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.
Showing posts with label ADEC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ADEC. Show all posts
Monday, 24 November 2014
Sunday, 9 November 2014
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".
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".
Sunday, 2 November 2014
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 ;)
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 ;)
Friday, 17 October 2014
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!
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!
Tuesday, 14 October 2014
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.
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.
Saturday, 4 October 2014
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!
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!
Tuesday, 30 September 2014
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.
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.
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