Things I've noticed in the past week, settling in:
1. My driving skills have taken a hit. I remember consciously toning down the aggression while I was in the US but I need to get it back, FAST.
2. Grocery shopping is out to get me. In support of my new intention to shop at a much smaller, much closer grocery store (because grocery shopping sucks the life out of me), I went to the Spinney's in Mirdif and stocked up on one particular item that no one else sells so I won't have to go there again for a long time. Then I went to Carrefour and saw the same thing there, for the very first time, for half the price. Smart shopping FAIL.
3. But yeah, there is this new little shopping center in the community and I am really excited to do my shopping there instead of having to drive all the way to Ajman or Mirdif. I'm sure the small grocery store there won't have everything, all the time, but not even the big markets do so I'm determined to just deal with it.
4. Jet lag going east is AWFUL. A few days last week, we were getting up for the day at 2, 3, 4am. And a nap doesn't solve anything, either. You either sleep too long and undo any progress you've made, or wake up not knowing who/where/why you are. Or both.
5. It's good to be home! One of the first things the girls requested upon arrival was a dance party. We even went on iTunes and bought five American songs that we heard all summer so we can retain our nationality in good faith.
6. It's also nice to finally know what day of the week it is. The Islamic work week (Sunday-Thursday, with a Friday/Saturday weekend) takes a lot of getting used to. So it was really hard to become un-used to it this summer in the US. I swear to you, most of the time there I did not know what day it was. It's nice to go to church on Fridays again.
1. My driving skills have taken a hit. I remember consciously toning down the aggression while I was in the US but I need to get it back, FAST.
2. Grocery shopping is out to get me. In support of my new intention to shop at a much smaller, much closer grocery store (because grocery shopping sucks the life out of me), I went to the Spinney's in Mirdif and stocked up on one particular item that no one else sells so I won't have to go there again for a long time. Then I went to Carrefour and saw the same thing there, for the very first time, for half the price. Smart shopping FAIL.
3. But yeah, there is this new little shopping center in the community and I am really excited to do my shopping there instead of having to drive all the way to Ajman or Mirdif. I'm sure the small grocery store there won't have everything, all the time, but not even the big markets do so I'm determined to just deal with it.
4. Jet lag going east is AWFUL. A few days last week, we were getting up for the day at 2, 3, 4am. And a nap doesn't solve anything, either. You either sleep too long and undo any progress you've made, or wake up not knowing who/where/why you are. Or both.
5. It's good to be home! One of the first things the girls requested upon arrival was a dance party. We even went on iTunes and bought five American songs that we heard all summer so we can retain our nationality in good faith.
6. It's also nice to finally know what day of the week it is. The Islamic work week (Sunday-Thursday, with a Friday/Saturday weekend) takes a lot of getting used to. So it was really hard to become un-used to it this summer in the US. I swear to you, most of the time there I did not know what day it was. It's nice to go to church on Fridays again.