Holy macaroni! Just when I think I have it all together, and am feeling rather smug, there is a huge glitch in the schedule that I have poured hours into. Again, information that would have been beneficial to me LAST week.
I brought it home again on Sunday night and concentrated only on what the Monday schedule said. As long as Monday had no conflicts, I knew I would be able to work on the rest at school on Monday. I am doing WAY too much work at home. So I vowed that after this schedule is finished I will not be bringing home work.
We went to rugby practice and thought we might get rain, but it was a trick of Mother Nature. It's strange that the UAE has all the elements of a monsoon except the rain. Stinks!
Jack did get new rugby boots. So now he can run properly.
Jack seemed to think he didn't have to come with me as I was leaving the club so he decided he would sit on the sidelines at Tuesday's practice and watch for half of the time. It was so good of him to implement his own consequence for not doing as I asked and having an epic meltdown (sense sarcasm?). Kids!
Monday came and went and yet another shocking blow to my work life occurred. I was informed since we don't have all of our teachers, as of yet, I will be teaching 15 of the 35 sections each week. Now, there are two things I said I would never do in a school, 1) drive a bus, and 2) teach Kindergarten. Well, after this week I will only have one of those things on my list that I haven't done. Yep, I will be teaching grade one, which is the equivalent of Kindergarten. Oh my! Poor children, is all I have to say.
After speaking with several friends who let me cry on their shoulder and ask for advice, I figured 'how bad can 5 year old girls be?', and I am happy to report that they were actually really good. What I wasn't prepared for was the slow pace at which they move, because my experience with 5 year olds is Jack. He moves at mock speed all the time. So a slower gender was foreign to me, but quite appreciated. My 'hump' day didn't turn out as bad as I had thought it would. As my dad always says, 95% of what you worry about never comes to pass, and the other 5% you can do anything about any way. So there you have it. Being on the bus! I have now decided there is NO JOB in a school district I won't do.
Jack sat for the first half of his rugby practice on Tuesday. I am hoping he has learned his lesson, but if not then he will sit in other evenings. Good thing we forget some of these not so fun times as they get older.
Stuart is sporting his new scrum cap.
Work was super manic all week. Although I think things will slow down and I will soon be back to the more relaxed attitude I've become accostumed to, routines being established is a long process. The thing to always remember here is that not everyone sees the importance of supervising children at all times. I believe it is thought that if children get hurt because of their own silliness, then they must deal with it. I can't say I totally disagree.
Lunch time was more organized on Thursday because we implemented a new seating chart and insisted teachers be in the canteen during lunch, although not all complied with our request.
Our boys are the ones who have difficulty during lunch. I can't describe it to do it justice, but I can say I have NEVER seen anything like it in my life, and I taught in Coolidge, Arizona. They are definitely full of energy.
In all fairness to the boys, they are asked to sit for virtually 5 and a half hours with only a 20 minute lunch break. They are literally running all over the cafeteria and have no regard for anyone who tells them to stop. There are some very respectful boys who do exactly what is asked of them, but the naughty ones overwhelm the good ones. Dear Lord, help me make it through!
The best part about Thursday was that I had to leave at 11 am to get to a Head of Faculty meeting. Yahoo. Have I mentioned I am not crazy about my job so far this year?
Thursday evening, instead of going to the rugby club we stayed home and ordered in our favorite curry. Cathy was going to come over but ended up at the hospital with Claire, who was dehydrated. She ended up staying in overnight. She's fine but needs to watch herself as not to let this happen again.
Friday we got up and went to church. The pastor brings the little kids up front just before they are dismissed to children's church. Friday he was talking to them about how we all belong to a country and that country holds our passport. Yet we need that passport to get from one country to the next. However, in God's Kingdom we don't need a passport. Jack raised his hand and said, 'And Jesus lives inside of us'. I don't have to tell you that I cried. Duh! You know if I don't ever do anything right in my own life I want to know that I have tried my best to show them that life is about their relationship with God, and that Jesus wants to live inside their hearts. Maybe, after hearing Jack's comment at church, I can know we are at least on the right track. It was just so precious.
Then as we were starting to go up for communion he wanted to have 'some of that'. I tried to quietly tell him we would talk about what that meant when we got in the car. He insisted he have some. I asked him if he even knew what it was. He said,'I want some of those spicy chips!' I almost laughed out loud. Because he continued to insist, I brought him to the back of the church and explained why we take communion and what it really means. I told him he would know when he was ready, but that I believed right at this moment he wasn't ready. He seemed fine with that.
After church we did the dreaded weekly shopping and then headed home. The kids and I got ready for the pool and Stuart got ready for his first rugby match of the season. It was supposed to be a tournament but all of the teams except for two backed out. So it became a game between the young and fit, and the not so young and less fit. Guess which team Stuart was on?
They did really well. Stuart dislocated his finger, but he is going to live. Whew! He loves playing and that is something I am thrilled about.
I realize this looks like a knit cap, but it keeps him from getting his scalp taken off.
Here's the entire team.
After their match the 'first' team played. It was a night of rugby, popcorn, cotton candy, a band, bouncy castles, and worn out kids. Fun was had by all.
We got home and Millie was asleep, so straight to bed she went. Jack showered and also dropped off quickly.
Saturday morning the kids and Stuart went to the Rugby Club to swim, while I tried to finish the details for Jack's upcoming birthday party. I didn't buy enough items for his goodie bags, and sadly, when I went back to Mega Mart (which is not super 'mega') the animals I had purchased were no longer there. We have learned that if you want something in a shop you need to but as many as you think you need, and then maybe one more. Often things are rapidly purchased and not restocked. Now what? I still need items for two goodie bags. I suppose I will spend next week stressing about that. Birthday parties give me a head ache.
After my shopping trip was an epic failure, excluding the two tank tops I purchased, I went to swim at the Rugby Club, only to find out that the other 'dads' were soloing it that day! What? I could have continued shopping? Oh well, next week it is.
Saturday evening I met up with some colleagues to discuss things happening at the school. Sadly, not everyone in the schools want the western help that we have come here to give. There are two reasons (maybe more- I'll leave that to the reader to decide); 1) Westerners can sometimes be know-it-alls and come in like bulls in a china closet, and 2) people don't want the change because the 'old' way is just fine. So that was what the get together was about on Saturday evening. It was really a time of comforting each other and assuring each other that 'Every little ting is gonna be alright'.
Back to my 5 year olds I go on Sunday. Pray for me! Or maybe you should pray for them.
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