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!

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.

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.

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.

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!

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. 

Gulf News Article

Abu Dhabi Schools

Grand Mosque pictures, plus some extras...

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

 

 

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.

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.

Another picture from the inside of the mosque.

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. 

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!