Finally the Journey Begins

 

1st Day of Work

Greetings All,

I’m so excited about starting this blog and embarking on another international adventure.  For those of you who don’t know, I have accepted a one-year assignment with Mercator (formerly a division of Emirates Airlines).  Initially I was concerned about accepting an assignment in Dubai because those of you who know me know I cannot be in the sun.  Seriously!  And, its not just because I don’t like the heat (I HATE to sweat) or that I don’t need a tan. 

I am allergic to the sun.  Honest to God truth.  If I stay in the direct sunlight, these nasty little bumps multiply and it’s not a pretty sight.  There are areas on my body, like my hands, where the bumps permanently reside.  SMH.  My mother tried to keep my out of the sun when I was little, but I was a child.  As an adult, I have mastered the art of staying out of the sun!

But anywho, I was delayed in my arrival to Dubai because of a pesky little thyroid problem.  I had no idea I had a problem with my thyroid until it threw my heart into Atrial fibrillation.  That certainly caught my attention and the timing couldn’t have been better (or should I say worse).  It was right before I was scheduled to leave for Dubai. 

I ended up going to the emergency room and I was quite annoyed by the inconvenience.  The last thing in the world I wanted to do was go to the emergency room and wait for a million hours for them to give me a pill and let me go.  Almost immediately after I arrived, I realized that was not going to be the case.  After a quick EKG, I was informed that I was going to be admitted into the hospital.  WTH!  I immediately let them know that I needed to get on a plane to Dubai.  No one was amused. 

I ended up being in the hospital for four days!  It took three days for my heart to come out of Afib and another day for the doctors to feel comfortable that I was really out.  SMH.  As I was departing the hospital, I had to ask the doctors when they thought I could schedule my trip.  None of the residents could look me in the eye and give me a straight answer.  Finally the attending came in and told me it would be at least a month before they could give me the okay to start my journey. AAAHHHH!!!  Now I was not amused. 

I had follow up appointments with the Cardiologist, Endocrinologist and the Ophthalmologist.  Whew!  Of course medicine came with two of the three visits.  I made sure I had enough to hold me over until my next trip home in August.  Two days before my scheduled departure, I got the final okay from the Cardiologist to take the trip.  Ha! 

The funny thing is, when I got on the plane and it was ready to take off, a voice in the back of my head said, “Are you sure this is a good idea?” Shut Up!!  Well, I made it to Dubai safely and with minimal discomfort.   I was completely exhausted when I got here, so I slept almost all of Saturday.  My body was very grateful. 

The most ironic thing about this hyperthyroid condition I have is the fact that, it speeds up everything in the body (they consider the thyroid the motor of the body). In addition to speeding your heart up to dangerous levels and increasing the possibility of throwing a blood clot, I suffer from heat intolerance! LOL. It is so not funny though.  When the plane was landing in Dubai at 10:45PM, the temperature was 96 degrees.  WTH! 

As I experienced my first Sunday workday (the work week is Sunday through Thursday), the temperature reached a mild 102 degrees.  WhooHoo!  This promises to be an interesting experience.  The one thing that I find refreshing is that the people here don’t pretend like it’s not hot.  You know how the in the US, those who live in the south act like the people from up north just can’t deal with the heat?  Well, the people I’ve met in Dubai go to work at the crack of dawn to avoid the heat, some carry umbrellas and they quickly inform you that the short walk YOU THINK won’t be a problem is unwise. LOL

I hope you all take this journey with me through the Middle East.  I will tell you later why it looks like I will be going to other countries (safe ones) in the Middle East.  Although I am late with this week’s entry, I intend to post on Saturdays.  Dubai is 8 hours ahead of the east coast, so I should be able to keep the commitment.  On that note, I will see you all next week.  Stay cool. J

Always Curious,

Della Rochelle

Copyright © 2014 by Della R. Williams