Since my last blog, the weather has gone from hot (100) to scorching (117). When going outside, I can feel the sun burning through my clothes. Only when the sun goes down or very early in the morning is it remotely comfortable. When the wind blows, even its hot. Feels like a hair dryer blowing on your skin. During the heat of the day, most people are indoors. I've watched all the movies on cable, Hulu, and Netflix. Been swimming whenever possible and read everything in my apartment. Yep, I'm bored!
Getting up at 4:30 is brutal right now. The long drive into the desert seems to get longer every day. Since the end of May, my KG students have not been at school. We graduated at the end of the May and the last day of school was June 13. Basically, there have been no students since the last week of May or first few days of June. Yes, it's been almost a month with no children. I spent the first week and a half cleaning and organizing my classroom. Took all my personal items home for the summer and finished paper work. Then, began working on my group's part of the School Improvement Plan and countless professional development opportunities and meetings. For someone who is used to 3-4 days of post-planning, I must say....I'm about to scream. 8 more days....I got this :)
Last week, administration announced that there would be changes to some teachers' placements. You guessed it, I was one of the lucky ones who is being moved to another grade. I will move from KG2 to 1st grade and will loop with my children. When students enter the Cycle 1 school (Gr. 1-5), boys and girls are divided into same sex classes. 1/2 of the school is for boys and the other half of the school is girls. There are wooden doors that separate the actual facility and they even ride different buses home. Dismissal time is different for both groups. I will have boys half of the day and girls half of the day. Yep, two classrooms to decorate (shared by Arabic counterpart, Rodina) and I will have a rolling cart to carry my "stuff" across.
I will not have a person in the class to translate anything for me. An Arabic teacher and I will share the room. At 7:45 classes will start. At about 10:25, there is a break for children to have a snack/lunch brought from home. During the snack time, I will cross over to the girls side and the Arabic teacher crosses over to the boys side. We will pass each other in the hall, but not sure of how much communication there will be between us. I'm a little unsure of how it will all work. Went and looked at both of my classrooms. They are nice sized and are close to the doors. I can see the KG hall out of my window on the girls side.
I must admit that I was a little shocked at the move, and am a little apprehensive about being "alone" in the room with no translator. The good news is I'm going to loop with my children from KG. I will have 12 of my girls and 12 of my boys from this year. Several other students will be added in. Think classes are 18-20. Good news is...they are used to my Southern accent and speak English words with my draw :)
I'm so sad to be leaving my KG family. We are all very close. They have become like family to me. I will miss Hanaa, my Arabic counterpart, the most :( She helped me through many days when I needed to bend someone's ear. I asked her the questions I couldn't ask anyone else about the culture and she gladly shared her wealth of knowledge. (When Arabic teachers say that you are their sister, they love you and feel very close to you...a compliment ;) ) She is my sister. :)
The good news is....I'm going on my first trip since being here. Only 8 days until school is out and leave 6:45 am the next morning to fly out of Abu Dhabi to head to Frankfurt. Two of my friends and I are going to Germany for 10 days. Side trips to Switzerland and France are a possibility. We will rent a car and drive throughout the country. I"M SO EXCITED. Really ready to see something other than desert sand and palm trees (This coming from a girl who LOVES the beach).
There are 12 days from the end of my Germany trip until I can officially be in the US on July 27. If I come in before then, taxes will need to be paid on all the money I earned abroad. I can only be in US for 35 days in one year (Aug 8-Aug 8). Used some at Christmas and using the rest before August 8. After August 8, I can come and go as much as I want to. Just affording the airline ticket home will be my only barrier :) So, I have 12 days to spend somewhere before I come home. Still haven't decided at the time of this posting what I will do. Definitely will nail it down by the weekend and get my things together for the trip.
I'm super excited to be going home for almost a month. Looking forward to seeing all my family and friends and dining at my favorite spots in the US. Strange the things you miss: white queso dip, Mexican food in general, Chic-Fila (haven't eaten at new one in Cordele), pizza with real pepperoni, and countless others. Have my WalMart list and Teacher Supply store list all together. Now, all I have to do is wait...Patience has never been one of my virtures :) Until we meet again :)
Getting up at 4:30 is brutal right now. The long drive into the desert seems to get longer every day. Since the end of May, my KG students have not been at school. We graduated at the end of the May and the last day of school was June 13. Basically, there have been no students since the last week of May or first few days of June. Yes, it's been almost a month with no children. I spent the first week and a half cleaning and organizing my classroom. Took all my personal items home for the summer and finished paper work. Then, began working on my group's part of the School Improvement Plan and countless professional development opportunities and meetings. For someone who is used to 3-4 days of post-planning, I must say....I'm about to scream. 8 more days....I got this :)
Last week, administration announced that there would be changes to some teachers' placements. You guessed it, I was one of the lucky ones who is being moved to another grade. I will move from KG2 to 1st grade and will loop with my children. When students enter the Cycle 1 school (Gr. 1-5), boys and girls are divided into same sex classes. 1/2 of the school is for boys and the other half of the school is girls. There are wooden doors that separate the actual facility and they even ride different buses home. Dismissal time is different for both groups. I will have boys half of the day and girls half of the day. Yep, two classrooms to decorate (shared by Arabic counterpart, Rodina) and I will have a rolling cart to carry my "stuff" across.
I will not have a person in the class to translate anything for me. An Arabic teacher and I will share the room. At 7:45 classes will start. At about 10:25, there is a break for children to have a snack/lunch brought from home. During the snack time, I will cross over to the girls side and the Arabic teacher crosses over to the boys side. We will pass each other in the hall, but not sure of how much communication there will be between us. I'm a little unsure of how it will all work. Went and looked at both of my classrooms. They are nice sized and are close to the doors. I can see the KG hall out of my window on the girls side.
I must admit that I was a little shocked at the move, and am a little apprehensive about being "alone" in the room with no translator. The good news is I'm going to loop with my children from KG. I will have 12 of my girls and 12 of my boys from this year. Several other students will be added in. Think classes are 18-20. Good news is...they are used to my Southern accent and speak English words with my draw :)
I'm so sad to be leaving my KG family. We are all very close. They have become like family to me. I will miss Hanaa, my Arabic counterpart, the most :( She helped me through many days when I needed to bend someone's ear. I asked her the questions I couldn't ask anyone else about the culture and she gladly shared her wealth of knowledge. (When Arabic teachers say that you are their sister, they love you and feel very close to you...a compliment ;) ) She is my sister. :)
The good news is....I'm going on my first trip since being here. Only 8 days until school is out and leave 6:45 am the next morning to fly out of Abu Dhabi to head to Frankfurt. Two of my friends and I are going to Germany for 10 days. Side trips to Switzerland and France are a possibility. We will rent a car and drive throughout the country. I"M SO EXCITED. Really ready to see something other than desert sand and palm trees (This coming from a girl who LOVES the beach).
I'm super excited to be going home for almost a month. Looking forward to seeing all my family and friends and dining at my favorite spots in the US. Strange the things you miss: white queso dip, Mexican food in general, Chic-Fila (haven't eaten at new one in Cordele), pizza with real pepperoni, and countless others. Have my WalMart list and Teacher Supply store list all together. Now, all I have to do is wait...Patience has never been one of my virtures :) Until we meet again :)
