The difference a year makes

This time last year we were in the midst of transitioning into our new life here.  It was incredibly overwhelming- going through the visa process, getting used to the culture and climate, setting up our home, meeting new people, learning the do's and don'ts, accepting the reality of my different role as a teacher, and missing our old lives in the US.  This year we came back from summer vacation knowing what to expect and were amazed how much the UAE felt like home to us and how relieved we were to be back.  This place that felt so foreign last year now feels safe and comforting.

Time is flying by; we are busy with school, American football for Mark, rugby for the kids, and lots and lots of school work for me.  We had a week off school for the EID holiday and our longtime friend, Toni, came to visit from Saudi Arabia with her sweet baby, Zaid.  We spent most of the week relaxing by the pool, which was wonderful!

I'm loving my new school this year!  My 6th grade girls are everything I had hoped for: sweet, innocent, polite, generous, and they really want to learn.  Thank God!  Unfortunately, my class schedule is less than ideal- some days I have no planning period.  And I have over 30 girls in each class with 163 total students. It's a lot of names to learn and many of the girls have the same first name and even second name (father's name.) I have more than one Mouza, Sheikha, Fatima, Hamda, Shamma, etc. per class and like 15 or 20 girls named Mariam. No kidding!

This year I am driving about 30 minutes out of Al Ain to an area called Mezyad just a few kilometers from the Oman border.  There's a camel racetrack that I pass and a camel crossing.

Here's a picture my friend Donna took of camels crossing the highway...pretty crazy, huh?

Here's my school.  It's only 2 years old.  It's a grade 6-12 girls' school.

My classroom...in a girls' school it's very important that your room is beautiful.  Many hours have been spent working on it!

After being out of the classroom at a meeting I came back to this and other pictures they drew for me.  I've also gotten flowers, candy, and other small gifts...the girls are very generous!

This picture was drawn by one of my favorite girls, Aisha.  As you see, she had a cat named Stafany, lol!

And in other news, Olivia lost her first top tooth!  This always calls for celebration.  :-)