Life in the Sandbox: We Survived!

September 5^th marked our one year anniversary of moving to Abu Dhabi and what a year it was. Times of utter joy and grief-stricken pain balanced our lives quite well. We have learned and grown more in one year than we have in half a decade combined. God has humbled our hearts and stirred us to trust in Him to satisfy our every desire. We have learned what it means to be patient and to wait on God’s timing. We have learned how to discipline ourselves and to raise a child in the ways of the Lord. We have cultured ourselves to live among a melting pot of nations and engage a multitude of social differences from all walks of life. We have felt what it’s like being the minority and how the world doesn’t revolve around us as “Americans”. I quote that on purpose as if we are unaware there were more than 50 other countries included in “America”. Ok, off the soap box. I say that to emphasize an egocentric veil has been lifted from our eyes. We no longer think from a Western perspective. A global surrounding has helped us aim our thoughts and considerations to a Godly, divine angle. We know many Westerners who came over the same time we did who are no longer living here because they refused to change their outlook and their personal beliefs hindered their adaptation to the culture. We came with very open minds and were willing to change our lives in order to soak everything this wonderful place has to offer. Without flexibility, it is IMPOSSIBLE to survive here. We learned that very quickly. Even with our increasingly resilient flexibility, it took nearly 4 or 5 months for the culture shock to wear off. The entire month of September was a fog and we were still making monthly border runs to Oman through October and November. To this day, Michelle still doesn’t have an ATM card. Part of…ok most of that is my fault, but everything goes through different process here than it does back in the Western world and you really only have the energy to go through a process once here. We survived though. We survived driving in the circles of death, the 135 degree heat, and the sandstorms. We survived and excelled, I would say. We had Arab coworkers who complimented on how well we have adapted and grown through the course of the year. Many locals bragged on how well Braxton has done as well. We look forward to year 2 and all it will hold. We hope to engage the culture even more this year and improve our Arabic language skills. Now, we were asked many questions and absorbed many critical comments. We want to address the most common questions we were asked. If you have any other questions, please comment below. We answer with honesty and transparency.

Question: Do you feel safe over there?

Answer: We absolutely feel safe. It is incredibly secured here. The government does a great job to protect the integrity of the country.

Q: What do you do over there?

A: We are currently both teachers. Michelle teaches in a Montessori Nursery (Pre-School) in a French-English class. She has a co-teacher who teaches the kids in all French and Michelle teaches in all English. She really enjoys it and she enjoys her co-teacher. I teach local Emirati middle school students. Last year I taught English in Grade 6. This year I am back in my expertise teaching Math in Grade 6.

Q: Do you guys make good money?

A: We are satisfied with our pay. The pay and benefits are more than what we could make in the U.S. Since our accommodations are paid for, we have been able to pay off a lot of student loans and should be debt-free in the next few months. This couldn’t have possibly been accomplished in the next 10-15 years in the U.S. We are extremely thankful and blessed to have this opportunity. We are excited to be able to give more to others now our hands won’t be tied to student loan debt.

Q: How long are you going to stay?

A: Our contract is completed after two years and we have an option to extend the contract annually. Currently, we are simply trusting in God to lead us. We don’t know the exact plans He has for us. We have an incredible opportunity to serve in a new Church Plant that will hopefully launch later this year. So we will see what God has in store for us with the amazing body of believers. We are open to teaching for as long as we can. This place is not really a place you can retire to. Once you are out of work, your VISA expires and it’s time to go home. So we know we can't stay for too long. We just want to completely obey the will of God. We have human desires and ideas. Some may align with His will and others won’t. And that’s okay. It's all in His hands.

Q: How have you adjusted to the heat?

A: You don’t adjust to the heat haha. It is miserable 9 months of the year and pleasant December-February. It was funny to think the other day it actually felt nice when it was 105 degrees out! The winter gets down to a cool, 75-80 degrees. It is fabulous! It’s funny though because most people are used to the extreme heat so when these temps come, it’s fairly chilly to them so all the stores start selling ear muffs, scarves, and fur jackets. We walk around in our summer clothes and just smile.

Q: What is the hardest thing you dealt with?

A: The most challenging time we had, apart from dealing with the language barrier and challenging processes, was fighting constant sickness, injury, and loss. From kidney stones to viruses to loss of a child, we were always battling with trials. It’s part of why we know we are supposed to be here. The enemy was constantly throwing flaming darts at us. Thankfully, we were surrounded by a Godly community who know how to bear our burdens and point us to the promises of God which increased our faith and helped us through challenging times.

Q: What is the most memorable moment you had?

A: My most memorable moment was shared in an earlier blog where I talked about sharing a dinner with my Arab coworkers at a park and drinking tea to the early hours of morning talking about life and our God. It’s a moment I’ll never forget and has influenced how I live here. I also really enjoyed breaking a fast (Iftar) during Ramadan with an Emirati (by way of Bahrain) family that we are friends with. Michelle’s most memorable moment was a three-way tie. Her most valuable moment was the Iftar Dinner with our Bahraini-Emirati friends. Her most fun moment was our trip to Thailand with our great friends-the Rackley’s. The most pleasurable memory was our Christmas trip to Le Sifah and Muscat, Oman. Braxton said he likes all the friends he made: at school, TGIFriday’s with Madam Mitch and all the friends there (it’s also where we initially met Graham and Griffin Rackley), “Mall Church” and “Zoo Church”, his friends in our neighborhood (including Miss “Lissa”), Maddie and our friends from Alabama, and every other special person he has befriended. He also likes to ride camels and frequent Mushrif Mall to get kinder eggs.

Q: What did you miss from the States?

A: We missed our family, deeply. We missed cookouts. We missed the 4^th of July. We missed football (the real kind, American Football). We missed sweet tea (my mom has been gracious to send us packets of cold-brew in the mail occasionally). We missed Zaxby’s, Chicfila, and Waffle House. We missed cooler weather and Fall in the north Georgia mountains. We missed country hills and fluffy clouds. We MISSED THE RAIN! I miss coaching sports and refereeing basketball. There are many things we miss about the States, but there are many things here we have been happy to learn to use as replacements like traveling to Dubai to go skiing inside of a mall and learning to like cricket and soccer.

Q: What are your living arrangements like? Do you live on a compound?

A: We live in a high-rise apartment where many expats live, but it is not limited to a particular demographic and it’s not in a compound. We are free to come and go as we wish. It’s just like living in Urban America. There are thousands upon thousands of taxis, cars and other modern modes of transportation.

Q: Is it expensive to live there?

A: Overall, we save more than we would in the States. There are some things where demand is not high here so it is more expensive. Most fruits and vegetables are imported from other countries but remain relatively cheap. There isn’t any regulation on anything either, so one day we might pay $20 for a box of strawberries and the next day it might not be available or it may cost $3. Cereal, peanut butter, and other “fake” stuff is a lot more pricey. The tradeoff here is that most everything is super fresh without any processing and those things are relatively inexpensive. Local fish markets allow for cheap fish and seafood.

The cost of living is considerably high (compared to where we have lived). A 3 bedroom villa out of the city could cost you around $5,000 USD. Granted, most of the time those accommodations are paid for by the employers. Fuel, at the moment, is similar to the cheaper prices you see in the States.

Q: Do you like it?

A: We love it. We have grown closer as a family. We have made many friends who we sincerely enjoy. We have found a wonderful church family we have engaged with and are striving side by side with one mind and one sprit to grow in faith of the Gospel. We love the culture. We love the options of adventure. There are some negative aspects we wouldn’t prefer, but overall we are satisfied with where we are at. We work EXTREMELY hard when we are on the job so we compensate by enjoying the life Abu Dhabi, the UAE, and the MENA region has to offer. We look forward to experiencing more this upcoming year.

A question I have for you…Would you consider opening your perspective and allowing us to give you a glimpse at this wonderful culture? Allow us to give you a change of heart towards Islam and to the Arab Culture. We’d love to hear your thoughts and answer any questions you may have. We’d love to send mail and pictures. We’d especially love and covet your prayers. This year will be different than last year. It is certainly more purposeful already. Let us know you read this and make sure to subscribe below. Let us know if you want to hear more about our experiences here.

God bless!