Oh the Places I'll Go!

“You're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
So... get on your way!” ~ Dr. Seuss

In a few hours I'll be headed to the airport to begin my Abu Dhabi adventure.  People keep asking me if I'm excited.  Hell, I don't know!  I think I am.  Of course I am, I think.  Getting prepared to leave the country has a million little tasks one must complete and it can be quite overwhelming so I guess I haven't had enough time to get excited.  I am 1000% sure that I am on the right path for my life with approval  from the Most High, (and my Mama and Daddy) so no worries.  I'm just grateful to God for this amazing opportunity to teach halfway around the world that I have been blessed with.  Words cannot really express how wonderful this is for me and how happy I am to have this experience.  So yes, I am a bit of everything right now, excited, nervous, anxious, happy, elated, in awe, and humbled, at the same damn time.


I'm off to Great Places!  
Today is my day!  
Abu Dhabi is waiting,
Up, up and away! ~ Satirah

Can I Get A Window Seat?

I know I'm supposed to be updating this blog everyday but, I have been so busy doing nothing until, I just haven't done it.  So, what's been going on lately?  Well, in the past couple of weeks, I've celebrated my last birthday in the United States at least for the next two years!  I've visited friends and continued my new pasttime of ordering stuff online!  Wal-Mart loves me and so does Amazon.com!

Last week, all English Medium Teachers (EMTs), which includes me, received an email from the travel agency welcoming us and letting us know that the etickets are on the way.  Yay!  I was hoping that email was the eticket.  I got all nervous and excited for nothing!  They really know how to play with our emotions.  I'm ready to go, even though I'm not packed yet.  The email did inform us that travel arrangements will be made and be ready to depart.

That put the fire under my tail and I got my two suitcases organized.  I'm still not packed to walk out of the door though.  I'm working on it.  I'll be ready to pack it all up to go at a moment's notice as soon as they email me that eticket. 

Wow!  This is finally happening!  Whew, there is alot I still have to do too.  I think.  Anyway, I was just happy to get the email so that I can stop thinking maybe we all got Punk'd and Ashton Kutchner was going to knock on the door with the cameras! Haaaaa!  But this is very real and I am getting a little more excited by the little teasing emails because we got another one today from the education council.  Yippee!  An amusing part of the message was the following:  deferrals will not be entertained!  I know that's right!  I guess you can't blame them.  If you said you are going, don't be emailing or calling talking about you want to wait and leave later.  Whatever date your eticket says, your rass is going! That's fine with me!  Abu Dhabi here I come!  Oh, and...Can I get a window seat?

Diurex Is My Friend

I took a ten hour plus trip to New Orleans and discovered something new about myself a few days ago.  Apparently, I am one of those people whose ankles and feet swell when sitting for long hours while traveling.  When did this start?  I guess I have been flying for the past 10 years and my flights were not longer than a couple of hours so I never knew!  You learn something new everyday, tis true.

Lessons learned:

1.  Always FLY on an airplane to my longer distance destinations greater than 5 hours...driving is a no, no <---- (actually a hell to the no, no)

2.  Prepare myself before long flights in the future by drinking lots of water the day before and carry along some water pills if necessary.  

Diurex is the business.  Those little blue pills sure did help the swelling go down, a true friend indeed.  Again, I will NOT be riding any sort of wheeled vehicle for long trips more than 5 hours again in life. (flying on the big bird)

3.  Always carry a pair of stylish, compression socks. 

The opaque/nude granny style stockings/socks is a negative, not happening boo.  My feet will be swollen first before I wear those things.  When I turn 85 years old, then I'll consider wearing the nude colored ones. Then again, no I won't.

So as I continue to wait on my eticket, for my next long trip to my new home in Abu Dhabi, I will be purchasing some fashionable compression socks for traveling.  Hopefully, my foot won't look like a water balloon and my toes won't look like lil smokies sausages on the flight across the Big Pond to the Sand Box in August.  

Gramps and Mimi's House

Now I'm feeling more excited as time keeps winding down and Abu Dhabi is closer than ever.  So I am once again living with my parents, now known as Gramps and Mimi.  Mind you, when I left to move to Georgia, almost 13 years ago, that was not the case. 

Side Note:  Please pray for me as I am over 30, have lived by myself for many years and don't exactly know how long it will be before I start feeling some kind of way about my temporary home at home.  Yall know how that is.  Don't start looking sideways like you don't know what I'm talking about.  I just wonder how long it will be before I become the Honey Do Girl, Errand Girl, You Ain't Doing Nothing But Waiting So Do This Girl, etc.  :/  I'm just saying! :-)

My nieces and nephew are also here staying at Gramps and Mimi's House for a few weeks while on summer break from school.  My sister, their mother (of two of them), is at her home chilling like a fat rat with a giant hunk of cheddar cheese right next to her, while her precious ones are up until midnight singing gospel to the top of their lungs, eating snacks every 12 to 18 minutes, playing the Wii, arguing, crying, and pointing fingers at each other every time Auntie (me) comes in the room with a yard stick, threatening to get to chopping them to sleep.  You know, just doing what kids do.  Oh, and we were also blessed with a late night pajamas concert from the kids who decided to sing like the choir did at church this morning.  HILARIOUS!  I got it on video and will get my laugh on many times by watching that in Abu Dhabi.  These kids are a trip!!  Gotta love the lil crumb snatchers. 

The End

June 30, 2012 marked the end of an era of my life.  I really felt free as I drove away from Georgia and headed to my hometown in South Carolina.  Whew!  At one point, I was feeling like I couldn't ever get out of Georgia.  Straight aggravation!  I managed to keep it together and did a "woosah" to keep it moving.  It was all happening that way by design, but I just moved on.

We had a good run Atlanta and the surrounding areas in which I worked, lived, and played.  However, the book has been written and "The End" is inscribed in the back cover.  I've met some good people there, even up until the last couple of months of my tour.  I also had the opposite and wanted to rip those people a new one.  Since jail time would not allow me to continue with my new life in Abu Dhabi, I decided to just pray for those that know not what they do.  So I let go and I am not kidding when I say I am happy to be done with that!  My life in Atlanta was not bad at all, don't get me wrong.  I loved it there most of the time, liked it there some of the time, and wanted time away from the tomfoolery a little of the time.  I guess I should say when you know it's time to leave a place, you know.  There were no tears, no second thoughts, and no regrets about leaving the A, which further confirms I am absolutely on the right path.  

Goodbye to the old life!  Hello to my new life, new cultural experiences, new opportunities, new people to meet, new places to go, new book, new chapter, new beginning!

God Don't Like Ugly

Where there is opportunity, there is opposition.  I finally sold my car today after a few weeks of hesitation, going back and forth on offers, and I can't begin to talk about how many little "deals" I thought I had that panned out to be "No Deals".  I am glad this part of the process is over.  The transaction wasn't as painful as I thought maybe it would've been. It did have it's share of moments when I thought I might have to bust out some Jujitsu on folk, or a least rip them a new one!  I think a big black belt to just whip some rass would do it.

So, here's what happened.  Said buyer, test drives my car and brings it back.  Buyer is disappointed that there is something new wrong with the car not noticed before.  It is dripping alot of oil!  There was a nice steady drip of oil too.  By this time I think I was trying to retract the horns I felt growing out of the sides of my head.

Oh hell no it was not dripping oil until you took it somewhere and brought it back. <---That was my reaction.  Boy stop!

God don't like ugly!  

Needless to say, I held my ground and stuck with my asking price.  In my mind I was thinking: You better go back down the street and tighten up what you loosened.  That oil dripping = $100 off the asking price in his mind.  Excuse me while I laugh!  Did he cause the dripping oil I have NEVER seen in the 3 years I've owned the car?  I don't know, but in the order of things, it's not looking like he didn't cause that leaking foolishness on purpose to get me to lower the price of car yet another $100 or $200.  Uhm...No!  I neglected to mention that said Buyer planned on reselling the car to a new owner, which I had no problem with and I'm not knocking the hustle, just don't try to low ball me and shit me so you can make twice as much as you bought it for.  I was already $600 lower than my original asking price.  Seriously?  I think I'm too nice.  Anyway.

It is just a shame how people think they can just get over on you and you're not supposed to know.  To make a long story short, I sold the car "As Is" and he went on his way.  Sometimes people just don't realize who they are calling themselves trying to run the okey doke on.  Be that as it may, I was able to sell the car and move on with my packing, selling, giving, or throwing away operation.  For this I am thankful to God.

Like I said before, God don't like ugly.  Don't play with or test it.  You will lose one hundred times more than you tried to gain using your evil ways.  You reap what you sow and Karma is a mean azz Heffa!  God don't like ugly, but He gives you a chance and forgives.  Karma don't care and she forgets nothing.  You will pay, good or bad, either way.

Thank you and good night!

Destination: Abu Dhabi

On Sunday I got an email to complete my travel form.  It's on like popcorn now!  This form is what will be used to process my work visa in Abu Dhabi.  I needed to use my passport to complete the form and I'm not even going to talk about how the form didn't match the information on my passport.  I already said some choice cussing words about that on Sunday.  I even had to go get some retail therapy after all of that and bought two cute dresses!  I have yet to purchase an abaya.  Anyway, it's supposed to take six to eight weeks to get your work visa paperwork processed and ready.

I am beyond excited about this new chapter of my life.  Sometimes I just break out singing.  I can't really help it.  I just do it and laugh at myself later.  Indeed, I am feeling some kind of blessed lately.  I've even catch myself dancing in the mirror on the regular just because I'm walking by!  The happy glow is all over my face and my teeth are always showing.  No need to say cheese!

Everyday this is becoming more real for me.  I think I will really start believing I'm leaving, dancing, singing and cutting up, once I get those plane tickets with my name on it.  Destination:  Abu Dhabi.