Royalty

When we arrived in Chicago we looked around and took in the sights. We knew we had to be at Gate M but we were not sure what Terminal that was in. We asked someone and got a general sense of where to go. Turns out you have to go out of the arrival area even though signs say in bold YOU ARE LEAVING THE SECURE AREA. We went out, went up an escalator, crossed a bridge, down an escalator and then we boarded a Train that would take us to Terminal 5. We arrived and had to back through the TSA check. I'm glad that we didn't wait to do all of this because others had to endure lines. Once we went through security we decided to get a little snack before our 13 hour flight. I ordered pizza and Mike got smoked salmon pasta. Both tasted great!

We had to show our passports and boarding passes again at the service counter and then we waited in line based on our zone. Once our zone was called we were directed to our seats. At our seats were a pillow, headphones, cover, a small tube of tooth paste and toothbrush combo, and sleep mask. This was everything that was needed to have an enjoyable flight. We buckled up, got comfortable and plugged in our headphones so we could watch the complimentary movies. We were also able to see exactly what the pilots saw.

For such a long flight, I felt like we were being fed every 2-3 hours. I wasn't able to capture a picture of every meal but I did get one. That was grilled salmon and white rice, strawberries and blackberries, grilled veggies, rice cake, and water. It was pretty good.

Overall, I slept and watched movies during the entire flight. Once we landed instead of going through a tunnel like walkway we had to disembark from the plane using the steps. As soon as we stepped out we were greeted by 115 degree weather.

A bus then took us to the airport where as soon as we got off we were welcomed with signs that said ADEC Teachers and we were given lanyards to wear to help them identify us.

We were then fast tracked through immigration and customs where they stamped our Passports and my Work Visa and we had to complete an eye scan. This will be the first of many stamps that I add to my Passport. Many Vets told us to take a picture of our stamped passport and work VISA because once I got to the hotel they would take my passport and I did just that.

After this process we went to look for our bags. This was not hard at all because we were given Bag Porters to help us retrieve them. Once we got all of our bags and Mike's golf clubs our Bag Porter rolled our bags and walked with us to meet the other part of our group. While we waited for everyone to make it through all the steps Mike went to get us Sim Cards for our phones. Everything in the UAE is tied to your phone number and we had to have this in place before my orientation which begins on Sunday. We were then ushered outside and our bags went on one truck and we went on a bus. We were only riding for about 15-20 minutes when we pulled up to the Park Rotana which would be our home until we are assigned our permanent location.

Inside of our welcome packet were our room keys, orientation agenda, and a few drink vouchers. We are happy with how everything has gone and I cannot wait to begin exploring my new country! ​

Be Kind to one Another and Be Uniquely You