As I pass the two month mark here is Abu Dhabi, I am realizing that there are things that I miss. The given is family and friends, but sadly other than that it is food. Sure I have access to anything I want and I can eat foods that I have never eaten before---I ate octopus, raw---but that still doesn't mean it is easy to to get bacon. REAL bacon. If you want that you have to make trip into the heart of Abu Dhabi, and in my case, that is not that simple. Luckily, I found sliced turkey. That was another thing I was missing. I know weird, but you all know I have always been a little weird. I think it is not so much the food that I miss though. We all know I love to eat, but I really miss the fact that it was easily there. I have come to realize that there are a lot of things in life that we take for granted. We expect them to be there, and so we don't appreciate them. Yes, I am talking about appreciating food, as shallow as that may be. I think there are some people in America who don't realize how lucky we are. Of course, I am also extending this to the larger idea of being thankful for what you have, but hopefully you caught on to that already. Being in a new culture really puts things in perspective. It makes you appreciate what you have and what you don't. Some times lacking something is better than having it, like TV and skimpy clothes. I love the fact that I don't have to see boobs or butt when the girls walk around here. Modesty, it is another virtue that I think we have forgotten in America and need to remember.
Okay, I think I will get off the soapbox now. I am starting to sound like a middle aged prude, but those of you who know me, know how to read between the lines and get at the heart of what I am trying to say.
School is going well. The students need me less and less each day or at least are getting more comfortable with the idea of not being perfect all the time. I am actually glad that I do not have access to a lot of resources and technology. It has broadened my teaching abilities and forced me to come up with new and creative ways to approach teaching. I am not saying that given the opportunity to use the technology and get more books I wouldn't jump at it, but it is nice to get back to the basics sometimes.
The joke here is that if you survive this job, you can teach anywhere. Now, I know that makes it sound like a horror story and for some it may be, however, that has not been my experience. Things are not perfect, but I do not feel like I am struggling each day to survive the next. I am very thankful for that. Though the language barrier can be frustrating and lonely at times, when I see and hear my students getting better in English, none of it seems to matter. I have been forced to let go, to relinquish a lot of control over things that in reality I never had control over in the first place. I am not completely there yet, but I will get there. In this quick to change society, flexibility is a must.
To end, I want to talk a little bit more about the things that I miss. It is November. To me this means the leaves changing, jackets being pulled out of storage, and days getting shorter. However, the only one that applies here . . . shorter days. I find myself forgetting that it is November, that Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner. It is still in the eighties here with sunny and cloudless or nearly cloudless days. The sun often makes it seem much warmer and it is hard to put this together in my mind with the month November. I do not miss fall per say, but it is definitely one of those times that I realize how far away from home I really am.
Nothing is ever perfect and you have to take the good with the bad. I cannot wait to see what happens next as I continue on this journey of growth, learning, and adventure.
Okay, I think I will get off the soapbox now. I am starting to sound like a middle aged prude, but those of you who know me, know how to read between the lines and get at the heart of what I am trying to say.
School is going well. The students need me less and less each day or at least are getting more comfortable with the idea of not being perfect all the time. I am actually glad that I do not have access to a lot of resources and technology. It has broadened my teaching abilities and forced me to come up with new and creative ways to approach teaching. I am not saying that given the opportunity to use the technology and get more books I wouldn't jump at it, but it is nice to get back to the basics sometimes.
The joke here is that if you survive this job, you can teach anywhere. Now, I know that makes it sound like a horror story and for some it may be, however, that has not been my experience. Things are not perfect, but I do not feel like I am struggling each day to survive the next. I am very thankful for that. Though the language barrier can be frustrating and lonely at times, when I see and hear my students getting better in English, none of it seems to matter. I have been forced to let go, to relinquish a lot of control over things that in reality I never had control over in the first place. I am not completely there yet, but I will get there. In this quick to change society, flexibility is a must.
To end, I want to talk a little bit more about the things that I miss. It is November. To me this means the leaves changing, jackets being pulled out of storage, and days getting shorter. However, the only one that applies here . . . shorter days. I find myself forgetting that it is November, that Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner. It is still in the eighties here with sunny and cloudless or nearly cloudless days. The sun often makes it seem much warmer and it is hard to put this together in my mind with the month November. I do not miss fall per say, but it is definitely one of those times that I realize how far away from home I really am.
Nothing is ever perfect and you have to take the good with the bad. I cannot wait to see what happens next as I continue on this journey of growth, learning, and adventure.
No comments:
Post a Comment