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 Fast forward to Thursday with this little girl and she has withdrawn and will be going to another school.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!

UNESCO Day

What an amazingly, CRAZY week!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
This week we studied various countries from around the world. The goal was to have the girls become respectful of other cultures, many of which are represented here in the UAE. 

My class learned about Mexico. They had a blast comparing and contrasting the UAE and Mexico. We made maracas out of plastic bottles and beans. We made salsa, where each girl worked in groups of four to make salsa for their table. We also made Mexican flags and glued popcorn on corn patterns to remind us how important corn is in their culture. 

Each teacher chose a different country. Some of the countries represented were Egypt, USA, Ethiopia, South Africa, India, Syria, Lebanon, Scotland, Ireland, Italy, and many more. 

On Thursday, there was an assembly where the gym and music teachers taught various groups of girls which they performed for the school and many mothers who came. After lunch, the girls took their "passports" and visited the other classrooms to learn about the countries. The girls were amazing and had a wonderful time. 

Here are some pictures of various groups who performed dances. 

Rain Forest or Desert????

I thought I moved to the desert NOT the rain forest!!

This has been the strangest weather!!!! For the last 3 days it has rained almost non-stop and cool. Virtually unheard of here. It usually only rains 3 days in the entire year. Friday and Saturday (my weekend), it rained so there was no going to the pool which I had gotten used to doing every weekend. For those of you who know me, know that I love sun and water. It doesn't matter if it is at the pool or the beach that is my "happy place" where I go to unwind and refocus. 

So, this weekend, there was none of that. I was stuck inside....BLAH!!!  Now I know later on I will be complaining about it being so HOT! By next weekend, we will be back into the 100's and sweating sitting still. 

Today, while teaching, I heard lots of noise outside. I opened the classroom door to look out and all the girls run out of the room at the same time and go straight out into the rain. Almost the entire school was outside playing in the rain. Even the Arabic teachers were walking around in the rain taking pictures. While I was shocked at this behavior, I had to stop and think that as a native Georgian, we are usually this way about snow. Anyway, after about 15-20 minutes the rain stopped and all the girls came back to the room. We attempted to get back on task but the girls were so excited about the rain that we just muddled through our math lesson. Then during the math lesson, we hear the rain again. I open to check outside and again the girls run out. However, this time our Assistant Principal is out telling the girls to stay under the shelter and close to the building since it was thundering. The girls were chanting something in Arabic that must have been a praise to Allah for the rain. It sounded like one sentence that was repeated over and over. The only word I recognized was "Allah".  So again, we stand and watch the rain until it stops. 

Here are pictures of the girls playing in the rain!  

This was a great reminder that while rain seems to be an inconvenience to me, it brings great joy to others! 

I'm in awe of what God shows me!

Strange Weather...Wet...HOT!!

The weather the last couple of weeks have been the craziest I've seen since being here. We have had rain, thunder, lightening and temps above 108 degrees. While the HOT temperature is not uncommon, the rain, thunder and lightening is. While many of my colleagues talk about be wakened by thunder and lightening, those of you who know me know that has not happened to me. I can sleep through most anything...including hurricane Opal many years ago. 

Here are a few pictures I have taken showing some of this. 

This is the temperature in my car. Thanks to Christine for showing me how to have this appear in my dash. 

This is The Weather Channel app on the same day. 

24 hours later, the weather looks like this. Rainy and a cool 82.

In the next week, temperatures will begin to climb back up to the mid-90s and will continue to climb until the only way to describe it will be "HOT, HOT, HOT!!!!"

To see more pictures about the strange weather, you can go to Christine's blog (http://www.christinesbigadventure.blogspot.com) and see pictures and read about the damage from storms at her school which is an hour and fifteen minutes from where we live in Al Ain. 

Spring Break is Over!

Spring Break is over!! While this is a sad thing, it is also exciting!! Why, you ask, is it exciting??? Because I am that much closer to coming back to the US to see my family and friends that I have missed dearly! The ticket has been purchased and I will be leaving the UAE on July 9 and arriving in the US on July 10. And the closer it gets, the more anxious I get. I will be home about 6 weeks and will attempt to see everyone while home. 

I have spent today preparing for this week at school. I will also be getting a student teacher who will be in my class for 4 weeks. So, today I have spent time printing lesson plans, making games, and getting activities ready for the week. 

I am truly enjoying my adventure here and I love living here in the UAE and teaching. I wish all my teacher friends could experience being at a school and being respected for what we do on a regular basis. 

Desert Safari

Jeff, who I grew up with, and Jamie Skinner asked me to go on a Desert Safari. Since it is one of the things that I didn't get to do with mom and dad, I agreed. I was pretty excited!  I've heard all kinds of wonderful things about these trips but had not done one myself. So, we headed off towards Dubai to meet some others. Jeff was told to meet at the LuLu's Supermarket behind the Mall of Emirates at 3:00pm. So we leave Al Ain about 1:30pm, giving us time to find this place. It was pretty easy to locate. 

Once there, we take the girls to the bathroom and Jamie sees one of teachers that came in with her in January. They happen to be going on the Safari too. Later, in comes the guy who organized this event for the teachers in Al Ain. He tells us that the guy from the Safari will not be here until 4:00pm. So now we have realized we rushed for nothing!! 

Finally, the guy shows up and takes our money and Cobone certificates (discount). Once everyone is accounted for, they take us across the parking lot to a tour bus. We are told the drive will be about 20 minutes. We load the bus at 4:27pm the bus finally starts moving. We drive for what seems like forever. Somewhere around 5:15pm we pull into these small businesses (tourist trap) and are told to go to the restroom and there are snacks available for purchase. Reluctantly, we get out and head to the "bathroom," I use that term lightly. There was a toilet but the seat was broken and missing a section shaped like a triangle. Needless to say, this will be a squatting "potty" break. The floor is wet from the dripping spray hose that is common around here. Oh, there is also NO toilet paper. Thankfully, I have learned to ALWAYS carry tissue in my purse. This is an adventure I keep telling myself. For those of you who don't know, I HATE public bathrooms and especially if they are nasty and dirty as this one was. But not knowing where we were going and how long it would be, I heeded the advice and went to the bathroom. Finally, everyone has gone to the bathroom and purchased whatever "tourist stuff" they wanted and we are back on the bus ready to go. 

So we drive another 20 minutes or so and we pull off the side of the road and there are multiple SUVs waiting on us. So we all pile out of the bus and load the SUVs. There are about 5-8 people in each SUV along with the driver. The drivers have a special license to drive in the dunes. Jeff, Jamie, Brooklyn, and London get in the back of the SUV. Another teacher, her small son, and myself get in the middle and her mother in the front passenger seat. 

This view looks out of the front window. 

This is another SUV with other teachers in it. I cannot describe the dune bashing, other than it is amazing!! Definitely a MUST when my parents come back. 

This is the view from the parking lot of the location where we will eat, ride camels, see a falcon, and many other things. 

Brooklyn and her friend, Eva, on a camel.

Jeff on the camel with London. 

The belly dancer who should be hitting the gym a few more times a week...hehehe

Tables we will be sitting at to watch the entertainment and eat. 

Another of the entertainers who spun in a circle wearing this skirt of some kind that would eventually light up and he would move it. It was pretty neat. 

And finally, we leave by loading back in the SUVs and driving back toward the road and the bus. 

Observation/Evaluation Time of Year

This week was a little nerve-wracking!! It was time for Formal Observations to start in preparation for Evaluations coming up. While I am used to being evaluated by principals or assistant principals showing up in my classroom, these observations are different. For the first 14 years of teaching, observations were a simple satisfactory or unsatisfactory, but NOT here. These are much more detailed and the evaluators are looking for many minute details which makes these much more complex. Since these observations were to be unannounced, the stress level went up simply for all the minute details they were looking for. 

Fortunately, I was very excited about my lesson on Tuesday and was hoping and praying that the evaluators would come in. Well, God is good!!! The evaluators came. I had everything ready. Both evaluators, my Principal and the English Head of Faculty, were very impressed and I was extremely happy with the way my girls were responding to questions asked and their engagement in the lesson. So, now I feel really good about the observation and it is time to gather all my documentation in a notebook to prepare for the Evaluation that will happen later. I will let you know how that goes whenever it may happen. 

Fruit Day

Fruit day was interesting!! All the girls brought in various fruits. Some of them I have seen in the stores and others I had no idea about. So, my class and I gather in the courtyard and sit on a rug. They bring me different pieces of fruit to peel and for them to eat. For those of you who know me, I don't like my hands to be dirty. However, this day, my hands were GROSS!!! All for the sake of the girls. My hands were dripping with various juices from various fruits...YUCK!! But the girls had a blast and honestly, I did too!!

 

Since I was encouraging them to try new fruits, I had to do the same. So I decided since I see this fuzzy, "porcupine" looking fruit in the store frequently, I would try it. 

As you can tell by the picture, I'm not so sure about this fruit. You crack the shell and eat the inside that is the texture of a grape but has a seed in the center of it. I liked the juice but didn't like the texture with the seed in the middle. Anyway, it was an experience. 

I also tried mangosteen that day too. Once again, interesting and I can say that I've done it. At first, I saw one of my girls eating it and eating several of them. She could only tell me the Arabic word for it which didn't help me know what it was. So, I asked an Arabic teacher. She said it was "sweet garlic" which was a little strange to me. But I had my "adventurous" hat on that day and decided to try it. When you crack open the hard, purple shell, inside is the fleshy fruit that looks like the cloves of garlic. I ate a couple of them and it was ok. Not bad, but not good! 

                                                   

The girls really enjoyed sitting around peeling and eating the fruit.  It really was a nice day!!

                                      

Mom's Blog

As you know, my parents were here from December 21 until January 4. They had a blast and I really enjoyed them being here. While I never shed a tear when I left Atlanta in August, I cried half the way home from Dubai when they left. It was much harder than I expected. 

We went to the store the first day and she had to buy a Journal "to record" all that we would be doing. I thought it was a joke when she said she would be taking notes. After the first day out, I learned quickly that she was not joking. The first day, she had 4 pages of notes. Dad and I continued to laugh at her through the two weeks about her notes. I think she had used half the journal by the time they left. So, her blog is much more detailed about the things we did and what we saw. 

Here is the link to mom's blog about all the things we did while they were here. 

http://www.randyandclarabrown.blogspot.com

Feel free to read and enjoy her blog too.

Vegetable Week

The last few weeks have been crazy. Things at school have been busy with Vegetable Week and Milk Week. Coming up will be Fruit Week. During these weeks, classroom instruction is to be devoted to the subject (vegetables, milk, fruit) in all curriculum areas. Doesn't sound so crazy except that on one day during each of the weeks, the girls bring in the item of the week (vegetables, milk, fruit) and we spend about an hour have a "free for all" when it comes to the item. So during Vegetable Week, the girls all brought in various vegetables (lettuce, tomatoes, eggplant, lemons, and much more). So, during our lunch and fourth period, we all gather in the courtyard and the girls share their vegetables. Doesn't seem so bad! The "strange", for lack of a better word, part is that the girls brought their own knives from home and were cutting up the vegetables and making salads for anyone and everyone. Here are a few pictures of the organized chaos.