Just A Quick Introduction

Let's see...

I've spent much more time than I probably should have trying to find a way to keep this first post as un-embarrassing as possible. I'd love to skip this step all together but it's got to happen sometime and like they say first impressions are everything right? So I'll do my best to keep things interesting and maybe you'll actually be able to stay awake while reading this.

My name is Tyler. Hmm weird name for a girl you might say. Apparently it's a pretty hard concept to grasp considering that from 2nd to 5th grade most of my teachers called me Taylor despite the numerous times I corrected them. My parents got the name from surfer girl Tyler Endicott in the movie Point Break (points to them for being original I guess). Ironically enough I can't surf and I pretty much hate the ocean so way to go on that one mom and dad.

I was born in Chesapeake, Virginia and lived there until 7th grade which is when my family and I moved to Abu Dhabi. Before moving I really had no clue what the world outside of America was like. Heck I had never left the East Coast before, let alone the country! I was pretty sheltered as a kid seeing as I had attended a Christian Private school my entire life. When I first heard I was moving to the Middle East I had no idea of what to expect. Am I going to ride a camel to school? Does anyone there speak English? Is there even McDonalds?! These were just some of the very important questions that raced through my head at the time. I arrived in Abu Dhabi in December and I remember thinking "Pshh it's not even that hot". Let's just say I learned my lesson a short couple of months later when I walked outside and thought I was actually on fire because there was no way it could actually be that hot.

Culture shock: a sense of confusion and uncertainty sometimes with mixed feelings of anxiety that may affect people exposed to an alien culture or environment without adequate preparation

Moving to Abu Dhabi was less like a culture shock and more like a culture slap in the face. Of course instead of having time to get adjusted I was thrown straight into school. I somehow made it to almost all the right classes on the first day despite some crazy jet lag. I say almost because I still remember the fear and cringe-worthy embarrassment I felt after accidentally walking into the advanced Arabic class. The teacher launched into rapid fire Arabic, leaving me at a loss for words considering I had no idea what his meant. The frozen look of terror on my face must have given away the fact that I hadn't understood a single thing he had said because he quickly pointed me to the beginner's Arabic classroom. I spent the rest of my first day trying to make sense of all the peculiar accents and languages I was surrounded by. There's nothing like hearing someone switch between three languages in one conversation to make you realize that you are clearly over your head in the language department.

Over time though I've grown to identify more with the laid back Abu Dhabi culture than the American culture. I went to a mall in America this summer and couldn't believe that it closed at 9pm on a weekend. In Abu Dhabi I don't even normally go to the mall until 8:30 at night so this kind of shocked me. I know it seems like a small thing but that just got me thinking about how different the two cultures are and how much I preferred the Abu Dhabi culture. To many of my friends in America this can be confusing. They don't quite understand how I could prefer some foreign country over the country I was born and raised in and I'm not sure that I fully understand it either. The two cultures are very different from each other. I saw a girl walking in a mall this summer and for a moment forgot I was in America. I started asking my friend why no one had told her off for her inappropriate outfit when I saw the look on her face and realized that I wasn't in Marina Mall. There's just some parts of the Abu Dhabi culture that have become ingrained in my mind and changed my entire way of thinking. 

So now for a little more about me because that's what this is meant to be about. Almost everyone has that one thing that they could not live without and for me that one thing is sports. Sports have played a huge role in my life and I don't know what I would do without them. They've helped make me the competitive and dedicated person I am today. I also love to read any chance I get. When I was young I would always get in trouble at school because I would be reading instead of paying attention to what my teacher was saying. However as I've gotten older I've began to read less which I find pretty sad. Hmm I'm sure you're sick of hearing about me by now so thanks for reading!