This week has been filled with much emotion. On Sunday, my school week began with a bang. At 7:30, my telephone started ringing and then 3 text messages came one after the other. I'm already at school by now, but have no children yet. Decided that something must be important, so I checked the phone. There was a number I didn't recognize in missed calls and 3 text messages from the same number. Turns out the person calling was someone from my next door neighbor's school. She had not shown up for work this morning and she'd been sick last week. This person was concerned that something had happened to C. Immediately I called back and let the person know that I hadn't seen her all weekend. C usually goes to church on Friday (that's our Sunday) and spends time with her friends. C and I speak in the hall and check on each other. When I cook in my crock pot, I always shared with her....don't know how to cook for 1. C doesn't cook, so nice to be able to see her smile when I hand her the bowl. She brings me dessert....good plan, right?
C's friend came to our apartment building on Sunday to see if C was okay. No one was home. Friend called me again and asked if I had any way to contact C. I pm'ed her in Facebook and she answered me sometime during the day. She was tired of being sick and missed her family, so C went back the USA. I will miss seeing C's smiling face, her Southern accent, and her checking on me. It's awful quiet next door. Who will I share my food with?
My HOF (Head of Faculty) notified us that we will have to give a pre-test to all of our students in English. General K stuff.....letter identification, sounds, colors, shapes, numbers, counting, etc. All directions are given in English....needless to say, my students are going to show so much growth by the end of the year. A majority of the students know the letters and numbers I've taught , so there's a bright spot! During snack time, one of my students held up his banana and said "buh nah nuh" in his best Southern accent....I was one proud Momma! :) You have to find joy in the little things...that's what makes life interesting! Life is about the stories!
Speaking of stories.....a certain friend of mine, Andrea Brown, is having her 21st birthday again this year on Saturday!!!! In honor of this monumental moment, we had a spa afternoon...hot rock massages, haircut for Andrea, and a spa pedicure for me. I was lucky enough to have my massage first. The 98 lb. young lady who gave my massage had "magic" fingers. She removed all my tension and worries from the week and made my back feel the best its felt in years. She even massaged my face with warm rocks....sinus opened right up...AH!!!!
Next, I took a shower and went for my spa pedicure. Anyone who knows me well, knows that I don't like people touching my feet....creeps me out. In the UAE, your feet get extremely dirty and dry. I understand why people always washed feet as a sign of hospitality in bible days. It's dry and dusty here and your feet show it. Most people wear sandals/open toed shoes. The skin on your feet gets extremely dry...no matter how much lotion you put on your feet. Since moving here, I treat myself to a pedicure every two weeks. The last time I came, the pedicure lady looked at my feet and well....she said I needed major work :) I signed up for a parrafin and spa pedicure for this visit. Normal pedicure, special treatments for my feet (nice oils and lots of scrubbing) plus a parrafin (wax) dip for your feet. Think of it like dipping an apple into the caramel to make a caramel apple....yep, it was hot.....Then, she wraps your feet in plastic bags, insulated shoes, and warm towels. Then, you sit and wait for it to cool. Must admit that I fell asleep. When she came back, she peeled the wax from my feet and shazam....my feet were as soft as a baby's bottom!!!! Some of you may have already had this experience, but I'm sheltered! This is a definite do again......Maybe someone touching my feet isn't so bad after all. :)
Well, I've been in Al Ain since September 2 and no school holidays yet. Our first holidays are coming up...woo hoo!!!! (picture me doing the happy dance!) EID is coming up. My next post will discuss EID in detail, but for now, you need to know that it's an Islamic holiday. Everything here is based upon when the moon. When it is sighted, the official days of the holiday are set and fasting occurs for 10 days (not me!). EID is a celebration to mark the end of the fasting and a time to give thanks for what you have and to share with those who are less fortunate than you. There are big feasts and families get together and travel great distances to see relatives they haven't seen in a while..sounds like Thanksgiving in America...except here, goat is the meat of choice instead of turkey (I will not be partaking!). There are BIG sales on electronics and other items and everyone and his brother and his brother will be out shopping for deals....yep, still sounds like Thanksgiving.
The weather will begin to change and a little cooling will occur. Hanaa says that weather will begin to change and we will need a jacket in the early morning and if I go out at night. During the day, it will be more like 75-80 instead of 100....waiting to see this. I know there is at least one more EID celebration in the Spring, so I associate EID with changing of the seasons too....not sure if this is correct, but that's how I link it up. Next week I will tell you more after EID has passed and I've lived through it. The good news is that next week, we go to school Sun-Wed. Thursday-Sunday are school holidays.....that means two 4 day weeks...woo hoo!!!
C's friend came to our apartment building on Sunday to see if C was okay. No one was home. Friend called me again and asked if I had any way to contact C. I pm'ed her in Facebook and she answered me sometime during the day. She was tired of being sick and missed her family, so C went back the USA. I will miss seeing C's smiling face, her Southern accent, and her checking on me. It's awful quiet next door. Who will I share my food with?
My HOF (Head of Faculty) notified us that we will have to give a pre-test to all of our students in English. General K stuff.....letter identification, sounds, colors, shapes, numbers, counting, etc. All directions are given in English....needless to say, my students are going to show so much growth by the end of the year. A majority of the students know the letters and numbers I've taught , so there's a bright spot! During snack time, one of my students held up his banana and said "buh nah nuh" in his best Southern accent....I was one proud Momma! :) You have to find joy in the little things...that's what makes life interesting! Life is about the stories!
Speaking of stories.....a certain friend of mine, Andrea Brown, is having her 21st birthday again this year on Saturday!!!! In honor of this monumental moment, we had a spa afternoon...hot rock massages, haircut for Andrea, and a spa pedicure for me. I was lucky enough to have my massage first. The 98 lb. young lady who gave my massage had "magic" fingers. She removed all my tension and worries from the week and made my back feel the best its felt in years. She even massaged my face with warm rocks....sinus opened right up...AH!!!!
Next, I took a shower and went for my spa pedicure. Anyone who knows me well, knows that I don't like people touching my feet....creeps me out. In the UAE, your feet get extremely dirty and dry. I understand why people always washed feet as a sign of hospitality in bible days. It's dry and dusty here and your feet show it. Most people wear sandals/open toed shoes. The skin on your feet gets extremely dry...no matter how much lotion you put on your feet. Since moving here, I treat myself to a pedicure every two weeks. The last time I came, the pedicure lady looked at my feet and well....she said I needed major work :) I signed up for a parrafin and spa pedicure for this visit. Normal pedicure, special treatments for my feet (nice oils and lots of scrubbing) plus a parrafin (wax) dip for your feet. Think of it like dipping an apple into the caramel to make a caramel apple....yep, it was hot.....Then, she wraps your feet in plastic bags, insulated shoes, and warm towels. Then, you sit and wait for it to cool. Must admit that I fell asleep. When she came back, she peeled the wax from my feet and shazam....my feet were as soft as a baby's bottom!!!! Some of you may have already had this experience, but I'm sheltered! This is a definite do again......Maybe someone touching my feet isn't so bad after all. :)
Well, I've been in Al Ain since September 2 and no school holidays yet. Our first holidays are coming up...woo hoo!!!! (picture me doing the happy dance!) EID is coming up. My next post will discuss EID in detail, but for now, you need to know that it's an Islamic holiday. Everything here is based upon when the moon. When it is sighted, the official days of the holiday are set and fasting occurs for 10 days (not me!). EID is a celebration to mark the end of the fasting and a time to give thanks for what you have and to share with those who are less fortunate than you. There are big feasts and families get together and travel great distances to see relatives they haven't seen in a while..sounds like Thanksgiving in America...except here, goat is the meat of choice instead of turkey (I will not be partaking!). There are BIG sales on electronics and other items and everyone and his brother and his brother will be out shopping for deals....yep, still sounds like Thanksgiving.
The weather will begin to change and a little cooling will occur. Hanaa says that weather will begin to change and we will need a jacket in the early morning and if I go out at night. During the day, it will be more like 75-80 instead of 100....waiting to see this. I know there is at least one more EID celebration in the Spring, so I associate EID with changing of the seasons too....not sure if this is correct, but that's how I link it up. Next week I will tell you more after EID has passed and I've lived through it. The good news is that next week, we go to school Sun-Wed. Thursday-Sunday are school holidays.....that means two 4 day weeks...woo hoo!!!
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