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Leaving America
Leaving America
Leaving America
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Leaving America

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This is a condensed version of two other Alexander Co. Abroad books; "Living in the UAE" and "Italy, Egypt, Turkey, Oh My!" The images have being omitted leaving only text for a smaller file size and lower cost.

ACA: Living in the U.A.E.

This is the first book in the Alexander Co. Abroad series. It is a story about an American married couple leaving the United States to live and work in the United Arab Emirates, a small oil rich Muslim country located in the Persian Gulf. With a brief background on the two North Carolinian's and why they chose to leave everything behind for a chance to travel the world while based in a Muslim country. The story is told from the husbands point-of-view as they experience cultural differences and language barriers while adjusting to their new environment. Examine the transition from living in a western society to living in a modern Muslim society and compare the differences and similarities to measure the quality of life each has to offer.

ACA: Italy, Egypt, Turkey, Oh My!

This is the fourth book in the Alexander Co. Abroad series. It continues the story of Samantha and Rick Jolly as they travel to nearby countries while living in the United Arab Emirates. The couple first explores Venice and Rome as they experience childhood fantasies come to life. Flying into Venice and taking a train to Rome during a winter holiday opens the world to the inexperienced travelers. Bitten by the travel bug the duo are joined by a close friend, “Ms. Rosemary”, on a trip of a lifetime to Cairo and Luxor in Egypt before flying to Istanbul and the ancient city of Ephesus in Turkey. The trio explores the awe-inspiring ancient Egyptian Pyramids and Temples while witnessing the daily hardships and struggles of modern day Egyptians. The last leg of the journey follows the travelers to the forgotten ancient city of Ephesus, the well-preserved Roman city ruins near the town of Selcuk, Turkey. The final stop is the famous Roman capital city of Constantinople known today as Istanbul, the only city with coordinates in both Europe and Asia continents. The western travelers struggle with the language and cold weather in-order to explore the world-renowned city filled with Christian and Muslim histories creating a one of a kind culture highlighted by its colorful people.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherRick D. Jolly
Release dateFeb 10, 2016
ISBN9781310961663
Leaving America
Author

Rick D. Jolly

Rick D.Jolly is from Taylorsville, North Carolina, the eldest of three sons raised in a blue collar family. Married to Samantha White-Jolly, they lived in Hickory, North Carolina before moving to the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East. He opened several social media accounts as a way to relate his experiences to family and friends, posting videos and pictures with firsthand accounts of trips in the UAE and Europe. After several years of living abroad he used previous online posts to help write a series of books called "Alexander County Abroad" with various subtitles to describe each location. The title comes from the county he was born in, Alexander, a small rural county in western N.C. primarily a farming region. A place where most residents rarely venture pass state lines and never travel out of the country or "lord have mercy" a Muslim Country.

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    Leaving America - Rick D. Jolly

    Leaving America

    Alexander County Abroad

    By Rick D. Jolly

    Other Alexander County Abroad Titles

    Keep in touch with us

    alexandercountyabroad.com

    Introduction

    We are Samantha and Rick Jolly, two American expats living in the United Arab Emirates. Enjoying life abroad as we travel around Europe on holidays and weekends. Our decision to live in the Middle East surprised some people, but those who knew us best understood our reasoning. The United States is one of the best countries in the world to live, but not the only one. Steps must be taken to help ensure a prosperous future by finding greener pastures and better opportunities. The ability to travel the world and have amazing adventures while meeting incredible people and experiencing different cultures couldn’t happen sitting at home on the sofa. We did a lot of research before making the final decision and just went for it. If other people could live abroad we could do the same. We’ve made mistakes along the way, but learned so much in the process. This is our story from my point-of-view while living abroad in the United Arab Emirates.

    Chapter 1

    Leaving Home for a Foreign Country

    Why leave home? A better question is what not! Many people dream of traveling the world to see what marvels await and experience different cultures once only found in books. Some of us take a chance on life and head to parts unknown just to see what happens. Setting in our cozy little condo nestled in a quiet neighborhood of NW Hickory North Carolina in 2012, the question was asked; Is this it, is this the American Dream? Neither of us had a decisive answer. Samantha just started her new career as an elementary school teacher, after going back to school for two years. She had enough of the banking world so she quit and got a job at Olive Garden to work her way through school, a big decision for someone close to thirty and out of college for almost a decade. For thousands if not millions of hard working well educated Americans this had become the only choice. The thought of waiting on patrons at a chain restaurant gave her pause, but the end results would have to be better than residential banking. The slowdown in the banking Industry had put pressure on banks to get creative with securing new revenue. One idea used locally, mandatory telemarketing, was the final nail in the coffin. Never mind the monthly new accounts requirement in an area hit hard by the recession. People had stopped moving to our region of the country. Jobs were scarce and pay was flat or lowered to stay in business. Yes you should always promote your place of business, but add more responsibility without compensation to everyone from the teller to the branch manager and implement it into the work review was over the top. Calling existing customers during and after regular banking hours to solicit new business is not for everybody, let alone on top of your primary job responsibilities. Hell, I was in sales and hated calling strangers on the phone to set-up appointments. I knew exactly how she felt. If she wanted to be a teacher, then do it. I paid the mortgage and utilities and she brought us all the soup and bread sticks we could eat.

    I also grew tired of my sales job, basically a door to door salesman preying on the elderly. Final expense and Medicare Advantage plans were my bread and butter. The idea is simple and needed by many uninsured seniors in our country. The practical implementation of the job is a distorted version of how the Industry should conduct business. Morally, I had a difficult time persuading very low income retirees to part with a substantial amount of their monthly income on the promise their children would be thankful upon their death. The fact was, they would be thankful, but could the social security checks pay for all the monthly necessities and a life insurance policy too? Many could if they were careful with non-needed items, but many could not. The doughnut hole would cause many to cancel the policy and try to start it again the following year. That’s bad for business and a waste of money for them. The Medicare Advantages plans were easier to sale, but required more knowledge to sell the right way. Many agents would promise the moon on their mothers’ grave, get a signature and disappear into the wind. The recipients of a health plan not suitable for their needs and unsure how to fix it. I would find these poor souls bewildered and angered by the betrayal of someone they welcomed into their home. The idea of setting in a trailer park or section 8 housing complex listening to dying people lie to my face about their current and past health condition as cockroaches crawled on the walls and my briefcase sparked a need for change in my life. I switched gears and started selling supplemental insurance in the workplace. Same concept, different environment. I found and enticed several large Industrial Associations, looking for disability insurance, my plans would benefit them. My insurance company, worried about the escalating impact of the Affordable Care Act, said no to the Association idea but wanted all the contact information. I may have been born at night but it wasn’t last night, so I left the Insurance Industry and temporarily found myself back in the no mans land of furniture manufacturing. It wasn’t ideal, but the bills were paid and we went forward in life.

    We had contemplated the idea of moving to another state with a better economy, but not knowing people outside of North Carolina made this challenging. Texas looked promising, but Texas is a big ass state. What do you do just throw a dart at a map and say that’s it? Of course you don’t, but how much can the internet really tell you about the best places to work and live in an entire state! North Dakota was hiring everybody, but damn it’s North Dakota! Not that North Dakota isn’t a fine state to work and live in, it’s just too cold and too far from the beach for our liking. OK, I will now have to visit North Dakota one day before I die.

    Traveling has always been a passion of mine, even though it rarely happened in my youth. A short trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina twice and Cherokee Reservation, North Carolina once were much appreciated treats. My biggest trip came from my uncle Allen when he took my brother and me to Florida for a couple of weeks. We had a blast visiting different places, even though our behavior was somewhat questionable. He took us to Marineland, Sea World, Circus World, an Alligator Farm and various other tourists spots. He died several years later and I doubt he knew how much we really appreciated him for taking us on that trip.

    After my eighteenth birthday I went to Cancun, Mexico with a group of friends from high school. That is another story for another time. To summarize, I really enjoyed just being in a different environment and experiencing new life styles. The only problem was money or the lack of it and not knowing other means to travel abroad. This new passion started in 1991, before we had the internet and knowledge came from a place called The Library. Alexander County to this day only has around thirty-two thousand residents, in the whole county. Not a lot of world travelers to mentor would be globetrotters. I made my way back to Cancun several more times and partied in Vegas, but mainly explored neighboring States. The desire was always there, just waiting for the right moment to set it in motion.

    After a decade of the bar scene and late night parties, sitting at home on the weekend watching television was the new normal. So when House Hunters International had a segment on Dubai, the fire started to burn. The city looked amazing and the lifestyle was straight out of a magazine. The prospect of living in a Skyscraper and jet setting around Europe was almost too good to be true. Why not get a job in the Middle East and live like rich people!

    We searched online for weeks, looking for real reviews from teachers already placed in Dubai. Several posts on YouTube painted a wonderful picture with modern high-rise apartments and picture perfect classrooms. Along with many videos highlighting well known tourist attractions such as the Burj Khalifa, the Burj Al Arab, and infamous Palms Jumeirah and The World islands. The Burj Khalifa skyscraper dominates the Dubai skyline standing at 2,722 ft. making it the tallest building in the world. The Burj Al Arab is a sail-shaped beachfront hotel repeatedly voted most luxurious in the world. And just off the shore of Dubai are the manmade islands of Palm Jumeriah and The World. The Palm Jumeriah is roughly shaped like a palm leaf while The World mirrors the continents of the world.

    This may have somewhat affected our judgement after reading some negative blogs from experienced expats. While most reviews were positive, other negative reviews seemed too outlandish to be true. Some people are bound to find issues while living abroad, whether it was school placement or bad neighbors. No matter where you go, everyone will not be happy. So, suppress the bad and focus on the good. All we really read was tax free salary, free housing, health insurance, and airfare home each summer. And we will be able to travel around Europe. Throw caution to the wind and live life to the fullest. What a great opportunity for both of us.

    Samantha only had one year as a full-time teacher and two years part-time. She substituted K-6 grades her first year. School budget cuts had caused some positions to be split between two teachers working part-time for the entire year. Her second year was Special Education Teacher working half days with another teacher so the school didn’t pay benefits. We found several recruiting agencies and applied to three of the most popular in our searches. Two of the agencies suggested she wait one year before applying because of her lack of experience. The third didn’t see a problem, so that’s who she went with.

    The interview process started online with a follow-up phone interview. Samantha was then asked to come in for a personal interview. That was exciting news. It sounded like she had a good shot at getting this wonderful position. The only downside being the interview would be in New York, NY. That’s a 9 hour drive from Hickory, NC. I did not want to drive to or in New York City, so I offered to pay for the plane ticket so she could fly to NYC and back home the same day. For some people this may be normal, but for us it was very unusual. Fun fact: Samantha has problems with heights and airplanes and doing things alone for the first time. So all she needed to do was board a plane alone, fly to the largest city in the U.S., interview for a life changing job, find her way to a different airport and fly home. I didn’t see a problem. I only had 2 weeks’ notice to book the flight and convince Samantha she could do it. So with some liquid courage and a pat on the back from me and several close friends she reluctantly agreed. I dropped her off at the airport and wished luck her. Samantha looked very nervous and I had doubts about not going with her, but she needed to do this on her own. If we were going to move to a foreign country she needed to get out of her comfort zone and man-up so to speak.

    She called me after arriving at the Hotel the interview would be conducted in and seemed to be in much better spirits. I told Samantha to enjoy the big city adventure and reassured her everything would be fine no matter what the outcome of the interview. It must have felt cool just to fly into NYC for a job interview. I wish we could have made it a mini vacation, but we didn’t have the money blow.

    I didn’t speak with her again until I picked her up at the airport in Charlotte. I was a little worried, but thought her phone must have died. Samantha acted aggravated and short with my questions. Very typical of her personality, but this seemed different. She said the interview went horrible and someone stole her phone. Not the news I had hoped for, but that’s life. Not wanting to talk about it, we made our way home stopping for a bite to eat since Samantha was starving from her trip. After some nourishment, I asked for a rundown of the day’s events so we could learn from them and move forward with a new plan. I had her start from the point after our phone call. This is what she told me:

    "I had some time to kill so I went for a walk down the street. I wanted to take a picture, but everyone had told me not to. I was supposed to act like I lived there and not a tourist. I wanted to try a New York hot dog, but I didn’t want to get anything on my outfit before my interview. Then I made my way to the interview area and waited for my turn. There was a large group of us watching the interviewers. There were two rooms with two interviewers each. The applicants leaving one room looked happy, the applicants leaving the other room looked confused or stunned. I hoped to get the nice room, but of course I got the mean one. The two men asked stupid questions and kept interrupting my answers. They seemed more interested in my reaction to student conduct and how I would communicate with parents than my teaching abilities or education background. That was the worst interview I’ve ever had. I just wanted to get home after that. We were told a shuttle to the airport would be provided, but later told there wasn’t enough time. I then started looking for my phone and couldn’t find it. I was feeling very stressed and started to cry. I filled out a lost property form at the hotel and they arranged for a taxi to the airport. The taxis rides were very expensive and I was low on cash so I bought a banana for lunch that cost five dollars. The plane was nearly empty on the flight back, like something out of a horror movie, because Hurricane Sandy was bearing down on us making it bumpy the whole way home."

    Sounded like a full day for sure, but I knew there was still a chance she got the job. Things seemed much better when the hotel called saying they found her phone and would mail it ASAP. What are the odds of losing a cell phone in NYC and have someone find it and mail it back

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