The Hardest Part of Teaching

As I approach the end of my first year teaching abroad in the UAE, I cannot help but become retrospective. I look at the calendar and know that May is just around the corner and I shake my head, because my brain cannot believe it to be true. It has been a trip, but what is on my mind the most right now is the end of the year teacheritis and studentitis. Taking creative licensee and borrowing from the well known concept of senioritis, I have "coined" two new concepts.

The truth is out fellow teachers. I am spilling the beans. The students are not the only ones who desperately want it to be summer vacation. We have struggled to get our students to turn in work on time, excel on standardized tests, and fit every last ounce of information possible in their heads. While that might not seem like much to some people, it is a lot of work and the long stretch after Spring Break until summer is tiring on us all. However, being the stellar professionals that we are we push through and prepare our students for state standards, end of year tests, and even middle school, high school, or college. The crazy part is that even when our body and brain is telling us, enough is enough, our heart is still in teaching. It is the hardest and most rewarding time. The end is where we see the students excel. They finally understand the parts of speech, they can give a presentation while making good eye contact, and they know how summarize research in their own words, and the finally admit that you were right (sometimes). The truth though is that teachers are human. Yes, we are a special breed built with compassion, drive, intelligence, etc. but those things aside, we are like everyone else. We want to get out and enjoy the nice weather. We want to sleep in for more than two days in a row. We want to stop multi-tasking with dinner, grading papers, planning, and our favorite primetime show. We want to finish a novel instead of reading a few pages of a chapter  each night before we fall asleep with the book on our chest. Is that really too much to ask?

The hardest part of teaching is not the job itself. Managing students, coming up with brilliant and engaging lesson plans, and balancing all the duties we are assigned, is the easy part. Somewhere deep down we love the pressure, otherwise we wouldn't be teachers. Pretending we don't care that it is a beautiful day for the beach, or that we only got two hours of sleep the night before, takes skill. At the end of the year, that skill is put to the test as the upcoming summer draws near.

I am glad that got to go through this experience and I know that next year will likely be a whole new set of challenges and adventures, but I cannot deny that right now I'm ready for it all to be done. So much has happened and changed and I have learned a lot, but enough is enough bring on summer vacation!

Culture Shock Funk

I know at this point in my experience culture shock should be done. I should be well adjusted and living life to the fullest. For the most part I am, however, there is that small part of me that is resisting.

One of the phases I should have gone through long ago was "anger and frustration." I think that is starting to hit now. Everything seems to rub me the wrong way and I find myself getting frustrated over things that I thought I loved about this culture. I am not saying that I want to leave and never come back, but I need to find a way to bring myself out of this funk.

Hopefully, the Arabic classes that I am starting tomorrow will help me feel better about not knowing enough Arabic yet. At this point, I feel like I should at least know some of what the students are saying when they are talking in Arabic, but I am still having to rely on body language and it is frustrating. They can tell me whatever they want and I wouldn't know the difference. Insa'allah that will slowly begin to change with lessons and practice.

As for the lack of communication and organization from my "bosses", well I am not sure how I am going to resolve that one. It was stressful in the beginning and then I adjusted and just came to accept it. However, now it pushes me to eat pounds of chocolate to keep from saying or doing something stupid. It never even bothered my this much in the beginning, but now I find myself asking, "What the f***?"

I know this all seems a bit dramatic and I am sure that I am making a bigger deal out of this than it seems. I just want to feel at home again. I find myself feeling like an outsider again, and that feeling is never fun. I guess the only thing that I can do for now, is put my head down and push through. I know on the other side of this wall is a brighter happy me, I have been there, I  just have to keep pushing until to leave all this funk behind. 

Stress-- It's All Relative

For those who know me, or possibly even met me early on in my overseas experience, know that I was uptight, controlling, and got stressed out over just about anything. Things have changed. I still can be a bit controlling, but I am certainly better than I was and am getting better the longer I am here. I don't stress as much, if ever, anymore. I am sure I mentioned this all before, but I bring it up again because of an upcoming event at school.

You see, as part of ADEC's vision, they have an outside agency come and see how things are going in the schools around the emirate. They have been doing so for a while now, but being out in the Western Region we are, of course, the last stop. We officially got word that the group, referred to as "Tribal", is coming to our school on Tuesday and Wednesday. We know that they will look at the school as a whole and may or may not come to classes, may or may not want to talk to us, etc. Now under normal circumstances it is perfectly logical for everyone at the school to be freaked out. However, these are far from normal.

When they arrive we don't know who, what, where, when, why, or how they are going to evaluate us. We just know that they are coming. We have a set of things to do to make sure we are prepared, but we can't possibly know everything. Here is where it gets weirder. I don't care. Let me rephrase that, I care, but I'm not worried or stressed. I know that the impact I am making on these student's language development may not always show up in tangible evidence, but I am doing what I can. I am putting together what I can, and things will happen they way they happen. Just as I cannot predict whether we will have another sandstorm tomorrow, preventing me from enjoying some time at the pool, I cannot predict what Tribal will like or dislike. Stressing over things that I have no control over used to just end up adding extra stress to my life. The thing that makes these strange isn't that I am reacting the opposite manner that I would have last year, but that everyone around me is freaked and I am the calm reassuring voice. I feel like everyone is holding their breathe and it is beginning to be a bit suffocating.

I really don't know why or how this change came about. I will be honest and admit that I don't think I live a stress free life, but I have definitely come a long way. The next few days will be spent in teaching and preparation for the visit to come and God only knows how that day will unfold. I for one just want to it done so things can calm down again. I miss my social break times with my colleagues drinking tea (well they drink tea, I have my water) and sharing stories and I will certainly not miss the hurried pacing and stacks of paperwork this visit has unveiled.

I don't know what this visit will mean for the school or my job, but if I worry about all the unknowns, it doesn't mean I will get the answers any faster. 

Weather Moods

I have never been one of those people who believe that the weather can affect the way a person acts or feels. Winter lovers are just as peppy on the dark days of winter, and can be less so when the sun is shining in the peak of summer. Sure vitamin D is linked to happiness, and there is a whole lot of scientific proof that links the weather to our emotions, but like I said I was never a believer. It took moving to a country with mainly one weather pattern, and some weird shifts in that pattern for me to finally understand.

The forecast for the UAE most of the time is sunny. If it is April through September, warm or hot will accompany that statement. Even the heart of winter, the sun still shines. Lately, that sun has been blocked by storms and general cloudiness. The rain has created a muggy atmosphere in the normally dry and breezy desert. This change is not one that I am welcoming. I had come to appreciate the weather and the need for lotion and lots of water. Cloudiness causes laziness. In my case anyway. The cloudiness has made me want to curl up and take naps. This is not a bad thing per say, but when you have papers to grade, an exercise routine you need to get back into, and various other menial tasks, sluggish behavior is not to your benefit.

All this weird weather makes me question what is happening with the world. It is storming in the desert. Earthquake after earthquake is shaking Japan . . .  these are some weird times. I for one would just like the sun back so I can enjoy some nice weather before it becomes unbearable. I guess I will just have to wait and see what the rest of the week brings.

WOMAD in Abu Dhabi 2011

This weekend started out as a typically boring weekend. I was going to go into Abu Dhabi to get some shopping done, and then spend my Saturday relaxing and cleaning. However, as I waited until my traveling party was ready, I was online talking with a friend. She mentioned a festival happening in Abu Dhabi this weekend. Me being oblivious to what is going on half the time, I didn't know a thing about it. She invited me to go, we worked out the details, and we met up in Abu Dhabi. It was a spur of the moment thing, which I think came at a perfect time.

Going back to work after a nice break was hard. It isn't that I don't like work, but having to get up early, and the warmer temperatures, had me feeling very rundown by the end of the week. This little moment of spontaneity was just what I needed.

WOMAD stands for World of Music and Dance Festival. On the sands of the Corniche, bands from around the world rocked out to an eclectic crowd. My friends and I did not say for the whole thing, but what I did get to see, was well worth the long hours spent in Abu Dhabi. We arrived in time to hear the last performance of a Russian Quartet called the "Terem Quartet". The music was lively and it wasn't ear splitting or anything, but I would not say it got me  moving. The festival was set up so that we had different stages, and they were set quite a distance apart. Therefore, the next performance we saw was on the big screen. Nonetheless, you could feel the Honduran energy as "Aurelio" performed. The last performance that we stayed to see was Toumani Diabate from Mali. It was a perfect end to the whole thing. Standing in the sand, with a nice cool breeze rolling through my hair, I listened to the music. It was nice to get to hear and see musicians that I would not have normally gone searching for on my iTunes. I wouldn't call it the concert of my life, but it was nice to get out with some friends, and be out of Liwa for a little while. Maybe next year, I will be better prepared to go and will be able to enjoy it more.

The rest of my weekend, went as planned. I did a major overhaul cleaning of the apartment, and got to relax and read for the remainder of the day. Overall, a good reviving weekend. I think I am ready for another week. 

Sky Flying, Beach Lounge Time, Swimming, and Shopping . . . A Typical Spring Break

At the risk of sounding like an ungrateful, spoiled, princess . . . luxury is nice, but not my thing. That said, I still took full advantage.

On a splurge, a friend and I booked a five-star resort hotel in Dubai for spring break. The Habtoor Grand Resort and Spa. Private beach, two-pools, what more can I say really. I arrived early, hopefully without any speeding tickets, and after a few awkward exchanges with bellboys and valet parkers, I sat in the lobby to wait for Brenda to arrive. It was weird how many people tried to help me and make sure I did not need anything. It was not anything out of the ordinary really, but I had forgotten how accommodating hotel staff can be. You would think after living in hotels for two months at the beginning of this adventure, I would have been well practiced.

As I sat watching and waiting, I looked around and tried to figure out how I would explain this hotel's beauty and extravagance to someone. The luxury is easily summed up for me with the  plants placed in the self-revoling circular door. Before you even ask, yes they are real. The unique thing about the lobby is though it certainly screams upperclass, it does not seem as in your face as it could be. However, considering I am typically not a five star type of girl, I guess I am not a real good judge of what makes a resort flashy or not. As we walked to beach later in the week, we heard it described as a "simple resort". I guess it is all a matter of perspective.

Having to wait ended up paying off. I never win the drawing, get bumped to first class, or get the free dessert, when it isn't my birthday. I had come to accept this and worked hard to get anything that I wanted. Today, my good karma paid off. They overbooked the hotel, this meant they needed to rearrange the room reservations. Brenda and I were one of the lucky ones that got switched into one of the unbooked suites. It has a nice large sitting area, a king bed, and large bathroom. After getting pampered like this, it makes it difficult to return home to an empty apartment that will need to cleaned, a kitchen that will need to be stocked and a bed that should be made. Suite or not, it is always hard to return to reality after a good vacation and this one definitely qualifies.

The first evening was uneventful. Dinner and shopping led to a quiet night in the suite. I actually prefer when vacations are more relaxing. You need some excitement, but too much and you could end up having to spend more time trying to recover from your vacation. The next day was a day at the beach.

It was everything I needed on this vacation. Minus burning my feet on the sand, it had a comfy lounge chair, and cool aqua and sapphire water. I managed to enjoy it, burnt feet and all, and was happy to see waves. You can have sand, and salt water, but the sound of the waves is what makes a beach scene complete. Except for the burnt feet, and the wave bashing resulting in lost sunglasses, it was a very good start to a much needed vacation.

It turns out that the hotel we booked, is in a serendipitous location. Right next door is Sky Dubai, a skydiving company. I watched people come down all day and decided to see if I could be one of them the next day. When I got there that morning, I was expecting to wait, but they got me on the plane almost immediately. I filled out paperwork, was strapped into the harness and boarded the plane. Part of the first timer's package is a video. I have to admit that it was kind of corny. I am not big on talking into a camera about what is happening. I don't like being on camera at all really, but I am glad I did it. The video turned out great. In the spirit of honesty, I have to admit that the big breakfast I had that morning was a bad idea and caused a slight mishap. I got sick when Freddy, my tandem partner, pulled the parachute. I was mortified. They seemed so fine with it, and nice. I think that made me feel more embarrassed. The truth is I am not the first and I won't be the last, I just know better than to have eggs, pastries, and orange juice for breakfast the next time. I have to admit that I am just waiting for a chance to do it again. It was just a thrill and adrenaline rush. By the time I got to the beach later, I crashed on the lounge chair and took a long nap. I managed not to get burnt as well, which is a big accomplishment considering I was mostly in direct sunlight.

The next day another item on my life list was completed. It is crazy to think of the amazing things I have been able to do here. Sometimes I feel like I'm just a visitor in someone else's life. After another delicious breakfast it was over to Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai for the day.

We were actually running a bit behind which made me grateful that Dubai runs on Arabic time. We were shuttled to Dolphin Bay where we checked in, got wetsuits and a crash course in dolphin swimming 101. I am not a fan of wetsuits, they are not forgiving, nothing can hide. I was glad we had a vest that help hide some of the flaws drawn out by the wetsuit. Enough about my wardrobe issues.

Manie Lou was our dolphin. She was so sweet. The dolphins they have at Atlantic are Indo-Pacific bottlenose. This means they are darker in color and tend to be smaller. They also have really cute freckles on their belly. We had thirty minutes to play and swim with Manie Lou. I think next time I will want more time. I got a kiss, hug, dance, twirl, and ride with Manie Lou. It amazes me how intelligent and friendly dolphins are.

After peeling out of the wetsuit and picking out some keepsake photos, we headed over to the water park. I could not remember the last time I had been to a real water park. It was also nice to see so many people in bathing suits and no one had an issue with the amount of skin showing. My favorite was the "Leap of Faith". It is a water slide that shoots you straight down, allowing you to achieve the same speed as a dolphin in the water. It was scary, but such an adrenaline rush. I guess I am a bit of an adrenaline junky. The other rides were nice, but nothing special. After a full day in the sun, I was ready to go home by late afternoon. It was a great end to my time in Dubai.

Friday was checkout and the ride home. It is back to work and reality on Sunday, but at least I have all Saturday to come to terms with that and recover from all the fun. This was just what I needed before a long three month stretch until the end of the year.