Day 1

I'm in Dublin!

I arrived this morning at around 8 am local time and grabbed a cab to the Google corporate apartment near the office. I wish that I had my camera on me when the plane was landing because it was so beautiful to see the the lush green hills and water.

My cab driver was also a bit of a tour guide, so I got to see a few historic places on the way. One of the most interesting was the house where Bram Stoker, author of Dracula was born. After arriving at the apartment and doing some unpacking, I took a power nap and got ready for dinner. A colleague of mine who is based in the Dublin office took me to one of her favorite restaurants for dinner. The walk to the restaurant was so pleasant, as Dublin is experiencing unseasonably warm weather. We walked through a neighborhood called Portobello, where I had my first official Guinness in Ireland! (It's MUCH better than the Guinness in the States, by the way.)

Tomorrow is my first day of my offsite with my new team and then I'm off to Leeds on Friday.

Bon Voyage

Well ladies and gentleman, the time has come. I will be embarking on Phase 1 of my trip in less than 24 hours. I'm flying to Dublin first for a few days because I have to attend an offsite with my new team. On Friday I fly from Dublin to Leeds. Thankfully, I have a couple of days to settle in and learn about my surroundings before starting work on Monday. Oh, and I should probably figure out how to get to the office.

While I'm immensely excited for this, I have to admit that I'm a bit nervous as well. What I've learned over the past few years though is that anything worth doing shouldn't be easy and in order to keep challenging myself I have to put myself in increasingly challenging situations. It's worked out for me thus far.

I'm going to miss all of you but thanks to technology, we can stay in touch frequently. I'm more than happy to schedule a Google+ Hangout date with you. If you don't know what a Google+ Hangout is, then look it up and make sure that you know how to use it because this Googler does not use Skype!

The D

Before I leave my beloved Michigan for the next six months, I want to pay homage to Detroit - a city that has given me so much over the course of my lifetime that it's only appropriate to dedicate a blog post to it.

View from my hotel room at the Marriott Renaissance Center in December 2011

As a brief background to why Detroit means so much to me, I have to take you back, way back. Let's channel your inner Sofia Petrillo. Picture it, Germany late 1960s. You're in your 30s and had to leave your homeland almost 10 years ago because of political unrest and turmoil. You move to Germany because that is the only country that will take you. You go to school, study engineering and finally start to feel settled. You have friends, you start building a life, but something still is nagging at you. America. You've always wanted to live in America. Then one day you receive a letter in the mail. It's from the US Embassy telling you to report for your immigration interview. You think it's a joke. 10 years after applying, you finally get a green card. "Where should I go?" you ask yourself. You decide Michigan. Your brother just moved there and it is after all booming. Your brother tells you that people walk into auto factories and get hired on the spot. So that's it. You take a leave from your job in Germany and go to Michigan. On day 3 of your trip you get hired by General Motors and resign from your job in Germany. It's happened. The dream came true.


That's my father's story. He came to Michigan in the late 1960s and retired from General Motors after 33 years. The person that I've become is because of my parent's dedication but also because of the security and stability that my father's job provided us. It's safe to say that the Samira you know would not be who I am without the city of Detroit.


Detroit has gotten a really bad rap in the past few years. Most recently, Detroit's made headlines for its stray dog crisis and its dismal financial situation. But that's not the Detroit that I'll miss when I'm in England.


While I'm strolling the streets of London and Paris, I don't doubt that I'm going to miss that feeling of home. I'll dream of weekend visits to Eastern Market, concerts at the Fillmore and Fox, cocktails at Cliff Bell's and yes, even Detroit sporting events (I'm not the biggest sports fan, but I do enjoy a Detroit Tigers game once a year!) Here's what I ask of all of you Detroiters and Detroit-lovers. Enjoy it, embrace it, because there's nothing like it.


These are some of my favorite places in Detroit, but I know that there are a lot of you out there who have recommendations too. So, let's share! Post your recommendations or tips as a comment and we'll all benefit from our collective love of the D!

• Eastern Market - There's nothing like strolling around Eastern Market on a Saturday morning with a cup of coffee.  
• Cliff Bell's - Amazing cocktails, live music, and vibe that makes you feel like you are a flapper from the '20s.
• Cafe D'Mongos - Also has that speakeasy vibe but extremely difficult to get into considering it's open only on Fridays.
• The Old Shillelagh - Fun times and a Detroit classic.
• Slows BBQ - The only place that I don't complain about waiting to get a table.
• Centaur Bar - Great place to grab a drink before or after a show at the Opera House, Fillmore, or Fox. 
• The Well - Casual and quintessential Detroit.
• Bucharest Grill - Because sometimes you just need a shawarma sandwich. 
• Astoria Pastry Shop - In Greektown and one of the best bakeries in my opinion. Ever.
• Le Petit Zinc - Cute and cozy restaurant that has fabulous crepes and other light fare.
• The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) - If you haven't been, I'm sorry. Diego Rivera. That's all I'm going to say.
• Motown Museum - A gem of a museum. The staff is so knowledgeable and you are reminded about the impact Detroit has on music.  

My cousin Nadim and I at a Tigers game in the summer of 2010

 

For those of us from Michigan, there is a feeling of anger that wells up inside when you hear someone bashing Detroit. Sure, there are some not so great things but what city doesn't have its pros and cons? For me, there are always going to be way more pros so I want all of you to enjoy the city while I'm gone and report back. Detroit IS beautiful, and it's not just in the eye of the beholder.  

262,974 Minutes

At the risk of sounding like a line from a song in one of my favorite Broadway musicals, Rent, how do you measure 6 months? 262,974 minutes. That's exactly how many minutes I'll be away.

The buildup to my trip has meant saying my goodbyes to friends this past weekend. I traveled to my hometown of Bay City, Michigan to spend time with three of my closest friends and their families. Here's a look at the weekend in numbers:

Number of nights spent in my childhood bedroom: 2
Number of kid's birthday parties attended: 2
Number of pieces of cake consumed: at least 2, possibly 3
Number of godchildren I got to see: 2
Number of drinks I had in honor of St. Patrick's Day: 1 very stiff Dirty Leprechaun (see below)

I'm so thankful to have such amazing friends and family in my life, so while I can't wait to start this journey, I'm going to miss them a lot. I can't help but think about the birthday parties, book club meetings, weddings, and births that I'm going to miss in the next six months (can't wait to meet baby Evelyn!)

Feeling like I'm missing out on things will be hard, but I'm also looking forward to meeting new people, exploring, and spending time with my cousins that live in England. Bashar and Nicole, get ready because there are going to be some fun times ahead!

The Ultimate Adventure: Packing My Life Into Two Suitcases and a Carryon

Packing is my least favorite thing about traveling. You'd think that after all the times that I've had to pack, I'd get it right. But, I still attempt to smuggle my entire wardrobe into a suitcase. You just never know when you'll need that red ball gown.

I've had a few hysterically funny (in retrospect) situations with excess baggage and over-packing. As some of you who have traveled with me can attest to, most usually involve my hair products. One story that illustrates my likelihood to prioritize hair products over pretty much everything else was on my trip to Italy with my friends Kristen and Jeff. After 10 glorious days in Italy, Kristen and I were headed to Jordan for another 10 days while Jeff was headed back to the States. I realized the night before our flight that because we were flying from Rome to Amman, I wasn't allowed the standard 70 pound suitcase that I flew to Italy with. Needless to say, Jeff entered the US with about 6 bottles of curl defining mousse and a couple pairs of stiletto heels.

Trying to pack for England is my ultimate packing nightmare. I have to consider the fact that I'll be living there for 6 months, but that I'll be traveling around and schlepping a million bags with me like a bag lady is not logistically possible. I've converted my guest room into "Packing Central" and as you can see, I have my work cut out for me.

I'm just going to have to come to terms with the fact that my 1 liter container of Aveda shampoo is not making the trip with me. 

The Shopping List

When I found out that I got this amazing opportunity, I started making lists (can someone say Type A personality?!) There is a list for everything (I need these 32 things to apply for my work visa! I need to do these 512 house-related things! I must make a list of all of the American TV shows that I just can't miss!) The longest, and by far the costliest list has been the - ahem - shopping list.

I've found that the shopping list is both a blessing and a curse. While keeping me organized and on track to get the items I must have for my trip, it's also become the dumping ground for things that I'm convinced I must own in order to live in England. What sensible person doesn't have a trench coat for those rainy English days? Only non-sensible people like myself go hunting for a Burberry trench because no other trench will do.

I had to travel to Virginia for work last week and lucky for me there was a Burberry outlet a mere 40 minute drive from my client. I work with an amazing team of ladies (Sarah and Nicole) who understood the urgency of the situation. So, we made tentative plans to visit the outlet after dinner with our client. Not knowing how long dinner was going to be, I wasn't sure if we were going to make it. At 8 pm (and knowing that the outlet closed at 9 pm), the ladies and I made the 40 minute drive to the outlet. We arrived precisely at 8:40 pm and with 20 minutes of shopping time, I managed to do something I haven't done in a while - blackout shop. Photographic evidence below of the damage.

Blackout shopping is a term that I coined a while ago when I realized that I could make purchases either online or in a store without really comprehending what I was doing. Sure, I look and sound coherent and am capable of holding a conversation, but it's like my brain is in fashion overload and I go into a state of amnesia. Some have witnessed this phenomena in person. You know who you are.

The next adventure is going to be packing but I'm looking forward to creating a whole new shopping list in England!

A New Adventure

Welcome to my blog! 

As most of you may already know, I'm leaving in a couple of weeks for England where I've accepted a 6 month role with Google. When I came up with the idea to start a blog, I was thinking about it as a way to keep everyone updated on my experiences in England. As I thought more about it, I realized that it'd be silly to set a finite end date. I want to make this blog a collection of my adventures, wherever life takes me. 

Let's take a step back. If you're reading this blog, you know me and you know me well. Therefore, you know my obsession and fascination with England. I'm not sure exactly when it started, but  my guess is that it was somewhere around my first reading of Pride & Prejudice. I've been fortunate to travel around the world but I finally made it to England last year for the first time and it was unforgettable. So much so that I knew I had to get back there and make it last longer.

When this work opportunity came up, I knew that I'd never forgive myself if I didn't try. One thing I don't have tolerance for is regrets. As my cousin Monica and I say all the time, "there's no point in lamenting." And I went for it. And I got it. And now I'm moving.

So what can you expect from this blog? This isn't GOOP, but I do want to make it worth your time too! I'll make sure to chronicle travel tips and recommendations including hotels, restaurants, and shopping (come on, it's me we're talking about!). 

I'm looking forward to learning as much as I can in these next six months at work and about living in another country. My guess is that I'll also learn a few things about myself on this new adventure.