Not my will but thine be done...

At my school there has been alot of controversy over the selection of our Arabic Head of Faculty. I've just been waiting to know who I'll be working with but the ladies have been doing battle. One in particular was absolutely livid about the initial choice and was not afraid to make her views known to any and everyone. She and I spoke multiple times about the rational for our principal's selection but she was not satisfied. Well yesterday, during our National Day program, she and I had a conversation about faith. She told me that she was now at peace with whatever decision our prinicpal made. Why? She had prayed. She told me "There is a prayer we make about what is good for us. We ask Allah to do what is good for us. I prayed it three times and now I am ok." I explained to her that we Christians also have the same prayer. I explained that also believe in God's will for our life above our own. We then talked about how difficult that prayer can be when you REALLY want something but how we just do not know that grand plan for our lives. We talked about how you end up exactly where you are meant to be, even when it isn't where you want to be. It was a wonderful conversation. I absolutely love when I have these random and bridge building moments with my ladies.

It was a good idea...

at the time.

These seemed like a good idea. I deserved a treat. Yes, I did. So I got a whole bag...make that two bags. In the space of 12 hours I consumed one entire bag. They were so yummy going down. After about 20min I began to remember why we don't let small children do this...ugh I feel awful. Like I said...it was a good idea, at the time.

2011 Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving for me occured at 3am Nov 25, 2011. This is never been a big holiday for me. I've never really cared much for the holiday itself but I've always loved the fact that my family would get together. I love the random debates. Mostly started by one of the boys picking someone's mouth lol. I love the amount of food consumed but it's only good when I'm with the family. I love the laid back feel of the day. In the past 5 years I've loved the kids.

This year Skype allowed me to participate in almost all the things I love. Listening to my mother and cousin singing hymns as my brother quoted Bible verses was a treat. Talking to my 3 year old nephew who insisted that "We don't need a plane" to come see me. His first thought was "We need a truck and diver to take us" but he eventually decided "We need a ship to go on the water." lol Lord love him. I loved the short puppet show and pre-k talk with my almost 5 year old niece. Seeing my Dad in his mismatched classic polo and shorts was comforting as was the brief to the point conversation with my oldest brother. I am so thankful for the family I have. I absolutely love everyone of them with their quirks lol.

Can't wait to see the family in 4 weeks...even if it's only for a few days.

my siblings and I with my father peeking in the back, mom prefers not to have her pic online(sigh)

The road less traveled

Well I've been here for one month shy of a full year and I guess it must be time for the next phase in my adventure over here. I didn't want to talk about it for fear it would disappear lol but now it's official. I've been asked to leave the classroom and work as the English Head of Faculty for my school. This is such a wonderful opportunity and I gladly accepted. In the past I've always shyed away from any role that would take me out of the classroom 'cause I do soooooooo looooovvvveee teaching but it's time. When I think back, this position(or one similar to it) has come my way twice before and each time I've walked away. I've always wanted to be sure that I had a firm enough grasp of my craft because when I am questioned, as I know I'll be by my ladies, I need to feel that I speak from a place of theory as well as application. I've been in the trenches with these ladies and I know how their minds work. I know they'll question and push me and frankly I look forward to it 'cause they did the same when I was an LT. I love that they're open enough with me to question. I love that they're also willing to really listen to what I have to say. They trust my intentions are good and I think that will take me a long way. Our leaving Head of Faculty was a pittbull but she knew her stuff and got us to where we are. Now I can help us get to the next level in providing the best possible education for our kids. I'm so pleased and all fear has gone away. I am ready for the challenges that lay ahead.

Again I am reminded that the Big Man Upstairs really is listening. For the past few months my mantra has been "I am open to all the possibilities God has in store for me." Not asking for anything specific just fighting the fear that often accompanies change. 'Cause as much as I am not a fan of change(says the girl who packed up her life to move accross the world lol) I hate being stagnant even more. So here I go, stepping out on faith...faith in my God and my education gained from years of study and application.

Things that make me smile

-Driving down Ghayathi streets blasting Kanye, Beyonce, Katy Perry etc
-The odd looks I get when dancing in my car(got that in the US too lol)
-Hearing a Rhi-Rhi ringtone in the middle of the desert
-Hearing things that distictly African(ie-my Nigerian friend suck his teeth when irritated)
-Hearing things that are distictly American(most any song on the radio-their love of Snoop Dogg)
-Spending all day doing my hair without feeling guilty
-Phrases, gestures, folk tales used by my Arabic ladies that I've heard/see my whole life
-The unexpected
-Random conversations
-People/Events that connect me to home
-Knowing that my kids are fundamentally no different than my previous kids(great hugs, eager learners, adorable smiles...little people in the making)
-Understanding little kids conversations...in ARABIC!!!
-Discussing which sheikh's successor is hot...while at school...with the Arabic ladies
-Learning about standards of beauty over here-the eyes are where it's at
-Speed limits are merely a suggestion
-The Beautiful Camel Competition
- Looking at the real desert at the Tilal Liwa Hotel(just beautiful)
-Realizing I don't need much
-The excitement of going home in 5 weeks
-Skype
-Facebook video chat
-Lame pick-up lines delivered in broken English(lame is lame no matter the language lol)
-Falling asleep on the couch (some things never change)

MY RINGTONE

This song makes me smile all the time!!!

40th Annual Camel Festival

Last night we went to see a camel race here in Ghayathi. Well we didn't see the reace but we did have quite the experience. We ended up meeting the big wigs, getting interviewed by a reporter from Dubai and taking a million PR pics. At first we were very concerned about going to the official ceremony area since none of us were dressed appropriately...I mean when we left our apartments we thought we were going to a casual camel race. Oh and there were a grand total of 9 women at the event-we 7 of them were in our group. Anyway, true to Arabic form they were very hospitable and showed us around, gave us a rundown of the history and purpose of the event(to maintain their cultural identity) and lots of tea, coffee and sweets. It was a good night.

The event is running for 6 days. Each day there's a Beautiful Camel competition with 10 winner and the winners get a luxury car. There are also camel sales and last year one camel went for 25million dirhams! We were told that the first day of competition is open to all (folks come from Saudi, Qatar etc to compete) but the rest of the days are restricted to UAE nationals. True to form I did not bring my camera along but others did so here are some pics of last night.

IT'S ELECTRIC! Boogie woogie woogie!

Today is International Diabetes Awareness Day. We had a program at school and the parents(read: mothers) were invited to attend. The kids sang a few songs, the school nurse spoke about the importance of testing and having a healthy lifestyle BUT the highlight of the program was the Electric Slide. Yes my people the other LT at the school and I led the mothers in the Electric Slide lol. It was so funny. First we showed them how it's done then we broke it down so they could dance along. Getting them up and moving was a chore in itself but our school nurse, whose idea this dancing thing was, is a pitbull when she wants something done...a pitbull with a smile. She even got our principal up and moving...for about 5 min but still it's progress. Those who participated in the dancing had a great time and it was a nice break. I swear I never in my life thought I would be teaching the Electric Slide to abaya clad ladies...not to mention being in one myself lol. It was a good day all aside from the vomit that ended up on my abaya but that's another story and comes with the territory.

Revocable Living Trusts, Power of Attorney, Will- oh my!

So I'm sitting here getting together my legal documents and boy it's soooooo boring. Granted it's needed and honestly I should have had this stuff in place before leaving the US but hey, better late than never. As boring as it is though, I kinda feel like a grown up. Takes me back to the days when I first took care of myself completely- I was finally a big girl lol. I'm also more motivated than ever to grow my little seedling, and it is oh sooooo small lol, of an estate into a large one, worthy of the title ESTATE. When I go I want all that my parents worked for to mean something. I want to be able to leave something of value to the next generation-so it's time to leave my love alone for a couple months(Dubai *sniff sniff*) and focus. With the help of my girl Suze I think it can be done.

My fellow LTs who are coming over, just be sure to get your affairs in order before you get over here...I know it's another thing on top of the millions of tasks to complete before coming to the land of sun and sand but it's worth it.

Back to basics

So for years I listened to one of my favorite financial gurus. Listening to her advice got me through so much and now that I live in the land of excess I feel myself slipping. I cannot watch her show over here but thanks to Mr. Jobs I can access her on iTunes. The best part???? IT'S FREE!!!!! YAY!!!! I love listening to her straight no chaser advice which honestly rarely deals with the figures. Hopefully this will help me stay on track...afterall that's part of the draw working here.

Finally!!!!

I found a decent Mexican spot-Casa Maria! It's located in the Green Community which is located on the outskirts of Dubai. It's a world away from the Dubai I know so far. I've been craving Alero and Alamo(my two favorite spots from DC & MD). Now I'm good till I head back to the States for Christmas.

Overall the food was good. I've heard of a few other spots but they are far more pricey and seem rather upity. I like my laid back Mexican places but I've got YEARS to try those places out.

On a completely different note -drum roll please.....

I got my hood dryer!!!! Yay!

Now we'll see how well it works but for now I'm pleased.

We're back together, my love and I.

It's Eid break and while many I know have headed out of the country for a few days of adventure or rest, I am back with my old love-Dubai. This time I'm staying longer than ever before and I'm on the hunt. Anyone who knows me well knows my hobby is hair. So I'm on the hunt for products and equipment yay! Some get excited about sports, I get excited about the Izumani ITC,450, peppermint essential oils and henna. Yes it takes all kinds lol. So anyway, my plan is to gently force my companion out of bed so we can go shopping for these fun items. I'm also starting my christmas shopping since I have a fairly good idea of what I'll be getting folks this year..all in all I think my old love and I will enjoy our Eid break. I'll get lost and he'll show me more of him. Oh Dubai, how I miss you everytime I leave.

Time changes everything

One year ago I was so broken down I couldn't clearly see things ever coming around. One year ago I had quit my job, packed up my home and was waiting on my golden ticket to come to the magical land of the UAE. I waited 5months for this ticket. I was pushed to the edge of my sanity, patience and faith in people. Sleep was a rarity. Seeing people during those months was very painful. I felt like a fool. Honestly who gives up a steady job in the hopes of traveling to another country to work and not know if it will even work out? Especially after purchasing and renovating a home and having lived in it less than a year. Who does such a thing? As it turns out, there are thousands of us that do this all the time. We're all over the world. We pack up a few possessions, call up all the courage we have, kiss our loved ones good-bye and step out into the unknown. We faulter. We flounder. We cry. We laugh. We make new and amazing connections. We form new friends. We live. All the pain and anxiety I felt a year ago is far from forgotten but the sting isn't fresh as before. I am so blessed to have the family I do. My every supportive parents. My sister who was literally there no matter what. My older brothers who offered words of encouragement but new not to press for details 'cause it was far too painful to talk about. My Haven and Pops who were wonderful distractions in their little child way. My friends who let me be crazy and helped me to forget my situation from time to time. Time has changed so much. Things have improved and I am ever greatful to these people for pulling me through those long hard 5 months.

If you are not willing to risk, you cannot grow

and if you cannot grow, you cannot be happy

and if you cannot be happy,

what else is there?

-Les Brown

 (c/o William Hardrick)

Literacy-the gift that keeps on giving

I've taken up journaling again. I've started and stopped at various points in my life but it's always been helpful. Tonight as I was writing my latest entry I could not help but think about how great I feel when it's all out..everything that I keep bottled in and don't really feel the need to share with anyone. Then it hit me. This is part of the gift I am imparting to my kids. I'm giving them the opportunity to form thoughts, opinions and have private counselling sessions in two languages. These babies will be able to reach for words and concepts in English and Arabic. They will be able to express their thoughts, opinions and emotions on paper as well as orally. How wonderful is that? A whole world of knowledge and mode of expression will be open to them because of the gift of literacy.

Praise God/Alhumdulillah for the gift of literacy.

Goodbye Ramadan

We lost probably the sweetest guys I've ever met. One of our security guards at our school will no longer be there. His presence has been and will continue to be missed by all who knew him. I remember him helping me put up my kids work last year after everyone had left and I was there alone trying to prepare the physical environment for two classrooms. He always had a ready smile for everyone and pitched in without being asked. It is truly a sad day for the children and staff of Al Jinan.

Amen!

My Wish list

All I want is
-Kinky Curly Come Clean shampoo
-Kinky Curly Knot Today conditioner
-100% Acrylic Black Yarn
-The Science of Black Hair by Audrey Davis-Sivasothy

Address to follow...

Revelation!

Trumpets make me happy! lol No really listen to them. Got my morning dance on now off to work.

Surrender

I had a conversation today with one of the new LTs at my school. It was one of those typical on the fly, we've got a million things to do before getting back to class, conversations. This woman is a great teacher from what I've seen thus far but she has a tough class. It's like the universe pulled together the perfect storm of difficult to handle kindergarteners and put them in her class. I feel for her as a fellow teacher but  especially coming off my perfect storm last school year. Anyway, during our conversation I told her it will get better but only when you surrender. It's a must. You must surrender the way you've done it before. It worked, yes....before...in the US but it won't work here. You must hold onto the core of what you know is good teaching but work within the confines of what we have here. You must surrender. I know that was a hard thing for me to do but it happened. If you don't surrender you'll grow tired very quickly and lose focus on why you came here. I also told her to surrender the independence we're so accustomed to having. We're always a step or two behind. The ladies we work with have the upper hand in language, cultural experience and interpersonal connections. We cannot be completely independent. Interdependence is the name of the game here. It makes life so much easier when you realize there are folks out there ready and willing to help you. It's even better is when they're willing to push through the cultural and language barrier to be there for you, to console you, to rejoice with you and to just chat about life. So surrender my dear LTs and enjoy the ride. 'Cause as hard as this is, as teachers we know the reward is well worth it.

It's Good to be the Boss...

Well it's good to be the boss' kid. Today we had a surprise, surprise for the LTs too by the way but anyway, for a child in my class. Yes, the ENTIRE school day stopped and the daughter of principal had a surprise birthday party put together by the Arabic staff. Even her mom had no idea what was happening until she walked into the breakfast room where we had all gathered to celebrate. Now in true LT fashion all we could think was "and we have to teach them after this? After they intake large amounts of sugar and are denied their recess time 'cause of this party...oh boy." Either way the kids had a good time and my principal was very pleased. And hey, cake is ALWAYS a good thing!

So did you live in a hut? Did you hunt lions?

Coming to the USA I had the shock of my 5 year old life. I had so many stupid questions and downright mean comments from people. My clothes were never quite right, though I never really cared. My name was odd and too long. Why couldn't I be Laura, Becky, Susan, Vanessa people wondered(the polite ones privately and the asses out loud, to my FACE!) and over the years I still get this one so I've developed several logical replies...
My name has significance in my family
There's a vowel for every consonant
It has the same number of letters as Elizabeth
Deciding whomever is complaining/commenting has limited mental capacity (my personal favorite)
Ignoring folks till they at least give it a try

I learned early on that I did not fit in with the US kids. Now the flip side is having been in the US so long and raised in a small midwestern town, I can't really relate to many of my Liberian peers either. So like the man in black I walk the line. At all times. I must. I have learned which labels apply to me and which don't. I take on those that fit and deflect those that don't. I've had over 20 years of practice walking this line. I have always been as American as I have been a foreigner. I've learned to accept that. Being here in the UAE is rather comforting. Why? Almost everyone is a foreigner and those who children who were born and raised here must also walk the line. They will NEVER be Emirati. Yet this may be all they know. They must balance what they know of this country with what the culture of their forefathers. It's a difficult road to travel.

Why this post? I read a post by an LT that reminded me once again that though I am an American over here when push comes to shove, I am an African...the least desired of all races or so some would think. It hurt my heart so...it snapped me back from my false sense of brother/sisterhood with those I've met over here. That's the funny thing about the internet, it makes relationships seem real when they aren't smh. Either way. I am proud to be Liberian. As equally proud as I am to be American. This is my fate. I walk the line.

PS-No I never lived in a hut nor did I hunt in the jungle...smh

Naptime folks

This is how both my coteacher and I felt by the time the kids left. We pushed through though and got work done but ugh man it's time for a well deserved nap.

Ma as-salaamah peeps



Growth and Development

Making friends is a skill I've never been good at. Those that I have and hold dear is through no charm, wit or openness on my part. The people I have in my life that I count as friends have become such through their wit, charm, openness and patience. I was a slow to warm up child who grew up to be a cautious adult. I rely on my internal compass when entering into new relationships and it's never lead me astry...the only failures have been when I wilfully override this very reliable device which has always led to headaches and occassional heartaches.

Now that I'm so far away from those dear friends I've realized two things. First, I NEED to be a better friend. It's so not ok to go months without talking. It's not ok to be completely unaware of the flavor of the month or when that flavor of the month turns into a soulmate. It's not ok. I'm working on getting better at that even though my ladies know how I am...smh. Second, I need to be open to new relationships. Yes life gets in the way but it just means I must be for intentional about these things. Again I'm being blessed with people who are wiggling their way into my life. I need to take the time to nurture these budding relationships HOWEVER I also need to let that compass guide me and not drown it out. All this reflection has been sparked by Katie Couric lol never thought she would ever impact my life but that book is something else.
Thanks Katie...

R-E-S-P-E-C-T! (in my Aretha voice)

I don't like conflict. Confrontation makes me queasy. I know I can be very passive but at the same time I've not one to be trampled over. Today when confronted with a most unprofessional coworker I was waited the recommended cooling off period, thought through what it was that bothered me, the changes I needed to see made and how to approach her while remaining calm. Now when the incident occured my gut instinct was to take her on then and there. To put her in her place. I'm proud to say I fought the urge...as strong as it was. 'Cause my people she was DEAD WRONG! You don't BLAME other's for YOUR mistakes!!!!

Interestingly (or should I say to the surprise of no one) enough when I finally talked to her, alone(giving her the professional courtesy she denied us), she instinctively put up her defences and stood her ground refusing to listen to what I was saying. I finally shook my head and returned to my task...I refuse to talk to brick walls. That's just insane. However, for some reason that caused her to relent and say she'll trying harder to be more sensitive. It was not sincere at all...I was so disgusted. I told her to just continue to be her and clearly my concerns were not important. I put my headphones back on and went back to completing the paperwork I was working on. I'm not going to fight with anyone. It's not worth it. I know how the game goes and I can play it very well. I'm very skilled at blocking out the unpleasant and focusing on the positive. I'm so glad I have Sherine(our music teacher). She's full of life and makes me smile no matter what!

I pity her though. She's not making any allies over here. Fear is not respect but it seems she prefers fear. Too bad for her, she has neither from me. I can't think of anyone I actually fear and she surely won't be the first! Either way I know I'm dealing with her and everyone(good, bad and everything in between) else to prepare me for whatever it is the next step of this journey has in store for me. I'm really starting to think more seriously about my next steps...not any time soon mind you but still...

In a Rascal Flatts mood today...Two of my favs

So the battles begin...

Today was a day of ongoing battles. They began bright and early and lasted till it was time for us to leave. In fact I'm convinced they're still raging on as I sit here in the stillness of my living room. What are these battles? The new lesson plan format our HoF wants everyone to complete. The duty schedule for breakfast and recess. The daily schedule. It raged allllllll morning and I did what I know how to do best. I STAYED OUT OF IT. It's not my issue nor my business. It's above my pay grade. And honestly when push comes to shove, these things have got to get taken care of by someone. Do I like the rediculously detailed lesson plan we have to complete? No! I do it 'cause it really does help you to organize your thoughts and focus the instruction better. It holds you accountable for ensuring whatever you're doing is based on the ADEC outcomes. This isn't so important for me since I'm accustomed to teaching this way but it's needed for our coteachers as they learn this new method of teaching. Do I like the school schedule? Eh. It's not terrible 'cause my coteacher and I are seeing what works and altering to fit our class. So I don't really care what the overall schedule says. Do I like the breakfast and recess schedule? Nope. I've always hated duty. ALWAYS! In undergrad I found the one duty I didn't mind and another girl and I switched whenever I had the duty she wanted and vice versa...terrible I know lol The point is all duty was covered. So here, like at Shepherd, I'll do by job when it comes to duty, I won't enjoy it but I'll do it the best I can 'cause it's part of the job.

Overall I just stayed very low key today 'cause from 5am I had a growing headache that turned into a full on migraine by the time I made it home. Now it's only on one side of my head.

In other news. I ran into the wife of the current grade 1 boys teacher and she told me her husband wants to take me out to dinner. Why? My boys are doing us proud over there. They've recalled the English they learned last year but most importantly they're ready to learn. They remember what the business of school is and how to act appropriately-something I'm sure all my Cycle 1 teachers over here have horror stories about. That just made my day. It's nice to know all the hard work paid off. 

What helps...

I've rarely complained on this blog 'cause honestly that's not it's purpose. Also it really doesn't take much to please me and having been out here I've learned I really don't need much. I'm watching as folks jokey for positions of "power" and try to outwit the system...smh I do wish them well in achieving whatever it is that will make them happy or content or find peace in the very unique place. As for me, my little apartment in my little town is serving me just fine. I thought I wanted to move to Ruwais but I'm very content with my not so pretty town that's also very far away from the new oil refinery unlike lovely Ruwais. There's always a plan in place and I'm learning to just trust that it will unfold as it's meant to. Not everything is worth fighting for.

Our Lunch Guest

Today we had a guest for lunch.

The KG1 kids were being moved from their table 'cause of the visitor on the ceiling.

While this little guys caused the teachers to freak out the kids barely noticed. The KG1 babies are still nursing their aching hearts at the loss of their mother/nannies for 4 hours of their daily life and KG2 kids were far more amused by bothering each other lol. The ladies and I kept close watch on our little visitor who didn't move an inch.

9/11 and it's the first day of school

Today was the first day of school. I think we had a grand total of 13-16 kids show up(that's in the entire school). They'll trickle in I'm told. The monther's and nannies were actually very good about leaving the kids to mingle and get accustomed to the teachers. My class was made up largely of returning kids so our transition was very smooth...that is once we were allowed into the classrooms. We spent the first hour and a half in the assembly room letting the kids play. By the time we went to breakfast at 9am one of my kids asked when we're going to start studying. She was ready! My kinda girl! lol Once in the room all my fears about how my co-teacher Aida would be on the first day(she is the biggest softy in the school) were put to rest. We tag teamed very well. Everything was done in Arabic and English. Though I am going to have to make her come to the front of the room or take the lead more 'cause she's following my lead, which she's supposed to do, but there are things that need to be presented in their mother tongue first then followed up with their second language. We'll work it out. All in all it was a great day.

I must say that when I woke up this morning on 9/11 and put on my abaya for work, for the first time in a decade this day did not hold great sadness. I was eager. I was happy. For the first time on 9/11 I didn't relive the moment those planes changed my world and the terror I felt knowing my sister and mother were flying from the east coast home to Kansas. You know that day 10 years ago I had a faint awareness of the middle east and of Arabic people. Today, I looked into the eyes of children, mothers and a few father, teachers and administrators, Muslim and Christian-we were all excited and/or scared. It was the first day of Kindergarten. I've looked at those same eyes in the US, seen and felt those same first day emotions. We're not so different. On 9/11 a decade ago the Arabic world came into crashing into my world with violence and fear. Today I recieved a beautiful abaya from the two ladies I worked with. I have no idea why but I love it. Today the Arabic world is a part of my world, with all it's kindness, focus on family and flaws.

It's the night before school...

Tomorrow is the first day of school. To get ready I've done my nails, watched a few movies and cleaned my apartment 'cause frankly I've come to know that very little will be within my control. Where I would normally have made helper tags with each student's name, picked out the books I would be reading for the first day and gone over how to introduce the classroom rules and routines, I've done none of this. The class list we were given is about as solid as anything else in this place...very changeable. I have a rough idea of what we've planned but I'm told the mothers will try and stay all day and we may actually only have the kids for an hour in the classroom...even that isn't set. If they cry too much they will be sent home early. The first two weeks the kids will leave at 11am so their day will run from 745(or whenever they arrive)-11. I attempted to introduce rules/routines for the first day but my co-teacher freaked at the idea so that's been moved to Monday. So I'm happy doing my nails and watching rediculous movies today. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

The troops have arrived...

I have such great hope for this school year. Not only are the incoming LTs to my school great but there are going to be more than 8 other English speaking people in my sleepy little town! Yay! I'm so excited! I've met most of the group coming out here and I'm looking forward to karaoke nights lol since one of the girls coming out has a machine. Oh yea...tons of loud, words missing, off pitch singing will be happening. It's also nice that most of the folks coming out to Ghayathi seem pretty laid back...well as laid back as one can be moving to a place such as this. I'm no longer hoping to move to Ruwais with the incoming company. Well that and I do so hate moving and with the opening of the new road to Ruwais I won't have to fight the semis as often....so all in all things are looking up over here.

I had a few visitors today, completely unexpected but at least they were able to tour the apartment. I think they were surprised by the size of the place. We have tons of space over here but it's the country. We have nothing but sand, camels and space.

I'm so excited about what is ahead on this UAE adventure. It's never boring that's for sure. I've learned though that I have a great ability to ignore most of the unpleasant things that happen while hounding ADEC or whomever till I get what I need. This combo along with an ability to be amused and pleased by the simplest things have made me very happy in my little desert home.

Kisses and Cookies

Day 1 of work consisted of cookies courtesy of Rhaham, kisses all around, Araglish(Arabic/English) chit chat about who had babies(everyone had boys) and LT hunting. The bulk of my oh so grueling 4 hour day was spent on facebook trying to make contact with the LTs my principal was sent...Facebook is awesome. Had I not had that I would have been oh so bored. My brain can only process so much Arabic at a time and likewise for the ladies and my English. In fact I would speak to them in English and the replies would come in Arabic lol With a bit of discrenment I could follow the conversation but that take so much brain power.

Tomorrow our very eager LTs are supposed to show up. These ladies are planning on commuting 4hours round trip everyday till they get housing...they are better than I. I surely had no thoughts of any such thing when I arrived in December. Ah well we'll see what the rest of the week brings...

Back in the habit

Tomorrow is the first day of work. Unlike every other first day of work I have no idea what to expect tomorrw. It's kinda nice, which is so very odd for someone who doesn't do well with change(I really do need to stop sayin that 'cause I keep changing up my life constantly lol). Anyway, I've spent the past few days prepping for what I would like to do this school year and mourning the loss of my books. Oh well...

Ana Aasifah (I'm sorry)...It's been a while

This blog has gone untended for many many moons(as my father would say). So what's been happening? Long story short:
-I left for summer break on July 16 and spent 3 weeks in the US.

  -US overview: fire at house, survived 18 hour road trip with my Mom(awesome) 4 & 3year old(never again I say NEVER AGAIN) to visit my old man(big brother), niece battled the coffeetable and ended up with 6 stitches, the love of my life is talking like none other(key phrase: I can't like it) and needs 3 year old military school(lol), my brother needs&deserves a long vacation(if I had the resources I'd ship him somewhere to relax), st. paul was as good as I remember, delayed flight out of DC resulted in being stuck in NYC overnight, business class upgrade (sweeeet), almost all my books I brought back got wet(epic fail)

-Spent my birthday in CapeTown

  -CapeTown: Left me feeling rather disturbed. The vast disparity between the natural beauty of the land and the utter poverty of many of it's residents. The entire trip was an emotional rollercoaster and not at all as I had imagined but it was overall very good.

-Back in the UAE getting ready for the start of a new school year. Before the start of every school year for the past 7 years my mind goes blank. It's like I'm back in undergrad and have no idea what I'm doing. It's the oddest thing. Yet as soon as I get out my children's stories to find a good book for the first weeks-The Kissing Hand, If You Take a Mouse to School, Timothy Goes to School to name a few- it all starts to flow and I can't stop myself. Before I know it the day has passed by and I'm completely engrossed in plotting a planning for my new set of kids. This year I'm thinking of incorporating Writer's Workshop strageties into my classroom. I'm also going to make use of the one of the many bags I have. I'm thinking of having students pic out one or two books to take home to read to their parents...I'm still fiddling with the details. Overall I'm as excited about this coming school year as I am every year. I'm just really hopeful that we get great LTs that stick out the year. I have no desire to be the only LT at my school anymore. Diffused responsibility would be nice.

If you can't say anything nice.....

When I was 7 years old my father taught me a lesson that has remained with me to this day. My Daddy, who is an avid coffee drinker, was taking me to school as always and he stopped at the Shell gas station down the street from my school to fill the tank and his coffee mug. When he got back into the car I made a comment about how his coffee smelled terrible. Well, he lit into me. He scolded me for being rude and told me never to comment on the smell of the food/drinks of others unless I had something nice to say. He told me it makes people feel bad and makes me look rude. That lesson has never left me and today I really appriciated it.

As it's the end of the year and the kids are gone the staff gathers everyday about 10am for breakfast in the lounge. Generally it pita bread, tea, coffee, foul(beans) and cheese, usually Egyptian cheese. Today the ladies brought the usual but also some fish. Now the way this fish is prepared makes it very salty and I'm not a fan-I only know 'cause I actually tried it. This fish also has a very strong aroma. The other English staff member at my school made all kinds of faces and comments about the food the ladies brought to share while refusing everything offered to her. She kept moving about the room telling everyone she was trying to escape the fish smell. I was so embarrassed for her as well as myself. I kept my tounge as I'd been taught and tried the fish, which I didn't like 'cause of the amount of salt. Anyway, I could see they were bothered by her reaction though in true form they said nothing...at least not in English. They then asked me if the smell bothered me and after telling them how in my family we eat many things that I'm sure others might not find appealing I told them the lesson my father taught me. The response: He is a good father. I had to agree, I do have a pretty awesome Dad. I mean, they know the fish has a strong aroma 'cause when they're done there is lots of air freshener brought in, hand cleaning with lemon and perfume application so there was no need for comments from the peanut gallery. If nothing else this time without the kids is a great time to continue to learn about each other and build bridges.

To those who are coming next school year: Please remember to pack a bit of common courtesy. It will get you very far.

I've come to realization...

I am not a blogger. I love to share what's happening but man I can't seem to get myself to sit down and write. So....we're going to change formats. I'll be posting videos from now on. I mean I do love to talk and I realized I have a bunch of videos just sitting here. We'll see if vlogging thing works. So let's begin.

This one is from this morning. Enjoy.

*Correction: there is only on Crown Prince the others are rulers of their respective emarite*

Very very busy

Well I haven't updated this blog in a while...so bad I know. But I've been so very busy over here. Let's see...
-I had my first really bad week at work and found out a snake's a snake. Nope it wasn't a member of the Arabic faculty. Oh well I got over it and am very careful now.

-Survived my first evaluation. Now that was one for the books. I wish it would have been recorded for everyone to see. I thought I was being punked. Honesely, when my principal suggested I teach Arabic and the Arabic teacher teach English I thought she was joking. Nope she was dead serious. lol The questions that were thrown at be by a panel of four yup FOUR people were about as amusing as the looks on their faces when the other would speak. It was all I could do to keep a straight face. It was so clear that the number of people had nothing to do with getting an in dept assessment of my understanding of ADEC policiy and best practices. It was more about each making sure that the others didn't mess up lol.

-Finally I went a a desert Safari! Yay! I'm not the best with a camera so I didn't get pictures of the camp site or the entertainment oh well. I did climb to the top of a dune while the bellydancing was happening. It was a beautiful view.

Before hitting the dunes we stopped at tourist trap. No I didn't get that lol

The tourist trap. Scary bathrooms!

After we've slid down sand dunes head first and sideways we got a break.

At the camel farm

Camel farm again. Her feet are tied together 'cause she's pregnant and they don't want her moving about too much. That's what the driver told us anyway.

That's the car that played tag with us over the dunes. I swear you think you're about to roll over then they swerve and all is well. Dune bashing-not for the faint of heart.

Can't believe I live here! Amazing

My new favorite plant. It looks so beautiful but if you touch it and rub your eyes you will go blind. Beautiful but deadly!

My first camel ride. Those things are tall!!!

My new friend and I.

I love sunsets in general. Desert sunsets are wonderful as well.

Another move?

This week we LTs got an update from our LT Support team. In addition to other news the bolded section below struck a cord with me. I've been hearing for a few weeks that those of us out here in the Ruwais area may be leaving next school year but till last Thursday it was just a rumor. I guess it still is... I would be so sad to leave my school but I must remember the high level of anxiety I had prior to actually moving out here. I hope I get to stay in my oh so comfy place but I'll take what comes. We'll see what happens. Either way I just hope to know something before leaving for the summer.

Transfers

Transfers (by cycle, by school, by region) will be based upon the administrative needs of schools.  However we do recognize that changing family or personal circumstances may necessitate a transfer request.  Also, planned school mergers and closures will result in the redeployment of a many teachers.  Therefore, we are developing a protocol and process for transfers and information will be sent to all teachers beginning next week.    We appreciate your patience in this matter.

I want my Mom...and I don't care who knows

I'm sick. I don't know what it is but everything hurts. So I took myself to the doctor. Wow! I miss my very thorough Dr. Perry and her very clean office. The doctor spent maybe two seconds with me before perscribing me three medications. One I know as I told her but when I asked about the others she looked at me like I had three horns sticking out of my head and waited for me to leave. Ha! Like that was happening. I sat there till she explained everything and you know I'm still not sure I'm going to take the other two. We shall see....

Hold on tight 'cause here are the 5 star facilities we have in Ghayathi for those of us that aren't top dog....