It's About That Time

Is it possible to feel nostalgic for a feeling? Like a deep longing for a time or feeling that you once had, not a particular thing but something bigger yet more...abstract? 

For the past week or so I've had the feeling that I was missing something but couldn't quite put my finger on what it was. It felt like I should be doing something but I didn't know what. Then I got the urge to bake a turkey. And make soup. And bake caramel apple poke cakes. Alright, maybe I was just hungry but cooking and eating all those things, don't judge me, only got me a little closer to identifying that feeling.

It wasn't until I was sitting in a cafe drinking a latte and reading an article from the newspaper back home about fall foliage that I was able to put a finger on what I had been missing, fall! Normally, at home the month of September means three things: going back to school, my birthday, and cooler weather. It's a time of change that I really look forward to. There are certain things that you can only do during the fall. Apple picking, watching the leaves change, trading summer clothes for sweaters and boots, turning off the ac and opening windows, wearing darker colors, drinking hot chocolate...all of those are like my favorite things. There is nothing like going for an afternoon drive through the hills and valleys of central New York with nothing but sunshine and shades of red, yellow, and orange to guide you. The smell of fires burning, the slight chill in the air, an A&W rootbeer float in my belly. I'm sounding like quite the fat girl in this post but you can't deny that those things all sound great.

But since there are no apple trees, pumpkin patches, A&W rootbeer, or deciduous forests in Abu Dhabi, and the average low temperature for this week is 82, what is a girl to do? Well, I'm pretty good at making lemonade out of lemons so I decided to plan a trip to Europe to experience winter :) I'm feeling like Amsterdam or Milan are due to be graced by my presence very soon.

In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy these fall foliage pictures that I found on google because I'm a nerd like that.

33 and Still Learning

God is still working on me.

I mean, I think I do pretty well on a day to day but there are still some things I could use some work on. Like my patience. I do a pretty good job of keeping up a calm exterior most of the time but when things don't go according to plan I'm like a ball of nerves on the inside. Call me crazy but I like being in control of the things that happen to and around me. Well, God had plans for me to exercise patience for my birthday, and now having gone through it I can say I'm glad He did.

Here's how it all happened.

I made a promise to myself on my last birthday that this one would be better, so I began planning for it two months in advance. Spending your birthday in an empty apartment, with no cake, candles, or ice cream, all alone and crying, thousands of miles away from anyone or thing you love really makes one determined not to have that happen again. So I made plans to go some place where I could do all the things I love; mainly eating good food, relaxing on the beach, and if I could squeeze in some time with animals a giraffe, all the better.

After some searching, I found a small island right off the coast of Abu Dhabi that had all 3 of those things! Sir Bani Yas island was established as a nature reserve a few decades ago by Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan and is home to several animals that were previously close to extinction. You can read more about the island here.

So I planned a nice two day weekend there for my birthday, which was timed perfectly to fall on the weekend right after school started, when I would absolutely need a nice relaxing break. That's where my patience work began. It started with my date running late for our ride and flight to the airport, patience test #1. We actually made it there on time, only to wait 3 hours to be told that the flight was cancelled because of a sandstorm. Patience test #2.

Not gonna lie, in all the confusion of flights being cancelled and trying to find my luggage that had been checked, I did cry in the bathroom a little bit, but at that point it was not my birthday yet. Thank God for having another person there to keep me calm and help think things through clearly. Understandably, everyone was upset at the lack of communication from the airline and several other people were also celebrating their birthdays. What a way to start a new year of life.

I have had the worst luck at airports this year. I hope that is a trend that does not continue.

I really wanted to go home and cry some more in my bed, but we decided to share a taxi with another couple to get to the ferry that would take us to the island. Two hours later, we made it. Not the best road trip I've ever taken, but it was definitely worth it.

Look at that view! I imagine this might be what heaven looks like. After such a stressful day this view was more than welcome, and the staff at the resort made it even better. They were so friendly and accommodating and really attended to every need we had, starting with booking reservations for dinner. I forgot to take any pictures, but we ate at the hotel's Arabic food restaurant and I had what was probably the best chicken soup of my life.

The next day was my birthday and we spent it by the pool, right after we had a huge breakfast at the international buffet. This was another meal that was probably one of the best in my life. Most hotels have pretty plain, predictable breakfasts but this one had all of my favorites, including hash browns, made to order omelets, a pastry bar, fresh fruit and watermelon juice.

Then we headed over to the pool to enjoy a few hours of sunshine and ocean views. I've said before how much I love the beach, and even though we didn't actually go in it, it was still so relaxing to hear the waves crashing and birds chirping.

I could get used to this

That night we had dinner at another of the hotel's restaurants, but once again I forgot to take any pictures. I guess my memories will have to suffice :)

On Saturday, we filled up on more hash browns and watermelon juice and then went on a safari since my only requirement of the weekend was that I get to see a giraffe. Sir Bani Yas has a nature reserve that is home to thousands of animals, so we arranged for a wildlife ride through the park. Our guide was a nice lady who told us all about the history of the island and the animals there. On our first stop to look at some sand gazelles I noticed a giraffe hiding by some trees and knew it was going to be a good trip.

Sand gazelles having breakfast

Sheep trying to stay cool

About halfway through our ride the guide asked if we wanted to take some selfies with a giraffe and parked the car and let us get out. She didn't really tell us where the giraffe would be, so we were kind of just walking along and all of a sudden there was this huge animal standing quietly by a tree.

Only a tiny bit intimidating! They kind of just stand there peacefully, which is about all you can really do in that kind of heat. I'm still a little in shock that I was so close to my favorite animal. Mark that off my bucket list!!! I really wanted to hug them but it would've been more like me hugging their kneecaps and them possibly kicking me. 

Our last stop was to look for one of the islands cheetahs. There are five, but we only were able to see one that they had in a separate area for his yearly medical exams. His name was Cuba.

Finally it was time to go back to the hotel to wait for our afternoon flight, so we decided to spend it by the pool (and I tried not to worry about our flight being cancelled again and another 2 hour taxi ride).

Luckily our flight wasn't cancelled and after a short 20 minutes in the air we were back in Abu Dhabi and not so ready to start the work week.

All in all I couldn't have asked for a better birthday and I hope all my future birthdays are just as amazing, insha'allah :)