Safe and Sound

26 hours later and here I am. The trip in was a bit of a journey, but well worth the wait! The weekend was full of surprises, starting with an impromptu visit from Daniela, who arrived on Friday morning in the midst of my last minute errands and packing. We had a fantastic evening with my parents, including a stellar bottle of '99 Lan Rioja (reserva) that I had been saving for a special occasion and some home videos that we cozied up and watched on my parents' bed. Daniela helped me pack the last of my things and I was ready to go for my flight on Saturday. Who should I see at the airport immediately after deplaning in Chicago? none other than Alexa, who somehow managed to talk her way through security and spend the 2 1/2 hour layover with me over margaritas and lots of laughter. I am still in disbelief that she was able to get through, but she is probably the only person I would ever have predicted could pull it off. The best leg of my trip was from London to Dubai - the British Airways crew was unbelievably friendly and their flights encourage consumption of alcohol, which I rightly needed with the little sleep I got on the flight to London. I was knocked out for a while and awoke to the Dubai skyline, with its unbelievable Las Vegas-lit glow and hazy cloud overhead from the humidity and heat that would slap us in the face once on the ground. Passport control took an hour, with HUNDREDS of people in line from all over the world. They say Dubai attracts 25,000 new residents a month, and I can understand why after my experience upon arriving.

Alane, the company's liaison, was there to greet me with our driver and we took a pleasant drive through the desert with the windows down to the villa. I arrived home around 2 am and we pulled through the cast iron gates into the compound. The house is charming, with a courtyard and a spacious living room upon entering. Connected to the living room off to the right is the kitchen, with wrap around counter space, granite counter tops, and lots of light. Through a second set of sliding doors are the bedrooms- during our orientation period we are sharing rooms, which I don't mind. We each have queen size beds and lots of room to move around. Each room is attached to its own bathroom, complete with a bidet and large shower. The apartment has IKEA style furniture, including the bookshelves and entertainment center in our living room. We are taken care of by a Turkish man named Hassan who serves as our cook and house keeper - he is around 30, great disposition, and very friendly. Today he is going to take me to the beach once I recover from my jet lag. It looks like this living arrangement is temporary until we are a bit more tenured with the company - by the spring we will likely have our own apartments and we should be getting our own cars soon as well. I will be sure to post pictures once I am settled. Hopefully no later than this evening..