The Final Countdown

Happy New Year!

This week has been all over the place but the best way to start the new year.  Let's just say if the rest of the year is like these last 7 days it is going to be an epic year. I feel like everything is in hyper-mode since the semester is ending (finally, I just finished classes today and everyone at Dartmouth started the new term yesterday) and we are trying to get everything in. But like I said before, I guess I will just sleep once I leave the UAE. :)

I am sure that you are all aware that Dubai was quite the place to be on New Year's Eve. Shutting down main high ways, lighting up the world's tallest building and breaking world records: It was far from a normal New Year's Eve. We left AUS before 3pm to get groceries for the party and to change because the main high way from Sharjah to Dubai was most likely going to be shut down at 5pm. Yes, they shut down highways and essentially every road in downtown Dubai (especially around the Burj Khalifa) because there were so many people no cars could get through even if the roads were open. Fortunately, we got to the apartment where the party was before it got crazy so we were not stuck in traffic like a lot of people were. We spent the time leading up to the countdown just talking, dancing, hanging out and enjoying being in Dubai. At about 11:50pm we went out on the balcony to watch the fireworks at the Burj Khalifa. The apartment we were at was incredibly close to the Burj and I cannot really explain how amazing the fireworks so hopefully you will get the idea from the videos and pictures.

Why hello Burj Khalifa

Lots of people let the apartment complex to watch the fireworks

ALMOST MIDNIGHT

Our view after the fireworks show :)

 Sorry it is sideways, and ignore the audio

After the fireworks we stayed around for a while longer. At one point everyone was super tired and one of my friends said, "Guys we need to live in the moment, Tanya is leaving soon and we may not get to hang out again." That is when it really first hit me. A new year meant the end of my time here. It is so strange that my entire 2013 was focused on my study abroad trip- between picking programs, applying, thinking I was going to AUC, changing last minute, coming to AUS, and having the most amazing semester- 2013 was all about the one thing that was coming to an end now that it was 2014. I tried to not think about it too much because I still had two weeks at that point. I had the most amazing New Year's Eve with some amazing friends and am so glad I got to experience an excessive New Years in Dubai.

The next day after a few hours of sleep I woke up to go to the desert with my team. Since the semester is ending we wanted to have a team get together before everyone got busy with finals and such. It was perfect. We grilled lots of amazing food for lunch and sat around and talked for hours. At one point we were all sitting around the fire and our team captain started talking to us all. She said that they wanted to get together one last time as a team to hang out with me and to say how much they would miss me. Then one of my friends starts walking towards me with a box. The captain continues to say how they got me a gift so I would always remember them. It was a pure gold necklace that has my name spelled in Arabic. It is perfect. It is more than perfect. I am so blessed by this team and the thought of having to leave them soon is a little too much but I am thankful for the time we have had. When I was going around giving them all hugs and thanking them I almost cried but pulled it together because it is too early to start crying from goodbyes haha

Greatest gift...LOVE IT

Game faces are a must

So thankful for them

These girls are the greatest and I am so blessed to call them my family :)

Thursday was the goodbye dinner with IXO (get used to hearing about goodbye dinners/parties/etc because they are nonstop from now until I leave). It was great to be with the other exchange students again and to just hang out after the craziness of New Years.

IXO dinner with some great Americans :)

Iranian bread oven

Once we got back to AUS I decided to go to the desert again with some friends. This time was super laid back and full of incredibly deep conversations. I am really going to miss the desert.

I really love fires in the desert

Brought my friend Katie to experience in on the fun

Fast forward a bit to this week. Since this is the last week before finals it is nonstop socializing. Sunday we went to a sushi place in Dubai where it was all you can eat and had a conveyer belt that brought the sushi around. It was amazing. It was also a little disgusting the amount we ate, I had 24 pieces but my friend somehow ate 40. Unreal.

First Dubai cop car/sports car I've seen

The next day we went to HardRock Cafe and had a good ol' American meal. It is funny how my last day in the States I had a burger because I did not know when I would have one again and once getting here I realized I can eat American food anytime I want (except pork that is).

This meal was heavenly

This week was not only the countdown to 2014 but has been a the beginning of the final countdown to leaving the UAE. Classes are officially over and I am only 8 days away from leaving Sharjah. It is unreal. This semester has meant the world to me and I can't believe that it has been 5 months since I first got here. I am not really sure what else to say about it or even if I want to quite yet so I am going to be cliche and say what I told myself my last few weeks in Italy when I studied abroad with AFS.

"What do you do when time is not on your side, make the most of it."