Hello friends, family and anyone else who would like to follow me on this journey. My name is Leticia and I’ve decided to embark on this adventure called blogging. These posts will discuss life through my literary lens. Henceforth, the title: Tishatography, Life through my literary lens. The posts will also incorporate some photographs from another new hobby which I’m trying my hand at, photography.

A week ago, I had the pleasure of taking a vacation to Dubai, UAE. For those of you who don’t know me well, I love to travel and I’ve wanted to go to Dubai for at least 6 years. I never thought I would be able to afford a trip to the UAE because every time I searched the cost of the airfare online, I clutched my pearls. Well to my surprise on Christmas day, I received a phone call from my best friend who said Etihad Airways was having a fare glitch. She then proceeded to tell me the airlines website were posting round trip airline tickets to Dubai for $200! So we jumped on the opportunity and the rest is history.

As my trip was rapidly approaching, I became nervous and excited because I had never been anywhere other than to a few islands in the Caribbean and throughout the US. I began to read articles online about the the culture of Dubai, the do’s and don’ts and I even heard about some one who had to pay more money for their return flight home to the U.S., YIKES! But there was no turning back at this point, even though I purchased travel insurance.

When we arrived at the airport in New York, my heart was racing because I was about to travel on a plane non-stop for 13 hours, I wasn’t ready. I had to have a glass of vino which put my mind at ease for the ride ahead. Wheels up!

The feeling I felt when we landed in Abu Dhabi was indescribable. I became overwhelmed with a few emotions which included being overjoyed because we arrived safely to feeling blessed. It was such a blessing to have had the opportunity to discover another country which I never envisioned being able to travel to. As a teen living in Brooklyn, NY I did not think I would be able to travel to destinations like Dubai but God saw fit to make this dream a reality.

The trip to Dubai was second to none and too short. From the great hospitality, to the camel ride, to the beach, to Dubai Mall and especially the overall architectural scenery which was breathtakingly beautiful. I would encourage anyone who has the travel itch to scratch it and make it happen! Life is too short to overthink your dreams. This was the first of many international trips to come and I would love for you to continue to take this journey with me, until next time. Ciao!