The week of changes

Jack woke up and didn’t want to go to school as he didn’t feel well. This seems to be the trend on Sundays the last couple of weeks. We forced him to get up and go. By the time we reached the school he seemed totally fine. We have told him he only has a few more Sundays to wake up and go to school here. He is very excited to come back to Arizona. 

Tommy and Alice came home with us after school. The kids haven’t had a play date with them in forever. It was good to have them over and watch the kids be kids. I made them sausages and potatoes and then took them home around 7:30. 

This is the result of letting 8 year olds paint their nails without supervision. 

Monday morning there was more panic regarding the Corona Virus. It was rumored that schools were being trained to go to remote learning by the end of the week. Is this panic totally necessary or a bit over the top? I suppose time will tell. 

Because of the information sent out by the health authority, all activities after school have ceased until further notice. This would be totally fine with me as it means we will have more time at home and with the kids. Our rushing about will come to a halt for a bit. We went home straight after school and got ready to go to the rugby club for the kids last run around to conclude the rugby season. I met with the club house manager to discuss logistics of the rugby ball while the kids trained. Then at 6 pm, we provided pizza and drinks for the kids. 

These boys have been a great part of Jack’s life in the UAE. Many of them have been on his team for 7 years. He will miss this part of his life in the UAE. 

Cathy came out with us as she needed some cheering up. She was told on Sunday that she has a degenerative lung disease that will impact her quality of life, and may one day result in her needing a lung transplant. She was upset, as you would guess. When she told me in the staff room earlier in the day, I was shocked and speechless. 

Tuesday morning, one of the private schools got confirmation that they would need to have lesson plans ready for the next 6 weeks as they would be teaching remotely for that amount of time. It was just a matter of time until we were told the same. 

After school the people who bought Millie’s bed came and got Millie’s bed. My friend Ang bought all of Jack’s Lego. She came to pick them up and stayed for a chat and a cup of tea. The evening was a bit dull. We had dinner and then everyone went to bed. 

Wednesday the country’s newspaper announced schools would be closed for a month. We weren’t exactly sure what this meant to us, but it was an absolute cluster for all. We are three weeks away from our spring break, people have booked flights and holidays, and now they are telling us we may be moving our spring break up two weeks and starting it on Sunday, then after two weeks we will be doing distant learning. The whole thing is a mess!

When I got home from school, I went to help DeDe move. Her husband left her last spring and then did a runner in November. This has been a very stressful 12 months for her. On top of him leaving the country, he left her with no place to live. Thank goodness she sorted everything out, but it did mean she had to move from the Village. She moved into Cathy’s old place. 

Thursday at school we got the news that we would be working to prepare for online teaching for the next two weeks and then start delivery on March 22. Then that would mean our spring break was postponed, or canceled. We had a meeting after school and were told the company strongly urged us to not leave the country. Well, that was not going to work for us. We had some serious decisions to make. 

Thursday evening we had people over so we could commiserate about the situation at school. Stuart made nachos for dinner and then other friends joined later in the evening. It was one of those fun, impromptu evenings. 

Friday morning we got up and lazed around the house. We decided to go to the pool around 3 pm. We met up with the Rouvis and the Karniks. The kids ate dinner by the pool and we all griped about our lot in life. However, being guaranteed a four week break from school is not bad, and we still get paid. 

Friday evening was spent clearing out my closet and trying to sort through what we would pack for Ken and Maytee to take back to Arizona. I slept, or didn’t sleep, on the sofa for the entire night. I had pulled a muscle in my shoulder on Friday morning, bringing one of our dressers downstairs. I couldn’t sleep. 

Saturday was our packing, cleaning, and selling day. We spent a little time lounging around, but mainly just organized and sold stuff on Facebook. We still had a lot to do before Ken and Maytee arrived. I’m already tired. However, we were excited to know we got to spend the entire week with the Greens. Yahoo!