New Apartment

Well, I finally moved into my "permanent" place. I will be here for at least a year. I am living in a 20 floor apartment building, and I love it. Not only is this place over twice the size of the last place, it has so much more.

Pool and Hot tub

Jacuzzi

Such as two gyms--one male and one female

Steam Room

Private Balcony

Bathroom

bedroom



Kitchen

Living room



Beginning of a camel collection

Dining nook by the balcony

In addition, to all of this, there an additional Bedroom and another 1/2 bath, AND underground parking! No more hunting for a vacant parking place on the street!

 I can't wait until the winter. Jeff and I will be sitting on the balcony soaking up the sun :-)

My girls--

Some of my girls after a morning assembly

Hello everyone...I know I haven't kept up the Blog like I had hoped. I hope to catch everyone up soon. My school is winding down for the summer. The last official day is June 21st, but the students have stopped coming as of last week. I will fly out to America on July 13--Friday the 13th actually. ;-)  Hopefully, that will not be some kind of omen. I just finished entering my classes' final grades into the computer system, and I realized that even though I felt like I wasn't reaching them, it became evident that there was indeed progress being made. I was surprised and happy placing the tick marks into the system. I going to post some pictures of my girls during the short time that I had them. They have come a long way since 1st grade!

Fraction puzzles

More division cakes

Scientific Method

Some of my girls wearing their "thinking glasses"

Science-watching dancing raisins

Science: Push and pull pizza dough

Probability wheels

Hands on division

Computer lab

Other half :-)

Fraction equivalent game

Before the Mentos drop

After!  WOW!

oops...Gender Swap!

Well, today I learned some thing interesting. "Bob" will need a name change. When I picked the kitten up I was told that it was a male. And, since I don't normally go around checking out the genitalia of my pets, I took them at their word. However, I looked at my cat's Pet Passport and it listed my cat as a female. Before I continue, I know that many of you are thinking "Pet Passport?". Yes, every pet in the U.A.E. must have a pet passport. This passport lists their shots, and their microchip number. It is illegal to own a pet without the proper documentation.

So, when this document stated that my cat was a female and I was under the impression it was male, we had a problem. Since my cat was still under 6 months old, obvious male features are not always evident. Thank goodness for the Internet. I researched what I needed to be looking for (I know this sounds really strange) and I came to the conclusion that "Bob" will need a more feminine name. The He is a She. Anyone have a better idea of a girl name for my kittie?

I knew she looked like a wild cat--here is a picture of a Lynx.

My new digs

Well, I have finally moved into my new apartment. Of course, things worked out a little differently than I had expected. I had the expectation of moving into one of the hi-rise apartments that many of the English Medium Teachers live in, but that did not come to pass. It seems, there are many apartments that have been vacated by teachers who left without completing the school year. What does this have to do with me? Well, all apartment rentals are paid on a yearly basis. Since there were vacant apartments already paid for, we were not given a choice.

When I first went to look at the apartment I was totally shocked. I had expected this pristine, and gorgeous building, with my apartment containing large, spatious tooms. However, I saw a small, dirty apartment. The first thing you saw upon walking through the door was one of the living room walls. The wall was painted a dark brick red from the floor up to the half way point. This truly did not help to make the room look any bigger. In fact it made the room look just a little bigger than a closet. The paint job was not the main event. Within this paint job, the prior tenant had scratched into the paint a large (three foot high) simplified picture of a child. In the bedroom another figure was started but only consisted of a floating head. I must tell you, the artwork looked like a large "Chuckie" doll smiling at me. I was so dissappointed I left with tears in my eyes.

The entry to my apartment building

Why did I have to get placed in this dump? When I returned back to the hotel, I sent off an email to the housing office expressing my unhappiness. After a day or two, I went to speak to the office directly. I was told I had no choice at this time. However, my lease expires on June 30th. At that time, I would be able to make my own apartment search. I realized that I would be the only one who would have to put up with this, so I agreed.

In a few days, I was given the keys to my apartment. I took the elevator up to the third floor and walked down the hall to my apartment. I had a huge feeling of dread as I unlocked my door. However, I was pleasantly surprised. My apartment had been cleaned and freshly painted. Gone was the "Chuckie" that was to haunt me!  In actuality my apartment, although small, isn't too bad. The building is only four stories high, and there is free parking. My neighbors exhibit the vast cultural variances of this country, and so far, everyone has been very friendly, and willing to help me if the need arises. In fact, my first night here my neighbor across the hall asked if I had eaten dinner. If I had not, I was invited to sup with them. I didn't want to impose on my first night here, so I politely declined.

The Abu Dhabi Education Council gives it's new teachers a housing allowance to furnish their new apartment. I used this money to purchase my furniture and appliances. The majority of my furniture and ALL of my appliances, I bought from other English Medium Teachers. Some of these teachers were going back to the states, and some said they were just redecorating. What ever the reason, I was able to get some pretty nice pieces for a great price. The only thing I had to purchase new was my television, dining table, and my rug. Locating these bargains was easy. On Facebook there is a group page entitled the "UAE Swap & Shop". On this page you will find just about anything you are looking for. In addition to the FB group, there is also an online local classified ads site~ Dubizzle.com. I found my oven on Dubizzle. Of course, if I wanted to buy everything new, it could've been done, but it would have cost me about double the price.  I did have to purchase things like dishes, pots & pans, and linens. You can find them on the sale pages, but the timing didn't work out in my favor.

It has been a long time since I have lived alone. Truthfully, I don't care much for it. Here I am in this apartment, with no one to really talk to. So, I decided to get a room mate. Well, sort of. I didn't get a "human" room mate. I acquired a six month old kitten from a fellow teacher who found out her child had severe allergies. They had named him Smokey because of his gray fur. However, I looked into his face and he looks like a Bobcat to me. So, I named him Bob. He is alot of fun and he makes me laugh. I now have someone to talk to, and no problem with back talk. lol  Hopefully, things will continue to be on the upswing. I am posting some of the pictures of my new place, and of course Bob. Talk to you again soon!

Before: Small kitchen

My "new" stove, washer/dryer combo,
and Microwave

Before: Master full bath

After: Master Bath

Before: Guest 1/2 bathroom

Small Breezeway

Before: Bedroom windows

After bedroom curtains and wardrobe

I love my living room carpet!

Living room

Small office nook

TV alcove

Queen size bed

Refrigerator and narrow kitchen

Small Dining table with Internet Router

My new room mate:  "Bob"  Doesn't he look like a bobcat?

Ok...I am still alive in the U.A.E.

I know some time has past and I do apologize. Alot has happened over the past four weeks and I will try to catch you up. Well, for starters, I was finally given my placement. Thankfully, I was given 2nd grade girls. I was very relieved. The only stressors I face with this demographic is the fact that I have never taught, at least full time, anything lower than 4th grade!  The majority of my teaching experience has been within the middle school grades. So, now I am to teach 2nd grade?  Go figure. It would cause a sane person to lose their mind just trying to second guess the way things are done here. Inshallah...this is the favorite saying of the local people. Or for the non-Arabic speaking people-If God wills it. It is the go to answer for everything. When will I get my housing allowance? Inshallah, within two weeks. Will I be getting paid this month? Inshallah...When in doubt as to what to say, this is the response. Oh, and if you are a person who likes to know time frames, or deadlines, everything here is at least 24 hours. When will my cable be connected? 24 hours. When will my online banking be available? 24 hours. Of course, that is what is said, but chances are it will be longer than the 24 hours you have been quoted. Inshallah.

Arriving at the school for my first day, I was, quite frankly, a little nervous. What would I be getting into?  Will there be behavior problems? Will they speak any English? How behind or ahead of the curriculum would they be? In addition to these and many other questions swirling around in my head, I knew that I would be considered an intruder. I would in a sense be removing their former teacher they had worked with for the previous part of the school year. I would have to do something to win them over. At least, that is what I thought!

It turns out, the girls are very open and loving. They welcomed me with open arms and hugs. Of course, they were sad to see their previous teacher leave, but they adjusted well. Speaking about hugging. In the U.S. it is pretty much frowned upon for any kind of hugging. Here, it is pretty much accepted. However, I do not go out of my way to hug without the child initiating it. It is still hard to do, but it is refreshing to allow a child's feelings of love and acceptance to be reciprocated.

My side of the courtyard

The Courtyard

     My school is very nice. It is a two story school with the primary grades on the ground floor. It's structure forms a square. Within this square is a very large courtyard. It is within the courtyard that the students line up for morning assembly, eat lunch, have recess, and line up for afternoon buses. As you can see by the pictures, each classroom has an outside bulletin board. I know, this is very different!  It makes perfect sense here in the U.A.E. It is difficult to remember that I am living in a desert. I have been here for over six weeks and there hasn't been a drop of rain. The only moisture I have seen is a single morning fog that did not last very long. So, why not have outside bulletin boards, they will not get ruined by rain or snow. The only things that cause problems are wind and the sun. There seems to be an almost perpetual breeze/wind here. Well, at least from my time here. The wind can blow the sand through the air leaving everything dusty in it's path. It can do a number on your eyeglasses if you forget to clean them with water before wiping them with a cloth. I found that out the hard way. My glasses already have a few scratches that were not there when I arrived. Inshallah, my glasses will last until I can get a new pair.

I am teaching Science, Math, and English to two sections of second graders. Here are pictures of my two classes. As you can see, they wear uniforms. In my school, pink is the color. I have seen other schools wearing a light purple. You can definately see which school is a girl school. The colors are a dead give away. The only student not wearing the pink, is wearing a uniform for the Girl Guides. This is comparable to the U.S.' Girl Scouts. The Girl Guides in our school help to lead the morning assemblys and assist in keeping the girls in strait lines. They are also role models for many of the young ladies.

On another note, the morning assemblies are very interesting. Every morning the students of each grade line up in a strait line. The Girl Guides march out with the flag and the whole school sings the National Anthem. During the singing, there are girls playing the drums and many Xylaphones. Although, I do not know what they are singing (it is in Arabic) it is very moving to hear such strong singing voices. After the anthem, all of the students are led through a brief Calisthenics routine. It is after the calisthenics when things become something new. Everyday, one class performs some kind of mini-program. I have seen some truly extravegant programs. Many of which have included, expensive costumes/dresses, flowers, chocolates, singing and dancing routines! When I watch these perfomances, I sometimes wonder if it is all about out doing the other classes, and not passing on some tidbit of information to the rest of the school. Here is a picture of some of my girls after a morning assembly conducted by their Arabic teacher. I wish I could have taken photos during the assembly, but taking photos is not allowed--especially by a Western teacher. The main reason for this is that Arabic women do not want their faces photographed, and if a Westerner takes pictures they can never be to sure if their wishes have been followed. Although not as good, I was able to snap a couple of pictures of my girls after the assembly before they changed back into their uniform.

I will continue more later. Thank you for following me :-)