thoughts on the murder of Ibolya Ryan

It's been almost a week since an American teacher was brutally stabbed to death in a bathroom in a mall in Abu Dhabi. I'm not going to lie...it has really hit me hard. No, I didn't know Ibolya Ryan...but I was originally assigned to live in the place she lived. I have blonde hair like her. I very easily could have been in her place. And even though I'm thankful I wasn't, I also wonder what I would have done if I had been there. Because she wasn't alone. There were other people in that bathroom with her. And as far as I know, no one helped her. I have watched the video footage over and over and what I saw was a bunch of women fleeing from the scene. So she bled to death in a public bathroom.

I know that none of us can say what we would do in a situation like that. But I keep thinking, the murderer didn't have a gun, she had a knife. Granted, it was a huge butcher knife...but how easy would it have been to kick it out of her hand? Or to at least trip her on the way out the door. I mean, she left the knife on the floor in the bathroom so it's not like she was running around trying to stab other people.

It breaks my heart that she has three children...two of whom were probably sitting upstairs in the apartment watching TV or playing video games waiting for their mother. And she didn't come back.

She didn't come back.

The UAE uses Sharia Law. The sad thing is, I live here, and I don't even really know what that means. Someone explained it to me one time like this: if the mother dies, the father or the closest male relative gets custody. So if something happens to me, my husband will get the kids. But if something happens to both of us, the UAE government will take our kids until the closest male relative can come here and get them.

Ibolya Ryan was divorced and didn't have the father of the children living here.

I saw the interview they did with her ex-husband and it was so unemotional. Maybe he's just a stronger person than I am, but I feel like I've had a harder time with it than he has.

Today was my first day back at school since we've been on break. I teach third grade girls and I wondered if they had heard about it or maybe their parents shelter them from the news. It didn't take long to get my answer. Within a few minutes of class, I heard "American" "hair like you" "bathroom" "knife" and saw lots of hand motions of stabbing and throat slitting. It was disturbing, especially because some of what they said was in Arabic so I didn't know if they were saying they were worried it was me or if it was like they had seen a movie and it was kind of thrilling.

For the rest of the day, I felt like my Arabic coworkers were looking at me differently. "Hey lady, you should die your hair dark." "Why don't you wear an abaya?" "I bet you hope it's not a terrorist attack." "Why are you here? You should probably go back to your country."

No, no one said those things to me...it's just what my mind was telling me.

I was impressed with the way the Abu Dhabi police handled the situation...well, other than the creepy horror movie music playing in the background of the video. But just the fact that there was a video released so quickly and they were able to locate this woman who was covered from head to toe in black is impressive. It's also already been called a terror attack. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Obama still hasn't called the Fort Hood massacre or the beheading in Oklahoma terror attacks.

So now the question we all have is this: will it happen again? We all hope not...but if it does, I am sure the UAE government will act swiftly and justice will be served.

Spirit of the Union

Today (December 2), the United Arab Emirates celebrated National Day, which is the day that they became a country. This country is only 43 years old, which makes it quite impressive that cities like Dubai and Abu Dhabi are some of the wealthiest and most modern cities in the world. Prior to 1971, this area was literally all desert sand dunes, camels, and tents. The people were basically nomads. Now, many of the people are wealthy and the country holds many world records for the biggest/tallest/fastest this or that.

I love the 4th of July, but let me tell you...Independence Day has nothing on National Day. Emiratis have so much national pride. Flag Day was actually in November and I have never seen flags so huge! Pretty much every house (mansion) had at least one flag on top and many had flags that covered from the roof to the ground of a two or three story home. These flags stayed up through the National Day festivities. There were lights on all the trees in the medians. Burger King and even Starbucks sold "43rd National Day" special edition glasses.

At my school, we started celebrating National Day two weeks ago! Each morning, different classes would do some sort of tribute to the UAE during the assembly. Students started dressing up in really awesome outfits. For girls, it might be a beautiful kandora, a fancy dress, or a custom made outfit in UAE colors. A lot of the boys wore military uniforms or their kandoras (usually they wear the required uniform of navy pants and light blue shirts). It was really great!

Highlights and lowlights of a weekend in Dubai

My husband's birthday was over the weekend, so several weeks ago I made reservations to go to the top of the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa. (Well, not really the top, but the 124th floor.) I'd been told that it fills up quickly, and it's true. I wanted to make sure that we could go while my mom was here, so I went ahead and booked it...not thinking about the fact that my husband was having surgery. So, less than a week after he went under the knife, he rode in the car for an extended period of time, walked more than he had all week, and then rode in the elevator to the top. Afterwards, we made our way to a toy store with our son so we could get his birthday present. It was all a little too much too soon. Although hubby wanted to have his birthday dinner at Texas Roadhouse, his body was worn out and we headed home.

So, about the Burj Khalifa: it was awesome! Our appointment was at 3 and it was a perfect day for it. The sky was clear and we could see for miles. There is actually another tour that goes up 20 more floors, but it's significantly more expensive. I would highly recommend going though. One complaint: at the top there are lots of professional photographers who would love to take your picture...but the pictures are ridiculously expensive! So disappointing.
We also had a bit of a scare when my mom went to get her bag from the coat check guy. They couldn't find her bag...and it had her passport in it! After about 15 minutes they were able to locate it, thank God.

Yesterday, hubby was feeling like he needed to recover a bit from all the walking the day before, so he gave us his blessing to go back to Dubai because I wanted to take my mom to the souks and hubby has no desire to do that. I gave my four (almost five) year old the option of staying home with daddy, but he insisted on going. We piled in the car and headed to the big city. Since I've never been to these souks before, I wasn't sure where to go. I entered "Bur Dubai" in the GPS and thought she would take us where we needed to go. Well of course she didn't...we ended up at the Burj al Arab. Then I remembered a coworker telling me we could park by the Dubai Museum and take a boat over to the souks. I put my new destination in the GPS, but got sidetracked by a sandwich shop that I love at home (Which Wich) which I had seen just off the highway the last time we were in this area. We stopped for lunch and then got on our way again. Well wouldn't you know, traffic got bad and my stomach started hurting so badly. This is TMI, but it hurt so much I didn't think I was going to  make it to a bathroom. (It's not like America where there is a McDonald's or gas station on every corner and you can just run in really quickly.) Finally, I found the Dubai Museum and parked the car on the curb so I could run inside! Thank God the security guard was sweet and let me run in without paying.

I was so happy that I'd made it to the restroom in time and I asked a man if there were any other parking lots as this one was full, and he told me he'd move his car so I could park. As I went to get the kids out of the car I mentioned that we needed to find the boats and my son starts freaking out. He's crying "I don't want to ride the boats" over and over. I told him that he needed to at least see the boats before he could refuse to ride one. So we go find these boats and as soon as he sees them, he resumes his tantrum. He was so hysterical and I was so embarrassed. You could literally see the other side and it would take only a few minutes to cross...but he wasn't having it. I threatened him with everything I could think of: taking away his new Transformers, the iPad, Legos...even not going to Kidzania for his birthday. He wouldn't budge.

Truth be told: these boats looked dilapidated and like they could sink at any moment. But I wasn't going to admit that to him.

We made our way back to the car and I figured I would attempt to drive through the tunnel to the other side and find parking closer to the souks. Once again, traffic was really bad. The streets were crowded and the buildings were run down...and I had no idea where to go. I did find a parking deck, but after waiting in the line to enter it for over 10 minutes and not moving an inch, I gave up. I was crying because I was so upset that my son ruined my plans. I decided that I would go ahead and try to go to the other place I wanted to visit that day: Dragon Mart.

Several of my coworkers told me about this place and warned me that it's huge and busy and overwhelming. I finally found it and managed to find a parking space by the section labeled "Garments". Unfortunately, we had wasted so much time earlier in the day that I decided we would only stay a few minutes. I found a cute dress for my daughter for 15 dirhams (about $4) and matching mommy and me shoes (about $33 for both pairs). We also passed by a lady who was selling those splat balls (for lack of a better description) and of course my son wanted one. Well grandma told him since he didn't ride the boat, he couldn't have one.

Meltdown #2 commenced. I'm talking all out throwing himself on the floor, kicking, crying...I dragged him, spanked him, and then gave up and walked off. I was so embarrassed! And you know what happened? The lady gave him a splat ball. I was so pissed. I wanted to take it and throw it away. But I didn't.

I did not let him play with the iPad on the way home.We had a long discussion about the events of the day. At one point as we rode in silence, he said "mommy, I'm sorry I ruined your day."

And I realized that it's not the end of the world. I said so many times that day "this was a total waste", but I shouldn't ever feel like it's a waste. We are alive and blessed and we spent time together, even if it was mostly in the car.

Suck it up

The other day my husband had surgery (!) to repair a hernia. My mom stayed home with our kids and I stayed at the hospital with him all day. A few things were great: a legit Starbucks in the lobby, free wifi, and a good book to read. However, I had a very interesting experience as well.

Waiting rooms here are separated by males and females. At this hospital, they were right beside each other and just separated by a partition. So, I sat waiting on the female side.

There was a big rug on the floor and a tray with tea/coffee urns and cups, a bowl of dates, and a bowl of water.

I sat on a chair engrossed in my book ("What Alice Forgot" if you're wondering) as a local woman sat on the rug. Suddenly I heard snapping fingers and some words I didn't understand and I looked over at her. She was motioning at the tray and I assumed asking me if I wanted some. I read somewhere before I came here that it's a really big deal to oblige and partake in whatever is offered to you. Well first let me say this:

I HATE COFFEE

So I got up and walked over to the woman and she poured me a cup of coffee and another of tea. I smiled and said thank you (in Arabic!) and went back to my seat. I sipped the tea (which is actually quite good but smells funny) and then drank the coffee like a shot of vodka. Thank GOD that cup was tiny. Their coffee is super strong and I felt buzzed almost immediately. Luckily I had a tiny bit more tea to wash it down with.

Anyhoo, I felt proud of myself for overcoming the challenge and I stuck my nose back in my book.

Well about 20 minutes later, another local woman came and sat on the rug. A man came over and brought them a big rectangular plate with something on it that did NOT look appetizing. Suddenly I heard the snapping and Arabic words again. I looked over and they were motioning for me to come. They showed me the plate and obviously wanted me to eat. I didn't see any utensils so I wasn't sure if I was supposed to stick my fingers in it or what. I motioned like I was eating with a spoon and they motioned over to the other waiting room...so I got up and went over there and somehow the men figured out what I wanted and handed me a bunch of spoons.

I reluctantly scooped some of it up and licked the spoon and OMG it was so disgusting I wanted to vomit. But those ladies looked so happy that I had eaten it that I forced myself to have three more spoonfuls. Then I smiled and said I needed to check on my husband and got my stuff and quickly moved to another area.

I am super proud of myself for putting aside my disgust and showing these ladies that I appreciated their culture.

Lack of planning

I used to have a sign on my office that said "Lack of planning on your part doesn't constitute an emergency on my part". I loved that sign.

The funny thing is that people don't really plan or schedule anything here. For example, our school calendar is not set in stone. Yea...you might want to read that sentence again.

Back in October we had a holiday called Eid. On the calendar we only got two days off, but there was much speculation (and hope) that they would give us the rest of the week off. (They didn't.)

Next week we will be celebrating National Day (more about that in another post). Originally we were only given off two days, but last week we were notified that we will have another day off which will give us a 5 day break. Very exciting, but frustrating that we didn't know from the very beginning when we could have planned a mini vacation and got cheaper airfare.

Even more frustrating is our winter break. The calendar said students would have 3 weeks off, but teachers would only have 2 because we would have a week of professional development. Now there are rumors that teachers will have 3 weeks and students will have 4. It sure would be nice to know for sure! We don't know for sure about spring break either.

Many things are told to us at the last minute on a daily basis. Often times I hear an announcement in Arabic and then I'm scrambling around trying to get someone to tell me what it said. Usually it has nothing to do with me, but one time no one told me that the boys were being released at noon instead of 1. I've heard of teachers who didn't know there was a field trip until they showed up to school!

My principal explained it to me this way: in the Muslim religion, they see every day as a gift from Allah and nothing is guaranteed. So, they live for today and not for the future. There's no need to schedule things in advanced because you are not guaranteed tomorrow or next week. I can see their point, but I would much rather know way in advance that something is happening. I have really had to learn to not stress and go with the flow.

Work hard, play harder

People who come work here who are single have it MADE, especially if they don't have any financial obligations at home. Our housing is free, so other than utilities (which are dirt cheap), phone, possibly a car, and cable if you want it...they are pocketing a lot of money. I think most single people travel a lot. I would love to do that, but we have debt at home we are trying to pay off and we have 4 mouths to feed. However, we are better off than we would be in the US! Even though work is extremely difficult, I try to focus on the positives.

Luckily, gas is super cheap and Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Al Ain are all easily day trips from one another. I am constantly looking at UAE travel books and reading my favorite magazine, Time Out, to find things to do...and the cheaper the better!

Here are some of the inexpensive things we've found to do so far:

Beaches

• Saadiyat Island beach- outside Abu Dhabi, hands down my favorite so far because it's clean, the water is clear, and the sand is soft and white; you do have to pay to get in, but it's so cheap, who cares? (25 dirhams per adult, kids free, and free parking)
• Jumeirah Beach Residence- clean, has shops near by, free, but had to find/pay for parking; supposedly there are sometimes camels on the beach, but we didn't see any; kind of far from everywhere else in Dubai, but the new tram goes there; construction around it wasn't attractive
• Kite Beach- also in Dubai, found free parking, clean, but not a big fan of the sand
• The Corniche- Abu Dhabi, found free parking, it was night time, so I can't really judge it accurately
• Al Khan Beach- in Sharjah, free parking, dirty (numerous items floating in the water as well as trash on the beach), no bathrooms nearby, nice sand

Parks

• Creekside Park (Dubai)- we walked around half of it and weren't impressed. The playgrounds aren't anything spectacular, you can't swim in the "beach" area, and the cable cars weren't working. There is a Dolphinarium and a Children's City, but we didn't go in either one. There is a cheap entry fee to get in.
• Jahli Park (Al Ain)- FREE, very big with three playgrounds (one sand and the others with rubber bottoms), bike rentals, fountains, and a two story Starbucks right beside it (major bonus points!); side note: the park could use some cleaning...lots of trash around :(
• Hili Oasis (Al Ain)- FREE, walking trails winding through date farms, easy to get lost inside!
• Green Mubazzarah (Al Ain)- FREE, lots of green areas to have picnics, camel rides, hot springs (have not been in yet, so can't really comment), playgrounds are not well maintained, there are some chalets you can pay to stay overnight in, there is a KFC, Pizza Hut, Krispy Kreme, and a local restaurant if you are hungry
• Jebel Hafeet (Al Ain)- FREE, very windy road...make sure you have plenty of gas in your tank before you go; there are several pull over areas to take pictures; the view at the top is nice; there's a hotel near the top also; please be careful because we saw a truck that had flipped over the guardrail and crashed into the side of the mountain

Tourist Attractions

• Al Ain Palace Museum (Al Ain)- FREE, very well maintained and interesting to walk around and take pictures
• Discovery Centre (Sharjah)- CHEAP, had quite a few interesting hands on activities for the kids, but some of them weren't working or needed updating
• Grand Mosque (Abu Dhabi)- FREE, very beautiful building to look at and take pictures of; make sure you are fully covered when you go (including your head if you are a woman) or you will have to borrow an abaya
• Emirates Palace (Abu Dhabi)- FREE, gorgeous hotel to walk around and photograph
• Souk Madinat (Dubai)- FREE (unless you choose to buy something) indoor souk with nice shops; I don't think we saw the whole thing, so next time I want to explore more
• Jahili Fort (Al Ain)- FREE, really fun to walk around and there is a really nice photo exhibit 

I will definitely be adding to this list as we do more things :)

On the big screen

My husband and I haven't had alone time (without our kids) since we moved here 3 (!) months ago. Now that my mom is here (I just realized I haven't blogged about her arrival), we finally got a chance to go on a date. We decided to go see our first movie in the UAE..."Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1".

There are several things that are different about going to the movies here:
1. You pick your seats. We were actually the first two people to buy tickets, so our choices were wide open. We chose seats smack dab in the middle. An usher actually shows you to your seat.
2. The concession stand is MUCH cheaper than in the US. I'm sure the food options differ from theater to theater, but this one had popcorn, full size bags of chips, candy, and nachos. We got a large popcorn, two large drinks, and 3 candies for 46 dirhams (less than $15).
3. Someone carries your food in for you on a tray. Kind of nice to not have to balance all of your purchases and possibly spill popcorn.
4. There are subtitles on the screen in Arabic and French. A little distracting. I kept trying to match the French word with what they were saying in English.

Some things are the same:
1. There are still commercials and a few previews before the movie.
2. Some people are rude and don't silence their phones.
3. It gets rather chilly...next time I will remember a sweater!
4. The seats are semi comfy and it was stadium seating.

One thing we have not figured out yet is whether some of the movie was cut out. We heard that the original movie is 2 hours and 3 minutes. Our show started at 8 and the next one started at 10...and there were probably 7-10 minutes of previews...so mathematically it couldn't have been the full movie. Since it's PG-13, I'm not sure what would have been cut out though.

Definitely an interesting experience!

The Runners

This job isn't for everyone, that's for sure. Before moving here, I did as much research as possible about living here, teaching here, raising kids here...but nothing really prepares you for it until you experience it yourself. I am not really at liberty to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth about some aspects of this experience right now. There's no telling what could happen.

I found out over the weekend that one of my fellow teachers became a runner. Basically, she packed up her stuff, bought a one way ticket, and left this place, literally, in the dust. She had a son. She wasn't happy. She got an email from the US embassy that was a little alarming and she left.

As I was talking to the woman I carpool with this morning, I found out that two other teachers I knew "ran" too. Of course they each had their own reasons. There are probably lots of other people who have either already left or are planning on leaving. I'm sure it crosses everyone's mind at one time or another...I think people would be lying if they said it didn't. This is a HUGE change from wherever you came from. All the great shopping in the world can't make up for missing your family/friends back home, health issues you may be dealing with, and/or not being able to deal with cultural differences.

The best advice that I've gotten here is to stay focused on my goals and the positives. Even though it's hard sometimes, there are lots of positives to living here. If you just sit around and say "this sucks" and "that sucks"...well, it's going to suck. Instead, I try to counter the negatives with a positive. Or remind myself of something that sucked in the US.

The biggest thing is our goals. We left the US with a lot of debt...and I don't want to go back to that. I at least want to have our credit cards paid off to make this all "worth it".

False alarm?

Today I got a message from my SIL saying that my blog was gone. I wasn't at home, so I couldn't check, but less than an hour later a friend who is in the US messaged me on Facebook and said that she couldn't access my blog.

Weird.

We happened to be at the Dubai Mall (which has free wifi...yay!) and I tried to access it from my phone...to no avail. There was a message in Arabic. I began to panic. I asked them to put the message into Google translator. Basically it said that the address had been removed. I was so upset! So many things ran through my mind...was it that easy to delete someone's blog? Had I said something so offensive that they'd reported me to Blogger? Was it really that easy to delete someone's blog???

I am at home now, and I think I've figured out what happened, but I can't blog about it. So if you know me in "real life", I will tell you, but if not you'll just have to wonder ;)

I will continue to be careful what I say. Just in case.

It's a Different World

In a previous post about culture shock, I touched on some of the things that are different here...but here are some more things you may not have ever thought could be different. I will also tell you which way I prefer :)

• There are no light switches or electrical outlets inside the bathrooms. I definitely miss this! I have to blow dry my hair in another room which is super annoying and I have to remember to turn on the light before I go in.
• There is a switch on all of the electrical outlets so you can turn them off. I'm neutral on this. I guess it saves electricity if you have it completely off. And maybe it would stop someone from getting electrocuted if they stuck something metal in the hole while it was off. But it can be annoying to plug something in and think it doesn't work and then you realize you didn't flip the switch.
• The water heaters have on/off switches too. At home, our water heater was in the garage...and it took FOREVER for the water to get warm in our kitchen. Here, the water gets SUPER hot...if you remember to flip the switch. Let's say that I have taken more than several cold showers because I didn't flip the switch until right before I had to take a shower in the morning.
• There is food all from all over the world here at various prices. You want Velveeta shells and cheese? You got it...for 17 dirhams (almost $5!) a box. Or you can get a bag of local noodles for less than $1, milk for less than $2, and cheese for less than $4 (depending on the brand of course...Kraft shredded cheese in a bag is almost $10!) and make your own. I LOVE going to the produce section and seeing where the fruits and veggies are from. Usually it's super cheap. Our beef comes from Australia, New Zealand, or Brazil. They have products from England, the Philippines, the US...it's just crazy what choices we have. Don't get me wrong...there are tons of things we don't have...but I'm trying to enjoy what is available.
• You have to take your produce to a little weigh station and have them weigh and sticker it before you take it to the register. I'm glad I read this before I came here! It's actually nice because you know exactly how much you're paying and it makes check out quicker. (If you've ever been to a store where the cashier has no idea what code to put in, you will agree.)
• Prepaid phones are very common here. It's actually what we have. We purchased a SIM card here (for like $10) and then we buy a code to load credits onto our iPhones (which we brought from the US). We also pay for monthly unlimited Facebook, Twitter, and Whatsapp. Super cheap and super easy...no contract and it comes out to be way less than our bill was at home with Verizon. The only thing I would change is adding Instagram to the unlimited plan we have.
• There are no taxes here! It is so nice to go to the store and know how much it's going to cost. No trying to figure out the 2% tax for food plus 7% tax on non food items. If it says 7 dirhams, it's 7 dirhams.
• All the units of measurement are different than in the US. This is where the US needs to get on the same page as the rest of the world. Why do we use pounds when everyone else uses kilograms?! Or miles instead of kilometeres?! Or Fahrenheit instead of Celcius?! I mean we seriously look like fools when everyone else is talking about it being 27 degrees and we're like "uh, what's that in Fahrenheit?" Come on math and science teachers...this is the "Common Core" we need to be teaching! 21st Century Skills at their finest!
• The Muslim religion is a way of life here, but it is never forced on you. They are going to do their thing, and they allow you to do yours. There are mosques EVERYWHERE. Prayer rooms on every floor of the mall, in schools, in government buildings. Businesses close for several hours in the afternoon for prayer time. You see groups of men praying together in the middle of the park after a call to prayer. Speaking of...the call to prayer is broadcast through the whole city 5 times a day. (I usually don't even notice it any more).
• Customer service here is phenomenal. The workers will bend over backwards to help you. They will remember your kids' names and greet them. They will carry your bags. And the whole time they are smiling and saying "yes madam". Take note of two things: 1. They are NOT American and 2. They are NOT locals. I will be writing more about this later.
• Most people either rent cars or ride in taxis. Even though I've heard you can get better deals if you buy, I don't want to deal with the hassle. We pay 1600 dirhams a month ($436) for a Hyundai Accent...but that includes insurance and maintenance. It was time for an oil change and they actually drove out a loaner vehicle to our apartment, took the car overnight to do maintenance, and then switched them out the next day. My friend had a flat tire and the same thing happened. So convenient! *Side note: It REALLY sucks going from a Honda Pilot at home to a small sedan here*
• Gas is SO cheap. That is probably obvious to everyone considering where I live, but let me tell you exactly how much it is: about $20 to fill up my tank.
• Everyone here gets water delivery. I've heard that even though drinking the tap water won't hurt you, it might give you a stomach ache because you aren't used to it. And I'm weird about water even in the US. And water delivery is SO cheap. For a 5 gallon jug it's about $3 and they bring it right to our door. The dispenser was about $100 and gives you cold water instantly. I LOVE IT and plan on trying to do this when we move back.

Walking in a winter wonderland (?)

Well technically it's not winter yet, is it? But guess what?

It's never going to be "winter" in the desert!

That's what I want to scream at the top of my lungs here. Because guess what?

There are winter clothes everywhere!

Yes, here in UAE. The desert. Land of the camels. Where it's still at least 90 degrees every day.

Pretty much every store has winter clothes on display. I'm talking puffy jackets, hoodies, turtlenecks (!), mittens, Applebottom jeans, boots with the fur...ok, maybe not the last two...but you get it. You would think it's going to go from the Middle East to the middle of Alaska in a few days.

And I'm kind of ok with it (well, not really...) but I'm upset that I missed the changing of the seasons sales. I don't even know if they have those here, but all my American friends know what I'm talking about. When Target and Osh Kosh and all my favorite stores mark down the summer stuff to ridiculously cheap prices because they are making room for the fall stuff. Maybe it's because even though I spend an abnormal amount of time in shopping malls but I don't really shop that I missed this event. Or maybe the event never happened. All I know is that I refuse to by my children anything long sleeved unless it drops below 70 more than 2 days in a row.

I'll keep you updated.

Halloween in UAE

I can't speak for all of UAE...but in the city I live in, there was very little fuss over Halloween. Our family isn't really a "Halloween family" (i.e. my husband hates it, my son loves it, and I just think it's cute to dress my kids up and watch them get excited). In the US, we put up a few decorations...mostly spider webs in the bushes, bats hanging from the trees, and lots of pumpkins (which aren't necessarily Halloweenie...they can be fall decorations). We did allow trick-or-treating and we definitely hit up as many fall festivals as possible.

Over here, the first time my son saw decorations, we were at Hallmark (which is actually very different from in the US...it consists of about 1/2 toys, 1/4 cards and 1/4 knick knacks) and he was so excited! And it made me happy, because I know moving 7,000 miles around the world was very difficult for me, so I can't imagine what it's like for him.

Well we had a bit of a house divided over it, but in the end I took the kids and daddy stayed home. We went to a group of villas that has lots of teachers living there and a lot of residents decorate their carports and hand out candy. It was a lot of fun! The crazy thing is that we live in a HUGE apartment complex...there are at least 700 residences here...and no one put together trick-or-treating here.

Get 'er done

Oh if only it was that easy...

It seems that everything here is more difficult than it should be...as you can probably tell from my past post about getting the entry visas/IDs/insurance cards. And guess what? We aren't even done! To truly be finished with the process, we need to get residence visas for my husband and kids. That requires more time and more money. My husband had to go get a "medical check" which consisted of a blood test and a chest xray. (Teachers get it done within the first few days of arriving. For females we had to take a pregnancy test too...and if you were pregnant without a spouse you would be sent back home). The ironic thing is that he's already been here for 2 months, so if he had an STD or something he could've already slept around and spread it. But that made them 250 more dirhams.
To get the residence visas I think it will cost us about 1200 more dirhams (like $340). I *think* it's refundable.
My current problem is that I'm not sure how long we have to get the residence visa done. I hope that it wasn't 14 days because otherwise their entry visas will be cancelled and we will have to start over.

**edit**
I actually started writing this several days ago and didn't get to finish. And now I can't continue on the path I was on because I stopped at ADEC today and turned in my paperwork and if I understood correctly, I will be able to pick up my family's residence visas in a week...without paying a dime. I guess all these other people have been "fast tracking" their documents for some reason and it costs them money. So, pray to God that I have done this correctly and it goes smoothly ;) We should have their Emirates IDs soon too.

I don't want you to think that this is easy at all...but I want to clarify that maybe it's not as hard as we think it is, mostly because our employer doesn't do a good job of laying it out in clear, easy steps to follow. Today I witnessed a British woman screaming at the sweet little typist guy for something that he had no control over. I understand being upset, but 1) it wasn't his fault and 2) screaming doesn't get you anywhere

So, I will definitely keep you updated about whether or not I understood the guy and have finished this crazy and confusing process. Because if I have, I might write a book about it and make millions ;)

The ABCs of UAE

I've been thinking of a bunch of blog topics and I realized that I could easily do things from A-Z. Sorry I did use some of the same letters more than once :)

Abayas- basically long black flowy dresses that can be worn alone or over clothes. I don't own one because we are not required to wear them at my school; however, most teachers do wear them. Some of them are very basic, and others have beautiful lace or sequins on them.

Brunch buffets- this is THE thing to do in UAE on Fridays. Most of them are expensive (on average $100 a person) but that includes a TON of food and some include drinks from the bar. We have only been to one so far and that's because we won tickets from my favorite magazine.

Bidets- mini toilets that are used to clean your privates. Europe has them too, but definitely strange to Americans! Sometimes there is just a hose by the toilet. I still haven't figured out the logistics.

Carwashes- there are people everywhere who will hand wash your car for 25 dirhams (about $7). We got our first UAE carwash at the Emirates Palace parking deck, but now the cleaning guy in our apartment building does it for 100 dirhams a month (about $30) whenever it's dirty.

Camels- I absolutely love these creatures and it always makes me smile when I see them in the back of a truck.

Deserts and Desserts- obviously I live in a huge desert...but this place is full of desserts too. There are tons of sweets shops everywhere and candy galore...that's why all the kids' teeth are rotten. One difference is that sweets like cupcakes and cakes aren't as sweet as at  home.

Etisalat- this is one of the cell phone/cable/internet providers here. The other one is Du. I think more people go with Etisalat. There are post-paid plans like at home, but we do pre-paid. It's pretty easy...you can buy a card at any hypermarket and you just enter the code on your phone to load credits which are then deducted when you make calls or text. We also have a code that allows us to use unlimited facebook, twitter, and whatsapp for about $15 a month.

Fashion- I've mentioned before that we have tons of clothing stores here. Everything from the US (Aeropostale, GAP, American Eagle, Forever 21, H&M, etc) plus stores from Europe and Asia. I think it's kind of ironic because the women here wear abayas, but I guess they were "regular" clothes when they are at home. There are also all of the designer names here (Jimmy Choo, Valentino, Versace, etc)

GPS- pretty much a necessity here. We bought one the same day we got our car, but unfortunately it fell onto our hard tile floors and cracked the screen. We tried to make due with me reading a map, but it's nearly impossible. GPS is definitely the way to go (and we just got a new one yesterday).

Hospitals and hypermarkets- are everywhere! I swear in Abu Dhabi there are at least 20 hospitals! And guess what...it's cheap! Hypermarkets (Lulu's, Carrefour, Megamart, Geant, etc) are attached to every mall and then some are stand alone stores. You can get everything you need there (kind of like super Walmart).

Impatience- it's ironic that everyone tells you to be patient when you move here because if there's one thing that the locals are not, it's patient. They don't want to wait their turn in line and they DEFINITELY are impatient drivers. They ignore stop signs, cut you off in the parking lot, and even pass you very dangerously on whatever side of the road suits them.

Jobs- in the US most low level jobs are done by high schoolers. Here, fast food and "minimum wage" type jobs are done by Asians for the most part. Custodians, construction workers, etc. are usually from Pakistan or India. I will definitely be writing more about this later (i.e. after I leave the country)

Kandoras- white linen robes worn by men, sometimes with a head scarf of various colors, and other times with a baseball cap

Kisses- men do Eskimo kisses (rubbing the noses together) which makes me giggle and the women do air kisses on the side of the cheek. I have not received an air kiss, which I think means I am not "in", but I'm ok with that because it makes me nervous. I've seen single kisses and as many as 4 and I would have no idea when to stop.

License plates and luxury cars- the lower the number, the more important the person is. Seriously! So I forget if mine has 5 or 6 digits...but if you see a single digit, they are royalty! The lowest number I have seen in person is 145. And you don't need to be royal to have a luxury car...we see many "average" people with BMWs, Rolls Royces, Bentleys, etc.

Malls- I've already mentioned malls, but they are crazy big and in every city. Some cities like Dubai have at least 10 malls. Even in Al Ain there are 5.

Mosques- are also EVERYWHERE. For every mall there are probably 10 mosques. You will be driving in the middle of the desert and see one. I always wondered how they determine which one you go to...can you just pick? Because some are really nice and others aren't. They are actually building a mosque in my apartment complex.

Mansions- some of the houses here are ridiculous. They are all made of cement and have huge cement walls around them with beautiful gates. One day I hope to be invited inside of one.

Nannies- most locals (and lots of expats) have one...and some have one per kid! They are usually from Asia. They wear outfits similar to nursing scrubs. Sometimes they are like nannies to the local
mothers because they carry their bags through the stores. I personally think they usually look very unhappy which makes me sad.

Oud- this is the name of the perfumes/scents here. Most malls have several stores or kiosks that sell it (sometimes right next to each other!). They usually have someone outside the store who wants to spray you with something.

Park(s)- there are quite a few parks in the cities and some of them are very nice with playgrounds, fountains, bike rentals, even snack bars. Some parks are just for ladies (woot woot!)

Park(ing)- as mentioned with impatience...if you get tired of driving around looking for a parking space, just park on the median, in the no parking spaces, on the sidewalk...wherever you want really.

Quiet- well other than at my school, for the most part this is a very quiet society!

Roundabouts- you will see your life flash before your eyes most times that you are in one

Radio- in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, there are stations that play top 40 hits...but in Al Ain there are not

Speed cameras- you don't really see police anywhere, but the speed cameras are hidden and will take your picture. I know one took our picture last night, so I'm nervous to see what the fine is.

Stray cats- are also everywhere...we have at least 4 in our complex

Time Out- my favorite magazine here because it tells you what's going on in Abu Dhabi and Dubai te next week and always has helpful articles; they also have awesome contests!

Understanding- pretty difficult to do when people don't speak the same language as me

Victoria's Secret- so far I have not seen one that sells undergarments...they only have body products like lotions and perfumes. It's not that fancy panties and bras aren't sold here...there are several stores that do...I just haven't seen a VS that does. Maybe in Dubai.

Westerners- the term for people from Europe and the US

Xpatriates (I know this is spelled wrong LOL)- people who have moved here to work (i.e. me)

Yas- an island on the eastern end of Abu Dhabi that has Yas Waterworld (amazing water park!), Ferrari World (home of the world's fastest roller coaster), IKEA, Formula 1 racing, Du Arena, and soon will have a HUGE mall

Zoos- are very nice and inexpensive here (there's one in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Al Ain)

There's so much more to tell you...this was just a hodge podge of information :)

These are a few of my favorite things

When you're homesick and in a completely different culture than you're used to, it can be really easy to focus on the negatives. I'd like to dedicate this post to the things I like about the UAE

• There are TONS of things to do! There are obvious things like going to the beach, riding camels, and dune bashing (basically riding in a Jeep on the sand dunes). You can ride to the top of the world's tallest building, go skiing indoors, sail around The Palm (a man made group of islands that looks like a palm tree from above), or ride on the world's fastest roller coaster. These are just a few of the things you can do in UAE. The possibilities are endless!
• There are so many different types of food. You name it, they probably have it...and in the bigger cities, it will be delivered.
• It's tax free! It's so nice to go to the store and know exactly how much it's going to cost, because you don't have to calculate tax.
• Most people LOVE kids here. Seriously...I've had people give my kids toys, candy, a cup of whipped cream (from the Starbucks crew)...and not in a creepy way. The workers remember my kids' names and greet them by name. It's so sweet!
• The malls are pretty ridiculous. I love to shop, and I even enjoy window shopping...and this is the place to do it. I find it very intriguing to see what's available here...there's way more than what's in the US because they have stores from Asia, India, and Europe here too.
• I have more time to spend with my family. I get out of work by 2 or 3 and I have the rest of the evening with my family. That never happened at home.
• Their dedication to religion. Now understand this...I am a Christian. I do not have the same beliefs as the people here...but I admire their dedication to their religion. The call to prayer is projected throughout the city 5 times a day. Everywhere you look there are mosques...even in the malls there are prayer rooms! If you are at the park during the call to prayer, you will see large groups of men gather and pray to the east together. When's the last time you saw Christians in America doing something like that? And at the same time, there are a few Christian churches here and we are allowed to worship.
• There is a lot of national pride. You see the flag everywhere and lots of decorations in their national colors. The sheikh (who is the leader of the country) is pictured everywhere. I mean literally EVERYWHERE. Every business has a portrait of him prominently displayed. I personally am glad that we don't have the POTUS's face plastered everywhere, but it's nice to see some pride.
• It is very safe here (well other than the crazy drivers). You really don't see police anywhere unless there's an accident...however, there are security guards EVERYWHERE. The malls have a ton. Honestly they're mostly there to tell people not to take strollers on the escalators (which I do all the time when they aren't looking LOL) and they can give you directions.
• Medical stuff is super cheap. Even when we didn't have insurance for my husband and he had to go to the ER for stitches it cost us less than $300!!! I saw the bill and the tetanus shot was $4. I swear at home that alone would have been over $100.
• Taxis are cheap. We relied on them for over a month and thank God it was less than $10 a ride most places we wanted to go. If we were in the US we would've been broke just on transportation.
• Everyone here has a water dispenser. I love it! I will definitely be looking into getting one when we get home because they are so convenient.

I think that's about the end of my list for now. I'm sure I've left something off, but these are the first things that came to my head.

Praising God

I know in my last post I probably sounded really negative and discouraged, but I have to tell you that God really showed me that He is in control. We were able to jump through a bunch of hoops yesterday. All of these steps take most people several days or even a week, but we accomplished a lot!

My husband has been to the emergency room 3 times since we got here. The first time was because he cut his head open at the pool at the hotel we stayed at when we first got here. The two most recent times were because he had mysterious abdominal pain (which we still haven't fixed yet) and because we didn't have insurance yet we've had to pay for everything in cash. Thank God medical stuff is super cheap here (compared to the US) but still...

Well on Wednesday, I got a text from my husband that our son was crying because his knee hurt really badly and he wouldn't move it or put weight on it. My principal let me go home early so I could figure out what was going on. I didn't see any visible signs of an emergency, so we decided not to go to the hospital. Instead, we stopped by the ADEC office to ask about insurance and were told that my family had to have entry visas and their applications completed for their Emirates IDs. Luckily, I stopped by the visa counter and asked if my packet was ready and it was (even though he'd originally told me to come back on the 16th). I took it directly over the the immigration office and dropped it off and was told to come back the next day.

The whole rest of the day, my son sat in the stroller and cried any time we had to move him or made him stand up flamingo style to pee. I feel terrible that we didn't take him to the hospital, but I figured if we could somehow get our insurance cards the next day, it would save us money.

On Thursday (which is really like Friday in the US because our weekend is Friday and Saturday in UAE), I got up early and went to immigration to pick up the entry visas. It actually wasn't ready yet, but I smiled and told the man that I was told to come that day, but not what time. *I also wore an ultra conservative outfit that day* He sent me over to the counter and a man in a military looking uniform printed it right then. Miracle #1

I went over to the ADEC office to double check that if I got the steps done that I would be able to get an insurance card that day. I was told yes...but I had to be back by 3! I ran home and picked up my family so we could do a border run which involves driving to the border of Oman, paying money, filling out some paperwork, and driving back into UAE to get a stamp which "activates" the entry visa. (I'm not sure, but I think sometime in the near future we may have to do this again to activate their residence visas...but that's a few weeks away...I think I have some other hoops to jump through before that).

Since it was lunch time and my son was complaining about needing to use the bathroom, we stopped at the mall. We also needed to get new passport photos of the kids because we'd heard that many people were told that the background wasn't white enough on the ones they brought from home. The passport photo place wasn't actually in the mall...so we had to drive around a bit to find it...and praise God we got there when we did because they (like many businesses) closed from 1-4 and it was 12:45! Miracle #2

At this point we knew we were pushed for time. We now needed to complete applications for their Emirates IDs which I was told could be done at a typing center. I thought we could do it at the typing center I saw by the immigration building, so that's where we went. The tiny room was packed full of Pakistani men and a few women. The ticket machine was broken, so there was no telling how long it would take. After about 10 minutes I asked a worker if I was in the right place and he said no. At first I was upset, but that ended up being a blessing. We were getting frustrated, but we drove over to the Emirates ID building and asked where to go; a nice security guard walked out and showed me. (Note: I don't know why no one just said it's in the post office building!) So we drove over there and there were actually two typing centers. One was packed but the other only had one man in there. After about 5 minutes, the lady took our documents and completed the applications. It took quite a while because things had to be scanned and copied, but finally we were handed our applications (after we handed over 340 dirhams per application!). Then we had to drive back to the Emirates ID place to get them stamped. For our kids, that's all that had to be done. But for my husband, he had to get his retinas scanned and fingerprints taken. It was already after 2:30 and there were 6 people ahead of him in line!

I left the kids there with him and literally ran (in a maxi skirt and black cardigan in the 100 degree weather!) 300 yards to the ADEC office. I went in to the customer service desk (no wait!) and tried to hand her my papers...but realized I needed copies of things...so I ran upstairs and back down. At this point it was 2:55...and Robert's phone was dead. His last text had said he had 3% battery and there were still 3 people in front of him. And guess what...I didn't have his visa! For some reason I was freaking out that we'd left it at the typing center. I tried to give the rest of the documents to the woman and asked if I could at least get cards for my children. It was 2:58...she handed me the stuff and said "come back later". I felt so defeated...we'd done all that work for nothing. (Not really, because it had to be done...but I wanted the insurance card that day!) I turned around to walk away and I heard my son saying "where's mommy?" in the lobby...I ran out and told my husband to come quickly. He actually had his visa, so I took the paperwork back and handed it to the lady. She took it...but I felt like she was annoyed.

I thought that since I'd turned it in to her that I could go upstairs and get the cards from the insurance guy. He actually wasn't in his office when I got up there, so we waited about 5 minutes. When he came in he looked in the computer and said it hadn't been entered yet so he couldn't do anything. He said to go down and check to see if she could put it in.

I headed downstairs (and saw the doors were closed) and talked to the man at reception and he asked the security guy if there was anyone still in there. He said yes, so I was told to go in. The woman was actually still at her desk (Miracle #3 because most people are out of there right on time, especially on a Thursday!) so I told her that the insurance guy said I could get my insurance cards that day if the information had been entered. Again, I think she was annoyed but it was hard to tell because her face was fully covered...but she said something to a man and he got the paperwork and told me to give him 15-20 minutes and wait in the reception area. At the same time, the woman started talking to another woman in Arabic and I felt like she was talking about me...but I was so happy that I didn't care!

A few minutes later I went upstairs to tell my husband the good news and someone had already brought up the paperwork...and by 3:50, we had our insurance cards.

So, miracles all around. Praise God!

I also called the post office and my Emirates ID was delivered from Abu Dhabi, so I was able to pick it up...I'm an official resident of the UAE!

Jumping through hoops

I had a really bad day at school today. Possibly the worst so far. But rather than blog about work when I am so upset, I am going to rant about something different.

People don't realize how many hoops you have to jump through to teach overseas. I've already blogged about the things we had to do before we came here. That was expensive and time consuming enough. But now that we're here, nothing is as easy as it should be. And everything costs money. ADEC doesn't do a good job of guiding you through this process...and the recruiting company that helped us get hired...well they've been absent since I got on the plane. They only sent out a few emails over the summer and those weren't even very helpful. All of the teachers have been relying on Facebook for our information.

When we first got here, we were helped with getting our medical exam and our fingerprints done for our Emirates ID. But now that it's time to sponsor our families, we are on our own. Even things like knowing when to pick up our passports and IDs, how to get utlitilies hooked up, logging in to the ADEC website...all of these things you pretty much have to find out from another teacher who has done it already.

Several of the things we have to do require us to upload things to a portal and then turn in hard copies. They always want a color copy of your passport. They all want passport photos...and apparently several people have been told that the white wasn't bright enough so they had to retake them. Really? It's fine for a passport from the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, but not for an ID here? Then I saw something today where I am going to need a photo with a specific light blue background. Seriously. And today I was also told (past the due date) that I need to provide hard copies and a flash drive with scanned copies of a bunch of documents. What are they going to do with thousands of flash drives? Probably sit them in a box somewhere.

When I went to EMT (English Medium Teacher, which is what all of the English speaking teachers are called even if we don't teach English) Support, I was reminded that we were advised not to bring our families with us. We should've left them at home and brought them over after we'd completed our visa process. In some ways I wish that I had listened, but I know I could not have made it through this without them here. One thing is for sure, it would make it a lot easier to up and leave if I decided to. Now every decision I make is based on the fact that we have sold everything we own, have not had a chance to save money yet, and we have nothing to go back to.

All my coworkers who have been here at least a year already have told me that it will get better. They swear that in December (or February, it just depends on who you talk to) that it will be easier. Right now I'm in the middle of the hoop jumping...well actually I should compare it to something different...it's like I'm trying to navigate across the Atlantic Ocean in the dark with no map...in a canoe.

Prayers appreciated.

It'll drive you crazy

Lots of things are different about driving here. Apparently if you are American, you can just get your driver's license translated and pay 200 dirhams to get a UAE license. Once I do this, I will confirm that it's that easy to do as almost nothing is as easy as it should be here. I am thankful that they drive on the right side of the road here...because driving here is already crazy enought without having to get my brain and body to work together to drive a car on the left side!
I'm not sure what the locals have to do to get a license...but I've heard it's pretty easy. I can blog about that if I find out the process.
So, cars are pretty much the same style as at home, and unlike in other countries they are in pretty good condition for the most part. It's funny how they have different model names here, but some are the same. For example, the Nissan Sunny here is similar to the Sentra. They do have the Altima. And then there's the ever-popular-with-the-locals Patrol (an SUV). I have seen Fords, Dodges, Kias, VWs, and we have a Hyundai Accent. There are lots of Toyotas...I dare say that's the most popular brand, but that may be because every taxi is a Toyota Camry, and there are TONS of taxis here. Of course there are also a plethora of BMWs, Mercedes, and Lexus cars...and I have seen Bentleys and Maseratis. As far as color, I would say 90% of cars are white (including ours). I suppose it's because it's so hot here and they think the color keeps the car cooler.
In Al Ain, there are roundabouts EVERYWHERE. There are easily 25+ in the city...and although they can be terrifying and you often have near collisions, I must admit that I'd rather take a roundabout than sit at a stop light here. Maybe it's my imagination, but it seems like the lights take FOREVER to change!
The craziest thing about driving here is that no one seems to follow any sort of traffic rules. You really don't see police here unless there's an accident, so no one is worried about getting pulled over for speeding. I don't even know if the police cars have radars in them...but my guess is no. There are speed cameras set up all around town, but most people know where they are and slam on the brakes just in time. Trust me...I have seen cars fly down the road at 150 kph! If you are driving in the far left lane, you better be watching for someone flashing their lights in your mirror because that means MOVE. They also don't follow any sort of rules about the right of way, one way, no parking lanes, etc. Even scarier is that there are no car seat laws, so you will see people holding their children (or even letting them hang out the window) in the front seat.
For the most part, traffic isn't too bad in Al Ain. I haven't really even seen bad traffic in Abu Dhabi...it's Dubai that probably has the worst traffic jams.

Things I miss

A few weeks ago I was having a really bad day at work and I sat there and made a list of things I miss from home. I have tried not to focus on those things, but instead look at the positives. However, I have had a few people ask me, so I thought I'd post it here for everyone to see. My sister-in-law was actually surprised by some of them.
1. people- this sounds so obvious...I mean, I could list each person by name...but I'm especially having a hard time with my extended family. Skyping and texting just isn't the same and I realize now that we didn't spend enough time together when we had the chance.
2. being able to have a conversation with anyone and everyone- although quite a few people here speak English, there are many who don't or who speak very broken English and it's very hard to understand the cable guy and some of my coworkers
3. food- even though there is excellent food here, I miss Chickfila, Taco Bell, and McAlister's Deli. I have not been able to find crackers I really like either.
4. super reliable internet- we finally have it in our apartment which is great, but most places don't offer free wifi...even at Starbucks you have to buy something (which I have no problem with, but it gets expensive). We haven't decided to get a data package on our phones and I'm not sure if we will. We also have prepaid minutes so we don't call and text as much as we would at home.
5. driving myself around- we were relying on taxis, but we finally got a car...but I'm not allowed to drive until I get my UAE license. Robert is allowed to though because he doesn't have a residency visa yet (weird, I know)
6. knowing where I am- we got a GPS as soon as we got a car, so that helps a lot...but this city is very sprawled out and there are tons of roundabouts, so it's very easy to feel lost. Maybe when I start driving it will feel more familiar.
7. diversity- I kind of already talked about this in another post, but even though most of the people here are expats, they all have the same color skin and hair. It makes it very hard to learn names at school because they literally all look the same...and they basically have the same names. I have like 5 Abdullas and 4 Mohammads and 3 Saeeds in each class!
8. teenagers- I taught high school for the past 7 years and before that I taught middle school...and there's something nice about being able to joke around with an awkward teenager and watch them grow into a mature adult
9. music- I always had the radio on in the car at home...but here we haven't found any stations in English here :( I feel so out of the loop!
10. Key Club- at my old school I was the advisor for a very large community service group...and I REALLY miss it!
11. playing outside- it's so hot here...hopefully it will cool down soon!
12. pets (especially dogs)- there are stray cats here, but you really don't see dogs
13. grass- there are grassy areas here and there, but for the most part sand is EVERYWHERE
14. football Fridays- one of the reasons I left my old job was because I had to work so many hours after school...but I really miss Friday night football games
15. my washing machine and dryer- the washing machine we have here is TINY...and we have NO dryer
16. having control over my class- this can be a whole post in itself

I'm sure this list will change over time...truth be told, there were 2 other things on the list that I left off now because they have been fixed :)

Hurry up and wait

I've always heard people say that in the military everything is "hurry up and wait". Well let me tell you...the military has nothin' on teaching abroad when it comes to that!

One of the hardest parts of teaching overseas is all the paperwork that has to be submitted. The average person has no idea how many hoops people have to jump through to travel to, much less live and work in, a foreign country.

The most obvious thing you have to do is get a passport. My husband and I already had ours because we'd been on cruises in the past. Now we needed to get them for our children. In the city we lived in (a rather large one), we had to make an appointment and it was several weeks before we could even get in. Then once you've submitted the applications, it's another 4-6 weeks to get them back (if you're lucky!).

I also had to get fingerprints done. That is another separate blog post!

The thing that was the biggest pain and cost the most money was getting documents authenticated. Most people just have to do their highest college degree and their teaching certificate, but because I was bringing my family, I had to also do each of my kids' birth certificates and my marriage certificate. This required me to drive to my state capital and pay $10 per document (plus $40 additional because our original marriage certificate was with the passport applications so we needed a new real copy), then pay a company $150 to take them to the Department of State in DC ($8 per document) to get a stamp and then over the the UAE Embassy to pay $30 per document for another stamp. *People in foreign countries LOVE stamps* This process not only cost a lot, but it took 2 weeks to get my documents back! Even though it cost more to have a company do it, I would definitely use them again. Trust me...I actually had to get 2 additional documents done later and I did it myself...such a headache! Definitely worth $150 for them to do it!

Now that I'm here, I am realizing that I have more paperwork to do to make my family official and I am NOT looking forward to it. I will write more about that once I figure out what I have to do.

But after we got our paperwork turned in (in late June), we had a lot to do to get ready to move! And then we began the waiting process. See, when you work for ADEC, you don't get a definite moving date. It's not like with private schools when they say "here's your plane ticket (to fly in a month) and we will have your apartment waiting for you and you know what school you're going to be at". Oh no...it gets crazy. You are constantly checking your email and Facebook groups to see if there's any indication of when you will be leaving. You are busy getting rid of basically everything you own and trying to save money for the trip. You worry that maybe this isn't real...that you imagined the whole thing and have quit your job and sold your house for nothing.

We vacated our house at the end of July and then went to Florida to stay with my best friend for a few days. Then we drove up north to stay with family for a week. My husband thought we should go ahead and head back south in case we got our golden email...and thank God we did because the email came as we were driving! We had just 24 hours until our flight would leave! We literally said goodbye to my husband's family in the airport :(

What a whirlwind!

Culture Shock

I have so many different topics I want to write about, but since I am so far behind, I figured the easiest one to write about (at 1 am since I have insomnia right now) is culture shock.

Before coming here, I did a lot of research. Some of my family members were very concerned because we are Christians and we moved to a Muslim country. So many people told me this is one of the safest places in the world...and they are right (for the most part...more about that later.) But I must say this:
THE CULTURE SHOCK IS REAL
Nothing can prepare you for it. It does get easier...but there are things I don't think I'll ever get used to.

When I first stepped off the plane into the airport, it felt surreal being surrounded by women in abayas and men in kandoras. I mean literally there were people in all black or all white everywhere! I remember it being very busy...and that was at 10 at night!

I also remember the first moment that we stepped out of the nice air conditioned building and the heat just slapped us in the face. Abu Dhabi is SO HOT AND HUMID. You feel disgusting after being outside for a few minutes. One of the things I really miss is being outside. At home we played in our yard, went to the playground, walked at the greenway...we spent a lot of time outside. I worked at sports events outside pretty much every day in the fall and most of the spring. Here, we take taxis to somewhere just a mile away. Playgrounds are located inside malls...and you have to pay to use them. (One of the reasons is that there is an attendant who is there to watch your child play so you can go shop.)

During my research, I read that 80% of the population here is "expats" which is short for expatriates. Basically, people who moved here from somewhere else to work. Being the naive person I am, I thought that meant that 80% of the people here would look like people in America. UM, NO. I didn't realize that most of the expats here are from countries such as Jordan, Egypt, Pakistan, Philippines, India, etc. So when you are blonde haired and blue eyed like my son, you really stick out. But I've also learned that when you see another blondie, you can't assume they are American because they very well might be from Ireland, England, South Africa, New Zealand, or Australia. I really love all the cultures here...I am even getting pretty good at discerning which accents belong to which country. Side Note: I am not the only one who has trouble identifying the different cultures. Today in an elevator a man from Pakistan said "oh are you from England?" HA...no sir...I don't sound anything like a British person!!!

Architecture here is very distinct. I have not seen one building that looks like something in America. Actually, I take that back...the malls look similar...especially on the outside. But malls here are UH-MA-ZING on the inside! They have so many of the same stores as in the US: American Eagle, Aeropostale, Carters, Osh Kosh, Tommy Hilfiger, H&M...but so many other stores too! That's one of the best things about this place...the shopping cannot be outdone. One difference is that the malls all have a "hypermarket" which is like Super Walmart attached to it. Some of the ones I've seen are LuLu's, Carrefour, Megamart, and Geant. They sell clothes, household items, appliances, and of course, food.

Speaking of food, that's one thing that there is PLENTY of here. The malls have huge food courts with a variety of choices. There are fast food places from the US like Hardees, McDonalds, Wendys, Burger King, Subway, KFC, Popeyes, Papa John's, Pizza Hut, and Church's Chicken. There are sit down places like Applebees, Fuddruckers, TGIFriday's, Chilis, Cheesecake Factory, PF Chang's and I've even seen Texas Roadhouse. Of course there are local places too. In any food court you will most likely have a choice of American, Asian, Iranian...whatever you want! Finding food here is not an issue...but don't always expect it to be just like at home. For example, at KFC you do not get a biscuit with your food, you get an uncut hamburger bun. Most places have beef bacon because Muslims don't eat pork. Some things just don't taste the same, but that may not be a bad thing!

Driving is another huge shock. I have to admit that I have not driven here yet and I've been here 6 weeks. Although I miss it, I am not in a hurry to drive here because PEOPLE ARE CRAZY HERE. They speed, pass you on the shoulder, cut you off, run red lights, back up in the middle of the street, stop in the middle of the street...you name the traffic violation and they do it. They also love round abouts here but there are no rules to driving in one. Since I haven't been driving, that means that I've mostly been riding in taxis which is another strange thing for me. Today we actually got a car, so at least we can go where we want...but that means that I have to learn where things are. That is a little difficult to do because things don't have addresses here.

You read that correctly...they don't use addresses here!!!!! Most people use a PO Box...but even if you don't want to pay for one, you can use the generic PO Box 88888 and put your city and phone number and they will text you when your mail gets here. But if you need to tell someone where you are, you just give the a landmark. A roundabout is a great landmark. So is a mall. But I can tell you that it is extremely frustrating to have a taxi driver drop you off somewhere and then you wander around in the 100 degree heat trying to figure out where a business is and then call the business several times and try to decipher what the person with limited English is trying to tell you.

I know that I have a lot more to post on this topic, but I can do separate entries on some of them. If you have questions, let me know...I'd love to answer them!

The very beginning

It seems like one of the most important things to start this blog with is how we ended up here. But first I must say this: I want this blog to be genuine and honest. I want to share as much as possible. However, I also have to remember where I am and that "Big Brother" is always watching. So, I have to be careful. I hope you enjoy this blog!

My husband and I have lived in the US (in the south, but I won't say exactly where) since we got married. He actually has lived there his whole life, but I was fortunate to live in Europe as a child because my dad was in the military. We were both teachers in one of the lowest paid states and hadn't had a raise in 5 years. We were struggling with regular bills and medical bills from child birth and my son's epilepsy. We love to travel, but didn't have the finances to do it after we had children.

Last fall, a non-profit organization called "Invisible Children" came to my school and mentioned a teacher exchange program they had. I could go to Uganda for 6 weeks during the summer and they would send a teacher to my school for 6 weeks in the winter. Sounded awesome...except for the part about leaving my kids for 6 weeks and the $4000 price tag. I realized I would never be able to do that.

Fast forward to January 2014 when a colleague in my county emailed me and said she was moving to Singapore. I immediately responded and asked if she would be teaching there. She said her husband's job was moving them there, but she would try to find a teaching job. I was so curious! Back in high school I'd had a math teacher from Singapore and had been intrigued by the culture. So safe and clean! I started doing some research about teaching there and found that the educational system is excellent. I mentioned it to my husband and he seemed semi-interested.

I started doing more research about teaching in Europe. I asked him what he thought about teaching overseas. His words exactly: "I'll go anywhere but the Middle East".

Within a week, there was a professional development session at school about doing seminars in class. The activity was modeled using a photocopy of a piece of art called "Mobius Strip" which shows an infinity symbol with ants on it. We talked about what the piece symbolized and I heard things like "we do the same thing day in and out" and "they will never leave the strip". I started thinking about my life and how I wanted something different. I had been at the same school for 7 years. I taught from 7:15 am until 2:15 pm and then I put on my athletic training hat. I covered sports until 5 or 6 Mondays through Wednesdays and then had games on Thursdays and Fridays. I hardly ever saw my family. I was tired of being overworked and underpaid. I can honestly say that the Möbius strip really inspired this decision.

We started looking at schools in Europe. I made a spreadsheet of schools with openings and what we needed to send. We spruced up our resumes and started asking for recommendation letters. It was A LOT of work. But after a week or so, we hadn't heard anything from anyone. We started looking at
recruiting companies that didn't charge a fee. We registered with one called Teach Away and found a posting for a school in Dubai and it had a job for both of us. We started researching Dubai...it was in the Middle East...but it was BEAUTIFUL and MODERN and everything we read said that it was safe. We were invited to go to Chicago for job interviews, so we decided to take a chance.

In February, we made arrangements to miss school. We drove half way to stay with my best friend, got to Chicago (it was freezing cold there!), interviewed and saw a few things, and then did the whole trip in reverse. We both thought the interviews went well...and we were convinced that we'd be offered the jobs. On the way home we talked excitedly about what it was going to be like living in Dubai, what we needed to get done before we moved, and what we were going to do with all the money we were going to make. For the first time we would be working at the same school! And living in the richest city in the world!

You already know what happened. We found out a few days later that they had selected others for the jobs. We were heartbroken. We felt rejected. I dare say we felt a tad bit depressed. Robert was ready to quit the international job search. I, on the other hand, was not. I felt this was just a stumbling block and within a week, I was searching again. The job listings were getting fewer by the day. I started looking at other countries...mostly China and Korea. They seemed exciting and had lots of opportunities. We even had an interview with a school in Korea. However, the more research we did and the more we talked to a recruiter (who only deals with Asia), we decided that it wouldn't be a good fit for our family.

In April, I had moved on to a few other recruiting companies, including Footprints, and had found that ADEC (Abu Dhabi Education Council) was actually hiring PE teachers this year. I had read about ADEC before...and had found quite a few negative things about them from several years ago. However, on Facebook I had found a group for teachers who were trying to get hired with them. Everyone seemed so excited...and the money would be more than double what I made at home! It seemed like a great opportunity, so I submitted paperwork, did a phone interview, and was invited to go to NYC for an interview in early May. Once again, we scrounged up the money, took time off of work, and this time flew to the Big Apple. We actually stayed with Robert's cousin and rode the subway to save money...it was a nice little trip.

Within a day, I received the job offer. I couldn't believe it! We had the opportunity to move to a completely different continent! After some serious discussion and lots of prayer, we decided that we were going to do it.

So that's kind of the short version of how we got here. I've now been here for 6 weeks and I have lots of blog posts in my head. Please, if you have any questions, feel free to ask! Like I said, I will try my best to be as honest as possible.