I haven't written in the past month because my internet connection is not the best. Nothing has really changed all that much, really. I am still living in the hotel, believe it or not. For some reason, I fell through the cracks when it came to the furniture allowance along with about 57 other people and we have now waited an additional month for our money. For the past two weeks they have told us it is 'processing' and we should receive it, but it never appears. So it is a good thing that I enjoy my Hilton hotel room because for now it is home and it has been for 2 months now!
School is pretty good for me. The kids are calming down a little bit but it is still very hard obviously because of the language barrier. They are picking up a little bit of English but it is very, very slow because they only hear it for a few hours at school and then they don't hear it at home. The behaviors are a little better... not as much jumping on tables. That is the way they are used to behaving so for them to come to school and be told they can't do it is just so foreign to them and it is taking time for them to get used to.
A lot of people are going home. I at least have an Arabic speaking teacher in my classroom to help a bit but the older grades (1, 2 and 3) do not have that. Also the boys schools are a lot harder too. There is not a lot of support out here for teachers and we are kind of left on our own so if you are having trouble then instead of working with you a lot of teachers end up just going home. It is sad because they came all the way out here and end up having to leave. One person left from my school, it was very sad.
There are no supplies in the classroom- only what we buy or brought from home. Every time I want to do a project or activity, I have to buy the supplies. No colored paper or anything. I haven't gotten paid so this week we are not doing anything fun so that is too bad for the kids. It is just so ironic because this country is so rich you would think they would supply their schools with items. Or pay their teachers. One or the other.
I did go to Dubai last weekend. That was fun, it is a cheap (thank goodness!) bus trip to Dubai. I saw the ski slope inside the mall. It does look like a real mountain but it is small. Then I went to the biggest mall in the world. That was pretty amazing- it is like a city! Wow, I will need to go back there someday! You need probably 2 weeks to get through the whole mall!
Dubai looks a lot different from Abu Dhabi. From the sand, to the buildings, you can tell that you are in a different emirate. It is very interesting. Abu Dhabi, especially the part that I teach in, has large sand dunes that are almost red in color. Dubai's sand looks more beachy. The buildings in Dubai are very modern looking and all glassy and look like true architecture. Abu Dhabi kind of just looks like a regular city.
I would post pictures of it to the blog now but it just takes too long. I am hoping to eventually get a better internet connection and be able to do so, but I guess the apartment building they are putting me in is not wired with fiberoptics and does not have a good internet connection. Of course... So anyway I will put them on facebook and hopefully eventually here!
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
I got my housing!
Everyone else got their housing on Friday, which is our first weekend day. They got a bus in the afternoon and the hotel frantically called the rooms to let us know the bus was here. Well since I teach in the middle of the desert, really far away, I am living somewhere else and they didn't our housing that day. There are only about 30-40 of us living somewhere else and probably about 400 living in the main housing complex, so we keep wondering why we not only get shipped out to the desert but left out to dry when it comes to housing, too. Anyway, on Saturday, they got us a bus to our housing from the hotel. We had all waited around, 11 of us from my hotel, all day for this bus. It finally appeared and we only knew because we waited in the lobby all day. So we piled onto it and then the bus driver handed someone the phone. Oh, well, 'we decided to cancel and we will go tomorrow instead.' You've GOT TO BE KIDDING!!! We have lived in a hotel for close to 6 weeks now so while it is nice because we are all together and have the pool, etc... we would like to have an actual house now, too. So we got off the bus without high hopes of ever seeing our housing.
Sunday, being a school day in Abu Dhabi, we all got up at 4:30, 5 a.m. to catch the bus at 6 to our schools. We had some professional development after school and when we got home, I took my computer down to the lobby to wait once more. There was the group of us waiting, waiting, waiting. We took turns going up to the concierge and front desk to ask if they had heard anything. They told me not to believe anything they told me about going today because they hadn't heard anything. Finally, at around 7:30, we gave up hope and decided to go eat at a great Italian restaurant in the hotel. I had some lovely margherita pizza which was pretty good for being Italian/ Middle Eastern pizza. Just as I was paying I got a phone call from another teacher at my school that her hotel had a bus out front to take them to our housing. She is at a different hotel, so I threw down some dirhams, and went to the concierge. Well what do you know, he didn't know a thing. I stumbled around for a second because I couldn't fathom them taking one hotel and not another, then I asked the front desk (yet again). I couldn't believe the response. He told me a bus had come, but he sent it away because HE DIDN'T KNOW ANYONE WAS WAITING FOR A BUS?!?!?! HELLO? TEACHERS LIVING IN A HOTEL FOR OVER A MONTH, WE AREN'T GOING TO STAY HERE FOREVER!!! Sorry, but I think I am permanently imprinted into the chair I always sit in in the lobby from waiting for the bus for so long. I don't know how no one could notice me. Not to mention that I/we probably asked a MILLION times. So I think he realized that was a huge goof and he called the bus company pretty frantically. Luckily for him, the bus driver was parked in a dark corner of the hotel parking lot and didn't listen to him when he told it to leave. I gathered as many people as I could and the driver told us we had to go to the Intercontinental hotel for a meeting. At this point we were practically begging for not another meeting and to just take us to our housing- no one had heard about a meeting. A couple people made some calls but we figured out that we had to pick up people at the Intercontinental and then drive to the housing. It happened so fast that some people from our hotel had to take taxis to the other one to catch the bus. By the time we were on our way to see the housing, it was 10:30 at night. We got home close to 12:30, to wake up at 4:30 for school the next day. And the bus drivers? Yes, they are the ones that take us to school. No, they didn't sleep either. And this is life in the Middle East.
The housing is gorgeous. I am in the back left hand corner of the building on the entry floor, which is perfect. It has two floors of apartments with I think 14 apartments all together. It is a small building in a nice area which is nice because I saw the other housing units today too, and it looks like college dorms on the outside, and LOTS of them. However, theirs are very, very nice on the inside. In mine, I have 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms all for myself, and a huge living room. You walk in to my apartment and everything is off a hallway, nothing is open. So it is a little hallway, and then it turns left and that is the main hallway. The first room off the right of the main hallway is the living room. It has a door that leads into it. You might think it was a bedroom if you didn't know it was supposed to be the living room. The next two rooms on the right side are bedrooms, with the bigger one being the last room. On the left side walking from the entry is my kitchen. It is a good size with more cabinets than I know what to do with. Then I have a "small" bathroom that is orangey. It has a stand-up shower, toilet and sink. The sprayer (you know, because they don't use toilet paper here) in that one is leaking so the floor is soaked. I tried to email someone but I don't really know who I am supposed to talk to so I hope someone writes back fast. Then I have the big bathroom which is blue. It is not leaking in there, and it has a bathtub and that is where the washing machine/dryer combo will go. The last thing on that side of the hall is a built in closet, which is nice because it is the only closet in the apartment, so it will be good for bathroom things and probably some clothes too. So I have a whole extra bedroom that is just waiting to be filled... hint hint.
There is no heating here because well, you just don't need it. But there is air conditioning in every room. However, I couldn't figure out how to make it work and I will not be spending much time there until that is resolved because I burst into sweat every time I came near the place today. Someone did tell me at school today that in the next 3 weeks it will become very nice, and I believe them, because the mornings are gorgeous right now. So, I can't wait to feel that.
Picture uploading is taking a long while right now and I am going on three hours of sleep thanks to the our late night adventure, so use your imaginations for a little while and I'll get you pictures as soon as possible!
Sunday, being a school day in Abu Dhabi, we all got up at 4:30, 5 a.m. to catch the bus at 6 to our schools. We had some professional development after school and when we got home, I took my computer down to the lobby to wait once more. There was the group of us waiting, waiting, waiting. We took turns going up to the concierge and front desk to ask if they had heard anything. They told me not to believe anything they told me about going today because they hadn't heard anything. Finally, at around 7:30, we gave up hope and decided to go eat at a great Italian restaurant in the hotel. I had some lovely margherita pizza which was pretty good for being Italian/ Middle Eastern pizza. Just as I was paying I got a phone call from another teacher at my school that her hotel had a bus out front to take them to our housing. She is at a different hotel, so I threw down some dirhams, and went to the concierge. Well what do you know, he didn't know a thing. I stumbled around for a second because I couldn't fathom them taking one hotel and not another, then I asked the front desk (yet again). I couldn't believe the response. He told me a bus had come, but he sent it away because HE DIDN'T KNOW ANYONE WAS WAITING FOR A BUS?!?!?! HELLO? TEACHERS LIVING IN A HOTEL FOR OVER A MONTH, WE AREN'T GOING TO STAY HERE FOREVER!!! Sorry, but I think I am permanently imprinted into the chair I always sit in in the lobby from waiting for the bus for so long. I don't know how no one could notice me. Not to mention that I/we probably asked a MILLION times. So I think he realized that was a huge goof and he called the bus company pretty frantically. Luckily for him, the bus driver was parked in a dark corner of the hotel parking lot and didn't listen to him when he told it to leave. I gathered as many people as I could and the driver told us we had to go to the Intercontinental hotel for a meeting. At this point we were practically begging for not another meeting and to just take us to our housing- no one had heard about a meeting. A couple people made some calls but we figured out that we had to pick up people at the Intercontinental and then drive to the housing. It happened so fast that some people from our hotel had to take taxis to the other one to catch the bus. By the time we were on our way to see the housing, it was 10:30 at night. We got home close to 12:30, to wake up at 4:30 for school the next day. And the bus drivers? Yes, they are the ones that take us to school. No, they didn't sleep either. And this is life in the Middle East.
The housing is gorgeous. I am in the back left hand corner of the building on the entry floor, which is perfect. It has two floors of apartments with I think 14 apartments all together. It is a small building in a nice area which is nice because I saw the other housing units today too, and it looks like college dorms on the outside, and LOTS of them. However, theirs are very, very nice on the inside. In mine, I have 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms all for myself, and a huge living room. You walk in to my apartment and everything is off a hallway, nothing is open. So it is a little hallway, and then it turns left and that is the main hallway. The first room off the right of the main hallway is the living room. It has a door that leads into it. You might think it was a bedroom if you didn't know it was supposed to be the living room. The next two rooms on the right side are bedrooms, with the bigger one being the last room. On the left side walking from the entry is my kitchen. It is a good size with more cabinets than I know what to do with. Then I have a "small" bathroom that is orangey. It has a stand-up shower, toilet and sink. The sprayer (you know, because they don't use toilet paper here) in that one is leaking so the floor is soaked. I tried to email someone but I don't really know who I am supposed to talk to so I hope someone writes back fast. Then I have the big bathroom which is blue. It is not leaking in there, and it has a bathtub and that is where the washing machine/dryer combo will go. The last thing on that side of the hall is a built in closet, which is nice because it is the only closet in the apartment, so it will be good for bathroom things and probably some clothes too. So I have a whole extra bedroom that is just waiting to be filled... hint hint.
There is no heating here because well, you just don't need it. But there is air conditioning in every room. However, I couldn't figure out how to make it work and I will not be spending much time there until that is resolved because I burst into sweat every time I came near the place today. Someone did tell me at school today that in the next 3 weeks it will become very nice, and I believe them, because the mornings are gorgeous right now. So, I can't wait to feel that.
Picture uploading is taking a long while right now and I am going on three hours of sleep thanks to the our late night adventure, so use your imaginations for a little while and I'll get you pictures as soon as possible!
My Classroom
Pictures of my classroom... a work in progress. It was mostly set up when I got there but we will be making changes as we introduce centers and more English into the curriculum. I have added a lot of English into the classroom already in the past week and a half but there is a lot more to come. I am waiting to bring a lot in until the parents are completely gone, because until then we do not have full control over the children. I know that sounds crazy in the U.S. but it is totally different over here. Today I told a nanny that she HAD to leave because the child will never be able to attend to school on her own if she is always there. Every time the nanny is out of her sight the child cries. I told her she just had to go and get it over with. Then she came back halfway through the day when we eat. For some reason the parents/ nannies think it is okay to come back during eating time. I pointed out to her that not only did the child cry once that day, but now she cried twice because she saw her again, and that she had been doing perfectly fine once she calmed down. It is such a different society. There is a definite ranking here, with the Emiratis on top, so it is very difficult for us to tell them to leave. Even though westerners come 'next' in the social ranking, we still are not Emiratis. So my Emirati mothers did try today, but they sat in the doorway instead of the classroom. So the kids could still see them and many tried to escape through the open door. It is a mad house. We are looking for support in this but it is turning out to be hard to find, so hopefully in the next few days the classroom will be truly mine and my coteacher's and we can actually get some teaching in. I did have the kids do a great activity today where they drew a self-portrait and traced their name written in English. It was interesting to see how they did it. We had been doing head, shoulders, knees and toes, so when I explained it to them saying 'draw your head', they understood. Of course, they loved my picture of me with hair, because they can't see it under my scarf! They also are used to 'writing' right to left so that will be hard to switch back and forth.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
The Next First- Teaching!
Last Sunday was the first day with kids. I brought a few things to school with me and had a couple activities planned (haha!) and boy, it was like no other first day of school I have ever seen. When I went to my classroom, there were parents, nannies, and students crowded all around the door. I decided NOT to go through it because I couldn't get through the mass of people. The school is set up around a large courtyard, and each grade has a section off of the courtyard. So I guess the best way to describe it is that the kindergartens have a room off of the courtyard, and then off of that room are our rooms. There are no hallways. So the room that leads to our rooms had no walking space because the parents were trying to figure out where their kids go because they didn't find out ahead of time.
Each day starts with an assembly, so I headed out there. Remember, I don't speak Arabic, so I can't communicate with too many people at this school. I waited with the other English teachers, and finally our co-teachers showed up. They are the Arabic teachers, and they knew exactly what was going on so that was very comforting. The kids starting coming, and so did the tears. I wish I could say they lined up, but no such thing happened. I have no idea what goes on during the assembly, but a lot of chanting, hand movements, the national anthem, and some drumming. Maybe some day someone will tell me what they are saying.
We walked to the classroom, and silly me thinks the kids will come in and the parents and nannies will go after a little while and I will get the children to myself and maybe get to do the activities I had planned. HAHA!!! Those parents and nannies made themselves comfortable in that classroom. I asked my Arabic teacher, and she said it is the way they do it here. Wow, okay. The first day was such a blur but I can really say that I am not in America. They played a little and we colored and ate and by then it was time to go home. The kids are leaving early this week. I think they were only there for 2 and a half hours, but there are no clocks in the school so I don't really know. I have asked for a bunch of things for the classroom so hopefully a clock is coming.
There were lots and lots of tears, because these children are not used to being away from their families. They never are away from them because a lot of times the mothers do not work. The families are so rich that they don't have to work.
The second day, I wanted the families to leave so I tried to have the Arabic teacher relay the message in Arabic, but one of the parents who can speak some English explained to me that I am not in America and that they will stay with their children for one week to ten days, because they love their children here. Well, parents love their children in America too, but they leave them at school. I think what the parents don't realize is that they are making it harder for the children because they don't allow for the separation to happen. They bang on the door when we lock it to be let back in, and when the kids finally stop crying they start again because they see a mom. It is crazy. Every day this week there has been at least one mom or nanny in the classroom at all times. On Sunday, I am going to tell them they have to go so we can start teaching. It has been impossible to get anything done because of all of the crying. It is not just one kid crying, but half of the class (30 kids!). Oh, and some kids are just coming because they "love their brother/ sister" not because they are in the class. But again, I can't speak or read Arabic, so it is kind of hard for me to figure out who is supposed to be on the class list and who is not.
Tuesday was the worst day, but the rest got better. By Thursday, I was able to do a little bit with the kids. I taught them how to say "My name is..." and we sang Head, Shoulders and the ABC's.
The lunchboxes are amazing here. And by amazing I mean disgusting. I promise I am not exagerrating when I say that one child will pull 4 bags of potato chips, 2 candy bars, a roll and juice out of their bag. And they only eat the chips and candy. And they nannies and moms always pile back in at snack time and literally FEED the kids. I mean, feed them. Rip the bread apart and feed them, hold the juice box for them. It is disgusting. What is even more disgusting is the kids teeth. They are all gray and rotten. I feel so bad for them. The principal handed out candy bars on the first day of school. This is going to have to change. Diabetes is rampant here and it is obvious why. I sent home a letter translated into Arabic asking for some things for the classroom and saying that some foods (chips, candy, soda) are not allowed in school and they still came the next day. This will take some time. On Thursday, I had a nanny hold a kindergartener like a baby, cradled in her arms, and feed the child milk. It made me sick. These kids are babied and given everything they want. They are allowed to throw their trash on the floor because there is an Asian there to pick up after them. It is amazing. We have a lot of work to do here. But, they have to let us do the work, and that is going to be the challenging part. Because even though they want to learn English, they can learn the language all they want but they also have to learn the other parts of the culture for it to be of any use to them.
Wednesday night we had a meeting about housing. It is ready for us. They were literally going to hand out 400 assignments one by one. Finally they realized that would not work, so this weekend we are getting our housing. I am waiting for a call right now to tell me that I can go to see my house. Some people got theirs yesterday and said they are beautiful. But of course, others are complaining that they are not big enough, or don't have a garden, or they are too high. Okay, these places are bigger than my house at home and some even have two or three bathrooms. Big deal if your 2 kids have to share a bedroom, it's free housing. You don't have a garden, well gee, you MOVED TO THE DESERT. And hmm, your apartment is too high, well, didn't you fly in an AIRPLANE to get here? Just wondering. Some people are a little ridiculous. I found a couch and bedroom set that I like a lot yesterday and they are holding it for me for 2 days so I am hoping that I get paid the furniture allowance by tomorrow because if not, they will probably sell out because there is a big sale. I love this couch so much because it is actually soft. Everything here is so hard that you bounce right back off of it. Fingers crossed. Once we get our money, we have five days to get out of the hotel. I am kind of sad to leave the hotel, because we won't be able to just go downstairs and see everyone whenever you want to anymore. But it will be nice to have a refrigerator and a washing machine again.
Each day starts with an assembly, so I headed out there. Remember, I don't speak Arabic, so I can't communicate with too many people at this school. I waited with the other English teachers, and finally our co-teachers showed up. They are the Arabic teachers, and they knew exactly what was going on so that was very comforting. The kids starting coming, and so did the tears. I wish I could say they lined up, but no such thing happened. I have no idea what goes on during the assembly, but a lot of chanting, hand movements, the national anthem, and some drumming. Maybe some day someone will tell me what they are saying.
We walked to the classroom, and silly me thinks the kids will come in and the parents and nannies will go after a little while and I will get the children to myself and maybe get to do the activities I had planned. HAHA!!! Those parents and nannies made themselves comfortable in that classroom. I asked my Arabic teacher, and she said it is the way they do it here. Wow, okay. The first day was such a blur but I can really say that I am not in America. They played a little and we colored and ate and by then it was time to go home. The kids are leaving early this week. I think they were only there for 2 and a half hours, but there are no clocks in the school so I don't really know. I have asked for a bunch of things for the classroom so hopefully a clock is coming.
There were lots and lots of tears, because these children are not used to being away from their families. They never are away from them because a lot of times the mothers do not work. The families are so rich that they don't have to work.
The second day, I wanted the families to leave so I tried to have the Arabic teacher relay the message in Arabic, but one of the parents who can speak some English explained to me that I am not in America and that they will stay with their children for one week to ten days, because they love their children here. Well, parents love their children in America too, but they leave them at school. I think what the parents don't realize is that they are making it harder for the children because they don't allow for the separation to happen. They bang on the door when we lock it to be let back in, and when the kids finally stop crying they start again because they see a mom. It is crazy. Every day this week there has been at least one mom or nanny in the classroom at all times. On Sunday, I am going to tell them they have to go so we can start teaching. It has been impossible to get anything done because of all of the crying. It is not just one kid crying, but half of the class (30 kids!). Oh, and some kids are just coming because they "love their brother/ sister" not because they are in the class. But again, I can't speak or read Arabic, so it is kind of hard for me to figure out who is supposed to be on the class list and who is not.
Tuesday was the worst day, but the rest got better. By Thursday, I was able to do a little bit with the kids. I taught them how to say "My name is..." and we sang Head, Shoulders and the ABC's.
The lunchboxes are amazing here. And by amazing I mean disgusting. I promise I am not exagerrating when I say that one child will pull 4 bags of potato chips, 2 candy bars, a roll and juice out of their bag. And they only eat the chips and candy. And they nannies and moms always pile back in at snack time and literally FEED the kids. I mean, feed them. Rip the bread apart and feed them, hold the juice box for them. It is disgusting. What is even more disgusting is the kids teeth. They are all gray and rotten. I feel so bad for them. The principal handed out candy bars on the first day of school. This is going to have to change. Diabetes is rampant here and it is obvious why. I sent home a letter translated into Arabic asking for some things for the classroom and saying that some foods (chips, candy, soda) are not allowed in school and they still came the next day. This will take some time. On Thursday, I had a nanny hold a kindergartener like a baby, cradled in her arms, and feed the child milk. It made me sick. These kids are babied and given everything they want. They are allowed to throw their trash on the floor because there is an Asian there to pick up after them. It is amazing. We have a lot of work to do here. But, they have to let us do the work, and that is going to be the challenging part. Because even though they want to learn English, they can learn the language all they want but they also have to learn the other parts of the culture for it to be of any use to them.
Wednesday night we had a meeting about housing. It is ready for us. They were literally going to hand out 400 assignments one by one. Finally they realized that would not work, so this weekend we are getting our housing. I am waiting for a call right now to tell me that I can go to see my house. Some people got theirs yesterday and said they are beautiful. But of course, others are complaining that they are not big enough, or don't have a garden, or they are too high. Okay, these places are bigger than my house at home and some even have two or three bathrooms. Big deal if your 2 kids have to share a bedroom, it's free housing. You don't have a garden, well gee, you MOVED TO THE DESERT. And hmm, your apartment is too high, well, didn't you fly in an AIRPLANE to get here? Just wondering. Some people are a little ridiculous. I found a couch and bedroom set that I like a lot yesterday and they are holding it for me for 2 days so I am hoping that I get paid the furniture allowance by tomorrow because if not, they will probably sell out because there is a big sale. I love this couch so much because it is actually soft. Everything here is so hard that you bounce right back off of it. Fingers crossed. Once we get our money, we have five days to get out of the hotel. I am kind of sad to leave the hotel, because we won't be able to just go downstairs and see everyone whenever you want to anymore. But it will be nice to have a refrigerator and a washing machine again.
America the... ?
This morning, even though I am halfway around the world, I still woke up to the faces of those Cheshire home invasion creeps on TV. They were talking about it on the international CNN and there were those awful men staring out of the t.v. Out of all of the news in America, that is what they pick to talk about. It is sad because people here are not viewing Americans in a good way. A lot of people are complaining or wearing things that are scandalous or doing inappropriate things, and often times they are American. It is putting us in a bad light and people are talking about us, even though it is not all of us. Now when you see the news that comes out of America, (no one here knows it as the United States, only as America) you can see why there is such a stigma about the country. Other parts of the world think that we are stuck up and kill people.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
First Week in School
This was our first week in the schools and it was an eventful one. Everyone had a different experience so it is very interesting to talk with everyone when we get home to the hotel at night. Sunday, instead of working, we had off because it is was the final day of the Eid holiday. Now we are back to the normal schedule- no more Ramadan, no Eid, just regular work. And places will be open normal hours, so we can start to learn what normal actually is here.
Sunday night we got a note under our doors telling us to be on a bus at 6 a.m. Monday to head into Abu Dhabi for a big kick-off ceremony of the new model of schools. There were around 6,000 people there and it was on the news here. Of course, they tell us to be on the bus, and we are, but for some reason it doesn't leave until 7:15. Then it was supposed to start at 9, but really that means stand around and drink coffee for about an hour or two before anything starts. Once we finally got everyone into the big auditorium, they talked to us in Arabic. There was a translator, and we had to wear a little earpiece in our ear to hear her, but it was very difficult to understand. I'm sure it was very good, but I think I missed a lot of it. We took a break around 12 because it was time to pray, and they fed us sandwiches. I think we were only supposed to eat one small one, but because everyone from Al Ain had missed breakfast at the hotel, we all had at least three thinking we wouldn't be eating until we got back. It was supposed to go until 3. So about 1, we go back into the hall and listen to some more Arabic, then at 3 o'clock, they invite us for lunch!!! WOW! After Ramadan, all they do here is EAT!!! Most of us just wanted to go home and couldn't even think about food because we had eaten so many sandwiches, but it was a huuuge buffett. I checked out the dessert section but I couldn't even look at the food. I guess we were on the news that night, so that is pretty neat.
Tuesday, I was supposed to go to a training in Al Qu'aa. It is about an hour and a half from here, out in the desert. It is a half an hour past my school. Well, we get a bus to school, but someone in charge forgot to confirm the bus for us for Tuesday. So everyone was trying to figure out how we were going to get there. I asked if I should take a taxi and was told not to, so I decided to go outside on Tuesday morning and wait for the school bus. If it came, I would go to training, and if it didn't I wouldn't go. Well I waited and waited and no school bus, so I went to eat breakfast instead. Then a person from ADEC showed up and talked to us about it and said that it is out of our hands. ADEC did not want to put teachers out that far, but one of the principals heard about the LT's (licensed teachers- us) going to the other schools and called the sheik and made it happen. So now we have to go out there. But he said that we shouldn't worry about it and if the bus didn't show the next day, we should just go back to bed then, too. We would get there when the bus comes. So I ended up with a free day but everyone at all the other schools got to meet the Arabic teachers and see some of the schools and learn a little bit more about everything.
Wednesday, THE BUS CAME!! It was the first day of school, and students were supposed to come, but our principal is having them come on Sunday for the first day instead, which is nice. The ride is about an hour and ten minutes. We have to drop off the boys school first, then my school. Then, the bus keeps going to Al Qu'aa and drops off more schools a half hour away. When we arrived at school, we sat around and drank tea for a while. In this society, you know you are welcome when they offer you tea or coffee or a soft drink. So the tea was a good sign. Then we talked for a while. The principal had some questions for us about the model and didn't know how many teachers were coming. She didn't have as much information as a principal in the U.S. would have. Also, we were using the English teacher as a translator because her English is very basic. But she said we are like a family. All of the teachers were very nice and welcoming. I guess last year they had problems with some not being welcoming (not at my school- we are the first teachers out here) so it was a good sign.
We do have to cover our heads in school. We asked what they would like us to do and they said the community would appreciate it. But, we can wear pants with a very long shirt.
I am teaching kindergarten, boys and girls. All other grades are just girls. My co-teacher is very nice and her English is pretty good, too. Yesterday, I got my class list all in Arabic, so we had to sit down together and she read the names in English and I had to write them how I heard them. Later on I got a list of ALL the kindergarteners in English, and had to pick mine out. Arabic names are different than ours because they go something like this- First name (you pick) second name (father's name) third name (grandfather's name) fourth name (don't remember) last name (family name) and sometime it is followed by a tribal name, too. So lots of names that I can hardly say. And the first name is very often the same. I have a few Mohameds and Hamats.
The school is very beautiful. It is huge and the walls are painted with gorgeous murals all over. It is built around an outdoor courtyard for playing, which is covered by a canopy. The classrooms are small, at least mine is, and I have 28 kids right now. I did hear that if it goes over 30, they would open a new section and boy I hope so. The other 2 classes each have 29 in them. I think it will be a good experience. Sunday will be interesting. I think the Arabic teacher will do most of the teaching on Sunday. The parents don't leave is what I hear, and I don't know where everyone is going to stay because there is not room for 28 parents 2 teachers and 28 kids in that classroom. This is only for KG the first week. I can't imagine. The kids don't know which class they are in, and will come to the door and look on the list hanging to find out. The day goes from 7:30 to 11:30 for the kids. I will have training from 12 to 1. But because I am taking the bus, I am staying at school until probably around 3:30 everyday because we have to wait for the High School in Al Qu'aa to get out. When they get out, they will swing by and pick everyone up.
So overall, things are looking good. We are in the hotel with no end in sight, so I just gave up and unpacked everything. I am going to go buy a printer this weekend and hook it up in the hotel. Maybe a laminator, too, because the school doesn't have one. Other than that, I have been enjoying some time by the pool and reading my books... but probably not so much of that after this next week!
Sunday night we got a note under our doors telling us to be on a bus at 6 a.m. Monday to head into Abu Dhabi for a big kick-off ceremony of the new model of schools. There were around 6,000 people there and it was on the news here. Of course, they tell us to be on the bus, and we are, but for some reason it doesn't leave until 7:15. Then it was supposed to start at 9, but really that means stand around and drink coffee for about an hour or two before anything starts. Once we finally got everyone into the big auditorium, they talked to us in Arabic. There was a translator, and we had to wear a little earpiece in our ear to hear her, but it was very difficult to understand. I'm sure it was very good, but I think I missed a lot of it. We took a break around 12 because it was time to pray, and they fed us sandwiches. I think we were only supposed to eat one small one, but because everyone from Al Ain had missed breakfast at the hotel, we all had at least three thinking we wouldn't be eating until we got back. It was supposed to go until 3. So about 1, we go back into the hall and listen to some more Arabic, then at 3 o'clock, they invite us for lunch!!! WOW! After Ramadan, all they do here is EAT!!! Most of us just wanted to go home and couldn't even think about food because we had eaten so many sandwiches, but it was a huuuge buffett. I checked out the dessert section but I couldn't even look at the food. I guess we were on the news that night, so that is pretty neat.
Tuesday, I was supposed to go to a training in Al Qu'aa. It is about an hour and a half from here, out in the desert. It is a half an hour past my school. Well, we get a bus to school, but someone in charge forgot to confirm the bus for us for Tuesday. So everyone was trying to figure out how we were going to get there. I asked if I should take a taxi and was told not to, so I decided to go outside on Tuesday morning and wait for the school bus. If it came, I would go to training, and if it didn't I wouldn't go. Well I waited and waited and no school bus, so I went to eat breakfast instead. Then a person from ADEC showed up and talked to us about it and said that it is out of our hands. ADEC did not want to put teachers out that far, but one of the principals heard about the LT's (licensed teachers- us) going to the other schools and called the sheik and made it happen. So now we have to go out there. But he said that we shouldn't worry about it and if the bus didn't show the next day, we should just go back to bed then, too. We would get there when the bus comes. So I ended up with a free day but everyone at all the other schools got to meet the Arabic teachers and see some of the schools and learn a little bit more about everything.
Wednesday, THE BUS CAME!! It was the first day of school, and students were supposed to come, but our principal is having them come on Sunday for the first day instead, which is nice. The ride is about an hour and ten minutes. We have to drop off the boys school first, then my school. Then, the bus keeps going to Al Qu'aa and drops off more schools a half hour away. When we arrived at school, we sat around and drank tea for a while. In this society, you know you are welcome when they offer you tea or coffee or a soft drink. So the tea was a good sign. Then we talked for a while. The principal had some questions for us about the model and didn't know how many teachers were coming. She didn't have as much information as a principal in the U.S. would have. Also, we were using the English teacher as a translator because her English is very basic. But she said we are like a family. All of the teachers were very nice and welcoming. I guess last year they had problems with some not being welcoming (not at my school- we are the first teachers out here) so it was a good sign.
We do have to cover our heads in school. We asked what they would like us to do and they said the community would appreciate it. But, we can wear pants with a very long shirt.
I am teaching kindergarten, boys and girls. All other grades are just girls. My co-teacher is very nice and her English is pretty good, too. Yesterday, I got my class list all in Arabic, so we had to sit down together and she read the names in English and I had to write them how I heard them. Later on I got a list of ALL the kindergarteners in English, and had to pick mine out. Arabic names are different than ours because they go something like this- First name (you pick) second name (father's name) third name (grandfather's name) fourth name (don't remember) last name (family name) and sometime it is followed by a tribal name, too. So lots of names that I can hardly say. And the first name is very often the same. I have a few Mohameds and Hamats.
The school is very beautiful. It is huge and the walls are painted with gorgeous murals all over. It is built around an outdoor courtyard for playing, which is covered by a canopy. The classrooms are small, at least mine is, and I have 28 kids right now. I did hear that if it goes over 30, they would open a new section and boy I hope so. The other 2 classes each have 29 in them. I think it will be a good experience. Sunday will be interesting. I think the Arabic teacher will do most of the teaching on Sunday. The parents don't leave is what I hear, and I don't know where everyone is going to stay because there is not room for 28 parents 2 teachers and 28 kids in that classroom. This is only for KG the first week. I can't imagine. The kids don't know which class they are in, and will come to the door and look on the list hanging to find out. The day goes from 7:30 to 11:30 for the kids. I will have training from 12 to 1. But because I am taking the bus, I am staying at school until probably around 3:30 everyday because we have to wait for the High School in Al Qu'aa to get out. When they get out, they will swing by and pick everyone up.
So overall, things are looking good. We are in the hotel with no end in sight, so I just gave up and unpacked everything. I am going to go buy a printer this weekend and hook it up in the hotel. Maybe a laminator, too, because the school doesn't have one. Other than that, I have been enjoying some time by the pool and reading my books... but probably not so much of that after this next week!
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Well this is different...
In the U.S., teachers can get into their classrooms a good amount of time before school starts. I would say at least a week, right? At least? Okay, well school starts with the kids on Wednesday the 15th. Guess when I can get into my school, let alone my classroom. Oh yes, Wednesday. The 15th. Probably a whole half hour before school starts! I've never seen the school because it is an hour away and we are being bused there, and they say they are still cleaning and constructing in the schools. The principal will report for the first time on that day, too. Oh, and since it is a K+ 1-5 school, it is possible that I may not even be teaching kindergarten. But when will I find that out- You got it, Wednesday morning!!! Definitely different, but it is how things work here and you just have to get used to it...
They are trying really hard to get us our furniture allowance and salary advances, but it's been a week and nothing yet. Same thing with the keys to the apartments, so we will be starting school living in the hotel. Oh a great note, I did find a fabulous mattress today that was half off and once I get my money and find out where I am living, I just have to go back to the place to pay and it will be ready and delivered in three days!!! All of the beds here are like brick boards so it was lovely to find a cloud-like bed.
Eid is starting sometime this weekend, so we are off until Monday. Tomorrow has been declared a public holiday, but it is still Ramadan. Eid is the feast at the end of Ramadan and things will be open again and we can eat/drink in public. I hear it is like a giant party. We won't know when it officially starts until it is published in the morning newspaper because like all things, it is based on the moon. This will be what happens in the school calendar, as well.
They are trying really hard to get us our furniture allowance and salary advances, but it's been a week and nothing yet. Same thing with the keys to the apartments, so we will be starting school living in the hotel. Oh a great note, I did find a fabulous mattress today that was half off and once I get my money and find out where I am living, I just have to go back to the place to pay and it will be ready and delivered in three days!!! All of the beds here are like brick boards so it was lovely to find a cloud-like bed.
Eid is starting sometime this weekend, so we are off until Monday. Tomorrow has been declared a public holiday, but it is still Ramadan. Eid is the feast at the end of Ramadan and things will be open again and we can eat/drink in public. I hear it is like a giant party. We won't know when it officially starts until it is published in the morning newspaper because like all things, it is based on the moon. This will be what happens in the school calendar, as well.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Grand Mosque pictures, plus some extras...
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| This is a picture from my hotel room in Abu Dhabi at the Beach Rotana. It is not fuzzy because my camera is bad, it is fuzzy because it is so hazy and humid outside that this is really what it looks like outside at night. It is amazing... now imagine walking outside in that, because it literally feels like someone threw a bucket of water on you. I have never taken so many showers in one day as I did when I was in Abu Dhabi city. |
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| We saw this tower on the way to the Grand Mosque. You can't really get the full effect from the picture, but it is leaning. It was built to do so. This tower leans more than The Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy. It is the Capital Gate building and I believe it has a hotel in it. If you google it, you can see it from a better angle- it's amazing! |
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| The outside of the Grand Mosque from the parking area. It is so beautiful. It has 4 minarets because no mosque can have more than that because of Mecca I believe. You can see all 4 in the picture. The domes (not sure if that is the correct name, but I will learn it soon enough) are so gigantic and elegant. |
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| We had to wear abayas and shaylas inside the mosque. You can't really tell, but that is me in there. The shayla kept calling off because the locals and women who usually wear it use pins to hold it in place and they weren't handing those out. But as long as our hair was covered, we were okay. |
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| This mosque is famous for their chandeliers. They have 7 and one of them is the largest one in the world. It might be this one, I took a couple of pictures and I can't remember if it is this one or the other one, but I am pretty sure that you are looking at the largest chandelier in the world! |
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| This is the men's prayer room. When the call to prayer goes off, this room will fill with men. The men's prayer room is larger than the women's because men are required to pray in the mosque while women can pray at home. Muslims (it is pronounced "Moos-lims, NOT Muzz-lims"!!!!!!!) pray 5 times a day. Men do not have to go 5 times a day, just once. |
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| The carpet in the men's prayer room. I want to say that it was hand-woven in Turkey. The picture above was taken with me standing in the middle of the room looking one way, so this room is enormous. This is the largest single piece carpet in the world. It was unrolled and cut to size in the room. They said it was many, many tons, and when it was trimmed, many tons were cut off of it to make it fit. That is one large carpet! It was so beautiful in person and so, so soft. We had to have our shoes off and walk bare foot on it. There are ridges built into it to tell the Muslims where to line up while they are praying, but you can't tell that from the picture unfortunately. |
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| Our question and answer session- The tour guides are standing, and we are up close sitting down in our abayas and shaylas. The licensed teacher men did not have to cover. It is common to see people wearing what the guides are wearing walking around Abu Dhabi. It is not strange and now seems like a part of every day life. Some of the men wear different colors for the head covering, or they will flip it around a different way. It has to do with the tribe they belong to. I don't understand all of that yet. The local women, who we can't take pictures of (this women is not a local) will sometimes cover their whole faces and look out of a sheer piece that is covering their eyes, some will only leave their eyes uncovered, and some will do as this woman is doing. |
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| Another picture from the inside of the mosque. |
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| I was moved to Al Ain on Thursday. The weather here is much nicer and the pace is much slower than the city in Abu Dhabi. I can tell that I will like it a lot. It is very green and more like home than the big city of Abu Dhabi, which can be compared to New York City, except imagine NYC being built with people living there, because that is what is happening in Abu Dhabi!!! This is a picture from my hotel room the night I arrived in Al Ain. It is difficult to tell, but the mountain is in the background. It is much easier to see during the day and so nice to see. Now we are waiting for our keys to our housing and our furniture allowances to show up in our bank accounts so we can get our houses settled before school starts in one week!! Otherwise we will still be living in a hotel when school starts, and I can't imagine that will be fun. I am ready to eat regularly and unpack my suitcases. Ramadan will be over sometime in the next week, and Eid will begin. This is a celebration of breaking the fast, and I think it is 3 days long. Again, this depends on the moon. When Eid is over, school will begin for the teachers. |
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Busy day!
Today we started earlier than usual, and headed over to the Grand Mosque. It is such a gorgeous building, I cannot even begin to describe it. I have photos, and I will post them probably on Friday. We have our last day of orientation in Abu Dhabi tomorrow, and are supposed to be moving to another hotel in Al Ain in the afternoon, so I have packed most of my things and can't upload my photos just yet. Anyway, it was so beautiful. It is a newer building, and they are still adding onto it and have great plans for it's future. They were talking about possibly having a university connected to it, amongst other things. It was dreadfully hot when we got there, and as a female I needed to put on an abaya and shayla to be fully covered. I already was covered with my long skirt and long sleeves but it is the dress code to wear the outfit. They are really very light, but because I had a full outfit on underneath it was that much hotter and I thought I was going to melt. I also am not as skilled at wrapping the shayla, and it came undone from my sweaty hair every 2 minutes or so. I spent a lot of time trying to fix it. One time the whole thing fell in front of my face and I was blinded. I give those girls a lot of credit. Some of them even wear it like that for more privacy, I don't know how they get around- I couldn't see a thing! There must be an even more sheer piece than what I had.
The building holds many world records. One of them is for having the world's largest single piece carpet. It is in the men's prayer room, and it is beautiful. I don't remember how many, but the measurement was in tons when it was delivered and unrolled to be placed. They also have the world's largest chandelier, as well.
By the time we left the Mosque we were all ready to go back to the hotel and take a shower and recoup from the heat, but we still had most of the day of orientation left. We were bused back to the school we have been at all week and we finally found out the schools we will be working in. I will be at an all girls school in Al Wagan. I am pretty sure it is a brand new school because I can't find it on the list of schools from last year, and I heard there was construction in the area. We will not be able to get to the school until 3 days before school starts for the kids. And that is variable, because of the Eid holiday, so things could change based on the moon and when the holiday begins and ends. I know a couple of people at my school, so that is good. Also, like I said before, we will be living in a different complex and bused to the school because it is far out. We don't know anything about this yet, but possibly this weekend we will get out house keys. Then we have a few days to secure furniture before they make us move out of the hotel.
We got our bank cards today, as well. That was the end to the day, which was exciting, but one last, long line to stand in. This made our day go until after 4 p.m. In the U.S. that is fine, but here in the heat it is very different. We also started an hour earlier than normal today. And the buses here do not have good AC like they should. So by the time we all finally got back to the hotel, many of us packed our bags and took it easy for the night, even though it is our last in Abu Dhabi city. The only problem is, the bank cards don't work. Tested out at an atm, and nothing. So the piece of plastic means nothing right now. Hopefully this is resolved soon and we can get our furniture settled this weekend so no one is sleeping on a cold, hard floor next week...
I will work on those pictures, they are well worth the wait!
The building holds many world records. One of them is for having the world's largest single piece carpet. It is in the men's prayer room, and it is beautiful. I don't remember how many, but the measurement was in tons when it was delivered and unrolled to be placed. They also have the world's largest chandelier, as well.
By the time we left the Mosque we were all ready to go back to the hotel and take a shower and recoup from the heat, but we still had most of the day of orientation left. We were bused back to the school we have been at all week and we finally found out the schools we will be working in. I will be at an all girls school in Al Wagan. I am pretty sure it is a brand new school because I can't find it on the list of schools from last year, and I heard there was construction in the area. We will not be able to get to the school until 3 days before school starts for the kids. And that is variable, because of the Eid holiday, so things could change based on the moon and when the holiday begins and ends. I know a couple of people at my school, so that is good. Also, like I said before, we will be living in a different complex and bused to the school because it is far out. We don't know anything about this yet, but possibly this weekend we will get out house keys. Then we have a few days to secure furniture before they make us move out of the hotel.
We got our bank cards today, as well. That was the end to the day, which was exciting, but one last, long line to stand in. This made our day go until after 4 p.m. In the U.S. that is fine, but here in the heat it is very different. We also started an hour earlier than normal today. And the buses here do not have good AC like they should. So by the time we all finally got back to the hotel, many of us packed our bags and took it easy for the night, even though it is our last in Abu Dhabi city. The only problem is, the bank cards don't work. Tested out at an atm, and nothing. So the piece of plastic means nothing right now. Hopefully this is resolved soon and we can get our furniture settled this weekend so no one is sleeping on a cold, hard floor next week...
I will work on those pictures, they are well worth the wait!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
So much to say!
There have been many things happening the last few days. We had the last few of our "free" days, and began the work week on Sunday. This week our orientation is focusing on the schools and the reason for the reform, the vision that is in place, and where we are going from here. In the morning, we have guest speakers with presentations, and in the afternoon we take buses to a MODEL school for Arabic lessons and reflection time. One of our speakers this week was Ask Ali. I recommend looking him up, he gave a great presentation. He has lived in many countries, and he went to school in Canada and the U.S. He is a local Emirati and had a wealth of knowledge to share in a very personable manner. We all got a copy of his book, as well. http://www.ask-ali.com
Our Arabic lessons are very challenging because this language uses sounds that we do not have in the English language. For example, they make an almost snorting sound that is almost a combination /h/ /k/ /snort/. I don't really know how else to describe it and I don't mean that to sound awful but I can't make the sound yet and our teacher said the kids won't understand us if we can't do it. Which is interesting in a way, yet understandable, because when I think about it, there are SO many forms of English here with different accents. There are people from New Zealand and South Africa and England and Australia and Scotland... and oh boy, if I don't listen carefully, I will miss half of what they are saying if they are really talking fast!! So if you think about it, the 'accent' that we have by not making the sounds correctly will be confusing to the kids. Not to mention the variety of English they will be exposed to in the coming years of the 10 year reform.
The other day I rode the bus to Ikea because it was one of the only places open. It was Friday, the holy day, and everything else was closed. I figured that I needed to pick out furniture anyway, so I headed over. I decided to take the city bus with a couple of friends because it is much cheaper than a taxi (1 dirham, so about 27 cents as opposed to 20 dirhams). When we got on the bus, we realized that they are segregated by male and female. The women sit in the front of the bus, and the men sit or stand in the back. Even if a family gets on together, the man must go to the back of the bus. This is a large part of the culture here. When a family is walking together, the women often will be seen walking a few paces behind their husbands.
I also went to the Iranian market one evening. We thought that since it was on the route of the Big Red Bus Tour, which is a pricey tour, it would be a great place to see. Well, we got there, after getting a little help from the hotel staff to explain to the taxi driver where we needed to go. Sometimes the taxi drivers do not speak very good English, and because there are no addresses here and we do not know our way around, it is challenging to relay your destination. Anyway, we got there and I don't think it was what we expected. We should probably have figured to expect the unexpected. We were thinking we would grab some fruit and veggies for dinner... that didn't happen. We got out of the taxi and immediately saw tons of furniture, tents set up like buildings filled with lots and lots of STUFF, and further down many, many plants. The Iranian men kept jumping out trying to sell us their items. It was a little intimidating, but we survived. The next day, I was talking with someone who has lived here for a few months, and she explained that many of these men are only here because they need to support their families. They live in one room with 5, 6, or 7 other men and work very long hours, but they value their jobs and would never do anything to risk them because they will be deported if they do, and they need to send the money home to their families. They don't have t.v. in their home countries, and they don't have it here. So when they see westerners, or us (who were the only customers in the entire place) walking through, we are like movie stars to them. It was a different perspective and not one that we had thought of before.
Last night I had the best Chinese food ever. It was so delicious and I never knew Chinese food could taste so good. The chicken fried rice was NOT yellow and it was soft and yummy. The cashew chicken was just perfect, mixed with veggies. I don't even know how to describe it other than by saying, hop on a plane and let's go eat some!!!
Our trip out to Al Ain to see the accommodations last week never happened. It was canceled on Thursday, and was tentatively rescheduled for Saturday. That never happened, either. So we have yet to be to Al Ain. Today we were told that we will be moving to a hotel in Al Ain on Thursday before moving into our accommodations. I was also informed that I, along with another small group of teachers, will not be living in the large complex dedicated to Al Ain teachers because our school district is about an hour away. I knew the district was far, but they are going to be providing us with a bus to take us to school, so they are putting us in a complex closer to the south side of the city to cut down on transport time. So it is teachers in my district, and one even further away who will be living wherever they are putting us. We have seen pictures of where the other teachers are living and know a little about that area, but have no idea about where we are going... not even what it is called. So hopefully in the next few days that mystery will be solved. I will probably have to take a bus up to Dubai to get furniture because the delivery to Abu Dhabi is 7 to 10 days, and I really would like to be sleeping in a bed when school starts. Dubai is supposed to have a larger stock and same day delivery. So, inshallah, it will work out! Tomorrow we find out our exact schools, so we will know who from our group we will be working with. That will be nice. I'm sure there will be people from the first group that traveled, and the next couple of groups coming, too.
The weather is interesting. Some days I feel like I am going to melt, and others, like today, it is not bad. I did laundry in my bathtub because they do not have coin-op here and instead count out each individual piece and it is very expensive. It would not dry inside because of the moisture from the AC, and it did not dry outside either overnight because of the humidity. However, the humidity must be low in the morning because it dried right up in the hour I went to breakfast this morning and I switched it out for new clean laundry waiting in my room. Another good thing about Al Ain is that there is less humidity, so while I am waiting for my appliances to arrive, I will be able to wash and DRY my clothes inexpensively with the aid of the fancy hotel sink, tub and balcony!
Tomorrow we go to see the Mosque. The women need to cover completely and will be given abayas and shaylas as we enter. Men need to wear long sleeves and long pants, which is part of our dress code anyway. Shoes must be removed to enter, as well. This will be a great historical lesson on Abu Dhabi, and I am looking forward to it!
Time is flying and I can't believe I have been here for almost two weeks already!!
Our Arabic lessons are very challenging because this language uses sounds that we do not have in the English language. For example, they make an almost snorting sound that is almost a combination /h/ /k/ /snort/. I don't really know how else to describe it and I don't mean that to sound awful but I can't make the sound yet and our teacher said the kids won't understand us if we can't do it. Which is interesting in a way, yet understandable, because when I think about it, there are SO many forms of English here with different accents. There are people from New Zealand and South Africa and England and Australia and Scotland... and oh boy, if I don't listen carefully, I will miss half of what they are saying if they are really talking fast!! So if you think about it, the 'accent' that we have by not making the sounds correctly will be confusing to the kids. Not to mention the variety of English they will be exposed to in the coming years of the 10 year reform.
The other day I rode the bus to Ikea because it was one of the only places open. It was Friday, the holy day, and everything else was closed. I figured that I needed to pick out furniture anyway, so I headed over. I decided to take the city bus with a couple of friends because it is much cheaper than a taxi (1 dirham, so about 27 cents as opposed to 20 dirhams). When we got on the bus, we realized that they are segregated by male and female. The women sit in the front of the bus, and the men sit or stand in the back. Even if a family gets on together, the man must go to the back of the bus. This is a large part of the culture here. When a family is walking together, the women often will be seen walking a few paces behind their husbands.
I also went to the Iranian market one evening. We thought that since it was on the route of the Big Red Bus Tour, which is a pricey tour, it would be a great place to see. Well, we got there, after getting a little help from the hotel staff to explain to the taxi driver where we needed to go. Sometimes the taxi drivers do not speak very good English, and because there are no addresses here and we do not know our way around, it is challenging to relay your destination. Anyway, we got there and I don't think it was what we expected. We should probably have figured to expect the unexpected. We were thinking we would grab some fruit and veggies for dinner... that didn't happen. We got out of the taxi and immediately saw tons of furniture, tents set up like buildings filled with lots and lots of STUFF, and further down many, many plants. The Iranian men kept jumping out trying to sell us their items. It was a little intimidating, but we survived. The next day, I was talking with someone who has lived here for a few months, and she explained that many of these men are only here because they need to support their families. They live in one room with 5, 6, or 7 other men and work very long hours, but they value their jobs and would never do anything to risk them because they will be deported if they do, and they need to send the money home to their families. They don't have t.v. in their home countries, and they don't have it here. So when they see westerners, or us (who were the only customers in the entire place) walking through, we are like movie stars to them. It was a different perspective and not one that we had thought of before.
Last night I had the best Chinese food ever. It was so delicious and I never knew Chinese food could taste so good. The chicken fried rice was NOT yellow and it was soft and yummy. The cashew chicken was just perfect, mixed with veggies. I don't even know how to describe it other than by saying, hop on a plane and let's go eat some!!!
Our trip out to Al Ain to see the accommodations last week never happened. It was canceled on Thursday, and was tentatively rescheduled for Saturday. That never happened, either. So we have yet to be to Al Ain. Today we were told that we will be moving to a hotel in Al Ain on Thursday before moving into our accommodations. I was also informed that I, along with another small group of teachers, will not be living in the large complex dedicated to Al Ain teachers because our school district is about an hour away. I knew the district was far, but they are going to be providing us with a bus to take us to school, so they are putting us in a complex closer to the south side of the city to cut down on transport time. So it is teachers in my district, and one even further away who will be living wherever they are putting us. We have seen pictures of where the other teachers are living and know a little about that area, but have no idea about where we are going... not even what it is called. So hopefully in the next few days that mystery will be solved. I will probably have to take a bus up to Dubai to get furniture because the delivery to Abu Dhabi is 7 to 10 days, and I really would like to be sleeping in a bed when school starts. Dubai is supposed to have a larger stock and same day delivery. So, inshallah, it will work out! Tomorrow we find out our exact schools, so we will know who from our group we will be working with. That will be nice. I'm sure there will be people from the first group that traveled, and the next couple of groups coming, too.
The weather is interesting. Some days I feel like I am going to melt, and others, like today, it is not bad. I did laundry in my bathtub because they do not have coin-op here and instead count out each individual piece and it is very expensive. It would not dry inside because of the moisture from the AC, and it did not dry outside either overnight because of the humidity. However, the humidity must be low in the morning because it dried right up in the hour I went to breakfast this morning and I switched it out for new clean laundry waiting in my room. Another good thing about Al Ain is that there is less humidity, so while I am waiting for my appliances to arrive, I will be able to wash and DRY my clothes inexpensively with the aid of the fancy hotel sink, tub and balcony!
Tomorrow we go to see the Mosque. The women need to cover completely and will be given abayas and shaylas as we enter. Men need to wear long sleeves and long pants, which is part of our dress code anyway. Shoes must be removed to enter, as well. This will be a great historical lesson on Abu Dhabi, and I am looking forward to it!
Time is flying and I can't believe I have been here for almost two weeks already!!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Pictures
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| My room looking in from the balcony |
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| They put a fruit plate in our rooms... which is very nice for when you get hungry during the day |
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| This arrow points in the direction to pray |
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| View from the balcony |
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| They still have Dunkin Donuts and Baskin Robbins- Closed during the day because of Ramadan though |
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| My bathroom... have no idea how to use that other thing but I guess the concept is good |
The First Week
I have started to write this post many times, but the jet lag makes me fall asleep when I stare at the computer for too long.
The flight was long but easy. I met some other teachers in JFK and we chatted while we waited for the plane. They never weighed my luggage even though I spent FOREVER trying to get it to the right weight and left many things behind. It was about a 13 hour flight, and I don't know that I've ever eaten so well before. Ice cream at 2 a.m.? Okay!
Once we landed, the travel agency met us right at the plane and handed out our employment visas. They walked us to the retina scan, passport control, and customs, which were very easy. Then we collected our bags and waited for the buses to arrive. When we were pushing our luggage to the buses, we were handed roses. Then we were greeted with a blast of steamy air as we stepped outside for the first time. It was interesting to say the least. Our luggage went on a truck, we went on a bus, and off to the Rotana Beach Hotel.
At the hotel, we had to hand in our passports to get our room keys. They gave us cold cloths that were scented with something that smelled good and we were all checked in very fast. Then our luggage was lined up and we had to just point to it- it was all delivered right to our rooms for us! So easy!
Because I was on the Thursday flight arriving Friday night, we had Saturday free. There was another couple of flights coming in on Saturday. Friday and Saturday are the weekend here. It is Ramadan, now, too though, and everything basically shuts down in the middle of the day. This is not helping with fixing jet lag, because you have no choice but to take a nap in the middle of the day. 1- you can't eat in public so you have to go to your room to eat, drink, chew gum/hard candy, etc... and 2- the stores and everything else is closed!
On Sunday we had orientation. They talked to us a little, mostly things I already knew but it was good to hear it straight from them. About housing, when we would do some things, etc... They answered questions.. it is amazing some of the questions people ask- I think they don't listen... We filled out papers for bank accounts and handed in our passports again and employment visas so they can be switched to residence visas, too.
Monday was a free day for people not going to Abu Dhabi city. I am going to be in Al Ain which I think I will like better. It is a smaller city, less humid, more green, but I haven't seen it yet. Abu Dhabi is a big city and the drivers are crazy like you've never seen. Anyway, Monday they took the Abu Dhabi teachers to see the hotel apartments. It sounds like a great option, you don't have to pay any utilities and it comes furnished, but I guess they are far away from a lot of their schools so it would take them a long time to get to them so a lot of them are looking at taking the 100,000AED to find their own housing. That is another thing- when I go to stores, I stand their forever trying to figure out how much I am spending. 1 dollar= 3.66 AED= I have no idea how much anything really costs!!!! Also, I can't read arabic, so I know what the 1 dirham coin is, but no idea what the other ones are.
Tuesday we had medical checks. I thought it would be a long process, but it was quick and easy. They gave us a number and when it was called they filled out some paperwork and sent us down the hall. Asked if we had medical problems, if you are pregnant (they do an x-ray) and then on your way to blood collection. They are doing something wrong in the U.S. because this lady got my blood in about .05 seconds. Make a fist and before I could even look the other way I was out of that chair. No strappy band or anything. People who said they usually have to use really skinny needles for them said the same thing. I think she should come give some lessons. Then they did an x-ray of the chest to check for TB.
Wednesday we waited around to find out when we would have police checks. Turns out we would meet at 8 p.m. Iftar- the end of fasting, is around 7, so I went to the mall food court. The mall (one of them) is connected to the hotel. I had Hardee's. Never heard of it but for fast food it was pretty good. Ate it and went back downstairs to the lobby waiting for the busses. We got to the police station at about 8:25 but turns out it didn't open until 9 so we sat in the steamy weather for a while. When they let us in they told us we couldn't talk because it was a police station, not a cafe. So I sat in the corner very quiet with the 50 others, and many people continued to talk. This is what I mean about some people not being respectful. Somehow, I still managed to get called 3rd to last. He kept picking and choosing who he would call based on who was 'being good' or something. The last two people were one who would not stop talking and one who had broken the machine. I don't know what I did wrong but I guess being good does not pay off. Anyway, I was in the first group that got there and started printing at 9... we didn't leave until 11:30!!! There were two more groups of 50 after us! I felt bad for them, but things operate on a different schedule here. It was long and boring but there is a lot of waiting around.
Today they are taking Al Ain teachers out there to see our housing. It is in a complex that is new and I have seen pictures. It looks nice but I can't wait to see it in person. I also can't wait to see the city/ town/ whatever they call it, not too sure.
Tomorrow starts the weekend again, so things will be shut down. Next week is school orientation here at the hotel. I think they said they will give us a tour of the city. I did see Emirates Palace at night. It was beautiful, but my camera was dead and I needed another converter- just charged it up.
My school is in Al Wagan. It is pretty far from Al Ain, but there are a lot of us out there. There are some teachers even further out then that. I hear they are going to provide a bus for us, which will be nice because I don't really want to have to get a car, especially to drive that far in the desert everyday. I'd much rather ride a bus.
I will try to figure out how to post pictures later.. but not it is almost 7 a.m. here and I should get ready for the day. Sometimes they forget to stick things under my door telling me when to be places.
The flight was long but easy. I met some other teachers in JFK and we chatted while we waited for the plane. They never weighed my luggage even though I spent FOREVER trying to get it to the right weight and left many things behind. It was about a 13 hour flight, and I don't know that I've ever eaten so well before. Ice cream at 2 a.m.? Okay!
Once we landed, the travel agency met us right at the plane and handed out our employment visas. They walked us to the retina scan, passport control, and customs, which were very easy. Then we collected our bags and waited for the buses to arrive. When we were pushing our luggage to the buses, we were handed roses. Then we were greeted with a blast of steamy air as we stepped outside for the first time. It was interesting to say the least. Our luggage went on a truck, we went on a bus, and off to the Rotana Beach Hotel.
At the hotel, we had to hand in our passports to get our room keys. They gave us cold cloths that were scented with something that smelled good and we were all checked in very fast. Then our luggage was lined up and we had to just point to it- it was all delivered right to our rooms for us! So easy!
Because I was on the Thursday flight arriving Friday night, we had Saturday free. There was another couple of flights coming in on Saturday. Friday and Saturday are the weekend here. It is Ramadan, now, too though, and everything basically shuts down in the middle of the day. This is not helping with fixing jet lag, because you have no choice but to take a nap in the middle of the day. 1- you can't eat in public so you have to go to your room to eat, drink, chew gum/hard candy, etc... and 2- the stores and everything else is closed!
On Sunday we had orientation. They talked to us a little, mostly things I already knew but it was good to hear it straight from them. About housing, when we would do some things, etc... They answered questions.. it is amazing some of the questions people ask- I think they don't listen... We filled out papers for bank accounts and handed in our passports again and employment visas so they can be switched to residence visas, too.
Monday was a free day for people not going to Abu Dhabi city. I am going to be in Al Ain which I think I will like better. It is a smaller city, less humid, more green, but I haven't seen it yet. Abu Dhabi is a big city and the drivers are crazy like you've never seen. Anyway, Monday they took the Abu Dhabi teachers to see the hotel apartments. It sounds like a great option, you don't have to pay any utilities and it comes furnished, but I guess they are far away from a lot of their schools so it would take them a long time to get to them so a lot of them are looking at taking the 100,000AED to find their own housing. That is another thing- when I go to stores, I stand their forever trying to figure out how much I am spending. 1 dollar= 3.66 AED= I have no idea how much anything really costs!!!! Also, I can't read arabic, so I know what the 1 dirham coin is, but no idea what the other ones are.
Tuesday we had medical checks. I thought it would be a long process, but it was quick and easy. They gave us a number and when it was called they filled out some paperwork and sent us down the hall. Asked if we had medical problems, if you are pregnant (they do an x-ray) and then on your way to blood collection. They are doing something wrong in the U.S. because this lady got my blood in about .05 seconds. Make a fist and before I could even look the other way I was out of that chair. No strappy band or anything. People who said they usually have to use really skinny needles for them said the same thing. I think she should come give some lessons. Then they did an x-ray of the chest to check for TB.
Wednesday we waited around to find out when we would have police checks. Turns out we would meet at 8 p.m. Iftar- the end of fasting, is around 7, so I went to the mall food court. The mall (one of them) is connected to the hotel. I had Hardee's. Never heard of it but for fast food it was pretty good. Ate it and went back downstairs to the lobby waiting for the busses. We got to the police station at about 8:25 but turns out it didn't open until 9 so we sat in the steamy weather for a while. When they let us in they told us we couldn't talk because it was a police station, not a cafe. So I sat in the corner very quiet with the 50 others, and many people continued to talk. This is what I mean about some people not being respectful. Somehow, I still managed to get called 3rd to last. He kept picking and choosing who he would call based on who was 'being good' or something. The last two people were one who would not stop talking and one who had broken the machine. I don't know what I did wrong but I guess being good does not pay off. Anyway, I was in the first group that got there and started printing at 9... we didn't leave until 11:30!!! There were two more groups of 50 after us! I felt bad for them, but things operate on a different schedule here. It was long and boring but there is a lot of waiting around.
Today they are taking Al Ain teachers out there to see our housing. It is in a complex that is new and I have seen pictures. It looks nice but I can't wait to see it in person. I also can't wait to see the city/ town/ whatever they call it, not too sure.
Tomorrow starts the weekend again, so things will be shut down. Next week is school orientation here at the hotel. I think they said they will give us a tour of the city. I did see Emirates Palace at night. It was beautiful, but my camera was dead and I needed another converter- just charged it up.
My school is in Al Wagan. It is pretty far from Al Ain, but there are a lot of us out there. There are some teachers even further out then that. I hear they are going to provide a bus for us, which will be nice because I don't really want to have to get a car, especially to drive that far in the desert everyday. I'd much rather ride a bus.
I will try to figure out how to post pictures later.. but not it is almost 7 a.m. here and I should get ready for the day. Sometimes they forget to stick things under my door telling me when to be places.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Ready... set... go!
After constantly checking email, it finally came last Thursday. 'It' being the e-ticket that will get me to Abu Dhabi. I am leaving Thursday the 19- 2 days from now, on the 10:50 flight to Abu Dhabi. It is a straight flight with no connections and I will get to Abu Dhabi on Friday the 20th. There are other teachers on the flight, as well, but most of them are connecting from other flights to JFK so I will meet them at the airport. 13 hours on the plane, and when we get off, it begins!
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Skype
In order to communicate with those of you in the United States, I will need to use Skype, as my Verizon phone will have outrageous charges. You can call this phone number and it will be just like calling a local Milford, CT phone number- so no charges for you. I will get the call to my computer. You can even leave me a message (remember I will be 8 hours ahead!). I can also call you using this phone number to your phone with no charges. If you have Skype on your computer, we can also communicate that way.
Skype name: mccl14
Skype phone number: 1-203-951-3041
Skype name: mccl14
Skype phone number: 1-203-951-3041
How it all started...
A few months ago, I decided I wanted to teach abroad. Why not? Now is a perfect time- I am young, and it is very difficult to get a job here now. I have always wanted to travel, and this would be the perfect opportunity to teach and travel AT THE SAME TIME. So I went out to get a passport, and signed up with some recruiting agencies and websites looking for teachers abroad. I talked to people who have done it before and tried to find out information about different places.
Originally, I was offered a 6th grade position in the Dominican Republic. Within the week, I also had an in person interview in New York City with the Abu Dhabi Education Council. After a lot of thought a consideration, I decided to take the gamble and decline the Dominican Republic position- it would be great for someone else, but not for me. I was concerned mostly about the safety of the area. The school seemed wonderful.
The Abu Dhabi process was fairly easy. I had to fill out an online application with about 12 short essays (okay, maybe not soooo easy). Shortly after this, I was contacted for a phone interview, in which the position was explained to me. Abu Dhabi is reforming their education system, because their children were not getting into colleges. Their students were being taught English by teachers who spoke it as a second languages. AD is a very wealthy area, and they deemed this unacceptable. Now, they are bringing in native English speakers to work with the bilingual Arabic teachers to help their students. Last year, they started with 1st and 2nd grade. This year the focus is on K and 3rd (I will teach K). Next year will be 4th and 5th (if you are interested...). I will teach math, language arts/English, and science, and the Arabic speaking teacher will teach social studies, religion, and Arabic, I believe.
After my phone interview, I needed to go to NYC for an in person interview. This happened very quickly, as the council reps were scheduled to be in NYC that very week. It was basically a regular interview, and 2 days later I got a call from my recruiter that I would be offered a contract! A week later, I had already received it and sent it back.
Now as I get ready to go, there is a lot to do. Documents to authenticate and long dresses and shirts to purchase. I have to wear this in school, but can wear 'regular' clothes outside of school. I will find out my city placement hopefully by the end of July. I am starting to find people in this general area who are also going, so it will be good to have a few familiar faces, even though we may not travel at the same time. It will be a very challenging, yet rewarding experience that I will surely learn from. I am very excited to go, but sometimes it still does not seem real!
Some of the details:
- Teaching Kindergarten
- Leaving sometime in August: will get an e-ticket with departure date. This is fully paid for.
- Return round-trip airfare paid once per year. (7 weeks vacation in summer)
- 2 year contract
- Housing fully paid (single living arrangements)
- Co-teaching with a bilingual Emirati teacher
- At least 3 other Licensed Teachers in each school (this is what they call the teachers they are bringing in)
- Teachers are coming from all English speaking countries- U.S., Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Trinidad- What an experience!
- 80% of the Abu Dhabi population are expatriates
Originally, I was offered a 6th grade position in the Dominican Republic. Within the week, I also had an in person interview in New York City with the Abu Dhabi Education Council. After a lot of thought a consideration, I decided to take the gamble and decline the Dominican Republic position- it would be great for someone else, but not for me. I was concerned mostly about the safety of the area. The school seemed wonderful.
The Abu Dhabi process was fairly easy. I had to fill out an online application with about 12 short essays (okay, maybe not soooo easy). Shortly after this, I was contacted for a phone interview, in which the position was explained to me. Abu Dhabi is reforming their education system, because their children were not getting into colleges. Their students were being taught English by teachers who spoke it as a second languages. AD is a very wealthy area, and they deemed this unacceptable. Now, they are bringing in native English speakers to work with the bilingual Arabic teachers to help their students. Last year, they started with 1st and 2nd grade. This year the focus is on K and 3rd (I will teach K). Next year will be 4th and 5th (if you are interested...). I will teach math, language arts/English, and science, and the Arabic speaking teacher will teach social studies, religion, and Arabic, I believe.
After my phone interview, I needed to go to NYC for an in person interview. This happened very quickly, as the council reps were scheduled to be in NYC that very week. It was basically a regular interview, and 2 days later I got a call from my recruiter that I would be offered a contract! A week later, I had already received it and sent it back.
Now as I get ready to go, there is a lot to do. Documents to authenticate and long dresses and shirts to purchase. I have to wear this in school, but can wear 'regular' clothes outside of school. I will find out my city placement hopefully by the end of July. I am starting to find people in this general area who are also going, so it will be good to have a few familiar faces, even though we may not travel at the same time. It will be a very challenging, yet rewarding experience that I will surely learn from. I am very excited to go, but sometimes it still does not seem real!
Some of the details:
- Teaching Kindergarten
- Leaving sometime in August: will get an e-ticket with departure date. This is fully paid for.
- Return round-trip airfare paid once per year. (7 weeks vacation in summer)
- 2 year contract
- Housing fully paid (single living arrangements)
- Co-teaching with a bilingual Emirati teacher
- At least 3 other Licensed Teachers in each school (this is what they call the teachers they are bringing in)
- Teachers are coming from all English speaking countries- U.S., Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Trinidad- What an experience!
- 80% of the Abu Dhabi population are expatriates
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