I got paid last night! I just got my salary (1/2 of Aug and all of Sept. less 5,000 from my advance) not my furnniture allowance. The salary is more than the furniture allowance so I will use that to get my apartment ready and just use the furniture allowance for other stuff. So, today is a shopping day! I get to go order my furniture and set up delivery times and get tons of things for the apartment. Getting a car may have to wait until Sunday because it's a huge process and they aren't open at all on the weekends.
What to say about school?? I did not have a good day at all yesterday, even in the morning. The points thing did not work with the group that I had in the morning. Why would they care about getting points when they can sit and talk all morning/afternoon long anyway? I am running out of ideas. I know I should stick to one for longer than a day, but it is so frustrating when it doesn't work. I do not like my job, but I can not let these girls win. I just don't know if I can wait them out. Everyone says it gets better with time, but how long do I have to wait for it to get better? And can I wait that long?
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Morning/Afternoon
I have come to understand that most, if not all of my behavior issues, occur in the afternoon. There is a huge difference in the kids after their recess/breakfast/lunch time. I can get my morning students to do a lot more than I can in the afternoon. I am even able to teach in the morning.
The group that I had yesterday afternoon was wonderful this morning. This was the same group of students who didn't do anything yesterday afternoon because I could not get them to stop talking. This was the same group of students who made me want to quit yesterday. This was the same group of students that wouldn't listen to a word I said yesterday. This morning I taught them some new words which we used in a sentence and a place value lesson. They were so good. I couldn't believe it. I went in with a new behavior strategy. I gave them points for sitting and listening and working quietly. When they got 10 I let them have 5 minutes of talking/bathroom time. They did great! I was so pleased and I couldn't wait to try it on my afternoon group.
Well, the afternoon is a totally different story. The points didn't work at all. They had 2, but lost them very early on and never earned them back. They would not stop talking. At least I got a little bit of teaching/directions in. It took them 2 periods to copy a couple of sentences from the board. I let those that finished early draw a picture, but that didn't seem to motivate the others to work and not talk. I kept giving stickers to those that were working as well, but that didn't motivate the others. I moved some students and made them sit on the floor, but that didn't work either. I finally erased the board and moved on to math. I didn't dare attempt the place value lesson with unifix cubes like I did in the morning so I was just having them do addition facts so I could see what they know. Again lots of talking and not a lot of working. I could not wait for this afternoon to end. That's how I feel most afternoons. It just wears me out. I am so tired, frustrated and stressed by the end of the day I don't want to do anything. It's a good thing that I leave work at work because I wouldn't be getting anything done even if I did bring it back to the hotel with me.
In amongst all of the chaos of the afternoon there was a huge bright spot. There is this little girl who was a huge behavior problem; rolling on the floor, talking very loudly all the time, jumping up and down, running around pinching the other girls, and pretty much doing whatever she could to get my attention and annoy me. Which I must admit she was doing a really good job of annoying me, but I really tried to keep ignoring her. Every once in a while I would go over and move her back to her corner, but not say anything to her. Eventually I decided to try something else. I asked her to come sit by me and do some math. It took me 3/4 of the afternoon to figure out that she was acting up because she was bored. She is so smart. The simple addition problems that I had for them to do would have taken her like 5 minutes if she would have worked. She showed me that she can do 3 digit addition with carrying, 3 digit subtraction (she's not sure about borrowing and I tried to teach her but she didn't quite get it), multiplication, and I was able to teach her division. I would love to see what she knows in reading. She could read a simple sentence (the cat is on the bed) and write it in Arabic as well.
This is why I would love to be able to assess my students, so I know where they are so I can provide instruction based on what they need. I just can't get the rest of the class to behave while I work with one. I can't ignore the whole class, like I did this afternoon when I was working with and assessing one student.
No money yet. I should get paid tomorrow. Should being the key word here. It's the end of the month, but that may not mean anything in this country.
The group that I had yesterday afternoon was wonderful this morning. This was the same group of students who didn't do anything yesterday afternoon because I could not get them to stop talking. This was the same group of students who made me want to quit yesterday. This was the same group of students that wouldn't listen to a word I said yesterday. This morning I taught them some new words which we used in a sentence and a place value lesson. They were so good. I couldn't believe it. I went in with a new behavior strategy. I gave them points for sitting and listening and working quietly. When they got 10 I let them have 5 minutes of talking/bathroom time. They did great! I was so pleased and I couldn't wait to try it on my afternoon group.
Well, the afternoon is a totally different story. The points didn't work at all. They had 2, but lost them very early on and never earned them back. They would not stop talking. At least I got a little bit of teaching/directions in. It took them 2 periods to copy a couple of sentences from the board. I let those that finished early draw a picture, but that didn't seem to motivate the others to work and not talk. I kept giving stickers to those that were working as well, but that didn't motivate the others. I moved some students and made them sit on the floor, but that didn't work either. I finally erased the board and moved on to math. I didn't dare attempt the place value lesson with unifix cubes like I did in the morning so I was just having them do addition facts so I could see what they know. Again lots of talking and not a lot of working. I could not wait for this afternoon to end. That's how I feel most afternoons. It just wears me out. I am so tired, frustrated and stressed by the end of the day I don't want to do anything. It's a good thing that I leave work at work because I wouldn't be getting anything done even if I did bring it back to the hotel with me.
In amongst all of the chaos of the afternoon there was a huge bright spot. There is this little girl who was a huge behavior problem; rolling on the floor, talking very loudly all the time, jumping up and down, running around pinching the other girls, and pretty much doing whatever she could to get my attention and annoy me. Which I must admit she was doing a really good job of annoying me, but I really tried to keep ignoring her. Every once in a while I would go over and move her back to her corner, but not say anything to her. Eventually I decided to try something else. I asked her to come sit by me and do some math. It took me 3/4 of the afternoon to figure out that she was acting up because she was bored. She is so smart. The simple addition problems that I had for them to do would have taken her like 5 minutes if she would have worked. She showed me that she can do 3 digit addition with carrying, 3 digit subtraction (she's not sure about borrowing and I tried to teach her but she didn't quite get it), multiplication, and I was able to teach her division. I would love to see what she knows in reading. She could read a simple sentence (the cat is on the bed) and write it in Arabic as well.
This is why I would love to be able to assess my students, so I know where they are so I can provide instruction based on what they need. I just can't get the rest of the class to behave while I work with one. I can't ignore the whole class, like I did this afternoon when I was working with and assessing one student.
No money yet. I should get paid tomorrow. Should being the key word here. It's the end of the month, but that may not mean anything in this country.
Monday, September 27, 2010
EMSA
The 3rd grade girls took the EMSA (English, math, science, Arabic) test yesterday and today. This was the first time that the girls had to take a standardized test and the results are going to be terrible and totally unreliable.
Yesterday they took the Arabic and math portions. An Arabic teacher was going to come in and give the test while I stayed to try to "help" the girls and keep them quiet. There really wasn't any help I could give them on the Arabic part although the girls asked me to read some words for them. I didn't help during the math test, because it's a test and I shouldn't help them.
So the Arabic teacher brought the test and then she was going to leave. The names were written in Arabic so I couldn't even pass them out. I told her that I couldn't give the test since it was in Arabic. She figured it out and stayed. She passed out the test and gave directions which seemed confusing to the girls. Why wouldn't they be, they had no practice taking a test before. Poor little girls. The Arabic teacher was getting frustrated at them for not understanding her directions. I did what I could to help, but I'm not sure they really understood me either. Eventually the Arabic teacher just read the test to them. Yes, read it to them. I think she even asked the girls what they were putting for their answer. I figured this out because the girls were giving her answers that were sounds which were the answer choices. The ABCD answer choices on the Arabic test are their characters which are sounds not letters. So much for letting the girls take the test themselves.
The math part was very interesting. There was Arabic on one side and English on the other side. This totally threw the kids. They thought they had to do both. I tried to explain that the questions were the same just written in Arabic and English "see, same, same" as I pointed to both pages. Many of the girls asked me to read the English to them. I pointed to the Arabic side and told them to read that. Although I'm not sure they could read it and understand because the language used was quite intense math vocabulary (symmetry, equivalent, unit...). Words they should know, but their education hasn't been the best. I ended up having to sit by a student and continually tell her to read and choose an answer. That's all I think most of them did, just choose answers. No reading, just picking. Yikes; it's scary that the results are going to be used for teaching purposes.
Today they had the English and science parts. I was told that I was allowed to stay in the room as long as I didn't help the girls. Yeah, like I would do that. It's been ingrained in me for the past 8 years to not help students on a test. Too many scary stories about teachers losing their jobs. But that was the States and this is the UAE, so maybe I should have relaxed a little. No, a test is a test wherever you are and if you want to use the results correctly the students need to take it without help. An Arabic teacher came in to give the test and she asked me to help them. I told her that the principal told me I couldn't read it or help them. Her English is good enough so she started reading it to the kids! I told her that the principal said we couldn't help. She then told me I could leave and she would give the test and get me when she was done. Yeah, she wanted me to leave so she could read the test to them. As I was leaving I reminded her what the principal said about not helping them. Now, I don't know what happened but I do know that the teacher in Natalie's class read it to them. She told me that much. I was brought back when they were finished so she could go get the science part. I have no idea what happened during that test because as soon as they were passed out (the kids started working as soon as they got the test, no directions or timing or anything), I was told I could leave. I asked if she was sure and again reminded her about what the principal said about not helping them. and left the classroom and went upstairs and got a lot of planning, preparing, and organizing done.
I am still dealing with talking. I am trying not to let it bother me, but it does. I have to stop quite frequently during my lessons and ask them to be quiet and then wait for them to actually be quiet. If I start handing out stickers, it takes too long and they start talking again. I am trying to keep my lessons short, but they are getting quite long because I have to keep stopping and telling them to be quiet. There are a few girls who really want to learn and are quiet and respectful when I'm teaching, but they're the minority. I found myself asking if I could really do this for a whole year, or two. I mean keep telling the girls to stop talking. It's very tiring. It's very frustrating. It's a waste of time. Yeah, maybe, hopefully they'll get better. I tried taking sticker cards away today if they were talking or playing. That's something I would never have done because they earned that sticker, but I am at a loss for ideas and I have to teach them. And, I can't teach when they are talking. I tried to play ABC BINGO today, but they just wouldn't stop talking and I wasn't going to talk over them so we had to stop. What to do, what to do? I am praying for patience, ideas, and that the girls would listen.
No money yet, but that's a good thing. I really didn't want to have to deal with getting stuff ready for the apt. tonight. I just wanted to come home and relax. Which I did! I took a nap, did some laundry (ok not relaxing but it needed to be done), read, and watched some TV. It felt good to just stay in the room and relax. Tomorrow Susan and I are taking things to the apt. and we are going to start some cleaning.
Yesterday they took the Arabic and math portions. An Arabic teacher was going to come in and give the test while I stayed to try to "help" the girls and keep them quiet. There really wasn't any help I could give them on the Arabic part although the girls asked me to read some words for them. I didn't help during the math test, because it's a test and I shouldn't help them.
So the Arabic teacher brought the test and then she was going to leave. The names were written in Arabic so I couldn't even pass them out. I told her that I couldn't give the test since it was in Arabic. She figured it out and stayed. She passed out the test and gave directions which seemed confusing to the girls. Why wouldn't they be, they had no practice taking a test before. Poor little girls. The Arabic teacher was getting frustrated at them for not understanding her directions. I did what I could to help, but I'm not sure they really understood me either. Eventually the Arabic teacher just read the test to them. Yes, read it to them. I think she even asked the girls what they were putting for their answer. I figured this out because the girls were giving her answers that were sounds which were the answer choices. The ABCD answer choices on the Arabic test are their characters which are sounds not letters. So much for letting the girls take the test themselves.
The math part was very interesting. There was Arabic on one side and English on the other side. This totally threw the kids. They thought they had to do both. I tried to explain that the questions were the same just written in Arabic and English "see, same, same" as I pointed to both pages. Many of the girls asked me to read the English to them. I pointed to the Arabic side and told them to read that. Although I'm not sure they could read it and understand because the language used was quite intense math vocabulary (symmetry, equivalent, unit...). Words they should know, but their education hasn't been the best. I ended up having to sit by a student and continually tell her to read and choose an answer. That's all I think most of them did, just choose answers. No reading, just picking. Yikes; it's scary that the results are going to be used for teaching purposes.
Today they had the English and science parts. I was told that I was allowed to stay in the room as long as I didn't help the girls. Yeah, like I would do that. It's been ingrained in me for the past 8 years to not help students on a test. Too many scary stories about teachers losing their jobs. But that was the States and this is the UAE, so maybe I should have relaxed a little. No, a test is a test wherever you are and if you want to use the results correctly the students need to take it without help. An Arabic teacher came in to give the test and she asked me to help them. I told her that the principal told me I couldn't read it or help them. Her English is good enough so she started reading it to the kids! I told her that the principal said we couldn't help. She then told me I could leave and she would give the test and get me when she was done. Yeah, she wanted me to leave so she could read the test to them. As I was leaving I reminded her what the principal said about not helping them. Now, I don't know what happened but I do know that the teacher in Natalie's class read it to them. She told me that much. I was brought back when they were finished so she could go get the science part. I have no idea what happened during that test because as soon as they were passed out (the kids started working as soon as they got the test, no directions or timing or anything), I was told I could leave. I asked if she was sure and again reminded her about what the principal said about not helping them. and left the classroom and went upstairs and got a lot of planning, preparing, and organizing done.
I am still dealing with talking. I am trying not to let it bother me, but it does. I have to stop quite frequently during my lessons and ask them to be quiet and then wait for them to actually be quiet. If I start handing out stickers, it takes too long and they start talking again. I am trying to keep my lessons short, but they are getting quite long because I have to keep stopping and telling them to be quiet. There are a few girls who really want to learn and are quiet and respectful when I'm teaching, but they're the minority. I found myself asking if I could really do this for a whole year, or two. I mean keep telling the girls to stop talking. It's very tiring. It's very frustrating. It's a waste of time. Yeah, maybe, hopefully they'll get better. I tried taking sticker cards away today if they were talking or playing. That's something I would never have done because they earned that sticker, but I am at a loss for ideas and I have to teach them. And, I can't teach when they are talking. I tried to play ABC BINGO today, but they just wouldn't stop talking and I wasn't going to talk over them so we had to stop. What to do, what to do? I am praying for patience, ideas, and that the girls would listen.
No money yet, but that's a good thing. I really didn't want to have to deal with getting stuff ready for the apt. tonight. I just wanted to come home and relax. Which I did! I took a nap, did some laundry (ok not relaxing but it needed to be done), read, and watched some TV. It felt good to just stay in the room and relax. Tomorrow Susan and I are taking things to the apt. and we are going to start some cleaning.
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| my classroom - white board and desk on other side |
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| outdoor area for recess and morning assembly |
Friday, September 24, 2010
KEYS!!!
I got my keys! What a wonderful feeling! Things are happening. It's very exciting, but it's also a little scary. I am really going to be living here.
Susan called at 3:30 and told me that Nirvana (the travel agency that ADEC is working with) was downstairs and they were going to take us to Hili at 4:30. This was a totally unplanned meeting; well that shouldn't surprise me based on what I have learned about this country the past 6 weeks. So we boarded a bus and went to Hili and got our keys and passport. It was a wonderful afternoon and early evening! Everyone on the bus going over was full of excitement. Things are falling into place. Let the adventure truly begin!
Susan called at 3:30 and told me that Nirvana (the travel agency that ADEC is working with) was downstairs and they were going to take us to Hili at 4:30. This was a totally unplanned meeting; well that shouldn't surprise me based on what I have learned about this country the past 6 weeks. So we boarded a bus and went to Hili and got our keys and passport. It was a wonderful afternoon and early evening! Everyone on the bus going over was full of excitement. Things are falling into place. Let the adventure truly begin!
I am on the 3rd floor and right across the hall from Susan!!!! Yeah:) We had a little mini party in the lobby of the 3rd floor when we found out that we were the only 2 on that floor (there are only 2 apts. per floor, but we didn't know that at the time). The apartment is huge! It has 2 bedrooms and a maid's quarters. The maid's quarters is really small, but it does have its own bathroom. So there are 2 1/2 bathrooms! What do I need 2 1/2 bathrooms for?! The kitchen is a very good size with a lot of cupboard space. The fridge even goes in its own little area so it doesn't take up space in the kitchen. Neat. The view from my bedroom is of Oman!!! Not many people can say that they can see Oman from their bedroom. The view from my living room is of the mall and hotel that they are building and a field with some palm trees. I will just have to make sure I look at the palm trees instead of the construction. Now I just need money so I can get the electricity and water turned on and start making this apartment feel like home:)
I got my passport too! Now I can walk to Oman! Wow, walk to Oman pretty amazing.
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| Oman - view from my room |
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| construction of new mall - view from living room |
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| my front door |
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| view from living room |
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| 3rd floor lobby |
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| apartment complex |
Thursday, September 23, 2010
It's the Weekend:)
I made it! I made it through the first full week of school! It was a very long, stressful, tiring, challenging, exciting, and frustrating week, but I got through it. I will be ready to start a new week on Sunday.
The girls have gotten better, their behavior is not where I want it yet, but at least it's better. Could be better, could be worse so I guess I'm happy. I'm glad it's not worse. They aren't ignoring me anymore and they actually listen and participate when I'm teaching. When they go to their tables, well that's a different story. After talking to many teachers, I have decided to relax on that issue. They just talk. I am happy that they don't talk when I'm teaching anymore and I guess I can live with them talking while they are working so long as they are working and talking relatively quietly. That's what I need to work on; the relatively quietly and the working. There are a few that will just sit/stand/walk around all day instead of doing any work. It's amazing to me that they just get up and walk where they want to. That doesn't happen all that often in the States. I also really need to work on the "Miss, Miss..." issue. They are constantly saying that and it is driving me crazy! I know alot of it has to do with the fact that they don't understand, but seriously there's only 1 of me and 24 of them. That's too many "misses" that I'm hearing each day. Then there's the constant "bathroom". I am only allowed to send 1 girl at a time so it seems like my classroom is a revolving door. We have been told to let the girls use the bathroom, just not when we're teaching. They have gotten better about not asking when I'm teaching, which is when they're sitting on the floor. I did figure that out; they are much quieter when I gather them on the floor in front of me versus when they are sitting at their tables. Duh! Seems quite obvious, but it took me a couple of days to figure that one out.
I had a pretty interesting dinner out tonight. I wasn't planning on eating out, but Susan convinced me "It's Thursday, you have to!!!". So I went and enjoyed myself and I'm glad that I went out. We went to this little authentic Arabic restaurant where they serve you a lot of food for a very small price. The meal for the 4 of us cost 67 dirhams, which is about what I pay when I eat at the hotel. Anyway, the food was amazing! The hummus was to die for! You could definitely tell that it was fresh. So smooth and flavorful (no garlic like they sell in the States, but delicious none the less). The service was so fast. They brought soup first which was followed by salad and hummus and rice. The main course came shortly after that. I had grilled chicken. It was a little dry, but good in the hummus. Everyone else had chicken tika which was delicious so when we go back (oh yes, we'll be going back:) I'll be getting the chicken tika. The interesting part of the night was our seating. They seated us upstairs (the women and family area). Our table had a curtain around it that we could close if we wanted to, but since there was no one else upstairs we decided to leave it open. We were almost finished with our meal when a waiter came upstairs and washed his feet in the sink! Yeah! He really did. Cassie and I just stared at each other with our mouths open. Why in the world would he wash his feet in the sink in a restaurant? Susan figured it out; it was prayer time. Before praying they have to wash their feet, hands, and face it's called abolution. So he washed and then proceeded to pray. We thought we should shut the curtain then to give him some privacy, but by the time we had it shut he was finished. We continued our meal and more men came upstairs to wash their feet and pray. We decided that we should leave. They didn't seem bothered by it, but I think we all were a bit uncomfortable. I know I was.
No word on keys, money, or passport. Maybe this weekend, maybe not.
The girls have gotten better, their behavior is not where I want it yet, but at least it's better. Could be better, could be worse so I guess I'm happy. I'm glad it's not worse. They aren't ignoring me anymore and they actually listen and participate when I'm teaching. When they go to their tables, well that's a different story. After talking to many teachers, I have decided to relax on that issue. They just talk. I am happy that they don't talk when I'm teaching anymore and I guess I can live with them talking while they are working so long as they are working and talking relatively quietly. That's what I need to work on; the relatively quietly and the working. There are a few that will just sit/stand/walk around all day instead of doing any work. It's amazing to me that they just get up and walk where they want to. That doesn't happen all that often in the States. I also really need to work on the "Miss, Miss..." issue. They are constantly saying that and it is driving me crazy! I know alot of it has to do with the fact that they don't understand, but seriously there's only 1 of me and 24 of them. That's too many "misses" that I'm hearing each day. Then there's the constant "bathroom". I am only allowed to send 1 girl at a time so it seems like my classroom is a revolving door. We have been told to let the girls use the bathroom, just not when we're teaching. They have gotten better about not asking when I'm teaching, which is when they're sitting on the floor. I did figure that out; they are much quieter when I gather them on the floor in front of me versus when they are sitting at their tables. Duh! Seems quite obvious, but it took me a couple of days to figure that one out.
I had a pretty interesting dinner out tonight. I wasn't planning on eating out, but Susan convinced me "It's Thursday, you have to!!!". So I went and enjoyed myself and I'm glad that I went out. We went to this little authentic Arabic restaurant where they serve you a lot of food for a very small price. The meal for the 4 of us cost 67 dirhams, which is about what I pay when I eat at the hotel. Anyway, the food was amazing! The hummus was to die for! You could definitely tell that it was fresh. So smooth and flavorful (no garlic like they sell in the States, but delicious none the less). The service was so fast. They brought soup first which was followed by salad and hummus and rice. The main course came shortly after that. I had grilled chicken. It was a little dry, but good in the hummus. Everyone else had chicken tika which was delicious so when we go back (oh yes, we'll be going back:) I'll be getting the chicken tika. The interesting part of the night was our seating. They seated us upstairs (the women and family area). Our table had a curtain around it that we could close if we wanted to, but since there was no one else upstairs we decided to leave it open. We were almost finished with our meal when a waiter came upstairs and washed his feet in the sink! Yeah! He really did. Cassie and I just stared at each other with our mouths open. Why in the world would he wash his feet in the sink in a restaurant? Susan figured it out; it was prayer time. Before praying they have to wash their feet, hands, and face it's called abolution. So he washed and then proceeded to pray. We thought we should shut the curtain then to give him some privacy, but by the time we had it shut he was finished. We continued our meal and more men came upstairs to wash their feet and pray. We decided that we should leave. They didn't seem bothered by it, but I think we all were a bit uncomfortable. I know I was.
No word on keys, money, or passport. Maybe this weekend, maybe not.
Wednesday
Almost weekend time!! Just one more day to go. Today was better than yesterday, at least in the morning. The girls have a hard time working independently and even though I would love for them to work with partners they just can’t right now because they talk too much. I am even tired of the translating in Arabic. For the most part they understand what I am saying, or at least what I mean. They may not know exactly what I am saying, but they understand the tone of voice and that they are doing something that they shouldn’t be doing. I don’t want the other girls to translate everything in Arabic all the time. Yes, it’s ok sometimes but I am tired of the constant translating. I can understand the need for it when they are trying to do an assignment, but when I want them to sit down and be quiet; they totally understand that in English.
There was a big HR meeting today. The meeting was scheduled to start at 4:30, but it didn’t start until about 5:30. I am not quite sure what exactly happened at the meeting. I think I will be getting my apartment soon, but I don’t know. I thought that I was going to get the keys tonight, but all I did was sign a piece of paper and fill out a form for my UAE ID card. I think I should be getting my passport back in a week and I should be getting my furniture allowance in a week as well. But I don’t really know. I think I will just have to be satisfied with the hotel until I get my key and money. Whenever that will be!!! I think, I think, I think…
The biggest issue about the meeting was the way the other teachers acted. Lots of questions were repeated, lots of complaining, lots of talking; just plain rude behavior. Things that I expect my students NOT to do when I’m talking, that’s what the teachers were doing. These are my colleagues and it’s very frustrating. I know I have my moments when I complain and talk during meetings, but I try to keep it quiet and I try to listen so if I need to ask a question I don’t repeat a question that has already been asked 3 times. Loudly complaining about the people who are asking the questions is just as bad as being the one who is asking the questions. I totally needed to get away from that room and the people. I tried to go to the gym, but it was packed so Cassie and I just walked around for a while.
It's weekend time!!!!
There was a big HR meeting today. The meeting was scheduled to start at 4:30, but it didn’t start until about 5:30. I am not quite sure what exactly happened at the meeting. I think I will be getting my apartment soon, but I don’t know. I thought that I was going to get the keys tonight, but all I did was sign a piece of paper and fill out a form for my UAE ID card. I think I should be getting my passport back in a week and I should be getting my furniture allowance in a week as well. But I don’t really know. I think I will just have to be satisfied with the hotel until I get my key and money. Whenever that will be!!! I think, I think, I think…
The biggest issue about the meeting was the way the other teachers acted. Lots of questions were repeated, lots of complaining, lots of talking; just plain rude behavior. Things that I expect my students NOT to do when I’m talking, that’s what the teachers were doing. These are my colleagues and it’s very frustrating. I know I have my moments when I complain and talk during meetings, but I try to keep it quiet and I try to listen so if I need to ask a question I don’t repeat a question that has already been asked 3 times. Loudly complaining about the people who are asking the questions is just as bad as being the one who is asking the questions. I totally needed to get away from that room and the people. I tried to go to the gym, but it was packed so Cassie and I just walked around for a while.
It's weekend time!!!!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Hump Day!
WoooHooo!!! It is hump day! The week is almost over; just 2 more days to go! I will make it through this week. Today was better than yesterday, so that's good. Still not what I expect or what I'm used to, but definitely better than yesterday. No tears today, so that's a good thing. If tomorrow is better than today we're on the right track. I think I would even settle for tomorrow being as good as today, just not worse. I do not like yelling and I like to have fun, but unfortunately I can't have fun with these girls right now. Hopefully they will get there. There was no turning their back on me today, but there was still a lot of talking especially in my afternoon class. That group seems to be worse. They just think they can talk all the time no matter what I say or what I expect. That needs to change. I would love to say that it will change, but I have heard stories that this type of behavior goes on all year. I can definitely say that I am glad that the other teachers are nice and friendly because that makes it a lot easier to go to work. If the other teachers were distancing themselves and segregating the LTs, like at some schools, I don't think I could take it. Praise God for that!
Things are so different here. In NC I would get to school early and leave late. You just don't do that here. It is something that I have to get used to. It's a good thing, but very different. Plus we have been told to leave work at work. Very hard. That means I shouldn't take home anything. It's ok because it will be there tomorrow. It's just a totally new mindset. I arrive at school at 7:45 and school starts at 8:30. I don't have to be there until 8:00, but I need some time to get ready and make sure my key works. School gets out at 2:00 and I leave at 2:15. I can leave at 2:00, but I need time to clean up. So I am home by 2:30 or 2:45. It's amazing! It's good too, because I need to get out of there.
Every morning starts with a morning assembly. This is so amazing to watch. I have no idea what they're saying, but I feel inspired! The assembly is led by someone who is yelling something to the girls and they all yell/chant something back. They say a prayer, sing their national anthem, and do some exercises. The girls are so well behaved during assembly it's hard to believe they're the same girls that come to my class and don't listen to a word I say.
I was asked by a parent today why her daughter wasn't doing any science. I had to explain to this parent that school just started and we're not ready to do science yet. We have been doing English and math because that doesn't really involve me teaching a lesson. There is no way I could teach a science lesson right now. She understood that we weren't there yet, so that's good. No complaint, just wondering.
The weather was absolutely gorgeous today! It was even cooler outside than it was in my classroom for part of the day. I was able to eat dinner outside tonight as well. Very nice breeze and cooler temperatures. I am sure that if I hadn't been here since August I would think it was terribly hot, but I definitely noticed a pleasant difference today! Yeah, fall is coming. Well not fall actually, just not as hot.
Things are so different here. In NC I would get to school early and leave late. You just don't do that here. It is something that I have to get used to. It's a good thing, but very different. Plus we have been told to leave work at work. Very hard. That means I shouldn't take home anything. It's ok because it will be there tomorrow. It's just a totally new mindset. I arrive at school at 7:45 and school starts at 8:30. I don't have to be there until 8:00, but I need some time to get ready and make sure my key works. School gets out at 2:00 and I leave at 2:15. I can leave at 2:00, but I need time to clean up. So I am home by 2:30 or 2:45. It's amazing! It's good too, because I need to get out of there.
Every morning starts with a morning assembly. This is so amazing to watch. I have no idea what they're saying, but I feel inspired! The assembly is led by someone who is yelling something to the girls and they all yell/chant something back. They say a prayer, sing their national anthem, and do some exercises. The girls are so well behaved during assembly it's hard to believe they're the same girls that come to my class and don't listen to a word I say.
I was asked by a parent today why her daughter wasn't doing any science. I had to explain to this parent that school just started and we're not ready to do science yet. We have been doing English and math because that doesn't really involve me teaching a lesson. There is no way I could teach a science lesson right now. She understood that we weren't there yet, so that's good. No complaint, just wondering.
The weather was absolutely gorgeous today! It was even cooler outside than it was in my classroom for part of the day. I was able to eat dinner outside tonight as well. Very nice breeze and cooler temperatures. I am sure that if I hadn't been here since August I would think it was terribly hot, but I definitely noticed a pleasant difference today! Yeah, fall is coming. Well not fall actually, just not as hot.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Can I do this?
I don't know. Not a good day today. The girls are more than just chatty, they are downright rude. They don't listen and they turn their back to me after I tell them to sit down and be quiet and they continue talking. I have never experienced this before and it is very frustrating and difficult. All my classes in the past have listened to me. I take back all the comments about the children not listening and doing their work because it was nothing like I am experiencing now. They listened! They did their work; they may have complained but they did their work. They weren't rude and disrespectful all the time like these girls are. I know it's only my 4th day, but I feel like I've tried so many different things to get them to be quiet and listen. I've tried ignoring, rewarding positive behavior, walking silently "in the hall"/outside, just listening to them if they were listening to me, waiting, and more. Nothing is working. Today 2 Arabic teachers came in to take attendance (because I don't have an English list yet and I can't read Arabic!), and as they were leaving one said "why sad?". That was all I needed and I started to cry. My back was to the girls so I don't know if they saw (I hope they didn't), and it was really quick, but tears were falling. They said that if I ever needed any help they would help. They would tell the girls to sit down and stop talking. So kind! So understanding! I just want to try to get them under control on my own; I want them - the girls - to know that I am in charge, not them or the Arabic teachers. I talked to Susan, Natalie, and Cassie and they gave me some very good ideas. I am trying too much. I am trying to teach and it's not like that here. I really have to get control of the class before I can teach and it takes a lot longer for that to happen than it does in the States. No horror stories though, just talking, not listening, and being rude. I am glad that no one is running out of the classroom (anymore), tearing things off the wall, throwing chairs, screaming, or hitting/biting me like we were told in training. Tomorrow things change and I have to be mean.
Natalie almost left today:( She had been having a hard time with an LT at her school and asked to be changed to a different school. ADEC said they wouldn't move her, so she was going to go home. Cassie texted Gavin about the situation and he moved her to my school!!! Yeah!!! Alice, Amy, and Andrea are going to love her! I am so glad that she's not leaving and even happier that she'll be at my school.
Natalie almost left today:( She had been having a hard time with an LT at her school and asked to be changed to a different school. ADEC said they wouldn't move her, so she was going to go home. Cassie texted Gavin about the situation and he moved her to my school!!! Yeah!!! Alice, Amy, and Andrea are going to love her! I am so glad that she's not leaving and even happier that she'll be at my school.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
New week and Emirati men
The work week has started and I have survived my first working Sunday. Yes, it was weird getting up and going to school, but I will get used to it.
I am still really enjoying the school and the girls. Although they are very chatty. I need to work on how to keep them quiet. I think one of the problems is that they don't understand what I want them to do, so they talk. That's not the biggest problem though; just as a whole the women in this culutre are very chatty. No problem with that, but it can become a problem when I'm trying to teach. Stickers seem to work, but I am running out. This country just doesn't believe in large quantities of reward stickers. Hopefully I can get some sent to me. One little girl asked for 2 stickers!!! I would only give her 1 until she finished her picture, then she got the other one. They are just used to getting whatever they want when they want. The parents are always in the stores buying toys. That's what happens when you have a lot of money.
My day was kind of crazy. I was told that I was going to have 3/2 in the morning and 3/1 in the afternoon. Well I started with 3/2 and got about 2 periods done and someone came and got them; they were supposed to be having Arabic in the morning and English in the afternoon. So I got 3/1 for a little more than 1 period then I had a break. Then, I got 3/2 back in the afternoon. You would think that I would have gotten a lot more accomplished with that group, but I didn't get that much more. We did read a story and draw a picture, but the majority of my time was spent on getting them to be quiet and sit down. I really have to come up with a solution and keep practicing that so they know they are supposed to be quiet and stay in their seat.
My classroom is very small. I have 5 octagonal tables with 5 students sitting at each table and there isn't a lot of room in between the tables. I have to make room for a rug so we can gather for a story, morning meeting, closing circle, and shared writing among other things. It's just a little tight, but hopefully I can make it work. I am quite good at organizing! My classroom is also upstairs. I do not like this, but at least I have my own classroom. I have to go up and down at least 3 times a day. Not good for my knees. Plus it's really hot outside so I can't hold on to the metal railing. I'm afraid to ask to switch; afraid that they will tell me that if I want a room downstairs I will have to do 1st or 2nd grade since those classrooms are downstairs. I'll survive. The room is also very very hot. There are 2 window AC units, but I don't think 1 works. There are also 2 ceiling fans, all of which I keep running all day and the door open. At least the 3rd graders don't run out of the classroom!
Their names are so hard. I feel really bad when I can't say their name right. A name is a very important part of a person and I really want to get it right, but they are dificult. I keep practicing and I got Jawaher today (she spells it Waher, but there is definitely a J sound at the beginning). Not knowing the kids names also makes it hard for me to correct them because it's always pointing and telling them to stop. Not good.
Emirati men. I made a pretty big mistake today. I was sitting outside waiting for my taxi to take me to school and an Emirati man asked to sit next to me. Well, I was being friendly so I said yes. I never should have done that. He also shouldn't have even talked to me; that's part of their culture that the men don't approach women. But he did and me being the friendly person that I am told him he could sit there. So we were talking about where I was from and the states that he has visited and other such small talk when he invited me to lunch after work. Another no-no on both our parts. Sometimes I am so naive and I don't think. This could get me in trouble. Well, I accepted his invitation, again just trying to be friendly and meet people. He, on the other hand, was thinking about more than just friends. So, I met him for lunch. Luckily Cassie and Yasmin were in the pub and he invited them to join us. Things were feeling a little strange when he was talking about loaning me money, getting me a car, and taking me to his ranch to see his camels (which I admit would be great, but it can't be done). He ended up giving me a crystal necklace. I tried not to accept telling him that he should give it to his wife or daughter. I really wanted to remind him that he had a wife and shouldn't be giving me things let alone talking to me. He said they had many and didn't need it (another issue with having too much money). I really tried to give it back, but he wouldn't take it. Then I thought about another issue in this culture is that you're supposed to take whatever someone gives you or they are really offended. I could tell that he was offended so I took it. I shouldn't have, but what culture am I supposed to follow here? It's so hard, but I am learning how to survive in a totally different culture. Hopefully I won't see him again, but if I do I will have to tell him that I can't go anywhere with him. Maybe he won't be back because he was very disappointed when he found out that I don't smoke or drink beer. Who knows. Live and learn and adjust to the culture and hopefully I won't get myself in trouble.
I am still really enjoying the school and the girls. Although they are very chatty. I need to work on how to keep them quiet. I think one of the problems is that they don't understand what I want them to do, so they talk. That's not the biggest problem though; just as a whole the women in this culutre are very chatty. No problem with that, but it can become a problem when I'm trying to teach. Stickers seem to work, but I am running out. This country just doesn't believe in large quantities of reward stickers. Hopefully I can get some sent to me. One little girl asked for 2 stickers!!! I would only give her 1 until she finished her picture, then she got the other one. They are just used to getting whatever they want when they want. The parents are always in the stores buying toys. That's what happens when you have a lot of money.
My day was kind of crazy. I was told that I was going to have 3/2 in the morning and 3/1 in the afternoon. Well I started with 3/2 and got about 2 periods done and someone came and got them; they were supposed to be having Arabic in the morning and English in the afternoon. So I got 3/1 for a little more than 1 period then I had a break. Then, I got 3/2 back in the afternoon. You would think that I would have gotten a lot more accomplished with that group, but I didn't get that much more. We did read a story and draw a picture, but the majority of my time was spent on getting them to be quiet and sit down. I really have to come up with a solution and keep practicing that so they know they are supposed to be quiet and stay in their seat.
My classroom is very small. I have 5 octagonal tables with 5 students sitting at each table and there isn't a lot of room in between the tables. I have to make room for a rug so we can gather for a story, morning meeting, closing circle, and shared writing among other things. It's just a little tight, but hopefully I can make it work. I am quite good at organizing! My classroom is also upstairs. I do not like this, but at least I have my own classroom. I have to go up and down at least 3 times a day. Not good for my knees. Plus it's really hot outside so I can't hold on to the metal railing. I'm afraid to ask to switch; afraid that they will tell me that if I want a room downstairs I will have to do 1st or 2nd grade since those classrooms are downstairs. I'll survive. The room is also very very hot. There are 2 window AC units, but I don't think 1 works. There are also 2 ceiling fans, all of which I keep running all day and the door open. At least the 3rd graders don't run out of the classroom!
Their names are so hard. I feel really bad when I can't say their name right. A name is a very important part of a person and I really want to get it right, but they are dificult. I keep practicing and I got Jawaher today (she spells it Waher, but there is definitely a J sound at the beginning). Not knowing the kids names also makes it hard for me to correct them because it's always pointing and telling them to stop. Not good.
Emirati men. I made a pretty big mistake today. I was sitting outside waiting for my taxi to take me to school and an Emirati man asked to sit next to me. Well, I was being friendly so I said yes. I never should have done that. He also shouldn't have even talked to me; that's part of their culture that the men don't approach women. But he did and me being the friendly person that I am told him he could sit there. So we were talking about where I was from and the states that he has visited and other such small talk when he invited me to lunch after work. Another no-no on both our parts. Sometimes I am so naive and I don't think. This could get me in trouble. Well, I accepted his invitation, again just trying to be friendly and meet people. He, on the other hand, was thinking about more than just friends. So, I met him for lunch. Luckily Cassie and Yasmin were in the pub and he invited them to join us. Things were feeling a little strange when he was talking about loaning me money, getting me a car, and taking me to his ranch to see his camels (which I admit would be great, but it can't be done). He ended up giving me a crystal necklace. I tried not to accept telling him that he should give it to his wife or daughter. I really wanted to remind him that he had a wife and shouldn't be giving me things let alone talking to me. He said they had many and didn't need it (another issue with having too much money). I really tried to give it back, but he wouldn't take it. Then I thought about another issue in this culture is that you're supposed to take whatever someone gives you or they are really offended. I could tell that he was offended so I took it. I shouldn't have, but what culture am I supposed to follow here? It's so hard, but I am learning how to survive in a totally different culture. Hopefully I won't see him again, but if I do I will have to tell him that I can't go anywhere with him. Maybe he won't be back because he was very disappointed when he found out that I don't smoke or drink beer. Who knows. Live and learn and adjust to the culture and hopefully I won't get myself in trouble.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Day 2
I survived my second day! I even had 1st graders again this morning. It was a hectic morning that started out bad because the taxi driver that Susan and I had arranged didn’t show up. That’s the last time we’ll be using him. It’s ok for him to be late or not show up when we just need to go out, but it is definitely not ok for him to make us late to work by not showing up. Well, I wasn’t late because I don’t have to be there until 8:00 but Susan was late and I felt really bad for her. So this whole taxi thing may not work out. I can’t worry about not getting to school on time because someone doesn’t come and get me when he said that he would. It may be time to seriously look for a car; although I’m not too thrilled about the idea of driving in this country.
When I got to school I found my way to the office. I am sure I went the long way around, but I found it. I signed in on the computer this morning!! That means I will get paid. If I don’t sign in, I don’t get paid. I must make sure to do that every morning. It shouldn’t be that difficult since I had to at Balfour. I don’t have to sign out though.
After I greeted a few teachers, not many were there because it was still early; I went to my first grade classroom. I had asked Susan for ideas last night, so I thought that this morning would be better than yesterday afternoon. Plus it was in the morning and kids are always better in the morning. Even though I was early there were still some students sitting quietly in the classroom. I will have to say that was about the only time that the class was quiet Very loud, chatty, and not listening. Today they thought it was funny when one girl sat on the top of the desk. I told her to sit in her seat while I pointed to her seat and said “yes” and “no” to where she was sitting. She looked at me and laughed. The rest of the girls thought this was hysterical so they joined in. How to stop this? I tried to ignore, but then 4 other girls thought it was funny as well so they got on their desks. I decided that I would give coloring sheets to the ones that were sitting at their desks. That seemed to do the trick, because the girls wanted to color but I wouldn’t give them anything until they sat in their chair. I had again had girls that wanted to leave the classroom. They didn’t get very far, but they left. Keeping the door shut worked for a long time, but eventually one girl decided to open it. That was the end of that. I would have tried a lot of other rules and routines, but I wasn’t sure if this was going to be my class and I really didn’t want to confuse the girls. Although, thinking about it now, one day wouldn’t have mattered. I should have come armed with stickers and pencils and treats. I think that would have done the trick. Lesson learned.
I did songs, stories, letter games, counting games, active games, coloring, and drawing today. I thought I had a lot more ideas, but again each activity only lasted 5 minutes. I read “Going on a Bear Hunt” and tried to get the girls to do the motions and move with me, but they didn’t want to. They thought I was funny and they really were paying attention and watching, but they didn’t participate; even when I asked them to and helped them to do the motions. They liked the 5 little monkeys song, especially the part when the alligator snaps. Some even started to do it with me. Those were probably the 2 best activities of the day.
I survived the 3 periods of 1st grade and when I saw Andrea, the faculty head, I told her that I really didn’t want to do 1st grade. I would if I had to, but I really didn’t want to. She took my request to the principal. I then tried to have lunch since I didn’t have a break until the end of the day, but I ended up in Andrea’s room talking about the curriculum. Good conversation, but I wanted to get something to eat before I tackled 3rd grade.
My afternoon was fabulous!! I love the 3rd grade girls. I only had 3 this afternoon so it was quite different, but we had a good time. We did some math (patterns, adding, and subtracting), spelling, and writing. They were really good with the patterns and I found out they could even count by 2s starting at 3. I was really impressed with that! Adding and subtracting went ok, but they relied on their fingers so I could only go to 10. I made a note to buy beans for counting when I went shopping. Spelling was ok. I really just focused on letter and sound ID along with some simple words. Two could ID all the letters, and one couldn’t ID any. I had them spelling words like cat, dog, fish, and cake. They were also reading different easy words. Writing turned out to be copying. I am going to have to really work on writing, starting with pictures and writing about the picture. I will have to have them tell me about their picture first and then I would write it. That’s a start. Great afternoon! No one running out of the classroom! Granted I only had 3 students, but it was fun. The girls were talking to me and looking at my pictures on my camera. We were playing games and having fun.
My break was supposed to be after 6th period, but the Arabic teacher didn’t come in so I just stayed with the girls. The Arabic teachers just leave the kids alone, but I couldn’t do that. One of the Arabic teachers saw that I only had 3 girls and she took them to her class next door so I could have my break. That was very nice of her. I’m not sure if she was supposed to have them or not. So I did get a little break this afternoon.
I went into the teachers’ room and sat with a few other teachers. I made sure I said hi to them and sat near them instead of on the other side of the table like yesterday. I really didn’t do much talking, but I enjoyed watching them. They are so animated. It is funny to listen to them argue with each other. I had no idea what they were talking about, but I could definitely tell that they were arguing. They weren’t mad at each other, just disagreeing about something.
At school all the Arabic teachers take off their abayahs, sheylahs, and face coverings but they put them back on at the end of the day. Under their abayahs they had on long house dress type things. It was really interesting to watch them get redressed this afternoon, so they would be appropriate if a man entered the school grounds. They constantly were rearranging their sheylahs and face coverings.
At the end of the day I found out that I will be teaching 3rd grade! I will have 2 groups of 3rd graders! I will even have my own classroom! It is upstairs, but it will be my classroom! Thank God that I do not have to work with 1st graders next week. I am not sure how long I would have lasted.
So now I get to plan the first week of school! Rules, routines, English, math, and science. I am looking forward to it!!
When I got to school I found my way to the office. I am sure I went the long way around, but I found it. I signed in on the computer this morning!! That means I will get paid. If I don’t sign in, I don’t get paid. I must make sure to do that every morning. It shouldn’t be that difficult since I had to at Balfour. I don’t have to sign out though.
After I greeted a few teachers, not many were there because it was still early; I went to my first grade classroom. I had asked Susan for ideas last night, so I thought that this morning would be better than yesterday afternoon. Plus it was in the morning and kids are always better in the morning. Even though I was early there were still some students sitting quietly in the classroom. I will have to say that was about the only time that the class was quiet Very loud, chatty, and not listening. Today they thought it was funny when one girl sat on the top of the desk. I told her to sit in her seat while I pointed to her seat and said “yes” and “no” to where she was sitting. She looked at me and laughed. The rest of the girls thought this was hysterical so they joined in. How to stop this? I tried to ignore, but then 4 other girls thought it was funny as well so they got on their desks. I decided that I would give coloring sheets to the ones that were sitting at their desks. That seemed to do the trick, because the girls wanted to color but I wouldn’t give them anything until they sat in their chair. I had again had girls that wanted to leave the classroom. They didn’t get very far, but they left. Keeping the door shut worked for a long time, but eventually one girl decided to open it. That was the end of that. I would have tried a lot of other rules and routines, but I wasn’t sure if this was going to be my class and I really didn’t want to confuse the girls. Although, thinking about it now, one day wouldn’t have mattered. I should have come armed with stickers and pencils and treats. I think that would have done the trick. Lesson learned.
I did songs, stories, letter games, counting games, active games, coloring, and drawing today. I thought I had a lot more ideas, but again each activity only lasted 5 minutes. I read “Going on a Bear Hunt” and tried to get the girls to do the motions and move with me, but they didn’t want to. They thought I was funny and they really were paying attention and watching, but they didn’t participate; even when I asked them to and helped them to do the motions. They liked the 5 little monkeys song, especially the part when the alligator snaps. Some even started to do it with me. Those were probably the 2 best activities of the day.
I survived the 3 periods of 1st grade and when I saw Andrea, the faculty head, I told her that I really didn’t want to do 1st grade. I would if I had to, but I really didn’t want to. She took my request to the principal. I then tried to have lunch since I didn’t have a break until the end of the day, but I ended up in Andrea’s room talking about the curriculum. Good conversation, but I wanted to get something to eat before I tackled 3rd grade.
My afternoon was fabulous!! I love the 3rd grade girls. I only had 3 this afternoon so it was quite different, but we had a good time. We did some math (patterns, adding, and subtracting), spelling, and writing. They were really good with the patterns and I found out they could even count by 2s starting at 3. I was really impressed with that! Adding and subtracting went ok, but they relied on their fingers so I could only go to 10. I made a note to buy beans for counting when I went shopping. Spelling was ok. I really just focused on letter and sound ID along with some simple words. Two could ID all the letters, and one couldn’t ID any. I had them spelling words like cat, dog, fish, and cake. They were also reading different easy words. Writing turned out to be copying. I am going to have to really work on writing, starting with pictures and writing about the picture. I will have to have them tell me about their picture first and then I would write it. That’s a start. Great afternoon! No one running out of the classroom! Granted I only had 3 students, but it was fun. The girls were talking to me and looking at my pictures on my camera. We were playing games and having fun.
My break was supposed to be after 6th period, but the Arabic teacher didn’t come in so I just stayed with the girls. The Arabic teachers just leave the kids alone, but I couldn’t do that. One of the Arabic teachers saw that I only had 3 girls and she took them to her class next door so I could have my break. That was very nice of her. I’m not sure if she was supposed to have them or not. So I did get a little break this afternoon.
I went into the teachers’ room and sat with a few other teachers. I made sure I said hi to them and sat near them instead of on the other side of the table like yesterday. I really didn’t do much talking, but I enjoyed watching them. They are so animated. It is funny to listen to them argue with each other. I had no idea what they were talking about, but I could definitely tell that they were arguing. They weren’t mad at each other, just disagreeing about something.
At school all the Arabic teachers take off their abayahs, sheylahs, and face coverings but they put them back on at the end of the day. Under their abayahs they had on long house dress type things. It was really interesting to watch them get redressed this afternoon, so they would be appropriate if a man entered the school grounds. They constantly were rearranging their sheylahs and face coverings.
At the end of the day I found out that I will be teaching 3rd grade! I will have 2 groups of 3rd graders! I will even have my own classroom! It is upstairs, but it will be my classroom! Thank God that I do not have to work with 1st graders next week. I am not sure how long I would have lasted.
So now I get to plan the first week of school! Rules, routines, English, math, and science. I am looking forward to it!!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
First Day
Wow! What an awesomely amazing, stressful, and challenging day. I can say that it was awesome despite the challenges. There were many more positives than challenges. I didn't really experience any negatives.
I arrived at school at 8 and school starts at 8:30. Amy arrived right after I did so she showed me around and introduced me to many people who were all very polite and greeted me with a "good morning". I was really excited to see Mozra and Osha and eagerly went up to them and said that I was glad to see them. Little Osha was so cute when I saw her; she really smiled and lit up like she was excited to see me. That made me feel really good! I can't wait to get to know her more and hopefully we'll develop a friendship. At about 8:25 Amy showed me to my classroom for the morning. As of right now I do not have a classroom.
Here is how the school day works. I have one group of kids for 3 periods in which I am to teach English, math, and science. Then there is a break. The girls take their lunch outside and eat then play. The break is only 20 minutes. Then I either have a planning period (which I did today) or I teach another 3 periods to a different group of kids.
So I get in the place that is my classroom for the morning and there are already about 8 girls sitting quitely at desks. There is another teacher in the room who introduces herself to me, but I can't remember her name. The names are so different here that it is going to take me a long time to get them. Her classroom's AC wasn't turned on last night so it was hot in her room so she had her kids in "my" classroom. After her room cooled off she took her kids.
My first group is of 15 3rd graders! I was so excited to be put in 3rd grade for the morning. The girls were so cute in their green jumper uniforms. They were all smiling and laughing when I was talking to them. I introduced myself and asked the girls to tell me their names. I remember Noff, Shamma, Shamsa, and Meera. Other than that I have no idea. The girls would laugh when I would try to say their name. Part of the problem was I couldn't hear them as the AC was so loud and they were quiet, but honestly the real problem is the language and the difference of the names. I tried though and I will continue to try and one day I will be able to correctly say their name. After we introduced ourselves I wrote my name on the board and a lot of the girls wanted to write their name on the board as well, so I let them. Then they made their name tag, but who knows if that will come back. It was fun to watch them draw and talk to them about their picture.
We then played a little game to practice introductions. I threw a ball and the girl who caught it was to say "My name is______" and then they were to throw it to someone else. Most of the girls would say "My name _____", I will have to work on the "is". There were a few who said the full sentence. We did this for a while before I changed it to "My name is____ and I like ____". I shared first "My name is Sara and I like cats." Well, all my girls like cats!!! I guess that means that they really didn't understand what I wanted them to do. I think they had difficulty with "like", but at least they tried and they were practicing English and saying all the words.
We practiced colors, shapes, letters, and numbers. They are a pretty smart group of girls! When I wanted them to make a rectangle in the middle of the room they were able to do it without much assistance from me. One of the little girls kind of took over and was moving the others. It was so cute! They are good with counting, but when writing numbers greater than 10 they reverse the digits; 41 for fourteen.
When I wanted them to draw a picture of their family, they all had families like mine. They had copied my picture. Again, they didn't know what I wanted them to do even though I showed them an example. They may have thought that I wanted them to draw my family.
I had a fun morning and I think the girls did as well.
At 10:40 the girls went to breakfast/lunch and I went to the teachers' room. Most of the teachers were already there. One of the teachers that I met yesterday told me to sit and eat. They had lots of Arabic food laid out on the table and everyone was sharing, as is the typical Arabic meal everyone eats from the same plate. One of the teachers noticed the look on my face as I was eating my lunch and she said "Try". So I had to try. There was foul (fool), not sure what this is exactly but I did not like it. I also had a falafel that I did not like, but at least I tried. Tomorrow I will eat my lunch. The other teachers were very friendly and were asking me a few questions; where I was from, am I married, is this my first time in the UAE. Nice people! After lunch/breakfast I had my planning period so I just stayed in the teachers' room. Amy and Alice left because they didn't have their planning until after the last period, so I was alone. Well, not alone but I felt alone because everyone was speaking in Arabic to their friends and I couldn't talk to anyone. I was sitting at one side of the table and everyone else was at the other end. The Arabic teachers would come and go as determined by their schedule and whenever someone would come in the room everyone would greet her. It was interesting to watch, but I felt out of place. I was hoping that I would be able to be with Amy or Alice, but that was not to be. I will have to try to be more interactive with the other teachers tomorrow. It was just that lonely feeling again. I couldn't wait for my planning period to be over, so I could get in the classroom with the girls.
My afternoon group was 8 1st graders. I was so not prepared for these cute little 1st graders. They are super cute, but they are super loud and chatty. Plus they try to leave the room. That was difficult. I tried many different activities; drawing, jumping, running, letters, numbers, Simon says, head, shoulders, knees, and toes, reading a story, and coloring, but each activity only lasted about 5 minutes. I did not have enough to make it through the 1 1/2 hours that I had with these little girls. A lot of time was spent getting them back in the classroom. The 1st graders are really kindergartners because they have never been in school before. So different and challenging. Their language is definitely not as good as the 3rd graders, so that is a huge issue. When I gave them paper and crayons they didn't know what to do. They couldn't understand draw. Even after I drew something on the board. They wanted to copy. A lot of them did circles, we had just drawn circles, so they continued on the other paper. During the second period I had a mother come into the classroom to watch. That did not bother me and actually she ended up helping me because she was able to translate a lot of what I was saying to the girls. She was here to pick up her daughter, but didn't want to leave, she just wanted to check on her. No problem. After the bell for second period I thought the day was over, so I told the girls to get their bags and go. The mother took her daughter and went to get the older one. She came back and told me that there was one more period to go. I can't believe I did that. I was so embarrassed. The mother was so nice and understood that I was new and didn't know. I am so thankful she was understanding about the situation because she could have been very mad. I don't even want to think about what would have happened if she weren't there. I do not want 1st grade, but if I end up with that grade I will do it, and I will do my best. It will just be a huge challenge.
School ends at 1:50 or 2:00. I send the girls out and they go to their car, wait for their car, or wait for their bus. I do not have to do any monitoring of them. The school hires people to watch them while they are waiting. It's nice to not have any duties other than teaching.
At 2:15 I finally meet the principal, and she welcomes me to the school and then leaves. I had been warned that she's not really social and she is usually the last to arrive and the first to leave, but I hadn't expected that on the first day.
So, as of right now I do not have a classroom and I do not know what grade I will actually be teaching. Tomorrow I will be doing 1st grade in the morning and 3rd grade in the afternoon. Hopefully by Sunday I will have a set schedule and a classroom. The principal really wants the LTs to have a classroom. I can't get into a routine or introduce rules until I know what group of girls are going to be mine for the rest of the year. Tomorrow I have the same groups as today, but that may not be the case on Sunday. A lot of confusion, but it will get settled.
The physical layout of the school is neat. Everything is centered around this huge outdoor space where the girls have their breakfast, where they play, where morning assemblies are, and where they wait for their bus. It's a neat idea.
Interesting side note. There is only 1 actual toilet in the school and it doesn't flush properly. All the other toilets are literally just holes. Not sure I can get used to that!
I am looking forward to another interesting, exciting, and challenging day tomorrow.
I arrived at school at 8 and school starts at 8:30. Amy arrived right after I did so she showed me around and introduced me to many people who were all very polite and greeted me with a "good morning". I was really excited to see Mozra and Osha and eagerly went up to them and said that I was glad to see them. Little Osha was so cute when I saw her; she really smiled and lit up like she was excited to see me. That made me feel really good! I can't wait to get to know her more and hopefully we'll develop a friendship. At about 8:25 Amy showed me to my classroom for the morning. As of right now I do not have a classroom.
Here is how the school day works. I have one group of kids for 3 periods in which I am to teach English, math, and science. Then there is a break. The girls take their lunch outside and eat then play. The break is only 20 minutes. Then I either have a planning period (which I did today) or I teach another 3 periods to a different group of kids.
So I get in the place that is my classroom for the morning and there are already about 8 girls sitting quitely at desks. There is another teacher in the room who introduces herself to me, but I can't remember her name. The names are so different here that it is going to take me a long time to get them. Her classroom's AC wasn't turned on last night so it was hot in her room so she had her kids in "my" classroom. After her room cooled off she took her kids.
My first group is of 15 3rd graders! I was so excited to be put in 3rd grade for the morning. The girls were so cute in their green jumper uniforms. They were all smiling and laughing when I was talking to them. I introduced myself and asked the girls to tell me their names. I remember Noff, Shamma, Shamsa, and Meera. Other than that I have no idea. The girls would laugh when I would try to say their name. Part of the problem was I couldn't hear them as the AC was so loud and they were quiet, but honestly the real problem is the language and the difference of the names. I tried though and I will continue to try and one day I will be able to correctly say their name. After we introduced ourselves I wrote my name on the board and a lot of the girls wanted to write their name on the board as well, so I let them. Then they made their name tag, but who knows if that will come back. It was fun to watch them draw and talk to them about their picture.
We then played a little game to practice introductions. I threw a ball and the girl who caught it was to say "My name is______" and then they were to throw it to someone else. Most of the girls would say "My name _____", I will have to work on the "is". There were a few who said the full sentence. We did this for a while before I changed it to "My name is____ and I like ____". I shared first "My name is Sara and I like cats." Well, all my girls like cats!!! I guess that means that they really didn't understand what I wanted them to do. I think they had difficulty with "like", but at least they tried and they were practicing English and saying all the words.
We practiced colors, shapes, letters, and numbers. They are a pretty smart group of girls! When I wanted them to make a rectangle in the middle of the room they were able to do it without much assistance from me. One of the little girls kind of took over and was moving the others. It was so cute! They are good with counting, but when writing numbers greater than 10 they reverse the digits; 41 for fourteen.
When I wanted them to draw a picture of their family, they all had families like mine. They had copied my picture. Again, they didn't know what I wanted them to do even though I showed them an example. They may have thought that I wanted them to draw my family.
I had a fun morning and I think the girls did as well.
At 10:40 the girls went to breakfast/lunch and I went to the teachers' room. Most of the teachers were already there. One of the teachers that I met yesterday told me to sit and eat. They had lots of Arabic food laid out on the table and everyone was sharing, as is the typical Arabic meal everyone eats from the same plate. One of the teachers noticed the look on my face as I was eating my lunch and she said "Try". So I had to try. There was foul (fool), not sure what this is exactly but I did not like it. I also had a falafel that I did not like, but at least I tried. Tomorrow I will eat my lunch. The other teachers were very friendly and were asking me a few questions; where I was from, am I married, is this my first time in the UAE. Nice people! After lunch/breakfast I had my planning period so I just stayed in the teachers' room. Amy and Alice left because they didn't have their planning until after the last period, so I was alone. Well, not alone but I felt alone because everyone was speaking in Arabic to their friends and I couldn't talk to anyone. I was sitting at one side of the table and everyone else was at the other end. The Arabic teachers would come and go as determined by their schedule and whenever someone would come in the room everyone would greet her. It was interesting to watch, but I felt out of place. I was hoping that I would be able to be with Amy or Alice, but that was not to be. I will have to try to be more interactive with the other teachers tomorrow. It was just that lonely feeling again. I couldn't wait for my planning period to be over, so I could get in the classroom with the girls.
My afternoon group was 8 1st graders. I was so not prepared for these cute little 1st graders. They are super cute, but they are super loud and chatty. Plus they try to leave the room. That was difficult. I tried many different activities; drawing, jumping, running, letters, numbers, Simon says, head, shoulders, knees, and toes, reading a story, and coloring, but each activity only lasted about 5 minutes. I did not have enough to make it through the 1 1/2 hours that I had with these little girls. A lot of time was spent getting them back in the classroom. The 1st graders are really kindergartners because they have never been in school before. So different and challenging. Their language is definitely not as good as the 3rd graders, so that is a huge issue. When I gave them paper and crayons they didn't know what to do. They couldn't understand draw. Even after I drew something on the board. They wanted to copy. A lot of them did circles, we had just drawn circles, so they continued on the other paper. During the second period I had a mother come into the classroom to watch. That did not bother me and actually she ended up helping me because she was able to translate a lot of what I was saying to the girls. She was here to pick up her daughter, but didn't want to leave, she just wanted to check on her. No problem. After the bell for second period I thought the day was over, so I told the girls to get their bags and go. The mother took her daughter and went to get the older one. She came back and told me that there was one more period to go. I can't believe I did that. I was so embarrassed. The mother was so nice and understood that I was new and didn't know. I am so thankful she was understanding about the situation because she could have been very mad. I don't even want to think about what would have happened if she weren't there. I do not want 1st grade, but if I end up with that grade I will do it, and I will do my best. It will just be a huge challenge.
School ends at 1:50 or 2:00. I send the girls out and they go to their car, wait for their car, or wait for their bus. I do not have to do any monitoring of them. The school hires people to watch them while they are waiting. It's nice to not have any duties other than teaching.
At 2:15 I finally meet the principal, and she welcomes me to the school and then leaves. I had been warned that she's not really social and she is usually the last to arrive and the first to leave, but I hadn't expected that on the first day.
So, as of right now I do not have a classroom and I do not know what grade I will actually be teaching. Tomorrow I will be doing 1st grade in the morning and 3rd grade in the afternoon. Hopefully by Sunday I will have a set schedule and a classroom. The principal really wants the LTs to have a classroom. I can't get into a routine or introduce rules until I know what group of girls are going to be mine for the rest of the year. Tomorrow I have the same groups as today, but that may not be the case on Sunday. A lot of confusion, but it will get settled.
The physical layout of the school is neat. Everything is centered around this huge outdoor space where the girls have their breakfast, where they play, where morning assemblies are, and where they wait for their bus. It's a neat idea.
Interesting side note. There is only 1 actual toilet in the school and it doesn't flush properly. All the other toilets are literally just holes. Not sure I can get used to that!
I am looking forward to another interesting, exciting, and challenging day tomorrow.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Al Bedaya (The Beginning)
Monday marked the beginning of the school year. All 6,000 teachers (Arabic and LTs) were gathered in Abu Dhabi at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center (ADNEC) for a kickoff for the new school model.
I got a wake up call at 4am so I could have breakfast and be on the bus by 6am. The bus was supposed to leave at 6am sharp so we could be to the ADNEC by 10am. Not sure why we had to leave so early since it's only a 2 hour ride, not 4 to Abu Dhabi. Anyway we didn't leave until after 7. Very frustrating. I was ready to leave and on the bus at 6, but we had to wait for all the slow people. Silly me I took 6am sharp to mean exactly that. Others took it to mean around 7. Even leaving at 7 we got there at 8:45 and the meeting didn't truly start untill 11. A lot of waiting. That is so frustrating to me. The only good part was that I got to see people from Abu Dhabi that I haven't seen in 1 1/2 weeks (Kisha, Wesley, Melanie, Mary, Kate, and Michelle). That made all the waiting worthwhile.
The meeting was very boring. It was in Arabic, but we had headphones which translated the speeches into English. We had already heard a lot of what was being said. I think the meeting was more for the Arabic teachers to introduce them to the new school model, but they didn't want to say that so it was for everyone even though we've heard it before. The new school model is totally impressive, but not all Arabic teachers/principals are on board with the idea of improving education through English and student centered ways of teaching. It's a lot of change at once. We did have a really good lunch though. I even had lasagne!!! Yummy:) We didn't get home until 6:30 so it was a really long and tiring day.
Today, Tuesday, I went to a school and had a meeting with other teachers from schools in the general area of Amoriya (A-more-e-ah) Primary School. The first issue began with finding the school. I had gotten a map and it showed the general area but not the exact location of the school. The taxi driver took me to the area and then we had to search for the school. He was a really good driver because he stopped several times to ask for directions! He got me to the school and I wasn't even late. The meeting started at 9 and I left the hotel a little after 8 and arrived at 8:45.
I walked in and saw a sea of black. Everyone in their abayahs and sheylahs. It was nerve wracking to not know anyone and not be able to speak the language. I saw a group of ladies and kind of followed them, but they stopped to greet each other and I had no idea what to do. Eventually, one of the faculty heads came out and saw me and directed me to the training room for my school. The room was filled with women in Abayahs. Most of the sheylahs came off because no men were in the room. I can't really express the frustration that I felt and the loneliness of not knowing anyone and not knowing the language. I did say hi to a few of the women, but they continued their conversations in Arabic with their friends. I was eventually introduced to Amy, the returning LT. It was great to be able to talk to someone. She was so kind and helpful. She answered a lot of my questions and told me that Amoryia is a very good school and everyone is so helpful and friendly. That was great to hear, but I wasn't really experiencing that yet. I know that everyone was just catching up from summer break and I don't know them so they're really not going to talk to me yet. Amy told me that I do not have to wear an abayah! Yeah! I get to wear the lovely skirts that Pam made. Too bad I had some abayahs made already on rumors. Oh well. There are also no supplies at the school. Literally just desks and chairs; which is weird because she said that it's in a more affluent area. But that doesn't really matter here; most school have nothing. Amy introduced me to Andrea, the head of facutly, and she seems really nice. Everyone seems nice! Alice arrived later and when she got there I felt so much better; just not being the only new person is a wonderful feeling. When the meeting started everyone continued talking in Arabic to their friends. The presenter was trying to get them to be quiet, but it wasn't happening. It was frustrating to hear all the Arabic around me and not be able to pick up anything that they were saying. The presenters even wanted us to work and talk together, which is a great thing, but it was so hard. We had to use a lot of hand signals and do a lot of repeating. A lot of the teachers know some Enlgish, but it's difficult to have an intellectual conversation due to my not being able to speak Arabic and their inability to speak fluent English. We did have some humor, when they laughed at how I said "doll" they thought the /o/ sound was very funny! They wanted to know the word for puppet and they were able to say a doll that you put your fingers in. First I thought they said "door". They got their idea across by wiggling their fingers and saying "toy". Whatever works!! They seem to have great ideas and are willing to share and listen to other ideas so that's a wonderful. It sounds like they are open to the change and are wanting to become better teachers for their students.
I met Mozra, Osha, and Fatima (I am sure those are not the correct spellings, but that is what their names sounded like). Osha is very short and she ended up standing next to me at one point, so we got a good laugh about that! Mozra was probably the best at English and she seems so funny and good natured. Fatima was quiet, but was good at telling me where to go. We had lunch and Mozra and Osha asked me to sit with them. That was so nice and really helped to ease the nerves that I was feeling during the day. They found out that I am single and they told me not to worry about it they would fix that! Andrea was divorced when she arrived last year and she got married over the summer! So, they are good at finding men!! Which is funny because Osha is still single!! We shall see.
At the end of the meeting Amy, Alice, and I just talked about the school and our grade level. We kind of decided that Amy would do 1st, Alice 2nd, and me 3rd. So we will go to the principal, who Amy says is very nice and easy to work with, and tell her our idea. Amy said last year they got to decide so we'll see if that happens this year. School starts at 8:30 and we were told not to get there before 8. The principal won't get there that early and we still don't know what room we'll be in. So there is no point in getting there before that as we'll just have to sit in a room and wait for the principal to arrive and tell us where to go.
Overall, what started as a very scary and tense day ended quite pleasantly. I met some great people that I am going to be working with and I am looking forward to working with them. God is easing my fears and relaxing my nerves.
Now to get my plans finalized for tomorrow!
I got a wake up call at 4am so I could have breakfast and be on the bus by 6am. The bus was supposed to leave at 6am sharp so we could be to the ADNEC by 10am. Not sure why we had to leave so early since it's only a 2 hour ride, not 4 to Abu Dhabi. Anyway we didn't leave until after 7. Very frustrating. I was ready to leave and on the bus at 6, but we had to wait for all the slow people. Silly me I took 6am sharp to mean exactly that. Others took it to mean around 7. Even leaving at 7 we got there at 8:45 and the meeting didn't truly start untill 11. A lot of waiting. That is so frustrating to me. The only good part was that I got to see people from Abu Dhabi that I haven't seen in 1 1/2 weeks (Kisha, Wesley, Melanie, Mary, Kate, and Michelle). That made all the waiting worthwhile.
The meeting was very boring. It was in Arabic, but we had headphones which translated the speeches into English. We had already heard a lot of what was being said. I think the meeting was more for the Arabic teachers to introduce them to the new school model, but they didn't want to say that so it was for everyone even though we've heard it before. The new school model is totally impressive, but not all Arabic teachers/principals are on board with the idea of improving education through English and student centered ways of teaching. It's a lot of change at once. We did have a really good lunch though. I even had lasagne!!! Yummy:) We didn't get home until 6:30 so it was a really long and tiring day.
Today, Tuesday, I went to a school and had a meeting with other teachers from schools in the general area of Amoriya (A-more-e-ah) Primary School. The first issue began with finding the school. I had gotten a map and it showed the general area but not the exact location of the school. The taxi driver took me to the area and then we had to search for the school. He was a really good driver because he stopped several times to ask for directions! He got me to the school and I wasn't even late. The meeting started at 9 and I left the hotel a little after 8 and arrived at 8:45.
I walked in and saw a sea of black. Everyone in their abayahs and sheylahs. It was nerve wracking to not know anyone and not be able to speak the language. I saw a group of ladies and kind of followed them, but they stopped to greet each other and I had no idea what to do. Eventually, one of the faculty heads came out and saw me and directed me to the training room for my school. The room was filled with women in Abayahs. Most of the sheylahs came off because no men were in the room. I can't really express the frustration that I felt and the loneliness of not knowing anyone and not knowing the language. I did say hi to a few of the women, but they continued their conversations in Arabic with their friends. I was eventually introduced to Amy, the returning LT. It was great to be able to talk to someone. She was so kind and helpful. She answered a lot of my questions and told me that Amoryia is a very good school and everyone is so helpful and friendly. That was great to hear, but I wasn't really experiencing that yet. I know that everyone was just catching up from summer break and I don't know them so they're really not going to talk to me yet. Amy told me that I do not have to wear an abayah! Yeah! I get to wear the lovely skirts that Pam made. Too bad I had some abayahs made already on rumors. Oh well. There are also no supplies at the school. Literally just desks and chairs; which is weird because she said that it's in a more affluent area. But that doesn't really matter here; most school have nothing. Amy introduced me to Andrea, the head of facutly, and she seems really nice. Everyone seems nice! Alice arrived later and when she got there I felt so much better; just not being the only new person is a wonderful feeling. When the meeting started everyone continued talking in Arabic to their friends. The presenter was trying to get them to be quiet, but it wasn't happening. It was frustrating to hear all the Arabic around me and not be able to pick up anything that they were saying. The presenters even wanted us to work and talk together, which is a great thing, but it was so hard. We had to use a lot of hand signals and do a lot of repeating. A lot of the teachers know some Enlgish, but it's difficult to have an intellectual conversation due to my not being able to speak Arabic and their inability to speak fluent English. We did have some humor, when they laughed at how I said "doll" they thought the /o/ sound was very funny! They wanted to know the word for puppet and they were able to say a doll that you put your fingers in. First I thought they said "door". They got their idea across by wiggling their fingers and saying "toy". Whatever works!! They seem to have great ideas and are willing to share and listen to other ideas so that's a wonderful. It sounds like they are open to the change and are wanting to become better teachers for their students.
I met Mozra, Osha, and Fatima (I am sure those are not the correct spellings, but that is what their names sounded like). Osha is very short and she ended up standing next to me at one point, so we got a good laugh about that! Mozra was probably the best at English and she seems so funny and good natured. Fatima was quiet, but was good at telling me where to go. We had lunch and Mozra and Osha asked me to sit with them. That was so nice and really helped to ease the nerves that I was feeling during the day. They found out that I am single and they told me not to worry about it they would fix that! Andrea was divorced when she arrived last year and she got married over the summer! So, they are good at finding men!! Which is funny because Osha is still single!! We shall see.
At the end of the meeting Amy, Alice, and I just talked about the school and our grade level. We kind of decided that Amy would do 1st, Alice 2nd, and me 3rd. So we will go to the principal, who Amy says is very nice and easy to work with, and tell her our idea. Amy said last year they got to decide so we'll see if that happens this year. School starts at 8:30 and we were told not to get there before 8. The principal won't get there that early and we still don't know what room we'll be in. So there is no point in getting there before that as we'll just have to sit in a room and wait for the principal to arrive and tell us where to go.
Overall, what started as a very scary and tense day ended quite pleasantly. I met some great people that I am going to be working with and I am looking forward to working with them. God is easing my fears and relaxing my nerves.
Now to get my plans finalized for tomorrow!
Sunday, September 12, 2010
One month later
I can't believe it; I've been in the UAE for one whole month! The time sure has gone quickly. I am sure it will go much faster starting next week when work begins.
My first month was filled with many new friends and adventures. It has been exciting, scary, nerve wracking, frustrating, enjoyable, funny, and educational. It has been filled with laughter, tears, stress, long walks, heat and more heat, and then even more heat. I have learned a bit of the language, took my very fist taxi ride, met new friends, visited 2 emirates, learned some of the culture, lived in 2 extremely nice hotels, eaten a lot of fruit and humus, talked a lot on Skype (thank God for Skype and being able to communicate with family), went to church on Friday, seen a camel up close and personal (almost too personal for my tastes:), spent way too much time in malls, was in desperate need of money, enjoyed free breakfast, been frustrated by the lack of planning, organization, and my inability correctly convey my message to others, and the list could go on and on.
I can't say that I have enjoyed every minute of it, but I can say that I am glad that I accepted this adventure and I am ready for the next chapter to begin!
My first month was filled with many new friends and adventures. It has been exciting, scary, nerve wracking, frustrating, enjoyable, funny, and educational. It has been filled with laughter, tears, stress, long walks, heat and more heat, and then even more heat. I have learned a bit of the language, took my very fist taxi ride, met new friends, visited 2 emirates, learned some of the culture, lived in 2 extremely nice hotels, eaten a lot of fruit and humus, talked a lot on Skype (thank God for Skype and being able to communicate with family), went to church on Friday, seen a camel up close and personal (almost too personal for my tastes:), spent way too much time in malls, was in desperate need of money, enjoyed free breakfast, been frustrated by the lack of planning, organization, and my inability correctly convey my message to others, and the list could go on and on.
I can't say that I have enjoyed every minute of it, but I can say that I am glad that I accepted this adventure and I am ready for the next chapter to begin!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Dubai
What an exciting and long day! Natalie, Cassandra, Paula and I left the InterCon at 8am for our trip to Dubai. Kisha was planning on meeting us since she would be leaving from Abu Dhabi, but she wasn't feeling good this morning so it was just the 4 of us. I was a little bummed that I wasn't going to get to spend the day with Kisha, but we'll go again.
We get to the bus station and get loaded on this tiny bus. We got on the bus and had difficulty getting seated due to my long legs. We were in the very back so I could put my legs in the middle, but they have these seats in the middle that fold down. The driver wanted to put the seat down in front of me, but he discovered that there wouldn't be any room. I was grateful that he left that seat up instead of making me squish so he could get one more passenger on. The ride to Dubai was about 2 hours. Not too bad, but very long when you're not comfortable.
We arrived in Dubai in an area known as The Creek. The souks are on the other side of the creek so we had to take a water taxi. That was so neat. We paid AED1 to go across the creek and had a lovely boat ride. Even though it was hot I enjoyed the sights and sounds of being on the water. I was really looking forward to going to my first souk in Dubai. These souks had a lot of fabrics and pashminas that were for sale. I didn't buy any fabric, but I did buy some souveniors. The souk was so crowded and it was exciting listening to the men trying to sell their goods. I even tried my hand at haggling! I bought a gift for Lexi that originally was AED45 and I only paid 35! I asked for 30, then he said 40 then I went to 35. That's where we agreed! I hope she loves it:)
We had lunch at Ruby Tuesdays in the mall. I know; sounds boring, but Cassandra and I were really in the mood for some American food. My burger was delicious, minus the beef bacon. I don't know how anyone could eat that stuff. It's so tough. The ranch dressing that I asked for wasn't really ranch but it was something for my fries.
After lunch we went to the other side of the mall where we could see the Burj Kalifa; the tallest building in the world. It is huge; 828 meters!! I can't believe how tall it is! Not sure what else to say about it other than it's huge! We couldn't go to the top because they were all sold out for the day. That's just something I'll have to do when I go back!
We heard that the fountain show was at 4 on the weekends so we decided to wait. We sat outside drinking lemon mint juice, but there was no show. The first show wasn't going to be until 6 and we were hot and tired, so we decided that we should go home since we had a 2 hour bus ride in front of us. The bus ride back was much more comfortable because I got to sit in the front seat! I asked if I could and the driver wanted me to sit with my friends, but I told him that I had long legs and wouldn't fit so he let me sit up front. Sometimes it pays to have long legs! We got back to the InterCon at 8pm. A very long, but exciting day! Time for bed!
We get to the bus station and get loaded on this tiny bus. We got on the bus and had difficulty getting seated due to my long legs. We were in the very back so I could put my legs in the middle, but they have these seats in the middle that fold down. The driver wanted to put the seat down in front of me, but he discovered that there wouldn't be any room. I was grateful that he left that seat up instead of making me squish so he could get one more passenger on. The ride to Dubai was about 2 hours. Not too bad, but very long when you're not comfortable.
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| bus to Dubai |
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| water taxi |
After we had shopped for a while and were very hot and thirsty we stopped and got some fresh squeezed orange juice. It was delicious! It was sweet and cool and very refreshing. What made it even better was the fact that we could enjoy it while enjoying the souk since Ramadan was over!
We then decided that we needed to get out of the heat so we headed to the Mall of Dubai. This is not just a mall; it is so much more. They have a skating rink and an aquarium with an underwater tunnel and a glass bottom boat. We didn't do the skating rink, but we did the aquarium, tunnel, and boat. The aquarium has the largest glass tank in the world; according to Guiness. It is huge and it just seems to go on forever. You can even scuba dive in the aquarium! Pretty interesting for a mall:) The glass bottom boat was cool. Lots of fish and we even got to feed them. We also saw sharks and stingrays. There was this huge king crab! Cassandra and I thought of delicious crab legs:)
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| fountain in Dubail Mall |
We had lunch at Ruby Tuesdays in the mall. I know; sounds boring, but Cassandra and I were really in the mood for some American food. My burger was delicious, minus the beef bacon. I don't know how anyone could eat that stuff. It's so tough. The ranch dressing that I asked for wasn't really ranch but it was something for my fries.
After lunch we went to the other side of the mall where we could see the Burj Kalifa; the tallest building in the world. It is huge; 828 meters!! I can't believe how tall it is! Not sure what else to say about it other than it's huge! We couldn't go to the top because they were all sold out for the day. That's just something I'll have to do when I go back!
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| Burj Kalifa |
Friday, September 10, 2010
Al Ain Evangelical Church
Cassandra and I made it to church this morning. Last week we couldn't figure out where it was. When I asked this week about the church behind the Oasis Hospital everyone (the coinceirge and taxi driver) wanted to tell me about St. Mary's Catholic Church. That could have been an option, but that's not the one that we had heard about. We just told the taxi driver to take us to Oasis Hospital. He drove us there and to a fence in the back. We weren't sure what to do. All the buildings looked old and not at all church like. We saw a western lady walking toward the taxi and we decided to ask her. She told us to follow her and led us through the fence to a door which was evidently the church. The 9 am service was very small. I don't think I will be going back to that service. They have an 11 as well. St. Mary's and the Evangelical Church are the only churches in Al Ain so I don't have much of a choice. Today was communion and a message on friendship and the meaning of true friends. It was a good message and we got invited to the pastor's house for lunch after the second service.
Lunch was great! It was so nice to get out and meet some other people. We talked a lot about what brought us here and how things are going with ADEC. They gave us some good tips on furniture shopping and driving. Those are always handy tips!!! They said we could call them whenever we needed to. That is so nice! They know what it is like and are willing to help when things get difficult. It was wonderful to go to someone's house and have a meal. Made me feel more like I belong here and that I'm living here instead of just being a tourist.
I got my printer USB cable so I can start planning printing things to do on the first few days of school.
We planned our trip to Dubai!!! I am so excited. Leaving early tomorrow morning and we probably won't be back till late. The last bus leaves for Al Ain at midnight. Not sure if we'll stay that late, but we have our agenda!
Lunch was great! It was so nice to get out and meet some other people. We talked a lot about what brought us here and how things are going with ADEC. They gave us some good tips on furniture shopping and driving. Those are always handy tips!!! They said we could call them whenever we needed to. That is so nice! They know what it is like and are willing to help when things get difficult. It was wonderful to go to someone's house and have a meal. Made me feel more like I belong here and that I'm living here instead of just being a tourist.
I got my printer USB cable so I can start planning printing things to do on the first few days of school.
We planned our trip to Dubai!!! I am so excited. Leaving early tomorrow morning and we probably won't be back till late. The last bus leaves for Al Ain at midnight. Not sure if we'll stay that late, but we have our agenda!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Shopping and Zoo
I did some more shopping today. I went to put a deposit down for my bed!! I am so excited! I love it;) I have a queen (they call it a king) size pillowtop mattress just like I had in NC. So comfortable. I had to pay a bit more for it, but I know it's a good mattress and a fabulous length for me! I also bought a printer. It's a printer, scanner, copier and it's very nice. The only thing is when I went to hook it up I thought that I was going to have to take it back. There was no USB to connect it to the computer. That would do me no good. I had Cassandra come and check just to make sure I wasn't missing something and she verified that it was missing that USB cord. So I put it all back in the box to take back to LuLu. I planned on doing that tomorrow. I knew Natalie had bought a printer so I thought I would mention it to her. She told me that you have to buy the USB cable to connect it to your computer. How strange!! I am glad that I asked her instead of taking it back to LuLu. There would have been a big communication problem. I'm not sure how I would have gotten my point across. Lots of gesturing and pointing. There is definitely more of a language barrier here than in Abu Dhabi. I am going to have to learn the language. I plan on taking classes, but not until after I get somewhat settled. By settled I mean in my apartment and have an idea of what to teach when. That probably won't happen until end of October early November. I am sure I will learn some when I start teaching, but I want to learn the practical stuff like shopping and directions. I can do a nice conversation (Hi my name is Sara. What is your name. How are you? Fine thank you - Asalam a lakum issmee Sara. Shuismik? Kheif Halik? Zane.) That really isn't going to get me anywhere.
I went to the zoo tonight. Due to Ramadan the zoo is closed during the day but opens from 9-1:30. Natalie, Cassandra, and I got there at 8:40. It is very different being at the zoo at night. Mostly because it's dark!! I had thought that the zoo would really be lit up, but it's not. Kind of scary. I wondered what would happen if an animal got out and we couldn't see it. Turns out I didn't have to worry about that because all the animals are behind very thick glass surrounded by an electric fence. Yeah it could have happened, but quite unlikely. The zoo is very small. They had lots of monkeys, lions, birds, and some nocturnal animals. They have a reptile house, but we opted not to go in there! From what I hear there is a huge python that can swallow a deer in the reptile house. Glad I didn't see that!!! The best part of the zoo was the bird show. There were birds of prey flying over my head!! It was incredible! Falcons, owls, vultures, and hawks free flying from trainer to trainer and over the audience. Amazing! I would go back to see that. I had never seen those birds up close before. They are really graceful, and to see their wingspan is truly increidble. I would definitely go back to see that!
I went to the zoo tonight. Due to Ramadan the zoo is closed during the day but opens from 9-1:30. Natalie, Cassandra, and I got there at 8:40. It is very different being at the zoo at night. Mostly because it's dark!! I had thought that the zoo would really be lit up, but it's not. Kind of scary. I wondered what would happen if an animal got out and we couldn't see it. Turns out I didn't have to worry about that because all the animals are behind very thick glass surrounded by an electric fence. Yeah it could have happened, but quite unlikely. The zoo is very small. They had lots of monkeys, lions, birds, and some nocturnal animals. They have a reptile house, but we opted not to go in there! From what I hear there is a huge python that can swallow a deer in the reptile house. Glad I didn't see that!!! The best part of the zoo was the bird show. There were birds of prey flying over my head!! It was incredible! Falcons, owls, vultures, and hawks free flying from trainer to trainer and over the audience. Amazing! I would go back to see that. I had never seen those birds up close before. They are really graceful, and to see their wingspan is truly increidble. I would definitely go back to see that!
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| training falcon |
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
WooooHoooooo:)
Today was the day!!! I got my 5,000dhs pay advance! There was lots of celebrating in the lobby! The whole mood of the hotel changed instantly; it was so fun!
No more sandwiches for dinner! Susan, Cassandra, Natalie, and I went out for dinner and to do some shopping. It's funny how much different the mall is when you actually have money:) We went to a fabulous Indian restaurant and had a wonderful meal. I had a cucumber mint drink which was delicious. It tasted like a cucumber with just a little mint. Very refreshing! For dinner I had some chicken thing in a creamy tomato sauce. The menu said that it was a Northern Indian delicasey (sp?). It was so creamy and didn't really taste like tomatoes. It had a little spice to it, but not that much.
After dinner we went shopping. I got school supplies mostly. Now I can get something planned for the first day. I bought some books (I only wanted one, but I ended up buying 7!), crayons, pencils, paper, pencil sharpeners, and some other stuff. Now I am ready to get to work!!
No more sandwiches for dinner! Susan, Cassandra, Natalie, and I went out for dinner and to do some shopping. It's funny how much different the mall is when you actually have money:) We went to a fabulous Indian restaurant and had a wonderful meal. I had a cucumber mint drink which was delicious. It tasted like a cucumber with just a little mint. Very refreshing! For dinner I had some chicken thing in a creamy tomato sauce. The menu said that it was a Northern Indian delicasey (sp?). It was so creamy and didn't really taste like tomatoes. It had a little spice to it, but not that much.
After dinner we went shopping. I got school supplies mostly. Now I can get something planned for the first day. I bought some books (I only wanted one, but I ended up buying 7!), crayons, pencils, paper, pencil sharpeners, and some other stuff. Now I am ready to get to work!!
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
No Money
I am getting a little frustrated. I did not get any money today. The 36 hour timeline has come and gone. The only hope I have of getting money this week is that Eid doesn't start until Friday not Wednesday. Tomorrow or Thursday are still possiblities.
I am tired of shopping, or rather window shopping, and not being able to buy anything. Everything is on special now because of Eid so there are good prices for furniture and appliances and school supplies. I tried to buy my bed today (super comfortable and high:) but I had to put a deposit down and I couldn't do that. So I don't know if I'll get the 50% off that they're offering for Eid.
I am tired of hearing about the way people are treating Gavin and Richard because we don't have money and they don't have answers. Yes, I am frustrated and yes it is hard, but I know that I will get paid and they're not going to kick us out of the hotel until we have had time to furnish our apartments. I have to believe that. It was especially difficult today and I just had to get out. I went for a walk and did a lot of praying. I am praying that God will provide and that I will trust His timetable not mine. Just getting out of the hotel and not in a taxi helped a lot.
I am also bored. I need to be doing stuff for school, but I can't because I don't know what grade I'll be teaching. I can "assume" that I will be teaching 3rd grade, but it's all up to the principal and I won't meet her until the very first day of school for students. So I could walk in and be told that I'm teaching any grade from 1st-3rd. Hard to plan for that. Then there's the issue of possibly having no supplies. Which means I could walk into my classroom at 7:00 am Wed. 9/15 and have nothing other than chairs and desks. Or I could have everything I need. Which one is it? Who knows? I will just get paper, pencils, and crayons for the first day and go from there. Lots to think about and everything needs money.
I am trying to stay positive and enjoy the vacation. I love the pool so that's a plus. Breakfast, even though it's not as good as Abu Dhabi, is free is another plus. Sleeping in definitely a plus! Spending time with friends is a plus. So there are positives!
I am tired of shopping, or rather window shopping, and not being able to buy anything. Everything is on special now because of Eid so there are good prices for furniture and appliances and school supplies. I tried to buy my bed today (super comfortable and high:) but I had to put a deposit down and I couldn't do that. So I don't know if I'll get the 50% off that they're offering for Eid.
I am tired of hearing about the way people are treating Gavin and Richard because we don't have money and they don't have answers. Yes, I am frustrated and yes it is hard, but I know that I will get paid and they're not going to kick us out of the hotel until we have had time to furnish our apartments. I have to believe that. It was especially difficult today and I just had to get out. I went for a walk and did a lot of praying. I am praying that God will provide and that I will trust His timetable not mine. Just getting out of the hotel and not in a taxi helped a lot.
I am also bored. I need to be doing stuff for school, but I can't because I don't know what grade I'll be teaching. I can "assume" that I will be teaching 3rd grade, but it's all up to the principal and I won't meet her until the very first day of school for students. So I could walk in and be told that I'm teaching any grade from 1st-3rd. Hard to plan for that. Then there's the issue of possibly having no supplies. Which means I could walk into my classroom at 7:00 am Wed. 9/15 and have nothing other than chairs and desks. Or I could have everything I need. Which one is it? Who knows? I will just get paper, pencils, and crayons for the first day and go from there. Lots to think about and everything needs money.
I am trying to stay positive and enjoy the vacation. I love the pool so that's a plus. Breakfast, even though it's not as good as Abu Dhabi, is free is another plus. Sleeping in definitely a plus! Spending time with friends is a plus. So there are positives!
Monday, September 6, 2010
Scary
I forgot to mention that men are scary in this country. We were having an Iftar buffet at a restaurant and this guy kept staring at us; me in particular. Every time I walked by he would stare. Natalie and Susan said that he was staring while we were eating as well, I just didn't look at him. After a while I began to stare back. He would look away, but looked back later.
After dinner we left and the guy got up and followed us out!! Scary! We walked and he continued to follow us. I said real loud that I was going to call 999 (equivalent to 911). That didn't bother him because he kept following. We decided that it would be safer to put some distance between me and him so we walked in a line with me at the front. He just went to the other side and walked. He would stop for a while and then continue. I was going to call 999, but I found a security guard. I quickly walked to the guard and told him that the guy was following us. By this time he had caught up to us and said that we didn't have to worry because he was with the police! Yeah right! The security guard asked me if he was harming us or just following. I told him that he was just following, but it's not right. The guard believed us even though the guy kept saying that he wasn't following us. The scary man was escorted out of the mall!
Second time this has happened. I hope there's not a third.
After dinner we left and the guy got up and followed us out!! Scary! We walked and he continued to follow us. I said real loud that I was going to call 999 (equivalent to 911). That didn't bother him because he kept following. We decided that it would be safer to put some distance between me and him so we walked in a line with me at the front. He just went to the other side and walked. He would stop for a while and then continue. I was going to call 999, but I found a security guard. I quickly walked to the guard and told him that the guy was following us. By this time he had caught up to us and said that we didn't have to worry because he was with the police! Yeah right! The security guard asked me if he was harming us or just following. I told him that he was just following, but it's not right. The guard believed us even though the guy kept saying that he wasn't following us. The scary man was escorted out of the mall!
Second time this has happened. I hope there's not a third.
Lots of information
Orientation started again today. I was really excited to go; thinking that I would be getting information about my school. That didn't happen. Instead I got a whole bunch of information about living in Al Ain. I am sure that a lot of it will be quite useful, but it's really hard to pay attention when they're just reading things. A better way would have been to have all that in a folder with contact numbers and websites so we could resesarch on our own. I got information about hospitals, gyms, drivers licenses, where to get furniture, legal typists to translate documents, nannies (I don't need one of those but I still got the information), laundry services... and the list goes on. Lots to learn and lots to process.
It is so difficult trying to live in a foreign country. First of all I need my passport for just about everything from getting a drivers license to getting electricity turned on. I don't have my passport right now since they are still working on getting us residency visas. As soon as that gets done all of these places are going to get bombarded with expats trying to get services. Aaaaahhhh! Frustrating!
I met someone from my school today!! I happened to be sitting right next to her in orientation! She is going to live in Hili as well. She is in group 2 so I didn't meet her before today. It's great to know that I'm not the only new person going to Ammorriyah Primary School.
Susan and I hired a driver today. Neither of us want to get a car so we're going to try this for a while. We found a taxi driver that knows where he's going, drives safely, and speaks really good English. So we asked him if he would pick us up in the morning from our apartment and take us to school. Susan and I don't teach at the same school, but supposedly we're close by. He agreed and gave us his name and number. This will be a lot cheaper than getting a car. Plus I won't have to worry about the crazy drivers in this country. I'm going to try it and see if it works. If I decide that I really need a car I'll get one. I can't get one for 3 months anyway. That's the waiting period. Not sure why though.
Went furniture shopping today. I found some nice stuff, but I have to go back and measure the space so I know what will fit. Susan, Natalie and I are going back tomorrow after orientation. The only problem with a lot of the furniture here is that it's really low. I want a couch with a high back so I will have to pay more. I haven't seen a bed that isn't like right on the floor. I would literally fall into bed. Not good. I miss my bed:( I just have to keep telling myself it's only for 2 years and if I decide I want to stay longer I can get something better.
We are supposed to get paid before Eid. Eid is Wednesday and it's the end of Ramadan!!!! Yeah! I can eat and drink in public! They compare Christmas to Eid. Children get presents and there's lots of celebrations. It should be a fun time! So I should get paid tomorrow! Not holding my breath though:)
It is so difficult trying to live in a foreign country. First of all I need my passport for just about everything from getting a drivers license to getting electricity turned on. I don't have my passport right now since they are still working on getting us residency visas. As soon as that gets done all of these places are going to get bombarded with expats trying to get services. Aaaaahhhh! Frustrating!
I met someone from my school today!! I happened to be sitting right next to her in orientation! She is going to live in Hili as well. She is in group 2 so I didn't meet her before today. It's great to know that I'm not the only new person going to Ammorriyah Primary School.
Susan and I hired a driver today. Neither of us want to get a car so we're going to try this for a while. We found a taxi driver that knows where he's going, drives safely, and speaks really good English. So we asked him if he would pick us up in the morning from our apartment and take us to school. Susan and I don't teach at the same school, but supposedly we're close by. He agreed and gave us his name and number. This will be a lot cheaper than getting a car. Plus I won't have to worry about the crazy drivers in this country. I'm going to try it and see if it works. If I decide that I really need a car I'll get one. I can't get one for 3 months anyway. That's the waiting period. Not sure why though.
Went furniture shopping today. I found some nice stuff, but I have to go back and measure the space so I know what will fit. Susan, Natalie and I are going back tomorrow after orientation. The only problem with a lot of the furniture here is that it's really low. I want a couch with a high back so I will have to pay more. I haven't seen a bed that isn't like right on the floor. I would literally fall into bed. Not good. I miss my bed:( I just have to keep telling myself it's only for 2 years and if I decide I want to stay longer I can get something better.
We are supposed to get paid before Eid. Eid is Wednesday and it's the end of Ramadan!!!! Yeah! I can eat and drink in public! They compare Christmas to Eid. Children get presents and there's lots of celebrations. It should be a fun time! So I should get paid tomorrow! Not holding my breath though:)
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Camel Market and Appliances
I went to the camel market today! So exciting! Something completely different. Not many people can say that they have actually gone to a camel market.
Cassandra, Susan, Natalie, Sue, and I had an early breakfast and left for the camel market at 8:30. It isn't too far from the InterContinental and it's right behind the Bawadi Mall that I went to yesterday. We arrive at the entrance to the market and the taxi driver says that we're here. I tell him that we can't be because I don't see any camels. He continued to drive and dropped us off right by a "cage" of camels. We could smell them as soon as we got out of the car. But, we ignored the smell and walked right up to the camel cage and started talking to them and trying to get them to come closer so we could get better pictures. They are so beautiful. I have never seen one up close before and I was very amazed. They have beautiful eyes and long eyelashes. Their coloring is beautiful as well. I thought all camels were dark brown; well I was wrong. Most of the camels we saw today were a very light brown. We saw babies and full grown camels. They keep the babies separated from the adults. Some of the adult camels had their front legs tied together. That is because they are kickers. A camel can kick in any direction (360 degrees). I had no idea that camels kicked in a circle. Kind of impressive. The camels didn't seem to have any problem walking with their legs tied. I guess they learn quickly.
As we're walking, a group of camel traders/sellers come over to us and tell us that we can go in the pen and pet the camels. All of this is in broken English of course. He walked in and got a camel by the rope and motioned for us to come in saying "is ok" over and over. So Susan, Natalie, and I bravely walked up to a camel and held its rope while we had our picture taken. This event cost us AED 100. I couldn't believe it. I knew it would be something, but not 100. Oh well, it was totally worth it. While we were getting our picture taken Cassandra and Sue found out that this camel market is the last in the world and they are slowly fading it out. The camels we got our picture taken with came from Sudan and cost about $12,000. That's a lot for a camel! There was a lot more to see so we left with AED 100 less but a picture to remember our day.
The camel market isn't just camels. There are a lot of goats. Dinner. Not mine of course, but someone's. There were also a lot of shops selling camel accessories (guide ropes, bedding, food, things to put on them...). They were neat to look at, but we didn't buy anything. In addition to the camel stuff we also saw a lot of rugs. This was in a different area that we were going to look at on our way out, but plans changed. We walked to the mall so we could cool off and then we planned on going back out and looking at the other stuff. Carrefour got in the way!
We originally went in Carrefour just for water. It was so hot and we were thirsty! Not that we could drink it in public, but we could go to the bathroom to quench our thirst. We ended up with more than just water. I got my appliances!!! I got a refrigerator, washing machine, and little electric stove/convection oven type thing. Well, I didn't actually get it because I don't have a lot of money but they're going to hold it until Thursday (I should have some money within 36 hours!!:) I am slowly working on getting my apartment furnished. Not that I can put it in the apartment yet because I don't have the keys, but that will change eventually.
Orientation starts again tomorrow! I can't believe school starts next week. I am so ready, but I am so not ready!
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| AED100 picture |
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| Camel Market |
Cassandra, Susan, Natalie, Sue, and I had an early breakfast and left for the camel market at 8:30. It isn't too far from the InterContinental and it's right behind the Bawadi Mall that I went to yesterday. We arrive at the entrance to the market and the taxi driver says that we're here. I tell him that we can't be because I don't see any camels. He continued to drive and dropped us off right by a "cage" of camels. We could smell them as soon as we got out of the car. But, we ignored the smell and walked right up to the camel cage and started talking to them and trying to get them to come closer so we could get better pictures. They are so beautiful. I have never seen one up close before and I was very amazed. They have beautiful eyes and long eyelashes. Their coloring is beautiful as well. I thought all camels were dark brown; well I was wrong. Most of the camels we saw today were a very light brown. We saw babies and full grown camels. They keep the babies separated from the adults. Some of the adult camels had their front legs tied together. That is because they are kickers. A camel can kick in any direction (360 degrees). I had no idea that camels kicked in a circle. Kind of impressive. The camels didn't seem to have any problem walking with their legs tied. I guess they learn quickly.
As we're walking, a group of camel traders/sellers come over to us and tell us that we can go in the pen and pet the camels. All of this is in broken English of course. He walked in and got a camel by the rope and motioned for us to come in saying "is ok" over and over. So Susan, Natalie, and I bravely walked up to a camel and held its rope while we had our picture taken. This event cost us AED 100. I couldn't believe it. I knew it would be something, but not 100. Oh well, it was totally worth it. While we were getting our picture taken Cassandra and Sue found out that this camel market is the last in the world and they are slowly fading it out. The camels we got our picture taken with came from Sudan and cost about $12,000. That's a lot for a camel! There was a lot more to see so we left with AED 100 less but a picture to remember our day.
The camel market isn't just camels. There are a lot of goats. Dinner. Not mine of course, but someone's. There were also a lot of shops selling camel accessories (guide ropes, bedding, food, things to put on them...). They were neat to look at, but we didn't buy anything. In addition to the camel stuff we also saw a lot of rugs. This was in a different area that we were going to look at on our way out, but plans changed. We walked to the mall so we could cool off and then we planned on going back out and looking at the other stuff. Carrefour got in the way!
We originally went in Carrefour just for water. It was so hot and we were thirsty! Not that we could drink it in public, but we could go to the bathroom to quench our thirst. We ended up with more than just water. I got my appliances!!! I got a refrigerator, washing machine, and little electric stove/convection oven type thing. Well, I didn't actually get it because I don't have a lot of money but they're going to hold it until Thursday (I should have some money within 36 hours!!:) I am slowly working on getting my apartment furnished. Not that I can put it in the apartment yet because I don't have the keys, but that will change eventually.
Orientation starts again tomorrow! I can't believe school starts next week. I am so ready, but I am so not ready!
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