Well, I'm finally here. Going places is always stressful for me because I don't want to forget anything or miss something. Packing was a chore, but only because I had to do it. Because I have been in the gym teaching and coaching for 8 years, I don't own many "adult" clothing. The first task for me will be to get in touch with my inner shopping side and get some long over do adult clothes. Although I have to wear an abaya out in public, I will be allowed to take it off at the compound AND at school, therefore, I will need to be in professional type clothing while teaching. As I have quickly learned, it is all about brand names here. I'm not a brand names type of girl, but we will see what style category I fall into once I learn shopping strategies.
Let me tell you about my airport/flight experiences. First of all, I flew out of Memphis, Tn. The guy checking me in thought that I was an American spy. He was a cute older man (probably someone's grandpa). After having a little bit of difficulty trying to figure out the cost of my bags and how to print the labels out, I ended up with 3 bags and 2 carry-ons. The first 2 bags were free. The 3rd bag alone cost me $300. Normally, I wouldn't pay for that, but since I will get the money back, I felt it was no big deal. Besides, I was running late and didn't want to miss my flight. As I was walking away, he again mentioned something about me being a spy. I politely laughed and shook my head. Many people ask me if I'm in the military or assume I'm going overseas for a man (LOL!), but that was the first time I was accused of being an American Spy. I waited about 20 minutes before it was time to board the plane to fly to Dallas (DFW). I had just enough time to use the restroom and line up for boarding. Of course, I get to the boarding counter to give the lady my boarding pass to scan and the machine beeps to tell her that I didn't have a seat. Another lady approaches and tells me to wait a second while the first lady just gives me a weird look. There was an older couple waiting to board the same flight and while I was waiting to see if I had a seat, they were being told that they were being put on the next flight. Of course, they were disappointed. The airplane was overbooked prior to boarding and they were offering $500 vouchers for people to take the next flight (7 pm) and it was 4:00 pm. On the flight, I ended up sitting next to a teenager. He didn't say much, but did say "yes ma'am" when I asked him if he wanted to sit by the window because I noticed him falling asleep. No one likes to do that awkward forward nod that makes you feel like you are either falling or look stupid because you feel asleep. I think the people on the plane thought he was my kid. They conveniently let him get off when I did. The flight was very short. They had just enough time to give us a snack and pick up the trash before we landed. Overall, Memphis airport was a breeze.
Next up, DFW! This airport is pretty big! I had to take the Skylink to get to the gate for my next departure. This would be the airplane that would take us to Abu Dhabi. I have never heard of nor flown with Eithad Airways. The travel agent created the flight itinerary. This airline was the reason my 3rd bag was $300. I finally got a chance to look at their website in detail and it states that extra baggage is $300 per bag the day of the flight. If you pay for baggage prior to the day of your flight either through their website or just online at the initial airport, then it would be slightly cheaper. Here is where the craziness starts. The 2 carryon bags that are free HAVE to be a certain weight. They can't be more than 5 kg and more than 7 kg. Did you get that? Yes, they weigh your bags BEFORE you can line up to board. One bag has to be 7 kg or less and the other bag has to be 5 kg or less. So now you have people having to rearranged their belongings or throwing things away because they did not know about this rule. I ended up putting my laptop inside of my backpack and throwing away a catalog. One of my bags was still overweight, but the lady let me go. I was beyond happy! The flight was not booked so I was allowed to sit next to another teacher that was going to the same place and school. We chatted for some of the flight and slept/watched movies during the rest of the flight. For our first meal, we chose lamb, mashed potatoes, cucumber salad, bread, and a strawberry mousse dessert topped with granola. It was pretty good! We washed it down with a glass of red wine. Our snack on the flight was a cold chicken sandwich that had some kind of ingredient that made it flavorful. Our last meal was some kind of veggie dish with curry in it. I didn't like it or the salad that came with it. I had a few bites and ate the bread and kit kat bar that came with the meal. This flight was 14 1/2 hours long. Overall, it was a decent flight. The service was good and we had no issues with takeoff or landing.
As we began to descend into Abu Dhabi, we looked out the window and saw lots of pretty lights similar to Christmas decorations. We had to walk down some stairs as we left the airplane in order to take a shuttle bus to the airport. It was hot outside and it quickly reminded me of Taiwan. Earlier on the airplane, we were able to see the connecting gate from the seat monitor. We were to connect at terminal 3 and gate 55. We set out to find the correct area. We walked for about 15 min before arriving at the correct gate. Or so we thought. I checked the monitor in the area and noticed it said Kuwait. I had to use the restroom and decided I would check airport monitor on my way to the restroom. I found the monitor around the corner from gate 55 and quickly noticed that our departure gate had changed to gate 30. :-( No restroom for me! I quickly walk back to the other teacher, tell her we needed to go to the other gate, and we set off walking in the direction we JUST came from and then some. We made it there and happen to be one of the first sets of people travelling to Dammam. I found the restroom and got a chance to go before the next flight. Next to the restrooms were prayer rooms. There was one for men and one for women. It was cool to see people in abayas as well as Indian women in their colorful attire.This flight was our last flight and boy was I ready to get it over with.
For our final flight, we had to get on another shuttle bus that took us to the airplane. The new teacher and I were both worried that we would have to weigh our bags again, but luckily it was just that once. This flight was full and they had an issue with a couple on board before takeoff. The wife had to be brought on board via wheelchair. The couple had purchased the exit row. If anyone knows about those seats, then you know they cost extra because of the leg room. Well, if you are in those seats, then you must be able and willing to help passengers off of the airplane in case of an emergency. The husband was physically able, but not the wife. The problem occurred when the airline changed their seats and did not tell them. So they flight attendant with all of her patience did a little switch-a-roo with some of the passengers and everyone wasn't happy, but they consented to the changes. I hope they gave the guy a refund. So, now we are all buckled up and ready to go! Not sure what took so long for us to leave, but we were waiting for about 30-45 min before we even began to taxi to the runway. I was in and out of it at this time because my body is exhausted and I could tell my legs were swelling. Getting to the runway took another 10 minutes which means we were way behind schedule. Our flight was supposed to land at 9:50 pm in Dammam and we were still at the airport in Abu Dhabi at that time. Thank God the flight was very short. They gave us an express snack bag. Inside of it was a small bottle of water and a sandwich. The sandwich was a piece of cheese and tomatoes on pizza tasting hoagie bread. It was actually pretty good to have so little on it. I might have to add that to my quick lunch idea if I can find that bread. This flight felt like 30 minutes long. Overall, it wasn't a bad flight outside of the long wait for departure.
After landing, the last part of the trip is to go through customs. This part can take a VERY long time depending on the airport. I guess we had good timing because our wait was next to none. They had an area for "Foreign Citizens/First Timers." I was standing in the multiple entry line until I noticed the other line. I ended up back tracking through the line to get to the correct one. While at the counter, the guy scanned my hand 3 times and took 3 pictures before he stamped my passport. The only words I heard him say were "Right" "Left" and "Again." He didn't say "ok, you are done" or "thank you" or even give me a nod. He just stood up and called the next person in line to come over. I thought that was pretty rude, but I was tired and what was I going to do about it anyway. Lol! This is his world. Besides, I'm not the confronting type. Next, I had to get my bags. Some man with a trolley started following me and asked if I wanted his help. I really did need it, but I thought it would make it go faster with his assistance. I pointed to the baggage carrier and he quickly rolled the trolley in that direction. Within 10 minutes, I had my bags and was headed to scan them so that I could leave the airport. That part didn't take long. He put my bags on a conveyor belt, they rolled through the scanner/camera, and he put them back on the trolley. I noticed on the back of his shirt it stated that the service fee was 10 riyals. I asked him where I could exchange money and he showed me where to go. The exchange rate here is 1 US = 3.75 SAR. I gave him 10 riyals and he asked for change. Not sure what change he was talking about nor did he get it. He kind of walked in a huff, but he will be alright. I'm sure if I owed him more money, then he would have found someone to explain that to me.
Lastly, we met up with the one of the administrators. She gave us an abaya to borrow and took us to the school's van. The driver loaded AND unloaded our bags (my 5 bags and her 7 bags). She told us to sit in the van because he was going to take care of it all. Here the women are treated like a princess or queen. You don't drive or carry things unless you have to do it by yourself. Many of the married women have maids and love to shop. Again, it's all about brand names.
Reality still hasn't set in so I'm in the honeymoon phase. I have met a few of the teachers as well as my bosses. Myself, the other new teacher, a veteran teacher, and a couple all went to Carrefour inside of a mall. It was cool to see so many people and shops there. It will be hard to feel homesick for foods or clothes because they have it all here. Technology has made it way easy to stay in touch with family members as well. I use the apps LINE, What'sapp, Google Hangout, and Facebook to stay in touch.
That's it for now! My next post will include some pictures of my room.
Let me tell you about my airport/flight experiences. First of all, I flew out of Memphis, Tn. The guy checking me in thought that I was an American spy. He was a cute older man (probably someone's grandpa). After having a little bit of difficulty trying to figure out the cost of my bags and how to print the labels out, I ended up with 3 bags and 2 carry-ons. The first 2 bags were free. The 3rd bag alone cost me $300. Normally, I wouldn't pay for that, but since I will get the money back, I felt it was no big deal. Besides, I was running late and didn't want to miss my flight. As I was walking away, he again mentioned something about me being a spy. I politely laughed and shook my head. Many people ask me if I'm in the military or assume I'm going overseas for a man (LOL!), but that was the first time I was accused of being an American Spy. I waited about 20 minutes before it was time to board the plane to fly to Dallas (DFW). I had just enough time to use the restroom and line up for boarding. Of course, I get to the boarding counter to give the lady my boarding pass to scan and the machine beeps to tell her that I didn't have a seat. Another lady approaches and tells me to wait a second while the first lady just gives me a weird look. There was an older couple waiting to board the same flight and while I was waiting to see if I had a seat, they were being told that they were being put on the next flight. Of course, they were disappointed. The airplane was overbooked prior to boarding and they were offering $500 vouchers for people to take the next flight (7 pm) and it was 4:00 pm. On the flight, I ended up sitting next to a teenager. He didn't say much, but did say "yes ma'am" when I asked him if he wanted to sit by the window because I noticed him falling asleep. No one likes to do that awkward forward nod that makes you feel like you are either falling or look stupid because you feel asleep. I think the people on the plane thought he was my kid. They conveniently let him get off when I did. The flight was very short. They had just enough time to give us a snack and pick up the trash before we landed. Overall, Memphis airport was a breeze.
Next up, DFW! This airport is pretty big! I had to take the Skylink to get to the gate for my next departure. This would be the airplane that would take us to Abu Dhabi. I have never heard of nor flown with Eithad Airways. The travel agent created the flight itinerary. This airline was the reason my 3rd bag was $300. I finally got a chance to look at their website in detail and it states that extra baggage is $300 per bag the day of the flight. If you pay for baggage prior to the day of your flight either through their website or just online at the initial airport, then it would be slightly cheaper. Here is where the craziness starts. The 2 carryon bags that are free HAVE to be a certain weight. They can't be more than 5 kg and more than 7 kg. Did you get that? Yes, they weigh your bags BEFORE you can line up to board. One bag has to be 7 kg or less and the other bag has to be 5 kg or less. So now you have people having to rearranged their belongings or throwing things away because they did not know about this rule. I ended up putting my laptop inside of my backpack and throwing away a catalog. One of my bags was still overweight, but the lady let me go. I was beyond happy! The flight was not booked so I was allowed to sit next to another teacher that was going to the same place and school. We chatted for some of the flight and slept/watched movies during the rest of the flight. For our first meal, we chose lamb, mashed potatoes, cucumber salad, bread, and a strawberry mousse dessert topped with granola. It was pretty good! We washed it down with a glass of red wine. Our snack on the flight was a cold chicken sandwich that had some kind of ingredient that made it flavorful. Our last meal was some kind of veggie dish with curry in it. I didn't like it or the salad that came with it. I had a few bites and ate the bread and kit kat bar that came with the meal. This flight was 14 1/2 hours long. Overall, it was a decent flight. The service was good and we had no issues with takeoff or landing.
As we began to descend into Abu Dhabi, we looked out the window and saw lots of pretty lights similar to Christmas decorations. We had to walk down some stairs as we left the airplane in order to take a shuttle bus to the airport. It was hot outside and it quickly reminded me of Taiwan. Earlier on the airplane, we were able to see the connecting gate from the seat monitor. We were to connect at terminal 3 and gate 55. We set out to find the correct area. We walked for about 15 min before arriving at the correct gate. Or so we thought. I checked the monitor in the area and noticed it said Kuwait. I had to use the restroom and decided I would check airport monitor on my way to the restroom. I found the monitor around the corner from gate 55 and quickly noticed that our departure gate had changed to gate 30. :-( No restroom for me! I quickly walk back to the other teacher, tell her we needed to go to the other gate, and we set off walking in the direction we JUST came from and then some. We made it there and happen to be one of the first sets of people travelling to Dammam. I found the restroom and got a chance to go before the next flight. Next to the restrooms were prayer rooms. There was one for men and one for women. It was cool to see people in abayas as well as Indian women in their colorful attire.This flight was our last flight and boy was I ready to get it over with.
For our final flight, we had to get on another shuttle bus that took us to the airplane. The new teacher and I were both worried that we would have to weigh our bags again, but luckily it was just that once. This flight was full and they had an issue with a couple on board before takeoff. The wife had to be brought on board via wheelchair. The couple had purchased the exit row. If anyone knows about those seats, then you know they cost extra because of the leg room. Well, if you are in those seats, then you must be able and willing to help passengers off of the airplane in case of an emergency. The husband was physically able, but not the wife. The problem occurred when the airline changed their seats and did not tell them. So they flight attendant with all of her patience did a little switch-a-roo with some of the passengers and everyone wasn't happy, but they consented to the changes. I hope they gave the guy a refund. So, now we are all buckled up and ready to go! Not sure what took so long for us to leave, but we were waiting for about 30-45 min before we even began to taxi to the runway. I was in and out of it at this time because my body is exhausted and I could tell my legs were swelling. Getting to the runway took another 10 minutes which means we were way behind schedule. Our flight was supposed to land at 9:50 pm in Dammam and we were still at the airport in Abu Dhabi at that time. Thank God the flight was very short. They gave us an express snack bag. Inside of it was a small bottle of water and a sandwich. The sandwich was a piece of cheese and tomatoes on pizza tasting hoagie bread. It was actually pretty good to have so little on it. I might have to add that to my quick lunch idea if I can find that bread. This flight felt like 30 minutes long. Overall, it wasn't a bad flight outside of the long wait for departure.
After landing, the last part of the trip is to go through customs. This part can take a VERY long time depending on the airport. I guess we had good timing because our wait was next to none. They had an area for "Foreign Citizens/First Timers." I was standing in the multiple entry line until I noticed the other line. I ended up back tracking through the line to get to the correct one. While at the counter, the guy scanned my hand 3 times and took 3 pictures before he stamped my passport. The only words I heard him say were "Right" "Left" and "Again." He didn't say "ok, you are done" or "thank you" or even give me a nod. He just stood up and called the next person in line to come over. I thought that was pretty rude, but I was tired and what was I going to do about it anyway. Lol! This is his world. Besides, I'm not the confronting type. Next, I had to get my bags. Some man with a trolley started following me and asked if I wanted his help. I really did need it, but I thought it would make it go faster with his assistance. I pointed to the baggage carrier and he quickly rolled the trolley in that direction. Within 10 minutes, I had my bags and was headed to scan them so that I could leave the airport. That part didn't take long. He put my bags on a conveyor belt, they rolled through the scanner/camera, and he put them back on the trolley. I noticed on the back of his shirt it stated that the service fee was 10 riyals. I asked him where I could exchange money and he showed me where to go. The exchange rate here is 1 US = 3.75 SAR. I gave him 10 riyals and he asked for change. Not sure what change he was talking about nor did he get it. He kind of walked in a huff, but he will be alright. I'm sure if I owed him more money, then he would have found someone to explain that to me.
Lastly, we met up with the one of the administrators. She gave us an abaya to borrow and took us to the school's van. The driver loaded AND unloaded our bags (my 5 bags and her 7 bags). She told us to sit in the van because he was going to take care of it all. Here the women are treated like a princess or queen. You don't drive or carry things unless you have to do it by yourself. Many of the married women have maids and love to shop. Again, it's all about brand names.
Reality still hasn't set in so I'm in the honeymoon phase. I have met a few of the teachers as well as my bosses. Myself, the other new teacher, a veteran teacher, and a couple all went to Carrefour inside of a mall. It was cool to see so many people and shops there. It will be hard to feel homesick for foods or clothes because they have it all here. Technology has made it way easy to stay in touch with family members as well. I use the apps LINE, What'sapp, Google Hangout, and Facebook to stay in touch.
That's it for now! My next post will include some pictures of my room.
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