Let’s Catch-Up!

It’s been a while since I penned a chatty catch-up post. I used to love sitting down to blog like it was an online diary, so in the spirit of those early blogging days, here’s what I’ve been up to recently…

I Quit My Job

Sort of. The fixed term contract I had for my last role ended at the end of April, but saying that I quit makes me feel cooler than I really am. I originally thought I’d give myself a month off to recharge and work on my creative projects, and then start looking for a new role but…

I Signed Up For Yoga Teacher Training

I’ve been wanting to do my yoga teacher training for a long time and started to feel like 2019 was a now or never moment. After a lot of research, speaking with my yoga teachers and thinking about what sort of experience I wanted, I signed up to a course with Yogafirst in Ubud, Bali in August. There are no shortage of teacher trainings out there but this course felt like the right one for me from the moment I first discovered it online, all the way through to booking.

I’m Studying With IIN

At the start of the year I enrolled at IIN, the world’s largest online nutrition school. My first six months deserve a post in their own right but studying has keen keeping my brain ticking over and enabled me to meet like-minded friends in Dubai (something which has honestly been a huge struggle since moving here). I’ve also found so many ways to make small tweaks to my everyday life to feel happier and healthier.

I’ve Lived In Dubai for Over Two Years!

It’s been nearly two and a half years since I moved to Dubai, it sometimes feels like I’ve always been here and other times like I’ve just arrived. I’ve lived in three different apartments, practically re-learned how to drive and (shamefully) not learned a word of Arabic since I first boarded a one-way flight from Heathrow to Dubai. Living abroad has been one of the hardest and best things I’ve done but Dubai finally feels like home and will be for a while longer, I think.

I’ve Read 20 Books In 2019

I’m behind on my target of 52 for the year but my favourites so far are:

Killing Commendatore, Haruki Murakami – a beautifully slow-paced tome from one of my favourite authors, this took me nearly four months to read but I enjoyed every single page.
Normal People, Sally Rooney – an introspective, raw and very awkward millennial love story that I didn’t expect to enjoy but really did.
The Unwomanly Face of War, Svetlana Alexievich – I would never have picked this up if it wasn’t for my bookclub, but this collection of stories from Soviet women during World War II is an incredible but sometimes difficult read that I would recommend to absolutely everyone.

I’ve On A Self-Imposed Spending Ban

The last time I bought new clothes was…April 2018. Over a year without impulse buys, ASOS orders and feeling like every occasion deserves a new outfit is a pretty big deal for me. I mean, I once went into Topshop in Knightsbridge after a couple of cocktails and left with two bags of bright orange clothes… Becoming less materialistic has made me SO much happier, and has also been a huge factor in facilitating the leap away from a corporate career. Again, another one that deserves a blog post in its own right.

What else?

I’ve nearly perfected my falafel recipe, started making kombucha, acquired one new piercing (a forward helix at Maria Tash), added Pilates classes to my workout mix, predictably, loved watching Killing Eve and Fleabag (Phoebe Waller-Bridge for president) and, less predictably, HBO’s Chernobyl which was gripping and fantastically acted (the accompanying podcast is amazing, too).