Serendipity

I meant to write in this blog about leaving the United Arab Emirates for almost a year now, I left in December 2021, after nearly 8 years. I plan to return one day, the people and the culture really suit me. It's very international, more so than NYC. There are drawbacks, but in general I felt the work I did there had a lot of value and I connected with a lot of people I never would have met in the US. Erik wanted me to join him in the United States, so I stayed in Florida for about 8 months. We travelled and I was a substitute teacher. I feel lucky on the timing that I was offered a few really good jobs, but the best offer was again abroad, in Guangzhou China. I have a new blog about my experiences in China, you can follow here: https://gzjournal.blogspot.com/ The hyperlink isn't working, but find me @GZjournal on Blogspot, or https://www.instagram.com/gz_melanie Other than connecting with some of my family during this time, a good thing about being in the US was that Erik and I finally hiked the Grand Canyon. He ended up on crutches on our previous attempt in 2013. This time we did a down and back in one day, which was very difficult, but it was an amazing adventure. The desert landscapes of the United Arab Emirates are similar to the cosmic feeling of the biggest wadi in the world. Also going in April with the flowers blooming gave that fresh feeling of hiking in the UAE mountains after a rain. I feel that I am always very lucky, because the week after we did our hike there was a very bad Noro virus outbreak and many people who were in the Grand Canyon became very ill.

I will probably blog here again because I have so many wonderful memories from the Arab Gulf region. Snorkeling in Oman, dancing all night at clubs in Dubai, eating at posh restaurants that are unlike any other in the world. I will share my old memories and update when I go for a visit in the future. For now, check me out in Guangzhou!