Welcome to my new blog: 'Desert, ice and all things nice'.
I'm Maria and I'm formerly a desert girl. Having lived in Dubai for 29 years of my life, I can proudly say that I grew up in a city, that grew up with me. Does that make sense?
In a fast-paced city like Dubai, a city within the United Arab Emirates, which is further situated in the Middle East - its unlike anything else.
Not that I've seen enough of the world yet, but I've read, seen and learnt enough to know that Dubai is different. From its diverse population to its twinkling skyscrapers, there's history, culture, opportunities and so much more for any average person to discover. In the last 29 years that I've been there, I've seen it change. Every. Single. Day.
The most frustrating thing was probably my GPS re-routing when I'd travel to the same location, because there's always construction of some kind going on. I'd get pretty flustered in the moment, but eventually when the construction would finish, my reaction would change to appreciation. Shaking my head, agreeing with the Road & Transport Authority (RTA) thinking, 'Wow, this makes so much sense now'.
Keep Calm And Be An Adult
I remember this one time, driving with my then-boss. I had recently started driving on the roads of Dubai (even though I had my own car for a while - that's another blog post you'll have to wait for) and we had to go for a meeting to one of our hotel properties that was about 40-45 minutes away in a part of town I don't normally visit.
We planned our trip out to the T and decided to leave an hour and a half before the meeting was due to start - given the last time I got lost going there by myself previously. About 30 minutes in the GPS started going WHACKO. I, to no surprise, lost my way and my beloved Irish-boss told me in a very calm (I heard the anxiety in her voice though) manner, "How about we leave the car somewhere, and take a taxi to the hotel?".
I wasn't ready to give up and told her that I couldn't abandon my car in the desert. In my mind I kept thinking, 'What if someone stole it?'. But let's be honest. It was a light pink Peugeot 205 - NO ONE was looking to steal it a pink marshmallow-looking car.
I took a deep breath, channeled all my thoughts into being a mature adult, and said 'I'm going to figure this out.' Which I did. We finally reached the hotel, and after that I honestly don't recall my boss sitting with me in the car ever again.
Lots more stories to come
This blog is about love, family, growing up in an incredible city, navigating health crises, moving to another end of the world and more. If you are somewhere in the same boat as me, join me in my journey of laughter, happiness, tears and lessons that changed me.
Bye for now!
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