Well, I must admit that leaving the US was much harder than I thought it would be. Had many good times with family and friends and just wanted more. The flight was long and bumpy with lots of turbulence. Must say that for the first time I felt a little sick and really just wanted the plane to land....quickly. Next time will definitely take something before flying! My friend, Andrea Brown, and her parents picked me up in Abu Dhabi around 31 hours after leaving the US, including the time change. Very nice meeting Mr. Randy and Mrs.Clara....think she and I talked the whole way home. I think we are very much alike :)
First thing I did after arriving at my apartment was take a bath and get on my comfy pjs. Felt like I left 3 pounds of sweat and grime in the tub! Went to bed around 11:00 and woke up at 11 the next morning here. Felt like I imagine a hard night of partying would feel like in the light of day....head hurting, thirsty, and not quite sure where I was and what time it was. Went to the refrigerator and opened up realizing I had done a great job of cleaning it out before leaving....not one single diet coke in the house. For those of you who know me well, know this is a 911 situation...don't drink coffee. Decided to put on clothes and walk to Abela for the "nectar of the Gods" aka Coca Cola Light. I must have looked like I felt because the produce man said you just get back. Nodded my head,grabbed a Diet Coke, a few necessities, and made a hasty exit.
On the walk back, realized that the weather had started to change since leaving. It was cloudy, gloomy, and windy...much like a Fall day in the US. By the time I came back to my apartment, the rental car company was there to deliver my rental (I turned it in for maintenance when leaving for the holidays). All the rental cars from United Car Rentals contain a fire extinguisher and a jack kit. He has to show you all these things and there are several pages you must sign. He was very thorough...that means long-winded....and I signed and went upstairs, had some diet coke, a snack, and tried to make myself stay up. Well, the next few hours and days are a blur.
Jet Lag is difficult to get over because there are 9 hours difference in the UAE and the US. When I'm sleeping, you working. When you sleeping, I working. The most difficult part is learning to eat and sleep on the time zone you're in. I would wake up at the most random times 2:00 am and be starving. Well guess what, that's 5:00 pm in the US. Sleeping was a challenge for at least a week and I really struggled to get back on the UAE schedule.
I arrived home late Thursday night and began my first day of work on Sunday. Some people came back a week early and others came back the night before. No matter when you came back, the jet lag was hitting us all. Remember how tired you feel when you go back to work after a long vacation...I call this the "holidays hangover". Students and teachers alike really struggled with this. Several days passed and the teachers and students came to school and actually looked awake! Like in the US, the students seem to have forgotten everything they learned before the holidays. These children have heard very little English over the break and have had very few rules, so needed to start like the first day with rules and looking at me when we talk.
English is read left to right and Arabic is right to left. Directionality is a issue here. Even the books are stapled together different-Arabic opens to the right and English opens to the left. Students have to learn to write names in Arabic and English. They confuse which side of the page to start on and often write their names backwards when writing in English. Before Christmas, I felt really strongly that we had made real progress in the area of directionality....well, not so much since the break. Back to square one....Only took about a week for the students to begin to show signs of remembering what we'd learned earlier. We have much to learn before the end of the year, so I have to remind myself they will make it. Just lots of hard work ahead! I have truly been blessed with sweetest group of students....I love them and they love me! This week was easier than last week and hopefully next week will be even better. Have to get myself back on a schedule of going to bed, eating on time, and just settling in.
The weather here is really changing! In past blogs, I've discussed the students wearing parkas, gloves, caps, etc. Well, this week, the weather has warranted a sweater or coat. When I leave on the bus at 5:45, it is very cool standing outside and the bus in drafty, so I have a blanket for snuggling and napping. The mornings are very foggy and windy. In America, we have a phone tree for when it snows or when school closes. In the UAE, we have a fog tree. In Al Wagan, the town where I work, we drive into the desert every morning. The fog may not be bad in Al Ain, but as we drive out into the desert, it becomes thicker. I've heard there could be times when we have to pull over because of the dense fog. The fog tree is to be used in case we pull over and will be late for school. The desert is colder, windier (word?), and foggier than Al Ain. In the summer it will be hotter!
In the UAE, the air conditioning units are huge! In my apartment, there is a unit on the wall for each room (kind of like air conditioners in America for one room). Bad news is there is no heat component to the units in all of our apartments. Cool, damp, tile floors can really make you sick if you're not careful. I'm lucky because I bought a really thick comforter and lots of thick socks. During the day it gets up to the 70's, so I turn my unit off and let the apartment heat naturally and haven't been really cold yet. Who would've thunk it would ever get cold in the desert? Very cool once the sun goes down and wind seems to pick up too.
This week has gone by quickly and has been a "normal" week in the UAE. Hopefully next week will have something more exciting to talk about.....Thursday is the prophet Mohammed's birthday and there is a school holiday....what can I find to do? Love to all my family and friends....until we meet again!
First thing I did after arriving at my apartment was take a bath and get on my comfy pjs. Felt like I left 3 pounds of sweat and grime in the tub! Went to bed around 11:00 and woke up at 11 the next morning here. Felt like I imagine a hard night of partying would feel like in the light of day....head hurting, thirsty, and not quite sure where I was and what time it was. Went to the refrigerator and opened up realizing I had done a great job of cleaning it out before leaving....not one single diet coke in the house. For those of you who know me well, know this is a 911 situation...don't drink coffee. Decided to put on clothes and walk to Abela for the "nectar of the Gods" aka Coca Cola Light. I must have looked like I felt because the produce man said you just get back. Nodded my head,grabbed a Diet Coke, a few necessities, and made a hasty exit.
On the walk back, realized that the weather had started to change since leaving. It was cloudy, gloomy, and windy...much like a Fall day in the US. By the time I came back to my apartment, the rental car company was there to deliver my rental (I turned it in for maintenance when leaving for the holidays). All the rental cars from United Car Rentals contain a fire extinguisher and a jack kit. He has to show you all these things and there are several pages you must sign. He was very thorough...that means long-winded....and I signed and went upstairs, had some diet coke, a snack, and tried to make myself stay up. Well, the next few hours and days are a blur.
Jet Lag is difficult to get over because there are 9 hours difference in the UAE and the US. When I'm sleeping, you working. When you sleeping, I working. The most difficult part is learning to eat and sleep on the time zone you're in. I would wake up at the most random times 2:00 am and be starving. Well guess what, that's 5:00 pm in the US. Sleeping was a challenge for at least a week and I really struggled to get back on the UAE schedule.
I arrived home late Thursday night and began my first day of work on Sunday. Some people came back a week early and others came back the night before. No matter when you came back, the jet lag was hitting us all. Remember how tired you feel when you go back to work after a long vacation...I call this the "holidays hangover". Students and teachers alike really struggled with this. Several days passed and the teachers and students came to school and actually looked awake! Like in the US, the students seem to have forgotten everything they learned before the holidays. These children have heard very little English over the break and have had very few rules, so needed to start like the first day with rules and looking at me when we talk.
English is read left to right and Arabic is right to left. Directionality is a issue here. Even the books are stapled together different-Arabic opens to the right and English opens to the left. Students have to learn to write names in Arabic and English. They confuse which side of the page to start on and often write their names backwards when writing in English. Before Christmas, I felt really strongly that we had made real progress in the area of directionality....well, not so much since the break. Back to square one....Only took about a week for the students to begin to show signs of remembering what we'd learned earlier. We have much to learn before the end of the year, so I have to remind myself they will make it. Just lots of hard work ahead! I have truly been blessed with sweetest group of students....I love them and they love me! This week was easier than last week and hopefully next week will be even better. Have to get myself back on a schedule of going to bed, eating on time, and just settling in.
The weather here is really changing! In past blogs, I've discussed the students wearing parkas, gloves, caps, etc. Well, this week, the weather has warranted a sweater or coat. When I leave on the bus at 5:45, it is very cool standing outside and the bus in drafty, so I have a blanket for snuggling and napping. The mornings are very foggy and windy. In America, we have a phone tree for when it snows or when school closes. In the UAE, we have a fog tree. In Al Wagan, the town where I work, we drive into the desert every morning. The fog may not be bad in Al Ain, but as we drive out into the desert, it becomes thicker. I've heard there could be times when we have to pull over because of the dense fog. The fog tree is to be used in case we pull over and will be late for school. The desert is colder, windier (word?), and foggier than Al Ain. In the summer it will be hotter!
In the UAE, the air conditioning units are huge! In my apartment, there is a unit on the wall for each room (kind of like air conditioners in America for one room). Bad news is there is no heat component to the units in all of our apartments. Cool, damp, tile floors can really make you sick if you're not careful. I'm lucky because I bought a really thick comforter and lots of thick socks. During the day it gets up to the 70's, so I turn my unit off and let the apartment heat naturally and haven't been really cold yet. Who would've thunk it would ever get cold in the desert? Very cool once the sun goes down and wind seems to pick up too.
This week has gone by quickly and has been a "normal" week in the UAE. Hopefully next week will have something more exciting to talk about.....Thursday is the prophet Mohammed's birthday and there is a school holiday....what can I find to do? Love to all my family and friends....until we meet again!
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