The Pursuit of Happiness

As the school year comes to a close, I find myself looking forward to returning to the U.S. for the summer. Going home will be good for my soul. After two months in the states, I hope to feel refreshed, renewed, and ready to return to the Emirates for one final year before moving back home permanently to start a new career working with visually impaired and blind children.

Although I still have one more year to go before I complete my contractual obligation, surprisingly, I find myself having mixed feelings about returning home for good . While I truly believe that my new profession will be personally rewarding - much more so than the job I'm currently doing - after living rent, utilities, and tax free for the last 19 months, I admit that have become spoiled. Returning home means that I will have to buy a car, pay rent/mortgage, utilities, and taxes. Not only will my disposable income will be significantly reduced once all my expenses are paid, my ability to save money will be significantly reduced as well....as will my ability to travel.

In spite of some of the restrictions that come with living in an a society where Islam is the dominant religion, the middle east (aside from Iraq, Lebanon, and Palestine/Israel) is a very safe place to work and earn some decent money. Case in point: Last year, while traveling through Jordan, I met a woman who had been teaching in Oman for two years. At the end of her contract, she confided to me that she was returning to the U.S. with $50,000 in savings. Her only regret was that she didn't save up more. Last year, during an interview for a teaching job (which I didn't get), the principal told me that some of the teachers at his school had managed to save up to $100,000. The principal of my school is using her earnings to pay of the mortgages on two homes - one in her native New Zealand, and the other in Thailand. Other colleagues say that they are using their salaries to pay off their mortgages or credit card debts....

Dollar signs flash across my eyes in threes when I calculate the amount of money that I could save up if I continued to work in this part of the world for a few more years. Yet, in my heart, I know that I would not be 100% happy if I stayed longer that I should. Besides, no matter how much money I managed to save, it would never be enough. Life is about making choices and being able to adapt and change. The quality of one's life is dependent upon making wise choices that will result in optimal happiness.

Here's to the pursuit of happiness...

Forget the mall...let's go to the souk!

Note: photos for this post are incomplete and will be added on an ongoing basis...

When it comes to shopping in the middle east, I prefer to visit the local Souks, or markets that are known for selling traditional items at a fraction of the cost that you would purchase them for at a mall. Also, the cultural experience of shopping in a Souk - which is full of the sights, sounds, and smells of the host country's way of life, far surpasses walking past tons of the same old stores and shops that I can see in just about any mall in the U.S. There are tons of malls in L.A. with the same designer clothes with the same inflated price tags. Rather than buying an outfit that I can get at home, I prefer something unique and special from the region that I live.

Therefore, I am always on the lookout for some reasonably priced unique, exotic, and beautiful item that I can decorate my condo with when I return to Southern California. Browsing through the Souks in Egypt, I came across a beautifully handmade, mother of pearl, backgammon/chess game that I bargained for and purchased for about $25 dollars.

When I go back home, I want people to know that I've lived abroad. I want to be the topic of conversation amongst passersby when I walk down the street wearing my middle eastern clothes, and Egyptian cartouche - with my name written in gold hieroglypics. I want people to notice the smell of my Nefertiti perfume and say, "That perfume you're wearing smells wonderful! What's the name, and where did you buy it?

To be continued....