannot control.  whoop! whoop!