Okay, so it came about that I had inadvertently accrued a fine of DHS 1200 (approximately $400AU) for failing to apply for health insurance cards within seven days of getting a stamp on a pink piece of paper...yes, it doesn't make much sense to me either, who was obliviously unaware of this rule, however that aside, I just have to tell the saga of actually paying the fine...at least I think I've paid it - I'll leave that up to your judgement!
On the last day of term I found out that I had a fine of 1200DHS owing to DAMAN insurance and that I had to pay it ASAP to avoid incurring extra charges. My instructions were to take the receipt which was helpfully emailed to me to the DAMAN office. I had no idea where this was - luckily it's above the downtown post office and my friend Patti knew where that was. We were forewarned that the office was a very busy place and to expect to be there for some time.
I couldn't go straight there to pay it as I had to go home to print the email. Armed with the email, Patti kindly drove me, only to find that it had closed 15 minuted earlier. Happy that I am now able to find the place independently, I vowed to come back on Sunday (first day of the working week over here).
And so on Sunday, I presented myself with one thousand (slightly exaggerated) pieces of photocopied documentation - just in case, which was, as forewarned, full of men. Once in the place, I wandered around in what I can only describe as a gormless manner for about 5 minutes before presenting myself at a random counter and trying to pay my fine. I was given a form (in Arabic!) to fill in - bear in mind that I only recognise two letters despite my term at school...fortunately the kind clerk translated for me. To this form I needed to attach copies of passports and residency visas for all... thank you documentation. I am helpfully informed by another cleck to come back in a couple of hours to present the now completed documents and 100DHS, then kalais (finish) my fine would be gone.
Slightly puzzled I heed the advice and reappear with my documents and cash at 1pm. It is much quieter on my return and on seeing me the clerk kindly ushers me into a small room with three men working and six men waiting, sitting down. I follow suit , sit down and wait for about 15 minutes. During this time various other people came in and presented their documents. I was confused by the procotol and didn't want to appear rude by presenting myself ahead of others at the desk and am just beginning to worry at the amount of time I might be there when one of the workers took pity on me and called me over. I tried again to explain that I needed to pay my fine, but he took my documentation, no money and explained that I would get a text to go to HAAD Al Mawaijai -blah, didi, blah and did I know where that was...er, no. He assured me that the text this afternoon would confirm the details.
Slightly bemused that I still haven't been able to pay my fine, I head home, safe with the knowledge that I am at least on the right path...I think.
Did I get a text that afternoon? I sure did - could I read it? Erm, no. Sadly, as previously mentioned, my Arabic reading skills are quite atrocious. Not to be beaten, I bravely decided to enlist on the help of some unsuspecting Arabic-speaking mothers who assemble each evening at the playground outside our apartment. Happily this was a good move. After some discussion it was decided that my best course of action was to present myself at Al Ain Hospital and that HAAD should be in there. I was then invited to sit, eat, drink and chat. There was the loveliest milky-cinnamony drink I've ever tasted as well as sweet green tea and coffee. As they explained...we drink all day. I can quite cope with that. I am invited to come back each night to teach English in exchange for Arabic. What an arrangement...it suits me perfectly! I promised to bring my children the next evening (even though they are usually bundled up in bed.)
In the morning, I decided to ring Al AIn Hospital and explain my predicament. Fortunately I did as the man explained that it was the Health Authority of Abu Dhabi that I needed to visit. I extracted the number for the Al Ain branch off him (no mean feat) and gave them a ring to ascertain the location. In the UAE directions are found differently from Oz. If you are a local, this system seems to work quite smoothly...if not, however...it can prove a little challenging. There are no building numbers and are street names, but these tend not to be used. Instead, it is all on roundabout names and building shapes. Are you ready for the directions I was given, all while just trying to pay my accidental fine?
"Go to dee-one roundabout - you know it? (me thinking erm no, said okay) straight to the next roundabout called Maderas (erm...yes) straight to the next roundabout near Sheikh Mariam palace, then right to the Cooperative and hopsital Mawaijai...turn left and there is HAAD."
Well...by looking up the hospital on the internet (thank you internet) I managed to find something which resembled my phonetic spelling of 'mawaijai' and although it didn't have a location map, a newspaper article sighted it as being in the Al Manaseer area. This I located on our Al Ain map and we made our way there.
I tried again to pay my fine, but left with a receipt for 100DHS and a fine that has indeed vanished. My receipt does say 'for application form' and I was told to go to DAMAN and pay 200DHS to get the cards, but as these are supposed to be sent to ADEC I am going to present the receipt to ADEC.
The question is: Have I or have I not paid my illustrious fine? What do you, the reader think?
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
Dubai...Sort of...
At around 9am we set off (in Patti's car - thank you!) to Dubai. Tony was keen to see the museum, Palace, spice souk and to ride along the river in a water taxi. I was hoping to also fit in a swim and a trip to the infamous Dubai Mall (just to get Tyler a new sun hat of course!)
The journey from our home base at Hili took about 50 minutes and we saw orange sand dunes and some wild camels - hooray. Small restaurants appeared intermittently throughout the journey as well as many exits to farms and smaller communities.
Approaching Dubai was pretty amazing - it went from desert pretty much straight into city and the tallest building (whose name everybody except for me will probably remember) really stood out against the skyline.
Our plan was to follow the signs to the trade centre, which would eventually lead onto the corniche (beach). We however, managed within minutes of our approach to get seduced by a brown tourist sign which said 'floating bridge' - I'm sure you would have too. We never did see the bridge or end up doing any of the afore mentioned bequests...what happened you ask...well...kid city happened. We somehow stumbled upon the most amazing looking park with beautiful greenery and the most amazing playgrounds...we never did get to those amazing playgrounds as right in the middle of the park was this huge primary-coloured building, which turned out to be every kids (and perhaps adults) dream. I guessed from the outside that it might just be an indoor play centre, but no, for 40 dirhams (approximately $14AU) for the whole family, we had six hours of the most interactive fun the kids have ever had in an indoor space (our home excluded of course.)
Kids City ended up being an interactive science/cultural centre, where everything was child-based, from putting cogs on to make a wheel turn, pulling the same weight with different levers, creating life-sized bubbles, crushing cans to make art, putting telephones on an over-sized globe to hear people speak in languages from around the world...oh, I could go on forever. Having probably read a few of my blogs by now however, you will have come to realise that they are very short and concise in nature and not likely to ramble...much.
To cut a possibly long blog short, we had a great day out. Did we see much of Dubai...erm, no...but there's always next time...
The journey from our home base at Hili took about 50 minutes and we saw orange sand dunes and some wild camels - hooray. Small restaurants appeared intermittently throughout the journey as well as many exits to farms and smaller communities.
Approaching Dubai was pretty amazing - it went from desert pretty much straight into city and the tallest building (whose name everybody except for me will probably remember) really stood out against the skyline.
Our plan was to follow the signs to the trade centre, which would eventually lead onto the corniche (beach). We however, managed within minutes of our approach to get seduced by a brown tourist sign which said 'floating bridge' - I'm sure you would have too. We never did see the bridge or end up doing any of the afore mentioned bequests...what happened you ask...well...kid city happened. We somehow stumbled upon the most amazing looking park with beautiful greenery and the most amazing playgrounds...we never did get to those amazing playgrounds as right in the middle of the park was this huge primary-coloured building, which turned out to be every kids (and perhaps adults) dream. I guessed from the outside that it might just be an indoor play centre, but no, for 40 dirhams (approximately $14AU) for the whole family, we had six hours of the most interactive fun the kids have ever had in an indoor space (our home excluded of course.)
Kids City ended up being an interactive science/cultural centre, where everything was child-based, from putting cogs on to make a wheel turn, pulling the same weight with different levers, creating life-sized bubbles, crushing cans to make art, putting telephones on an over-sized globe to hear people speak in languages from around the world...oh, I could go on forever. Having probably read a few of my blogs by now however, you will have come to realise that they are very short and concise in nature and not likely to ramble...much.
To cut a possibly long blog short, we had a great day out. Did we see much of Dubai...erm, no...but there's always next time...
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Bec in Oman
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| Omani Mountains |
Eid Al Adhar (big Eid) for those of you who don't know, is currently being celebrated. This is a very special and important religious occassion for Muslims. Briefly (and with my limited knowledge) it involves the sacrifice and eating of a sheep for each family. The meat is shared with the poor (charity) and it is a time when many people make the once-in-a-lifetime trip to Mecca.
It also means a week off from work, so we decided on a couple of day trips; the first being to Oman.
We can see the Oman border from the front of our complex and conveniently, there is a border crossing about 500m away. We invited Patti (a fellow teacher and friend) to come with us and she bravely agreed.
It was at 7ish when the six of us set off in an impossibly small car whose name I keep forgetting. I would never have dreamt of travelling like this in Oz and still can't work out why I am...I guess everything is just more...relaxed, shall we say. Let me create a picture of the backseat: Finlay, Tyler, Bronte and I are tightly packed across it. I think I will use a little poetic licensing and say that for the duration of the drive and the immigration offices to get a multitude of stamps, the children were impeccably behaved and it all went smoothly. Nah, I'll go with the truth - lucky you!
Border Crossing 1 - This was a two minute drive away and by copying what other cars seem to be doing, we work out that we have to park the car and head into one of two possible buildings, depending on whether you are arriving or departing. We head into what we hope is the right building and wait (sitting of course) as standing up in queue appears to be impolite. 20 minutes later, after which Tyler has befriended a few people, we head to the car, pile in again and drive towards the exit where we hand over a minisure piece of paper and are waved on our way. We then follow a road around the facility and find ourselves in Oman - hooray! Tony comments that it was much easier than the last border crossing he and the kids did at a different location...hmmm, we'll see about that later...)
We follow our noses in the direction that we hope will lead us to Sohar; an old coastal town about 60km away that used to be a major port in Oman. We soon locate signs and are happily on our way.
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| Sohar Fort |
Scenery - the buildings tend to range from ruins through to the ornate, all mingled in together, in a range of beautiful arcitectural types. Soon however, we come to mountain ranges only made of rock. It is almost like being on the moon. No trees or shrubs. In parts of the coast though are palms and lots of gorgeous cobalt blue domed mosques, fields of goats, wild camels, souks etc.
Once we reach Sohar (and this is after another surprise border crossing about 15km from the first one) its initial approach consists of dramatic white mediterranian style buildings (favoured considerably by Tony) and we proceed quickly in the direction of Majees Jetty, which was famed (via travel guide) to be a deserted strip of beach suitable for swimming...I am sure you can guess which three little wild things were very keen for this part of the trip at this time...
The approach to the ocean was down narrow roads with amazing ramshackle buildings crowded close by at either side. These opened up to an expanse of gritty shell-filled sand, with old fishing boats and semi-permanent covered day dwellings; some used for storage and others social gatherings. We drove further up the road to find an area that wouldn't be directly on anyone's doorstep and came to a small stretch of suitable beach. It was pretty windy so we weren't really sure about swimming, but the kids were keen, so in they went. We never did find the promised deserted strip, so Patti, Tony and I made do without swimming as it just wouldn't have been appropriate for us to strip down and dive in. Finlay, Tyler and Bronte on the other hand, had a great time in the water leaping about, falling over and collecting shells etc.
After about an hour, we left and headed a few kms in the direction of the town of Sohar. The entrance was marked with a huge grand arch. We stopped for a little while and walked along the promenade, took in the sights of another beautiful Mosque, then with hunger calling, headed back to the car in search of lunch.
We went to the first restaurant we found, called something like the Yellow Palace - it didn't look too promising from the outside and we weren't even sure it was open. Luckily for us it was as we had the nicest meal (Tony's cooking aside of course) that we have eaten since we've been here. It ended up being an Indian restuarant and the curries were amazing. Mmmm...my tummy's rumbling just at the thought.
After lunch we piled back into the car and headed back home. We pretty much had to follow our nose and outstanding sense of direction, as there weren't any signs pointing to our destination. Just when we were beginning to think we'de missed out turn and were heading too far up the speedy freeway, we found it and took the road back to Al Ain. We went to the Oman crossing and then to a different UAE border crossing first of all, but turned around (in retrospect - WHAT WERE WE THINKING!?!) to head to the one in Hili where we live.
On the way we stopped at a Souk, which is a market. This one sold cushions, carpets, industrial-sized pots, housegoods etc. We didn't buy anything this time, but Bronte charmed her way into: one lollipop, one bottle of sherbet, a pink sparkly headband and a colourful drink bottle - we are not quite sure how she does it and we think the boys are a little puzzled too. She did happily pose for photos and practice her Arabic, so that may have had something to do with it...
There was a cattle souk attached and Tony accidently started haggling over the price of a brown cow - given that he's not taken on the idea of a fish, bird, kitten or puppy, I was a little surprised!
Having left (somewhat later) without a cow, we headed off to the last part of our journey to the Hili Border Crossing. We had no idea whether we had to get out and wander into the building again, but parked to make sure. A security guy pointed to a building with a swarm of people trying to get in the door. Our hearts collectively sank as it was 5:30pm and pretty close to the 'wild things' dinner time. This border crossing was extra....erm....special and really deserves a blog on of its own. You will be relieved to hear however, that I shall summarise and say that two hours later after visiting three different locations and dealing with various different personnel, we left with all the necessary stamps on our passports and papers. The kids I am pleased to say, didn't fall apart, but played games like ring-a-ring-a-roses and rock, paper, scissors, much to the entertainment (I'm hoping) of bored onlookers. Bronte surprised everyone by loudly mimicking the words of one of our custom officials when he called (in Arabic) 'Entry Stamp!', so much that he came back into the room, ruffled her hair and had all the Arabic-speaking people murmuring appreciatively. I asked a lovely Omarni lady, whom we has befriended in our wait for the translation and she told us and said that it was a perfect immitation. We will try and visit her next time we are in Oman at her bakery.
Our day in Oman was fun. We only got to see a snapshot of course, but will definately head back (via a quieter border crossing!) for longer. We hope Patti enjoyed her day too - when questioned on her favourite part, she replied 'All of it.' Bronte liked collecting pink shells, Tyler liked chatting to the nice lady about his new toy laptop at the first border crossing, Finlay liked collecting shells, Tony liked the approach to Sohar (not the rain which I can't believe I forgot to mention that fell on the way back) as I expected he would say, based on the amount of excitement it produced on his part - yes this was our first bit of rain since leaving Oz. And I really liked the cobalt blue and gold trimmed Mosques, with small dwellings dispersed in between and the sight of women casually sitting out the front of these in beautifully bright coloured clothing - a lovely sight.
Stay tuned for a MUCH shorter blog about our trip to Dubai.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
A Typical Day
5:00am Awake to the sound of call to prayer (the Mosque is approximately 100m away from our bedroom window. Fall back to sleep briefly before dragging myself out of bed at 5:15ish.
5:20 Have breakfast by myself (usually porridge - how typical). Enjoy the peace of the day.
5:40 Shower - must run water briefly first as it comes out orange initially. The water quality is rumoured to have our hair falling out in clumps eventually, however I am happy to report at this stage that I still have a full set of hair. Kids will usually wake up and start dressing themselves.
5:55 Dress in appropriate clothes for school etc. Do Bronte's hair if time is kind - this prevents her from looking like a witch when I get home, although Tony's pig-tails are starting lasting longer.
6:15 Say goodbyes and walk down stairs (actually this has been the lift, however given we are only on the first floor I have just started using the stairs!) to Patty's car.
6:15 - 6:55 Either chat or daydream (or a mix of both) for duration of drive to school, depending on how awake everyone is feeling.
6:55 - 7:45 Sign in, get things ready for day, e.g. photocopies, manipulatives. Greet teachers in English and/or Arabic.
7:45 - 8:00 Assembly in a large hall, where all classes sit around the perimeter of the hall in a 'u' shape facing towards the middle. Chn perform a range of fitness movements and sing national song. Three children are chosen to say certain phrases into a microphone and all of school responds verbally with a phrase - these of which I have not yet worked out.
8:00 - 8:15 Greet children, select a leader who counts the number of boys and girls present. Go through days of the week in English and Arabic. Collect money for zartar or cheese sandwiches and juice. Show sight words etc.
8:15 - 8:45 Chn usually go to a 'special'; either PE, Music, Art or Library. Madly prepare some more for day.
8:45-9:15 Literacy - usually introduce/ reinforce letter of the week, sing jingle, form letter, read story, model activities, show sight words etc. Chn engage in activities around the room.
9:15 - 9:45 Leave class (Arabic teacher teachers Arabic and Islamic studies) and go to KG1 - a room with 25 3-4year olds...yikes! Introduce letter sound and jingle briefly, model activity and get chn engaged at desk as quickly as possible.
9:45 - 10:10 Break for 'breakfast' which is a lovely feast with sweet tea whilst Arabic teacher is handing out breakfast to children and sitting with them whilst they eat.
10:10-10:30 Take class to hall for a run around, ball throwing and catching type break. I am pleased to say that the children no longer climb on the cubby houses or scale the doors, so my presence is slowly being accepted. Getting all the chn to line up when they finish still remains a challenge. My 'Yela Atfarley - wahad, itharn, thalatha' (excuse poor spelling) is slowly starting to work. This roughly translates to 'Quick my children - one, two, three' and is used by the Arabic teachers very effectively.
10:30 - 11:30 Numeracy - a range of number songs and a lot of counting. Introduction of shapes, number recognition - usually one a week. The chn all sit in a 'u' shape around the edge of a large carpet for the initial instruction. Introduction of activities - I am hoping to introduce centres soon, but am finding I need to address class management first. The children are usually engaged, which I find absolutely wonderful, as I find it very hard to engage when I am trying to listen in Arabic, so they are doing very well.
11:30 - 12:00 Science - we have looked at Ourselves, Colours, Eid Al Adhar and we will be looking at Our Family next.
12:00 - 12:15 Closing time - giving out notes, messages, packing up, story etc.
12:15ish Bell rings and chn get bags and line up in two lines (boys and girls) for the bus. If the Arabic teacher is in the room, this is done very sensibly. If it is just me, the chn scream when they hear the bell and then line up. We walk the chn to the buses and they climb on, usually saying 'goodbye' in English.
12:15-12:30 Go to staffroom, sip teach and chat.
12:30-1:30 Attend professional development.
1:30 - 2ish Tidy classroom and get resources, lesson plans etc ready.
2ish - 2:40 Drive back home.
2:40 Wake Tyler and Bronte, help them get dressed, chat etc.
3:20 Walk downstairs to pick Finlay up from bus. Have a snack.
3:20- 5:00 Play (either at playground downstairs with bike riding, or some kind of Art and Craft)
5:00 Heat dinner up (thanks Tony!) and we all eat together.
5:30 - 6:30 Bath, books, bed routine (with a bit of homework thrown in for Finlay)
6:30 Chn in bed. Chat with Tony, read, watch t.v. series, write blog :) etc.
9:30ish Sleep (very quickly as so tired - have been known to watch one movie in three separate sittings - sorry Tony!)
The weekends of course are very different.
Stay tuned for the next blog/s which will feature our upcoming trip to the zoo and Oman.
5:20 Have breakfast by myself (usually porridge - how typical). Enjoy the peace of the day.
5:40 Shower - must run water briefly first as it comes out orange initially. The water quality is rumoured to have our hair falling out in clumps eventually, however I am happy to report at this stage that I still have a full set of hair. Kids will usually wake up and start dressing themselves.
5:55 Dress in appropriate clothes for school etc. Do Bronte's hair if time is kind - this prevents her from looking like a witch when I get home, although Tony's pig-tails are starting lasting longer.
6:15 Say goodbyes and walk down stairs (actually this has been the lift, however given we are only on the first floor I have just started using the stairs!) to Patty's car.
6:15 - 6:55 Either chat or daydream (or a mix of both) for duration of drive to school, depending on how awake everyone is feeling.
6:55 - 7:45 Sign in, get things ready for day, e.g. photocopies, manipulatives. Greet teachers in English and/or Arabic.
7:45 - 8:00 Assembly in a large hall, where all classes sit around the perimeter of the hall in a 'u' shape facing towards the middle. Chn perform a range of fitness movements and sing national song. Three children are chosen to say certain phrases into a microphone and all of school responds verbally with a phrase - these of which I have not yet worked out.
8:00 - 8:15 Greet children, select a leader who counts the number of boys and girls present. Go through days of the week in English and Arabic. Collect money for zartar or cheese sandwiches and juice. Show sight words etc.
8:15 - 8:45 Chn usually go to a 'special'; either PE, Music, Art or Library. Madly prepare some more for day.
8:45-9:15 Literacy - usually introduce/ reinforce letter of the week, sing jingle, form letter, read story, model activities, show sight words etc. Chn engage in activities around the room.
9:15 - 9:45 Leave class (Arabic teacher teachers Arabic and Islamic studies) and go to KG1 - a room with 25 3-4year olds...yikes! Introduce letter sound and jingle briefly, model activity and get chn engaged at desk as quickly as possible.
9:45 - 10:10 Break for 'breakfast' which is a lovely feast with sweet tea whilst Arabic teacher is handing out breakfast to children and sitting with them whilst they eat.
10:10-10:30 Take class to hall for a run around, ball throwing and catching type break. I am pleased to say that the children no longer climb on the cubby houses or scale the doors, so my presence is slowly being accepted. Getting all the chn to line up when they finish still remains a challenge. My 'Yela Atfarley - wahad, itharn, thalatha' (excuse poor spelling) is slowly starting to work. This roughly translates to 'Quick my children - one, two, three' and is used by the Arabic teachers very effectively.
10:30 - 11:30 Numeracy - a range of number songs and a lot of counting. Introduction of shapes, number recognition - usually one a week. The chn all sit in a 'u' shape around the edge of a large carpet for the initial instruction. Introduction of activities - I am hoping to introduce centres soon, but am finding I need to address class management first. The children are usually engaged, which I find absolutely wonderful, as I find it very hard to engage when I am trying to listen in Arabic, so they are doing very well.
11:30 - 12:00 Science - we have looked at Ourselves, Colours, Eid Al Adhar and we will be looking at Our Family next.
12:00 - 12:15 Closing time - giving out notes, messages, packing up, story etc.
12:15ish Bell rings and chn get bags and line up in two lines (boys and girls) for the bus. If the Arabic teacher is in the room, this is done very sensibly. If it is just me, the chn scream when they hear the bell and then line up. We walk the chn to the buses and they climb on, usually saying 'goodbye' in English.
12:15-12:30 Go to staffroom, sip teach and chat.
12:30-1:30 Attend professional development.
1:30 - 2ish Tidy classroom and get resources, lesson plans etc ready.
2ish - 2:40 Drive back home.
2:40 Wake Tyler and Bronte, help them get dressed, chat etc.
3:20 Walk downstairs to pick Finlay up from bus. Have a snack.
3:20- 5:00 Play (either at playground downstairs with bike riding, or some kind of Art and Craft)
5:00 Heat dinner up (thanks Tony!) and we all eat together.
5:30 - 6:30 Bath, books, bed routine (with a bit of homework thrown in for Finlay)
6:30 Chn in bed. Chat with Tony, read, watch t.v. series, write blog :) etc.
9:30ish Sleep (very quickly as so tired - have been known to watch one movie in three separate sittings - sorry Tony!)
The weekends of course are very different.
Stay tuned for the next blog/s which will feature our upcoming trip to the zoo and Oman.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Settling in - the first months
Hi everyone. So sorry it has taken so long for my first instalment form the UAE. I have been thinking of you all and hope that you are all well. We are travelling well...I will do my best to update you on just about everything...
Housing – after about a month in two different hotels, we have been located to Hili, which is an outer suburb of Al Ain. The vast majority of teachers has been sent here, so there is a lot of opportunity to catch up and socialise. We also have many Emirate families in the area, so I am trying hard (much to their amusement I expect) to practice my Arabic. Our accommodation is a new three bedroom apartment. We have the kids sharing one HUGE room, which they are enjoying, Tony and I in a double-sized room and Tony's office in the smallest room, along with the clothes horse and anything else I can sneak in (also very good as a room for visitors hint, hint – it has it's own bathroom...get your tickets one and all). We have a playground just outside, which we use in the early morning and late afternoon and have just gotten the kids bikes as there are heaps of paths for riding. The kids seem to be enjoying their new place so far, although Finlay still calls it a hotel.
Clothing – Around town I cover my shoulders and knees; at work I where pants and a long shirt or long skirts and long-sleeved shirts. The Emirate teachers wear a black abaya in front of men, but will take it off during the day as our school has an all female staff. Similarly, at home with female friends, Emirate ladies wear their own clothes rather than the abaya. The abaya is black so that it is not see through. As one Emirate lady said, “I am wearing my pyjamas under this!” It could be very handy some mornings...
Emirate men dress in a long creamish attire with a head-piece – I have forgotten the name. Children wear anything at all. The uniform is very cure at our school – it has a mini tie for both boys and girls and is mostly grey and white in colour.
Weather – hot, hot, very hot. The air conditioning works very well. We are still waiting patiently for rain and when/ if it comes, I am sure we will regard it with the same wonder as snow and immediately run out and splash in it. The mornings and evenings are alright to go out in for extended periods of time, but it is still most comfortable if you are in the shade. The swimming pool s in the hotels got a very good workout, especially by the kids who gained so much confidence.
Language – I am trying hard to learn as much Arabic as I can – I test it out on anyone – not very helpful when a lot of people around the Hili area speak Hindi and English, but I am learning to be more discerning... I don't think I will be able to learn Hindi as well – My Arabic acquisition has been rather slow, but I am having fun trying. Finlay, Tyler and Bronte are having fun counting in Arabic and can say yes, no, please, thank you and general greetings. Finlay had just gotten a book with 1000 Arabic/ English words in, which he is just obsessed with.
School – I am teaching in a lovely school in Al Yaher – it is about a 35 minute drive from home. Patti, a lovely lady from Arizona has been driving me and another lady (also lovely!), Melanie, who is from Canada. The school is beautiful – it has lovely murals on every all. The staff have been SO welcoming. We (the seven licenced teachers who arrived there) have really landed well. It has been such a positive experience. I am mostly teaching a KG2 class (4 and 5 year olds) but have just started going into a KG1 (3 and 4 year olds) class for between 30-45 minutes each day.
Generally the Arabic teacher is in the class when I am teaching, which is fantastic as the children are attentive. When the Arabic teacher leaves however...let's just say I need to improve my Arabic fast!
We get the most delicious lunched each day, ranging from Arabic pastries to homemade meals – my turn is on Tuesday, so Tony is cooking up African Lamb (Thank you so much Tony).
We tend to arrive at school at 7 each day and leave at two. The children are there from 7:45 though to 12:15. We have an hours professional development on four of the days for one hour.
Finlay is at Al Ain English Speaking School – in Year Two! He seems to be coping alright and enjoying himself, especially the Arabic lessons. Tyler and Bronte are enjoying being at home with Tony and love doing work in their portfolio. Tony seems to have settled into a bit of a routine with the house and work, and seems to be enjoying himself too.
Hili – This is the area where we live. It is located almost on the Oman border. We can see the border and hop to travel across when we all have our residency visas for a visit – it is supposed to be beautiful. We walked to town (it took about 10 minutes with the kids) and had a lovely meal in a local lebanese restaurant. The food is so reasonably priced and plentiful. We might try the Iranian Restaurant this week.
There are a range of shops in the local suburb, ranging form paints, to steel works, to pets shops, carpentry and a hypermart.
Landscape – The sand is orange and plentiful. The sand dunes are amazing – we always pass these on our way to work. There are lots of palm and fig trees. We haven't yet been to explore the Oasis, Camel Souk or Zoo, so I will update you on that another time. The malls over here are extremely opulent. They have skiing, skating, indoor play centres with roller coasters and of course a vast range of designer and other shops. We are going to try and support the local hypermart in Hili as well as the smaller shops, which are so well priced.
Hmmm...I can't think of any other headings for the moment, so I guess that means I will stop. I hope this has given you a snapshot (more like a photo album actually) of our experience so far. I will try to post some photos next time – am still looking for batteries that will work in our camera.
Ma Salama!
Housing – after about a month in two different hotels, we have been located to Hili, which is an outer suburb of Al Ain. The vast majority of teachers has been sent here, so there is a lot of opportunity to catch up and socialise. We also have many Emirate families in the area, so I am trying hard (much to their amusement I expect) to practice my Arabic. Our accommodation is a new three bedroom apartment. We have the kids sharing one HUGE room, which they are enjoying, Tony and I in a double-sized room and Tony's office in the smallest room, along with the clothes horse and anything else I can sneak in (also very good as a room for visitors hint, hint – it has it's own bathroom...get your tickets one and all). We have a playground just outside, which we use in the early morning and late afternoon and have just gotten the kids bikes as there are heaps of paths for riding. The kids seem to be enjoying their new place so far, although Finlay still calls it a hotel.
Clothing – Around town I cover my shoulders and knees; at work I where pants and a long shirt or long skirts and long-sleeved shirts. The Emirate teachers wear a black abaya in front of men, but will take it off during the day as our school has an all female staff. Similarly, at home with female friends, Emirate ladies wear their own clothes rather than the abaya. The abaya is black so that it is not see through. As one Emirate lady said, “I am wearing my pyjamas under this!” It could be very handy some mornings...
Emirate men dress in a long creamish attire with a head-piece – I have forgotten the name. Children wear anything at all. The uniform is very cure at our school – it has a mini tie for both boys and girls and is mostly grey and white in colour.
Weather – hot, hot, very hot. The air conditioning works very well. We are still waiting patiently for rain and when/ if it comes, I am sure we will regard it with the same wonder as snow and immediately run out and splash in it. The mornings and evenings are alright to go out in for extended periods of time, but it is still most comfortable if you are in the shade. The swimming pool s in the hotels got a very good workout, especially by the kids who gained so much confidence.
Language – I am trying hard to learn as much Arabic as I can – I test it out on anyone – not very helpful when a lot of people around the Hili area speak Hindi and English, but I am learning to be more discerning... I don't think I will be able to learn Hindi as well – My Arabic acquisition has been rather slow, but I am having fun trying. Finlay, Tyler and Bronte are having fun counting in Arabic and can say yes, no, please, thank you and general greetings. Finlay had just gotten a book with 1000 Arabic/ English words in, which he is just obsessed with.
School – I am teaching in a lovely school in Al Yaher – it is about a 35 minute drive from home. Patti, a lovely lady from Arizona has been driving me and another lady (also lovely!), Melanie, who is from Canada. The school is beautiful – it has lovely murals on every all. The staff have been SO welcoming. We (the seven licenced teachers who arrived there) have really landed well. It has been such a positive experience. I am mostly teaching a KG2 class (4 and 5 year olds) but have just started going into a KG1 (3 and 4 year olds) class for between 30-45 minutes each day.
Generally the Arabic teacher is in the class when I am teaching, which is fantastic as the children are attentive. When the Arabic teacher leaves however...let's just say I need to improve my Arabic fast!
We get the most delicious lunched each day, ranging from Arabic pastries to homemade meals – my turn is on Tuesday, so Tony is cooking up African Lamb (Thank you so much Tony).
We tend to arrive at school at 7 each day and leave at two. The children are there from 7:45 though to 12:15. We have an hours professional development on four of the days for one hour.
Finlay is at Al Ain English Speaking School – in Year Two! He seems to be coping alright and enjoying himself, especially the Arabic lessons. Tyler and Bronte are enjoying being at home with Tony and love doing work in their portfolio. Tony seems to have settled into a bit of a routine with the house and work, and seems to be enjoying himself too.
Hili – This is the area where we live. It is located almost on the Oman border. We can see the border and hop to travel across when we all have our residency visas for a visit – it is supposed to be beautiful. We walked to town (it took about 10 minutes with the kids) and had a lovely meal in a local lebanese restaurant. The food is so reasonably priced and plentiful. We might try the Iranian Restaurant this week.
There are a range of shops in the local suburb, ranging form paints, to steel works, to pets shops, carpentry and a hypermart.
Landscape – The sand is orange and plentiful. The sand dunes are amazing – we always pass these on our way to work. There are lots of palm and fig trees. We haven't yet been to explore the Oasis, Camel Souk or Zoo, so I will update you on that another time. The malls over here are extremely opulent. They have skiing, skating, indoor play centres with roller coasters and of course a vast range of designer and other shops. We are going to try and support the local hypermart in Hili as well as the smaller shops, which are so well priced.
Hmmm...I can't think of any other headings for the moment, so I guess that means I will stop. I hope this has given you a snapshot (more like a photo album actually) of our experience so far. I will try to post some photos next time – am still looking for batteries that will work in our camera.
Ma Salama!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
The Art of Patience
Hi everyone - I am totally new to blogging and will be very proud of myself if it works! I am hoping to keep my family and friends updated with our adventures whilst we are away in the UAE for two years, however if you do not fall into the before-mentioned categories and still want to read, please do.
For those of you who are a bit shady on details, I will fill in the details - I imagine however, that you have probably heard it so many times over the last few weeks that you could write this blog for me...anyway here goes:
It started in early July, innocently looking for jobs online, when I came across an Abu Dhabi job postion (interview held four days later). Now, for those of you who know me well, you will know that my geographical sense of the world is a little shaky to say the least. Intrigued however, I diligently looked up Abu Dhabi and found it (like most other people I'm sure are aware) to be in a country called the United Arab Emirates (UAE). I am proud to say that I can locate it instantly on a world map now - it is above Oman and right of Saudi Arabia.
After a discussion with Tony (hubby), I applied for the job and to my suprise had the job four days later. Details were forwarded on in the next week and a half and by the 15th of July a contract was signed.
We will be initially flown into Abu Dhabi for a number of nights to have health checks, police checks and more visa stuff organised, then will be coached to Al Ain, where we will hopefully move into furnished accommodation. If it is unfurnished, we will have a little shopping to do...
Al Ain for those of you have not heard of it, forms a triangle with Dubai and Abu Dhabi and is inland. This means the temperature tends to be hotter, but less humid. It is the fourth largest city and is where people with families tend to get sent as it is a more relaxed lifestyle. A fantastic place for visiting as well, hint, hint...
I will be teaching Kindergarten there. The children are local Emirates and come to school with little or no English...I am pretty excited! They are a mix of boys and girls and are 4-5years old. I will be team teaching with an Arabic-speaking teacher. The education model for years 1-6 segregates boys and girls and involves teaching Maths, English, Science and Integrated Technology to two classes a day.
The last eight weeks has been filled with informing friends and family, lots of paperwork, packing, moving and hoping for the mysterious e-ticket to appear.
I am starting to get a lot of "Oh...you're still here," as I go into teach casually at school. I'm suprised we're still here too! By 'we' I mean my husband and three children aged 2, 4 and 6 years of age, not to mention myself of course!
The latest news is that most of the remaining 500 or so teachers will be hearing in the next fews days whether they will be travelling next week (Sept 1st-4th). I am getting really excited and have nervous, excitable butterflies in my tummy.
I have tried hard not to obsess over leaving dates, however have to admit I have enjoyed looking at my email and reading on facebook the experiences of other teachers, some of whom are already in the UAE and others, like me, who are still waiting, patiently...
It is lovely to still be around friends and mum is coming up to visit on Sunday, which will be great. Not to mention the weather is definately preferable here at the moment. On the flip side, it will be interesting settling into accommodation, having our orientation and starting school within days of each other. Still patience and flexibility are virtues that I possess (stop chuckling friends and family) - I have to entertain you somehow...
I will keep you posted as our exciting adventure unfolds.
For those of you who are a bit shady on details, I will fill in the details - I imagine however, that you have probably heard it so many times over the last few weeks that you could write this blog for me...anyway here goes:
It started in early July, innocently looking for jobs online, when I came across an Abu Dhabi job postion (interview held four days later). Now, for those of you who know me well, you will know that my geographical sense of the world is a little shaky to say the least. Intrigued however, I diligently looked up Abu Dhabi and found it (like most other people I'm sure are aware) to be in a country called the United Arab Emirates (UAE). I am proud to say that I can locate it instantly on a world map now - it is above Oman and right of Saudi Arabia.
After a discussion with Tony (hubby), I applied for the job and to my suprise had the job four days later. Details were forwarded on in the next week and a half and by the 15th of July a contract was signed.
We will be initially flown into Abu Dhabi for a number of nights to have health checks, police checks and more visa stuff organised, then will be coached to Al Ain, where we will hopefully move into furnished accommodation. If it is unfurnished, we will have a little shopping to do...
Al Ain for those of you have not heard of it, forms a triangle with Dubai and Abu Dhabi and is inland. This means the temperature tends to be hotter, but less humid. It is the fourth largest city and is where people with families tend to get sent as it is a more relaxed lifestyle. A fantastic place for visiting as well, hint, hint...
I will be teaching Kindergarten there. The children are local Emirates and come to school with little or no English...I am pretty excited! They are a mix of boys and girls and are 4-5years old. I will be team teaching with an Arabic-speaking teacher. The education model for years 1-6 segregates boys and girls and involves teaching Maths, English, Science and Integrated Technology to two classes a day.
The last eight weeks has been filled with informing friends and family, lots of paperwork, packing, moving and hoping for the mysterious e-ticket to appear.
I am starting to get a lot of "Oh...you're still here," as I go into teach casually at school. I'm suprised we're still here too! By 'we' I mean my husband and three children aged 2, 4 and 6 years of age, not to mention myself of course!
The latest news is that most of the remaining 500 or so teachers will be hearing in the next fews days whether they will be travelling next week (Sept 1st-4th). I am getting really excited and have nervous, excitable butterflies in my tummy.
I have tried hard not to obsess over leaving dates, however have to admit I have enjoyed looking at my email and reading on facebook the experiences of other teachers, some of whom are already in the UAE and others, like me, who are still waiting, patiently...
It is lovely to still be around friends and mum is coming up to visit on Sunday, which will be great. Not to mention the weather is definately preferable here at the moment. On the flip side, it will be interesting settling into accommodation, having our orientation and starting school within days of each other. Still patience and flexibility are virtues that I possess (stop chuckling friends and family) - I have to entertain you somehow...
I will keep you posted as our exciting adventure unfolds.
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