Would you like to experience the joy of real love, unconditional and passionate love again?

Then my friend … read on…

Many of us often marvel at those people who experience heartache after heartache only to get up, wipe the dust off their knees and go on once again.  

Roxy is just one of those people you have heard or read about. Here she presents you with an introduction to her first book “Roxy’s Journey to Love”.

You will be spellbound by Roxy’s experience, humor and real life disclosure that everyone who has ever been in a relationship will identify with. It is a real story that only she can tell you because it is “her” story.
In this book you will engage with Roxy as she makes you smile, makes you cry and makes you smile once again.
It is an autobiographical account of Roxy’s 15 years after her divorce…also a novel which will entertain you and an e-book from which you will learn many lessons. It is a story of tenacity, of hope and of longing for a better future of adventure and romance…a future many people only dream about.

Here you will find Roxy’s “15 Reflections” on finding yourself and making positive life changes to finally find the happiness that you deserve. Roxy will help you examine questions that you have always had and find answers that you have long awaited for.

Roxy has come to realize that in order for you to be truly happy in any relationship, you need to understand who “you ” are.

If I were you, I would wonder what is in this book for me? HOW WILL I FIND THE MATE OF MY DREAMS?
Well, one of the first things that you will need to do is answer some of the following questions:

Or How About?
·   Can you recognize your own feelings and know how to respond positively to them?
·   Have you discovered your self-limiting patterns that are holding you back?
· Are you aware of the power of your intuition?

Roxy brings her own real life experience to you to help you examine some of the questions that you need to answer if you are to attract positive people (I.E. that special someone) into your life. Her experience will give you hope and share the possibility of more happiness and fulfillment in your life.

Check out http://www.roxydoes.com for more information on “Roxy’s Journey to Love” and see the other great features.

After five years here in the Middle East, the driving has “not” improved. I live ten minutes from work and in that time can possibly have 2 to 3 accidents. A couple of days ago I came through a roundabout…now I am sure you know what they are. (Apparently, the roundabout in Washington, DC is unbelievable.) Anyway, sometimes you can go around and around and around a roundabout before you can actually get out. It’s like skipping rope…you do remember French skipping?

As I was saying, I was coming through the roundabout a couple of days ago when I looked quickly in my rear view mirror. There I saw three pairs of eyes or rather…the whites of eyes looking at me…and they were all in the back seat. Now man you can’t get much closer than that!!!

I never knew what road rage was but now I am the master at controlling it. Everyone I know talks to themselves when they are driving, that is unless they have someone else in the car…and then it can get very entertaining.

I have a friend of mine who got married to a wonderful man; she was a wonderful woman until she got behind the wheel. After the wedding and the honeymoon, the husband stayed in America for a couple of months and then joined his beautiful wife in the Middle East. They were sharing wedded bliss. Then one day not long after his arrival, they both got in the car…okay, wrong move!

The beautiful wife was behind the wheel. All went well until suddenly they were cut off as they approached a roundabout. Some guy thought that he could cross the middle lane into her lane (she was in the middle lane), and then proceed to the left lane to turn left. With that the beautiful wife started cursing and swearing up and down…words that the husband had never ever heard before…especially from his beautiful wife.

Roxy

What do you think of when you think of Africa? Perhaps a classic movie like the “African Queen”, “Out of Africa”, or “I Dreamed of Africa”.

To think of an African Safari was so removed from where I dwelled in my little hometown that I never ever gave it a second thought. African Safaris, were after all, something that movies were made of, or at least, a trip for the rich and famous.

Dubai
In November 2003, my life had changed with my move to the Middle East… it had changed to a situation where travel and adventure were possible. Suddenly, the world was my oyster and I was intending to taste “all” of the goodness.

On November 21, 2003 I got on the plane with ten of my colleagues. We traveled to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates where we awaited the departure of our aircraft to cart us off to our exotic destination. Our travel agency had booked us for a five day tour of three of the national parks across Kenya.

Once we were on board Kenya Airways, we could see that it was filled with many African nationals returning to their homeland, businessmen hoping for their next contract and tourists, like us, looking forward to the sights and sounds of the Serengeti.

Nairobi
At about 6:30 in the morning we arrived at Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. I never slept a wink on our six hour flight from Dubai.; yet, I was alert with anticipation as I thought about our upcoming adventure. There was green everywhere, unlike the arid land that we had just left behind. We boarded a bus and traveled to the bus depot where we could wash up before our first stop at the Serengeti Plains.

Amboseli Lodge
At about 2:00 in the afternoon, singing our theme song “ The Lion Sleeps Tonight” to the top of our lungs, we arrived at the first park on our itinerary, the Amboseli Lodge. We were warmly greeted and lead to our lodging which was a cluster of cabins along a pathway overlooking the Serengeti Plains. A tasty lunch was provided in the dining room from which my friends and I had a panoramic view of Mount Kilimanjaro. Dressed in our matching safari jackets, like an army of tourists, the eleven of us set off at 4:00 p. m. for our first afternoon safari.

The whole scene was surreal as we stood in the canopied van waiting to see a lioness and her cubs or if we were lucky, the king of the jungle himself. Our skilled driver, Joe, was wonderful as he weaved the car through the plains and hid behind an acacia tree to wait for the herd of elephants approaching. There were four adult elephants and a baby. Suddenly, we heard a male elephant, with his trunk raised kick up his heels as he raced toward the baby. Joe explained that the male was from another herd and that he was after the baby elephant. Apparently, this baby elephant was the leader of this neighboring herd since the father had already died. The adult male elephant was ready to fight for supremacy in the region. The mother and the other females surrounded the baby to protect it and eventually the male adult elephant retreated and proceeded on his way. I am not sure how accurate this description was of elephant behavior, but it sounded interesting to me.

That night after dinner, my friends and I got together to have a sing-along around a fire pit in front of our accommodations. We talked about our first safari and we all agreed that it was surreal and larger than life. We further established that a visit to a zoo, any zoo, would never be the same since we could now envision these animals in “the wild”.

My most amazing memory of the Serengeti, other than that incredible view of Mount Kilimanjaro, was waking up at 6:00 in the morning and looking out the window at sunrise. There straight ahead of me was a herd of elephants, with their little ones holding their mom’s tails, as they all pranced across the plain. I was enthralled, totally. I had to stop and take a deep breath. This surely was a moment in time.

The Maasai Village
Out next stop was to the Maasai village near the Serengeti. The Maasai are a very famous warrior tribe in Kenya whose lives center on herding cattle. They live in small settlements of 8-15 huts called a kraal. Their settlements are surrounded by a fence of thorns. All the livestock including cattle, goats, and other domestic animals are held in the krall at night for their protection from wild animals.

The Maasai greeted us with the “Jump” dance after which time they proceeded to show us their various wares of beaded necklaces, bracelets and wooden artifacts which they had carved from the wood of the acacia tree. The Maasai are very shrewd business people. They would have you gather all the things that you wanted to buy and then the negotiating would start. Each business man would use his staff to draw in the sand a total price for the articles that you chose. It was expected that you would negotiate the price on the articles. It was part of the game of negotiation.

I was particularly interested in the “Shuka” that the chief of the tribe, Wilson, was wearing. A Maasai’s clothing is usually red meaning power. Since red is my favorite color, I could actually picture this shuka hanging on my living room wall. I asked Wilson about his shuka (Maa- the Maasai language for sheets wrapped over the body) and he asked me to follow him to his hut.

Wilson’s hut was made of cow dung and mud into a sticky clay. Joining branches and twigs to form the walls of the hut, the clay is then used like a cement to support the walls. Wilson’s wife actually built the hut in which he lived..

Tem minutes and twenty American dollars later, I left Wilson’s hut with another of Wilson’s shuka smelling of smoke from the wood fire his wife tended. I was happy with my purchase. Meanwhile, my friends were quite worried about me and came running towards me as I left with my shuka in hand.

Lake Nakaru National Park
As we left the Maasai village everyone was excited about the souvenirs that they bought. We all shared the pictures that we took and remarked that our first day in Kenya was Then we were off to see the flamingos at Lake Nakuru National Park. The population of flamingos have been declining in the last number of years but you would never say it if you saw the sky alight with a pink haze. At Lake Nakuru we stayed in small cabins right “Out of Africa”. The bed was comfortable and had a mosquito net hanging from the ceiling enveloping the entire bed. After we settled in to our cabins, we were off to see the dancing and musical entertainment planned for us.

The next day we were on to the Maasai Mara in south western Africa which is considered to be the most famous game reserve in Kenya…made famous for its variety of game. We were present for the Great Migration of zebras and wildebeests from the Serengeti. It was absolutely stupefying to see the thousands of wildebeests as they advanced over the ridge to the river below.

The trip to the Maasai Mara was absolutely unbelievable. We traveled for three hours across ditches on roads that were like nothing I had ever seen before. By the time that we arrived at the Maasai Mara Lodge, I thought that my organs had been displaced with all the bumping and grinding of the wicked road conditions. What could possibly merit such abuse?

Maasai Mara National Park
Once we arrived at the lodge, we all soon forgot our aches and pains. We were met by a real Maasai warrior in his traditional shuka and carrying his staff. The lodge was amazingly beautiful with pitched roofs and an atmosphere warmed by its large fireplace. Our accommodation was a “luxury tent” which looked like a five star hotel room in the jungle. Can you picture it? As we lay in bed in the evening, we could hear the sounds of the rhinoceros outside the fenced compound.

On one afternoon safari, we were fortunate enough to see a pride of lions that had just finished their hunt…an unfortunate wildebeest was the victim. Further along the trail we saw a lion and a lioness mating. We watched as the male caressed and fondled his lioness. In the mating season, apparently, lions mate every fifteen minutes. Isn’t it amazing how nature works!

The Carnivore Restaurant
After five days, we sadly started our trip back to Nairobi. Our driver, Joe told us that we still had one surprise left…a trip to the Carnivore Restaurant in Nairobi. Well, the Carnivore was everything that Joe said it would be. As we entered the open air restaurant, we could smell the various times of meat, wild game included roasting on the barbecue. The wild game menu included crocodile, ostrich, zebra and wildebeest while chicken, beef and pork were readily available for the less adventurous. After a couple of hours listening to the song “Jumbo” we left the gaiety of the Carnivore Restaurant satisfied that our minds were filled with lots of memories, our luggage with lots of wonderful, well-made African crafts and our tummies full once again

That morning, November 6, I got out of bed at 4:00 a. m. (eight hours ahead of the time in Chicago) I am indeed a morning person, don’t you think?. I was doing homework for my Problem-Based Learning course that I was taking and between sips of coffee, and micro conversations with my husband, I turned on the television and was astounded as Barrack Obama continued to gain Electoral College votes. At that point he had 333 electoral seats against the 150 seats for McCain, with only 270 seats needed to win the election. This was not to be the last count either.

While the Japanese and Chinese watched the election on Tuesday night and celebrated with intrepidation over its outcome, and Koreans watched to see who would be the next president of the United States, I watched in my living room in Qatar as John McCain gave his concession speech.

I was a little shell shocked as I realized that here we were watching history in the making. There were 14 million more voters in this election than in the last, and then there was an election of America’s first black president…a man first, and then a president. Barack Obama’s election was fueled by not only America’s need for hope and change but also by the movement for hope and change that transgressed geographical borders and spread throughout the world.

I headed off to the College where I work, in anticipation of my third day of PBL training. As we gathered about discussing Barrack Obama’s victory, and drinking coffee, one of my colleagues logged on to ABC News where Obama’s acceptance speech was in progress.

“Change has come to America! Out of many we are one. While we breathe, we hope; and where we are met with cynicism and doubt, and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with the timeless seed that sums up the spirit of a people: yes, we can.”

Here we were, 12 of us huddled together in that little office, in Doha, Qatar; all of us Canadians, hugging each other while tears ran down our cheeks. It was a moment of victory and celebration for all.

As we wiped out tears away, reality of the moment returned. We proceeded to gather for our class knowing well that our world had changed forever.

Roxy

www.roxydoes.com

I woke up yesterday morning and could barely move; my head was pounding and I had an uncontrollable cough. My eyes were watery and I could see little. Figuring I would not be much help to my colleagues at work (and I am sure they didn’t want my germs either), I decided to stay home and call the doctor for an appointment.

At 2:30, I had my driver pick me up (yes, we have drivers in this part of the world), and off I went to the hospital to see the doctor. Now this is not just any hospital…how about a five star hotel? I was greeted by the doorman and I responded “Sabah al noor” in Arabic. He smiled as I continued through the door and into the foyer of this five star hotel hospital.

I felt like I was in the “hanging gardens of Babylon”. There were hanging plants everywhere. The sounds of a waterfall could be heard in the distance. Sofas, plush chairs, and carved rosewood tables were highlighted by colorful fresh flower arrangements. “Birds of paradise” abounded. Bistro tables were set in groupings to encourage conversation by lunch goers.

Oh, yes, and the doctor…after all this was the reason I was here. As I sat in the waiting room, a young waitress by the name of Gloria came along and offered me something to drink…American coffee, Turkish coffee, juice, water, etc. I accepted a glass of water and waited patiently as I sneezed voraciously, coughed continuously all the while holding my head in my hands.

Finally, my name was called. The doctor spent 40 minutes with me (unbelievable) and ordered a barrage of tests. Now this was certainly not the five minute in the office and out again and on to the next patient syndrome. I was in awe! Though I will have to await my results (guaranteed in two days), I left my five star hotel hospital feeling satisfied that my doctor was looking after me.

As the door closed behind me, I got into the waiting limo.

Roxy

www.roxydoes.com

Yesterday, though still sick and forlorn, I had to head to the local police station to renew my driver’s license. Well, I was so sick that I could barely stand up so I thought I was going to be in for an event for sure. I called Andrew, my driver, to pick me up at 9:00 to which he said that he would send one of his junior drivers. The License Office at the police station closes at 11:00 a.m. and with Ramadan expected to start on Monday, I had no choice but try to make the time deadline. Besides, I hadn’t driven in the last week since my license expired.

I kept looking out the window, and out the door, to no avail. At 9:10, my driver hadn’t arrived so I made a call again to see where he was. Well, there are at least four Al Jazeera Compounds in this city. My driver had gone to another compound at least five miles away.

What was one to do…? I was at the mercy of my driver. Andrew said that he would now pick me up. About ten minutes later he arrived at my villa and off we went to the police station.

From the outside, the police station was a rather nondescript looking white concrete building with white concrete walls surrounding its compound area. A flock of “touts” met me when I got out of Andrew’s Toyota Landcruiser. My first experience with touts was in Sri Lanka about two years ago. Touts offer their assistance to do whatever you need to do. In the beginning, there is no mention of money. An inexperienced traveler or Expatriate (Expat. for short),like some of my newly arrived Canadian colleagues, might think that the service is free. That is definitely a misnomer.

Touts can help you climb a mountain, show you through a Buddhist temple (like in Sri Lanka), or they can help you through the process of getting your driver’s license renewed. After it is all over, however, the touts expect a high return on their investment of time and consequently demand high prices for their services.

Andrew saved me as he waved the touts away. I followed him into the police station where I was pleasantly surprised at the interior of the building. People were lined at the counter where there were six to seven attendants. The process seemed to be quite efficient. Then again, Andrew helped facilitate the process for me. I would cut in once and awhile with my little bits of Arabic. “Mesa al Khair” (Good morning), and “Shukran” (Thank you) went a long way, I think, to ingratiate me a little with the attendant.

I have had my original license for five years. The attendant, Bakhit, asked if I had the same picture to give him. I immediately thought I was in trouble…. “Excuse me”, I said, “that picture was taken five years ago and today I am even more beautiful”. This I said as I chuckled and handed him the new 2×2 photo. He laughed. I quickly realized that sometimes a little humor goes along way.

Five minutes later Bakhit presented me with two copies of my license, one with the old photo and one with the new photo. He asked me which I preferred so I chose the most recent (beautiful) picture, and he agreed that it was the better of the two. I then asked about the eye test that was a usual part of the process.

Bakhit said that the eye test was not necessary…no kidding! No eye test I thought, but everyone has an eye test. Bakhit shook his head and said everything was good. I smiled, shook his hand as I said “Shukran, ma assalama”. I bolted through the door with Andrew.

Roxy

www.roxydoes.com