Wednesday was Hanaa's birthday. She turned 21 again! She didn't get my joke. (Lost in translation) I didn't know it was her birthday until the day. After school, I went to get her a gift at Al Ain Mall. Our class mascot is a butterfly...We are growing and spreading our wings. Bought a nice silver necklace with a butterfly. Went outside to get in my car and noticed someone had cut short and scraped the back of my car on the driver's side. Hit and Run! This is a rental, so I knew needed to call rental company and 999 (our 911).
After being transferred 3 times, finally spoke with someone who spoke English. Told them what happened and he said an officer would be dispatched. 5 minutes later, he called back and said they were too busy and didn't have someone to send. Asked if I could drive to the police station...I had no idea where the police station was located. Told him I had no idea where to go and burst into tears. He told me to put Al Ain Jail into the GPS. For those of you who don't know, I am DD (Directionally Disordered). Directions are not my thing....I'm very thankful that someone created the GPS for people like me! There was no directions for Al Ain Jail....burst into tears again..
By dump luck, figured out where the closest station was located and parked the car. Walked in and I was the only woman there. 20 Men and 3 men sitting at the front desk...no one spoke English and my didn't know the Arabic words for car accident. I did my best pantomiming to no avail...burst into tears. Obviously they don't like to see someone upset. They gave me water, held my hand, and brought a woman up from the back to try and help.
Finally, someone who speaks ENGLISH! She was a sassy, older Arabic woman who tells you like it is. Told me that they were just MEN and didn't understand how women feel :) She took my statement and went and translated it for the 5 men in the next office. One man came and asked me the same questions she had. Answered and she translated. Then another man came in and asked the same questions. I looked at her like...really. Man number three came in and asked the same questions. No one asked to see the car....I was confused.
2 hours later, man number 4, who spoke English told me that I needed a letter from the rental company telling them that they needed a letter regarding the accident with two stamps. I looked at him like....REALLY. A letter that you need a letter....oh boy. Everything here has to be stamped so it's official. By stamps, I mean this
3 hours later, I leave the police station with no letter. The rental company called me 5 times while at the police station. Explained to them that it was only slight cosmetic damage and the car was totally drivable. So, I sent them a picture...
Went by the florist and picked up the flowers for our Mother's Day celebration and collapsed on the couch!
For Mother's Day, Mothers were invited to have "breakfast" or snack with students @ 10:30. Breakfast is different here....cheese sandwiches, fruit, water, chips (not allowed in my class), and chocolate (not allowed in my class). There is no functioning kitchen at my school, so children bring a lunchbox filled with food from home.
We had about 9 mothers come and a few brothers and sisters. Two Mom's brought cupcakes and a large cake. Cakes taste different here....not as buttery and the icing is airy like cool whip, but I like it. Most of the time nannies bring the children to school, so this was the first time I'd met some of my parents. Some speak very good English and others none. They all wanted to talk about their children and the English and Arabic progression. One parent asked if this was my first year teaching. I explained here...yes. In America, 23 years. She didn't understand. After she left, I talked with Hanaa and she said that Mom wanted to know if I was going to be here next year. She was eyeing me for her other daughter...a compliment. I had taken it the wrong way! (Lost in translation).
After the children left, I felt....exhausted. Went directly from school to the police station. Arrived at 2:50 and left at 5:15 with the letter from the rental company. Had to tell the story 4 times again and 3 different people came out three different times to look at the car. The wheels of justice turn so slowly here! While at the police station, I became thirsty from telling my story so many times (sorry, ugly!) and saw a water in a vending machine. Well, walked over to put my dirham in and there was no slot to put in the change....
Woke up early on my morning off and headed to the grocery store. Friday mornings are usually the best time to do grocery shopping. On Thursday night (like America's Friday night), everyone goes out to dinner, shops, and stays up late visiting with friends and family. On Friday (like America's Sundays), Muslims go to mosque in large groups around the lunchtime call to prayer. There are large loud speakers that play 5-6 times during the day that has a male voice singing a Muslim prayer of some sort. The times of the call to prayers change depending upon sunrise and sunset. The first can be as early as 4:30am. The speaker is very close to my apartment, so hear it every morning! After mosque at lunch, everyone takes a long nap and most businesses here don't open until 4 or 5pm. This is the only day most workers get off...yes, a 6 day week. All government and education employees still get our 2 days off...so glad.
The produce is always very fresh at Abela's, which is very close to my apartment. They have good meat, fresh food, and there is a pork shop. There are no preservatives added to food, so everything has a very short life. Needed milk, which only lasts 3 days tops. Decided to walk to the store since only need a few things today. Such a cloudy, humid morning (66 when woke up) and is feels like 86. I put on my jeans which can only wear on the weekend and a cute bohemian blouse and a very light sweater to cover my arms. Always try to be respectful of the rules here even though sweating by the time arrived at store. Think it might rain again today....rain is good luck!
When shopping, there are many brands which are European or local, but here are some American brands here. Today bought Blueberry Mornings by Post and bought fresh blueberries for extra good cereal today. Everything that comes from America has a sticker written in Arabic which tells locals that it may not meet all their Muslim dietary requirements. There are very specific rules about what can and cannot be eaten. Sometimes companies add or take away things to try and make it more appropriate for the locals. Sometimes they taste different, but I get excited when I see American brands and "know" what it tastes like. All the fresh vegetables have a sign above the produce (Chile Blueberries) and clearly written on the package to tell where it was grown.
Bought my few items, grabbed a water, and headed home for breakfast. Looking forward to a restful weekend and only 5 days to Spring Break. No days off since January and everyone is exhausted mentally and physically. Not sure what my plans are, but one thing for sure. Will sleep in, go to the pool, and find something interesting to get into over the 2 week holiday. Until we meet again! :)
