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After visiting family in Dubai many times and experiencing the expat lifestyle, in Summer 2014 we decided to take the plunge and embark on our own expat journey. It was a big decision as we had never lived outside our home city before, a city I believe is one of the best in the world.
Newcastle upon Tyne sits on the North East coast of England and truly is a magnificent place. It has some of the most picturesque coastal towns, a city centre with a huge heart and is surrounded by areas of beautiful countryside. If you have never been you really should. The warmth, the friendliness and a general love for life is quite unique - those who have been will know that by warmth I do not mean the weather!
It was in this region that I obtained my Nursing Degree, qualifying as a staff nurse. I did many 13 hour shifts in Acute Medicine and Oncology within the National Health Service where I worked with some amazing and inspiring professionals whilst caring for people from all walks of life. After a few years in clinical nursing my career moved from direct patient care to education and I supported medical students whilst on clinical placements. Prior to leaving Newcastle for Abu Dhabi I was working at Newcastle University teaching a range of clinical and communication skills to undergraduate medical students.
On arriving in Abu Dhabi, I enjoyed spending the extra time with our children that I was previously unable to afford. With my new free time I learnt how to dragon boat, broadened my cookery skills and could often be seen at 5am running around ZSC with kettlebells but as predicted by many friends and family, being a lady of leisure was not for me. In 2016 I completed a Master’s in Clinical Education and in 2017 I took up my first job at BIS Abu Dhabi as a Primary SSA. I am now completing my second year as PA to the Head of Primary. I thoroughly enjoy the variety of my work, no two days are the same, my colleagues are a pleasure to work with and I love chatting to the children in the corridor about their day.
Speaking of children, our son and daughter are now in their sixth year at BIS Abu Dhabi and it continues to be an absolute delight watching them flourish. We have all made lifelong friends here in Abu Dhabi and have been lucky enough to travel to some fantastic places such as Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Maldives and other parts of Asia. We do still enjoy spending the long summer nights back in our home city.
Who knows what this Summer will bring, but for now, I will continue to enjoy in-house running (to offset the home baking), conference calls and supporting our fantastic Primary school, jigsaws, binge watching Netflix and sharing our Monday and Thursday evenings with some of the best quiz masters in town!
Sarah Jackson
