Back to the Desert

I arrived back in Al Ain on a sweltering hot Friday night.  After being in the States for 2 months and enjoying the much cooler temperatures (even the days when it was in the high 80s), coming back to the 110s was not pleasant!

My first week back has been filled with work and catching up with friends.  The 2013-2014 school year has started off much better than last year began or ended.  One key reason is Gursharn is gone!  She was a huge source of trouble.  The 4th grade team seems to be working really good together and we've accomplished quite a lot already.  Another key reason things seem to be much better than last year is that I'm not new anymore!  I don't have to learn how the school works, I get to mentor a new teacher and help her figure out how the school works.  And by God's grace I'm praying that my response to whatever may happen this year will be much different than how I responded last year.

My classroom is pretty much all set up; I'm just debating about changing the seating arrangement.  Currently I have 6 groups of 4, but I'm thinking of making it 4 groups of 6.  The reason for the debate is the ratio of boys to girls this year.  As of right now, things are bound to change, I have 16 boys and 8 girls, exactly the opposite of what I had last year.  The advantage to having groups of 6 I can have 2 girls in each group and not have any groups of just boys.  The disadvantage to having groups of 6 is that it's a large group; 6 kids means that there could potentially be 2-3 that just slack off and let the others do the work.  I'm still thinking about it.

I am applying for the literacy coordinator position that is available.  I love reading and writing, but being a coordinator is not something that I'm all that comfortable with.  It's a position of leadership and although I've been told by many people that I would make a good leader, it's just not me.  Applying doesn't necessarily mean I will get the job though.  Then there's the issue that I don't agree with the program that we are being forced to use.  It's "Reading Street" - a basal reading program designed for American students.  I've talked to the principal about this issue and she's OK with it.  She said if I get the position we can work together to see how to creatively incorporate the program into what we know is best for students.  I'll continue praying about it and see what happens.

I've had a good time catching up with a few friends this week and I'm looking forward to spending time with others as the time goes on.  I have to say that church was quite different due to the fact that Kristie wasn't there.  I definitely miss her!

School starts Tuesday and then things get back to normal!  The first week of my last year has been a good one and I pray that it continues throughout the entire year!

Summer Vacation Part 2

Well now that I've been back in the UAE for a week I guess it's about time to finish describing my summer vacation!!

After returning from my awesome long weekend at various Lake Michigan beaches with Amy, Alexa, and Mason I quickly unpacked, did laundry, and then repacked for my trip to North Carolina.  It was a whirlwind day and a half before I boarded the plane to NC to visit friends from different parts of the state.  I arrived in Charlotte to spend the time with Mariglee and Jake.  It was great to see them and spend the time with them.  They kind of adopted me my first year in Millers Creek and became my North Carolina parents, and since it had been 3 years since I'd seen them I wanted to make sure I got to see them.  While in Charlotte we went to the Raptor Center, did some wine tasting, and took a trip to Millers Creek to meet up with fellow teacher friends and a few surprise guests.  We had lunch at Monte Del Rey, the best Mexican restaurant in Wilkesboro, with Shirley (my assistant for 2 years), Barbara (a kindergarten teacher), Diana (the library assistant), Erica and Jeremy (two of my former students from my favorite class ever).  It was awesome to see Erica and Jeremy; they have grown up into quite mature young adults.  I can't believe that they have graduated high school and are in their second year of college; I taught them in 4th and 5th grade.  Time goes by way too fast.  I really wanted to be there for that class's graduation, but I was still teaching in Ammoryiah and the school year wasn't over yet.  I really enjoyed seeing old friends and students from Millers Creek; it brought back great memories and it was great to reminisce with Erica and Jeremy.

I also got to see some friends from Balfour; Kristen (3rd grade teacher) and Lesha (my assistant for 2 years) came to Charlotte so we could have lunch together one day.  I hadn't seen them since my last trip to NC 2 years ago so it was nice to chat and catch up.  Dee (ESL teacher) came to do some wine tasting with Jake, Mariglee, and me.  It was wonderful to spend time with so many good friends and although I didn't get to see everyone, I'm thankful that no matter the time that passes and the distance between us I'll always have great friends in NC!



One of my favorite parts of the end of my summer was being able to spend some one-on-one time with Mason and Alexa.  They are both growing so fast and it was a joy to be able to spend some quality time with each of them independently.  I started with Mason, seeing as though Alexa was in Tennessee with her Me maw, and we had an amazingly busy day!  My original idea was to do whatever each child wanted to do, but that slightly changed with Mason.  He wanted to go to the zoo, but it was quite cold (only in the mid 60s), windy, and overcast and I thought it might rain.  He was OK with not going, the joy of only being 3 is that you can change your mind quickly and it doesn't effect you too long!!  So we ended up going to the park, Chuck E. Cheese for lunch, ice-cream (with gummi bears) after lunch, and a surprise trip to a circus that just so happened to set up their tent 5 minutes from where they live!  He didn't really like the circus all that much.  He had more fun playing in the bounce house and riding the horse.  He got scared by the fire thrower/breather and the clowns that were pretending to cut and hit each other with construction equipment, so we left at intermission.  My little man is quite the boy!  He loves to wrestle and play rough and tumble.  He is extremely active, curious, lovable, and willing to try just about anything.  I had a blast and truly enjoyed the entire day.  It's all about making memories! 

My day of memory making with Alexa happened the following week.  She called the night before and informed me that she wanted to go to Poppy's house and the zoo!  I probably should have vetoed her zoo idea since it was 85 and humid but it's slightly harder for a six year old to change her mind once she has decided on something so we followed through with her plans for the day.  The day began with a quick trip to Poppy's so I could get lunch packed for our zoo trip.  It was a good thing that we got to the zoo as early as we did because due to the weather we left quite early.  In addition to seeing the animals we went on a motion simulator ride (never again with Alexa - she got sick and we had to stop the ride before it was over) and the merry-go-round.  We had fun walking through the kangaroo exhibit and the big hit was the prairie dog exhibit; they are always out and active and Alexa could go "underground" and experience being a prairie dog in a tunnel.  Fun!  She didn't want to come out!  As soon as she started complaining that she was hot we left.  I didn't want to force her to walk around the entire zoo if she was hot; plus I was getting hot myself!  We drove back to Poppy's so we could check out the pool and go swimming.  We quickly changed into our bathing suits and drove to the pool.  Unfortunately they have limited hours for kids and it wasn't that time when we got there.  We were informed by a lady that no kids were allowed and she was going to enforce it, so we had to leave.  Alexa began to cry and I had a difficult time persuading her to do something else (see what I mean about changing her mind once she's made it up?).  Eventually I convinced her to see "Planes".  She was happy about this so we changed again and headed to the theater for "free popcorn Tuesday!"  My baby girl is no longer my baby girl:(  She is quite the little lady!  She is creative, independent, has her own sense of style, loves to giggle, questions just about everything, and is beginning to think critically.  She is growing up and it is evident in her behavior, speech, and attitude. 

Somewhere in the last part of my vacation I got to play tourist in MI.  I went downtown with my parents and walked along the River Walk.  Detroit has done a really good job transforming this part of downtown, although it was quite funny that where Detroit is on the map they have painted is a light with a broken sign; how ironic since Detroit is now bankrupt!  It was a nice day to spend outside and I loved being able to experience this for the first time with my parents.  I love the fact that they were willing to show me around and spend the day with me!  They are awesome and I am blessed to have such a loving set of parents who enjoy spending time with me and encourage me to be the best I can be. 

I was also able to see my very good friend and college roommate, Michelle.  We had a great dinner and spent time catching up as we walked through the MSU Childrens' Gardens.  The Childrens' Garden was an appropriate choice since we spent many nights there during our college years.  Oh the sheep!  I missed seeing Dave and the kids, but enjoyed being able to talk to Michelle. 

After looking back through pictures I can honestly say I've had one of the best summers I've had in a long time.  It was long, but not long enough, and I was busy with family and friends for the majority of the time.  My family is amazing and I loved being able to be there for family dinners, birthday parties, and just plain hanging out.  I am so thankful for God's grace and blessing of my wonderful family and friends!

Summer Vacation Part 1

 

I guess it's time that I write about how I've been spending my time in the good ol' USA.  Let me first say that I've been enjoying every single minute of being home with my family!  It's great to be able to see them everyday and do the little things (dinner, grocery shopping, movies, just hanging out) and the big things like vacations.  I've missed out on a lot of little and big moments in the past and it's great to be here for them this summer!

My vacation to the southwest part of the States was amazing.  Las Vegas is just totally different and I think that everyone should see it, even if they don't gamble.   You don't have to be a gambler to walk around and look at all the different casinos and sights.  Each casino has its own theme so they're all different and there's tons to see in each one.  While in Vegas we went to see Cirque du Soleil, Madame Tussuad's Wax Museum, The National Geographic's 50 best photos, went up the Eiffel Tower, had lunch in Venice, went to Carnivale, and tons of other things.  The weather was extremely hot, but no hotter than what I'm used to in the UAE.  That doesn't mean I was comfortable walking around, it just means it was easier for me than for Amy, Mom, and Dad.  I do have to say that Mom did an excellent job of enduring the heat (it is hardest for her) she explored the sights of Las Vegas even when it was sweltering with temps in the 100s.  The best part of my time in Vegas was the night that Amy and I walked around; it's just completely different at night with everything all lit up.  It truly is the "city that never sleeps."  I also really enjoyed the National Geographic exhibit; lots of amazing pictures and stories to go with them.

Although we were stationed on "The Strip" at the Excalibur, we took many side trips to surrounding areas.  We went to the Hoover Dam, Death Valley, and Red Rock Canyon; all of which were spectacular. 

The Hoover Dam is an amazing piece of construction.  I can't believe it was all constructed in the 30s and it is still fully operational today!  We took a tour of the inside of the dam and got to see the generators and hear about the history and how it all works.  It's just an amazing feat and so much power!  The views of the Colorado River and Lake Mead (the largest man made lake in the country) were fabulous.   The newly constructed bridge that connects NV to AZ is also another awesome accomplishment.  It spans the Colorado River and is only connected to the rocks on the NV and AZ side, nothing in the middle.  A sight to see!

Death Valley is incredibly barren and beautiful!  Although it's a desert, it's not the desert that I'm used to. There is no sand, and definitely no camels!  Just rocks, cacti, and a few bushes.  And despite the fact that it is so empty I was in awe with its beauty; tons of rock formations made a lovely backdrop for the desolate landscape.  Due to the heat (120 degrees) and being cramped in our tiny rental car, we did not make it through the entire park, but we did get to 100 feet below sea level and Furnace Creek which is the sight of the hottest recorded temperature (134 degrees) in the country.  It was cool to see the signs that posted the elevation throughout the park.  I'm not sure what the exact elevation was when we started but it was neat to watch the numbers go down to sea level and below.

Red Rock Canyon was another area with beautiful rock formations.  The colors were absolutely stunning, there were reds, browns, and yellows all on the rocks.  It was a wonderful drive, and walk, through the park looking at all the various rock formations. 

After our stay in Las Vegas we piled into our miniature (OK not really, but we all are really tall so it felt like it was miniature!) rental car and made the 4 hour trip to the Grand Canyon.  I am so glad that we did!  What a stunning and breath taking sight!  All I can say is that the pictures don't really do it justice, you just have to go and see it for yourself.  It's magnificent!  A huge hole in the ground that is full of color, shapes, bends, and curves.  What a spectacular part of God's creation!  With the risk of being totally redundant (which I already have been) I'll say it just once more; it's amazing!  That first look at the Canyon just took my breath away and I will definitely go back.  I would love to ride a donkey down to the bottom of the Canyon and camp followed by rafting on the Colorado River.  Although the weather did not fully cooperate (monsoon rains at night, which prevented us from seeing a majestic sunset) we had a great time and did get to see a partial sunset.  The sunset that we did see was fantastic; it just lights the rocks on fire!  Totally worth standing in the freezing cold wind to see!










Leaving the Grand Canyon behind us we ventured on to Sedona to see some more of rock formations.  Sedona is known as red rock country and it is beautiful.  There are tons of aptly named rock formations that we were able to drive to and more that we saw from a distance.  It was fun trying to match the picture in the book to the one that we were looking at.  It became a game trying to guess the name of the rock formation that we were seeing, while Amy searched for it in her book.  Amy and I spent the afternoon walking around the town buying souvenirs and taking in the sights while Mom and Dad rested at the hotel.  The monsoon rains came that night while we were waiting for them to show up for dinner, but it was still a great day!

After spending the night in Sedona we made the drive back to Vegas so we could be close to the airport for our early Saturday morning departure.  This time we stayed in downtown Vegas and discovered that a totally different class of people visits that part of Vegas.  We stayed at the Golden Nugget and had dinner at The D, where we all enjoyed coney dogs and fries!  After dinner Amy and I walked around outside for a bit while we waited for the light show, but the monsoon rains followed us to NV and we presumed the show would be rained out so we walked back to the hotel and packed up before calling it a night.

With our southwest adventures done, we arrived back in MI to plan Amy's 40th birthday party.  Unfortunately the monsoon rains followed us to MI and it was rainy and cold the day of her party.  We had a good time and she was thoroughly surprised to see her friends there, even though we couldn't enjoy Ann's new patio set. 

July ended and August began with Amy and I taking Alexa and Mason to Michigan's Adventure and a few different Lake Michigan beaches.  Michigan's Adventure was a lot of fun, despite the rain in the morning.  We bought ponchos and then it stopped so we were able to enjoy the rest of the day rain-free!  Alexa and Mason loved the rides, but I think they had more fun at the water park.  They both went down many different water slides and played in the wave pools.  Amy and I froze while walking in the water with them, but we had a good time.  I will definitely take the kids back!  The highlight of the trip was the days at the beach.  Although the weather wasn't the best beach weather, it didn't rain so we went and splashed in freezing cold Lake Michigan.  I loved it!  Alexa and Mason loved jumping over the waves and splashing in the lake.  They spent a good deal of time playing in the sand as well as climbing sand dunes.  In addition to spending time at the beach we went on a dune buggy ride.  Mason had a blast and I didn't get sick at all; so very different from the dune bashing in Dubai!  We opted out of taking a walk on the pier in Ludington due to the fact that the kids were really tired, so we just got ice-cream and watched the sunset.  Three days at the beach and the kids were great the whole time!  Mason wanted to go back to the beach today and if I had my way I would have taken him!!

I am totally enjoying my summer and am so thankful I get to spend it with my amazing family!  As much as I miss my friends in Al Ain and Dubai I am really not ready to go back at all:(  I have 2 1/2 more weeks left and I am going to soak up every minute of it.  I am headed to North Carolina tomorrow to spend some time with friends there and then back to my family for one more week then it's back to Al Ain for my last year.  I'm working on updating my resume so I can start applying for jobs for the 2014-2015 school year so if you hear of any openings please pass them along to me.  I'm ready to settle down somewhere closer to family.