Picking up from where I left off…

3:00pm 21s November – Qais had wanted to pick me up from the airport but had training he couldn’t get out of it so I looked around for a taxi, no taxi in sight. I headed back into the airport and noticed that I walked past 2 shuttle service desks with guys screaming about their services when I first walked outside (I was oblivious to them before). I quickly found out that my hotel did not offer shuttle services so I had to book one. This is where I got my first “Where are you from? You have a lovely accent” compliment in the States (this came up a few times during my holiday).

After 20 minutes my shuttle number came up and out I skipped. 10 minutes of waiting outside and no sign of the shuttle, I waited, I froze and still no shuttle. 3:30pm I spot my shuttle. A guy walked up with his luggage and handed the driver the paper with his drop off address as I stopped to hand in mine. Immediately, I notice that the driver’s attitude of “Good Afternoon Ma’am” has changed and he seemed….for lack of a better word pissed off. I brush it off waiting for him to carry my luggage to the back, instead he scoffs “bring your trolley closer”! Once on the shuttle I quickly pull out my phone, ready to capture whatever I can when all of a sudden the other passenger and I are flung into our seats. Mr Driver must have had his foot on the asphalt because we went from 0 – 60 kilometers per hour really quickly he didn’t even get a chance to put on his seat belt. The grumpy driver was crossing lanes, speeding (at least in my mind), mumbling stuff to himself…very obviously upset about something.

What should have taken me 30 – 45 minutes maximum ended up taking 2 freaking hours! I later found out the problem was that the guys that arranged the shuttle shouldn’t have put the other passenger and I in the same vehicle since we basically were staying at opposite ends and Mr. Driver was not pleased. He explained of all this after having dropped the passenger off, apologized for being pissed off and made small talk (he actually was nice when not pissed off).

So I FINALLY checked into my hotel and was literally given 20 minutes before Qais arrived to pick me up for dinner and drinks…and then to meet a group of his friends to celebrate the birthday of their friend. Keep in mind I went through a 17 hour flight; Qais does not comprehend the words “take it easy” or “I need sleep”.

Enter Vodka tonics, GINORMOUS Margaritas (the above was a “small” drink) and copious amounts of food. P.S. my to my US readers, how on earth can everything in the US be so ginormous?!?! Your roads, your airports, your food, your drinks everything!

Anyways, back to my first night. Overall it was a really enjoyable evening with a lot of laughs, I really can not believe some of the guys I met were actually doing training (they are all a little insane LOL). So on the drive back I was trying to explain to Qais about my shuttle bus ordeal when all of a sudden I hear him ask me “What??? What does eyebrow lady have to do with the shuttle bus guy”? I literally had fallen asleep while talking to him, started dreaming about going to an eyebrow shop and started telling him about my dream mid shuttle bus story…all while sleeping! (I talk in my sleep when I am extremely extremely tired). I was exhausted LOL. (This incident shall be repeated again…more in my next post). 

22nd November 2016 – After 3 hours of sleep (yes 3 was my magic sleeping number) I had breakfast and decided to walk around while waiting for Qais to finish his training to head to the airport for Thanksgiving break, MIAMI was calling us!

P.S. I returned back to Virginia after my Miami trip so the return will be posted below and Miami will be kept in a separate post.

26th November 9:00pm – I rechecked back into the same hotel I arrived in after our trip to Miami. Other than grabbing dinner and drinks with Qais practically every single night (it became our ritual), nothing much happened on my second visit in Woodbridge. I will point out that the type of cold weather I experienced was incredible! I mean I froze every.single.time I stepped outside!

And oh no I lie, I kind of went shopping while in Woodbridge! And by “kind of” I mean I went all out! My first trip was to the strip mall less than 5 minutes away from my hotel. I had heard all about this amazingly huge shopping mall and was told it was close to my hotel, so when I saw the shops from the car I thought this was the big mall. At the time I didn’t realize that a. this was called a strip mall and b. there was no other stores behind the ones facing the road. So I went hair product hunting and found a stash I wanted to try which, was exciting but I kept thinking how can Body Bath and Beyond and a few other stores be that amazing that “people all around head over here to visit”. Little did I know that this wasn’t the ridiculously humongous mall my friend K, Qais and my taxi guy was talking about. When I realized I was at the wrong place, I jumped into a taxi and was taken 7 minutes away from my hotel to the monstrous mall! SHOPPING HEAVEN! So aside from the hair products and tiny bit of makeup I picked up I also bought shoes (by shoes I mean 3 boots and a pair of “girly” shoes), a bag to go with the “girly” shoes, two skirts, a top and body lotion. I also picked up shoes for my mother and a dress for my sister. 

My last night in Virginia was surprise surprise spent with Qais filled with laughs, reminiscing over the trip, things back home all the while stuffing our faces with food and drink. I ate like no other on this trip…then again I eat like no other in general but push it when I am on holiday. 

Up next my Miami trip! 

Maicurls