Sometimes Words are Not Enough!

Think back to my last post...Remember how I told you that one day my Arabic counterpart would be out and I would have the children by myself.....well, it happened this week!  Sunday, the first day of my school week, Hanaa fell while standing on a countertop trying to put something on the wall.  She landed on her tailbone and broke it. She was out Monday and Tuesday.  Needless to say, I was worried about her, but worried about me too...I speak very little Arabic and my children speak very little English.  My Head of Faculty came and told me that Hanaa would be out 2-3 or more days.  Honestly, my heart sank to my toes and I felt my stomach do a flip.  In this case, there are no substitutes...I would have them all day by myself.  

Quickly, I started running through my activities for the day in my head. Yesterday we took a tour of the building and talked about all the things we saw with our eyes.  One student was blindfolded and was the "blind" person who couldn't see.  I am really working on building vocabulary through real experiences.  We took pictures with a camera and labeled all the things we saw.  Today, we are talking about hearing.  I prepared a Powerpoint which has an embedded sound and on the following slide, there is a picture and word for the sound (telephone ringing).  There were 24 different sounds because I have 24 students. 

The moment of truth arrives.  As the children lined up in the courtyard, they noticed Hanaa wasn't there.  They lined up quietly and we went inside.  Children put bookbags in the normal spot and headed to the rug.  They followed our morning procedures.  We sang our good morning songs, sand days of the week song, months of the year song, and "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes".  Thus far, our routines have helped them stay on task.  Then we did the activity with sounds Powerpoint....they loved it.  They would tell me the Arabic words for the sounds...or at least I think they were....and I would say the English.  Please know that I am using small words....sit, look, listen, and broken English at best to try to get them to understand me.  By the end of the Sound Powerpoint, I had worked up a sweat!  Thought I was having a "FLASH" and then realized the air conditioner wasn't working.....I thought "what else could go wrong????" 

Then, I went to click on my "Rainbow Fish" video link and the computer freezes.  I have to restart and by this time the children are chatting with each other in Arabic...have no idea what they are saying.  Two boys get into a disagreement because one bumped into the other one and it's on.  They start shoving each other and I say "La, La (No, No)" and move them away from each other.  I turn around and there's a girl sitting in my chair at the computer and is punching buttons...guess what...the computer is frozen again.  I say "La, La (No, No) and tell her to sit on rug.  By this time.....sweat is in places ladies don't discuss and I take a deep breath.  Start clapping a pattern and they copy me.  They are back on track.  We sort some pictures by color and then by shape...with a mix of Arabic and English.  Then, there was a smiling face at my door.  One of my fellow teachers came to check on me during her break time.. She said, "Well, you seem to have everything under control!"  I said if only you'd been 10 minutes earlier...not so much.  Then, a few minutes later, my neighbor came to check on me too.  Just seeing a friendly face meant so much.  Finally, the Art teacher came to the door for my break time.  I have never been so happy to see an Arabic person in my whole life! 

I took a much needed drink of water and wiped the sweat from my brow.  Sat down to contemplate Plan B and C or the rest of the day.  One of the Arabic teachers came and volunteered to teach my children an Arabic lesson tomorrow so they wouldn't get behind.  They have to learn 150 Arabic words and sight words this year.  I thanked her up and down and pulled myself together.  When students came back, the day seemed to fly and we made it to the buses safe and sound....My line was not as straight as normal, but I was just glad everyone made it without any major problems.  I dragged my weary body to the room and tried to think about tomorrow. 

I studied up on directional Arabic words, like "stop" (gif) and tried to think about tomorrow's lesson....Smell.  I put things inside ziploc bags to smell (popcorn, tuna, perfume, flowers, etc.).  Some good smells and some bad smells.  Thumbs up for like smell and thumbs down for do not like (we've done this before with other things, so I knew they would understand it).  They didn't like the tuna or my perfume (lol!).  They were much more well behaved today and having an Arabic lesson today with Mrs. Amira really helped.  Before Amira left, I asked her to tell them two things.....Shukran (Thank you)  for listening and helping Mrs. Christine learn Arabic.  The children laughed!  We had a much better day!  Needless to say, by the time I walked all the children to the bus, I was whipped.  I turned around and started walking back from the buses.  From nowhere, one of my students who was standing with her nanny started running toward me saying "Mrs. Christine!Mrs. Christine!" with her arms wide open.  She almost knocked me down she hugged my legs so hard! Thank you, Lord!  Shamsa loves me!  So needed this after my tough two days :) 

The good new is Hanaa was back on Wednesday and bad newis is she  has a broken tail bone.  Six months to heal and pain medicine is nowhere as strong as American drugs.  She's one tough lady!  I hugged her when she came in on Wednesday.  Never been so glad to see someone!  Good news for me is that I could've been a weak person and given in when the going got tough, but I didn't.  That which doesn't kill us makes us stronger.  I have a long way to go, but definitely grown as a person and as a teacher this week.  All things are possible through Christ who strengthens me! 

My Week, Memorable Moments, Church

This has been a very hard week for me....personally.  At school, I've been teaching All About Me-My Family.  We discussed the differences in what an American family might look like and an Arabic family might look like.  Introduced vocabulary-mother (momma), father (poppa), brother, sister, grandma, grandpa and read Goldilocks and the Three Bears this week (They've  never heard before).  Five Little Monkeys was one of my students' favorite songs this week. Students are beginning to find letters in environmental print (around the room, on fronts of books, etc.).  They seem eager to learn new things....little sponges. 

As a teacher, there are moments you will never forget.  Well, I had a first in Al Ain.  The first Arabic child threw up in my classroom....I know its gross, but all teachers can relate.  There's a virus going around.  The child that was sick speaks very little English and he just stood there stunned...like it didn't really happen.  I tried to be the calm and help clean up.  The cleaners (janitorial staff) don't have the antibacterial sawdust, so they just come and mop.  They don't use as many chemicals as we do in America. I found antibacterial wipes and cleaned up quickly and Hanaa took him to the school nurse.  We have 2 full-time nurses and they do complete physicals for the children once a year.  They keep records of illness and yes, check for bugs....

Up until this point, I have felt good about what I'd taught my students and thought they understood what I was saying.  Well....not so much. I had a moment.....one that scared me.  Hanaa left the room to take the student to the nurse and I was alone with 23 five year olds who have extremely limited English.  Not thinking, I just started talking to my students if they were native English speakers.  Giving directions and talking about our next activity.  They looked at me as if I was speaking a foreign language......I was!  Then I said to myself....they don't understand you....what was I thinking.  Then two little boys started hitting each other and I said "La,"which means NO! He seemed shocked that I spoke an Arabic word, then he turned right back and hit the boy again.  I went and moved him from the circle and told him La, La, La.  If they don't understand the first time, you say it longer and louder, right?  Nope!  When I turned around one girl was on my computer.  I looked as her like...Oh no you didn't!!!!!!  I must have had a look on my face.....you know the Momma look...the girl froze in her tracks.  I moved two more students to chairs and began singing a song I knew we'd been practicing and things calmed down. 

Hanaa came back from the nurse's station and I told her what happened.  Hanaa translated my words to them and we had church with them about listening to me even when she wasn't there....This was very sobering to me.  In America, my classrooms had very good discipline.  Here, the language barrier is a problem.  In KG1(4 year olds) and KG2(5 year olds), there is an English and Arabic teacher in the room because they know very little to no English.  I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.....I know very little Arabic and there's going to be a day that Hanaa is sick and I'm going to have them by myself all day with a language barrier.  Have to rethink.  Sit, Stand, Look, Listen, Table, Color, Pencil, Good Morning, Hello, Teacher, Miss, Mrs. Christine, La (No), Sway Sway (Slow in Arabic....they like to run here), and Moffi (Zero or none in Arabic) are phrases I know they understand.  I was trying to treat this like native English speakers.  Next week, I will work on adding more English words to their vocabulary and more Arabic words to mine.

This week as I talked about family with my students, homesickness has crept in.  Skype has not been working for me since I left Abu Dhabi and moved to Al Ain...about 6 weeks.  I Facebook and call my family a lot, but "seeing" them is so important.  Evan, an American who helps us with technology issues, has been working so hard and there have been problems like before I left home, my computer crashed a week before leaving for Abu Dhabi.  Geek Squad in Warner Robins helped me get a new computer up and running in 2 days...fully loaded.  All I had to do was turn it on.  Bought an extra router to bring with me so I could talk to my family on Skype.  Skype is not downloadable here, so must be done before leaving home and extra router makes Skype think I'm in America! On Friday morning at 5:00am  my time (9:00pm Thursday night in Georgia-I'm 8 hours ahead), I finally Skyped Dan and was able to "see" him.  Made everything better.  Let's see who really reads my blog....Dan wanted to keep it a surprise, but I'm coming home for Christmas holidays.  The girls were coming to see me, but they have to work. 

I am not sure if I have talked about the Muslims here or not.  Religion is very meaningful to them here and all children are trained in Islam and National Studies from KG1 on up until graduation.  Each day, all students have 40 minutes of study in Islam and study about their country.  The Arabic teacher teaches this lesson in Arabic each day.  The teaching of religion is allowed in school....nice idea. I have no idea what Hanaa is teaching them, but there are lots of songs and the children know the words.  She teaches them about prayer and Mohammed each day....just guessing...I don't speak Arabic.  I sit at the back and do crowd control while she teaches Islam.  Hanaa told me that she is going to teach prophets later.  Muslims believe that Noah, Abraham, Jesus, and Mohammad were prophets.  Muslims recognize the bible, but believe that since Mohammad was the last prophet, he was given the Quoran, which is the last information given to the people. She will teach the children about Abraham and Isaac, Noah and the Flood, and other bible stories I will know.  She says they will be very similar.  I've been in the UAE since August 8 and Islam symbols are everywhere.  Each morning, I sit and listen to my children and Hanaa recite scriptures and other Islam songs.  It makes me want to find a church where I can worship.  I miss singing and listening to the message from my pastor. 

Andrea got her car this week and we discussed going to church on Friday (Sunday in America).  There is one church that is not Islamic, Catholic, or Mormon (my next door neighbor is a Morman).  A friend from Andrea's school invited her to come to the Al Ain Evangelical Church and I tagged along.  Got up early this morning, dressed for church, and headed out.  This church has two services-9:00 and 11:00.  We went to the 11.  This church was a warm place where everyone cares about each other.  They act like a church family.  Reminds me of home.  There was almost a full house.  The preacher's wife, Cathleen, came up and introduced herself and welcomed us.  We had 20 different people come up and welcome us even before the service started.  There was a church member that had a fire and the church reached out to them and bought new furniture the her apartment.  One member who is from America died in childbirth....very sad story and the church is having her memorial service tomorrow.  The baby lived and the church is helping her husband with getting her home.  I feel such a sense of community in this church. 

As a good old Southern Baptist, I was prepared for the traditional 54 1/2 minutes service.  Leave early so you can get to the restaurant early.  Watches start going off at 11:55 and everyone gets mad when the preacher is long-winded....just being real.  Not so much here.  We sang with the praise band for 45 minutes and the preacher spoke for another 45 minutes from Mark.  We studied about the Garden of Gethsemane (sp).  Rev. Steve, an American from Littleton, Colorado (Columbine), is our pastor.  He did a great job by linking the heat here to his sermon.  We have to prepare for the heat....here, you don't go anywhere without water.  As a teacher, you make plans before going in the classroom.  Jesus prepared for what he was going to face at Galgotha (?) by praying in the garden. When bad things happen, be prepared to stand up for what you believe in. It was so good to be able to worship with others who believe in Jesus as the Savior...not a prophet.  "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!" Time flew during the service and I hardly knew that almost two hours had passed.  Definitely going back next week!  Feel rejuvenated and ready for another week in the UAE.  Until we meet again! 

 

Never Judge a Book by Its Cover!

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. 

 

 

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!  

First Two Weeks of School and the Kleenex Lady Returns!

The first two weeks of school have been very busy.  Since my last post, ALL of the nannies and mothers have stopped coming in with the children.  Only had one cryer (sp?) last week and by Wednesday, she was smiling and ready to come in the classroom with out tears.....YES!  Been working a lot on teaching the children basic "functional" English....bathroom (hamam), sit, look, listen, boys, girls, good morning, days of the week, months of the year, and really working on procedures in the classroom.  They are beginning to get in the routines and understand more of what I am asking them to do.  I must admit that I LOVE my students....as always, they become part of my family while they are MINE!  In every family there are the good, bad, and ugly!  I must admit that I have about 4 boys that just make you want to pray to Jesus every day, every hour, every minute,...but I still love them anyway! 

On Wednesday, I woke up with a sore throat, fever, clogged nose, and very little voice.  The air-conditioning here is very strong.  When I came home Tuesday from school, I was having a "flash" and turned the air down and forgot to turn it up before going to sleep.  All night the cold air blew on my head and alas.....felt horrible!  Took some Tylenol and Sinus Medicine and hoped for the best.  When I arrived at school, feeling even worse.  My Arabic counterpart took one look at me and said....you don't look good.  I said....Well, thanks Mrs. Hanaaa in my best rasppy (sp?) voice.  She laughed and offered me a cough drop!  By about 9:00, my voice was going downhill and I must admit that I felt like dirt! 

Hanaa taught her Islam studies...Every day for 30 minutes students here have an Islam lesson on their religion and all the importatnt components.  Taught completely in Arabic, I have no idea what she is saying to them.  I must admit that everytime she teaches, I'm impressed with what the children can recite at the age of 5.  They seem so proud and confident when she asks them to repeat parts of the Quoran (at least I think that's what it is).  When she finishes, it's time for breakfast.  No...not cooked by the lunchroom, but brought from home.  Think I've discussed the unhealthiness of the snacks, but it bears repeating.  At 9:40, they eat sandwiches (nutella, cheese, chocolate, or sometimes fruit spreads (figs) ), potato chips, fruit juice, water, chocolate milk, and even chocolate in a tube with a pixie stick....breakfast of champions.  Next week, I'm teaching about the body and healthy eating.  Going to encourage students to bring fruits and drink water....not so much chocolate. 

By the time the students leave, my voice is nonexistent!  I have 12 boys and 12 girls.  Hanaa took the girls and I took the boys.  They were doing a good job until we had to wait for someone to unlock a door so we could go out to the buses.  10 minutes of waiting on the security guard.  They became restless.  Remember boys are harder to handle....On the way to the bus, the boys were off the chain.  I was ready to throw them all away by the time we made it to the bus!  But remember, I love them, so I forgave them before I made it back to my room.....We did have church the next morning and discuss the error of our ways!  Hanaa and I discussed changes for tomorrow and then decided I didn't need to talk anymore. 

As soon as the bus dropped me off, I went to ABella Supermarket, which is just down the street from me.  I don't have a car yet (next week....hopefully) because I have to get my residency visa back before renting a car.  By the time I arrived at ABella, I was voiceless.  Walked into the pharmacy and talked to the pharmacist....well, I tried.  Opened my mouth and tried to talk and nothing came out.  He started asking me questions and I shook my head yes or no.  He gave me an antibiotic and nose rinse.  Told me to go home and rest and....NO TALKING. Gladly, I went home, put on my pajamas and crawled in my bed.  30 minutes later, my doorbell rang.  It was IKEA.  They brought the cover to my sofa.  I answered the door in my pjs....He smiled.  Women here cover everything, so I'm sure I embarrassed him (pjs, socks, and blanket).  Next day, I bought a robe! 

Thursday when I woke, laid there trying to decide if I needed to go to school...Well, starting a new job, want to show them I'm committed, so I decided to go to school.  Took my antibiotic, nose spray, Tylenol, Kleenex and headed for the bus. Slept the entire way to work and felt a little better. 

While living in Georgia, I was allergic to everything green and everything that blooms.  My nose constantly drips and I carry Kleenex with me everywhere.  At the Crisp County Academic Coach meetings, I was famous for having a box of Kleenex with me...Since moving here, my allergies have been nonexistent.  Well, on Thursday, my nose ran all day long and I had a little bit of voice back today.  The children were as good as possible and we made it through the 2nd week of school.  Today is Friday and I'm feeling much better.  The antibiotics are kicking in and I am going to move my bed around so the air isn't blowing on my head as much....lesson learned! 

I feel a sense of accomplishment after completing my first two weeks of school.  I survived!  Bonded with my students and my Arabic counterpart.  Learned to use a computer that types in English and Arabic.  Started trying to make a new schedule  At the end of my typing, looked up and it was all in Arabic...freaked me out.  Arabic begins on the right and goes left. English goes left to right.  Hanaa saw the look on my face and began to laugh.  She said, "What's wrong, Mrs. Christine, you don't read Arabic?"  I said, "No habla Arabic!"  The keyboard is split and can shift between the two languages.  There's also a button on the toolbar that transitions between Arabic and English.  Thought for a minute I was going to have to learn Arabic!

Next week, we start centers and a new schedule so this will be challenging. Half of the centers will be in English and the other half in Arabic.  Fingers crossed! Hopefully tomorrow I will get a P.O. Box and Dan can send me a goodie box from home filled with all the things I miss or can't find here (hint, hint, Dan!).  Until we meet again! 

My Second Day, Nannies, and Meetings

At 4:30 each morning, I wake to prepare for the ride to Al Wagan (Wagon).  Conveniently, loud speakers begin to play the first call to prayer for Muslims at this precise time.  There are 5 times during the day when music will begin to play on loud speakers in the streets, in malls, and on tv.  This is a 15 minute reminder that they have to pray.  There are prayer rooms in malls and schools for men and separate rooms for women.

At 5:40, my bus pulls up and I climb on.  The morning ride is either filled with laughter or silence.  We either sleep or talk about our evening or funny things that happened at school.  We have several stops along the way and arrived at school @7:00.  My school is a co-ed.  Boys on one side and girls on the other.  Only Kindergarten classes have mixed boys and girls.  At 7:15, the boys have an assembly and some of the teachers on my bus teach boys, so we have to be at school early.  When I arrive, there are already nannies sitting outside my door with children....school doesn't start until 8:20.  Children are running up and down the halls and it is very loud.  I'm wondering how did these people get down this hall??????  There are 4 full time security guards at the school at all times and there is one who stays there at night.  My Head of Faculty (Academic Coach) locks the side doors to a courtyard that the nannies used to get in...security guard unlocked it for the day.  She tells me to put a sign on my door that says 8:20 (numbers are the same in any language,,,Most nannies are from other countries and speak broken English.) 

At 8:20, I open the door and the children enter.  Practice putting bookbags/backpacks at the back of the room and attempt to tell nannies they can go.  About half of the nannies leave and go home.  The others sit outside in the hall and watch us through the glass walls.  Most of the mothers leave within the first 15 minutes, but they sit outside in the hall and watch.  The rooms echo like open classrooms and they can hear every word I say and I can hear my neighbor too!  Give smiley face stickers to those who come in, put bookbags up, go to seat, and get started on activity at table.  Without any words, they quickly figure out that they can earn stickers for doing what I ask....GOOD!!!!  Then  we practice cleaning up and coming to the rug for circle time.  Review rules and talk about how well they did coming in.  Introduced the calendar and showed them a picture of my family and talked about them.  Hanaa (my Arabic teacher) and I are really getting in a groove with the translating.  I say a sentence in English and then she says it in Arabic.  Really working on having them look at me when I'm talking and listening to me in English.  (Imagine someone is speaking French in a room and an English person is translating for you....naturally, you would wait and look at the English person waiting on her to translate.) 

Around 9:30, we stop for breakfast. There is no lunchroom lady here.  The children bring a packed breakfast from home each day. I ask the children to return to their chairs and by tables I ask them to go and get their breakfast.  Once I start calling the tables and the audience of mothers and nannies see we are eating breakfast, the flood gates open and they come in wanting to help children unpack their breakfasts.  In my nicest voice, I told them....we got this!  Asked them to wait outside...Hanaa is translating for me.  These children are used to someone waiting on them hand and foot.  They sit there waiting on someone to unpack their food.  Well, there are 23 of them and 2 of us, so we will teach them some survival skills....Told them to unpack food and put on tables.  We eat bagels, poptarts, scrambled eggs, fruit, and yogurt....not here.  There are chips, chocolate (very big here), sandwiches with fruit inside and something that looks like nutella or cheese sandwiches (very big here), flavored milk, and fruit juice.  None of the children know how to open the straws for juice boxes or milk because nannies do this for them....we taught them how today.  When we finished eating, it looked like a war zone.....They are not used to cleaning up behind themselves...again, we taught them how today. 

Then, we prepare for dismissal at 10:00 (for the first two weeks).   The children did better than yesterday and are learning the dismissal procedures.  After the students leave, we have KG meeting discussing numbers.  Each class has between 21 and 28.  One of the Arabic teachers took 2 students without them enrolling in the office....then she complained because she had too many children.  She knows the family and thought it was okay.  Parents want cousins, brothers, second cousins removed....to all be together and will tell the teachers anything to get them in a class.  Our Head of Faculty explained to Arabic teachers that this was not okay.  American teachers knew better.  Maximum class size is supposed to be 23.  We will  probably get a new teacher from ADEC. After a 2 hour meeting, I finally get to go back to my room and clean up, decorate some, put up my class list, and prepare for tomorrow.  Oh...and American teachers, I don't have a stapler, tape dispenser, construction paper, writing paper, or scissors.  I must buy my own.  There are very little materials here.  What I wouldn't give to go to the supplies closet and go shopping!!!!

At 1:30, the rest of the school is dismissed for the day.  We have another faculty meeting until 2:45 and then the long ride home.  I drag my weary body from the bus around 4:00 and collapse onto my bed!  Took a 30 minute nap!  Had a turkey sandwich for supper(still no stove) and headed to bed at 8:00.  Know I'm on schedule because the 5th call to prayer is playing in the background.  It was a long, tiring day, but I felt good about my accomplishments. 

 

The Long Drive Into the Desert, Social Hour, and Meeting New Friends

In Abu Dhabi, the school week runs Sunday through Thursday.  Friday is the sabbath almost all stores are closed until after lunch and some don't open at all. So, Saturday night, I didn't sleep well anticipating the first day of school....just like in Cordele.  Sunday morning at 5:40 a.m. (I am not kidding!), I was picked up by an airconditioned bus with 10 other lady teachers from my school.  If you are housed more than 50 km away from your school, ADEC provides transportation to and from your school.  The bus I ride is a cross between a small school bus and a greyhound...comfy seats and room to stretch out.  The ladies who ride the bus are lots of fun and make the early mornings very enjoyable.  We are headed to Al Wagan (pronounced Wagon) which is a co-ed school.  Boys on one half of the school and girls on the other.  There is a special wing for the KG1 and KG2 classes.  KG1 is ages 2-4(yep!) and KG2 are 5 years old.  KG2 is more like a pre-k at the beginning and builds into kindergarten material.  The building is new, so the rooms are very pretty and the have glass walls so everyone can see and hear what the children are doing. 

The night before school, my Head of Faculty called to let me know that I would be a floater for the day and help as needed.  When I arrived at school on Sunday, they had assigned me a KG2 homeroom.  Remember, I've never even seen the school before today.  Is the door decorated? Are the bulletin boards done?  Do I know how to find the bathroom?  NO!  For a moment, I went.....WHAT!  Then I realized that I was famous for saying I could teach school if I only had a dry erase marker and a board.  Well...today might be that day.  Fortunately, in KG2, there is an Arabic teacher and an English teacher because the students are so young and just learning a new language.  My Arabic counterpart, Hanaa (pronounced like Hannah) had some things in her centers that I put into baskets for the early arrivers.  Parents always want to talk and you don't want to leave the children without something to do.  I found crayons, pencils, etc.  and tried to come up with a game plan for the day.  Hanaa came in about 20 minutes later and told me not to worry that the children would trickle in today and be prepared for them to interrupt the class (just like America).  I couldn't help but feel at knot in the back of my throat...this was real!  Children were about to come in my room...did I still have it?  I've been out of the classroom for almost 9 years! 

When the doors opened to let parents into our hall, it was like open house in American schools.  Huge crowds of people coming down the hall like a herd of cattle with screaming children in tow!  There are mothers and nannies bringing children!  In Abu Dhabi, nannies literally raise children and in some families spend more time with them than their parents.  Most of the nannies are not Emirates (as we would say in Georgia...foreigners) and speak broken English. They often become nannies as a way to acquire housing and to be able to send back money to the family.  Most nannies are live-in here and work 6-7 days a week 24 hours a day (no kidding).  There are nannies that are sponsored by a family and are "legal" and then there are others who are not.  Some nannies are part of the family and others are treated very poorly and look miserable.  Many of the children think of the nanny as Mom. 

Class lists are posted outside the door, but there's last minute changes (nothing new!).  Parents,children, and nannies rush up and down the hall looking for their babies' teacher.  Most children are looped with last year's teacher between KG1 and KG2.  Since I am "new", I have an assortment (always fun!).  KG1 and 2 are mixed classes (boys and girls) and this is the only grades that this will occur.  The Arabic parents are trying to communicate with me, but no habla Arabic.  Thank goodness for Hanaa.  She knows most of the parents and the children from last year.  These parents don't know me, so I'm the "new" teacher and no one ever wants the "new" teacher.  Everyone wants to be in the same class with all 20 of their best friends (just like America). 

Since the children are so young, it's like pre-k and K.  Most of the children were fine, but there were some cryers (sp.?) who hold onto mom's abaya or the nanny's hand and are very shy. After some coaxing, all the children are at the tables enjoying playing with blocks and other toys and I'm thinking the grown ups are leaving......NOPE!  I have a room of about 22 students and there are 12 mothers with some small children sitting in the front corner of my room while I'm trying to get the children settled.  I begin talking about who I am, where I came from, told them where I live now, and how excited I was to be here.  Told them I'd been a teacher for 23 years and that I would bring a picture of my children, husband, and cat (Mufasa) so they could see my family.  Picture this....I'm doing all this talking...Hanna is repeating everything in Arabic, and the grown ups are in the front of the room having social hour. When they weren't talking, they sat like people do when they watch tv.  Most of these women haven't been in schools or seen how teachers teach.  They stayed until 10:00....when we went home for the first day.  I survived the day with no wounds!!!!! Started putting my procedures in place for classroom management and felt good, but tired!!!

At 11, all the KG teachers had a grade level meeting with our Head of Faculty (Academic Coach) to discuss numbers and changes for tomorrow.  Meetings are bi-lingual here.  The HOF speaks English and then an Arabic teacher translates for the Arabic teachers.  Meetings are a little longer, but this group of ladies were a "hoot!"  Even though I don't speak Arabic, there's a way a lady can shake her finger and have a sassiness that needed no interpretation.  Arabic women are very passionate about what they believe, so there is always lively discussion.  This tight-knit group of educators welcomed me with open arms and were so impressed that I stepped up and taught without any preparation. On a wing and a prayer, my first day was a success.  Remember how tired you are on the first day of school...couldn't feel my feet when I left....teachers know that feeling....Maybe I still have it!





 

You're Not in Kansas Anymore, Dorothy!

So, last Monday, we were moved from Abu Dhabi to Al Ain to be closer to our schools.  We were divided into three groups.  I was placed at the Danat (Formally the Intercontinental) with one of my friends, Andrea Brown.  We were given Tuesday off in order to finish shopping.   Shopped from 10:00 am-10:00 pm...Words cannot describe how tired my feet were by the end of the day. On Wednesday, all the teachers were taken to the local branch of the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) in Al Ain.  Planned to start at 8:00 and began an 8:20.  Things here tend to run behind schedule and people here are very relaxed about time....different than I'm used to.  After a very short meeting, the Heads of Faculty (HOFs) were introduced.  These are our best friends for this year.  They support instruction, do staff development, and basically do what I used to do in the US.  Some HOFs did not come because they were so far out of town or last minute assignments were made.  Unfortunately, my HOF did not come due to my assignment coming late.  So, I was sent back to the hotel for a day of rest....wrong, more shoppping. The amount of time waiting in line makes the shopping experience longer here, that's why it has taken so long.  Think about all the "stuff" you have to buy when starting a new apartment...I have nothing. 

On Thursday morning, we attended our "orientation".  Several teachers from different grade levels spoke to us about what the first day/first week would be like.  Students tend to trickle in here and rosters will not be "settled" for a couple of weeks.  Teachers are moved between grades if needed when the final counts come in...For those of you who know me well, know that I have a plan A, B, and C for everything. I have had to learn "patience" here.  I spend two weeks decorating my room and getting myself together...not here...On the first day of school, Sunday, I do not know my grade level.  My HOF called a few moments ago and asked me to be a "floater" on Sunday and go where needed.  I will help with 1st grade on the first day and then go to K.  This eased a little of my "stress".

 My school, Al Wagan (sounds like wagon) is an hour or longer away from Al Ain and will have to ride a shuttle bus provided by ADEC to school for now.  Leave early in the day and get home by 3-4 (much earlier for me).  Al Wagan is a co-ed school. Part of the school is for girls and the other part is for boys. Classes are unisex here except for some KG classes (2,3, and 4 year olds). Not sure if I will have boys or girs. The school is located in an agricultural area (no different for me).  Brand new school building with lots of technology....excited about this because some schools here don't have internet and some don't have computers.  13 new schools will be built here this year in order to bring all buildings up to technology standards.

 I don't have a car here because a residency visa is necessary to rent and I want to learn my way to work before going into the desert alone...safety first!  The driving is better here, but roundabouts are scary.  Roundabouts are circular roads (3 lanes)  that have statues, fountains, rocks, or gardens in the the middle.  Each roundabout has a name.  When driving around these roundabouts, there are exits (roads) that go off of the roundabouts.  Some roundabouts have 3-4 roads branching off of them.  It's kind of like riding on a carousel and having to get off the roundabout on your road without hitting someone else who's trying to do the same thing.  Blinkers/signals are not used as much as I would like.  Some drivers go from the inside lane closes to the statues all the way across to the third lane without a blinker.  Once I learn the roundabout, I may try driving.  For now, this girl is going to let the taxi drivers do the driving!  

Today I checked out of my hotel and officially moved into my apartment.  I only have a bed, refrigerator, and internet at this point.  Rest of things supposed to be delivered here today....Inshallah (Means Lord Willing and the Creek Don't Rise in Southern English!)  Had a cold diet coke from my refrigerator and started putting my things away.  Need to go grocery shopping, so will write more later.  Until we meet again!