Friday, September 27, 2013

Lost tooth and a border run all in the same day.

We started our weekend with a leisurely stroll across the Oman border for what they refer to as a 'border run'. In the UAE you are allowed a visitor visa for 30 days. Then you must either leave the country or leave the country. Ah! So, since Stuart and I have yet to receive our passports back with our residency stamp, we had to rely on someone to take our kids, along with our English babysitters, over the Oman border, get a stamp, and return. All of this expected to take anywhere from 45 minutes to 4 hours. Super!

So, when you are looking for an adult to drive your kids across the Oman border and then come back, who do you ask? Well, the Eastern Indian guy who had your documents translated into Arabic and then approved by the government, of course. It makes sense that a perfect stranger would do such a thing for us. But seriously, this guy is the nicest guy and does this for a number of families who come over. He was recommended by our friend Gina and she is as cautious as they come, so we knew he would know what to do.

He met us at the hotel (well, after he was made aware he was in the Hilton parking lot and we were not staying at the Hilton) around 10 am and we followed him to the Oman border.  We had agreed that once we got close to the border we would stop and have our kids get in his car so that they could all go over together.  That seemed as if it would work, but the part that could have been tricky was the part where he spoke with the man at the customs window, got us past that point, and then had to really do some sweet talking to get us out of that spot.  We went into the 'office' with Sunil (random man taking our kids into another country) and waited for him to get the kids' passports stamped.  Then he left with the kids and drove about 2 miles away from us to the Oman office, got the kids passports stamped again which permitted them to stay in the country another 30 days, and then returned about an hour later.  Here was where the tricky part came in.  Technically we were in Oman with our rental car and no passports.  Oops! Sunil had to go and talk to the men in the office that had stamped the kids' passports in the first place.  About 45 minutes later, he came out with a paper that apparently permitted us to cross back over.

When we pulled up to the bay to exit, as Sunil had already exited, the man in the booth looked at our rental car agreement, the kids passports and then wanted to see ours.  We tried to tell him that Sunil had already sorted it out, but he would have nothing of it.  Sunil tried to come back and tell the guy, but the guy waved him off.  The man in the booth called over the other security guard.  This was when I got nervous and wanted to throw up.  We tried to tell Sunil earlier that we were not supposed to go into that area with him, but he seemed to think it was okay.  In fact, he was going to try to ask if Stuart could go all the way across the border with him and the kids, obviously worrying about Millie and needing to be attended to and not knowing how she would react.  I insisted that she would be fine and that Kayleigh and Claire would be able to handle her.  In the end we were able to pass through with no problems.  Thank goodness.

In the midst of this stress, Jack reported from the back seat, as we were entering the border area, that his tooth was coming out.  I asked him to let me wiggle it.  It was super loose, but Stuart thought it didn't look loose enough to pull.  Besides, we didn't want to send him over the border with a bloody mouth.  I gave Kayleigh and Claire a baggie and a packet of tissues just in case he did something silly like pulling it.  When they returned, again he claimed it was super wiggly.  So I stuck my fingers in there and pulled it out.  He squealed with delight, so impressed with his lost tooth.  He kept saying, 'I lost my tooth'.  When I told him he would need to put it under his pillow when he went to sleep, he responded by saying, 'Maybe we should put it on the table so the tooth fairy can find it and it doesn't get lost.' Love the logic of that.  He also wanted to stay up and see the tooth fairy.  We explained that if he did that the tooth fairy would not come.  So this morning, as you would guess, the tooth fairy had left some money.  Conveniently enough there was enough money to buy the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle he wants at Toys R Us.  Guess where we are heading this morning?

So things are moving right along in our journey to settle in.  When speaking on Skype to my mom and dad the other night, my mom asked if we had done anything fun since we had been here.  That kind of struck me as strange, but then I realized that we really have only been concentrating on the logistics of being here and haven't stopped yet to do many fun things.  We have been to the pool and the mall, but not really much of anything else.  So last night we went to the Rugby Club (in the same place as the Golf Club).  We watched a rugby match and ate pizza.  The club had two bouncies for kids and there were a ton of kids there.  Jack was out of our sight most of the night (not really, but he didn't come back to our table very often).  Millie enjoyed the bouncies as well, but was overwhelmed by the bigger kids at times.  After the match there was a band that played, and of course Millie danced her little heart out.  The ex-pat community has a real sense of family with one another.  Everyone looks out for each other.  I saw a few teachers from my school and met a few people I hadn't met before.  It is difficult to feel too far away from familiarity when the ex-pats have created some right here in Al Ain.  We had a wonderful time and have committed to get out of the hotel to a social event at least once a week.  Part of this experience has to be connecting with other people.

All is still well in Al Ain.  And we got paid this week, so how can things be that rough.  Maybe they can be for Stuart.  He will need to do a post, but just a teaser.....his 5th grade students (all boys school) rushed him at the end of the day on Wednesday and knocked him to the ground.  Hello!



Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Still in the hotel, you ask?

Why, yes, we are! Tomorrow it will be 4 weeks in hotels. Finally we have a set up that is at least tolerable. We have been placed in two rooms that adjoin! Thank goodness. The kids were having trouble going to sleep when we had to do work in the evening, once school started. So I had to get on email and remind the travel company that both of us were working for the government, therefore we were entitled to two rooms. Voila! They agreed!

It's been great. We have two of everything and now we even have a microwave. This has allowed us to be more diverse in our food, especially since we don't get paid until tomorrow, have now been paid for 3 months now, and are getting tired of eating out. But tomorrow is supposed to be payday so we shall see. 

Jack is still loving school, turned 5 years old on Sunday, and on Saturday after his nap woke up and announced his bottom two teeth were loose. What? Stuart and I both asked if he hit his mouth on something. We were so shocked and thought for sure he was too young to lose any teeth yet, but what do we know?  I asked him if he knew what the tooth fairy brought when he lost a tooth. He said, 'I don't know. I'm not the tooth fairy.'  Is it wrong to tell him the tooth fairy brings toothpaste?

Our English babysitters will be starting school on Sunday so it is vital we find a place for Millie. We think we have something worked out, but still pray all falls into place. We are taking her to a co-workers house tomorrow to meet her possible new daycare provider. I will let you all know how it goes. 

We are feeling more settled here. School is fine for me, more difficult for Stuart. But routines are started to set in with my students and that beginning of the school year stress is starting to subside. Today my second class came in with cakes and soda. When asked what it was for, they responded, 'Miss, its for you!'  Apparently the Emiratees love parties....and at school. I wasn't sure what was supposed to be allowed in this regard. In my previous experience this would not be allowed, but apparently this is allowed here. It seems that this builds community between the locals and the westerners. Cake? I'm in!  We are doing the best we can, but once school is out our life begins. We are enjoying the experience for sure. We are working fewer hours and making a LOT (or will) more money. How is that bad?

There is not much else to share. We are hoping to hear about housing sometime before the end of the week. Again, another thing we will let you know about when it happens. 

Love to you all!


Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Jack started school today!

So our master plan took a turn and we have been forced to put Jack into school.  Our hope when we came here was to be able to have Jack and Millie in the same facility.  We thought that might make settling into their new homes a great deal easier.  It turns out that no 'nursery' takes children as old as Jack.  It is hard to believe, and a little sad for me, that Jack will be 5 years old on Sunday.  Where has the time gone?  Despite my dismay from the inability to have them together, I had to push through and try to find a suitable place for him.  Stuart's head of facility, Wade, told Stuart about Sunflower School. Wade's wife works there and she gave us some information last week.  We decided to visit on Tuesday of this week.  I texted her on Monday and told her that we would be visiting.  She then informed me that there was a waiting list and it might be a week of two before he could be placed in the school.  As these things sometimes do, this almost sent me over the ledge.

We decided to go ahead and visit and at least put in our application.  You see all expat children have to go to private schools and some of them can be really costly.  So being on a waiting list at this time of the year can be quite common.  As I was filling out the application at the school yesterday, realizing we had forgotten all the important paperwork we needed to have a complete application, as well as knowing it might be a week or so before we could go back because our schools are in session at the same time as any school we might need for Jack, I began to tear up again.  Then, as often happens with me as well, all changed when Sharon, the school secretary came over to us and told us they had an opening and Jack could start today.  Tears gone and excitement rising, we asked Jack if he would like to go to this school and he was very excited.

He is in the Red Bird class (Go Cards! And that is the St. Louis Cardinals, thank you very much).  Ms. Karen, Wade's wife, is one of his teachers.  He is in a preschool-like program from 8 am until 1:30 pm, but is able to stay on until 2:30 for a minimal fee, which is nice because neither Stuart of myself can get him until 2:30, and some days that is not even possible.  We will rely heavily on the new friends we have made as well as the large expat support group that exists in Al Ain.

Last night we laid out his clothes for today.  I told him that on the first day we wanted to make a good impression and that we would need to wear school clothes.  Stuart was a little disappointed that there was not a school uniform required.  I really wasn't bothered either way.  The only 'uniform' they are required to wear is a t-shirt with the school logo on it, and even then they only have to wear that on field trips.  We packed his lunch and filled his water bottle and were ready for his first official day of school.  Mama cried a bit thinking about her baby getting older.  In all my years of teaching I have never understood why the moms cry the first day of Kindergarten, but now I get it.  It is another stage of life for your child and it's one step closer to them growing up.

The ride to school this morning was not the conventional way children usually get to their first day of school, but he got there all the same.  We left the hotel in a cab this morning at 6:50 am.  Stuart has to leave for school at 6 am so he was not able to see Jack off for his first day of school.  I know that really bugged him, but it couldn't be helped.  One of the other teachers in my school is also staying at our hotel, so she rode with us to Jack's school and then on to our school.  When we finally explained to the cab driver where we were going, we were on our way.  There are no addresses here, as I think I have mentioned before, so everyone really needs to know land marks and what items are on the round abouts (zoo animals, a gazebo, etc.).  When we pulled up to Jack's school, Jack and I got out of the cab, went inside, turned in the necessary paperwork and the initial fee, bought two t-shirts, placed his things in his cubby, took pictures and headed out to the playground.  Just so you know, this is his favorite part of the day.  Shocking, I know!  I asked him if he wanted me to stay for a bit and he said he did.  I watched him play for a few minutes and then told him I had to go.  This was the point that I wasn't sure what would happen, with him or me.  He asked me why I had to go.  I said, "Well, I have to get to work."  He gave me a hug, kissed me....several times, and said, 'Okay, Mama.  I love you!'  Then the tears started behind my sunglasses.  I didn't want him to be nervous or scared so I choked them back as best as I could.  I told him to have a good day and to do what his teacher said.  He said he would.  As I walked told the door I heard him say again,'Bye, Mama'.  He was so happy and so confident in staying by himself.  As I thought about his attitude toward this situation it reminded me of when I was in Kindergarten.  I am pretty sure I had the same demeanor to life as Jack does.  He is not very concerned about new situations.  I remember riding the bus to school and being dropped off in an unfamiliar place.  I ended up taking Stevie Tyson's hand and saying, 'Come on, Stevie, I know where we are going.'  I'm pretty sure my sense of direction was no better then than it is now, but I wasn't scared.  Today when I left Jack on the playground I felt so good about the fact that every person who has ever influenced him, has instilled such a confidence in him that new adventures are just that.

As with any child after the first day of school and onwards, he couldn't remember what they did today. However, he did know that he was the line leader because he was the 'new boy' at school today.  As the evening continued he remembered more and more about his day.  Karen texted me and told me he had a great day, which really made me happy.  He was wiped out and barely got clean from the day before he was sound asleep and snoring like a horse.  Although the idea of him being in a 'school' was not what I had prepared for, I can tell that God has worked everything out for us to have him in exactly the right place.  They have a program for Millie when she turns 3, but not before.  So now to find her a place.

Love and miss you all,
Dana, Stuart, Jack and Millie


Friday, September 13, 2013

One week down, 35 to go!

That introduction sounds a bit negative, but really it was quite a good week for the beginning of the school year, language barrier being all around us (students, parents and other teachers), and not having a full staff to begin the year. 

Everyone has been really nice to us. The locals love our kids and are guinuine towards them. Most of the hotel staff know our kids names and greet them each time they see us. It's not creepy or weird. It makes me wish my own country had more of the human kindness we have found here. 

The end of the week brought tired legs (haven't stood that much since I was last a classroom teacher and that was 5 years ago), tired brain (thinking of many different ways of relaying the same information to non-English speaking children), and two adults and two children ready for a weekend together. Our weekend is Friday and Saturday. We go to school Sunday through Thursday which will take some getting used to. 

Thursday night we were invited to the Golf Club by Stuart's head of faculty. We had a great time being around of group of ex-patriots from many countries. We also were able to talk more about what school Jack would attend. Stuart is going to visit Sunflower School on Tuesday. I am hoping to get to go with him, but if not I will have to trust his decision. Everything we have heard about is very positive.  And although Millie would be at a different place this year, she could go with him to school next year.  Admitting that Jack could be in school this year as a pre-Kindergarten student was tough for me. I really don't want my baby to grow up even though I try to instill a great deal if independence in him. Now I get why moms cry when they leave their first born the first day of school. However, he is beyond excited. So we are anxious to get him settled and into some sort of routine. 

Today we spent the day at the mall. We were going to go an Anglican church this morning, but we didn't set an alarm and didn't wake up in time to go. We will make it next week (promise, Grammie and Pop). We went to see the movie Planes while at the mall and both of the kids loved it. Jack wants Dusty, the crop duster, for his birthday. His new little friend, Dylan, got one for his birthday earlier this month, so naturally now Jack wants one. Easy for us!

We continue to learn more about our surroundings as the days pass by. I even drove last night. There is a large ex pat support group here who have a great deal of experience and knowledge of where to go and who to contact for the different needs of the newbies coming I to town. It is so comforting to know that total strangers will help out when it's needed. There is no hidden agenda and no expectations for any kind of payback, rather an expectation that each recipient will pay it forward when the opportunity arises. It's wonderful and has been pleasantly unexpected and appreciated. 

We still haven't received word about where we will be living but we did receive our furniture allowance yesterday. So tomorrow we are going to go to some of the recommended places for furniture.  Then it's back to work on Sunday. We shall see what week two brings. Hopefully it brings more teachers to my school. 

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Just when you think you've figured it out.....

They go and tell Stuart he is actually in a Cycle 2 school. This means Stuart stayed in Abu Dhabi for more professional development while I was sent to Al Ain. I brought Jack and Millie with me because the girls who are staying with them while we work were also traveling to Al Ain with their mother. 

We hopped in the car on Saturday around 1 pm and headed to Al Ain. I had received an email from my principal telling me to come by  the school on Saturday if I could. As soon as we reached the hotel and were able to identify our luggage, we headed to my school. I felt a little bit awkward because I was still in my jean shorts. Al Ain is a much more conservative area, as I would find out when we went to the super market later in the day. 

My principal is a westerner and I love her so far. She is quite laid back, asked me what level would interest me, then put me in 4th grade (for reasons I am yet to discover, I assume). She said, 'I will see you in the morning at 7:45 am'. I asked what I needed to wear, apologized for my dress, stating I had just arrived from Abu Dhabi City and came straight to the school, and proceeded on my merry way, not really having a clue what I was to do. I did see my classroom and someone had dressed one of the boards for me, so at least there was some color on my boards. 

Because Stuart had to drive back to Abu Dhabi, we continued on to LuLu's supermarket. We had no idea what we would find. If you remember in an earlier post I mentioned that shopping is their national pastime, this doesn't exclude grocery shopping. I have never seen so many people at a grocery store at one time. Because it was Saturday night, and their work week starts on Sunday, it appears they get ready for the week as late as possible. We have been shopping in the morning and there are very few people out. So mornings will most likely be out times to shop. 

At any rate, we get to LuLu's and immediately I know something is wrong. I realize that I am not dressed appropriately. I am the ONLY woman who is not covered completely from her waist down, and among the few who are not covered completely on the arms. I was very embarrassed. Those who know me, know I really seldom give a care what people think of me. However, I have always prided myself with being mindful and considerate, when out of my element, to be respectful and compliant of other cultures. I failed epically in this situation. I could not get out of there fast enough. When we got into the car I broke down in tears. I knew this day would come. As excited as I have been about this adventure, there is always a rocky road when you decide to make a change, especially such a BIG change. It piled in on me, the thought if all we had done to get to this point and all we had yet to do. It was overwhelming to say the least. Stuart was leaving me, the kids at this point have no stability as far as child care/school is concerned, I wasn't really sure what I needed to do at school the following day ad wasn't sure how to get there. Calgon, take me away! And to make matters worse, when we returned from LuLu's and were putting away the groceries, I dropped a can of Diet Pepsi on the tile in the room and the can started to spew. I grabbed it as it was squirting in my face and carried it to the bathroom. When I got it in the sink I really believed I could pop the top and all would be right with the world again. What part of 'I dropped the can on the tile' did I miss? Absolutely nuts! As you would guess, I cried again. Stuart had to go, and sadly, I had to stay. 

A few days have passed, Stuart is in Al Ain now, I have learned a number of my students names, which has not been an easy task, and my fist week of work in the UAE is almost done. All in all it has been a great week. 

Teaching my six 45 minute blocks in the day, getting to work at 7:25 and leaving at 2:15 really doesn't suck. Oh, and making over twice the amount of money I made in the states is a definite perk. 

We have met some amazing people and I have already grown as a person and a professional. We have yet to adventure out, but will in due time. 

Please say a prayer for us that we get housing in an area called the Villages. If so, then life might be close to flawless. 

Thursday, September 5, 2013

We are on the move!

We have regained a bit of our independence. We rented a car. It's a clown car, but ever so cute. It's a Ford Figo (I think it's our old Fiesta), black and tiny. It serves our needs and now we can drive. 

Stuart has such a good sense of direction and has been able to maneuver his way around Abu Dhabi City. Too bad we aren't going to live in Abu Dhabi City. Me? Those of you who know my driving will know that even two years from now I will get lost, probably in the same neighborhood I've been in a hundred times. So I'm not all that anxious to get that party started. 

We decided to drive to Al Ain, our to-be new home, yesterday and Stuart got lost (maybe because of my poor directions) I found it to be a 'day in the life of Dana'a road tours'. He, on the other hand, was not as amused. I can only assume that if you have an excellent sense of direction, as Stuart does, and you get lost, it can be frustrating. However, if you are like me and being lost is state of being, then anyone getting lost is like another day for me. 

At any rate, we drove to Al Ain to look for schools and daycares for some of the kids in our group, mainly ours. We did find a couple of possibilities and will do more research once we are there. There is a large community of people working for ADEC (Abu Dhabi Education Council) who seem to assist each other as best they can with schools and other things. 

We were able to see both of our schools (mine is really still being built, brand new) and had a chance to look at one of the places that might be available to us to live. I think we get to put in a request. The place we saw was a good location between our schools. 

The drive down was very similar to the drive from Phoenix to Tucson, oh except for the camels we saw along the way! No, seriously, they were back off the road a ways. Some were standing and some were sitting. It was so awesome! You'd think I had never seen a camel before. I'm not sure who was more giddy about that sight, Jack or me. I'm sure those who have been here for a while are used to it, similar to some of us seeing a field full of cows in a pasture. I'll let you know when I get used to seeing camels in the sand dunes along the road. 

All is well in the Sandbox. And although students start school on Sunday, we will most likely not be there with them. Our medical clearance has not come through as of yet, so we are waiting patiently. What is done with those students without teachers? That's a good question that I will answer when I know. 

What we know is we are moving to Al Ain on Saturday, we have seen our schools and actually know how to get to them (well, Stuart does), and we are still happy with our decision to move to Abu Dhabi. 

Love you all,
Dana, Stuart, Jack and Millie

PS- Sorry the pictures are a little random.  The Grand Mosque, Stuart's school, my school, all of us standing on the beach with Abu Dhabi City in the background, Jack on a ride at the kiddie carnival in the  Marina Mall







Monday, September 2, 2013

So far, so good!

Well, we got our contracts last night.  We are moving to Al Ain, which is where we thought we would be. It seems they move families there. It is about an hour and a half outside of Abu Dhabi City. Stuart will be teaching in a school that is located about halfway between Abu Dhabi City and Al Ain. As he read about his school he found out it is actually a 1st through 12th grade school with only 200 students, but 30 faculty. Hmmm, those numbers sound good to me. I know that my school is a Cycle 1 school (1st through 5th grades). I also know that I have a Western principal.  We are both very excited to get started in our schools. 

We are pretty sure that the culture of Al Ain will be a little more conservative than that of Abu Dhabi City. AD is much more westernized than I imagined. Frankly, we could be in any major city in the states. It seems to be a melting pot of cultures. Nothing about this place makes me feel nervous or scared for any reason.  The question we got most often when we told people about this entire experience was 'Is it safe?'  I can tell you with 100% confidence that this place is totally safe. Throw your stereotypes out the window and come visit us. See for yourself. 

We walk around the malls and we don't feel out of place. They have all the fast food we have in the mall food courts and then there is the traditional Arabic food as well as a lot of Indian food. The malls are several stories tall and you would be hard pressed to find much on sale. I have been told that shopping is the national past time. I fit right in!

At the grocery stores you can buy American brands of most anything but it is just more expensive.  There are a lot of nuts and dried fruits in bulk barrels, especially dates. So far we have not seen any pork products, but are told there are secrets stashes in some of the stores. 

The people are wonderful. Everyone loves the kids and wants to touch them or talk to them or play with them. I really believe most people would find the UAE very similar to home, except maybe more hospitable. There are rude and entitled people as well, but what society doesn't have that group?

We started orientation on Sunday that lasted two hours and then people just started to get up and leave, signaling it was over. It was odd to say the least. There we were able to start the process of setting up our bank account and get more information about car rental and furniture for our new home.

We had our medical exam yesterday. The advantage of going through a large organization with immigration is that they have things all set up for you. Although it took some time, it was easy. When Stuart went through immigration in the states we had to figure everything out on our own and it seemed more complicated. 

We will most likely move on Friday to a new hotel in Al Ain. Then we will start school, with kids, on Sunday. Nothing like just throwing us in and seeing how it goes. 

We are still not sure what we are going to do for Jack and Millie as far as daycare is concerned. However, we are leaning towards putting Jack in school. He is old enough to be in the KG1 program, which would be equivalent to preschool. If we do not do that we have been told that because of his age, next year he would automatically go into KG2, which means he would miss preschool unless we would be able to find a daycare that basically does preschool-like things for kids his age. We shall see. 

We met an English woman who has teenage girls who are babysitting Jack and Millie while we have to do school things, which is great. They are moving to Al Ain as well so hopefully we can talk them into staying with the kids until their mother can find them a school and we can find places for Jack and Millie. They have truly been a blessing from God.  

So far we love it. Things move at a much slower pace and I have had to keep my big mouth shut on more than one occasion already. The kids have adjusted well so far and are now on the right sleep schedule, which is good for all of us. Now, if their mother could stop waking up in the middle of the night, that would be nice. Although, if I start sleeping normally these posts might not ever happen. 

Stay tuned!