What's Next

They finally posted the availability of positions for Head of Faculty next year and I am thinking about applying. Ok, I am applying though I am really not sure why. I think this position has a lot of stresses to go with it, and the monetary benefits are not very substantial. :-) Anyway, we will see what happened.

Thomas and I are getting ready to take a trip to Oman for the weekend with Al Ain Weekends group so this should be fun. I should have lots of pictures to share when we come back on Saturday. I hope you have wonderful weekend. :-)

Chante 

The honor of being here

Wow...it has been a really long time since I wrote on this blog...but I cannot pass up this opportunity to reflect on today. One of my Arabic colleagues had a baby and all of the teachers went to her house. It was only the Arabic teachers, administration, and staff. I really enjoyed myself and one of my co-teachers drove me in her car to our colleagues home. Besides the usually kissing on the cheek to all of the ladies in the house we sat down and had treats, arabic tea, and fruit smoothies. Then we were taken into this large room to a feast, or lunch, where we all sat on the floor eating and talking. Well rather, they were talking in arabic, because most of it I cannot understand. We then went back into another room to have dessert, cake and fruit cocktail, and then most of the ladies left.
They brought the baby in and we all passed her around. They told me to hold the baby and to make my wish for one. She was so peaceful and cute!!!!!! I loved it. ( I didn't wish, but I did thank God for my baby-ies :-) These are those times that I love living in another country and culture. Moments like this most people aren't able to encounter and though I would have loved to take pictures, I can't in those situations because the women have to be covered up.
When we left, my co-teacher took me to her home around the corner. We walked around her yard as she showed my the different flowers and fruits, including mango, date, and saguaro fruit. She also had a family of deer, one goat (who yelled at me as I walked away), and some chickens. Though it was not a large field like farm, I was surprised to see that she had all of this there. As we walked around, she picked flowers from her trees that she gave to me along with some fruit. Now interestingly enough her English is about the same quality as my Arabic, so we do a lot of choppy sentences/charades! I love it though!

It is moments like this that I love and appreciate!!!!! Just wanted to share.......Take care!

Chante

(Me with the flowers) 

(The fruit that was picked off the tree for me) 

(The flowers from her garden, and some dates she made) 

Roll with it....

Well, decided to write to reflect on the day, and what a good day it was. Yesterday was not a good day, but today was a very good day at school and I told the kids how proud I was of them! Not too long today, but I praise God for it! Amen!!!!

What in the world?

Well, this is just a debriefer of today as I am about to get in the bed at 6:00 because I am tired. My arms hurt, my mind is tired, and I am thinking in my head "What in the world is going on?".

Today, when I walked into the school there was a new schedule there of today's classes for the teacher. Yes, a new schedule which would make about three or four hanging in my room now! (I think I just keep taping them up so I can count them later.) :-) Anyway, this morning was a pretty good day, and I had another class after the students had lunch, and then I had a forty-five minute break. Well, the kids that left me before my break, came back to me after 45 minutes, and you really would have thought that it was a brand new class.

I had two students who were really playful yesterday, so I told them they could not come inside the classroom until they got themselves together. Well immediately, neither got themselves together. One proceeded to slip on the floor and jump around the middle of the class. Another came into the class hitting people so I told him to stand outside, because of course we were working, but when he stood outside, he was climbing the wall outside my room built like a banister. The kids said "Mrs. Chante, he is climbing." I said he's ok, knowing that he just wanted the attention, until he started getting higher, and this is when I realized, little boy, you just might jump off. Anyway, no one dies on my watch, so he came back into the classroom, and sat in my reading area, tearing apart the puzzle pieces.

Now, some things are childish behavior, and some are just the enemy, so I did what I knew to do, "In the name of ..... I command you to leave this room right now. I plead the blood over you." Didn't say it loud, but then I walked away. Now that I think about it, the room was pretty calm after that, and we got on with what we were doing.

Oh, and did I forget to mention that two of my boys started fighting over a seat? Yeah.....one sat there during the first period, another sat there when they got back, so they really started fighting. I broke them up, but wouldn't you think they would get suspended? Nah....fighting is usual.

Anyway, everyone was quiet at our staff meeting after school, and I just can't get over the little boy climbing....these thoughts and events just leave me with the question...."What in the world???????" Until next time yalll......

Random Pics...

I am more of a picture person than a writer so here are some other random pictures.....

Can you guess which car is ours?

 At the end of Ramadan there is an celebration of Eid. This was in the Abu Dhabi Mall.

Meet Hatchi....A Nissan Tiida..2013

 

  2013 Porche
  The camel tried to get into the car.

 
  Almost!

 

 

 
 

 

 
  This is the first camel we saw.
 

A Tour of Abu Dhabi

 There are so many things to see in Abu Dhabi, and it costs to get everywhere, so we took our own personal tour on the public bus for 1 dirham. We went to the bus stop at the Marina Mall and just rode any bus that came to see where it went and then rode it back. There were lots of small shops as we rode but nothing really too interesting. Here are some of the pictures from our journey.
 

 


After taking a self guided tour for a couple of days on different buses, we did take a trip to some special places here in Abu Dhabi. We first went to Heritage Village. This is an place, much like the Jamestown settlement in Williamsburg, that gives a depiction of what life was like in Abu Dhabi before the redevelopment. We were reminded that this country is still relatively young as it is only 40 years old. Oil was found here is I think it was 1968 but they did not begin exporting until 1971. It was during this time too that they did not have their own money, they used other countries money. Interesting facts...Here are some pics...

 
 
 
 
 

 

 


After leaving Heritage Village we walked to the Marina Mall which was about a 5 minute drive, but a 20 minute walk in the heat at about 12 noon. Who's idea was it? Chante's and it was hotttt!!!!!! Being the expert travelers that we were we caught the bus and took the 32 to the Grand Mosque. We had hoped to take the 2 p.m. tour but we had to make a detour. The detour you ask? Well, we got of the bus  a block before the mosque thinking we could walk right up to it...not so. There was no entrance on the side the bus let out on so in the heat ( I mean heat!!!) we walked to the next gate...oh...gate was closed. So in short after walking back and forth up the street we finally jumped into the taxi to take us around the corner to the correct door entrance. Interestingly enough, the cost to go around the corner was 10 dirham, the same price as going from our hotel to the mall. Anyway, we learned our lesson and we missed the tour but it was still a pretty building.

 

AKA- The Bathroom

 
 

 

 

From there, yes we did this all in one day, we went to the Emirates Palace Hotel. This is the most prestigious hotel and 5 star diamond award winning hotel. We were only able to go the ground floor of the building but I must admit that it was pretty nice.

 
 
 
  

It was a fun experience. Tired afterwards, we spent the next day chilling inside. :-)

-Until next time!