Celebrations at school? This early in the year? Why yes!

Because Eid is next week, the 5th grade boys gave a presentation for everyone on Sunday morning. Eid-al-adha (Feast of Sacrifice) is the Islamic festival to commemorate the willingness of Ibrahim to follow Allah's command to sacrifice his son Ishmael. If you remember the story differently, that wouldn't surprise me. But this is the story in the Islamic faith. 

The boys sang some songs and performed a dance around the Kaaba which is the building at the center of Islam's most sacred mosque, Al-Masjid al-Haram, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. During this time of year, many Muslims participate in 'haj' which is the fifth pillar of Islam. It is when they make their pilgrimage to Mecca. At least once in a lifetime a Muslim is expected to make this religious journey to Mecca and the Kaaba. 

Basketball practice and rugby practice were exciting. At one stage Jack was being coached on the sidelines at rugby practice. 

The lady you can barely see off on the right in the yellow shirt is my rugby team captain, Clare. Sunday and Tuesday she coaches her daughter's team. 

Monday brought another celebration, this time it was in the second grade boy's pod. One of our new teachers wasn't aware of the plan, and really neither were we. It's often like that. I have found that I just show up to school and go with the flow. If there is a special program I was not informed about, I attend and don't worry about what it was that I should have completed during that time. It's the way it is in the UAE. 

Monday after school the washing machine guy came to switch out the washing machines. They did, in fact, bring us a loaner which looked very much like our original one. He said it would be about 4 days and they would have it back. We still don't have it back. So glad I didn't let them take ours without a loaner. 

Monday evening we had rugby practice and it was actually a lot of fun....again. I did, however, pull the same hamstring that I pulled last week. I sweat more than I did the week before. I absolutely had a blast working very hard, physically, which is not always the case for me. 

Here is a picture of me after practice. Had to put my hair, at least the front part that would fit, in little piggy tails in order to keep it out of my face. Cute, I know. 

Tuesday I wasn't as sore as I thought I would be, but on Wednesday? Woah, mama! Needless to say I am constantly reminded of what pitiful physical destruction my body is in. 

Tuesday morning when Ms Janet came I gave her salary for the month of September. She seemed upset so I asked her what was wrong. She went into a story about how she had expected more and we didn't pay her enough. I was so shocked because in late August, Rochelle and I sat down with her and lined out how much we would pay her and she agreed. Because I don't have the energy to write the entire sorted story, the bottom line is she quit. She did not tell me she was not coming on Wednesday. Rochelle called me to inform me. I then called Ms Janet so I could address it with her. Needless to say it left a bad taste in my mouth. However there was no time for sulking. I had to kick into gear and think about what we would do for the rest of the week and for the rest of the year. 

In the end, Rochelle and I decided we would still search for someone to share, mainly because we both love the freedom it gives us to do other things we like. In the meantime, Kayleigh is attending on-line school this year so her schedule is pretty flexible. For the last two days of the week she came to our place. But starting on Tuesday (because of the Eid holiday) we will take the kids to her house. It will be easier for her since she still needs to study and do other things for her mom around the aprartment. We shall see if we actually do get a new nanny. I'm going to have to clean the apartment this weekend and do a few loads of laundry. It's funny how in just a month I got used to someone else doing that for me. 

Tuesday we had training for our science series. It continually amazes me that the training we receive by people who have never taught in the setting we are in seem to have all of the answers. I will say that the presenter was much more receptive to input than those in the past. I always see it as a day away from school, an excellent meal, and catching up with fellow Heads of Faculty. 

Tuesday afternoon was the Miss Janet saga. And Jack had rugby practice. Since I had told Millie last week that on Tuesdays we would start having 'Millie and Mama ' time, I stuck with it. It was actually really nice. We sorted her baby dolls and made sure each one had on clothes. We straightened up her kitchen and had 'tea' then headed for the bath. 

Wednesday was school as usual, with more celebrations and less students. Just before any holiday or the end of a term, attendance drops off dramatically. 

We went to rugby practice on Wednesday evening and decided to take the kids. I knew Jack would stay busy because some of his friends from school were going to be there. Millie is the one I thought might be clingy and not let me practice. However, I was pleasantly surprised when she played with Jack and his friends and didn't come onto the rugby pitch one time. After Wednesday's practice and a few more bumps and bruises, Cathy has decided that rugby is probably not for her. She told me she would not be going back to training. I am going to carry on. Quite frankly, I may never play in a match because there may be a conflict with Jack and Stuart's matches. We shall see. I also may change my mind about the game once we start tackling next Wednesday. That kind of scares me. Stay tuned for the final decision. 

Thursday our girls at school had their Eid celebrations. There is always a great deal of chocolate being passed out to teachers during celebrations. I love that part. Our school has a total enrollment of about 1400 students. On Thursday there were 174 students on the girl's side and 72 on the boy's side. Of course the boys who came were our more 'energetic' ones. Typical. 

The girl presentations are a little more calm than the boys. They sing and sometimes do a dance. 

When I got home from school Jack presented me with a piece of paper. It was from Ms Clare, his teacher and Henry's mom.  He was a 'Star Student' for sharing do nicely with another student in his class. I asked him what he dared and he said he let Fredrick play with his Lego Technics car that he took for Show and Tell. He was so pleased with himself. 

Thursday evening Cathy came over and we ordered in curry. We were all so tired. At 8:30 pm it felt like it was midnight. The kids went to bed just after 6 pm because of their late evening on Wednesday. Needless to say they were up before the sun on Friday morning.  

We did some grocery shopping Friday and ate lunch at the mall. Stuart had a rugby match and had to be at the club around 2:30 pm. So the kids and I went with him and swam while he got ready for his match. 

Because the official Eid day was on Friday, no booze could be served Thursday from sundown until Friday sundown. Attendance for Stuart's game was kind of low, maybe because the beer wasn't flowing. Who knows. 

Stuart scored the first try (rugby's version of a touchdown) of the match. He was very thrilled with himself. They still didn't win but they played better. 

In this picture Stuart is the one in the middle, just about to fall on the mass. He has on a black beanie, called a scrum cap. 

Stuart is in the yellow, number 1. After the match Millie pointed to him and said, 'Mama, Daddy is number 1'. I was pleased that she knew what that number was and also that she thinks her daddy is number 1. 

This was when the other team was taking a conversion. Don't ask me what that means. This is just what Stuart told me was happening in this photo. He is the second player in. 

After the game we headed to Scott and Clare's for supper. The kids played and the adults talked. The downside of us not living in the villa next to the Turners and the Richardsons is that when they have parties we can't just walk across the drive way and go to bed. Boo!

Jack was supposed to have a sleepover with Henry, but by the time we got ready to leave he was over tired and just couldn't stay. It would have only been his second sleep over, ever. I suppose he is still a bit attached. He ended up going in on the sofa and falling asleep. Millie went into the living room to watch the Pink Panther. About five minutes later I walked in to find her face down, asleep on the rug. That was our sign that it was time to go home. 

Saturday we headed out to Rochelle and Andrew's for lunch that turned into an all day affair, getting us home just before 10 pm. Those parties are the best. 

They live in a huge villa that was bank owned. It is in front of a villa twice its size that no one lives in. There is sand everywhere and the kids can play without worrying about cars driving up and down the road. It is a kid's dream sandbox. Needless to say the kids were outside until it turned dark. Cathy rode with us but needed to get back to get Claire from a friend's house. I drove her back into town and headed back out to the Rouvi's just as it turned dark. I am bad at directions on a good day, but mix darkness with it and watch the confusion. I am happy to report I found my way back out without getting lost. 

When I got back, Rochelle was trying to coax Millie and Evie (her 4 year old) to take a bath. Ah, I love people who try to help take care of your kids. The worst part about going home after an all day party at a house with sand everywhere is that the kids HAVE to shower before crawling into their beds. Jack is old enough to either stay awake until we get home or wake up once we get home. But Millie will have none of it. So having her bathed when we started home was fantastic. 

We borrowed jammies from Emerson, Rochelle's 7 year old daughter, and the girls were twins. So sweet! This is the first time Millie has really played with another child. I assume being in preschool now has helped move her along into the playing with others stage. 

Here are the boys watching the match, Louie, from New Zealand; Jack, from the United States; and Henry, from England. We have our own tiny United Nations here. Everytime I sit and think of the cultural diverse society we live in now, I am so thrilled my children are a part of this life with us. This broader view of the world is priceless. 

We ended up staying to watch the rugby match between South Africa and New Zealand. The Rouvi's house was a wreck when we left, but Rochelle doesn't care. Oh to be more like her!

Millie was asleep before we pulled out of the driveway. Jack fell asleep on the journey, which is about 25 minutes long. It wasn't easy waking him up and once we were home he was crying because he didn't want to take a shower. I let him sit in the hall for a bit and finally told him he didn't have to take a shower, but if he didn't he would have to sleep on the rug instead of his bed. He got up and took a shower. I know my parenting techniques may not be perfect, but generally they work. 

Birthday week started out with a bang!

Jack started his week with basketball practice. After school he was so excited! I told him we would need to take a sandwich with us because he would be hungry just after practice. I reminded him he then would go immediately to rugby practice. He felt so important and grown up because he was going to be so busy that afternoon. 

Once we got to basketball practice, which was at Jack's school, we discovered that Jack was the largest and most skilled child there. The gym at his school does not have a basketball hoop.  I'm not super sure how this will pan out, but there are many skills that need to be taught that don't involve a hoop. The fact still remains that basketball is played more effectively when there is a goal. 

Practice was skill-based and Jack had a good time. His partner, while passing, was about his size but was very undisciplined. His nanny was trying to control him and teach him the skills. Um, I thought the people running the clinic would teach the skills, and trust me, little nanny from the Philippines was not an expert.  Poor Jack had to endure the shenanigans of that local boy.  

A good defensive stance is always important. 

The dribble was a bit high. 

When basketball practice was over, we changed Jack's clothes and headed to rugby practice. Jack ate his PBJ and talked about how hungry he was going to be after rugby practice.  His conversation with me reminded me of how much he has matured since this time last year. 

Monday morning when we awoke there was a message from my sister in law. They wanted to Skype to tell Jack happy birthday. It was so good to talk to them. We do miss them so. 

We then Skyped my niece who is now in college. She's so grown up. 

Monday was school as usual and grade 1 teaching as usual. Things are getting more comfortable and students are starting to follow routines better. Each day becomes easier, thank goodness. The afternoon was a meeting at the Kindergarten school right next door to my school. Stuart was at the same meeting. He acted as if he didn't even know me. Ha!

In these meetings we discuss different strategies we need to use to further the education of all students. Really, the training is something  that all of the teachers need, not just the western staff.  I call this 'job security'. 

Monday after school we headed to Action Zone to celebrate Jack's birthday. Whereas we used to spend several nights a month at Action Zone or Fun City when we first got here, we haven't been for a while. It becomes more of a special time when you aren't there every other night. 

The kids played games and ride rides for over an hour. This was the first time Millie has rode the 'bigger' rides. She looked very grown up all of the sudden. 

This was a ride that reminded me of a mix between the Tea Cups and the Dumbo ride at Disneyland. At one stage I had to have Jack stop moving the wheel so it would stop spinning. 

The kids spent some time on the bouncie slides. 

There is no such thing as Health and Safety in this country. Millie, although she was strapped in, was flying all over the place, especially when Jack plowed into the wall or another car. Sometimes I do think the US gets a little to 'padded' where kids are concerned. 

The last time Millie was on this ride you couldn't even see her head over the bar. 

After we had spent all of our money and bought prizes with our tickets, we headed to the food court for a bite to eat. Cathy, Kayleigh and Claire joined us for dinner. Once we were home, the kids were bathed, and we Skyped Grammie and Pop so they could tell Jack happy birthday. 

Once the kids were ready for bed, Stuart and I got ready for rugby training. Oh yeah!

Just as we were leaving the house, Jack had a meltdown and didn't want Kayleigh to read him books. So I stayed behind and Stuart went on with Cathy. In the end, I read him his book and off to bed he went. I then headed to training. 

There may have been one other person out on the field that was older than myself, but not quite sure. My vision of a women's rugby team has been changed. Our rugby team is full of moms, wives, and girlfriends who have boyfriends, not stereotypical at all. 

The training started with a run around the field. I was huffing about halfway around but would have never stopped running as not to seem weak. We did some stretches, lunges, push-ups, and drop downs (which is exactly how it sounds - drop to your belly and then get back up). Without having to state the obvious, I was definitely shown to be very out of shape. 

As we ran through different drills, I was painfully aware of how little I knew about rugby and the rules. I watched carefully and took note of every action. I also asked a lot of questions of the other players and the coaches. Everyone was so patient.

At one point I was asked to be in the scrum. That is the time everyone crouches down and hugs (or at least that is what it seems like to me), and each team tries to drive the other backwards.  I did okay for my first time In a scrum. 

After that, the captain of the team, Clare, was showing me exactly how to be in a scrum. When the time came for me to push forward, I did. She responded with a giggle and then she said, 'Yeah, no one is going to push you over.' I have always been very 'strong' from the waste down, but my upper body is quite weak. Hopefully it won't be long until I am a bit stronger. It was much more fun than I thought it would be. I am very excited for the possibility of playing in the October tournament. 

School was stressful on Tuesday. Getting all of the teachers to supervise the lunchroom is a very difficult task. We have some very strong Arabic teachers who are very helpful in the canteen. However, we are not always thrilled with their tactics in getting children to behave. 

Lunch lasts for 20 minutes for the girls and 20 minutes for the boys. I will tell you, the boy's lunch is the longest 20 minutes of my day. Each day it is like waiting for hell to bust wide open. For the most part, the boys stay in their seats and eat their lunch. There is that rare child who runs around the canteen and creates chaos. And sometimes there is a fight, or on Tuesday there were two fights. These always seem to happen the last 5 minutes of canteen. 

As boys were lining up and getting ready to go back to class, I saw several students standing on a table at the back of the canteen. This could only be one thing; a fight. I asked one of the male teachers to come with me towards the fight. When I arrived, I realized our special needs teacher was breaking it up. Whew!

No more did I round the pillar than another fight broke out in another area. I was on my own this time. I knew I couldn't touch the children so I grabbed the collar of their shirts, twisted, and pulled them apart. These boys are like nothing I have ever seen. Again, part of their activity is because they have to sit for more than 5 hours a day. Off to the social worker the fighters went and on with my day I went. Halas (finished)!

Tuesday was rugby practice again. Stuart and Jack went to the Rugby Club while Millie and I waited for the repair men to work out what was wrong with our washing machine. It has been making some unbelievably loud noises for quite some time.  Since it will be a year old in about a month, we thought we should take advantage of the warranty. The repair men told us they would take it and bring it back in 4 days, to which I responded, 'You can have this machine when you bring me one to replace it.'  He said, 'I can't do that.'  I told him because the machine was not even a year old there was no reason it should break down and need four days to repair. I told him to go and call me the next day to let me know what he was going to do about the machine. Although it was Thursday before he called us, when he did we were informed they would have a loaner to is on Sunday or Monday. Thought so!

After arguing with the repair guys, we finally went to the Rugby Club. That evening I informed Millie that from now on she and I would have 'girl' time on Tuesday nights instead of going to rugby practice. She agreed that would be fun. Yahoo!

Wednesday brought about a training for our reading series. The training was really good but not super practical for teaching kids a second language. Oh well, there was great food and no fights. That's not all bad. 

About an hour into the training I got a call from the school nurse telling me 'Jack has thrown up Sooo much in my office'. Oh dear! I told her I would be right there. I left the training, ran to school, picked up Jack, of course after getting the sorted details of the barfing episode (all up the walls, I digested dinner from the previous night, ect), took him home to be with Miss Janet, and returned to training. His barfing meant no rugby training for me Wednesday evening. Pooh!

The fun did not end on Wednesday. Mr. Andrew called me just before the end of our training to tell me that Millie was put in time out at school because she slapped another little girl across the face. When I got home I asked Millie if something happened at school. She told me exactly what she did. I asked her why she would do that. She had no response.  I then asked her if she had ever seen another child do that to someone. She stated that Gabriel hit Nico like that the day before. 

Because this information didn't come from her teacher I was a little disturbed. I wasn't sure what to do. The school Millie attends was supposed to be the same school as where Jack was attending. Because of building issues, her class had to be moved to another site. I can only assume that my contact information was lost in the shuffle, and assume that is the reason I have had no communication with her teacher. I am trying to give the teacher the benefit of the doubt. 

I ended up writing her a letter to tell her I was sorry for Millie's behavior. I went on to tell her a few things Millie has told me about this boy, Gabriel.  I ended by giving her my contact details, asking if I should have received a supply list or newsletter by now, and asked her to contact me the next time Millie has an issue, rather than sending word through Mr. Andrew. It was worded nicely, but I am sure she gets my point. I sent that letter to school on Thursday. However, as of the publishing of this particular blog, I have yet to hear from Millie's teacher. Argh!

Jack was fine for school on Thursday so I sent him. We think he may have eaten some spoiled lunch meat, but not really sure of the barf culprit. After school we felt it would be best to take it easy on everyone. We stayed home and watched some television, calling it an evening quite early. 

The downside of calling it an evening quite early is that Millie calls it a morning quite early. She comes into the room just before six and announces 'Mama, it's time to wake up. It's light outside.'  Now how can you say 'no' to that?  I got up and went into the kitchen with her to get her something to eat. Around 7 am Jack got up and then we Skyped Grammie and Pop. 

We went to church after Skyping, then to the mall for lunch and to buy Claire (Cathy's daughter) a birthday present. We got home just in time for Stuart to go to the rugby club. Millie had fallen asleep so I put her in bed for a much needed sleep. 

When Millie woke up we headed to Wadi Adventure to pick up my Glow and Go goodie bag. Yes, I had signed up for the wadi fun run again. It just so happened it was Friday. We then headed to the Rugby Club to watch Stuart's match. Both teams were playing at the same time. 

After the match was over and Stuart was nicely injured, I headed to the fun run. Cathy picked me up from the RC and we went to get Clare and Karen. 

Earlier in the week, because I am so terribly fit (sarcasm), I pulled my left hamstring and my left groins muscle at rugby practice. Although I thought it had healed by the end of the week, I was proved wrong at the Glow and Go fun run. I was running and had decided I could run until we entered the water. Oh how wrong I was. About a kilometer into it I felt that twinge in my left hammy. I continued to walk, but in great pain. 

At the end of the run we all had the option of jumping off the wall into the wave pool. It was about a 20 foot drop. Of course I jumped and of course that's when I strained my groine muscle. How does this happen? The older I get, the more strange ways I injure myself. I've actually put a cramp in my back before by simply putting on my bra. Wow!  Long story short, I need to stretch more every day. 

I got home just after 10 pm, took a shower as I was freezing from being wet, then went to bed. 

Saturday was an early morning for me. I left for a breakfast/ pool day with Gina and her friend, Rachelle. We met at 9 am and had breakfast  we then headed poolside at the Le Royal Meridian in downtown Abu Dhabi. We stayed by the pool until about 3 pm. Days by the pool, especially with no kids and at a nice hotel, are very relaxing. 

The sun was intense and I got kissed by it for sure. 

We showered and got dressed. We then went to the Crown Plaza and had a late lunch/early dinner at an Italian place called Spannapoli. The pizza and salad was amazing. The inside of the restaurant reminded me of any Italian place at home. Once in a while it's nice to have a taste of home. 

Rachelle and I headed toward Al Ain around 5 pm. I had a few groceries to buy once I got back. When I arrived home Millie was asleep and Jack was getting into bed. Nighty, night for all!

Week 3 with Students and I have a new friend

Sunday was full of teaching and meetings. I am not really sure when I will do the job I was hired for, but no one seems super concerned right now so I think I will just go with it. 

From this photo you can see how interesting I am keeping the grade 1 students. Are my lessons engaging, you ask? You be the judge!

In my defense, this little girl WAS sitting right in front of my desk as I was playing an English game with them on the Promethean board. She must have had information overload and slipped into a horizontal position. Bless her!

Rugby practice, baths, supper and bed were on the agenda for the kids Sunday after school. Our Sundays and Wednesdays will get a bit busier starting next week as Jack will start basketball practice. He is so excited and so am I. His Pop and Uncle Russ will be pleased. On Sunday he will go to basketball at 3:30 and then straight to rugby practice at 5 pm. I think he will need a snack in the car on the way to the Rugby Club. He is more than likely going to be easy to put to bed on Sunday evenings. 

Monday, Jack brought home his reading folder. We have homework this year! He has been placed in a level A book, which is where a normal Kindergarten student should be. He is reading 3 and 4 word sentences with little trouble. There are some phonics rules he is still learning, but now that I teach grade 1 and he is in grade 1, we should be fine. However, when he was reading his 'challenge' book ( a level B book), I looked at him one time and said, 'Really? Is that what you think that word is? How about you actually look at all the letters?' To which Stuart replied,'Maybe you should be more patient with him.  They really didn't think about it when they put you teaching in grade 1, did they?'  Exactly my point!  Fortunately, Jack gets me and wasn't scarred too much. 

Tuesday it was more meetings at school and me running around like a chicken with my head cut off. I am not even really sure of my job description. This may be a very long school year. 

I did go and help out with an unruly boy's class. It seems when our boys are spoken to as a group they are very strong and, what I will refer to as, confident. However, when they are held back for an inappropriate action and just stared at, they crumble like a flakey donut. It is quite rewarding to know they actually do have a conscience. Our grade 5 boys have one class that is stacked with all of the 'challenge' kids. We just continue to be consistent and hopefully that will pay off. 

When I got home from the gym, I was greeted by Jack who informed me Millie would not be going to rugby practice that evening. When I further investigated, I was given the information that Millie had just puked. Lovely! She was sitting on Stuart's lap with just her underpants on. Poor dear!

I put my things away and then returned to the living room. When I got in there I saw Millie motion to her mouth, she began to cry, and then Stuart grabbed the bowl he had pulled out for her, and she barfed. Ick!  Once Miss Janet left she must have told Andrew that Millie was sick. Andrew called Stuart to tell him Millie's teacher told him, when he dropped her off for school, many students had been sick this week. That explains things. 

She must have been well enough to do this at school. It's her first official school paper. 

Millie perked up a bit after her barfing episode, so she bathed and got her jammies on. Stuart went out to get her Sprite. She sipped on that for a while, just after Stuart and Jack left for rugby practice. About 10 minutes later she started crying and barfed. At least we know her signal for 'I'm gonna barf' is crying. That's convenient. 

I had given her Tylenol and expected to see some of that in the bowl, but it must have already done its job. Thank goodness. Around 5:30 pm she fell asleep on my lap. I took her into her room for the evening, which I knew was not the case. 

Around 8 pm she came into the living room asking for some water. I knew she drank too much in the time she was sitting on my lap. About 5 minutes later... You guessed it. Barf!  It was all water, which makes it easier to handle. She got most of it in the bowl, but the blanket had to be sent to the wash. She fell asleep on my lap, once again, so I took her to her bed. 

I knew that the likelihood of her wetting her bed when she was sick was an almost for sure thing. So, forgetting that fact, I didn't put a pull-up on her. Needless to say at 4 am she came crying into my room announcing she had pee peed in her bed. We have a protective cover just under her sheet so I knew I would have to take the sheet and mattress cover (the one with the plastic on the backside) off and just pop them into the washer. 

When I had cleaned her up and put her in my bed, I headed to take care of her bed. What I found was nothing short of a miracle. She had scooted so close to the wall that she had peed down the side of her bed, wall, and into the shoe bucket underneath her bed. Quite a talented little lady we have. Naturally the protective mattress cover did not protect and I had to take off the zipped bag that goes over her IKEA mattress. Oh, and it can't go in the dryer. Really?

After digging the shoes out of her shoe bucket and realizing that amazingly not one pair of shoes got wet, I washed the bucket in their shower and decided to get ready for the day. After all my alarm was due to sound in about 15 minutes anyway, and a small three year old was snuggled all cozy on my side of the bed. As you can guess, she did not go to school on Wednesday. Thank goodness for Miss Janet being at our house all day.

Millie was feeling better when I got home and we thought she was on the mend. but when we went to the pool on Thursday, as we were walking into the dressing room she started crying. It was the cry that meant 'I am going to throw up'. When we got by the sinks she gave back the lunch of Nutella sandwich and pears I had packed her that morning. Ick!

We have determined that maybe she has sinus drainage, because after the barfing she is totally fine. And she was fine for the rest of the week. Strange indeed!

Thursday evening, after Millie's barfing, the kids and Stuart went to Zacher to hang out with Wade, Scott and their kids. I went to Cathy's to see some of the teachers at my previous school. I do miss my old school. We just chatted and ate for hours. It brightened my mood for sure. 

 

Friday morning we got up and got ready for the big party, Jack's 6th birthday party. Can't believe he is 6, or will be on the 22nd. These past six years have flown by. 

We had his party at the bowling alley at Fun City, in Bawadi Mall. He invited a few kids from his class, but mostly kids we hang out with on a regular basis. He had so much fun, and I think the others did as well. Naturally he got some really cool gifts and has already had his light sabers put on the refrigerator three times since Friday. He doesn't like it when Stuart and I start to defeat the dark side, so he goes a little postal. 

The theme was Spider-Man and our friend Bob made this awesome cake. The two boys next to Jack are his best mates, Louie and Henry. Louis is about six months younger the Jack and Henry is 3 years older than Jack. And he is bigger than both of them. 

Bowling was a hit. 

Friday, late afternoon, we hit the pool and then headed up to the club for the rugby match between the Al Ain Amblers 1st team and the Al Ain Amblers 2nd team, which is Atuart's team. Stuart's team got killed and he played the entire game. After the game there was a BBQ and I committed to play full contact rugby with the women's team. What? You read that right. I have decided that I like to play sports of any kind and really need motivation to get back into shape. I will post the bruises after my first training this Monday evening. 

At the BBQ they had the awards for the teams that played. Each award they give out comes with a beer. Anyone who plays but doesn't drink can designate a token drinker. Stuart always gets the unwanted beer, not surprising. 

We got home around 10 and the kids were asleep. I know it will be hard to believe, but the kids didn't bathe on Thursday or Friday. Stinky kids are not my favorite. 

Saturday morning we got up early, thanks to Millie announcing it was morning and time to get up. We hit the grocery store for a few provisions for the week. 

Then we went to the pool where we were nearly the only ones there. It was nice to have just a day with the four of us. We ate lunch at the club, then headed home to bathe those dirty kids. The rest of the afternoon was spent watching movies, playing with new toys, writing 'thank you' notes, and generally relaxing in order to gear up for the week. 

The kids were fed and in bed by half past six. We enjoyed potato soup that had been in the crock pot, cooking, all day long. Um, I made it. Having Miss Janet here has afforded me time to cook. I have always said I hated cooking. What I think now is that I actually like to cook, just never liked to do it when I had other house chores to do. But now that Miss Janet does EVERYTHING for us, I have time to cook. And I'm not bad at it, just ask Stuart. 

 

Two more weeks and then we are off for the Eid holiday, which is marked on the calendar as having 3 days off. However, rumor has it that we will get the entire week off of work. Time will tell if that's true. We will probably find out the day before the holiday. That is very common, and expected, here. Gotta love it!

Scheduling changes and duty changes

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.