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.





What the f***!  It took my card!

 

I have never been a damsel in distress.  Even when I'm in distress I don't play the damsel roll very well; I'll be the first to admitt that I never did learn the girly flirty ways of my gender and many times I've been left on my own to figure out how to deal with furstrating events. However, when I ran into a bump in the road on my recent trip to Turkey it was wonderful to get some help!  Receiving the help and support of others really reaffirmed my hope in humanity.

 

Turkey was fantastic!  I would have to say that visiting Turkey is in the top 3 of my adventures this year.  Did you know that the tulip is originally from Turkey?  I have never seen such beautiful tulips in my life!  The colors were striking!

 

My good friend, Wendy Walis, met in Istanbul for the trip.  It was great to see her and spend the time with her.  It was a great experience to share with her.

 

Istanbul was great.  To see the great historic sights of the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophie, the Basicilla Cistern, marvelous Chora Church,  and the Topkapi Palace was thrilling.  I love it when I stand in  historic places and I can feel the weight of the ages pass me.  It gives me goose bumps.  The Grand Bazaar was mind boggling.  The twist and turns of the shopping arena with the different sections was over load.  The Spice Market was not that thrilling.  Glad we didn't spend that much time there.  It was so enjoyable to be able to walk the streets of the Old City in the morning and in the evening.  Eating dinner on the roof top terrace watching the Blue Mosque and Hagai Sophie lit up was magical.  Istanbul was wonderful.

 

The Izmir area was beautiful.  The Aegean region was lush and green.  We had 2 days there to explore.  We walked around the city center and got  haggled by the sale guys.  Look at my leather; I've got great carpets to show you; I can give you a great price.  By the time I left Turkey I was sick of carpets, leather, and ceramics. 

 

Kusadasi was a jumping off point to see the great city of Ephesus.  Ephesus is one of the great ruins that need to be visited.  To walk the streets of  this ancient city and imagine the Romans that lived there a thousand years ago was historic.   Seeing the old pipe and sewer system that served the city was very interesting.  The public latrines were much larger than the ones we have today.  Many historians have made comparisons to the ancient Roman Empire and to the U.S. and how the U.S. is mirroring the economic fall of ancient Rome; however,  after seeing the Roman public latrines, I think we are  a little behind ancient Rome.  Ehpesus was a highlight.

 

Ah, captiviting Cappadocia.   I fell in love with Cappadocia; what a magical place!  The geolical rock formations were awesome.  The ancient carved communities by the early Chirstians were inspirational.  To see the work and dedication of those believers was heart warming.  The walks along the valleys was refreshing.  The early morning balloon ride was fantastic. Incredible is the only word  to describe Kale Konak, our hotel in Cappadocia.

 

"What the f***!  It took my card!"  I exclaimed as the alarm continued to blare.  I have used my debit card all over the world and I have never had any problems - that was until I tangoed with the ATM in Uchisar, Turkey.  I put my card in the ATM, and entered my pin number.   The alarm started blaring and  my card was gone.  After hitting the cancel button numerous times the alarm finally stopped. By this time I had attracted the attention of everyone in the village, and they were watching me.  I continued to hit the cancel button in order to get my card back.  Our tour guide started calling the phone numbers on the ATM; our driver started pressing buttons and hitting the ATM; other officail looking people came over and started to call people.  At last I have to admit that the damn ATM won.  I never did get my card back.  All of the phone calls made on my behalf came to the same conclusion - I wasn't going to get my debit card back.  A very long international call to ENT cancelled the old card and new one sent to Dubai.  (Infact when I got back home to Dubai my new debit card was waiting for me - thank you ENT for being so efficient).

 

Yes, I have never been or played the damsel in distress, but when the ATM ate my debit card I was a pissed damsel.  The help of the Turkish people in my crisis was so heart warming and touching.

 

I can share a wonderful outcome of this experience.  The Turkish bath, oil massage, and wonderful dinner I had that night was thoroughly relaxing!  Bring on the bubble, oil, and wine.  Debit card; what debit card? 

 

. . . And the adventure continues. . .

 

KHDA ?

At the beginning of this month my teacher friends in Colorado were all freaking out and getting stressed over the TCAP (Transitional Colorado Assessment Program).  I know that the state test is in a transitional phrase, but I know how public education works.  The Colorado state test will probably be in transition for years.  Anyway, my dear teacher friends were getting stressed over their yearly exam and the chaos it causes for teachers, students, and schedules.

I sat on my couch in Dubai smirking away thinking how wonderful it is that I don't have to worry about the TCAP this year.  Man there are times when life is just right.  I felt for all of my teacher friends, but I was extremely happy that I didn't have to give that damn test this year!  I had finally escaped!

Ugh!!   Double Ugh!!  Damn UGH!!!  Then I found out about KHDA.  Some of you probably saw the postings on my facebook updates.  UGH!  is all I can say as I tip my head back and shake it back and forth.  KHDA  the horror of every school in Dubai and the terror that is instilled in every teacher at every school in Dubai.  KHDA - Knowledge & Human Development Authority.

Yes, that "A" word  - authority!  KHDA is a team of current and former educators that work for the UAE government.  There job is to go around and visit each school and evaluate the effectiveness of the school.  They visit and talk to most of the teachers in the school.  they sit on your classes while you are teaching and take copious notes; then the "authority team"  ranks the school accordingly:  outstanding, good, fair, unacceptable.  

There was this massive build up to KDHA's visit with personal development days, department meetings, discussion of dos and don'ts, and just nervous expectations.  We had to complete lengthy lesson plans for their visit which include a clear objective that could be measured at the end of the class.   UGH!!!  At least the school gave us a lesson plan guide to use for KHDA's visit.  KHDA must be big stuff since I didn't receive a plan book at the beginning of the year and had to recreate my own, but on no!  When KHDA visits you are given a lesson plan template to follow.  I guess "authority"  carries a big stick. 

KHDA was scheduled to come right after we returned from Week Without Walls.  We had one day to breathe and then we were thrown at the "authorities"!  I spent hours before  leaving for Week Without Walls planning and prepping for KHDA.  I was at school late every night making sure everything was just perfect for the "authorities".

The day finally came.  The KHDA team finally arrived at our school; you could feel the suspension building that day.  Lesson plans were hung on the door and nails were bitten down wondering who was going to be first on their list.  The KHDA team consisted of 7 different members, I only got to interact with 1.  An elderly gentlemen from England who was assigned to evaluate the English department.  He came and observed on their first day here and then came back 2 days later to observe me again.  Was I good enough for the "authorities"?  We will have to wait and see if the English Department retains its Outstanding status.

Once the week ended we all gave a huge sigh of relief and then had one hell of a party!  Thanks GEMS for the party.  Then life got back to normal.

In retrospect  I may have been smirking that I didn't have to give the TCAP this year; however, I did have to sweat through KHDA.  Did I learn some lessons?  Yes, I learned that regardless of what KHDA thinks I'm a damn good teacher; I am always prepared for my classes; and I work hard at my job. 

Which would I rather do - the TCAP or KHDA?  I would pick KHDA.  Why?  My salary is not directly tied into how students perform, but how I perform as an educator which is what should matter.  Plus the snacks that the school provided for us during KHDA were wonderful.  I never got those types of snacks giving the TCAP.  During the TCAP  I had to hope some kid in my class didn't want their provided snack.  Also, we had a great party after KHDA - the school never threw a party for the teachers after TCAP.  Also, I learned not to fear the "authorities"  I can hold my own ground against any "authority", and I will know what to expect when they comeback next year.

Moral:  There are always people out there watching and evaluating what teachers do so don't spend too much time smirking at others.

Week Without Walls

(WWW)



This past week was our Week Without Walls (WWW).  Week Without Walls is a concept where students travel throughout Europe and Asia to learn and interact with a different culture and to do some community service.  At least that is the idea; some of the trips do turn into a week of touring.

 

This year we had groups going to:  England, France, Italy, Austria, Nepal, China, Cambodia, Tanzania, scuba diving, Oman, and Dubai based activities for students.

 

I was assigned to the scuba diving trip.  Why?  Because everyone knows that I'm a diver.  I wasn't happy about going diving with 40 odd students.  Yes, I love to dive, but not with kids and not while they are learning.  I did my share of grumbling to other colleagues about how I didn't want to go, and how I would have loved to have gone to England, Italy, or Nepal.  And come next year I know how to fill out the form for Week Without Walls. 

 

Grumble, grumble I packed my dive gear and got ready to go diving.  Stewart, the guy arranging the scuba diving expedition had me down to take the Advance Course;  I laughed at him and said that I wasn't going to take the Advance Class; I told him that there wasn't a class that he could probably offer me.  Yes, I was a little snobbish, but I wasn't happy about going diving with kids; and next year I would fill out the WWW form differently.

 

I was up early, met the bus and off to Fujairah  I went with 3 other chaperones and 39 students for a week of scuba diving.  Grumbling and wondering if I was going to get to do any decent diving during the week.

 

We arrived at the Miramar Resort 2 1/2 hours later and the journey began.  Wow!  I was impressed with the organization of  Divers Down, the dive shop that hosted us for the week.  They had the kids broken up into different groups and had the entire week mapped out.  The students were rotated between class/theory, confined dives in the pool, and open water dives in the sea. 

 

The kids started the minute they arrived.  All of the groups worked well and everyone stayed on their time schedule.  It was cool to see the students get involved and be excited to learn how to dive.  I was very pleased with the way things were organized and ran.  I have to say that because I have assisted with many classes in the past and I was wondering how this was going to work out with numbers, different grade levels, and skill ability.  I was very impressed.

 

And grumbling me; I thoroughly enjoyed the week!  I was able to jump in and dive with the group doing Specialities and with the Advance Class (O.K. so I guess I did semi do the Advanced class again at least I didn't have to do the course work.).  This meant that I was in the water early in the morning and did some awesome dive sights.  I was able to join in on some of the Open Water Classes and do a couple of dives with them.

 

The diving was great.  The life in the gulf in Fujairah is wonderful.  The visibility is never very great, but enough that you can see.  I was able to see lots.  Some of the highlights were large Honeycomb Eels, schools of Barracuda, pipe fish and other small items.

 

I got to dive some great sites.  I did Inch 1; Inch 2 (both wrecks); Three Rocks, and The Cemetery.

 

Since I was all ready certified as a diver I had a great week.  I was able to dive when I wanted, worship the sun, read my book, and interact with a great group of kids.  It was a very successful week.

 

And next year I know how to fill out the WWW form!

 

 

Unexpected Trip to Doha

 

It was 8:15 Monday morning and Jason McBride, the Assistant Head of School, was walking down the hall way towards me.  Nothing unusual to see him walking around.  Then he stopped in front of me and said, "Something has come up; can I talk with you for a minute in the classroom."

 

Automatically I start thinking, "No, I don't want to talk to you privately in my classroom; crap what have I done now; which parent did I piss off; what did I say or do that got me in trouble."

 

I think that administrators should prefaces their conversations with underlinings by stating this is a good conversation or a not so good conversation, and why is it I am so quick to assume that I've done something wrong (past experience perhaps).

 

As our conversation continued it turned out that the female chaperone for MUN (Model United Nations) became sick and was unable to attend the conference in Doha, and would I be able to drop everything and go at the last minute.

 

Absolutely!!!  I chance to see Doha, spend the week with great kids, and find out about MUN.  Another opportunity to grab.

 

I was able to get some lesson plans together.  The timing was good.  I had just finished my 6th grade unit so they could read stories; my 7th graders were working on their myths & legends summative and could spend the class time working on those; and my 8th graders were just starting Red Scarf  Girl it would all work out fine.

 

I raced home after coverage was found for my classes, and threw some clothes in a suitcase and got driven to the airport.  I purchased a ticket on Emirates to Doha.  I missed the 2 o'clock flight which the kids and Robb, the male chaperone, were flying out; I would fly out a couple of hours later. Flying out later was not a bad thing  I was able to get a latte, ear lunch, and get my "E" gate ticket which is a wonderful item to have when you are flying in and out of Dubai. The only thing I wish I knew in retrospect was how long we would be gone for - I wasn't sure if I packed enough clothes.

 

I arrived in Doha and caught a taxi to the hotel.  Taxi drivers in Doha aren't so different from Dubai, my taxi driver had to call the hotel to get directions, really! (I love London taxi drivers.  I am a firm believer that every city should institute a similar training program for all taxi drivers around the world.) Perhaps his lapse in memory contributed to the fender bender we got into on the way to the hotel.  No harm done to anyone just the bumpers of the car, but enough to send my nerves over the edge.  I was happy to finally get to the hotel.

 

I met up with Robb and the kids and the week began.

 

We had Tuesday on our own.  We went out to the Pearl, the exclusive area of Doha, and walked around.  We saw some mighty fine cars, Maybachs, Ferraris, Rolls Royce, and others.  I even went shopping in the Ferrari and Rolls Royce dealerships.  I couldn't take pictures or touch the cars, but I was able to look.  Yup!  Rolls Royce makes a fine car.

 

The MUN conference ran from Wednesday through Saturday.  Learning about MUN was great.  To see the kids setting in their delegations and debating real world issues really gave me a hope for the future.  What a great program for secondary students and what a learning experience for them.

 

The downsides of the trip to Doha:

*the fender bender on the way to the hotel

*the early mornings

*the piss poor magician from India that they flew in - not good at all - in fact he was on the sleazy side

 

The positives of the trip to Doha:

*seeing Doha (I was offered a job in Doha and being able to see it and talk to some teachers working there was good; I learned that I had made a good choice to go to Dubai.)

*networking with other teachers

*learning about MUN

*walking around Warfy Souk in the evening

*visiting the Islamic Art Museum - this place was incredible

*running on the Corniche every morning - is was great to be next to the ocean

*spending time with great kids.

 

I arrived home Saturday afternoon and had a couple of hours to relax until I had to go to work Sunday morning.

 

Going to Doha put me behind schedule and I've had to work extra hard to get caught up.  However, an another opportunity came my way and I Jumped at it, and I don't regret the choice.

 

Hopefully the next time an administers says can I talk to you privately it won't be a bad thing.