School was very good this week. I think my strategy is working. The girls have gotten so much better and we have even begun to have a routine! They come in the classroom, put their stuff at their table and come and sit on the floor for the lesson. I don't even have to tell them anymore! Their behavior has gotten better as well. Of course not all of them, but I am ignoring many of them when they don't listen. They really don't like it when I ignore them and they continue to try to get my attention. Thursday went really well. I thought that I was going to have chaos and total misbehavior, but I did not. We did some work for the first period and 1/2 of the second. I didn't want to give them the whole day to play. After they finished their assignment I gathered them on the floor and made a big deal about the girls that were going to participate in the fun activities that I had planned. There were only 6 in my 3/1 group and 9 in my 3/2 group. I had bought each of them a pen and a pencil and I had cookies for them as well. There was play dough (the 3/1 group did this) and masks to paint (3/2 enjoyed this activity). The rest of the girls did math worksheets at their desks. I did not have tears at all. I got a lot of angry glares, but no crying. One girl was pretty near to tears when she told me "I listen", but I tried to explain that she doesn't every day. I think I am going to have to go to some visual for the girls so they will know. I am going to create a behavior chart and if they were good on Sunday etc. they will get a sticker. If they have 4 stickers they will know that they will be able to participate on Thursday. The only thing that scares me about this idea is that if they don't get a sticker on Sunday they will know that they won't be able to participate on Thursday so they may not behave the rest of the week. It's worth a shot though. I think some girls really need the visual to help them see that they are behaving or not. So I had a very good week. We are still not where I want to be, but we're getting there. I may even be able to introduce working together in 3/2! That would be a huge step:) Praise God for a great week at work!
My apartment is coming along. I got it cleaned. Wow! That was some hard work! The apartment is huge and it was so dusty. Someone left the windows open so it was full of dust and sand by the windows. I think I got it all cleaned up! I got my appliances on Tuesday and I even did a load of laundry!! No more hand washing for me! I got my living room furniture and my bed on Thursday. It is coming along. It is so big that even with some furniture it looks pretty bare. I really need to get some accessories to make it start looking and feeling like home.
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| bedroom |
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| kitchen (my very first load of laundry is in the machine) |
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| kitchen |
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| very tiny fridge |
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| living room |
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| living room (all the furniture folds down to make a bed so I have room for visitors:) |
I went grocery shopping on Friday after church. Wow was that an experience! I walked slowly up and down each and every aisle of LuLu Hypermarket (that store is huge) and carefully inspected a lot of items. It was so difficult trying to find things that I was used to like Minute Rice, pancake mix, instant dinners, instant rice and noodle packages, crackers and other items. I was able to find a lot of things that I am used to, but I am also trying a lot of new things. I really wanted Cheez-Its! No such luck:( I spent 2,077dhs ($565) on groceries, but now my fridge, freezer, and shelves are stocked. I can start cooking!!!!!
I am having more furniture delivered today (bookcase, table, desk, entry piece, and chairs) and JT (a teacher's husband) is going to come over to hang curtains and a shower curtain. I have to go to Carrefour and get some more stuff (water cooler, safe, coffe pot, iron/board, bathroom storage, and baking stuff). Then I think I MAY be ready! My plan is to be in my apartment by tonight or tomorrow night at the latest.
JT has been helping me get my drivers license ready. He has been taking me out every night to get the necessary paperwork ready. I got my UAE ID card and my US drivers license translated. Now all I have to do is get my UAE license then I can get a car! The process doesn't sound that difficult, but everything has taken 2 days. I had to drop my passport off to get it inputted into the UAE system (I would have that would have already been done since I have a residence visa but...) before I could get my UAE ID. That took a couple of hours and by the time it was ready the ID office was closed. So that meant another night. That step was actually the quickest since everything was already entered all they needed to do was take my fingerprints and picture and print the paper (the actual card will come later). The next day I dropped off my US license to be translated. For some reason that took a whole day! Oh well, it's finished. Sunday after work I'm going to the drivers license office to get my UAE license. From what I hear that's a pretty easy step if I have all the correct paperwork (UAE ID, translated license, copy of passport and visa and passport pictures). At least I know what I have to bring so I can be prepared. Then I can get a car!
So that has been my very busy week. And now the weekend is almost over and I still have to plan for the week, and try to move out of the hotel. I need some time off. Plus I'm starting to get sick. I have a little sore throat and a runny nose. Nothing too bad right now, but it's coming. I hope it doesn't get any worse.
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