Revelations . . . they are really just observations

The topic for this post came to me as I was sitting in a chase lounge in the courtyard of the hotel. It was approaching evening, and I was trying to read some, but I kept getting distracted. I would watch the people swimming in the pool. Watch the staff of the hotel run back and forth, completing various tasks. I even stared out at the dunes for a little while. Somewhere in the midst of all that, the gears kicked in a I thought about some of the most random things.

First off, I must note that as I was sitting in the chase I was wearing jeans, a long sleeve cotton shirt, and a scarf. Now, the outfit in and of itself is not the extraordinary part. It was the fact that though it was not the peek of the day with the heat, I am in the DESERT. This time of year we are lucky if it gets below 100. At this point in the day it might have been high nineties. Regardless, the weird fact---I was comfortable. I could have taken a nap or just kept sitting there for a while. I was actually comfortable and it was a bit strange to realize this.

The relaxing solitude that I was attempting to achieve did not last for long. A few people stopped on their way back from the pool to chat. This of course led to discussion on work, which for me are never fun. My work environment is not perfect, but I have no complaints. I am taking it one day at a time and just trying to work through the problems when and if they arise. However, that is not the case for some of the people here. They are in the toughest teaching job they have had and not handling it well. Now I am not saying I could do better given their situation, but I do think we could all adjust better than we are at times. I have already gotten of subject . . . the chat with friends was not unique in any way except that I came to realize I am no longer just a vocal optimist.

I have always been the type of person to say what people need to hear, or tell them the optimist view of the situation. I am a people pleaser, sometimes to a fault. I do not like it when other people are not happy. In the past, when I said these things there was always a nagging voice in the back of my mind that said---you know that is totally bullshit. When "confronted" with so much pessimism here, I would fight back with my optimistic phrases and pick-me-ups. Except now, I believe what I am saying. The voice in my head is gone and I really feel like things will work out. Of course my sarcasm and bitting tongue, at times, are still there. I have not lost that part of me, but I have a sense of peace. It is nice to look at the world half full and see the potential and possibility ahead. It has been a while since I could truly look at things in this way. I am gaining a lot of my confidence back, something that has been lacking for a while now. I really feel like I can lose the weight, and see the world, and really make an impact in these children's lives. I know I just listed a whole sleuth of cliches, but they work. They state simply exactly how I am feeling. Maybe when I have time to sit and edit my thoughts on this whole experience, my creative juices will be flowing, but for now I am just trying to take everything in and get whatever I can from this adventure. There is a strange "power" out here in the desert and I am going to soak up as much as I can.

Tilal Liwa Living

Being out in the desert was not anything like I expected it to be. Though entertainment is limited, the people here with me are fantastic. Some are from the old Rotana Crew, more are new.

We have our struggles, but we are helping each other get through it. I have found a good group of people who try to stay far from the negativity and drama and just take it a day at a time. Whether hanging by the pool, playing Bananagrams, or just eating dinner it feels like we have known each other for a while. My only fear is that they will run after a while, unable to take the situation, and I will lose good friends. I guess all I can do is hope that they stick it out and we can remain friends for the next year or two. I will enjoy things while I can. That is all I can do.

The biggest struggle left is the hotel. I do not know when I will stop living out a hotel and where we are it can get pretty expensive. Dinner is not cheap. We luckily get breakfast free, but that is it. Seclusion has it privileges and its disadvantages. Either way I am just going to try and make the best of it. I can't move out if there is no where to move to. I am not about to camp in the desert during this time of year. : )

Overall, I am hoping for many more adventures to come.

School Days

I survived the first week of school. Though I do have to say that I think I had it easier than others.  The people at my school are so nice and helpful. They are willing to show me where to go, what to do, and get me the resources that I need. Most importantly, they are willing to translate when I do not understand. That is the one real downfall. When they talk amongst themselves I have no idea what they are talking about. I am not paranoid about whether they are talking about me, but it definitely reminds me where I am. It can get a bit lonely being with people that you do not understand all the time, but they are willing to work with me and translate when necessary. It is a different work environment, but a welcoming one.

One of the things that stands out is the respect for teachers. When entering the classroom the students stand. They remain standing until the teacher tells them to have a seat. It is very different from the American classroom where the students don't even bother to try and make it to class on time. I know that is not all American students, but it was my experience. the structure in general in much more relaxed. They care about being on time, but they do not feel the need to run around stressing that things are or are not getting done. The schedule for the first few weeks of school the class schedule is never the same from day to day. The teachers and students alike found out what classes to go to when they arrived on Sunday.

The culture is more traditional in the desert so I must be mostly covered at work. This isn't a problem since the head covering is not required. Plus, I have all those abayas to wear. I cannot tell if they appreciate me wearing them or not. I have had some comments on them being very nice, but not from the students or Arab teachers. They have come from the CfBT staff. I just hope that I am not insulting them by wearing one. However, I am not sure that I feel comfortable asking them if they find it insulting. Maybe one day I will be able to get up the nerve to ask, because one thing is for sure, they will never tell me. It is not in the nature of the culture to tell me that I am insulting or disrespecting them. There are others things to be concerned about though. For the first two days I did not have air conditioning in my classroom. One hundred plus heat and teaching do not go well together. You don't want to do much and the students are so hot they cannot focus. The actually went home early the first day because of the heat, but the second day we stayed the full day. By day three I had air so all was resolved. I even got my classroom by the end of the week. It needs a lot of work before I will actually want to go and teach in that room, but I am hoping that I can get at least some of it done over the next few days and start teaching in there later this week.

The curve ball thrown at me at the end of the week was the addition of another class. Since there are only six students in the 12th grade, they are giving my the 11th grade as well. Luckily, there are only 9 students in that grade. I knew that giving me six students was going to be too easy. I am glad to have more students, but I am afraid that they will feel like I was taking away their teacher. They had a teacher they knew and loved for the first week. This week it will be me . . . I am just not sure how they are going to respond. If they are anything like my 12th graders, they will be kind a welcoming, but you can never know. I am going to try and not worry about it, because it is something that I cannot control. I will just take it a day at a time and do my best. That is all I can manage. Though saying it and doing it are two different things--- we will see how things go.

It is No Longer a Vacation

When I got here, I was relaxing by the pool, going to a meeting or two, sleeping in, and otherwise doing vacation like things. In the back of my mind I knew that I was delusional and the world of laziness would end, but it was fun while it lasted.

On Sunday September 19th. I met my new students for the first time. According to the calendar the school year had start on the 15th, but it was only teachers there for those two days. It was right after the end of Ramadan and the Eid celebration so we were not really expecting any students anyway. I know it seems like a really late time to start school, but because of Ramadan we were unable to start earlier. Next year it will be roughly ten days earlier as Ramadan moves up in the year as well. Just thought I would throw that bit of information in there. My school is an all girls school called Moatah. It is Liwa, Abu Dhabi, a beautiful area of large, mountain-sized sand dunes. The school has grades KG through 12. Before Sunday, I had only made it out to the school once before. At that time, they were not prepared for us. We didn't have any answers for them and things were a bit hectic at first. Luckily, our provider swopped in and straightened the confusion out. However, that did not make them any more prepared than they had been before. By the end of the day, the primary teachers had assignments and rooms. I had my assignment, but no room. I wasn't even really sure where to go on Sunday when I came in to teach. Nevertheless, Sunday came I had to be there and ready to teach the 12th grade girls. Of course, expecting the worst, Sunday was actually a fairly pleasant day; hectic and confusing at times, but pleasant.

We were not sure exactly what time we needed to be at the school so we left early. Having not driven the route before we wanted to follow the bus most of the way as well. When the driver of the bus went the wrong way in a traffic circle, I was happy I was driving in the car. The drive is longer than I would prefer, but not so bad that it is unbearable. When you are adjusting the first week of school and getting up again, it can be tough. Thankfully, I had a co-worker who rode in with me to keep my awake and alert. Getting there was easy, but getting back is when we had confusion on the road-a-abouts. Eventually, after a few days we figured out the sequence, but we took a couple wrong turns figuring it out.

Every morning at the school there is an assembly. The first day we had the assembly outside. It wasn't very hot yet and we were under a covered area so it was not unbearable to be out in an abaya. During the assembly the students line up in lines for each of the grades. The gym teachers yells commands and the measure the space between them, stand at attention, or at ease, depending on the command given. The first time seeing it I have to admit I was intimated, but impressed as well. It was something that I did not expect and since I didn't know what was being said, upon seeing the actions I was intrigued. I don't know how else to explain it really. Let me just say that outside of military schools, I could not imagine any American children following orders so precisely the first day of school. Though I did not understand a large majority of the assembly, and still don't, I mainly observed the students. Again, I was surprised to not see a lot of fidgeting, except for some of the younger ones. Despite not knowing exactly what was happening it was a very nice assembly. The played their national anthem and a girl recited the Quran. It was very beautiful. Poems were read, and other comments made, but overall it was formal and casual at the same time. Of course, they introduced us as the new staff which I knew was coming, but was hoping I was wrong. At this point in the day I still had not learned when I was teaching or where. I was surprisingly calm considering this and I am actually quite proud of myself for keeping my wits that day. I might have been lost or blindly following directions for the most part, but in the end it all worked out.

In my school there are only six students in the 12th grade. Five of them were there on Sunday. I was not sure how much English they would know and I had know idea how long I would have them or what the curriculum for the semester was going to be. I had made a few plans, but I was told that they may not be able to complete them because of their English ability. Boy was I surprised. I wish I had trusted my instincts and done what I had planned, but I let others tell me that the students would be weaker and not able. I figured that honesty was the best policy so I sat down with the five of them and had a chat. I was upfront about coming in blind and that I thought we could use the day to get to know each other. Back in the states, that would have never worked. It would have undermined my authority and I would have been up a creek the rest of the year. Then again, having only five students wouldn't ever happen in the first place. To be honest, I just went with my instincts. I did the only thing that I could think to do. We talked, they did a bit of writing, and I got to know them. It also gave me a really good idea of their English ability. They were much better than I was told to expect. Having a conversation went very well.  Each block is 40 minutes and we had some moments of pause here and there, but overall we were talking the entire time. Looking back on it, the fact that we were holding a conversation in English was remarkable. I think the students really seemed to enjoy it as well. Considering they asked me to stay and continue to talk with them after the period ended, I think things went rather well.

All I can do it take it one day at a time and hope that things continue to go as well as they did the first day.

Adventures in the Desert

On Wednesday September 15th, we were shuttled by bus out to the Western region. A group went along the coast to Mirfa and my crew heading south to the Tilal Liwa Hotel. It is about 15 minutes  outside of Madinat Zayed. As rumor has it, the hotel was built in order to give the sheikh somewhere to stay when he came to see the camel races in the winter. I do have to say that it is nice enough to be a sheikh's hotel, but I am going on speculation and the fact that there is a nine room suite at the end of my hall. Either way, it is located in the desert! It takes twenty minutes just to get down the road to reach the hotel. When we first saw the hotel out on the sand dunes we thought it was an illusion. It didn't help that we had spent a half hour driving in circles because the bus driver was lost, but it was also the architeture and beauty that made it seem like a dream.

As much as the Park Rotana was modern, this place is decorated in a more traditional way. It still has the modern conveniences of television, cell service, internet, and a western toilet . . . but the decor is arabic style tea pots, camel saddles, and intricately designed lamps. Most of the doors have arch ways, that can take your breath away. Especially the one out at the pool. The pool sits in the back of the hotel. You can look out from a balcony and see this beautiful courtyard with trees and a fountain. Then there is the pool. At the far end of the pool is an archway that looks out on the desert. In the morning the sun rises right through the arch, casting beautiful shades or orange, red, and yellow across the courtyard. The pool is also designed so that you don't know when the water ends. When looking at it, it looks like it runs right out into the desert. It is a nice place to swim laps, or just cool off and enjoy the serene, yet ever changing, landscape of the desert. With all the beautiful design and decor of the building, I can see why it could be the sheikh's getaway.

Temperature wise it is hotter out in the desert, but I think that it is much more comfortable than in the city. I can go out at night and walk around without starting to sweat, at least for a little while. I hope to walk out in the desert one of these nights, but I get home and all I want to do is sleep. The locals tell us that we will absolutely love Mid-October to February, so I cannot wait for then. In the mean time, I am enjoying the air-conditioned hotel and the gorgeous pool.

Being out in the desert gives you a lot of time to think and enjoy the outdoors, but with it being so hot still, it has limited my opportunities to get out and enjoy the area. To be honest, I only know how to get to work and back to the hotel. I have a car now, but I haven't had the time to go out and explore. However, I did have a little adventure in getting the car back from Abu Dhabi.

Being in the middle of nowhere you must travel to get certain necessary items, like a car. I was not going to be out here and not have a way to escape. As beautiful as it is sometimes you just need to get out of dodge and experience something different for a while. I am getting off track . . . getting the car was actually the really easy part. I went to Hertz, asked for a car, and got one--that came straight from the showroom I might add, so I was the first one to drive it. Once leaving there, I even made it into the city without a problem. Went to the mall, and got back out of the city. After that, things did not go as smooth as I thought they would. It is a relatively easy route to get from Abu Dhabi out to the Madinat Zayed area. Until you don't recognize the city name and there is construction and you end up heading in the complete opposite direction. Let me give you a little bit of geography. From Abu Dhabi there are two places you can go. Al Ain to the east and Al Gahrbia to the west. The route there is the the same road. Fine right, one would say "E" the other "W". WRONG! Apparently every road as "E" and the number. Don't worry I did not travel all the way to Al Ain before realizing my mistake, though it was still a good twenty minutes. When I kept seeing signs for Al Ain and the sun wasn't blinding me as I was heading "west" to go home . . . I realized that something might be off. So I whipped my little Yaris around and headed the other direction. All in all, it ended up working out and now I can say that I got lost and was able to find my way back. I even had to navigate a roundabout around construction. Needless to say I was no longer worried about driving in a foreign country. I do not particularly like roundabouts, though I am learning to navigate them and can get to and from school without a problem.

As a mentioned, I have not had a lot of time to explore the region, but I hope to get out and do so this weekend or sometime soon. For now I will just remember that I can still enjoy time by the pool while back home most of my friends and family are waking up to to chilly weather-- or at least will be soon. ; )

The Park Rotana Crew

When embarking on this trip I was concerned about finding people that I could connect with and become friends with for the duration of this trip. I don't know why I ever had this irrational fear, but it was there. However, before even making it out of the US, this fear began to dissipate as friends were made in the airport and on the plane --- mostly while we all waited in line for the bathroom. ; )

After being here for a little over two weeks, I now have a collection of friends scattered across Abu Dhabi. Stuck in a hotel with no transportation of our own and no clue how to get anywhere if we did, people made connections to stave off cabin fever, and save a little money on the taxis.

Sadly, many of my adventures were to the various malls around town. Some more western than others. For connivence the malls were the best place to shop. We didn't know any of he good local places to go, so left to our devices we went with the safe bet. It is a little sad that I spent more time in Carrefour (a foreign version of Walmart) than exploring the culture around me. I have been to the mall more times since arriving in Abu Dhabi than I have in the past living in the US. However, I did get out to a few places that were not malls.

One adventure that I did not have to travel very far for was camel riding. Behind our hotel was a Bedouin campsite with three camels. Habebee was the one that I road, briefly. She went in a circle that was all of ten steps, but it was a start. At least now I know to be prepared when they get back down that I will fall forward. I plan to take a real camel ride at some point while I am here, maybe as part of Safari tour.

Our hotel may have been secluded from the city, but we were right next to Khalifa Park. It is a large park that has numerous water fountains, a small aquarium, and an amphitheater like area. A group of us walked around there one night as part of a small birthday celebration. It was a very beautiful park, but the humidity was thick. By the time we left the park, our clothes were stuck to us with sweat. I was glad to have gone and seen it though. I am not sure I would have gone if they had not suggested it.

Eventually our stay at the Park Rotana had to end. We all couldn't stay in Abu Dhabi to teach and needed to move to our permanent locations. Tony, Amy, and a few others did stay in Abu Dhabi City. Plans to visit in the future are in the works. A large number of people went to Al Ain, Brenda, Alison, Amanda, Larry, and others. I hope to get a chance to visit them at their homes as well. Of course, not everyone was left behind or sent off somewhere else. I do have some friends here with me and as we adjust to life in the desert we continue to laugh and have fun just as we did at the Park Rotana.

The Grand Mosque

I decided that this post needed its own separate entry. The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen. Some would ever say it is more beautiful than the Taj Mahal. Now, I haven't been to the Taj Mahal so I cannot judge, but in my opinion great care and artistry went into the design and building of the mosque.

Built to honor and act as a final resting place of their most beloved ruler, it a magnificent tribute to his life and death. Because of Muslim tradition you are not able to actually enter the part of the structure that housing his tomb, but the rest of the Mosque is open for tours. Out of respect you must cover up ladies. That means full head scarfs and abayas. No worries if you don't have one--- you can borrow one of theirs. Once on the grounds of the mosque you are instantly mesmerized by the intricate detailing of the pillars, arches, and marble work. Bright colors stand in stark contrast to stark white marble as flower designs are woven across the walls and courtyard.

Before entering the mosque you must remove the shoes. The marble though in the bright sunlight remains cooler. This was specially designed so that the worshipers would not be burnt when they came to pray. Once entering the mosque the tile grows cold under you feet and you can feel a steady flow of cool air. The design of this mosque is so unique that even the air condition vents are hidden by the artistic design elements that were taken into consideration.

The beauty is not the only thing that you take from the mosque when visiting. A knew found knowledge and understand of the Islamic faith can be translated to you by their tour guides. From deciphering the arabic writing, to explaining the use of gold design. They can shed light on how the religion was taken into consideration in the design of the building. Walls that are faced during prayer remain plain and beige or white. They have some detail, but it is subtle.This is so the people will not be distracted from their prayers. Almost a mirror image, the opposite was has the same design, but is enhanced by color and texture.

Eager to get to know more about the culture, I actually returned later that night. Once again decked out in my abaya and headscarf I went with a friend to the iftar at the mosque that night. Iftar is the meal at the end of the day during Ramadan that officially breaks the fast. It is a unique experience that I am glad I was able to take part in. On the grounds of the mosque, large white tents are erected to feed the people iftar during Ramadan. Over 4,000 people come to the mosque for a free meal during this time. The men and the women eat separately of course, and it all done sitting on beautiful persian rugs on the ground. I have to admit that sitting on the ground as a lot more difficult that I imagined it would be. Alison and I tried to use mind over matter to stay still, but unfortunately both of us ended up shifting multiple times while sitting. This of course was more difficult because we were packed in there very tightly. In the end it all worked out and we found a position we were comfortable with and allowed us to eat. Propped up by my left hand, I picked up pieces of lamb, rice, vegetables, and much more. It was the best lamb I have had. There ended up being ore food than one person could reasonably eat, but I made sure to try everything, even the Lamban Up drink. The meal itself was more informal than I expected and the tent quickly cleared out as people finished their own meals, many taking it to go. I was very grateful to be given such a wonderful meal and be able to truly experience a cultural and practice I am not familiar with. I only hope that there will be many more opportunities for me to grow and experience new things while I am here.

Shopping, Taxi Drivers, and Culture

A lot has happened in the week that I have been here and to keep this post from getting to long I will try to hit only the highlights, though I make no promises. The first few days are somewhat of a blur because I was taking everything in, but at the same time fighting off jet lag. I resembled someone who had come out of a ten year coma who was taking in the changed world around them. From the lavishly designed building to the hectic and crowded roadways, everything was confusing and exciting at the same time.

When we first arrived the next day was the weekend, specifically their holy day, Friday. This allowed us to have one day off before we had any work related events to attend. However, as I mentioned, Friday is their holy day and it also happened to be Ramadan.

For those unfamiliar with Muslim culture, Ramadan in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar ( it is slightly different from the traditional Gregorian calendar most are used to). It is based on the sightings of the moon and last a total of thirty days. We were coming in toward the end of the 30 days, but nonetheless all customs and traditions we still held--- meaning I was not able to drink or eat in public during the daylight hours. Sounds miserable right. It wasn't, honestly, I don't think that I noticed it much. I would get up in the morning and enjoy a nice breakfast in a secluded restaurant in the hotel. Afterwards, I would enjoy the pool or try and sleep some of the jet lag off. By the time I was up and hungry again, the fast was broken and I was able to enjoy a nice dinner. The only thing that it truly affected was my typical schedule. Most Americans, especially on the weekend, will get up and try and go out and get errands done early on so they can come home and enjoy an afternoon of football, baseball, or whatever season sport it happens to be ( I am speaking in generalities here). In Abu Dhabi, the majority of people go out in the evening or night hours. Of course, during Ramadan this is because they are devoting themselves to religious reflection during the day (not to mention nothing is open), but I have noticed that even with Ramadan over people still go out later in the day. The logical reason being the heat during the day, but I am just guessing.

I have not had much of a chance to get out and explore much of the culture since arriving, but I hope to be able to in the future. I figure I am here for at least a year or two, I'm sure in that time I will have a chance to explore some more. What I have been able to get out and see has both surprised and amazed me.

As mentioned much of the city is shut down during the daytime, but comes alive at night. The first few nights here groups of teachers gathered and went out to the various malls and shopping centers around the city.

The malls were large, and filled with a range of shops. They are were you will the how the society has been influenced by western culture. Whether it is the clothes that the woman are wearing or the shops within the corridors, it is not what one would expect to see. Though I knew that Abu Dhabi was a more modern city, I was surprised by the diversity of the people's attire at the mall. There were women will everything but their eyes covered followed by women in shorts and a short sleeved shirt. It all depended. Though I did not have to be overly modest, I tended to try and cover up as much as possible to be respectful of their culture, and to avoid unwanted attention that western wear can produce. The design of the malls are what made them stand out. The building itself and the interior decorating were unique, modern, and colorful. The light fixtures were accented with abstract hanging sculptures, each one different from the next and the fountains were not plain granite or marble, but a colorful mosaic of tiles laid out in an intricate design. They had beauty that was unexpected.

Money is something that you must get used to when traveling out of the country. Learning the denominations of the money was not where I had difficulty. It was the pricing. Not being a math wizard, I use a calculator to balance my checkbook, I cannot convert the values in my head as quickly as most. I will look at a price and freak out, forgetting that to place it in price I am familiar with, I must divide by 3.6. I have started to carry around a calculator, but I still occasionally catch myself thinking that something is really expensive when it isn't. I'm sure eventually it will be natural to think in dirhams, but until then I will have my trusty calculator to help me put things in perspective.

My main mode of transportation has been by taxi. Our hotel is located outside of the actual city so it can get a bit pricey to keep getting into the city, but when it the only reliable option, you do what you must. One of the things about Abu Dhabi that is hard to navigate is the traffic. Not because there is a lot, though there is, but because they are constantly building. To get to the hotel we are staying at (which is only ten months old itself) you have to take a detour that often a cab driver will miss. The one time that I took a taxi by myself was one of those times. I had been here for a while and started to learn at least some of the route home. We came to the point where the construction forces us to turn and go around a different way. However, the taxi driver missed the turn. His solution . . . to put the car in reverse and back up on the highway. I was definitely grateful that is was still Ramadan so the roads were not as busy. I am very glad that I will not actually be living in the city, because I am not sure I would be up to driving. Driving here is definitely its own adventure, but like everything I'm sure over time it will become easier, I'm just not looking forward to the adjustment period in between now and then. : )

One of the main things that I have learned about the culture here is their gracious hospitality. They want you to be comfortable and happy no matter what. The first day of breakfast I was walking around with a bowl of fruit trying to decide what else I wanted. One of the chefs was concerned that I could not find anything to eat and asked me if there was anything he could get for me. There was so may options already that I wasn't sure what wasn't there for him to get, but they are willing to do almost anything to make sure you are happy. It is a nice thing.

I Stopped Asking Why?

Living in a different culture, there are going to be things that you will need to adjust to. These things are not always bad, as my earlier post titled "Hotel Living" points out, I have nothing to complain about. However, we all get used to things being done a certain way, a certain time, and that takes adjusting when that norm is changed completely.

For example, there a lot of unknowns concerning my transportation to school, my living arrangements, etc. However, I have really come to accept all that. Yes, there is still a part of me that stresses and worries that something is wrong or that I have been forgotten, but that is natural. You cannot exactly ask us to change habits that have been ingrained in us for years, 25 to be exact. The American culture is organized, prompt, and over informed. Here is a lot more laid back. At first that did not work for my color coding, labeling, sorting teacher self. After a week, I have learned to just sit by the pool and let things happen as they may. Maybe I will even get a real tan for once, though I am not holding out hope there either. I know that later down the road culture shock will kick in and I will hate everything that is different. It is something that I cannot escape and because of that, I think I have been able to embrace this change. I am in a beautiful and welcoming country. From the architecture to the people there is something to treasure and I intend to take in as much as I can from them and grow as a person and a professional. There will be bumps in the road I'm sure, both literal and figuratively, but in the end I will come out in one piece-- hopefully. ; )

Hotel Living

I have never been pampered in my life as much as I have here. ADEC has put the teachers in a five star hotel. I have a room all to myself with a large bathroom, comfy bed that I have trouble getting out of, and a hotel staff ready and willing to get whatever I need.

I will not be able to stay in this pampered state of luxury forever, but I am enjoying it while it lasts. It has been a week and so far no word on when I leave for my permanent living quarters. I have learned to enjoy the room, breakfast spread, pool, etc. and let things happen when they happen. Who else can say that they are being paid to lounge by the pool until further notice. ; )

Things are good. I can't complain.

Introduction

I am a little late in starting a blog about my recent move to Abu Dhabi. You see, I have been here a week already and I am actually slated to start work tomorrow. I will return to that later.

It all started when I lost my job as a teacher in the United States. The job wasn't ideal or anything so I wasn't too upset, but I wasn't happy about looking for a job either. Of course, jobs in the US at this time were few and hard to come by. I lost my job due to budget cuts and most of the counties around me were making cuts to. Since I knew I would likely not find anything close to home I broadened my search to nationwide. How then did I end up interviewing for a job in Abu Dhabi, UAE you might ask? Well, to be honest it all kind of started as a joke. TeachAway Inc. a recruiting organization was hosting interviews in various cities around the US to help Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) find teachers to come and work in their country. I found their link online during a nationwide search and started looking into it. Like I said, I wasn't totally serious about it and didn't expect to ever accept a job offer. I figured it couldn't hurt to interview and take some time off work, but as began to look into the offer and the UAE, it became more appealing. I would lying if I said that one of the major draws wasn't the money. I am getting paid more money here then I could ever hope for in the states. However, as I did my research the job become much more than a way to make good money.

I have always had a traveling spirit in me. It might not be as strong as others, but I have always had places I wanted to explore. I just never really considered living in there. United Arab Emirates wasn't even on my list, but it slowly became an experience of a lifetime that I could not see passing up. Most of my friends and family were open to the idea, but I have to admit that we were all a little nervous about me moving halfway across the world. The stereotypes of life in the middle east and their treatment of women were of no help, but thanks to Facebook, TeachAway, and the World Wide Web, theirs fears and mine were abated. Don't get me wrong I was still nervous about moving so far away from everyone I know on my own, but I was no longer irrationally worried about my safety, security, etc.

It was a long summer, but I finally arrived in Abu Dhabi on September 1, 2010.