As I come to the end of my second year in the UAE, can't help but reflect upon this experience. Year 1 involved more assimilating to the culture. Year two was the settling in year and becoming more comfortable in my own skin. Being so far away from your family can be very daunting at times. Having a strong support system is so important. God has placed people in my life that have given me words of encouragement, support, and hugs when needed. This year has been very challenging for a lot of reasons, but I survived and did very well.
My administrators decided my skill could be used better in Cycle 1 (Grade 1-5). I looped up with my children from KG2. One class on the boys side and one class on the girls side of the school (Remember KG is the only place where boys and girls are educated together). I had to cart all my centers from one side to the next and set up two classrooms. The first two months almost sent me over the edge, but I came up with a system and figured it out. LOVE my children and wouldn't give anything for the experience of working with them again.
As the year progressed, I became a model for other teachers in using the New School Model and having a true center-based approach to teaching. I love the people I work with and they are my sisters....I'm very close to them. There are people from all over the world in my school. I enjoy talking with them and learning about their cultures and the difference in what words mean in different countries. When we had a potluck at school, everyone brought something this week and the array of food was astonishing. Everyone wants you to try their food and they are all shoving it on my plate. I tried it all...must say I'm more adventurous about trying new foods. Need to walk a little extra this week :)
We have two more weeks of school before breaking for summer. Ramadan will begin tomorrow morning. Muslims will fast from sunrise to sunset...no food or water. After sunset, they have huge feasts called iftar. Think Thanksgiving meal size helpings. They do this for 30 days. Tomorrow will be interesting at school. This is the first time we've been in school during Ramadan since I came here. We will be respectful and not eat or drink in the presence of Muslims during fasting hours. School hours will be reduced because fasting makes you very tired. Restaurants will be closed during the middle of the day and will open around 7 pm when locals can eat and are open for extended hours (til early in the morning hours). Looking forward to experiencing this....no worries...I'm still a Southern Baptist :)
As this year comes to an end, I'm sad to see some of my friends return to their home countries never to return to the UAE. People come in and out of your life here. Most only staying a few years. However short the time, they make a big impact. Since many of us don't have family here, we become each others UAE family. I wish all my friends good luck and send you away with lots of love and light from me.
Here are some of my favorite pictures from this year:
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| My favorite dress for work. I feel like a "princess". |
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| Spending Christmas with Nicole, Alex, and Ethan. Thanks for making me a part of your family :) |
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| The long bus ride to school. |
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| Dune bashing....LOVE! |
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| Beautiful! |
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| Dressed as Grandma for Little Red Riding Hood. My children loved my outfit and talked about it for days :) |
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| Learning to use chopsticks and my first sushi. |
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| My first brunch. Teresa, Beth, Latoya, and I. |
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| Jenny and Beth....best friends. Jenny we will miss you! |
Next year promises to be a year of discovery for me. I have been promoted to Head of Faculty (HOF) in the UAE. This position is similar to the Academic Coach job I recently held in the US. I'm super proud of myself because I returned to the classroom here after being in admin for 10 year and had a very successful experience. I've always prided myself in not forgetting what its like to be in the classroom...where the rubber meets the road. Experiencing teaching here is very different than anything I've ever taught in the US. Strategies that work in US don't work here. Made me really think on my feet. I look forward to moving into this new position and doing whatever I can to help teachers.
I ask for your continued prayers in having God use me for his will. I truly believe I'm supposed to be here....for what reason, I'm not sure. God knows. I'm listening and keeping an open mind about his path for me. I look forward to coming home July 11-Aug 18ish and seeing my family and friends. El Girasol, Smoakies, and all my favorite restaurants are on my "to do" list. Would love to visit with as many people as possible. On July 11, my US number will work. If you would like to visit, just call or message. Look forward to seeing your smiling faces :) Until we meet again :)
