Home for Christmas

Thursday December 13, 2012 was my last day in the UAE for the year!  I flew out of Dubai at 11:05 pm, so I could be home for Ann's wedding and Christmas this year.

Nothing too extreme about the flight home.  It was on time out of Dubai, but it was overbooked (not exactly sure why airlines do that).  They were offering a $400 voucher and a seat on the next flight which would go through Amsterdam; not a direct flight like the one I was on.  I decided not to give up my seat; I just didn't think the offer was all that great.  I mean $400 for an international flight, not good.  Plus the next flight wouldn't be a direct flight.  Now if they would have thrown in an upgrade to business class on the next flight I may have seriously considered it.  The flight to Atlanta was just about as good as a 16 hour flight can be.  There wasn't any turbulence and I had a "comfortable" seat.  I managed to get 5 hours of sleep!  Great!  We arrived in Atlanta at 5:40am and I thought I was going to have to sit on the plane, like I did in the summer when I arrived in DC before customs opened at 6:00.  Evidently that's not the case in Atlanta because they let us off the plane.  Another plus!  The line at customs was quite long, but if I had arrived there 2 minutes later it would have been much longer.  I wasn't worried, I had a 2 1/2 hour layover before my flight to Detroit.  The lady who checked my passport was quite interested in why I went to the UAE to teach and we had a nice conversation which ended in "Welcome home and Merry Christmas!"  What a nice welcome:)  I went to collect my luggage and recheck it to Detroit and then headed for Starbucks (I had a craving for the Peppermint Mocha and I can't get it in the UAE because they don't do the holiday flavors).  I could not find one:(  So I settled for a sausage, egg, and cheese bagel with an orange juice.  At least I had sausage!  I Skyped with my parents while waiting to let them know that I had safely arrived in Atlanta and would be home soon.  The flight to Detroit was also on time and no issues there either.  It was a fully booked flight, but not overbooked.  We arrived early, which is always nice, so I didn't expect Mom and Dad to be there when I got the baggage claim area.  I didn't see Mom so I headed to the bathroom, and who should I see walking out of the bathroom but Mom!!!  Oh how good it was to see her!  You'd think I'd get used to it, but it never grows old and I love being greeted by her at the airport.  It's a great welcome home!!!  We waited for what seemed like quite a long time for my luggage, but it finally arrived and we headed to the door to meet Dad.  Mom went outside to see if he was coming, while I stayed inside.  It was cold!  I know it sounds weird when to say that it was cold when it was actually 43 degrees, but keep in mind that's at least 30 degrees colder than what I'm used to and I didn't have a coat or gloves or anything but my sweatshirt.  When Dad arrived with the van I ran outside, threw my bag in the car, and jumped in the back seat before he even had time to get out and give me a hug!  I wanted to get where it was warm!

Since it was lunchtime we decided to have lunch before heading to Mark's.  We went to Olive Garden.  Yum!!  One of my most favorite restaurants and one that I didn't get to go to when I was home in the summer.  The lasagna was melt in your mouth delicious and it certainly filled me up:)  After lunch we headed to English Gardens to look for poinsettias for Ann's wedding.  She was looking for white poinsettias (which are really yellow, in my opinion) and Mom told her she'd look.  They had them, but Mom decided not to get them and she just told Ann where she could find them.  Good idea, because she really didn't know that white poinsettias were not white.  Let her make the call.  Then it was on to Mark's for a shower before my surprise.

At 3:15 Mom took me to Farley Hills Elementary School to surprise Alexa as her mystery reader for the day.  I arrived while the class was in Spanish and when the teacher went to pick them up I "hid" in the back of the room.  When the kids started coming in the room I walked out and saw Alexa.  She stared at me for a moment (you could tell she was thinking) then she screamed "Aunt Sara!"  "It's Aunt Sara!" and she ran into my arms!  I scooped up my Baby Girl and gave her a hug and kiss.  I didn't want to let her go, but I had to be the mystery reader.  She took my hand and showed me where I was going to sit and she sat with her classmates on the carpet for a bit.  She just couldn't take it so she came and stood next to me and told her classmates "This is Aunt Sara and she lives in Abu Dhabi" (now she usually says that I live in Abu Dhabi camel - which used to be Abu Dhabi hippopotamus - but she must know that it's really only called Abu Dhabi because she didn't say Abu Dhabi camel; very impressed and I wonder how she figured that out!).  She told them that I didn't have my camels anymore (that's another story; I told her I had camels, 3 to be exact, but I had to send them back to the desert when I moved because the new place was too small for camels), but that I still got to see them.  I read the story "The Smallest Hump", a story written by an Emirati author, and throughout the story Alexa was able to make connections because of what I've told her about Abu Dhabi.  Her comprehension is really good!  She told the class about the time that she went to Grandma and Poppy's and had dates (when dates were mentioned in the story).  When I finished the story she came and sat on my lap and called on her classmates who had questions.  Most of them had questions about what the desert is like and what my camels were like and where they live now.  I answered their questions for a bit before I decided it was time to go.  I was taking Alexa with me, so she had to get ready to go.  She introduced me to a few of her friends and then we left.  It's a surprise that I won't forget and I hope she never does either!

Mom was waiting for us in the office and I signed Alexa out and then we went out in the cold.  In the van Alexa said "I just knew it was you!  I knew you were going to be the mystery reader!"  OK how cute is that!!  She had no idea, but still:)  We went to McDonald's for ice-cream and then back to her house for dinner.

I walked into the house excited to see Mason, but he didn't want anything to do with me.  He had no idea who I was and he wouldn't call me Aunt Sara.  When asked to say hi to Aunt Sara all he did was shake his head no.  Even with Alexa telling him who I was, he still wasn't sure.  As the evening progressed and I played with him, he warmed up to me and even allowed me to hold him and kiss him, but I still don't know for sure if he knows who I am.  He would only call me Sara, even though on Skype he calls me Aunt Sara.  I guess to his 2 1/2  year old brain Aunt Sara is only on the computer so there's no way I could can't be Aunt Sara.  I was just glad that he warmed up to me and allowed me to hold him.  He'll get it figured out sooner or later. 

Dinner was pork roast, salad, vegetables, and bread followed by Christmas cookies for desert.  We left shortly after dinner as I was beginning to feel quite tired.  As is typical when I arrive from an international flight I get tired around 7 or 8 and have to go to bed.  I was in bed by 9pm and slept till 9am. 

Saturday Amy and I went to see "The Hobbit" and did some shopping.  I had no idea "The Hobbit" was 3 parts and I was quite disappointed when it ended, but didn't really end.  Although I can't say that I truly enjoyed the movie, I just wanted it to end.  I had read the book a long time ago and really liked it so I thought I would like the movie.  During the movie I thought I was mistaken about liking the book, maybe I didn't really like it.  Oh well, at least it was only $5 instead of the 35Dhs ($9.50) that it would have cost me in Al Ain. 

Besides the movie ticket my first purchase in MI was a winter jacket, gloves, and a hat from Target.  It's cold!  I couldn't find my winter coat so I bought a relatively cheap one so I could spend time outside.  I also got a Peppermint Mocha from Starbucks, but I wasn't too happy with it.  The Coffemate creamer that I put in my coffee that morning was better.  I also got some Christmas shopping done and new shoes before heading to dinner with Mom and Dad at Leo's.  It was another early night followed by nearly 10 hours of sleep (this is typical and it usually only lasts 3 days).

Sunday I went to Lansing for church.  I went to South, the church I went to in college.  It was a very good service entitled Merry Christmas from King David where I was reminded that it's all about Jesus.   Not just Christmas, but everyday.  I met Chad after service and he took me to the 3rd grade classroom where Angie was teaching, as I had plans for lunch with her after church.  Plans changed though because Chad's sister, brother-in-law, and 4 kids were in town so we all had lunch together.  I sort of know Becky and Kent (they were freshmen when I graduated) so it was good to see them and meet their 4 boys.  I did have some brief time with just Angie as I took her home before I headed to Michelle and Dave's.  I had a nice short visit with the Seavey's before they had to leave for their Christmas program.  I didn't stay for the program, even though they all asked if I was going to watch them sing.  I was beginning to feel quite tired and it was only 4:00.  I had already told Michelle that I wasn't going to be able to stay because I knew I wouldn't be able to drive home after the event.  I got home just in time for dinner - pot roast with potatoes and carrots.  Yummy!!  I love coming home to home cooked meals; Dad is a great cook!!  I didn't last much past dinner though.  Maybe the driving wore me out, but I was in bed by 8:30. 

Monday morning I woke up ready to go at 6:30.  I hope I'm done with this jet-lag business!  All on my agenda today was to make Snickerdoodles.  Done!  They are delicious:)  My second favorite Christmas cookies are ready!   Now all Mom has to do is make the candy canes.  After the disaster I had last year I won't be making them for quite some time!  Dinner is at Ann and Harry's tonight as I practice my speech for the wedding.  Hopefully I don't fall asleep at Ann's!!

Still waiting for snow!

Just for fun

• 45 degrees at 2:00pm in MI
• 63 degrees at 11:00 pm in Al Ain

Wadi Adventure

How do you introduce the topic of waves to a group of 4th grade students?  Simple, you take them to Wadi Adventure in Al Ain.  Now I must admit that prior to going on this field trip I didn't think it was the brightest idea, but the background knowledge these kids now have about waves is going to help tremendously when I introduce the concept next week.

We got to the park around 9:00 as they had graciously agreed to open an hour early for us.  The kids were ecstatic as they got off the bus and rushed to the entrance, only to find the doors locked!  What in the world was going on?  They knew we were coming and they were supposedly prepared to open at 9:00.  All I can say is lack of communication.  The booking department didn't communicate this information with the security guard who is responsible for opening the door (yes, you can only have one person who can open the door).  The security guard finally opens the door and we get the kids processed, which was a total nightmare as each child needed 3 wristbands and a "watch".  No problem if the kids could put them on themselves or have a friend help them, but that was not the case.  Most of them needed help and there just weren't enough adults.  We get them all "banded" and into the changing room so the adventure could begin.

Our first activity was body boarding.  Fun!  The kids had a blast playing in the water and the brave ones managed to slip and slide (the ground was quite slippery) their way to the deeper water where they could actually experience body boarding.  Kevin (the other teacher that went with me) and I helped the kids get on their boards and enjoy the waves, as well as grabbing the ones that were floating the wrong way.  After about 15 minutes of this, Kevin impressed us with his surfing ability and then we began the process of herding the kids out of the water so we could move on to activity two.

Whitewater rafting!  Amazingly fun!  The park has 3 courses, but we only did 2 of them.  Level 1 was quite easy and a great way to start off.  I was with a group of girls who did a great job of paddling and following the guide's instructions.  As we breezed through level 1, he decided that we could try level 2.  The girls were all for it, so we proceeded to the next level where he told us we could try what was called "surfing" which is when he puts the boat horizontal in the rapids and it fills with water.  Noura wasn't sure she wanted to try this so we opted out.  Then peer pressure set in and Noura changed her mind.  They weren't mean or anything, they just wanted to try and convinced Noura that it would be ok.  So we paddled to the next set of rapids and "got down" so we could begin "surfing."   We got drenched as one side of the boat went up and the other went down into the rapids.  This scared Shaikha after a while and she cried out "enough" so I told the guide to stop.  But instead of stopping he just switched sides so the side that was in the rapids would be up and the rest of us would get soaked.  This helped Shaikha for a bit, but she eventually had enough so the guide began the process of getting us back on course.  He couldn't do it!  We were stuck in the rapids!  This was not good as Shaikha was pretty hysterical at this point.  There was a lifeguard on the side who threw a rope and pulled the boat out of the rapids.  We got out, Shaikha got calmed down, and we continued the rest of the course.  We got to the end of the course and were offered the chance to go again.  All the girls agreed and even Shaikha wanted to do the "surfing" again.  There was no time for that so we just went quickly through the course one last time before heading to activity three.

Air park!  Oh my gosh, how terrifying yet awesome at the same time!  The air park consists of two levels of obstacle courses and a zip line.  The agreement was I would take 1/2 the group to level 2 while Kevin took the other 1/2 to level 3 and then we would switch.  I wasn't too thrilled about level 2 let alone level 3!  Although I did admit that I was scared (I think it's important that kids know how you're feeling, especially when it comes to fear) I was ready to try, but I did tell Kevin that I was only going to do level 2.  I get hooked in and the instructor tells me to go out and walk on the rope.  "Walk on the rope!  I can't walk on the rope!"  Slowly and tentatively I begin my journey on the rope.  Shaikha and Al Reem follow.  No problem.  We make it to the platform and rest before walking on another rope that has fewer ropes to hold on to.  This one was a bit harder, but it turns out I can walk on a rope!  The next obstacle was to walk on vertically hanging logs.  This one was a bit harder and it gave Shaikha a hard time.  She didn't think she could do it, but after some encouragement she crossed the logs and made it to the next obstacle which was to walk across a long horizontal log.  No problem for any of us.  Almost done!  Now we had to walk on a horizontal log and jump to another one.  A bit harder, but manageable for me as I have long arms and legs.  Not as easy for the kids though.  They could do the first one but as soon as they jumped to the next one and didn't make it they were stuck.  Their legs just couldn't reach the log and they couldn't reach the rope with their hands.  Most of them were ok with this and they kicked and lunged forward to gain momentum, but I had to go back and help Shaikha.  Two more obstacles left and they were the easiest two.  Just walking on a platform and then a jump to the next one followed by walking along a climbing wall.  No problem!  All 3 of us made it safely to end!!  We got unhooked and I was ready to head back down to the ground when I heard Mariam and Reeda say "Miss you go first."  What?!  Go first where?  They of course wanted me to get them started.  Thing is once you get out on the course you can't turn around.  So here goes round two.  OK it should be easier now, right?  Wrong!  Mariam was terrified and I had to literally pull her along most of the course.  There was lots of encouragement from me and Reeda, but that didn't work.  She just froze.  At one point I didn't know what to do anymore so I began praying for her and telling her that I was praying for her.  Trying to give her the strength to walk out on the vertically hanging logs.  She took a step, but froze so I went back and that's when she clung to me and I had to pull her to the next platform.  Now I have to mention that Mariam is one of my biggest students and I was tired and in a bit of pain from the harness.  But God gave me the strength through adrenaline to get her to the next platform.  Once there we rested, but only for a short time because Reeda was amazingly fast and there could only be 2 people on a platform at a time so we had to move quickly.  I began showing Mariam how to do the next obstacle, but again it ended up with me getting to the end of the obstacle and then going back to pull Mariam along.  She was able to do the last two on her own with just a bit of encouragement from me and at the platform before the last obstacle I told her I was so proud of her and almost stared crying.  She was doing amazing!  We made it to the end and nearly collapsed as the instructor took our harnesses off so we could head upstairs and do the zip line  I didn't get that far before I looked at Meera.  She wanted to try, but I could tell she was a bit scared.  So I asked her if she wanted me to go with her and she replied only if you want to.  I told her that I didn't want to, but I would if she wanted me to go.  That was enough for her and she said "you go first."  Round 3!!  Adrenaline kept me going as the instructor hooked me and the three Meera's up so we could begin the course.  As I was only able to help the first Meera I told the other 2 that they would have to help each other.  No problem.  Meera (in my class) was first and she needed the most help.  There were a few obstacles where I had to go back and offer her my hand, but I didn't have to pull her like I had to do with Mariam.  There was one point when the second Meera froze and began to cry.  I was stuck.  There was nothing I could do; I was blocked by the first Meera.  I began encouraging her and trying to explain how to do the obstacle, but I couldn't show her because that would mean making the first Meera do it again and this obstacle caused her a lot of difficulty as well.  So I had to have the third Meera talk to her and encourage her.  And it was amazing!  Meera number 3 began talking to and encouraging Meera number 2 while Meera number 1 was ready to go back (I couldn't believe it, she was going to go back after she struggled) and get Meera number 2!!  Wow!  What amazing cooperating and concern.  This greatly encouraged Meera number 2 and she began walking on the long horizontal log and she was greeted at the end with a round of applause from both Meera's and me!  This put a huge smile on her face and she was able to finish the course with no problems.  We made it to the end and surprisingly there were no more girls waiting for me.  That meant that I was finished!!  Yeah!  On to the zip line.  Finally!

We climbed up to the fourth floor (past the level 3 obstacle course) and took turns doing the zip line.  That was the best part!  Speeding through the air over the park was a great way to end the day.

We got back to school at 2:35, just in time for our dismissal at 2:45.  While waiting for the kids to leave I made the huge mistake of sitting on the floor.  Vemal (another teacher) looked at me and said "I have never seen you look so tired before!"  I think at this point the adrenaline was wearing off as I began to finally feel pain.  Seriously throughout the entire day I had no pain, other than after the first round of the obstacle course.  I had noticed a pretty nasty scratch on my arm, but I didn't feel it; that is I didn't feel it until I got back to school.  I made it through the rest of the day (which was a planning meeting with the PYP coordinator) and then headed home to rest.  Once home I was completely out of adrenaline and I began shaking and I was starving.  I had an early dinner of pasta and tried to relax on the couch, but I couldn't get comfortable.  My muscles were in such pain.  I pushed myself too hard and I was paying for it.  I do believe it was worth it though as I wanted my students to experience as much of the field trip as they could and they weren't going to do the obstacle course without me.  All part of being a teacher!  I made it an early night, but didn't sleep all that well because every time I moved I was in pain.  The muscle aches are easing, but my arms still ache and it is difficult to get up off the floor (why would I be on the floor you ask, I worked with the preschoolers at church today). 

With all that being said, I can't wait to go back!!  I had a blast and it will be great to experience it with friends!

Just one more week till I'm home for Ann's wedding and Christmas!!  I can't wait:)

Hey, the temp's gone down; it's now 77 degrees at 8:18!

National Day at ENS

Yes, I am a bit late as National Day was a week ago, but better late than never.  I just hope I haven't forgotten too many details!!

So, if you've been following my blog you know that National Day is quite a big holiday here. And you also know how Ammoryiah Primary School celebrates.  Well, ENS ups that by like 1000%.  It's still chaos, but chaos multiplied by like 1000!

Leading up to National Day I was hearing stories from the other 4th grade teachers about how all the kids just run wild and you (as the teacher) just let them.  "Don't try to keep track of your kids, just let them go."  "They will run around the school and between campuses, so you can't keep track of them."  "Just stay hidden in your room and everything will be fine."  "Lock your door.  Boys from the Boys' School wander in the classrooms and use the Internet."  So, with my need to know what is going to happen, you can imagine how I took this news!  I was ready to be sick again.  Anything to avoid this day.  But, I showed up.  I guess part of me wanted to experience it as well!

The schedule for the day started with 8-9 as normal (yeah right:).  There is no such thing as "normal" on National Day; I have figured that out from years past!  I kept my students (I think I had 15) in my classroom until 9 when I was told that I could just set them free to do what they wanted.  That's what I did.  I opened the door and told them to go explore and I would do the same.  They darted out the door and I immediately locked it.  There was no way those boys from the Boys' School would be going in my room. 

I wandered around to see how ENS celebrates this extremely important holiday.  In amongst the running and screaming kids spraying snow spray, blasting horns, and exploding poppers there were Emirati men doing the National Dance, some dressed up local characters having a quiz show with prizes, henna, traditional Emirati food being prepared, falcons, and several tables selling traditional crafts. That was all inside.  Outside there was a huge slide, camel rides, pony rides, goats, birds, the police with motorcycles for the kids to sit on, and a dog show.  I figured that was enough to keep the kids occupied until 1:00 when the buses would leave. 

As I'm exploring outside, Brian, the principal, asks me where my students are.  I tell him I don't know.  He responds by telling me that I need to round them up and keep them together and inside until 11:00.  Really.  That's not what the schedule said.  I did not say that, but that's what I was thinking.  Why in the world would the schedule say that we could let the kids explore after 9:00 if I had to keep them together?  How frustrating.  Now I had to find them all and keep them with me.  Yeah right.  So I began the near impossible task of finding my students and keeping them with me.  As soon as I would find a group and turn to look for another few students several others would wander off.  It was pretty useless.  I got as many as I could and headed over to the dog show.  We watched that for a bit and then went back in the classroom.  The kids were ready for a break. 

Around 10:30 I gather up the children that I have and head to the pod to watch the show that was taking place in the theater and being simulcast to the pod.  Thing is you couldn't see or hear anything so it was kind of boring.  After about 15 minutes I gave up, told my kids (those that I could find) to have fun, and went back to my classroom with Jennifer.  We locked ourselves in and chatted and rested before going out to the cafeteria around 12:00 for lunch.  One more hour and then supposedly all the kids would be gone and I could go at 2:00. 

Happy 41st National Day
with Shamsa

We finished our lunch and I headed back to my classroom to begin the clean up.


The boys - Mohammed, Mubarak, Hamad, and Suhail

The kids had brought cakes, traditional sweets, candy, cookies, sandwiches, bracelets, and pens that were left in the classroom.  Plus there was mess from breakfast that needed to be cleaned up.  Yes, we have cleaners but I figured I should help them out since they would probably be there all night cleaning up the messes in the pods and outside.  So I gathered up the leftovers (which was nearly a whole cake plus lots of other stuff) and took them to reception.  Then I began the task of throwing away half eaten sandwiches, bags of chips, and chocolate.  It was a mess in my classroom, but after about 45 minutes I had it back to it's normal end of the day mess!  No, really it was nice and clean.  The floor just needed to be mopped.

The girls - Mariam, Maitha, Meera, Al Reem, Shaikha, and Noura

 

Our gift for National Day was that we got to leave at 1:45 instead of 2:00!  Can't complain because usually on a Thursday we can't leave until 3:00.

 

 

It's hot here tonight; 81 degrees at 7:15