Christmas 2013

It is that time of the year again.   The time has flown by, and I can't believe that Christmas is almost here.  For once I feel like I'm running behind schedule with most items, like this Christmas letter.  

My second year here in Dubai has been more comfortable, but the whirl wind continues.  The pace at work is faster than ever.   I have to say that I love my students, and I love the curriculum that I am teaching.

With that being said, I want each of you to know that you are in my thoughts constantly.   I am so thankful for all of your support!   Follow me in the review of the year.  I hope I remember everything.

J-just another new year

a-an amazing night under the stars in the Maldives

n-new year with new friends

u-underwater with whale sharks

a-another sunny day

r-running in the morning, still

y-yawning in the afternoon

F-feeling chilly in the early morning

e-easing into a routine, finally

b-becoming familiar with Dubai

r-running, running, running

u-under the covers in the cool evenings

a-away in Doha with the MUN students

r-resting on the couch

y-taking with friends

M-marching to the beat of KHDA inspection

a-away to Miramar with students for WWW

r-reacing for the regulator and diving with students

c-checking to make sure all of the kids are tucked in

h-having fun in the sun

A-aiplane trip to Turkey

p-playing in cappadocia with Wendy

i-Instanbul was amazing

l-laughing during our hot air balloon ride

M-making plans for the summer

a-away at the beach

y-yearning for June

J-just counting down the final days

u-unfortunetely saying goodbye to some good friend

n-next stop - Colorado Springs, Las Vegas, and Utah

e-enjoying snuggle with the cats

J-jogging in the daylight

u-unbelievable time with friends

l-laughing with Audrey in Crested Butte

y-yesh - I'm sick of y's

A-accepting that it is time to go back to Dubai

u-using the last days to pack and rearrange clothes

g-getting the luggage ready to go

u-unsually upset about leaving the cats again

s-saying goodbyes, again

t-time to greet Dubai

S-school starts

e-evaporating out in the heat and humidity

p-planning for Eid break

t-time to have fun with friends

e-enjoying old and new friends

m-making plans for Christmas

b-beach going 

e-exalting in the less hot mornings

r-relaxing in the sun

O-organizing a birthday brunch

c-countless choices of semi--precious stones in Katmandu

t-time to catch another flight

o-off to explore Katmandu

b-being caught off guard with life in Katmandu

e-enjoying my birthday with friends

r-running in the cool mornings - finally

N-nothing like baking banana bread and making toffee

o-opening up new adventures

v-visiting with friends

e-enjoying some down time over UAE Day break

m-making candid yams for out Thanksgiving dinner

b-basking in the sun, yes, in November

e-enjoying Thanksgiving with friends and peanut butter M&Ms

r-roaming around Abu Dhabi

D-decking the Christmas camel with holly

e-excitment building for Thailand

c-counting down the days until break

e-enjoying the Clarke's 30th

m-making to an IB Workshop on International Mindedness

b-busy as all heck

e-eating way too many goodies

r-rushing to the airport for my fight to Thailand

Christmas is soon approaching.  May we all take time to reflect on our lives, and the life of our savior.  Be thankful for all that you have in your life.  Know that I am grateful and thankful for each one of you.  You have touched my life, and I grateful for you.

As a new year rolls into town there are many new opportunities that await.  Many windows and doors open for you.  Walk with faith, courage, and confidence.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a healthy New Year!

Pam

Katmandu

Animal sacrifices, Kama Sutra, human cremations, and rain.  

Katmandu was like no place I have ever been to before.   I spent some of my time wondering if time travel was possible.

Katmandu gave me the opportunity to reflect on my life and career; it also made me very thankful for simple items such as toilet paper.

I have always thought of Katmandu as an exotic place - like  a mythical place in a mythical setting.  Reality was a little rough to deal with.    

I have always wanted to go to Katmandu, and I am so grateful and thankful that I took the opportunity to go.    There was a time in my young life when I looked into joining the Peace Corps and I would have gone if I could have gone to Katmandu.   They said no - I said no.   I wonder now what my reaction to being dropped in Katmandu 30 years ago would have been liked.  Would I have had rose colored glasses on or would reality have dealt me a blow?   Interesting to contemplate.  

My trip was during a very  scared Hindu festival time.  During this time the Hindi people sacrifice animals.   It took me by surprise to realize that certain religions still sacrifice animals.  I thought practice was out dated by 100s of years.  Guess I was wrong.  I can not tell you how many bulls, goats, and chickens I saw get sacrificed.   I saw one poor goat eating flowers just minutes before he was offered up.  It a real cultural experience to see a sacrificed bull carried through the temple streets, blood running down the cobbled stone streets, and entails sitting on the sidewalk.   Yup I really wondered if I was back in the times of the Old Testament.

My first couple of days in Katmandu was spent in rain.   It was wonderful to see rain and to feel it on my skin.  What a refreshing change from sun and heat.  I wonder if the clouds cast a gloom over the city that hampered my view.   I was able to buy a very good vortex coat that will come in use for many more trips.   

My hotel was in the perfect section of the city.  I was right in the center of Thalme Street.   Wondering the shopping area in the evening was an enjoyable experience.  My hotel room was originally booked as a standard room, which I was told later was referred to as the Beatle's section.  I guess it is where some of the Beatles and other famous 60-70's hippies stayed when they were in Katmandu.  However, it was a little too standard for me.  I upgraded the following morning to a deluxe room.   Time to reflect.  Pam has become a spoiled traveler and she likes her comfort when she can get it.

Every tour I took that involved a Hindu temple complex known as a Durbar in Katmandu involved Karma Sutra.  My guide would always have to show me the Karma Sutra temple and tell me about how an Indian travel brought the practice of Karma Sutra to Nepal and how if you practice it; the results involve peacefulness, relaxation, and happiness.  I wondered how long it would take a couple to make it through all 86 positions, and if yoga was part of the practice due to the limberness needed to get into some of the positions.  Lol!

I thoroughly enjoy the days that I spent outside of Katmandu in the country side.   Those days were full of quietness and reflection.   One day was spent hiking after watching a very cloudy sunrise.   The hike gave me time to reflect on who Pam is and what she has become.   Life is so interesting.   I grew up in Alaska; I've seen animals killed - heck I've even helped to butcher some of those animals.  So, why was watching animals being sacrificed rub me the wrong way?   

Why was I appalled by the filth and squalor of the living conditions?  Was this really my first exposure to how people in poor countries really live?   Had I become too soft?  No, my guide was amazed that I never needed to stop and rest for a 4 hour hike.   Perhaps I've become to sanitized.  I really think some of my reactions were summed up by a friend who said,  "Katmandu was your first real third world country to experience."  I think that statement is accurate.  

Then, I started to reflect on my career.  I started to think that if the people of Nepal have been living in such poor conditions (mind you they all had cell phones, satelite T.V. dishes, and computers) for hundreds of years and would continue to live in poor conditions for many more years; why did I care if my students could even write a sentence.  My students would be like the Nepalese and continue to live; however, I want more for them.  I want my students to know that they can make a difference; that they can change the world; that they can go out and do good; that they have the power to help others.  Realizing that I want them to make a difference, then yes, they need to be able to write a damn sentence, because the most important way to bring about good is through communication, and if you can't communicate effectively then no one is going to listen to you and you won't get anywhere.   So, I want my students to be the best writers and communicators in the world.  

My last morning in Katmandu I had the chance to fly along the Himalayan Mountains.  The blue skies, low level clouds, and sunshine were incredible.  The mountains were incredible.   Mt. Everest was beautiful.  What a fantastic way to end the trip.  

My last surprise of Katmandu was finding Bassett Licorice in the dinky Katmandu international airport.  Of all places to find Bassett! 

Animal sacrifices, Karma Sutra, human cremations, and rain had an impact on my life, and hopefully that impact will be felt by others.

Would I go back to Nepal.   Heck yes!   I may never need to return to Katmandu, but there are other parts of Nepal to explore.  In fact I'll be going back to Nepal in February with 6th - 8th graders for Week Without Walls.   Lot's of hiking and camping, and I've informed the tour guide no Karma Sutra, yet the sad thing about that is that some of them may know more positions than I do.

Back In Dubai

I have been back in Dubai for a little over a month, and I thought now would be a good time to sit down and share a couple of thoughts on returning to my desert home.

I had a wonderful summer.  It was great to see everyone and reconnect.  I had many lunches, dinners, and down time with friends that I had missed for a full 10 months.  Thank you everyone for a wonderful summer.   It was great to see you all and spend time with you - the memories that we made will stay with me forever.

Too soon it was time to return to Dubai.  I was looking forward to returning to my desert home; I was excited for this school year to start and to see the changes that had been made.

The flight back was long, and I learned that U.S. airlines have sucky entertainment systems on them and to fly other airlines that are not U.S. in order to get a better variety of movies and music to help entertain on a long flight.

It was great to land in Dubai and know how to use my E-gate card and not have to wait in the huge passport line.  My luggage came off quickly; and it was refreshing to know how to catch a cab from the airport and tell the taxi driver where to go.  

As I was approaching Motor City I had a huge wave of homesickness hit me.  I realized that I was returning to my flat, but the cats would not be there.   Oh my the ache was incredible.  Where ever I land next time those little shits are coming with me.  I still miss and crave their companionship.  One lesson reinforce - pets are part of the family and need to go with you.

It was wonderful returning to a familiar place and setting.  The nerves, tension, and uncertainty  were all gone.  It was hard to adjust to the first couple of days.  But how fantastic it was to have internet and the T.V. already set up and working.  It was great knowing that I could just walk to Hertz and get a car; I knew where to buy milk and I could finally have some of my black pepper baked potato chips that I had been craving.  

It was wonderful to meet up with friends and catch up with them about their summer as I walked around Motor City.  The breakfasts, coffees, lunches, and dinners with friends was a great way to reconnect with my Dubai friends.  

The anxiety of driving was gone.  However, I started to cuss at the drivers when my car shimmed as other drivers zoomed past.  I had to laugh because I was cussing at the drivers in Colorado Springs for being too slow and polite.  I am much more comfortable driving this year than last.

Time was nice; the jet lag was horrible.  

Returning to work has been a breeze.  Knowing what I'm teaching has taken a huge load off of my shoulders.  However, with returning to work all of my time is being taken up.   

It has been nice to return to a routine of work, karate, yoga, and quiet evenings.  In another month the weather will be wonderful.   Plans for vacations have been made and the planning is starting.

This year I am concentrating on forming new friendships and building existing ones.

Over the summer everyone asked me if I was staying in Dubai for another year.   I got rather frustrated with answering the question without answering the question.   I thought I would be able to come back to Dubai and have a couple of relaxing months to make the decision.  No, the minute I returned I had people here asking me about my plans.   

Plans, what plans?   I have plans to go to Nepal in October, Thailand for Christmas, South Africa for spring break, and maybe a quick trip to Hungary at the beginning of December.  

Plans, some plans have been made; some are still not firm; it depends on the day.   So where in the world will Pam be next year?  In Dubai?  In another part of the world?  Home in Colorado Springs?  Working for Walt Disney World?  Who knows - I'm not even sure.  Yet, I know the gypsies blood has stopped itching.   

Stay tuned - there is more to come!   Life is an adventure!

Summer Reflection

I know that this post is supposed to be about my adventures in Dubai; however, I figured that I would share some summer fun and reflections about coming back to Colorado Springs after 10 months in Dubai.

As always, enjoy.

I was anxious about coming home after spending 10 months in Dubai.  I wasn't sure what to expect.  I knew that my life had continued and that the lives of my friends had continued moving forward and I wasn't sure how the 2 were going to match up.

The flights from Dubai all went off without a hitch.  There were no problems with connections, flights, or time.  I am hooked on paying a little more for the economy plus seats.  It was great to have a little more more and extra space to stretch out my legs.  There was no one next to me on the flight from Frankfurt which was wonderful.

I never got that feeling of "home" when I returned to my apartment in Dubai, and I was wondering if I would get that feeling when I walked into my house.  Nope!  When I walked into my house it was just my house not my home.  Of course - what was I thinking.  This is not my home.  It is my house.  It was not decorated with my items nor was my personality present.  It is Sam and Kyle's home.  They have it decorated with their belongings and personality.    A new adventure will be to discover home when I return to Dubai.

I have been spending the summer in the basement of my house.  I have been very comfortable if cool.  I  find that the basement is my cave and I have enjoyed nesting in my cave.  Sam hung the quilts that Audrey had worked so hard on completing.  The quilts are created out of t-shirts and sweatshirts that had belonged to my mother.  Seeing them on the wall has flooded my mind with memories and has given my cave a very cozy feel.  Thank you Sam for adding such a welcoming touch.  (I'm wondering if I can hire Sam as my personal decorator when I return home.  He has such an eye for decorating.)

I have enjoyed getting together with my friends.   No worries there.  We have picked up just where we left off.  It has been so much fun hanging out with them and catching up with there lives.

I was counseled by some of my Dubai friends about what to expect when I returned home.  Some of the info they shared was right on. I listened to them, and have taken cues from my friends and have shared about my life in Dubai when the opportunity has presented itself.  I have enjoyed sharing tidbits about Dubai and sharing in the reactions.

I remember my first day back when I was running around completing errands.  I was walking through Target and saw a cute patio set.  I stopped looked at it, and said that is cute and it would look good on my balcony, and it is cheap - it is only 245 dirhams.  Just as I was ready to put the patio set in my cart I realized that I was Target and not Carfoure, and that the price was in dollars and not dirhams.  I decided that 245 dollars was a little too much for the set and that I had no use for it.

I don't know how many times I have opened up my wallet and gone to the side that has my dirhams instead of dollars and have been confused between the 2 currencies.  My coin purse has 3 different types of currencies:  Dirhams, Euros, and U.S.  I'm sure the cashiers think I'm a real ditz when I dump out my coins and go through them to find the right one.

I have satisfied all of my cravings.  Within 24 hours of returning I had a green tea frappicino from  Starbucks; peanut butter M&M's; and a charro from Costco.   I think I may need a couple more green tea frappicinoes and another charro or 2 before I leave.

I had a friend ask me if there was anything that I was missing from Dubai.  My answered was, yes.  I am looking forward to having my Lebanese/Arabic brown bread, bread from Spinney's (I'm not too excited about the bread here I have to go to a speciality store to get good bread.) And I am craving Forino's black cracked pepper baked potato chips.  

I would  have thought that the emotional roller coaster ride would be over by this time.  However, I was taken by surprised by the ride when I returned for the summer.  I spent a couple of days wondering if I wanted to return to Dubai.  I was home seeing all of my friends and falling back into a regular routine of karate training, yoga, visiting with friends - and did I really want leave all of that again.  As  I processed through my emotions I realized that my home was not my home so I would have to find a place to live, and I would have to find a job in order to support myself, and really how often would I get together with my friends. Yes, it would be easy to roll back into the comfort of routine, but I chose to do something different.  I want to continue to challenge myself and to have the opportunity to see more of this incredible world.  

I am excited to return to Dubai.  I'm looking forward to another year of adventure and travel.  I am very interested to see how my emotions this year compare to last year.  Who knows what the next 11 months  will bring in my life.  Will I stay in Dubai for a 3rd year; will I move to another part of the world; will I call it quits to the international life style?  I'm not even sure of the answers to the choices that are ahead of me, but I'm looking forward to the journey.  (I'm not looking forward to the packing that I need to do in the next week.)

Stay tuned - another adventure is about to begin.

10 Months



 

I meant to write this post at least a month ago, and here I sit with very little time left to my first 10 months of living and teaching in Dubai.  First off; where did the time go?

 

Ten months ago I zipped up my last suitcase and made my brother stand on the scale to weigh all of my bags.  I cuddled the cats one last time and walked out the front door of my house for an adventure.

 

I never once questioned my decision to this process of teaching internationally until I arrived in Dubai, and then I wondered:  "What the hell was I thinking?"  I was the one that wanted the adventure and the opportunity to do something different.  I wanted change.  You know that old saying - be careful what you ask for - well, there is some truth to that saying.  I'm not sure what I was thinking when I decided to jump off the deep end, but it has been an incredibly amazing journey of both highs and lows.

 

As I look back on the past 10 months of my life all I can say is Wow!  What a year of growth, learning, excitement, and adventure. 

 

I remember waking up last August, after I was dumped in my apartment, making a mug of tea with my favorite tea that I bought from Colorado(now I can't even remember the tea - I have another green tea to replace it), going and sitting out on my balcony and feeling like I was in a furnace (the weather has become very similar to that time), and wondering what had I done. 

 

I will be the first to admit that the transition was very difficult and full of raw emotional roller coasters, but now I feel comfortable.  For the last couple of months I have felt comfortable with Dubai, and know I'm leaving for a couple of months.  I'm sitting here thinking, "What will the next couple of months bring?'  I am excited beyond words to go home and see everyone and cuddle with the cats, but what other adventures are waiting around the corner? 

 

I have learned some very fundamental truths in the last 10 months.  Here are some of them:

 

1.  Schools are schools wherever you go.  There will be things that you really like about each school and there will be things that you don't like about each school.  No school is perfect, no staff is perfect, no administration team is perfect.  Truth learned:  focus on the good and positive and move forward.

 

2.  Students and parents are the same wherever you go.   You will have great students and parents, and you will find not so great students and parents.  You will have to deal with the same issues:  homework not being done, formatives and summatives not being done, parents denying any knowledge of assignments, etc.  Truth learned:  Holding students and parents accountable is the toughest part of teaching, and you teach as best as you can and hope that somewhere along the line learning takes place.

 

3.  People for the most part are good hearted.  Sometimes I think we get jaded and we loose sight of the good heartedness of people.  I think about all of the people who have helped me through this year and I am amazed at their kindness and willingness to help in the simplest ways.  Many times throughout this year I've had to turn to total strangers and ask for help and their kindness has been heartfelt.  I have had to rely on strangers in each country I have traveled to and never once did I feel threatened or nervous.   Truth:  Humanity is alive and well.

 

4.  I look back at the beginning of this journey and I look at myself now and I'm amazed at what I have accomplished and learned.   I wanted an adventure and I got one!  I 've learned and grown the most from this experience.  I wonder how much I've changed; how much I've grown.  One of the most valuable lessons that I've learned is just how important it is to have the love and support of people, accept what others can give and in return give to others no matter how strong and independent you think you.  Truth:  no man is an island unto himself.

 

As excited as I am to return to The Springs for summer I have anxieties about returning.  Odd, isn't it? I wonder if my cats will remember me, I worry about whether or not I'll survive seminar and how much I have lost, I am concerned about that awkwardness of reconnecting with friends,  I wonder if I can still remember how to clean a bathroom (I haven't cleaned a toilet bowl in over 9 months),  I have to remember to pump my own gas (here they have workers that do that),  I know running will be challenging -  I'll be coming from maybe 10 ft. above sea level up to 6,700 ft.  that is going to hurt for awhile.

 

When I arrived in Dubai one of the first units I taught was on change and accepting change.  We read Who Moved My Cheese for Teens.  In that book their is a handwriting on the wall that states:

 

What would you do if you weren't afraid?

 

I have tried to live by that motto for the last 9 months, and I have learned that sometimes I am the one that holds me back from experiences.  I will continue to try to live by that motto for rest of my life.  Have I grown and changed?  Yes, in one respect - everyday is a journey, every day is a new adventure; enjoy and savor it because you will gain so much in the end.

 

Ready or not I am returning home for 2 months and regardless of my anxieties and worries I will enjoy and savor in order to gain.  Here I come.  And I can't wait to have a Green Tea Frappuccino - I haven't had one in 10 months and I just may savor it enough to have whipped cream with it.

 

See ya soon!

 

 

 



10 Hours in Beirut

 

What do a large chai latte, a breakfast sandwich, a bag of Reese's Pieces, banana chips, and a Snickers before noon have in common?   Beirut, Lebanon of course!

 

Ten hours in Beirut was a day full of adventure, fun, and drama.

 

The scheme came about through two friends who work in the library.   One of the librarians is leaving at the end of the year to go home so that she can finish out her public teaching career and gain her state retirement.  (Like I did before embarking on this adventure.)  She had wanted to see Beirut for awhile, and with her husband home making preparations for their return, she decided that now was a good time. 

 

I was invited to travel along with them for the day.  The invitation was extended; I had to make my decision and buy my ticket within 24 hours.   Another spur of the moment adventure taken up. 

 

LJ, the other librarian that went with, had made arrangements for a friend of a friend's father-in-law to meet us at the airport and be our driver for the day.  When we got through immigration and customs to the outside world - there was no driver.  We walked up and down the exit aisle a couple of times looking for our names on a plaque, but there was none.  That is when the adventure began.

 

Thankfully a wonderful lady at the airport tired to help us find a taxi driver for the day.  Luckily we stumble upon Michelle, an elderly gentleman, that we ended up hiring for the day.  We were a little uncertain about the guy at the beginning, but in the end he turned out to be a great guy that was very helpful and did a wonderful job of showing us Beirut. 

 

Our first stop was at the Grotto.  We did both the upper and lower Grotto.  The upper Grotto was fantastic.  The formations in the cave were breathtaking!  It was interesting to walk through the cave and see the formations while being dripped on by water.  The lower Grotto was a short boat ride  that was nice, but again was cold and wet.

 

Our next major stop was at Our Lady of Beirut.   This is a scared Catholic site that contains a statute of Mary.  The statute is on top of the mountain overlooking the valley and the bay.  The only way to get up to the top is by cable car.   Ugh!  I do not like cable cars.  I bit my tongue and held on for the ride.  It wasn't that bad up or down.  The car didn't sway too badly.   The view from the top of mountain was incredible!  We were able to see down the valley, across the valley, and over the bay.  It was cool to stand near the top of the statute and see the sites especially since an afternoon storm was rolling in.  Watching the fog come in and surround the area was mystic.

 

We then went to the Old/New City for dinner.   It was very interesting to drive through the old sections of Beirut; we got to see some damage from the civil war.  We were able to see the Beirut Holiday Inn which is now just a shell of a bombed out building.  We wondered if the people of Beirut just left the ruined buildings from the civil war because it was cheaper than to rebuild.

 

The cornice looked beautiful.  The area was fancy and looked like a gem.  We had dinner at a local diner called Abo Hassan.  We had a traditional Lebanese dinner of salad, tubal (sp), humus, bread, and grilled meat.   We had waited way too long to eat.  We stuffed ourselves.  The meal was very good.  And I'm glad that we skipped the sheep brains!

 

We made one final stop at the Hard Rock Cafe to buy T-shirts.  We hit a sale and made a steal. 

 

Then it was off to the airport to catch our departing flight back to Dubai.  Many of the officials at the airport were a little confused as to  why we only spent a day in Beirut.  We explained that it was due to flights schedules and having to teach on Sunday.  

 

Our flight back home was not crowded and it  was nice to be able to move to a row of seats and stretch out and sleep for the return flight.   We walked off the plane at 3:45 am and caught a taxi home.

 

Ten hours in Beirut - yup I would do it again.  The adventures that I've had this year have been remarkable.



 

 





K-9 Puppy Ball

 

 

It was one of those nights that just turn out to be fantastic.   And you wonder what happened.  It was the annual K-9 Puppy Ball.  The ball is K-9's largest fund raiser of the year.  K-9's goal is provide ever homes to dogs that have rescued or left by their owners.

 

It started out as a prim and  proper night where you checked in the mirror to make sure everything was just perfect.  The make up was applied just right; the dress hung just right; and the hair looked just right.  Then it was off in a taxi with friends to enjoy the night.

 

The evening started with a single glass of bubbly and ended with I don't know how many glasses or bottles.

 

The prim lasted through the delicious 3 course dinner.  Then all of sudden it turned to  fun.   Caroline raffled off her puppy cake,  we danced and danced and danced, we searched for numbers ending in 9 to win door prizes, and ended up next to a Ferrari.

 

How many glasses/bottles of champagne were consumed?  I lost count.  And I'm happy to say that the night was one of those rare nights were fun turned out to be fun and it was a time to let totally relax and let my hair down.  Then a taxi home at 3 a.m. for a morning of rest.

 

Yes, it was a magical night.