[ one week! ]

I CAN'T believe that we've only got one week left here in Dubai! Time is flying by and we'll be boarding the plane in no time. It's incredible how many odds and ends there are to wrap up ~ hours spent sitting in utility, municipal offices and banks to make sure that everything is closed off properly, money is wired home, letters obtained stating you owe nothing, etc. I thought arriving here was complicated but leaving is just as involved.

Amongst all this running around, it's given me plenty of time to dream about some of the little things I'm looking forward to back in Canada...

1. Normal street addresses ~ buildings with numbers, streets with names, giving and getting directions without having to think of a landmark

2. A decent hotdog, real bacon, good pizza with real pepperoni

3. No more bad B.O.

4. Walking through a mall without the heavy stench of incense burning through the corridor or people trying to spray you with perfume from every storefront

5. Target and Walmart ~ silly how you take these things for granted until you don't have them

6. Fresh fruit and vegetables that don't require a mortgage and stay fresh for longer than an hour

7. Shopping in a store without a clerk following 2 paces behind

8. No more converting dirhams to dollars in my head

9. A postal system that works and will actually deliver a package to me and not disappear

10. Customer service ~ whether in person or on the phone, someone who understands what I'm saying and can actually provide an answer  

11. Normal driving ~ no one riding your bumper and flashing their lights for you to move, or backing up on the highway because they've missed their exit, or driving in the middle of 2 lanes

12. Being in the same time zone as our friends and family

13. Nature ~ breathing fresh air, the smell of grass, trees, 4 seasons, even a thunderstorm

14. Friendly people ~ a smile from a stranger

It's certainly the little things that make all the difference. And in seven days, my dreams will all come true.

lisa

[via laurenconrad.com]