Week two of school is complete. I can't say it was a good week with my students but I am now accepting that it is what it is. I cannot compare my school experience here with anything I've ever seen or heard of in the United States. It's just different. Back home I totally took for granted the fact that my students spoke/wrote/understood English. The language and cultural differences make my job very difficult. That being said there are many good things happening at my school. Our test scores are some of the best in the country and I will do my best to make sure that my students are learning and achieving to that standard.
The kids had a good week and are really enjoying school! They've made lots of new friends and like their teachers. They are going to a school with an American curriculum and are also learning Arabic- they teach me new words everyday! Mark is helping coach an American football team of men and is happy to have something to do other than play house-husband/chauffeur.
The main reason for this post it to give you a top 10 list of things we love about the UAE:
(in no particular order)
10.) THE FOOD... the variety and prices of food are amazing here! And you can have anything delivered for free- including pizza of course, McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Arabic, Indian, and Chinese places, our new favorite- The Chicken Hut- and pretty much any establishment that serves food. Why cook?
9.) THE WEATHER...Everyday is sunny and hot. I never have to check the weather forecast to see what to wear. We can swim year round. Al Ain is not humid like Abu Dhabi was (think SC in late July times 100) and even if it's over 100 degrees it doesn't feel that bad. The winter will be in the 70's and 80's. No snow, no bone-chilling cold winds or rain. I will not miss the cold. And if we do, we can just head to an ice skating rink or Ski Dubai to get our fix.
8.) FAMILY LIFE...This is a culture that loves children and values family time. We work shorter hours so that we can spend more time with our families. There are so many activities that cater to children, which I will get to shortly. We are able to spend time together everyday; we actually sit down and eat dinner together, which was a rarity in the last few years.
7.) ACTIVITIES...There are so many things to do here! Al Ain has a great zoo, water park, mountain, amusement park, and each mall has its own Chuck-e-Cheese type place with games and rides for the kids,. There are bowling alleys, movie theatres, and ice skating rinks in the malls as well. Not to mention that both Abu Dhabi and Dubai are just over an hour away and offer more to do than I could list here.
6.) OUR NEW HOME...It's been great (but a little stressful) to be able to start from scratch and furnish/decorate our house. It's a fresh start for us. We are also in a great location; we are just around the corner from the kids' school and about 10 minutes from mine. We are very centrally located to anything and everything.
5.) NEW FRIENDS...I know I've mentioned it before but the building that we live in has 21 other families (Western teachers like me) so there are MANY kids to play with and friends for us to socialize with just right down the hall. I can't tell you what a blessing it has been for us and I have a feeling we are making lifetime friends.
4.) THE RUGBY CLUB...This is a fabulous place for Expats like us to socialize. It has a pool, gym, restaurant, and bar all looking out onto huge rugby fields. There are rugby games to watch several nights a week, live music, bouncy castles and other activities for the kids. There's also a soccer and basketball league that the kids can play in.
3.) CUSTOMER SERVICE...Everywhere we go, from the mall to the gas station we are well taken care of (okay, maybe a little spoiled.) There is someone to pump your gas and clean your wind shield, carry your purchases to your car, and take your tray/trash at the mall food court or any fast food restaurant. Delivery of anything is almost always free (be it food or furniture.)
2.) GAS PRICES... There is only one oil company, called Abu Dhabi Nation Oil Company (ADNOC,) so every gas station has the same price, which means there is no need to pay attention to who has the cheapest gas on a given day. Gas here is 1.35 durhams per liter. That's about $1.47 per gallon. Need I say more?
1.) THE INTERNET...I know the Internet is everywhere but we are so thankful that we have very good access/speed to be able to Skype with and call friends and family back in the U.S. It's nice to be able to check Facebook and feel connected with what's going on, even if we are 7,000 miles away. What did we ever do without it?
I apologize as I have been bad about taking pictures this week. I will do better for my next post!
We love you and miss you all!
The kids had a good week and are really enjoying school! They've made lots of new friends and like their teachers. They are going to a school with an American curriculum and are also learning Arabic- they teach me new words everyday! Mark is helping coach an American football team of men and is happy to have something to do other than play house-husband/chauffeur.
The main reason for this post it to give you a top 10 list of things we love about the UAE:
(in no particular order)
10.) THE FOOD... the variety and prices of food are amazing here! And you can have anything delivered for free- including pizza of course, McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Arabic, Indian, and Chinese places, our new favorite- The Chicken Hut- and pretty much any establishment that serves food. Why cook?
9.) THE WEATHER...Everyday is sunny and hot. I never have to check the weather forecast to see what to wear. We can swim year round. Al Ain is not humid like Abu Dhabi was (think SC in late July times 100) and even if it's over 100 degrees it doesn't feel that bad. The winter will be in the 70's and 80's. No snow, no bone-chilling cold winds or rain. I will not miss the cold. And if we do, we can just head to an ice skating rink or Ski Dubai to get our fix.
8.) FAMILY LIFE...This is a culture that loves children and values family time. We work shorter hours so that we can spend more time with our families. There are so many activities that cater to children, which I will get to shortly. We are able to spend time together everyday; we actually sit down and eat dinner together, which was a rarity in the last few years.
7.) ACTIVITIES...There are so many things to do here! Al Ain has a great zoo, water park, mountain, amusement park, and each mall has its own Chuck-e-Cheese type place with games and rides for the kids,. There are bowling alleys, movie theatres, and ice skating rinks in the malls as well. Not to mention that both Abu Dhabi and Dubai are just over an hour away and offer more to do than I could list here.
6.) OUR NEW HOME...It's been great (but a little stressful) to be able to start from scratch and furnish/decorate our house. It's a fresh start for us. We are also in a great location; we are just around the corner from the kids' school and about 10 minutes from mine. We are very centrally located to anything and everything.
5.) NEW FRIENDS...I know I've mentioned it before but the building that we live in has 21 other families (Western teachers like me) so there are MANY kids to play with and friends for us to socialize with just right down the hall. I can't tell you what a blessing it has been for us and I have a feeling we are making lifetime friends.
4.) THE RUGBY CLUB...This is a fabulous place for Expats like us to socialize. It has a pool, gym, restaurant, and bar all looking out onto huge rugby fields. There are rugby games to watch several nights a week, live music, bouncy castles and other activities for the kids. There's also a soccer and basketball league that the kids can play in.
3.) CUSTOMER SERVICE...Everywhere we go, from the mall to the gas station we are well taken care of (okay, maybe a little spoiled.) There is someone to pump your gas and clean your wind shield, carry your purchases to your car, and take your tray/trash at the mall food court or any fast food restaurant. Delivery of anything is almost always free (be it food or furniture.)
2.) GAS PRICES... There is only one oil company, called Abu Dhabi Nation Oil Company (ADNOC,) so every gas station has the same price, which means there is no need to pay attention to who has the cheapest gas on a given day. Gas here is 1.35 durhams per liter. That's about $1.47 per gallon. Need I say more?
1.) THE INTERNET...I know the Internet is everywhere but we are so thankful that we have very good access/speed to be able to Skype with and call friends and family back in the U.S. It's nice to be able to check Facebook and feel connected with what's going on, even if we are 7,000 miles away. What did we ever do without it?
I apologize as I have been bad about taking pictures this week. I will do better for my next post!
We love you and miss you all!
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