And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. -Anais Nin
Well, this is a bit past due.
I’ve been living in the UAE for the past two years now. Having worked in the Emirates of Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, I am now spreading my wings in Dubai. When I first came, I had a lot of mixed reactions from friends and family members, some have been impressed that I wanted to continue pursuing my passion of the Arabic language, of which I had already dedicated 4 years of formal study in college to, and others have thought I was just downright crazy for coming out here alone.
Another reason that brought me here, and of which I haven’t been quite too honest about with people until recently… was love. The relationship has since ended, and a year-and-a-half later, I am only now able to truly open up about it. I’m not ashamed of it, it was a beautiful thing regardless of the immense heartbreak that followed. It is because of this relationship that I am growing into the woman I am today, and it has changed me more as a person than perhaps my decision to fly 12,000 miles away from everything and everyone I know and love.
I have since been blessed with a wonderful network of friends that have helped support me while living here as a single woman. I wouldn’t have been able to survive without them. It has been a challenging past two years, but beautiful ones, and I am thankful for every day regardless of the obvious ups and downs people go through in life – especially when living in a culture different from your own.
I look forward to sharing my experiences with you, my readers, and I do hope you enjoy the journey with me as I continue to discover the beauties of being an American woman in a Gulf country.
I am the #americankhaleejia, and this is my story.