Surprise!!

"Miss, we go zoo !"

"What?  You already went to the zoo."

"No, we go... (lots of thinking, words in Arabic, "Noussaiba Inglasie (English)?") casa la Sheikh.  You know Zayed?  Baby, he live, casa."

"Casa, yes I know casa (thinking Spanish?  Can't be right).  Yes Sheikh Zayed, where he used to live?"

"Casa Al Ain" (but it never really comes out Al Ain, and I can't figure out how to write what they say it's something like Al Eyeeehn which makes it difficult to understand at times).

I was following this logic and piecing together that the girls were going on a field trip today to the Al Ain Palace Museum.  They most likely were saying "castle" and I heard "casa", unless of course "casa" is an Arabic word that I don't know yet, which could be the case.  I just needed to figure out when they were going and who they were going with.

"When?"

"Today."

"Yes, but when?"

"Today."

Ok so this wasn't going to work.  We could spend all day on this one conversation alone and never get anywhere.

"Who?"

"All.  3/1, 3/2, 3/3."  I figured that much.

"Abla (teacher)?"

"Abla Salha period 7."

Oh, so now I knew who was taking them and when they were leaving.  Period 7, no big deal that's at the end of the day and it's only period 1.  We still had a lot of time for learning left.  I gathered the girls on the floor and went through our morning routine and began our English lesson.   Period 2 began with a knock on the door.

"Miss Sara, need girls now."

"Why?"

"They need canteen (where they buy their snacks)."

"Now?  They aren't leaving until period 7."

"No, they leave now.  You come.  Yella (hurry up)."  To the girls, and maybe, quite possibly to me as well.

So, what choice do I have?  I quickly get the girls ready and gather up my stuff and head to the canteen.  The girls buy their snacks and board the bus.

I get off the bus with 3/1 and begin walking towards the Palace.  It's amazing.  It's original, but it looks like it was just built the other day.  Amazing what can remain preserved in a country that experiences no rain.  Ms. Salha calls us over and we join her.  She takes the girls and me on a guided tour.  Her English is very good and she was able to explain a lot of the museum to me.

The Palace was built for Sheikha Fatima, one of Sheikh Zayed's wives.  I'm not sure how many he had, but he did have 19 sons.  Two of them died and the rest are ruling somewhere in the Emirates.  That's how it works here, if your dad was the Shiekh than you will get to be a sheikh as well.  No questions asked.

We weren't at the museum very long, maybe an hour at the most.  But, it was a nice little field trip.  Very fitting this week since National Day (Etihad Wattan) is coming up.  So, thanks to this surprise field trip I was able to cross off one of the things that I need to see in Al Ain.


Al Ain Palace Museum

Our little National Day skit this morning went very well.  The girls were actually prepared.  They had practiced over the weekend.  The girls were a little nervous speaking into the microphone, but other than that it went well.

For National Day we all have a bulletin board to decorate.  There is a contest for the best decorated door, and the winning teacher will get a prize of some sort.  I probably won't win since mine is student created, but it is beginning to look good.  Last week I had the girls make a poster about the UAE.  Most, if not all of them, drew the flag and wrote "I love the UAE!" in the white stripe.  Today we made a handprint flag.  I had one large poster board that we made the flag on.  It was chaos, but the girls enjoyed it.  They love anything with paint.  Me, not so much, but the end product looks nice.  I just need a little more border and then it will be finished.

Bulletin board for National Day

So, we will see what happens tomorrow!  Who knows what the surprise will be!  I'll just try to be prepared for anything, maybe even a regular day!!!