What’s a visit to the UAE without a stop in Dubai?
We took MJ for an overnighter in Dubai; stopping to see all the necessary places. I didn’t get as many pics as she did, so will have to wait for them, but here are some highlights:
Burj Al Arab
Tip of Burj Khalifa
Entrance to Bastakya Quarters
The Al Dhafra Festival happens each year out in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi Emirate.
The festival includes the camel beauty contest, camel racing, date packaging contest, a souk (market) of local items and much more.
Although it is just over two-hours drive (one-way) to get there, we decided to go for it since MJ is visiting. It was a new experience and quite fun overall, though the drive is rather deadly and tiring.
We had a lovely tour by a young volunteer, Hamdan, who is a young 10th grader with beautiful English and a sense of responsibility unseen in any of our students at the Zoo. So, it was refreshing to meet such a nice young man.
Anyway, will let the pics speak for themselves!
It’s National Day today – December 2nd – and this year is the 40th anniversary of the country’s formation. 40 years young and yet so surprisingly advanced.
The Emiratis do love their country, I mean who wouldn’t when your leader gives pay raises just for being a national?
Still, there are big plans this weekend for celebrations all over the country in all seven emirates.
I have to say that I’m glad that it will be over as I was getting a little tired of nearly a month of student presentations that centered around the founding father, the national flag, national day celebrations in schools, etc. etc.
Here are some activities my students have done in the past weeks for this day –
Before the summer holidays began we moved apartments from our downtown Al Serkal Towers building to uptown Guardian Towers.
Sometime in March, R and I decided that we would move in together since we were always together anyway and spending the nights at one or the other apartment all the time. Since I have had roommates from the beginning, I moved to his place and continued to open my apartment up to guests.
Since the university is opening a new campus off the island and near the airport, HR at work had been busy trying to find new places for people to have an easier commute to the new campus come fall. For whatever reason, our building was one of a few to be fully vacated by the university employees and so we were all offered various options for relocation. Thanks to a lovely friend and colleague, the Guardian Towers opened up as a brand new building complete with a rooftop pool and gym!
So, we moved! Our living situation is the same. The apartments are slightly smaller (much smaller than my old one, but more maintainable) and it is sooooo nice to be out the old neighborhood! There is even underground parking so no more hassles with fighting to find a reasonably close space. π All-in-all, it is a good move and it’s nice to start anew in our home together. π
Here are some pics of the new place.
We are still putting some small touches to settling in, but you get the gist!
More to come,
-T
Back in the days of C, I was introduced to this old improv British comedy show – “Whose Line Is It Anyway?“.
Though not generally a big fan of comedy and it has taken a number of years to appreciate British humour, I have slowly come around to certain aspects of it and most especially I do enjoy improv shows of any kind as this is where I believe talent comes into play. I am in awe of anyone who can be funny, convincing or moving off-the-cuff whether it is through legal battles, comedy sketches or musical performances.
So, when I saw that a show was coming to Abu Dhabi at the Crowne Plaza on Yas Island, I thought it would be fun to take R out and do something a little different.
I’ve uploaded the pics and videos, so you can check it out here:
The verdict is that the show was full of laughs and it was nice to get out! π
More to come…
-T
Because driving in the UAE is on the same side as the States, it is quite simple to transfer licenses across.
In Abu Dhabi (AD), you will need to make a trip to the Transport Authorities (AD Police) after receiving a residence visa. You will need a no-objection letter from your company, a copy of your passport, original driver’s license, residence visa, two passport-size photos, and a total of 200dhs. When you arrive at the police, you’ll tell the people at the information desk why you are there and they will first direct you to a room for your eye test, which will cost 50dhs. Then, you return to the information desk, and get directed with a number to the main area.
You’ll then hand over your documents, money and wait for your new license to be made! It was actually a very quick process and fairly painless.
**
There are two ways to get an international driver’s license. The easiest way is through a post office. You will need a copy of your UAE license, passport copy, two photos and 150dhs. When you arrive at the post office, the person at the information desk will give you a form to complete before directing you to a window where you’ll hand in your documents. Again, another easy process.
The other way to get the international license is through the Arabian Automobile Association. Their main office is located in Dubai and thus you’ll have to go there to get the license. It’s only 50dhs through AAA, so if you’re in Dubai already, it’s not a bad method.
More tips to come!
-T
I have a special needs student in my class. She has physical trouble getting around the school, but intellectually she is quite adept.
From day one, she has interrupted me while I was speaking to tell me that she didn’t have a handout since she hadn’t been to the first classes, or that she had a totally unrelated question. She constantly would tell me when she finished her work, which was always before anyone else in the class. Even though I have asked her a number of times to hold her answers until others are able to respond, she continues to shout out her answers before anyone else has a chance, thus silencing the class.
My teaching style is to let students shout out answers rather than call on individuals because I believe it creates a more open atmosphere, but she has continuously been trying to prove herself to me and her classmates that she is sharper and better.
Finally, yesterday I called her out in front of the class asking her to confer with her classmates about answers since she was in a group and to perhaps let others participate before she responds. She then clearly complained about my reprimand in Arabic, which one does not need to know the language to understand what was said. So, I asked her if she had something she’d like to say to me directly, to which she completely stopped talking for the rest of the class and wrote little notes in her notebook.
In the afternoon, I was called in to the Assistant Director’s office because she had made a complaint to Student Services about me not being fair or understanding of her needs. I politely explained that while I respect her special physical needs, I will not provide her with any slack on the intellectual side. Though I do not know the culture here regarding people’s responses to those with any kind of disability, I refuse in any country or culture to treat people differently if their minds are fully intact. Perhaps she is not used to this kind of treatment.
The good news is that the AD is being very supportive of the situation from my perspective and is taking what I’ve said back to Student Services who will then speak with the student again. Eventually, I will probably have to speak with her directly, though she should have just asked for an appointment to speak with me at the beginning as I have quickly learned that this culture is much more open about expressing their feelings than in Japan.
We shall see how it plays out, but this is very clearly contributing to my current lack of enjoyment with my students. I still have to see them for another 5 weeks, so it will have to get sorted out somehow.
On the bright side, they all just gave fabulous presentations! π
Until next time…
-T
I know that I should be updating more. Some have asked for pictures and some have wondered what has happened to me. I’m here, but I still don’t have internet at home, thus it is difficult to update my usual blog. My fingers are crossed for the internet to be connected some time this week, which is a story in itself. I will write another post for that after I get connected. π
So, life is starting to settle as my weeks start to take on a normal routine. Here is a general lowdown of the passing of my time.
5:05am – Alarm goes off; hit snooze
5:15am – Get up: It is still very dark outside
5:35ish – Hear the morning call to prayer from the nearby mosque as I finish my shower
6:00am – Eat some breakfast and continue to wake up with some tunes on my iPod
6:25am – Head downstairs to meet others for the drive to work
6:40am – Arrive at work; turn on computer; get a cup of instant coffee; surf the internet; catch up on emails and Facebook
7:10am – Look at lesson plans for the day
**Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday**
8:00 – 9:30 – Teach the first block of lessons
9:30 – 12:00 – Eat lunch/snack; chat online; surf the internet; lesson plan for afternoon; organize my desk and life…
12:00 – 1:30 – Teach the second block of lessons
1:45pm – Bolt out of work and head … a) home; b) the mall; or c) THE BEACH!
**Monday & Wednesday**
10:00 – 11:30 – Teach the first block of lessons
11:30 – 2:00 – Eat lunch/snack; chat online; surf the internet; lesson plan for afternoon; organize my desk and life…
2:00 – 3:30 – Teach the second block of lessons
3:45pm – Bolt out of work and head home or the beach
10:00pm – Head to bed
– Thursday nights are spent out with THE SHIFT (a gathering of colleagues at a pub for an end-of-the-week drink(s)) and then usually out somewhere after that.
– Friday is a holy day so there is not much to do other than hit the beach and relax until the evening when one can go out on the town.
– Saturday seems like a regular work day for most people, so grocery shopping and other errands get taken care of then along with a trip to the beach or tennis or something else fun before the weekend ends!
Starting today, I will begin tennis with my new coach (good friend, Jen) and hopefully get myself to a point where I can play a decent game, but there’s a lot of work to do before that happens. Plus, once it gets hot I will be worthless….
Coming in the next weeks will be checking out the pottery and pilates studios along with joining some salsa classes once or twice a week. So…as usual I will find myself busy. Oh and yes, there is that whole phd studying thing… π
More to come!
Until next time ~
-T
Cultural Observation: Negotiations are done loudly and with great expression until finally a coin is tossed to determine a winner.
My students have begun working on group projects this afternoon. I have given them a rare period to begin working. One of the tasks is to determine a country to focus on, but no group may have the same country. Of course, two groups wanted the same country.
Student A asks around for what countries everyone is doing. Group 1 says Yemen. Group 4 also wants Yemen (Student A’s group). Arabic begins flying from group to group. Here is my translation/interpretation of what went round:
Argument 1: Group 1 has four students while Group 4 has only two present. [rationale by majority]
Argument denied.
Argument 2: Group 1 tells Teacher which country they are doing. Teacher says Sure. It’s now decided.
Argument refuted that Student A had been asking other groups, so in essence she should get a say first on which country and that asking Teacher doesn’t count.
Argument 3: We’ve already started researching about the country.
Argument refuted – so have we “See” (showing computer screen)
Argument 4: Shout over the top of the others and the loudest person wins.
Argument void as both groups shout.
Meanwhile I am laughing… I laugh more when I see the 1 dirham coin come out and Student A gets up to flip. Flip. Student A makes a noise, face and laughter ensues. She has lost.
Result Group 1 wins Yemen. Lesson learned? Majority does win and the louder the better!
Ah… entertainment at its finest. You can’t get this on television, I tell ya’!
Until next time…
-T
Issue 1: 5-minutes = late for both two hour sessions
On Day 1, we discussed as a class the rule for coming in late to class. Instead of having a break half-way between the two 1-hour sessions, we go for 90-minutes straight. This means that the rule for being allowed 5-minutes to be late applies to both hourly sessions in the morning and afternoon.
Yesterday wasn’t a problem because class began at 10am. This morning was the first time the class began at 8am after the rules were discussed. At 8am for roll call, there were 4 students sitting in their seats. At 8:20 three more students came in and by the end of the 90-minutes 11 students were present.
The three that waltzed in first were convinced I should mark them as present for at least the second-half of the morning session because, of course, their previous teachers had done the same.
My response:
“New course, new level, new teacher, new rules”.
Student response:
– Silent looks of disapproval, whispers and pouty faces.
Lesson learned: Teacher is strict…and, students are the same no matter where you go.
People are the same no matter where you go. It’s comforting, at least, to know that humanity and behaviour crosses cultures and language. π
In the end, we came to an agreement. Today, I will be flexible. Tomorrow, I will not. Any questions? None.
Until next time…
-T
PS I will post these moments back on my Mental Meanderings blog once I am internet-friendly at home!
