Reflecting on my time here

Wow so a year of the reform contract is nearly over - before I head off for my exciting holiday, thought I'd reflect a little and share what looking back on this year has shown me.

The not so great aspects:
I have missed my family and my friends more than I thought possible. I love hearing from them and know that they think of me regularly. I am extremely lucky to have Kalala and family here and now Brent, and my mum was here for 3 months…but still I miss the ups and downs of the lives of the people I love at home.
The frustrations that come from language or cultural barriers – while these experiences have made me stronger, the stress I went through with my lost passport was more than I could believe was possible. I would love to just say “Look there’s an easier way to do this” but who says my way is right? (Apart from years of it working with no stress!)
Finding a balance – I know you get this anywhere – but I find it hard at times to do work, keep life ticking over, go to the gym, see friends, travel….despite having good funds to do this – time is of the essence. And I’m an organized person! The heat and processes here do slow things down a bit.
We are all sure the worst drivers in the world are here in the UAE. Large 4x4s travelling at nearly (and sometimes more than) 200km/hr on the highways freak me out but happen on every trip. My Mum can attest to this for the NZ crew!

But the upsides are:
My adventures – every day brings new learning or experiences. I visit places I didn’t think I ever would and have more of that to look forward to.
The people I work with – both expats and locals – I have made many wonderful friends and am learning more about their lives. As a friend said: “The UAE is a truly multicultural, though intensely culturally and economically stratified, country.”
The cultural aspects and beliefs of this place are solid - the call to prayer happens five times a day and it is so routine now we don't even notice it really. Measina still joins in the call occasionally!
Experiencing some of the different things - the sand, the sand, the sand, the heat, the lack of rain and subsequent dryness, the date palms and camels, dunes, forts and palaces, shaylas and abaya, dish dashs…all part of the scene here.
And of course the work – I do believe in the reform – sometimes I despair about whether the change will ever happen but then I see little glimpses of movement or what is possible and it keeps me going.

So there you have it - the experience so far.