Here we go again....

I will attempt to be better at blogging this year and do this weekly.

Here we go again!!! This is the end of the first week of school and I survived!!! I say survived because this year I will be teaching first grade to local Arabic girls. While I am extremely excited about it, it is also extremely tiring and comical! Oh, and learning will happen eventually ;-)

The first day seemed relatively normal. Well, normal for here anyway. The girls came to school and we met all first graders in the gym and played games. Because we all know school needs to be fun! After playing games and trying to put name tags on girls, we were dismissed to our class. I only had 1 girl cry and she spoke NO English and was animatedly telling me why she was crying. Of course, it was ALL in Arabic. The only word I understood was "mama". I gathered she wanted to go home and told her it would be ok. Fast forward to Thursday with this little girl and she has withdrawn and will be going to another school.

Teaching English to first grade Arabic girls who may or may not have gone to KG1 or KG2 is a lot like playing charades ALL day long!! Extremely tiresome!!! However, I do love the curriculum and can't wait for this week to begin.

So far, I will be teaching 1A and 1B. These 2 classes are about as different as night and day. While 1B knows all the letters of the alphabet and numbers to 30 and know a decent amount of English to communicate with me, 1A is quite the opposite. 1A knows a limited number of letters, numbers to 20 and most can barely write their name. This will be challenging when writing lesson plans and attempting to keep up with the curriculum that ADEC is insistent on these girls learning. However, I am up for the challenge and can't wait until all routines and procedures are in place and the girls are comfortable with them. That is when learning happens more efficiently!

Until next week...

Bitter Sweet!

As I sit here in my apartment in Al Ain ready to visit the US for 6 weeks, I am amazed at all God has done for me. I have learned a lot about myself and a new culture. It has been 11 months and 1 day since I left the US to come on this amazing journey. I have made new friends who have become my family. These friends come from all over, the US, Egypt, Pakistan, India, UAE and many others. These people are no different than I am. They are amazing in their faith, their acceptance of others and I have learned many things through all of them. 

I have learned about a new culture and how the US media is completely wrong in how they portray this entire culture. While the US is happy to portray this entire region of the Middle East as radical Muslims, it is entirely NOT true! The US media has led most Americans to believe that all Muslims are the radicals in the Jihad and are "out to kill" all Americans. After living here, I can say that is entirely not true! I have not met any Muslims who act in anyway that the media has portrayed. Here, they are accepting, faithful, respectful, caring, kind, loving, honest people who are living a spiritual life they way they were raised. 

I have learned that I am stronger than I think most of the time. Sure, there have been times that I have cried and wondered "what have I done?" but at this point, I would not change this experience for the world. I am extremely happy in the adventure God has taken me on and look forward to more!

So, today is bitter sweet! I am sad to be leaving my new home here in the UAE for a brief 6 week visit in the US but I am extremely excited to see my family and friends that I have missed in the past 11 months. 

For now, it is so long and I will see you all in the US!!

Strange but Normal

I have almost completed my first year here in the UAE. I have been amazed at the new things I have learned about this country, culture, and myself. 

I am a part of many Facebook groups that are teachers or expats based here in the UAE. In one group, the question was asked "What are somethings you thought were strange when you first came but seem normal now?" I have compiled this list from the Facebook group and added my own. 

Once strange but now normal:

• Men "bumping" noses as a greeting
• Men in kandouras, long, white "dresses"
• Going to the mall to go grocery shopping
• Having my car washed while shopping at the mall/grocery store
• People honking outside the store and restaurants and the workers come out, take the orders, money and bring back whatever was purchases. This is the same for having laundry done. 
• Not slowing down at stop signs
• Honking if you are not going fast enough
• People layering dresses over jeans and a long sleeve shirt
• All restaurants deliver, McDonald's, Applebee's, KFC, etc
• Men sitting around of the grass in the median between lanes or on the side of the road
• Camels walking around the school while you work
• Round-abouts
• Flashing lights if you are not going fast enough when driving
• Seeing kids playing soccer in a round-about and the ball going in the street
• People parking in the round-about for casual conversations
• Cheating on exams-students and teachers
• Friday and Saturday as the weekend
• Working on Sunday
• Making left turns from the far right lane
• Using cold water taps to get hot water in the summer
• Cars/Trucks reversing down the highway because they missed their exit
• Queues being 1 person deep and 30 people wide 
• Drawing a map for deliveries rather than giving an address
• Seems every dress shop has MEN tailoring, sewing and measuring the women for custom fittings
• Children sitting/standing in the front seat of the car
• Kids standing on top of the counter at food places
• Kids at the shisha cafe
• Kids being up and out late shopping/playing at the malls
• Hose next to every toilet in the bathroom
• Hole in the floor in some bathrooms (Asian toilet)
• Camel(s) in the back of a pick-up truck
• Holidays and days off school confirmed a day or two before because of the sighting of the moon by religious leaders
• Official calendars, news reports, traffic signs, road rules are merely suggestions
• 3 weeks post-planning at the end of the school year
• Lines on the prescription boxes to show the directions on how much to take and when
• Weighing produce before going to the check-out counter
• Staff members talking non-stop during meetings, coming in late, and being offered tea or coffee
• Maid's room, the size of a closet
• Locals carrying 2 phones
• Ray Bans on when shopping
• Locals taking their shoes off in Starbuck's and hiking their feet up in the chair underneath them
• Kids running in the mall like it's a playground. There is a playground in EVERY mall
• "Rounding" the costs at stores because no one has anything smaller than 25 fils. Sometimes it rounds in your favor and sometimes not. 
• Thinking to myself "It's cool outside, it's only 100 degrees"
• Men wearing white sandals. 
• Full-service gas stations including washing the windows. 

This is by no means the only things that seem strange but this is quite a great list. 

The Power "Saga" Ends

A continuation of my previous post...
I have finally completed the daunting task of getting the electricity and water transferred into my name.

In the last post, I had completed the step at the Municipality and was calling AADC (Al Ain Distribution Company) to read the meter.

So, I called to have the meter read and was instructed to wait to receive 2 text messages. I got the first message on June 23 and the second on June 24. I have no idea what either of them say since both are in Arabic. 

On June 25, I take the paper from the Municipality and the 2 text messages to the AADC branch on Khalifa Street (the most friendly of the branches, I'm told). I wait my turn and finally am called to the desk. I give the man the letter and my phone to show the 2 text messages. He asks for my rental agreement. I explain that the Municipality kept the rental agreement and gave me this letter. He tells me that he can't input the information without the rental agreement. I explain again I don't have the rental agreement that the Municipality kept it and told me I only needed this letter. The man explains again he can't input the information without it and tells me to go to the "Main" building across from Jimi Mall and ask to speak to his boss, Yasser Al Amri, but that they have already closed for the day since it is after 3pm. 

So, the next morning, I get permission to leave school and go to AADC to get this taken care of. I get there and tell the security guard what I need and that I was told to see Yasser Al Amri. He asks for my ID and gives me a pass to go to the next door and go see this man. When I finally locate his office, I am informed that his is not there but in a meeting. So, I head back to the security desk. Another man asks me what I need and I explain to him. He goes off and speaks to someone else and comes back about 5 minutes later and tells me to take a number and wait. 

Finally, my number is called and this nice Arabic woman is extremely helpful. She takes all of my information and tells me that it will be a 1000aed deposit ($271.74) and then the usage of 1540.30aed ($418.56). While this may sound high to begin with, keep in mind that this is the usage from September to June. So for 10 months, the power bill was approximately $42 American dollars per month. That never happened when I lived in the US. 

So before I left, I asked if I would get a text message to tell me how much the bill was for the month. She said "No, just come in once a month and pay." So, I guess that is one more thing to remember. 

Transferring Electricity to my name

Ok, so now that I have lived here since September, I have decided it's time to have the electricity put into my name. One would think that this would be a simple, painless experience. I'm here to tell you that is NOT the case. 

A month ago, I went to ADEC to get a letter stating that I work for them and a copy of a lease to give to the electricity company. After going to ADEC 6 times in 3 weeks, I finally got the letter I needed, so I thought. I was told that I needed to take this letter to the Al Ain Municipality and I would get another letter that would go to the electric company. Oh, and they close at 2pm. 

School was dismissed at 1pm, so I think this will be a great time to go and get my letter. 

I arrived at the Municipality and give my letter, written entirely in Arabic, to the man at the Information Desk. He says go through those doors to counter 36. I go through the doors and another man looks at my paper and he says "counter 35 or 36". I ask if I need a number because the others get were getting a number. He says "No, just wait over there." Now that may seem pretty simple to those of us who grew up in the USA. Lines are normal and we know how to stay in line and we are respectful of those who arrive before us. Here, NOT the case. 

So, I sit and wait and watch numerous people just walk to the counter with no regard to those of us already waiting. Finally, there seems to be some semblance of a line and as we all sit in the line, we begin to move seats to show we are next. Basically, like musical chairs while waiting for the man we need to see. 

Finally, it's my turn. I give the man my letter. He looks at it and says "This page doesn't have your name on it" (the contract page). So, I smile and say "Well, just write my name there". He laughs and says "It has to be typed." So, now I start to get nervous thinking I will have to go back to ADEC. I tell him it took me 3 weeks to get that letter and he says he will ask his colleague. Thankfully for me, I am not the first person this has happened to. The other man tells me I need to see Mr. Masalem Al Amri and he writes a note on my letters. He tells me where to go and off I go to find this other man. 

Well, NOT so simple. The place he said go, is not where I need to be. So, this other guy who is kind of like a "gopher" at an office tells me to go somewhere else. So, I tell him to show me. Directions here are not always good especially when someone may know 2 or 3 languages. So, this guy walks me down the stairs and around to some more offices where the man I am apparently looking for is not working. So, he asks someone else and the new guy in a kandoura says to copy my ID. So finally, I think I am in business. The "gopher" takes my ID and tells me to sit. So I sit and sit and sit. Another man asks if I need help and I say "I was told to sit here and wait." He says, "OK" and leaves. So, I continue to sit. Finally, the "gopher" comes back with my ID and tells me to just wait. After about 30 more minutes, the man in the kandoura comes out of the office and says "Here. Take this to the Electric Company."

So, I have the letter and I will pray that when I go to the Electric Company I will have all of the necessary documents. 

Now, I must call the Electric Company and have them come read the meter and send me a text message before I can go and pay the bill. So this adventure will be continued....

Al Ain Airport Field Trip

So, Thursday, after my Arabic teacher had been telling me all week that we would be going to the airport on a field trip "Insha'Allah", we finally went. 
It was really an amazing trip. I was impressed with how they treated the girls and with all the information that they showed the girls. At first, we were met by a beautiful young lady, Al Yaziia, who escorted us through the entire airport. When I say "entire", I mean the whole airport from security, to ticketing, to luggage, to passport, to the tarmac, through security again, then customs then back out of the airport. At each station, she told the girls in Arabic what was done and asked the girls many questions based on what she told them. Keep in mind, I know NO Arabic and was able to tell what she was telling the girls based on the objects she was holding, or the role playing she was doing. The girls got to see what happens if someone goes through security with a gun and how the monitors light up and how the security thing you walk through shows where the item is on the person. 
Then we went to ticketing where one of the girls got to be the "luggage" and she had the stickers placed on her and showed how the luggage gets from the ticket counter to the plane. 
Then, on to Passport control where Passports were stamped. Here the girls got a "Passport" that was stamped with a piece of chocolate. And once again, we were sent through another security scan and given another piece of chocolate. Now we are in the area where one waits to board the plane. At this time, there was a plane preparing to leave to Calicut, India. So, we waited and watched the plane being pushed out and go to the runway. The girls were very excited and were saying "Look, Miss!!! Look!!" 
After the plane took off, we were escorted through the airport and they explained how each passenger would have a retinal eye scan and a photograph taken. This is to ensure who is coming and going. While the retinal scan cannot be changed, people can change their facial features, beard, mustache, hair color, eye color, etc. 
Then through another security scan. We found out that plastic will show up orange, aluminum will be blue and any stronger metal will be black on the security screen. This is to assist with quickly identifying dangerous materials from entering the country. 
Now on to baggage claim, where our student who was the "luggage" would be matched up to the ticket that was given at the ticket counter. This ensures no stolen luggage. 
Then to customs, where the girls were told that no food could be brought into the country and where bags would be searched. Here each girl was given a small box that looked like a briefcase. In it was a pen, a key chain, and a small notepad in a case. 
Then we exit the terminal area and are back out at the front of the airport where we started. The girls were allowed to purchase items in the duty free shop and then we were on the bus back to school. 
While it sounds like a lot, there is only one terminal and only one flight leaves and arrives at a time. So, it's not that big!! However, it was fun and the girls had a blast!
Here are a few pictures taken before I was told that I couldn't take pictures in the airport. 

Ever Wanted a Cold Shower?

Ever been really hot and thought "Oh, I can't wait to get home and take a cold shower?" Yep, had one of those moments several times this week. It has gotten HOT!! Most of the temps were 108 or more this week. Several days, I came home from school thinking "Oh, I'm going to take a cold shower and cool off." NOPE...Didn't happen!! When it is 108 degrees and the cold water tank is on the roof of the apartment building, there is NO cold water!!!! So with the shower turned to cold, the water was still HOT!! Not quite so relaxing! Then, this morning I was brushing my teeth about 10:30am and the water was already quite warm. By the way, brushing your teeth with warm water is GROSS!!! I much prefer cold water! The bonus of the cold water being warm is that the hot water lasts longer. Which means in the mornings, I can take longer showers...hehehe. 

Just wanted you to know!