When people back home find out that we've moved to Dubai, one of the first things they usually say is "Wow! What an adventure!" Which of course, was exactly what we thought when we decided to come here. But really, I had no idea what that actually meant.
And now, every day/week I feel like I am living that statement. The travel opportunities are fantastic, but the *real* adventure of moving over here seems to be rooted in living with so much unfamiliarity and unpredictability. There are so many instances where our previous experience/common knowledge simply does not apply. And so we have to start over and learn everything again, one task at a time. It pushes us beyond our comfort zones, teaches us new things about each other/ourselves/everyone else, provides fresh lessons on humility, and is a huge exercise in patience. But most of all, it's made me more grateful. As Em from one of my favorite blogs (Today's Letters) often says, "Gratitude makes everything enough."
I couldn't agree with her more.
So, because I'm feeling all thankful and gushy, here's a short list of what I'm grateful for lately:
Sven got a second opinion on his car from the Volvo dealer, and they fixed it for $54 instead of the many thousands we were quoted by the first mechanic.
After 6 days of no running water, the water pump has finally been replaced! While I am oddly proud of us for hanging in there, let's just say I am really happy it's back on. I won't take running water for granted again, like ever.
This guy, a million times over. In 17 years he's only ever been extraordinarily kind to me. Right now, this minute - he came all the way downstairs to deal with a spider that is 2 feet away from me. I'm so grateful that he still likes me and that we still got it.
Yay running water!
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