Emirati Style!

Not to long ago had the opportunity to go to an Emitati house. It was a great cultural experience.

While at school, we were told that afterward, a group of teachers were heading to the house of a co-worker to celebrate her return from Hajji, the pilgrimage to Mecca Muslims' must make at least once in their lifetime.

Four of us English teachers headed over, following some other teachers up the road. The house was not far from our school, in the little desert community that surrounds it. The house (villa) was anything but little.

The villa

When we entered the beautiful hallway we were greeted by family members and ushered into a large reception room on our right. The room was elaborate... with sofas lining the walls, paintings on the walls, beautiful window treatments, and tables at every sofa loaded with fruit, dates, and treats.

We found a seat on some sofas and soon the parade of hospitality began. We were brought coffee, tea, cookies, chocolate, more coffee, more tea, cappuccino, perfume, oils, and even frankincense; which was held under our hair and clothing. We ate and chatted for a bit, but one of the teachers needed to get going so we tried to say our goodbyes.

Coffee and tea

Yum!!

Chocolate with a miniature Kaaba (cube). It is found at mecca.    

The next thing we knew the beautiful wooden doors with stained glass above them across the hall opened to reveal an enormous spread of food on the floor. It was another reception room and we were ushered in there, being told we couldn't leave until we ate “lunch.”

This was an amazing cultural experience. We all sat on the floor around the food and began to eat. There was a huge platter with rice and goat (including the head). There was hummus and meat and even lobster. The women were throwing food to each other across the carpet, laughing and sharing stories in Arabic. They kept trying to feed me and Charlotte the goat (the vegetarians!)

After awhile we finished eating, brought our plates to a small table, and went to wash our hands in the beautiful bathroom. We then tried again to say our goodbyes as we were ushered back into the other room. There we sat and were once again given chocolate, coffee, tea, and more. We finally thanked the family and snuck our way out the door. We would have loved to see the rest of the house, but I don't think that would be appropriate for us to ask. Even so, it was a great experience.

I also had the opportunity to go to another wedding. It was very similar to the last one, with tons of good food, lots of music, people dancing, and watching the men outside on TV. I left early because it was a school night and I can not make it very late, so I missed the part where the men came in for the bride and danced. It still was another great cultural experience.

Invite to the wedding. Notice the no camera,cellphone, and couples symbols.

Before I left for the wedding

Watching the bride

Shawn and I are pretty much settled into life here with the ups and downs, but enjoying the experience such a different world!

(Larissa snapped most of the pictures. You really are not supposed to take pictures, so they were a little sneaky! Thanks to her for getting some.)  

Crete day three and saying goodbye!

Who is up early reading again? Of course it was me, but not for long as Shawn wakes up, we eat breakfast, and are ready to face a beautiful sunny day! We pack our car with some snacks and camera, and we are off on a three hour drive across the island to find a famous gorge. First, we stopped at the small beach town nearby to buy souvenirs for our family members. Shawn once again spoiled me, and bought me a beautiful Greek dress made in Athens to wear to my baby shower. We also bought a cute little teddy for the baby!

Bear for baby

Our three hour drive soon became a four or more as we saw so many beautiful sites along the way. We pulled over many times for amazing views, including a beach to make sure we touched the Mediterranean. Our trip took us along the coast for the first half, with views of sandy beaches as well as cliffs diving into the water. About halfway through, it took a turn and began our climb up the mountains. Along the way, we found a little restaurant tucked in the mountainside. It was so quaint. We were the only ones there, except for the owner and one other employee. We had homemade pizza with more tzatziki, fresh squeezed orange juice (there was an orange grove right there in the back), and enjoyed a quiet lunch with amazing view. We even got stuck behind an orange truck for awhile, which smelled amazing.

Ready for adventure

Shawn touching the water

Orange truck

Stopping to eat

View

The climb up the mountain was fun. Shawn was so happy to be driving a stick and the roads winded back and forth. Some parts were very narrow, and there wasn't even a guardrail. I am glad I love and trust my husband! We also met many goats and sheep along the way. I can't even begin to explain the views, and the pictures don't go it justice. It felt like we ended up in a completely different place, as we could no longer see the water or beaches. In the end, we were about 4,000 feet up the mountain, and found the national park.

View! 

By the time we got to the park, it was already four o'clock. We found out the total hike down was around 9-10 miles, so we knew we could not do the whole thing. Not only was it late afternoon, but don't forget I'm seven months pregnant. We decided to just hike for awhile, and see what we could do. Even though we didn't make it to the bottom, it was still amazing. We were so high that we were above the clouds. Sometimes along the path, we would walk under fences to protect us from falling rocks. That was a little scary. As we were walking along, I suddenly heard a noise that sounded like a car driving on gravel. I realized though that there were no roads anywhere near us, and that we were hearing a huge rock slide across the other mountain. That was a pretty cool experience. All in all, we hiked about three miles. Not bad for my big belly self. It was a great experience, but I was tired!

Hiking

Above the clouds

The trip down the mountain was just as fun, as Shawn and I blasted music and talked about life. Once again, I am grateful everyday I am married to my best friend.

By the time we got back towards the hotel, it was getting late. We decided to go to a little restaurant on the hill near the hotel, and were once again treated so kindly. We were the only ones there and the owner waited on us. We enjoyed dinner and music, and headed back to the hotel to pack and hit the hay!

The next morning we finished packing and sadly said goodbye to the hotel as we headed to the airport. We had booked a taxi the night before, and turned in our little rental car. Our journey home began. We had a pleasant flight from Crete to Athens, then Athens was interesting. As we are boarding the flight to leave Athens, we realize there are a group of workers being flown in to the Middle East. I see them all holding their paperwork, and I believe they were from Bangladesh. When the attendant calls boarding for rows 30-35 (we were like 32), they all rush forward. Before you know it, I'm being pushed all over the place and almost knocked over. There goes hospitality and civilization. We get to the gate check, and when they scan my ticket we are told we missed a step somewhere. Not sure how, because we already went through passport control, but we are told to step around to the desk. This is impossible as we are almost being crushed. We finally got it worked out, but I was already missing Greece and I hadn't even left. Then, when we boarded the plane, there was a man that didn't speak English in our window seat. We gave up trying to explain and Shawn ended up in the middle. Oh the joys...

Besides that we made it back in one piece. We had a layover in Doha, Qatar and then landed in Abu Dhabi. We caught a taxi to our car, and then realized we had made a big mistake when we got there. I had purchased some food in the airport at Doha with dirhams (the currency of the UAE), and didn't realize they gave me their currency in return. When the taxi driver drops us off, we have Euros, Doha currency, and 500 dirhams; which he can't break. He was so mad at us. We asked him to bring us to a gas station, and we would pay extra fare, but he said he didn't know whee one was nearby. We tried asking other taxi drivers for change, but they didn't have it. We finally ended up paying him in Euros, which was a better deal for him. He was very rude and upset though. We got in the car and Shawn drove the hour and half back home while I drifted in and out of sleep. I was so happy I didn't have to work the next day!

Overall, it was an amazing experience. Even though this country can drive me crazy and I get homesick, I am so grateful because I get to have experiences like this. I highly recommend Greece to all, and know I will be going back in the next two years!  

Beautiful Crete!!! 

 

Sheeeeep

Driving the mountain! 

Crete day two!

Of course I was up early. Between being excited and pregnant, there was no way I was sleeping in. I got up before Shawn and sat in the bed reading, listening to the rain. When Shawn woke up, we headed to breakfast and discussed what to do for the day. Originally, we ad planned on driving across the island to a gorge we could hike, but it was raining pretty hard and they were calling for rain on and off all day. We decided it would be better to head into the city and explore the museums and shops there... and we were on our way!

Heraklion (Iraklion) is the largest city and capital of Crete, fourth largest city in Greece, so was a great place to visit. It was an interesting mixture of modern Europe and ancient culture. We found a parking garage close to the water and first made our way to see the Venetian Fortress. As we headed down the road, storm clouds moved in and silly us were excited to see them. Of course it rained on us, but we still walked around the fort.

What is this? 

Fortress

At the hotel we had picked up a walking map of the city, with sites to see, so we decided to try to follow the walking path. We headed up the main road, filled with little souvenir shops. There were also these fish spas on every corner, where you stick your feet in a tank of fish and they nibble on your feet. They were all open and you could watch everyone do it. I didn't though!

We saw some historical sites such as Saint Titus church, the loggia (an old meeting hall), fountains, statues, and more. We found our way to a famous courtyard and into a small cafe for lunch. Once again, it was delicious. We also found our way into a local market, and walked through with the smell of bread and fish. Next, we made our way to the archaeological museum, as our tickets to the Knossos ruins also allowed us access to the museum. The museum was interesting, as we saw ancient artifacts, including items recovered from the palace.

St. Titus

Loggia

Square

Shawn's lamb

My Greek salad

Museum 

After the museum, we were greeted by pouring rain as we found the exit. Shawn bought me a nice Greece hoodie, and off we went. As we began to walk again, we found another entrance to the museum with a statue room, and so hopped in there. We were really glad we did! Shawn and I have been reading a series lately that I got into by my students last year. The first set focused on Greek gods and the second on Roman, so we have been learning a lot about the history of the country as well as the legends. It was nice to see many statues depicting the legends we had been reading about, as well as busts of famous people through history we had read about in other books.

We headed out, and were still greeted by the rain, so sat on a bench and enjoyed some Greek chocolate. As the rain lightened up, we bought an umbrella and headed along to continue our adventure. We wound up in a nice park, walking along the old Venetian walls and the bastions. Along the way the map got a little confusing and we were not sure which way to go. As we tried to find our way to a famous grave site, the rain came again in full force. We found our selves under a bridge that used to be one of the gates to the city, a little soaked, but enjoying our crazy adventure. We tried to find the grave site, but decided it wasn't that big of a deal, and headed back towards the car in the rain. Along the way, we passed through the market again, and Shawn bought me a beautiful pendant of the goddess Athena. We also decided to stop and eat dinner, and ended up in a nice patio area under a cover from the rain. The funny part of the story was when I tried to order a virgin drink. In Al Ain, you can't get any alcohol unless you go to a hotel, so virgin drinks are everywhere. A little different in Greece. The guy kept trying to tell me which beverages were good. I finally had to scoot my chair back and show him my pregnant belly. He was very sorry, and got me a nice alcohol free cocktail.

After dinner, we found our car and headed back to the hotel. We dried off and changed, before heading to the lobby. I really wanted a hot shower, yet because the water is heated by the sun on the roof and there was no sun that day, no hot water. In the lobby I chatted with my mom, and the owner of the hotel served us some yummy tzatziki. We also played some cards before heading to bed, tired but excited about more adventures ahead.

Our hotel cat. This cat lives at the hotel. The owner said he was there when he bought the place. This cat followed us everywhere: breakfast, patio, lobby, etc... Here he sat on the couch with us in the lobby for awhile. 

Crete, Greece: Getting there and Day one!

We are so blessed! We had the opportunity at the end of this October to travel to Greece's island of Crete. The only reason we had this opportunity is because of living abroad in the Middle East. Even though some days are very tough living here, it is times like this that I make it worth the stress.

The UAE is a Muslim country, so our days off from school are Islamic religious holidays. The end of October is Eid al-Adha, the Feast of the Sacrifice. It celebrates the willingness of the prophet Abraham to sacrifice his first born son. For this holiday we received a long weekend, with two days off from work.

As you know, we are excitedly awaiting the birth of our first child in January. Due to this, we won't be able to travel during December break because of being close to my due date. We may not even travel during the spring break in late March-early April, because our new baby will be so young. This was our last opportunity to travel until July, as well as last time without a child. We decided to go on a “babymoon” and wanted to make it special.

We looked online at different deals, and when we found a great groupon for a quiet hotel in Crete, we knew it was for us. We booked our plane tickets, and before we knew it we were packing our bags!

We left Al Ain Tuesday morning and drove to complex of villas in Abu Dhabi where we parked our car. There we got a taxi to the airport, checked in, and were on our way. We had a lot of layovers, because we booked a cheaper flight. We flew from Abu Dhabi to Doha, which was only an hour flight. The nice thing was that they give you candy before the flight takes off... actually every flight did this for the entire trip. We then flew from Doha to Athens, and Athens to Crete. It was a long, all day event, but we were finally there. We caught a cab to the hotel with a great driver named George. He told us all about the island and drove us into the mountains to our quaint hotel. We checked in and headed to our room for the night. We also had a nice treat... a thunderstorm! We hadn't sen rain in almost 4 months, so laying in bed listening to the rain and thunder was a nice beginning to a great vacation.

Simple bedroom... no distractions 

Hotel room

Hotel

Hotel

The next morning I was so excited to get started I woke up early and read until I thought it was time to wake Shawn. We headed to breakfast at the hotel, and were greeted with amazing views! We decided we would head to the Palace of Knossos, the largest archaeological site on the island and where the legend of King Minos and the Minotaur took place. We decided we would take the bus to the city and then find our way from there. The hotel owner told us the bus stop was “at the top of the hill,” so we got ready and began to walk.

We walked a short way up the hill and saw a bus stop sign with the city name on it. We were so excited and so begun our wait. While we were waiting, four kittens from the house next to the stop found their way to us. They were so cute and curious. They kept coming up to us, but were skittish and would then run away. This distracted us for awhile, but soon we realized we had been waiting a long time. Around this time of realization, a man came out of the house and asked what we were doing. After telling him we were waiting for the bus, he told us this bus didn't come until late afternoon, and we needed to go further up the hill... so up we went. Up and up we walked. Now remember I am 7 months pregnant, carrying 20 new pounds of baby, extra blood, and all that good stuff. So after awhile, and getting the the top of the hill before the road started to go downhill, we decided it was time to turn around and rent a car. We walked back down, I changed into shorts (I hadn't worn shorts in public for three months) and we were on our way with our little manual Hyundai accent... an a map!

Waiting for the bus that never came

Renting the car

Driving in Crete was a fun experience. See... driving in Al Ain is just down right SCARY! There are round about everywhere and people who don't follow any traffic rules. They are rude and honk their horns, cut your off, and speed all over the place. Shawn won't actually let me drive except a few seconds up to the store behind out flat for safety.

Crete was chaotic, but an organized chaos. People pass in the middle of the lane, but no one honks or seems aggressive. You just move anywhere on the road you can but are still considerate of others. Even in the city, where it was bumper to bumper, so one honked and acted rude.

We found our way to the ruins, bought our tickets, and spent the next few hours exploring. It was amazing to know we were seeing things thousands of years old. It was a beautiful day... we really couldn't have asked for better weather.

Palace ruins

After exploring the site, we headed back towards the car. On the side of the road were little souvenir shops, so we popped in and out. Then, at the end of the street, was a little restaurant. The owner was out front and called us in, and then treated me like a princess. I ordered stuffed tomato and pepper per his recommendation and it was amazing. Shawn had gyros and olives. The man gave us his business card before we left and told us to tell our baby about him. So sweet.

YUM!!!

We looked on the map and saw another ruin site not far, so decided we would try to find our way there. We never found it, but had fun driving around. Eventually we made our way back to the hotel for the night. After some relaxing in the lobby, we headed to bed so we could continue our adventure the next morning!  

Chaos is a way of life...

About three or four weeks ago was very interesting.

Sunday was a normal day at work, until the end of the day. Originally, we were supposed to have a professional development meeting in the library. Yet, halfway through the day, I learn that there is a full staff meeting instead. I guess there was a note posted in Arabic somewhere, but I was lucky to hear through word of mouth. When the time came for the meeting, the other two teachers were not there. I found them waiting for the other meeting, because no one had told them about the change in plans. Typical at our school.

We find out in the meeting that the principal has basically given into parent complaints. See, the cycle 3 (high school) students switch classes during the day. They go to a different class for English, Chemistry, etc... Apparently the parents didn't like this, so the principal decided to change the way the entire school works. Not only are the students going to stay in one room and the teachers are going to move, but she decides all the classrooms in the whole school are going to move. Oh, and it starts tomorrow...

So Monday we arrive and morning ceremony begins as usual. Then, the principal decides to move where all the students stand in assembly, so the chaos begins.

May I add that the night before I had begun not to feel well. My throat was on fire and I had a hard time swallowing, as well as being very tired and well... just blah.

After the students have been moved all around, the principal tells the students they are going to move rooms today and the room is now “theirs”... and then sends them on their way. This is when the true chaos begins.

All the students in the entire school begin to grab furniture and carry it from one room to another. My grade 2 girls are dragging desks in the courtyard as the grade 3 girls move stuff out. All cycle 1 was shifting down one room. The girls are then grabbing tables, desks, and all the stuff off of the shelving. Some are running around playing while others are fighting over what they will carry. Older girls are grabbing mops and cleaning floors. The Arabic grade 3 teacher is telling me there isn't enough room for all my things and is getting rid of desks I need. It was CRAZY. My schedule for the day was supposed to be I teach period 1 and then had 3 free periods... so after awhile I left and went to sit in the teacher's lounge because I didn't feel well. When I arrive, I am told that there is now a room for English teachers and get sent on my way.

I find my way to the room upstairs. The seven English teachers have been given a classroom to use as our work space. We are supposed to all have a desk in there... but no one would give me one. Oh well!

When it comes time for me to teach grade 3, I am in for some shock. First, some of my things like magazines and chart paper have gone missing. The room was also a shock.

The grade 3 room was set up before in a way that made sense. It had been the same for about 5 weeks now. Each student had a typical grade appropriate “plastic” desk. Then, in the back were two tables set up with older wooden desks so that I could do centers, small groups, and other activities. Once, I changed the shape of one table to create more room and my Arabic co-teacher got really mad. She gets mad easily, like when I used a book of hers. She works like 80 minutes a day but thinks she owns the place. That's a different story.

Anyhow, when I walk in the classroom I am shocked. She has created 4 groups of desks for the students to sit at. They are made of the old wooden desks, which are too small for the students. All the extra desks are in the corridor. As the Arabic teacher is walking out, I ask her if I can move the desks around. She says something about how she is too tired, but nods her head. So I spend the next bit of class having the students rearrange so that they all had the same desks and the wooden desks are in the back... just like before.

My grade 3 board... you can see the little wooden desks in the back. 

(Science work and word wall)

Grade 2 work :)

(fact families, shapes, and science)

Finally it was time to go home. I decided to go to the doctor after school because my throat still hurt. The doctor looked in my throat for 2 seconds, and said I had a virus. She told me to drink hot things, rest, and not go to work the next day. I did not argue!

I spent the next day (Tuesday) resting and eating soup. Yet, I still wasn't feeling better. Someone recommended a good American doctor, so I went to visit her Wednesday morning. She took more time to check me over. She listened to me breathe, checked the baby, and tested me for strep. She gave me a safe prescription for cough medicine and told me not to go to work again on Thursday. Again... I didn't argue.

I started to feel better over the weekend and had a follow-up on Sat. Everything looked good... so back to work on Sunday.

So, I arrive Sunday and go to the grade 3 classroom to see that the Arabic teacher changed it all back. Small wooden desks for students, and now all extra desks have been taken away. Oh joy! To make a long story short, I talked to my HoF (Head of Faculty) who helped me talk to the teacher about why I need extra desks for tables. She wasn't happy, but the room is now usable.

The last bit of the craziness of school happened at the next staff meeting that Sunday. So here I am, just getting over being sick and pregnant, sitting in a room where the principal is speaking in Arabic. I am sitting there listening and waiting for my translator to translate, when the principal says my name and starts laughing. Everyone else does as well. Finally, my translator informs me that the principal was teasing me because I am absent minded. Thanks for making fun of me in a different language. She also was mocking the English HoF behind her back when she was explaining why we have to have professional development. I think these people don't understand what rudeness is.

Things have slowly been returning back to normal. The girls are still crazy because of the move. They all think (especially older girls) that they own the room and can do what they want. The older girls even tried to arrange the desks how they want and decorate the walls. They told the English teacher for grade 11 she was “welcome to come to their classroom anytime.” It is crazy... a bad choice on the principals part.

Two weeks later, our principal went to another school to get us “new” furniture. The chaos recycled over again as my class period was turned into a moving day. We got new desks and spent about 40 minutes without chairs. Oh, and my tables I fought for so I could pull small groups... gone once again.

This past week we had a parent day... more chaos!! To make a long story short, parents were allowed to walk in and out of classes all day and watch. The kids were given an hour break in the middle of the day to run wild, while parents came to conference with us. No sign up sheets, no order, just 5 parents all trying to talk to me in a room with 6 other teachers and about 10 other parents. Two didn't speak English, but luckily I tracked down a translator. We were told by the principal that she would later ask the parents how they evaluate or school and what they think we should change. Sounds excellent. I was actually glad to meet some parents, I just wish it could have been more productive and organized.

My final piece of chaos is all about my student who hasn't come to my class for about 6 weeks. She refuses to come to English. So what does the school do? They throw her a party at the mall in an arcade. Of course she still refuses to come to my class the next day... so they throw her another party at school. This past Thursday the principal got to her to come and sat with her in my class, but she was also given a Barbie doll to come and stay. I tell you what... I think I will start refusing to go to work!

Well there are a few of my rants. My next post will be a lot more positive as it will be all about my vacation in Crete, Greece... yay!!! Also, 22 working days until Winter break which goes into maternity leave. We will see what interesting things can happen in the next 22 days!  

A measurement lesson with gummy worms on the "new" desks

(They are in their PE outfits)

Grade two "creating with matter" science lab.