Oh what to do!

Sunday at school, I monitored an exam. I ended up leaving at 11:30 to go try to sort out my exit process. What a pain in the butt that was. I closed one of my bank accounts, and then met Stuart for lunch. I went to get my refund from our school deposit, just to discover it was non-refundable. I will be going to speak to someone about that situation, as you would guess. 

Millie and I made cupcakes after school to celebrate Millie’s early birthday at school on Monday. I iced them and she used the sprinkles to decorate them. What a sight they were. 

Millie and Jack both showered, ate dinner and went upstairs to watch television. They fussed over who was going to sit on our new oversized bean bag. In the end, Millie was sent to bed early. She is not the most obedient child that ever walked the earth. I’m hoping she will learn to play the game a bit better as she gets older. 

We got up Monday morning and Skyped Grammie and Pop. In Arizona it was Pop’s 80th birthday! The kids spoke with them both for a while, while I rushed around to get lunches ready, breakfast sorted, and finish getting myself ready for school. Then we were off to school. 

I marked exams instead of monitoring the last exam of the year. We then had 5th grade graduation. It lasted way too long and cut into our marking time. The pressure was on to have all of the exams marked and reported by Tuesday at noon. 

I left and went to the bank to ask their advice on how to sort out my car loan once I started the exit process from my current employer. It is a bit tricky here. Sometimes they think when you cancel your visa, you are leaving the country without settling up your debt, so they hold any money in your account. I tried to assure them that this wasn’t the case. In the end, I think I resigned myself to not worrying about canceling my visa until we returned. It will end up costing me a bit more money, but it will be better than having my bank account closed. 

I then went to Brighton College to turn in all of my required documents, as well as the kids documents so I could get them enrolled in school. I stopped quickly at the supermarket and got the kids chicken fingers for dinner. When I got home, Stuart and the kids had gone to the rental car company to trade Stuart’s rental car. When they got back, Jack wanted to go to Ian’s house, but was quickly sent back. The kids had dinner, but Jack surprised me by taking a shower before he came down to eat. He was very pleased with himself for taking the initiative. Naturally, Millie wasn’t up for taking a shower just then, so she went after she ate. 

They both headed upstairs around 6 pm, and then Millie was in bed by 6:30. I heard Jack call for me around 7 pm. He said Oreo had seen something in the bathroom. It turns out, Oreo saw a gecko and caught it, eating it all up. Such is life! The night was called early because of sleepiness. Wow!

I got up and walked by myself on Tuesday morning. I finished grading exams for the year and got them all recorded. I was called to the office to do planning for next year. Uh, why would I want to do planning for next year? So the principal and myself politely declined. The principal let us go home at 12:30, which was a nice treat. Three of my EMTs and myself went to the food court at the local mall to have lunch. 

Once I left the mall I went back to ADEK headquarters to ask about canceling my visa. Why can’t I figure this out? I came out more confused than ever. 

Once I got home, Stuart and I decided it was best to cancel my visa so that when I returned to the country there would be no issue with me going to my new job the first day. It is illegal to have a visa from one company, yet be working for a different company. 

I left to have dinner with Leanne, and Stuart decided to take the kids to the pool and then feed them at the club. On my way to meet Leanne, Rochelle called me and told me that her friend’s daughter was just informed she would be in my class next year. They told all of the children on Tuesday. So I guess it’s for sure!

When I got to the mall, I found a table at the restaurant for Leanne and myself. Leanne is one of my friends who lost her job this year. She and her husband were both advisors to the English staff. Since the Ministry of Education doesn’t have those positions, all of them lost their jobs. That means they are both without jobs. She seemed to think something would turn up. She was very positive and uplifting. I sometimes feel guilty that there are quite a few people looking for jobs. I already had one and then decided I wanted a different one. It seems it was all too easy for me, while others are struggling. I guess it was meant to be. 

When I got home, I went upstairs and kissed Millie goodnight. Jack was watching television in the loft and then came down to sit with us for a bit before he went to bed. Stuart followed shortly after, but I decided to stay up and watch my brainless shows. 

I got up Wednesday morning and waited for 5 minutes for Lara to show up. Then I was off on my own to walk. She messaged later and said that she had forgotten to set her alarm. 

School was beyond boring. The hours dragged on. I took a card around for people to sign for one of our teachers who is getting married this summer. We decided to present her the card at our end-of-year meal out that evening.

After school, I made one more trip to the bank to make sure they knew all of the details of my new employer. Then I went to the Zone (ADEK headquarters) and canceled my visa. It was all too real now.  

I then went to the post office to pick up something I ordered in January. The postal service is a bit slow here. Ha! I then met Stuart and the kids at the mall. We let the kids use their free Bounce passes while we sat and had coffee. It was nice. 

Stuart took the kids home and I went to my end of year party. When I got home Cathy was there. She had come over for dinner. We stayed up talking to nearly midnight. Then it hit all of us that we had to go to work the following day. So Cathy went home and we went to bed. 

Lara actually got up to walk with me on Thursday. I got to school and the Arabic staff had a wedding celebration for our English teacher, Ruquayah. I met with my English teachers and passed out my silly certificates. I left school at 12:30 to pick up my canceled visa. 

When I got home I got ready to go to the club. Thursday night was our end of year Splash Bash. I was worried about the event, but it turned out to be a huge success. Event planning may be my next career. It was so exhausting, yet so much fun. 

Dunk tank

Baby pool

Candy floss


After we dumped the water from the dunk tank and the slide, everyone had a blast. 

Friday morning we got up and went to the grocery store. We bought a lot of dog food, cat food, cat litter and some snacks for the weekend in Dubai. Stuart’s brother Matt and our nephew, Josh, were coming to Dubai for a few days and we were going to stay with them. 

We had one last dinner with the O’Reillys and the Richardsons. We decided to order curry. They all came over around 4:30 pm. Everyone was gone around 9 pm. As you would guess, I cried. This is definitely the down side of the expat life. 

I had to go put my striped shirt on in order to fit in. 

Saturday we were up and off to Dubai to see Uncle Matt and Josh. We arrived around 9:30, went up to the room Matt and Josh had, dropped off our stuff and headed to the pool. We stayed at the pool most of the day. We decided we would pay a little extra to get the club lounge access, which meant food and drink for most of the day. 

The pool we love so much at the Le Meridian. 

Starting the weekend with cold brew. 

When you go to play rugby in the grass, sometimes a bush jumps out and attacks. 

A bit of lunch for the worn out kids. 

Showers for all and a bit of down time. 

Why do my children always look a little less normal than others. 

Dinner, before Josh fell asleep. 

We came back to the room around 4 pm to shower and get ready for dinner. We went to the club lounge at 6 pm and poor Josh fell asleep at the table. The jet lag was setting in. 

We all ended up back in our rooms at 7 pm. Josh and Matt went to bed, and so did we. We sat and watched television. Millie went to sleep at 7:30. Jack followed at 8:30, and I dozed from 8:30 until about 10:30 when Stuart turned the television off. It was the beginning of a busy few days. 

Guess who got a new job?

Sunday we got  up and spoke to Grammie and Pop. Since we didn’t have school it was a perfect time. However, we had to cut it short as I had a hair appointment and we had to go to the hotel to collect Stuart’s car because he had left it there the day of the brunch. 

My salon appointment was at 9 am. Gina, my hair dresser, didn’t arrive until 9:30 am. When she got there, it was decided to color all of my hair as I had decided I was too cheap and lazy to keep up my highlights. I also decided on the total summer cut and the keratin straightening. The bad part about these treatments is they take a long time. I was hopeful I would meet Stuart and the kids at the mall for lunch at noon. Unfortunately, it was closer to 2 pm. 

Once I was at the mall, we had lunch and did a bit of shopping. The kids each bought a rubics cube and Stuart bought a book. Since it was Father’s Day, Jack decided he wanted to buy something for Stuart, secretly of course. Well, thank goodness for technology. I just messaged Stuart and told him to point out some things he wanted in American Eagle, and then walk out of the store so the kids could pay for it. He acted surprised and the kids were thrilled. 

We got home just before 4 pm and the kids decided to go upstairs to watch television. The rest of the evening was rather chilled. I was anxious as the next day I would face my principal and I had no idea what that would look like. 

School on Monday was filled with a lot of love from the teachers I had not seen in 5 weeks. Sadly, my principal barely spoke to me. I really do feel sorry for her. She has obviously not been treated well somewhere in her life to treat others this way. 

After school, I headed to buy items for the rugby club Summer Splash Bash. I bought water balloons, baby pools, sponges, water cups and small prizes. When I got home, I checked my email and saw that I had received my evaluation. Some of the comments made were not even read to me before she published it. It was so personal and hateful. I immediately wrote an appeal. 

Tuesday school was not much better than Monday. I continued to score writing exams, but at least I didn’t have to see the principal and kids were still not in attendance. We know they will only show up for exam days. That means of the last 12 days of school, they will only be here 4 of those days. The principal left at 10:30 am and we had a staff meeting at noon. I’m pretty sure she has checked out, which is fine by me. 

After school I picked up the kids. They went upstairs to watch television. We later went to the club to deliver the items I had purchased for the end of year party. We decided to have dinner. In the meantime, I forwarded my appeal to my cluster manager who told me I now needed to contact the new executive principal of our building. It turns out it is my favorite Vice Principal from my old school. What a little blessing that will be, if in fact I end up staying in my current position. She knows my character and will know the things said in my evaluation are fabricated.  

When we got home from the club, the kids showered and Millie was off to bed. I finished up the article I write every month for a local publication called Oasis Living, and then sat down to watch some television. 

Jack came into our room at 2:40 am to tell me he had a bad dream. Naturally, he had gone downstairs and turned on all the lights. When he saw the time, he came back upstairs, not turning off any lights, and came into our room. I took him back to bed and then lay awake until 4:20 am, thinking about the nastiness of my principal. All I could do was pray, literally. I sang a song in my head that I grew up with in church. The lyrics are ‘Jesus, be Jesus, in me. No longer me, but Thee. Resurrection power, fill me this hour. Jesus, be Jesus, in me’. I must have sang that song 100 times to try to convince myself that I need to send love her way instead of doing what I wanted to do. When someone does you so dirty because of their own shortcomings, you are really tested as to what kind of person you are. Do I return hate for hate or love for hate? I know the right thing to do, and continue to ask God to help me do the right thing. But the human side of me wants her to recognize and correct her misdoings. I’m not sure that will ever happen, and that is the hardest thing to take. She’s said untrue things about me that may effect my livelihood and it is all out of bitterness and spite. But, to use an old saying, I must let go and let God. He is in control and will be in control in this situation. The struggle is real. 

I finally fell back to sleep and ended up getting up a little later than normal. I arrived at work and noticed my principal was not at school. It made my stress level go straight down, which was nice. The students were at school as they had an exam on Wednesday. However, they were dismissed and went home at 10 am, when the exam was over. 

Before the exams started, I sat down and spoke to my Vice Principal, Shaikha. Shaikha is my kind of person. We don’t agree on everything, and when it is all said and done, I will always do what I am told to do. I have disagreed with her, but if I have needed to, I have apologized and we always move on. She doesn’t take anything personally and she starts each day new. She is friendly and a good person. 

I started the conversation by telling her that I wanted to clear the air. I told her I wanted to make sure she knew that any issues the principal and I had, had nothing to do with her. I also wanted to assure her that I respected her and what was happening between myself and the principal was personal. I informed her there were things written in my evaluation that I was not aware of, even though they were to read all of the comments to me. She seemed aware of the situation and looked embarrassed. We left the conversation on a good note. I told her I was excited about next school year and I knew it would be a good one. 

Once the exams were over, we waited for the answer documents to arrive. Prior to them arriving, I noticed our new Executive Principal was sitting in the Vice Principal’s office. I went in and started speaking with her. It seems she was at the school to speak to several of us about our issues with the principal. I felt so much better after my conversation with her. She is going to be such an asset to this school for next year. 

I went out to get a few things since the students were bussed home after the exams, and we still hadn’t received the marking scheme for the exams. Jaime, one of my grade 1 teachers went with me. We were back at school and marking exams at 12:30 pm. All of the English teachers were in the room making sure all students had a fair assessment of their test. These tests are a large part of their final grade, and for grades 4 and 5, if they don’t pass, they don’t move on to the next grade. 

I went to pick the kids up from school and then it was home time for a bit. We got ready for date night. This was the night I was going to get to try out my new clubs. This week all 4 of us went on a date. We all went to play golf. Jack got frustrated, like his Uncle Russ and his mama, and Millie just thought she was the greatest player ever, as she twirled around and talked the entire time. It was fun, but my new golf shoes wore blisters on my heels, so they will need some more wearing in, obviously. We then went to eat sushi at the golf club restaurant. When we got home, the kids showered and went straight to bed. I was exhausted as well and fell asleep on the sofa at 9:00, I think. I finally went upstairs at around 10:30. 

Like pros



Lining up the ball, I think. 

Thursday morning we were out the door and at school to endure another day of exams. I dreaded seeing my principal and now just avoid her, as I’m sure she does the same to me. I was to monitor the exams in grade 5, again. I sat in the hall while they took the exam. Guess who walked by? She always has her Bluetooth headphones in her ear, which I find to be rude and unprofessional, but there you have it. I spoke to her and she spoke to me, and then let me know that she had approved my sick leave. For some reason, she feels the need to sit on things because that somehow gives her the power. I hate to inform her, but in this country, I don’t care what your title is, if you are not from this country, you have no power. Oh, and she also was released from her contract. So why does she insist on going out in this fashion. Again, just continuing to pray for her. 

Once the morning exams were over and the students were gone, we continued to mark the previous day exams. I met with Shaikha, the Vice Principal to decide what teachers would be teaching the following year. I, too, will be teaching, so if course I was interested in what the decisions would be. I was thrilled that she was making me a big part of the decision making. 

I got home and started in on preparations for the party that would fall upon our house that evening. We were having a surprise leaving party for the Turners, O’Reillys and the Richardsons. They knew they were coming for dinner, but they didn’t know we had invited a house full! It was sure to be a wonderful night. Geraldine, a common friend, decided we would have a curry themed night, which was fine by us. She came over earlier than the guests to help me get ready. We asked that all guests arrive at 5 pm and then told the guests of honor to be there at 5:30 pm. 

Before Geraldine got there, I got a call from the head of the junior school. He officially invited me to be a Year 2 teacher at Brighton College. That is 1st grade in the states. Yes, you read that correctly. I am up for the challenge and it is time for this change. Once I had finished speaking with Mr. McArthur, we called the kids down and I told them we had a surprise for them. Jack immediate said, ‘Are we going back to Brighton College next year?’ I said, ‘What makes you ask that?’ He said, ‘I heard you speaking to Mr. McArthur on the phone.’ I call this selective listening, considering Jack was upstairs in his room and I was downstairs in the lounge when I spoke to Mr. McArthur. 

Both kids screamed with delight. I then ask them how it would be possible for them to go back to Brighton College. You could tell the wheels of their brains were turning. Then Millie said, ‘Did you get a job there for next year?’ I told her yes, and in fact, I would be teaching in the same year group she was going to be in. She squealed and said, ‘You could be my teacher.’ To which I responded, ‘Uh, no way!’  All the same, we were all happy. 

The guests arrived for the evening, as did the guests of honor, finally. They were surprised, and we all had a fantastic curry evening.  I believe the last guests left just after 11 pm. The kids went to bed dirty, and I knew the daunting task of clean-up would be the thorn in my side the following day. The kids had left an absolute mess in the loft, but they had fun so that was the important part. 

We got up Friday morning and went to breakfast with the Richardsons. Then we helped them take things to the house they would be staying in for the next two weeks. Moving from this country is quite the job. 

I resigned on the computer and messaged my principal. Guess who is my bff again? She was so friendly and helpful via messenger. I don’t get her, but it doesn’t matter. The process had begun and I was well on my way to my new job. 

We ended up going home just before noon and having lunch. Then Scott and Clare dropped their kids off around 3:30, as well as their dog. They went back to their house to do some last minute things, then returned to a leftover curry dinner, bringing punjabis and samosas. 

They were gone around 7:30 pm and at that point Jack hopped in the shower without even being told. Millie took a little more persuasion, but got in the shower in the end. She then went straight to bed. Jack played his PS4 for another 45 minutes, while Stuart and I sat in the living room with Sean, listening to music. We turned in shortly after 9. 

Saturday morning I got up and changed our sheets on our bed. The kids ate breakfast, I had my usual 3 cups of coffee, and we got ready to go and pick up Henry and May. Stuart had volunteered to help Scott with the movers, while I volunteered to take all the kids to see Incredibles 2, have lunch, and go back to ours to play until Scott and Clare could come and collect them. 

These were the random camels walking in the road as we drove to the cinema. 

The film was so cute, as expected. Lunch was at the ever nutritious McDonalds, where three of the four children were either too tall or too old to play in the Playland, yet that didn’t stop them, and back at the house there was more playing.....and possibly some arguing and screaming, which is normal with those 4 kids, and probably most kids. 

Clare came to pick up her two around 4 pm. Stuart went to help Scott some more and then he headed to the Rugby club to watch the international rugby game between England and South Africa. He got home around 8:30 and then we were off to bed. It was another great weekend. 

Ramadan is nearly over.

Sunday I got up and walked. It’s becoming almost unbearable to walk now. It’s so muggy, but I am determined to keep this weight off. So I just persevere. I did my usual ‘I’m not working right now’ routine at home. Stuart picked the kids up from school. We went to the club to swim. Jaime, one of my grade 1 teachers, met us there with her daughter. We swam until about 5 pm and then decided to eat dinner at the club. The kids played a card game on the other side of the restaurant while Stuart and I enjoyed a quiet meal. 

Monday morning I walked on my own. After the kids were off to school, I decided to be a bit domestic and make crock pot chicken. It’s not Stuart’s favorite, but our rescue human loves it. I decided to catch up on the Bachelorette. I can’t say I’m loving this season just yet. Stuart picked the kids up from Bounce. When he got home, he headed to the club. He had a meeting about Rugby kit for next season. The kids showered, had dinner and then were off to bed. 

Tuesday I got up and walked with Lara. I spent the day working on the lesson I would present the following day at Brighton College. I was interviewing for a teaching position. This is the school the kids went to last year. Because their fees raised by quite a bit, we just couldn’t justify sending the kids there any longer. However, if one of us got a job at the school, it would include two free school fees. That would be a real bonus for us. Private schools don’t normally pay as much as what we are making, but Brighton College is pretty close. Plus, with the school fees we would be getting a raise of sorts. After planning for most of the day, and also spinning my wheels for most of the day trying to decide what to teach,  I started to get nervous. I feel as if I could teach any child standing on my head with my eyes closed. However, not being in a conventional setting for a number of years can make you question your abilities. 

I took the kids to Bounce after school. Ramadan is over on Thursday so we wanted to squeeze in one more session on our pass. I took the laptop and tried to finish up the written lesson while they bounced. I got no where. I just couldn’t focus on what was important. 

Cathy came over and we ordered food. She helped me focus on my lesson and I felt pretty good about what I was going to teach. I decided to teach equivalent fractions. 

I didn’t go to bed until nearly 11 pm and I didn’t sleep all that well. When I got up I was in a panic about not having enough material to teach the entire 40 minute lesson. So I ran copies of an extension worksheet, just in case. I took the kids to school and then headed to my interview. The teaching part went well, I thought. I was then taken on a tour of the school by some Year 5 students (10 year olds). The students are so polite and so poised at this school. They have a certain demeanor that brings such a positive feeling to the school. After the tour, I was sent off because my actual interview wasn’t until 11:15 am. I decided to go home and get something to eat. I returned for my formal interview at Brighton College at 11 am. They asked the usual questions and I felt they were pleased with my answers. I called Stuart when I was finished and told him I felt the way I always feel about an interview. I felt I knocked it out of the park and there is no reason they shouldn’t offer me a position. Confidence or arrogance? Maybe a bit of both. I always feel confident at an interview. It will now be up to whether they feel I’m a fit. There was no clear answer to the question: ‘Do you have positions available at this time and when do you look to hire?’ I think what has happened is they have some internal movement that is going to take place, leaving classroom positions available. For now I suppose I will just wait. The good thing is, I already have a job, so I didn’t seem desperate. 

Once I finished at the school, I stopped in at the closest mall. I shopped around for a bit, for nothing in particular. I just needed to waste some time before picking Jack, Millie, Daniel and David up from school. I took them to Bounce for their last session. I sat, as I always do, and played Cookie Jam on my phone, while the kids bounced. 

Once we were home, Millie got ready for her date with Stuart and Jack and I got the ingredients out to make cookies. That was what he had chosen for our date night. Millie decided she wanted to go golfing. What a crack up! Jack decided we would watch Beauty and the Beast while we waited for the cookies to bake. We doubled the recipe so we had a math lesson that evening as well. Both dates were a lot of fun. The videos of Millie golfing made Jack and I laugh so hard. The cookies turned out a little more cake-like than I care for, but Jack was proud of himself for his efforts. 

When Stuart and Millie got home, I got another birthday present. I got a new set of golf clubs. Stuart and I have decided we will play more golf next year. He’s going to play less rugby next year. I think it’s starting to take a toll on his body. 

Thursday we were off of school to celebrate the last day of Ramadan. Eid would be called at the sighting of the moon Thursday evening. We took Cathy to McGettigans to eat lunch for her birthday. We spent the rest of the day at our house doing a whole lot of nothing. 

Friday, Claire came to babysit a crew of children. The Richardsons, Rouvis, and Telfords were all going to brunch so the kids stayed with Claire. The men went to McGettigans while the women went to Zest. It was a delightful lunch for all. Everyone ended up back at our house. I think the last guests left around 11 pm. Late nights for me are not as easy or enjoyable as they used to be. However, we enjoyed the laughs that evening. 

Saturday I spent most of the day on the sofa like a lazy dog. I responded to an email I got from the head of the junior school at Brighton College. I guess I did well in my interview. They are waiting for some things to fall in place with some other positions, but basically he said when everything fell into place I would have a teaching position at Brighton College. I was so thrilled. I emailed him just to say I would be patient. 

The Richardsons came over and Stuart made a delicious Saturday roast dinner. The kids were cranky and on each other’s nerves. Henry and Jack actually got into a fight. Henry is 3 years older than Jack and even though they are the same size, their emotional difference is very obvious sometimes. 

We had a lovely evening, but it was a bittersweet night. We only have a little over 2 weeks left with the Richardsons. We are certainly going to miss them next year. 

Last weekend away with the Richardsons

Sunday I got up and walked on my own. I walked two miles with Duke and was beat when I got home. So was Duke. I didn’t shower before I took the kids to school so had to just drop them instead of getting out of the car. Because I had my work out gear on, it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to be seen during Ramadan in those clothes. 

I spent the day on the sofa, which I know is terribly shocking. I started watching a new series, The Real Housewives of New York City. I also watched the first episode of the new Bachelorette. What a train wreck that is going to be. 

I ended up picking the kids up from school as Stuart had to go and trade his rental car for another one. His old rental car was due for a service so he just swapped cars. 

Once we were all home, Jack went to Ian’s and Millie played with her baby dolls downstairs. The doorbell rang around 4:30 pm and it was our neighbors, Mohammed and Saif. These are the boys who tried to take Jack’s new nerf gun he got for Christmas, so as you can guess they are not my favorite children in the world. Mohammed had a puppy in his arms and asked if we wanted to have it. Well, of course we didn’t, but he said they were given it as a gift and his father was angry about it and they had to get rid of it. Believe me when I say, I’m pretty sure this particular family would have done ANYTHING to get rid of it. So I told the boys that if they couldn’t find someone to take the puppy that I would take it to my vets. So guess who shows up 20 minutes later, puppy and puppy gear in tow? Yep, we had a visitor for the night. We put his picture on Facebook and it didn’t take long for someone to say they would go to the clinic the following day to adopt him. The kids were disappointed, but that was what was best. 

Cathy came for dinner and we all monitored the puppy so he wouldn’t pee everywhere. There was only one piddle, which wasn’t bad. Duke roughed him up and he slept most of the evening. When we did go to bed, the puppy slept in a cage right beside Duke. He whined at 1:00 am and I took both dogs out. Each had a wee and returned to bed. The puppy woke up and was barking at about 5:20 am. I assumed he was hungry. He had scarfed down a small can of wet food the night before and when I took him downstairs on Monday morning, he did the same. I returned both dogs upstairs before I went for my walk. When I returned, Stuart said the puppy had yipped until Stuart finally got up with him. 

Once I was home from my walk and showered, I took the kids to school. When I returned I had some breakfast and then the puppy and I headed to the vet. Nadia, our friend who owns the vet clinic, said she would keep him for two weeks and then if no one claimed him they would have to send him to the Falcon Hospital. This is not a good thing, but it does happen. Everyone knows he Falcon Hospital is a place for sick falcons and a place they take animals no one wants to be out to sleep. It’s so sad, but there are so many lose animals here and there is little control over it. I assured Nadia that the lady who contacted me would be coming to collect the puppy. 

Once I had taken the puppy to the clinic I stopped at the supermarket to get some snacks for our weekend away that was approaching. I got home, put away the groceries and watched some more trash television. 

We picked the kids up from school and headed to Bounce. Agnus, who usually brings the kids on Monday, had a doctor’s appointment so I told her we would take them on Monday. We bring Jack, Millie, two of Jack’s friends, Adam and Daniel, and Daniel’s little brother David. Each day when they check in, the workers go over the rules and have the children repeat the rules. So when David ended up on the same trampoline as Millie, even though he wasn’t supposed to be, it wasn’t surprising that she did a cartwheel and knocked his two front teeth out with her feet! 

Poor kid! Fortunately, they were both baby teeth and he had been waiting for them to come out for a while. I messaged his mother and she said ‘looks like he’ll be rich tonight’. She took it well. 

Once we were finished at Bounce, we went home and the kids showered. When they finished the had dinner and Claire came over to babysit. Stuart and I both had a committee meeting and then I went on to an Iftar dinner at my friend Hassah’s house. I picked DeDe up at 6:40 pm and we headed over. We had a lovely time catching up and eating. I got home around 9 pm and was ready for bed. 

Tuesday morning I walked on my own again. It was hot and it keeps getting hotter. I worked on some issues with our grade system at school. I made waffles to freeze for the kids to be able to fix their own breakfast in the mornings. 

I watched a bit of television and then Stuart got home around noon. He picked the kids up from school. Once they were home I asked Millie to clean up her toys and she had a meltdown. Those are so enjoyable. 

After about 15 minutes of me cleaning up and her screaming, it was over and she was hungry. She got something to eat and went upstairs to watch a movie with Jack. Once she was up there she saw Jack had a treat that she wanted. She came down bawling about not having the same snack Jack had. I had to point out that Jack didn’t create a fuss after school and actually put his clothes away and straightened up his room without being asked. She then broke down and cried, saying ‘I’m sorry, mama!’ I told her she wasn’t going to get that treat just because she said she was sorry. I told her I didn’t appreciate her saying she was sorry just to get the treat. Then she really got pitiful and I know she meant what she said. ‘Mama, I really am sorry. I mean it.’ So I sat down and put her on my lap and hugged her. I told her that I really needed her to try to do things when I ask the first time and without moaning about it. She said she would try. 

The kids played games upstairs for a while and then we left for Millie’s last dance class, which was a demonstration for families. We were told to only bring one member, but we brought three. Oops!

When dance was over we headed back home. Stuart had made a stew and the Richardsons were coming for dinner so we could tentatively plan our weekend away. As things go when we get together, we didn’t plan anything. We were too busy chatting! Surprise! They left around 8:30 and then it was showers and bed for everyone. 

I had gotten up to walk on Wednesday, but Lara forgot to set her alarm, so I walked again on my own. On the first mile of my walk I passed a fellow dog owner who told me not to continue down the road as those wild dogs, who have been there since before Christmas, ran after her and her little dogs. They were standing at the entrance to her complex, waiting for the little dogs to return. I told her I would walk down with her with Duke. It’s not that he would do anything. In fact, he once jumped out of his collar and ran home when they barked at him in December. So he’s a big chicken, but his size, I figured, would be intimidating. The dogs did run just as we got relatively close. It totally messed up my walk, though. I had to find a new route that was exactly 2 miles. I really am OCD! 

I took the kids to school and then came back to lay around. I’m becoming, I fear, a bit lazy. 

I had been told the previous day, by my principal, that I would be having a conference call for my evaluation on Wednesday morning. Around 8:30 am one of my teachers messaged me and told me my principal had said there would be no conferences on Wednesday because the Vice Principal was out. Not only did I never hear this from my principal, neither did my other teacher who is on her naughty list. Clearly her professional skills are lacking a bit. 

Stuart got home just after noon and we picked the kids up at 1:30 to take them to Bounce. Millie had taken clothes so she could change at school instead of in the car. Unfortunately she selected a shirt she had never worn before and it turns out it was too big. So before Bounce opened at 2 pm, we had enough time to go to a shop on the 1st floor of the mall and buy her a T-shirt that fit better. It was an emoji T-shirt so she was thrilled. 

After two hours of Cookie Jam on my phone and chatting with some of the other moms, we headed home. We had decided Wednesday evening for the rest of the school year would be date night. Jack had a date with Stuart to go play golf and then eat sushi, and Millie and I had a date to play babies, eat popcorn (possibly for dinner) and watch a new movie that we were going to buy on iTunes. We ended up buying Sherlock Gnomes. It was a very cute film. And my date with Millie was epic. She played the Mom that had to go to work and I was the nanny who took care of the kids. The view of an expat kid kills me sometimes. 

Thursday morning I got up and waited for my evaluation conference. It seems that my principal used my name in reference to another teacher’s evaluation. So that teacher insisted they call me. Unfortunately, I could not confirm the statements my principal had stated I had made, so it was very awkward and uncomfortable. Then around noon, the principal and vice principal called me and started my conference, rating me very low in 3 of the 20 indicators. I informed them that I would definitely appeal their assessment of my performance. It was so upsetting, but we were leaving for the weekend so I had to shake it off. 

We headed to pick up the kids from school and went straight to Dubai from there. On the way to Dubai, I received a call from a private school I had interviewed with previously. The head of the junior school told me that I had always stuck out in his mind and they had not fulfilled all of their positions for the the next school year. He asked what the process was in getting out of my current contract. When I let him know it was still possible he said he would have to leave me in limbo for a bit, but would be in touch. It kind of brightened my day. It made me still feel valued even if nothing comes of this position. Time will tell, I suppose. 

We ended up going straight to Dubai Mall and Stuart gave me my birthday present early. My fit bit had broken earlier in the week and he knew I had wanted an Apple Watch, so this the reason for an early gift. It was a pleasant surprise. We had a coffee while the kids had donuts and ice cream at the food court. We then headed to the hotel apartment to meet up with the Richardsons. 

When we arrived, we were greeted by the Richardsons who had already arrived. We hung around the apartment for a few hours and then headed to a mall within walking distance to have dinner at the food court. I had Pad Thai, which was delightful. 

We walked back to the apartment and the kids got ready for bed. The adults sat and chilled, out favorite thing to do. We all headed to bed around 11 pm. 

We got up Friday morning with full intentions of going to the Dubai Frame at 10 am. Stuart made sausage, bacon, eggs and beans for breakfast. When breakfast was complete we headed to the Frame, only to be disappointed by the fact that the Ramadan hours were from 2 pm to 11 pm each day. So we decided to go to a super market and get some items for dinner. It is always cheaper to eat in when you have an apartment at your disposal. Plus, the wine is cheaper! Ha! 

Once we were back from the supermarket, we fed the kids some lunch and headed to the pool for the afternoon. We basically sat in the baby pool while the kids went down the slides. It was a great facility for our kids. 

We headed up to the apartment around 4 pm. The kids showered and played for a bit before having dinner. The adults waited until later to have our dinner of different pork products and cheeses. It was another relaxing, lazy day. It ended perfectly with great company and excellent food. We called it a night earlier than normal, but the sun had wiped us all out. 

Saturday we were up with sausage sandwiches and bacon and scrambled eggs as well. We then spent the morning at the pool, having asked for a later check out. Once the pool had exhausted itself, we headed upstairs to shower, pack, have lunch and relax. Once we had checked out, we headed to Dubai Frame. It opened at 2 pm, so we sat in our air conditioned cars for about 45 minutes. 

The Frame was really cool, but a little like the Grand Canyon, once you’ve seen it, then there’s not much else to it. We only spent about 30 minutes at the top. When we came down, we got in our cars and headed back to Al Ain. Everyone else had to go back to work, but I had another week off for rest and recovery. 

The floor is glass so you can see to the bottom! Yikes!



Massive!

This is at the top of the frame. 

We got home and did the usual unpacking, putting away, laundry, showering, and sorting out the kids’ stuff for school on Sunday. We had dinner and the kids passed out early. This was the last weekend we would have away with the Richardsons. It was a little sad, to say the least.