Lead up to National Day = Crazy Days in the Classroom!

The trimester is almost complete. Now it is crunch time for grades. In the midst of this stress, the kids are all  wound up in anticipation for the 40th National Day of the UAE. (Honestly, by the sheer volume of expensive cars decorated in Green, Red, Black, and White, I think everyone is excited.) Who wouldn't be? Forty is so young from my American perspective and even younger when I think of the histories of both Europe and Japan. But if rehearsing is what is necessary for the big school assembly on Tuesday, then why am I trying to teach anything new? My students are being pulled, and it is impossible to not hear various rehearsals in the central courtyard. Getting kids to focus when the sound system is on full-blast is not my forte. Oh well, whatever, I am ready to give up.

Lap cat

Fionka may be Fellini. I will take her/him to the vet tomorrow for her/his first check up. But F is happiest when curled up on my arm. Though F may be a wild cat, it taken to me. F likes to walk the never ending hall way of my building, too. While I'm sure F misses the outdoors, I'm not giving F up!

Welcome Fionka!

Yesterday morning, I visited the Al Ain National Museum with my visiting mother. As my mom and I left the building in search of the falaj irrigation system we were told was near the building, we were immediately approached by the kitty pictured above and distracted completely.

Fionka (sounds like Bianca) is now in my home. This tiny bundle of enormous amounts of energy and purr-power will certainly be a happy addition to my life. Now, I just have to take her to the vet to make sure she's healthy.

Fionka is my version of the name that the two Egyptian guards at the museum gate had been calling her. She might have whiskers to rival my US cat, Emma; she is too small to tell yet. However, she certainly the biggest ears of any feline I've ever known! Her head is about the size of a plum!

Geez Louise!

I've been renting a car and driving in the UAE for two months now, and I've been in Al Ain for almost as long. Al Ain is notorious for having more roundabouts than traffic lights, like 10 to 1! You have to be bold about the roundabouts, and I have been...until now.

I noticed the guy in front of me was hesitating at the roundabout for an inordinately long time as I approached the roundabout from like 200 meters away. But then, I looked at the roundabout traffic, assumed that he would have gone, and then tried to go myself. No damage, cool.

But then, I'm in the middle of 3 lanes wanting to go straight through to the 2nd exit, and as I'm mindlessly continuing, the guy to my left (far inside of the circle) cuts me off to make a right at the 1st exit. 

What the heck! I need to read up on the traffic rules here. I can't take another series of rapid-fire episodes like I experienced today.

Efficient Friday!

Unlike most Friday mornings, I rose early (after a difficult Thursday evening--dehydration & me don't work well together). Primarily to get to my still unfinished apartment (no gas for the cooker/stove) in order to tidy up before my scheduled cleaner appointment.

So as she cleaned (and boy did she clean!), I worked and ran errands. As a teacher, one's work is never done. When I think that she cleaned for 3-1/2 hours, I still shake my head at her refusal of my initial offer. She saved me so much time! I am happy that I was able to work instead of slogging through chores.

Then I went shopping for shelves. After 4 hours of trying, I decided to wait for drilling help. Not even my "girl-friendly" uber-drill was powerful enough in my weak hands for concrete walls.

I'm grateful for the people in my life: new and old, here and abroad. (OMG, I want to puke! Damn those children for making me so stressed out!)

Another week down...at least it is cooling down

School continues to be torture, but the temperature is getting nicer. 84 degrees Fahrenheit this morning! Yes, it is still humid, but the lower temperature helps.

As another week comes to a close, I will move into my apartment this weekend. After two and a half months in hotels in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, I hope it will be nice. The parking garage wasn't complete as of two days ago when I scoped out the location of my assigned underground parking spot. Living without television will be a vacation, but living without internet will be a chore. All in all, I can't complain anymore than I usually do:)

Coming together

This week was the most difficult one yet. Ironically, World Teachers' Day on Wednesday was the most annoying day of the week. Why hand out chocolate to any child at 9 am? What is wrong with this place? Probably the same thing that leads to seeing children at malls after 10 pm any day of the week as well as the majority of my students tell me they haven't eaten breakfast before coming to school. This isn't America, where often schools have a federally subsidized breakfast program. Y'all are rich, folks. And raising children isn't rocket science. To be ready to learn, they need the basics of rest and food. (Even grade 1s learn that!)

On a brighter note, I'll get my closet/wardrobe tomorrow:) (I hope IKEA delivers as promised.) My couches arrived on Wednesday Tuesday evening. I'm still waiting for the construction crew to be finished, but things are coming together slowly but surely.

If only the same could be said about my classroom experience.