Just say "YES"

I wanted to write about this because it stood out in my mind as a turning point in our stay. The days had gotten quite long and the weather was still hot. Ethan and I had not yet been out of our apartment on our own. Avery returns home from school with a handwritten invitation "cordially inviting me to breakfast with the other mums" the following morning. It was from a mother I had met at the birthday party the day before. At first I thought, "How could I possibly get this together by tomorrow." For starters, I was still wearing my maternity shirts and was only a week out of my first horrific haircut experience. I wasn't exactly feeling social. Plus Ethan and I had grown accustomed to sleeping in on school days. Could we really get anywhere in this traffic on time for breakfast? I was seriously doubting that it would work out.

In order to accept the invitation, I had to make sure that Ethan and I would have a way to get there and back. It wasn't as easy as it sounds. Leaving in a Taxi would not only be very expensive, but also really unpredictable in this traffic. Many Taxi's in Sharjah won't even take you to Dubai in rush hour and vice versa. What if I couldn't make it back to meet Avery's bus? Three phone calls, and some networking later...I was able to arrange to have Jason drop us off at Avery's school (about an hour drive from our house) then another "mum" met us there and gave us a ride to the villa in Mirdif (about 20 minutes away). Then I would ride with a different mum back to the school and then share a bus ride home with Avery and ANOTHER mum that lived in the corniche as well. So our plan seemed fool-proof, the next step was to feel confident enough to actually go...alone.

Sitting here thinking about anticipating the party, I am giggling to myself. Here I was picturing the Stepford wives, all perfect in their high heels and party dresses. I could see them laughing at my WalMart shirt and flip-flops and of course, my really, really bad hair. You can only imagine how suprised I was to find a room full of caring, knowledgable, and exuberant women from all over the world...all with very similar experiences to my own. There was even another baby just a few weeks newer than Ethan.

I can't explain how good it felt to hear these women talk about their experiences as if were speaking of my own. It wasn't just a big "complain-fest," they really opened up to me and answered my questions, gave me advice, and listened to my concerns. It felt so good to laugh about our experiences together, the good and the really bad. I have never been in a place where I have felt so understood. It was an invitation that I am so glad that I accepted.