Well, another week down in Al Ain and have settled into a routine. My students are settling in really well and we studied the letter "Mm" this week. The curriculum here has certain words beginning with m which are required (mosque, mouse, mountain, man, etc.). I added Mickey Mouse, M & M's, and several other words. Made a powerpoint with the focus letters and pictures. All the students knew Mickey Mouse and M & M's. Practiced writing, tracing, and saying words with M all week. Thursday came (our Friday) and we had an M & M party to celebrate the end to the M week. We sorted colors using M & M's and had fruit snacks (mango, melon, and milk). The students are doing much better on the sorting and learning the English words for colors. One of my students, Mohammaed, saw that there was an M on the bottom of his shoe and pointed to it and said "M". Then pointed to a lowercase m on the rug....my heart sang!
This week has been filled with lots of chores after school. I picked up my passport with the residency visa inside, which means I'm official. Only thing waiting on is my Emirates ID, which should be coming any time now. I picked up my translated driver's license document on Wednesday and am now ready to go and get my Emirate driver's license and yes......rent a car! Each morning at 5:45, I have a bus which drives me and 10 other teachers to school and returns us home around 4:00 p.m. ABella Supermarket is not far down the street from my apartment and I can shop, buy pork if necessary, send money home, go to a pharmacy, and a dry cleaner. During the week, I usually stick close to home and use cabs sparingly, but cab fares add up. It's difficult to find a taxi here and sometimes have to wait 15 minutes in the heat for one. Trying to decide if I REALLY need a car. Truth is, I miss the convenience of hopping in my car, running errands, and pulling up in the garage with my groceries. I miss listening to my music! Called a car rental place today, which is Friday (our Sunday) and left a message to get more info...torn.
Andrea Brown and I went to dinner last night for our weekly girls night out. We bought slippers! Slippers here are like walking on a hard piece of plywood.....no joke. Last night, we saw soft, fluffy, slippers and snapped them up in a heartbeat. Then went to dinner and had a good time chatting about our week. On the way out of the restaurant, Andrea and I started to talk about all the strange things we've seen here.
When visiting any mall in the UAE, there are LOTS of lingerie shops...and we are talking manneqines in the window with very suggestive sleepwear. There's not one in a mall, but literally 10-20. These women are covered in abaiyas (black outifit) and head is covered with sheala (black scarf). Why are there so many lingerie shops? Arabic women may be very conservative in their public dress, but behind closed doors, not so much! Words of wisdom....never judge a book by its cover.
There are an equal amount of formal dress shops....we are talking over the top floor length formal dresses with lots of rhinestones and glittter, which are worn to weddings. Shoes, shoes, and more shoes.....bedazzled 5 inch heels. Look under the abiayas when women walk and they are wearing these shoes. Perfumaires are everwhere and you can create your own unique perfumes. There's always lots of strange smells in the shopping malls. Perfumes, incense, and lots of other smells are everywhere. Lots of ice cream, donuts, and chocolate shops. People in the UAE love dessert and chocolate.
This week has been filled with lots of chores after school. I picked up my passport with the residency visa inside, which means I'm official. Only thing waiting on is my Emirates ID, which should be coming any time now. I picked up my translated driver's license document on Wednesday and am now ready to go and get my Emirate driver's license and yes......rent a car! Each morning at 5:45, I have a bus which drives me and 10 other teachers to school and returns us home around 4:00 p.m. ABella Supermarket is not far down the street from my apartment and I can shop, buy pork if necessary, send money home, go to a pharmacy, and a dry cleaner. During the week, I usually stick close to home and use cabs sparingly, but cab fares add up. It's difficult to find a taxi here and sometimes have to wait 15 minutes in the heat for one. Trying to decide if I REALLY need a car. Truth is, I miss the convenience of hopping in my car, running errands, and pulling up in the garage with my groceries. I miss listening to my music! Called a car rental place today, which is Friday (our Sunday) and left a message to get more info...torn.
Andrea Brown and I went to dinner last night for our weekly girls night out. We bought slippers! Slippers here are like walking on a hard piece of plywood.....no joke. Last night, we saw soft, fluffy, slippers and snapped them up in a heartbeat. Then went to dinner and had a good time chatting about our week. On the way out of the restaurant, Andrea and I started to talk about all the strange things we've seen here.
When visiting any mall in the UAE, there are LOTS of lingerie shops...and we are talking manneqines in the window with very suggestive sleepwear. There's not one in a mall, but literally 10-20. These women are covered in abaiyas (black outifit) and head is covered with sheala (black scarf). Why are there so many lingerie shops? Arabic women may be very conservative in their public dress, but behind closed doors, not so much! Words of wisdom....never judge a book by its cover.
There are an equal amount of formal dress shops....we are talking over the top floor length formal dresses with lots of rhinestones and glittter, which are worn to weddings. Shoes, shoes, and more shoes.....bedazzled 5 inch heels. Look under the abiayas when women walk and they are wearing these shoes. Perfumaires are everwhere and you can create your own unique perfumes. There's always lots of strange smells in the shopping malls. Perfumes, incense, and lots of other smells are everywhere. Lots of ice cream, donuts, and chocolate shops. People in the UAE love dessert and chocolate.
From this great experience, I've learned to not judge a book by its cover. On the other side of the world, I've met so many interesting people who were nothing like my expectation. I must admit that my eyes have been opened to being more understanding of other cultures. They have traditions just like I do and I don't have to agree with them, but I must respect them. There are many things that are so different than where I live in Georgia. Miss so much from home and I miss my friends, but know that there's a reason I'm here. Hope everyone has a great weekend! Until we meet again!
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