Weird title, I know, but they go together here. When the temperature drops the flies come out. And they come out in droves! They are annoying and persistent. We joke that even the flies are Emirati! They don't care if you swat at them, they just keep coming back to get what they want! What makes the flies extra difficult to deal with is the fact that my school is outside and I have to keep my door open. So they just keep coming in. It's very annoying when I'm teaching and a fly is buzzing around my head!! Funny, but annoying! The flies come out from November till about February or March, then it gets too hot for them!
The flies aren't the only thing that comes out when it gets cooler. The sweaters, fur coats, hats, and boots come out as well! It is so funny seeing the girls dress for winter! They truly have no idea of cold. They start by wearing their sweater, which evolves into a jacket and then out come out the coats, hats, gloves, and boots. You'd think they were going to go play in the snow! Right now most of them are just wearing a sweater or a light fall jacket. Winter in the UAE!
So the week after Eid when we were supposed to come back to school for Wed. and Thurs. was very different. I had 6 girls in 4th grade and 9 girls in 3rd grade. So they combined 1st and 3rd, 4th and 5th, and since 2nd had the most they left them alone, and put them in 3 different rooms. The teachers took one period to "babysit" and then had the rest of the day off. Everyone got sent home at 12:00. That was Wed. Fewer kids showed up on Thurs and the car riders were sent home when they got out of the car. It was only the bus kids that stayed. And only one bus did its route. The same situation took place, except there were only 2 groups instead of 3, and we all left at 12:00. Hopefully ADEC has figured out their mistake; you don't mess with Eid!
Friday after church I went to a German families' house and learned how to cook German food. The lady goes to the same church and invited the women and their daughters over. Since Cindy was going I went (I'm practically Cindy's daughter anyway, although she is too young to be my mother:). Anyway the food was very sour. I could taste and smell the vinegar in everything. The meat was marinating in vinegar water for 3 days and she used that same marinade to cook the meat and vegetables. She made this bread thing that resembled stuffing until it was baked and then it looked like meat loaf. It didn't taste like meat loaf though. I can't tell you if it tasted like stuffing since I don't eat stuffing, but I can tell you that I didn't like it. I'm not really sure what it tasted like, but that was about the only dish that I couldn't taste the vinegar. Even though I didn't like what was offered my mother taught me well enough to try everything and eat it. OK I didn't have the mashed potates, but other than that I tried everything else! The desert was delicious! It was like black forest cake, only in a pudding. Chocolate, cherries, and cake, you can't go wrong! We are going over to this same house for a late Thanksgiving meal on Sat. That should be yummy, but there will be no stuffing or mashed potates for me!
Next weekend is National Day and it's a big one; 40! The decorations are coming out and the cars are getting all decked out. Ashley and I were wondering if the people who were around when the USA was only 40 years old decorated and made a big deal out of the fact that their country is 40? We figured they probably decorated their horse and buggy!! I will be celebrating with a local family that lives next door to Cindy. It will be really interesting! That'll be my next blog.
88 degrees at 4:00pm
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
عيد مبارك - Eid Mubarak!
Eid was celebrated this past week in the Muslim world. Due to this holiday I got 3 days off work! Here's a bit of information regarding the holiday and then I'll tell you what I did to celebrate my time off work.
Eid Al adha is celebrated to give thanks and praise to Allah for providing the sacrifical ram so Ibrahim (Abraham) didn't have to sacrifice his son Isaac. Many Muslims celebrate this by sacrificing a sheep. If they cannot afford a sheep they will sacrifice a goat. This is a 3 day festival, kind of like Christmas. There is gift giving and spending time with family. I guess the main difference is the sacrifice of the sheep! Everyone has the 3 days off, but there are some that have the entire week off.
Another bit aspect of this Eid is the Haj. This is when Muslims travel to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. In Mecca is the Kabba which Muslims walk around 7 times chanting الله أكبر - Allah alakbar (Allah is the greatest) among other things. In addition to walking around the Kabba 7 times they walk between two mountains 7 times. This is to remember what Hagar did when she was in the wilderness with Ishmael. Muslims believe she needed water so she walked between the two mountains 7 times and Allah provided her with water. Haj is one of the 5 pillars (shahadah - professing faith in one God; not 3 like Chritianity Father, Son, and Spirit, Salat - pray 5 times daily, Sawm - fasting during Ramadan, Zakat - giving 2.5 % of your wealth to charity, and Haj) of the Islamic faith. By meeting the 5 pillars you are able to enter heaven.
There's your Islamic lesson for the day.
I went to Dubai and spent the Eid holiday with the Wilson's. I had a good time in Dubai and the surrounding emirates.
الشارقة - Sharjah (although it technically should be pronounced Sharqah)
Friday afternoon we loaded into the SUV and headed out to Sharjah to meet up with Cindy and Craig's small group from church. We were going to have a campfire in the desert. I was looking forward to this since I haven't really been "in" the desert yet. We rendezvoused with the rest of the group at a local gas station and then made our way into the desert. True dune bashing was happening! This would have been fun, but I got sick. I get carsick and all the bouncing and turning made me quite nauseous. I didn't actually throw up, but I certainly felt like it. Even though we stopped a few times to get out and look at the scenery, which was beautiful especially with the sunset, my tummy was still shaky. I didn't even take any pictures:( By the time my tummy settled down enough for me to even think of taking pictures it was way too dark out. I missed the sunset:( I guess that's just an excuse to go back into the desert! Once I wasn't feeling so nauseous I had a good time sitting around the campfire and talking. I even had to wear a sweatshirt!! Some of the group was planning on camping, but we left. I would love to camp in the desert! Maybe next time.
راس الخيمة - Ras Al Khaimah (RAK)
Saturday we took a road trip along the coast of the UAE to RAK. There is not much in RAK except the beach, but it is beautiful. The pictures don't really do it justice. The water was a crystal clear greenish blue and it was absolutely beautiful with the sun glistening on the surface. I walked along the beach for a while looking for shells since the beach was littered with them. Most of them were broken creating this white sand. It was pretty amazing. There was white sand and then the typical sand colored sand started. Pretty interesting. Although I didn't find any shells, Sarah and her friend found a sand dollar, a starfish, and a fin. I guess they were looking harder than I was!
أم القيوين - Umm Al Qwain (UAQ)
After our time at the beach in RAK we travelled to UAQ to look for more shells. Cindy and Craig know of a great location to find shells so that's where we went. Unfortunately when we showed up there were tons of Arabic men around and the 4 of us girls just got quite uncomfortable being stared at so we didn't stay all that long. We did look for some shells, but didn't really find anything too interesting. I climbed between two boulders looking in the sand and sponges for anything interesting, but I'm just too tall to see way down in the sand! And my knees can't take squatting so I had to use my toes to move the stuff around. Not a very effective means of finding anything interesting!
دبي - Dubai (no silly abbreviation for this one:)
Monday we had Thanksgiving dinner! It was delicious. We celebrated early because Craig won't be in town, he is leaving for Saudi tomorrow and won't be back until the beginning of Dec. So Cindy and I spent the day in the kitchen preparing. I made the pumpkin pie and helped with the potatoes. I love Cindy's mashed potatoes. She leaves the skin on them so they're not looking like they're supposed to be smooth and then a lump shows up. I know the lumps are going to be there so I don't get grossed out when I eat one! We had all the typical Thanksgiving dishes; turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes (don't like these) green beans, cranberry sauce (which I still don't like), corn, and pumpkin pie. Yummy!
While we were waiting for the food to cook Cindy and I went driving around to look at houses. I finally took the pictures of the houses for my dad! Granted these are in Dubai, but you get the idea. They are huge and ugly! We had a blast driving up and down the streets laughing and pointing out the gaudy houses! They just don't know how to do huge tastefully. Check out Facebook for more pictures.
75 degrees with 53% humidity at 7:50pm. It's wonderful:) I have my windows open! Loving it! 2 day work week then back to Dubai.
Eid Al adha is celebrated to give thanks and praise to Allah for providing the sacrifical ram so Ibrahim (Abraham) didn't have to sacrifice his son Isaac. Many Muslims celebrate this by sacrificing a sheep. If they cannot afford a sheep they will sacrifice a goat. This is a 3 day festival, kind of like Christmas. There is gift giving and spending time with family. I guess the main difference is the sacrifice of the sheep! Everyone has the 3 days off, but there are some that have the entire week off.
Another bit aspect of this Eid is the Haj. This is when Muslims travel to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. In Mecca is the Kabba which Muslims walk around 7 times chanting الله أكبر - Allah alakbar (Allah is the greatest) among other things. In addition to walking around the Kabba 7 times they walk between two mountains 7 times. This is to remember what Hagar did when she was in the wilderness with Ishmael. Muslims believe she needed water so she walked between the two mountains 7 times and Allah provided her with water. Haj is one of the 5 pillars (shahadah - professing faith in one God; not 3 like Chritianity Father, Son, and Spirit, Salat - pray 5 times daily, Sawm - fasting during Ramadan, Zakat - giving 2.5 % of your wealth to charity, and Haj) of the Islamic faith. By meeting the 5 pillars you are able to enter heaven.
There's your Islamic lesson for the day.
I went to Dubai and spent the Eid holiday with the Wilson's. I had a good time in Dubai and the surrounding emirates.
الشارقة - Sharjah (although it technically should be pronounced Sharqah)
Friday afternoon we loaded into the SUV and headed out to Sharjah to meet up with Cindy and Craig's small group from church. We were going to have a campfire in the desert. I was looking forward to this since I haven't really been "in" the desert yet. We rendezvoused with the rest of the group at a local gas station and then made our way into the desert. True dune bashing was happening! This would have been fun, but I got sick. I get carsick and all the bouncing and turning made me quite nauseous. I didn't actually throw up, but I certainly felt like it. Even though we stopped a few times to get out and look at the scenery, which was beautiful especially with the sunset, my tummy was still shaky. I didn't even take any pictures:( By the time my tummy settled down enough for me to even think of taking pictures it was way too dark out. I missed the sunset:( I guess that's just an excuse to go back into the desert! Once I wasn't feeling so nauseous I had a good time sitting around the campfire and talking. I even had to wear a sweatshirt!! Some of the group was planning on camping, but we left. I would love to camp in the desert! Maybe next time.
راس الخيمة - Ras Al Khaimah (RAK)
Saturday we took a road trip along the coast of the UAE to RAK. There is not much in RAK except the beach, but it is beautiful. The pictures don't really do it justice. The water was a crystal clear greenish blue and it was absolutely beautiful with the sun glistening on the surface. I walked along the beach for a while looking for shells since the beach was littered with them. Most of them were broken creating this white sand. It was pretty amazing. There was white sand and then the typical sand colored sand started. Pretty interesting. Although I didn't find any shells, Sarah and her friend found a sand dollar, a starfish, and a fin. I guess they were looking harder than I was!
 |
| Differnt colors of the sand |
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| Rocky "beach" at RAK |
أم القيوين - Umm Al Qwain (UAQ)
After our time at the beach in RAK we travelled to UAQ to look for more shells. Cindy and Craig know of a great location to find shells so that's where we went. Unfortunately when we showed up there were tons of Arabic men around and the 4 of us girls just got quite uncomfortable being stared at so we didn't stay all that long. We did look for some shells, but didn't really find anything too interesting. I climbed between two boulders looking in the sand and sponges for anything interesting, but I'm just too tall to see way down in the sand! And my knees can't take squatting so I had to use my toes to move the stuff around. Not a very effective means of finding anything interesting!
دبي - Dubai (no silly abbreviation for this one:)
Monday we had Thanksgiving dinner! It was delicious. We celebrated early because Craig won't be in town, he is leaving for Saudi tomorrow and won't be back until the beginning of Dec. So Cindy and I spent the day in the kitchen preparing. I made the pumpkin pie and helped with the potatoes. I love Cindy's mashed potatoes. She leaves the skin on them so they're not looking like they're supposed to be smooth and then a lump shows up. I know the lumps are going to be there so I don't get grossed out when I eat one! We had all the typical Thanksgiving dishes; turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes (don't like these) green beans, cranberry sauce (which I still don't like), corn, and pumpkin pie. Yummy!
While we were waiting for the food to cook Cindy and I went driving around to look at houses. I finally took the pictures of the houses for my dad! Granted these are in Dubai, but you get the idea. They are huge and ugly! We had a blast driving up and down the streets laughing and pointing out the gaudy houses! They just don't know how to do huge tastefully. Check out Facebook for more pictures. |
75 degrees with 53% humidity at 7:50pm. It's wonderful:) I have my windows open! Loving it! 2 day work week then back to Dubai.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
حديقة الحيوانات - Zoo (literally animal park)
Another surprise field trip. Well, the first for this year, but it reminded me of last year's surprise trip to the zoo. I had no idea I was going until this morning. I found out the girls were going yesterday, but I wasn't sure I was going. I didn't know what would happen since I teach both 3rd and 4th grade. I had to go and ask Hamda, the social worker, and she said that I was going and that we would be back in time for me to teach 5th period. Oh yay! I would get to go to the zoo and teach! I was quite excited! Notice the sarcasm?!
The zoo wasn't that bad, other than the heat. We got there and the girls went to the education center and had the same presentation on teeth as last year. Interestingly enough I didn't understand any more of it this year than I did last year. I guess I did know the animal names, but that's about it. The woman doing the presentation showed the girls some skulls and they thought they all were lion skulls. I must tell you that one was kind of small, it was a skull of a leopard. But they wanted it to be a lion. She showed us a zebra skull and the girls fist guessed lion and then someone guessed frog!! That got a laugh!
After the presentation we boarded the train for the tour of the zoo. The girls excitedly pointed out every animal as we drove past it. There are tons of monkeys and gazelles. The white lion was quite interesting, but we didn't stay long enough to really see it well. The zoo is supposed to be getting a white tiger, but right now just the lion. We walked around the bird house and then had about 10 minutes for breakfast. A breakfast that consisted of chips, candy, chocolate, cotton candy, and ice cream. Yummy! It's a wonder these girls have teeth (although some don't) and aren't extemely over weight. Diabetes is a huge problem here though. The girls scarfed down their "nutritious" breakfast and then we headed over to the bird show. This was interesting. They had some very well trained birds. One played basketball, one matched colors, one picked up trash, and one flew through a hoop (ok that one wasn't all that impressive, but the others were neat). The bird show ended and we went outside for playtime. There was a jungle gym type thing and a bunch of bouncey houses that the girls could play on. By the time it was time to go the girls were hot, sweaty, tired, and thirsty. So we stopped at the concession stand where they could buy water. But did they get water? No, they got more junk! Surprised? Not me, not anymore. We boarded the bus and I heard more complaints of "Miss hot, want water!" Well of course you want water you just played outside in the sun and then bought candy. Oh well.
We arrived back at school to find the gate closed and locked. So we sat there on the bus while the driver honked and honked waiting for someone to come and open the gate. We must have waited there for about 10 minutes. All the while I was thinking there are many other solutions to this problem. 1. Use the other entrance. 2. Let me off the bus and I will walk around and get someone to open the gate. 3. Call the school and have someone open the gate. 4. Call the security guard to open the gate. But that's a main issue with the people in this country; they don't know how to think. There is only one way to do something and if you can't do it that way you have to wait. Terribly frustrating.
The rest of the school day was fine. 4th grade was waiting patiently with a bus lady for me to get back. I only had them for 2 1/2 periods so we didn't get much accomplished. Well, honestly we don't get much accomplished in the afternoon anyway.
Eid break is coming up, just one more day. I found out yesterday that we only get 3 days off instead of the entire week. Not a very nice birthday present. I'm not sure why we only get 3 days off, every other emirate is giving the entire week off. I'll be anxious to see how many students and Arabic teachers show up. I know there are a lot of LTs that have vacation plans for the entire week, so they won't be back, but none of us at Ammoryiah are going away for Eid.
My birthday was yesterday. I didn't do anything. I celebrated in Dubai last weekend and I'll be going to Dubai again this weekend. It's not good when your birthday falls in the middle of the week.
It's 3:30 and I am exhausted. That's what happens when you spend the day out in the sun and heat. I need a nap, but I know if I lay down I won't be able to sleep tonight. It will be an early bedtime for me tonight.
91 degrees with 29% humidity yuck:(
The zoo wasn't that bad, other than the heat. We got there and the girls went to the education center and had the same presentation on teeth as last year. Interestingly enough I didn't understand any more of it this year than I did last year. I guess I did know the animal names, but that's about it. The woman doing the presentation showed the girls some skulls and they thought they all were lion skulls. I must tell you that one was kind of small, it was a skull of a leopard. But they wanted it to be a lion. She showed us a zebra skull and the girls fist guessed lion and then someone guessed frog!! That got a laugh!
After the presentation we boarded the train for the tour of the zoo. The girls excitedly pointed out every animal as we drove past it. There are tons of monkeys and gazelles. The white lion was quite interesting, but we didn't stay long enough to really see it well. The zoo is supposed to be getting a white tiger, but right now just the lion. We walked around the bird house and then had about 10 minutes for breakfast. A breakfast that consisted of chips, candy, chocolate, cotton candy, and ice cream. Yummy! It's a wonder these girls have teeth (although some don't) and aren't extemely over weight. Diabetes is a huge problem here though. The girls scarfed down their "nutritious" breakfast and then we headed over to the bird show. This was interesting. They had some very well trained birds. One played basketball, one matched colors, one picked up trash, and one flew through a hoop (ok that one wasn't all that impressive, but the others were neat). The bird show ended and we went outside for playtime. There was a jungle gym type thing and a bunch of bouncey houses that the girls could play on. By the time it was time to go the girls were hot, sweaty, tired, and thirsty. So we stopped at the concession stand where they could buy water. But did they get water? No, they got more junk! Surprised? Not me, not anymore. We boarded the bus and I heard more complaints of "Miss hot, want water!" Well of course you want water you just played outside in the sun and then bought candy. Oh well.
We arrived back at school to find the gate closed and locked. So we sat there on the bus while the driver honked and honked waiting for someone to come and open the gate. We must have waited there for about 10 minutes. All the while I was thinking there are many other solutions to this problem. 1. Use the other entrance. 2. Let me off the bus and I will walk around and get someone to open the gate. 3. Call the school and have someone open the gate. 4. Call the security guard to open the gate. But that's a main issue with the people in this country; they don't know how to think. There is only one way to do something and if you can't do it that way you have to wait. Terribly frustrating.
The rest of the school day was fine. 4th grade was waiting patiently with a bus lady for me to get back. I only had them for 2 1/2 periods so we didn't get much accomplished. Well, honestly we don't get much accomplished in the afternoon anyway.
Eid break is coming up, just one more day. I found out yesterday that we only get 3 days off instead of the entire week. Not a very nice birthday present. I'm not sure why we only get 3 days off, every other emirate is giving the entire week off. I'll be anxious to see how many students and Arabic teachers show up. I know there are a lot of LTs that have vacation plans for the entire week, so they won't be back, but none of us at Ammoryiah are going away for Eid.
My birthday was yesterday. I didn't do anything. I celebrated in Dubai last weekend and I'll be going to Dubai again this weekend. It's not good when your birthday falls in the middle of the week.
It's 3:30 and I am exhausted. That's what happens when you spend the day out in the sun and heat. I need a nap, but I know if I lay down I won't be able to sleep tonight. It will be an early bedtime for me tonight.
91 degrees with 29% humidity yuck:(
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Dubai x 2
Two weeks since my last post means 2 trips to Dubai! Last weekend I went up to visit Cindy. She used to live in Al Ain and I met her at the Al Ain Evangelical Church (AAEC), but she moved to Dubai over the summer. So I hadn't seen her since before I left for the States in August. I had a great visit and it was wonderful to be able to see Cindy (who has been like a mom to me since I've been here) and the rest of her family. Cindy doesn't really live in the city of Dubai, she lives in Mirdif. Which is in the Emirate of Dubai, but it's like a suburb of the city of Dubai. Make sense? So even though I went to the Emirate of Dubai I didn't do any of the typical Dubai type things since I spent the time in Mirdif. We didn't really do anything all that exciting, but I did get to go to church. I haven't been to church here in a long time. There really isn't much choice and AAEC (where I was going) is not doing very well. The only other option is the Catholic Church. I tried it, but it's not a good fit for me. Not what I'm looking for. Anyway, it was a nice relaxing weekend after a long and stressful week.
Last week at school the new LT finally arrived! She teaches 4th grade, so that means I could stop going in twice a week to teach science. Although I did enjoy seeing the other 4th graders I didn't get much done in my classes. I have to keep that in mind because I don't really like her. She's not at all friendly and very difficult to work with. And I have to work with her because we're both 4th grade. I'll have to make it work and be extra thankful that she's here so I don't have to teach extra classes.
In addition to the new LT arriving I had a rough Wed. afternoon with my 4th graders. Afternoons are hard, and I know this, but I still expect certain things. Like putting your assignment in the blue basket instead of waving it in my face. I know it sounds trivial but when you get it from just about every student after you have made a point of asking them where to put their work when they finish and they tell you "put it in the blue basket" it's just frustrating. Funny thing I should be thankful about in the whole situation is that with all my repeating "blue basket" they have stopped calling it "basket blue." At least in that one situation they learned that adjective come before nouns in English! I really think that was just the straw that broke the camel's back that day. So I got upset. I wanted to know why they wouldn't just put it in the blue basket. So I asked them. They didn't have an answer. I asked them if they do that (wave their paper in her face) to Ms. Hibba (their Arabic homeroom teacher) when they are finished with an assignment. They said no they would never do that. I asked why, and I was told that they don't listen to me because I am from America. Shocking. I honestly thought I was past this with my students. We had a discussion, or I should say lecture, about how disrespectful that is and they need to respect everyone regardless of where they're from. I'm not sure how much they got out of it, but they knew I was mad so they were very well behaved for the rest of the day. I know they're hearing it from their parents and I don't really know what to do about it.
Last week was a good week! Uneventful and not very stressful at all. The girls were pretty well behaved, not as much paper waving last week. It didn't all go away, but at least it wasn't a majority of the students. I'm not really sure why this bothers me more with 4th grade than with 3rd grade. I guess it could be because most of them had me for a teacher last year and they should know better. I'm still training 3rd grade. Anyway, we had a good week! Quite thankful:)
This weekend I went to Dubai with Susan because she had a friend who was travelling from Afghanistan back to the States and she had a layover in Dubai. Susan wanted me to meet her friend so we left Thursday after work and stayed at the InterCon. I love that hotel and I have to take advantage of it because once I leave I doubt I'll be staying there ever again. Susan went to Mirdif City Center Mall on Friday while I went to church and then out with Cindy and her family. Side note - I have decided that I will be going to Dubai every weekend for church. Cindy has said that I can stay with them if I need to spend the night. So I'll leave every Thursday after work and spend the night with them. So thankful! After Susan and I met up back at the hotel we had a nice dinner and then I walked along the creek. It was beautiful! The weather is getting much nicer and being on the water there was a nice breeze. Not many stars in the sky and no moon, but it was nice to walk along the water on a clear night. It's still hot during the day, but the mornings and nights are quite pleasant.
Saturday started out quite stressful. We needed to pick Elinor up at the Holiday Inn Express near the airport. I put Holidy Inn Express into my GPS and got one in Jumeria. I had no idea if that was near the airport so we went there. Wrong one. Jumeria isn't near the airport. Only thing is that was the only Holiday Inn Express in the GPS so I put in the airport and we eventually got to the airpot. I mean literally to the airport. I didn't want to go to the airport, I just wanted to go in the general direction. Thing is I could see the hotel, I just couldn't get to it. So frustrating. I called the hotel, but no one answered. So I called Craig, Cindy's husband, and he didn't answer. So I called Cindy. She answered, but I had a hard time telling her where I was and where the hotel was since I don't know Dubai and I am totally directionally challenged. I drove around the airport getting more and more frustrated and pretty near tears. I do not like getting lost and I was getting pretty scared. I had no idea where I was. I shouldn't have been that scared because I do have a GPS and I could get home, but I had to get to the hotel to pick up Elinor. I ended up driving through a parking garage and got out on the road to the hotel. Thank God! We drove to Dubai Mall and had a nice lunch and did some shopping. Turns out Elinor is from Grand Rapids and she graduated from MSU! And she lived in Holden, which is right by Wonders where I lived for 2 years. No way! Small world. So, we had a nice discussion about how well the Spartans are doing this year! The afternoon was nice and Susan and I headed back to Al Ain at about 3.
Just one more week and then Eid! Oh funny story about Eid. It's an Islamic holiday and I'm not saying it right when I say it Eid, but I can't pronounce the letter that it starts with (same one as Al Ain). We're doing letter writing in 4th grade and as I was modeling writing a letter I wrote that I was excited about Eid because I would be out of school for a week. One of my students raised her hand (yes, she actually raised her hand!!!) and asked "What is this Eid?" I just had to laugh. Not at her, but at my pronounciation. One of the other students said the word in Arabic and she totally understood what I was talking about. It was quite funny! We had a nice discussion about how I can't say that letter, just like they can't say /p/. So I practiced for a bit, like I make them practice /p/, but I can't get it. I got it once last year in the word for honey, which I forgot, but I can't do it often. I am looking forward to the week off! I don't think I'll be travelling anywhere, other than Dubai, since I need to save for Australia. It will be nice to have the week off regardless. I can go to the Rotana and sit by the pool since it's not that hot.
90 degrees at 8:30.
Last week at school the new LT finally arrived! She teaches 4th grade, so that means I could stop going in twice a week to teach science. Although I did enjoy seeing the other 4th graders I didn't get much done in my classes. I have to keep that in mind because I don't really like her. She's not at all friendly and very difficult to work with. And I have to work with her because we're both 4th grade. I'll have to make it work and be extra thankful that she's here so I don't have to teach extra classes.
In addition to the new LT arriving I had a rough Wed. afternoon with my 4th graders. Afternoons are hard, and I know this, but I still expect certain things. Like putting your assignment in the blue basket instead of waving it in my face. I know it sounds trivial but when you get it from just about every student after you have made a point of asking them where to put their work when they finish and they tell you "put it in the blue basket" it's just frustrating. Funny thing I should be thankful about in the whole situation is that with all my repeating "blue basket" they have stopped calling it "basket blue." At least in that one situation they learned that adjective come before nouns in English! I really think that was just the straw that broke the camel's back that day. So I got upset. I wanted to know why they wouldn't just put it in the blue basket. So I asked them. They didn't have an answer. I asked them if they do that (wave their paper in her face) to Ms. Hibba (their Arabic homeroom teacher) when they are finished with an assignment. They said no they would never do that. I asked why, and I was told that they don't listen to me because I am from America. Shocking. I honestly thought I was past this with my students. We had a discussion, or I should say lecture, about how disrespectful that is and they need to respect everyone regardless of where they're from. I'm not sure how much they got out of it, but they knew I was mad so they were very well behaved for the rest of the day. I know they're hearing it from their parents and I don't really know what to do about it.
Last week was a good week! Uneventful and not very stressful at all. The girls were pretty well behaved, not as much paper waving last week. It didn't all go away, but at least it wasn't a majority of the students. I'm not really sure why this bothers me more with 4th grade than with 3rd grade. I guess it could be because most of them had me for a teacher last year and they should know better. I'm still training 3rd grade. Anyway, we had a good week! Quite thankful:)
This weekend I went to Dubai with Susan because she had a friend who was travelling from Afghanistan back to the States and she had a layover in Dubai. Susan wanted me to meet her friend so we left Thursday after work and stayed at the InterCon. I love that hotel and I have to take advantage of it because once I leave I doubt I'll be staying there ever again. Susan went to Mirdif City Center Mall on Friday while I went to church and then out with Cindy and her family. Side note - I have decided that I will be going to Dubai every weekend for church. Cindy has said that I can stay with them if I need to spend the night. So I'll leave every Thursday after work and spend the night with them. So thankful! After Susan and I met up back at the hotel we had a nice dinner and then I walked along the creek. It was beautiful! The weather is getting much nicer and being on the water there was a nice breeze. Not many stars in the sky and no moon, but it was nice to walk along the water on a clear night. It's still hot during the day, but the mornings and nights are quite pleasant.
Saturday started out quite stressful. We needed to pick Elinor up at the Holiday Inn Express near the airport. I put Holidy Inn Express into my GPS and got one in Jumeria. I had no idea if that was near the airport so we went there. Wrong one. Jumeria isn't near the airport. Only thing is that was the only Holiday Inn Express in the GPS so I put in the airport and we eventually got to the airpot. I mean literally to the airport. I didn't want to go to the airport, I just wanted to go in the general direction. Thing is I could see the hotel, I just couldn't get to it. So frustrating. I called the hotel, but no one answered. So I called Craig, Cindy's husband, and he didn't answer. So I called Cindy. She answered, but I had a hard time telling her where I was and where the hotel was since I don't know Dubai and I am totally directionally challenged. I drove around the airport getting more and more frustrated and pretty near tears. I do not like getting lost and I was getting pretty scared. I had no idea where I was. I shouldn't have been that scared because I do have a GPS and I could get home, but I had to get to the hotel to pick up Elinor. I ended up driving through a parking garage and got out on the road to the hotel. Thank God! We drove to Dubai Mall and had a nice lunch and did some shopping. Turns out Elinor is from Grand Rapids and she graduated from MSU! And she lived in Holden, which is right by Wonders where I lived for 2 years. No way! Small world. So, we had a nice discussion about how well the Spartans are doing this year! The afternoon was nice and Susan and I headed back to Al Ain at about 3.
Just one more week and then Eid! Oh funny story about Eid. It's an Islamic holiday and I'm not saying it right when I say it Eid, but I can't pronounce the letter that it starts with (same one as Al Ain). We're doing letter writing in 4th grade and as I was modeling writing a letter I wrote that I was excited about Eid because I would be out of school for a week. One of my students raised her hand (yes, she actually raised her hand!!!) and asked "What is this Eid?" I just had to laugh. Not at her, but at my pronounciation. One of the other students said the word in Arabic and she totally understood what I was talking about. It was quite funny! We had a nice discussion about how I can't say that letter, just like they can't say /p/. So I practiced for a bit, like I make them practice /p/, but I can't get it. I got it once last year in the word for honey, which I forgot, but I can't do it often. I am looking forward to the week off! I don't think I'll be travelling anywhere, other than Dubai, since I need to save for Australia. It will be nice to have the week off regardless. I can go to the Rotana and sit by the pool since it's not that hot.
90 degrees at 8:30.
Friday, October 14, 2011
خريف في العين - Fall in Al Ain
So, it's October and that means fall. Leaves are changing color. I'm going to cider mills and eating fresh picked apples. The smell of cider and pumpkins and leaves is in the air! OK so only in my dreams, but still it is fall. I was at LuLu Hypermarket (kind of like Walmart) doing my grocery shopping and there in the produce section (which I absolutely hate going to) were red delicious apples from USA. I guess that's what brought this whole topic on. Oh how I crave a fresh picked red delicious apple. I didn't buy one because I am very picky about my apples. They have to be crisp and juicy and I just couldn't take the chance that it would be soft and mushy. That would ruin everything. So I walked by and got my fresh cut pineapple from the Philippines, cucumbers from Oman, peppers from Egypt, and a peach from Turkey. I do think it is kind of weird that they tell you where your produce is coming from, but it is interesting to know that I am eating a peach that was grown in Turkey. So back to fall. I got some cider smelling candles at Bath and Body Works (which is opening up in the Al Ain Mall extension so I'll be able to go much more frequently) in Dubai and I have them lit so there really is the smell of fall in the air in my living room. I have a pot of chili simmering on the stove, which is adding a nice aroma to the apartment. It is getting cooler (93 at 7pm) and it is actually quite pleasant in the mornings and evenings. The afternoons are still hot, but not hot like in August and September. So I guess fall is really coming:)
The rain on Wed. was heavenly! It wasn't just a few sprinkles like usual. It was a nice rain shower. Thunder and lightning included. I opened my window and stuck my head out to enjoy the cool breeze and the drops of rain. If I wasn't in the middle of lesson planning in my pjs I probably would have been out running in the rain!
Things are changing at school. Last week marked the first week that I had to go into the other 4th grade classes to teach science. We are still short an LT and parents are complaining so the principal reached this solution: I will teach science twice a week, Andrea will teach English twice a week, and Haila (an Arabic teacher) will teach math twice a week. Not a great solution if you ask me, but I guess it's better than what they were getting. Hopefully Terry (the LT we are supposed to have) will come soon, although she's not going to be welcomed very nicely by either the LTs or the Arabic teachers. Going in the other classes and teaching is no problem it's the leaving my classes that creates the issues. They get all riled up and want to know who's coming and what they're going to do and I don't know the answers to those questions. Then there's the fact that the Arabic teachers don't make them clean up so the room is left a mess. Because I guess what happened is they sent a bus lady in to watch them and she let them play and then the bell rang for fussha (recess) or dismissal and the girls left. Not much I can do about that.
In addition to that, the Arabic teachers are now coming into LT's rooms. That should be a good thing because that means the Arabic teachers will get some sort of teaching on how to teach, but it just requires extra work for me. Then there's the fact that they come in during the lesson and leave just as soon as I get the girls ready to do their assignment. That's when I need the help. I don't need someone to observe. They are supposed to be helping in addition to observing. Baby steps I guess.
Then there's the fact that lots of university students are coming to observe. Another good thing, I guess, but they have tons of questions that they ask during the lesson/class so I really have to multi-task. I had one on Thursday tell me that I needed to teach a new lesson. A university student telling me what I need to teach. I don't think so. I really wasn't planning on teaching a lesson anyway. They were finishing up their writing from Wednesday. I told this to the student and she said that she needed to see a new lesson. Oh well honey. Not today!
I did find out that all the Arabic teachers like me. They did not tell me this, Ashley told me. Reason they like me: I'm quiet. Kind of funny because they kicked us out of the teachers' lounge for being too loud!!! They didn't tell me I could stay because I was quiet. Honestly I didn't think that was one of my better qualities!
Time for dinner. The chili smells delicious. Enjoy the fall!
The rain on Wed. was heavenly! It wasn't just a few sprinkles like usual. It was a nice rain shower. Thunder and lightning included. I opened my window and stuck my head out to enjoy the cool breeze and the drops of rain. If I wasn't in the middle of lesson planning in my pjs I probably would have been out running in the rain!
Things are changing at school. Last week marked the first week that I had to go into the other 4th grade classes to teach science. We are still short an LT and parents are complaining so the principal reached this solution: I will teach science twice a week, Andrea will teach English twice a week, and Haila (an Arabic teacher) will teach math twice a week. Not a great solution if you ask me, but I guess it's better than what they were getting. Hopefully Terry (the LT we are supposed to have) will come soon, although she's not going to be welcomed very nicely by either the LTs or the Arabic teachers. Going in the other classes and teaching is no problem it's the leaving my classes that creates the issues. They get all riled up and want to know who's coming and what they're going to do and I don't know the answers to those questions. Then there's the fact that the Arabic teachers don't make them clean up so the room is left a mess. Because I guess what happened is they sent a bus lady in to watch them and she let them play and then the bell rang for fussha (recess) or dismissal and the girls left. Not much I can do about that.
In addition to that, the Arabic teachers are now coming into LT's rooms. That should be a good thing because that means the Arabic teachers will get some sort of teaching on how to teach, but it just requires extra work for me. Then there's the fact that they come in during the lesson and leave just as soon as I get the girls ready to do their assignment. That's when I need the help. I don't need someone to observe. They are supposed to be helping in addition to observing. Baby steps I guess.
Then there's the fact that lots of university students are coming to observe. Another good thing, I guess, but they have tons of questions that they ask during the lesson/class so I really have to multi-task. I had one on Thursday tell me that I needed to teach a new lesson. A university student telling me what I need to teach. I don't think so. I really wasn't planning on teaching a lesson anyway. They were finishing up their writing from Wednesday. I told this to the student and she said that she needed to see a new lesson. Oh well honey. Not today!
I did find out that all the Arabic teachers like me. They did not tell me this, Ashley told me. Reason they like me: I'm quiet. Kind of funny because they kicked us out of the teachers' lounge for being too loud!!! They didn't tell me I could stay because I was quiet. Honestly I didn't think that was one of my better qualities!
Time for dinner. The chili smells delicious. Enjoy the fall!
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Time to go
OK, I know, it's been a while since I've posted. Sorry to my readers. But, in my defense, I did go almost a week without Internet. Kind of makes it hard to update a blog without Internet.
I guess the biggest news would be that I have come to a decision. I CANNOT and WILL NOT be back here next year. I have to find somewhere else to work. As of right now I'm kind of thinking Alaska. Who knows. I'll definitely be looking in and around MI, but I'm also exploring other options. I came to this decision last week and it was mostly based on the fact that I don't like my job. Or at least I don't like where I have to do my job. I am tired of all the ridiculously high and unrealistic expections for LTs and students, I am tired of the discrimination between the Emirati teachers and the LTs, I'm tired of the fact that the LTs are expected to do so much while the Emirati teachers aren't expected to change, and this program is not working and that's kind of sad to say that I'm working for something that will fail. Yes, the money is good and I am able to do a lot of things that I wouldn't have been able to do otherwise like travel, live in a nice apartment, spend the day at the pool, see amazing sights and meet lots of new people, but it has to be more than just that. I'm really not happy here. So I am praying that I will find a job. Please keep your eyes and ears open for anything and pass the word along.
We are allowed back in the teachers' lounge. The other teachers, not Shamsa and the other one who started the whole thing, realized that they did something wrong and have welcomed us back in. Although I have yet to eat in there. I guess I know I should since it was only 2 people who kicked us out, but I feel as if they made their point clear. I've also been quite busy in the room so I've been able to use that as an excuse.
Water is still iffy, as usual, but they haven't cancelled anymore school. Which leaves me still wondering why that one day in September?
Eid is coming up in a month and I think I am just going to do something local so I can save money for my trip to Australia, which is going to be expensive. I won't have to pay for a hotel, but the flight is about 1/2 of a month's salary. It will be worth it though. Kisha and I have been talking about going to Fujeriah, one of the other Emirates. I guess since I plan on leaving in 9 1/2 months I need to see the rest of this country!!!
I have gotten more organized in the classroom, which is helping. I bought a shelf so I can have 3rd grade stuff ready on one shelf and 4th grade stuff on the other. I am still loving 4th grade. Although I did get quite angry with them Wednesday afternoon when it took us more than 40 minutes to do one page in their science book which consisted of 3 questions!! They had been bothering me to go to the bathroom and I told them that we would go when the bell rings, like we usually do. So the bell rang and we weren't finished with science yet (I was hoping we would be finished by then) and I got very frustrated and said "We're not even finished with science yet and it's only 3 questions. We have 40 minutes for science and you won't stop talking so we can get it finished. Go to the bathroom and we'll finish when you get back and you better stop talking!!" I think they got my message because it was very quiet and math went quite smoothly! At the end of the day we have closing circle and I ask them what they did "What did you do today besides drive Miss Sara crazy?!" Now if only the same would work for 3rd grade!! They are still a nightmare. Well, not really a nightmare because that was last years 3/1, but they are much worse than 4th grade. I spend a lot more time waiting for them and we have to take more breaks because I have them in the afternoon and they drive me crazy. I don't feel as if I get as much done with them as I do in 4th grade.
I have worn my abayah to school a few times and I must admit it isn't any hotter than all the layers I have to wear. It's comfortable and I like just wearing shorts and a tank top underneath. I got a lot of compliments from teachers and students and Salha (a teahcer) even said that I was now Emirati! Horror of horrors!!! I was relating this story to Susan and she asked if I was getting Emirati privileges and pay as well!! I wish!
So I guess that's about it. Hopefully I'll be better about posting.
106 degrees at 4:30, it's getting cooler!!!
I guess the biggest news would be that I have come to a decision. I CANNOT and WILL NOT be back here next year. I have to find somewhere else to work. As of right now I'm kind of thinking Alaska. Who knows. I'll definitely be looking in and around MI, but I'm also exploring other options. I came to this decision last week and it was mostly based on the fact that I don't like my job. Or at least I don't like where I have to do my job. I am tired of all the ridiculously high and unrealistic expections for LTs and students, I am tired of the discrimination between the Emirati teachers and the LTs, I'm tired of the fact that the LTs are expected to do so much while the Emirati teachers aren't expected to change, and this program is not working and that's kind of sad to say that I'm working for something that will fail. Yes, the money is good and I am able to do a lot of things that I wouldn't have been able to do otherwise like travel, live in a nice apartment, spend the day at the pool, see amazing sights and meet lots of new people, but it has to be more than just that. I'm really not happy here. So I am praying that I will find a job. Please keep your eyes and ears open for anything and pass the word along.
We are allowed back in the teachers' lounge. The other teachers, not Shamsa and the other one who started the whole thing, realized that they did something wrong and have welcomed us back in. Although I have yet to eat in there. I guess I know I should since it was only 2 people who kicked us out, but I feel as if they made their point clear. I've also been quite busy in the room so I've been able to use that as an excuse.
Water is still iffy, as usual, but they haven't cancelled anymore school. Which leaves me still wondering why that one day in September?
Eid is coming up in a month and I think I am just going to do something local so I can save money for my trip to Australia, which is going to be expensive. I won't have to pay for a hotel, but the flight is about 1/2 of a month's salary. It will be worth it though. Kisha and I have been talking about going to Fujeriah, one of the other Emirates. I guess since I plan on leaving in 9 1/2 months I need to see the rest of this country!!!
I have gotten more organized in the classroom, which is helping. I bought a shelf so I can have 3rd grade stuff ready on one shelf and 4th grade stuff on the other. I am still loving 4th grade. Although I did get quite angry with them Wednesday afternoon when it took us more than 40 minutes to do one page in their science book which consisted of 3 questions!! They had been bothering me to go to the bathroom and I told them that we would go when the bell rings, like we usually do. So the bell rang and we weren't finished with science yet (I was hoping we would be finished by then) and I got very frustrated and said "We're not even finished with science yet and it's only 3 questions. We have 40 minutes for science and you won't stop talking so we can get it finished. Go to the bathroom and we'll finish when you get back and you better stop talking!!" I think they got my message because it was very quiet and math went quite smoothly! At the end of the day we have closing circle and I ask them what they did "What did you do today besides drive Miss Sara crazy?!" Now if only the same would work for 3rd grade!! They are still a nightmare. Well, not really a nightmare because that was last years 3/1, but they are much worse than 4th grade. I spend a lot more time waiting for them and we have to take more breaks because I have them in the afternoon and they drive me crazy. I don't feel as if I get as much done with them as I do in 4th grade.
I have worn my abayah to school a few times and I must admit it isn't any hotter than all the layers I have to wear. It's comfortable and I like just wearing shorts and a tank top underneath. I got a lot of compliments from teachers and students and Salha (a teahcer) even said that I was now Emirati! Horror of horrors!!! I was relating this story to Susan and she asked if I was getting Emirati privileges and pay as well!! I wish!
So I guess that's about it. Hopefully I'll be better about posting.
106 degrees at 4:30, it's getting cooler!!!
Sunday, September 18, 2011
لا ماء - No Water
I'm not sure if I have explained the water situation at my school yet or not. I guess to "inconsistent" is a good word for it. Some days we have some, and then there are other days when we have none. Not a very sanitary situation if you ask me, but I'm not in charge here. I just can't imagine children going to school without water in the States. And, I don't just mean drinking water!!
Today marked the beginning of the actual school year. The girls had to stay at school until 2:00, unlike last week when they got to leave at 1:00. At 1:50 the dismissal bell rang! I was so not ready for this. I had just gotten the girls started on their math assignment and was giving stickers. The girls weren't ready either and when that happens things get chaotic. They threw their sticker card at me, grabbed their stuff, and ran out of the room. I wasn't even going to try to fight this battle.
Why the 10 minute early dismissal? I'm thinking Salema just pushed the button early. It happens sometimes, but granted never 10 minutes early (unless of course it's the end of break). I was headed back from the bathroom when Alice tells me that Ms. Salama (assistant principal) told everyone to go home because there was no water! When Ms. Salama tells you to go home, you don't argue. I wasn't about to tell her that I just came from the bathroom and flushed the toilet and washed my hands with a good amount of water! I just grabbed my stuff and left!
So, I must ask, why today? Why was it ok to have school all last week without water, but today it's not? I'm not even going to mention all the times last year that we didn't have water, that's way in the past. But, what changed?
The teachers' lounge was very quiet when I went in at breakfast/lunch time today. No wonder, all the LTs weren't there!! Just kidding. I think the Arabic teachers realized they made a huge mistake and they weren't talking to us. Maybe I should say I "hope" the Arabic teachers realized they made a huge mistake. I grabbed my lunch, filled up my water bottle, and quietly left the room. I did find out that they changed their mind and if you pay for the breakfast you can eat in the room. I don't pay for the breakfast anymore so that still excludes me. Not that I would eat in there if I did pay for it. I'm just sick of it.
This teaching 2 grade levels is going to take a lot of time to get used to. I need to come up with a way to stay organized in the classroom. Unfortunately that probably means I will have to buy something. It's like I need 2 desks; one for 3rd grade and one for 4th grade. I have the 2 cabinets in the closet, but I need to organize what I'm using each day in the classroom so I don't always have to be running back to the closet and getting what I need. I'm super organized so I'll come up with something!
Today marked the beginning of the actual school year. The girls had to stay at school until 2:00, unlike last week when they got to leave at 1:00. At 1:50 the dismissal bell rang! I was so not ready for this. I had just gotten the girls started on their math assignment and was giving stickers. The girls weren't ready either and when that happens things get chaotic. They threw their sticker card at me, grabbed their stuff, and ran out of the room. I wasn't even going to try to fight this battle.
Why the 10 minute early dismissal? I'm thinking Salema just pushed the button early. It happens sometimes, but granted never 10 minutes early (unless of course it's the end of break). I was headed back from the bathroom when Alice tells me that Ms. Salama (assistant principal) told everyone to go home because there was no water! When Ms. Salama tells you to go home, you don't argue. I wasn't about to tell her that I just came from the bathroom and flushed the toilet and washed my hands with a good amount of water! I just grabbed my stuff and left!
So, I must ask, why today? Why was it ok to have school all last week without water, but today it's not? I'm not even going to mention all the times last year that we didn't have water, that's way in the past. But, what changed?
The teachers' lounge was very quiet when I went in at breakfast/lunch time today. No wonder, all the LTs weren't there!! Just kidding. I think the Arabic teachers realized they made a huge mistake and they weren't talking to us. Maybe I should say I "hope" the Arabic teachers realized they made a huge mistake. I grabbed my lunch, filled up my water bottle, and quietly left the room. I did find out that they changed their mind and if you pay for the breakfast you can eat in the room. I don't pay for the breakfast anymore so that still excludes me. Not that I would eat in there if I did pay for it. I'm just sick of it.
This teaching 2 grade levels is going to take a lot of time to get used to. I need to come up with a way to stay organized in the classroom. Unfortunately that probably means I will have to buy something. It's like I need 2 desks; one for 3rd grade and one for 4th grade. I have the 2 cabinets in the closet, but I need to organize what I'm using each day in the classroom so I don't always have to be running back to the closet and getting what I need. I'm super organized so I'll come up with something!
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