The People of the UAE

Here in Abu Dhabi the people have proven to be friendly and helpful.  It is considered rude to ask someone to take their picture, and if you do ask they are supposed to politely refuse as that is their custom.  They feel they are to keep hidden, thus the native costume, the Abaya ( or in more traditional families, the bur qua.)  So, in my blog you will not see many pictures of adults in native garb.  But, as I was sitting in a cafe eating with some friends, two very lovely ladies caught my eye.  They came to our table as one of them thought I had been her teacher.  We chatted for a moment and I asked them if I could take a photo to share with my American friends.  They replied, "show only to friends, not on Facebook".  So, true to my word I am sharing this with you, my friends.  I also met a famous male talk show host (like Oprah)  in the mall.  He was interviewing for his show.  He, also let me take his picture because he is a TV star here in the UAE.  So, here he is in a Kandu with me!  Notice his head dress.  Some men here wear red ones, and some white.  I asked if there was a difference, and was told it is just a matter of taste and has no meaning.

I understand that it will not be likely to become friends with the native people (except, of course, the kids I teach).  They are a very closed society with very strict rules.  Men and women, even those in a family, usually live in separate areas of their homes.   I only hope to represent Americans as people who are kind, patient and helpful.

I'm Here in Abu Dhabi - I Really Made It!

Hello and Ramadan Kareem from Abu Dhabi.  It was a long journey, but here I am, and I now KNOW that this was meant to be!  My trip over was long, but Qatar Airlines is so wonderful.  Every need you have is met with a smile.  I sat with two young ladies (13ish) from Afghanistan.  They mostly ignored me and chatted in their own little world, but that was ok with me.  I only got about 2 hours of sleep on the flight, but I think I watched 2 movies and a few TV shows. 

Landing in Abu Dhabi made it all real.  I walked off the plane into the wall of humidity and it was 95 degrees at 12 a.m..   By the time I got to my hotel it was nearly 2.  We had to get our visas, have a retinal scan done,  go through an abbreviated version of customs and get our luggage.  From then on we were treated like royalty!  They loaded us (125 + teachers) on to busses, put our luggage on trucks and whisked us away to a wonderland known as The Fairmont Hotel.  When our busses pulled up there were 75-100 hotel employees out front lined up to greet us.  They checked us each in to our rooms and when we got to the room our luggage arrived within 30 minutes. 

Now, I’m trying to brag, but the rooms here are AMAZING!  My view is the Arabian gulf  (we call it the Persian Gulf) and the Grand Mosque.  At night it was a spectacular view, and in the day just as beautiful!  I still can’t believe that they are treating us so well!  I’ll post pictures of the room later once I figure out my camera.  In my next post I’ll tell you all about my first day in Abu Dhabi.  

My First Post from my New MacBook Pro and probably my LAST post from the USA!

I got this new MacBook Pro because I needed a laptop to take and both my brother, Jay and my tech guru friend Sharon suggested I invest.  SO glad I did!  The apps and features are fabulous, and the tech support is the best I've ever used.  After a one-hour class today I feel right at home in the world according to Mac!

Now, on to the Journey.  I leave this Thursday and I'm really nervous.  I must say that the Facebook reports back from the first group of teachers to arrive are happy news.  They have been treated very well and are staying in a beautiful 5-star hotel.  I just hope I'm so lucky.  Here is a link to the hotel they got:
www.theyashotel.com

So for now, goodbye, and the next post will be from the other side of the planet . . .

Insha'Allah, or God willing!

I got the Golden Ticket!

I finally got my eticket.  I leave out of DC on August 11th and arrive in Abu Dhabi on the 12th.  Now I'd better get some stuff done Pray for me!

DC Was Quite a Trip!

I had to go to Washington, D.C. to have all of my documents authenticated yesterday.  I took my friend Anne and Jacob.  We hit almost no traffic (thanks, Jacob for letting us use the HOV lane!) and made excellent time!  When I got to the Office of Authenications they informed me that my teaching certificate and my Master's Degree had been notarized in Virginia, but not Sealed by the state.  Therefore I had to get them notarized and sealed in D.C..  Not only did I have to do that, but it had to be done before 11 am which is when the Office of Authentication closes.  So, Anne, Jacob and I started a scavenger hunt through D.C..  We got the notary, and the Seal and it was 10:45.  Thanks to Anne's good driving skills we navigated back to the office, I jumped out of the moving car (really - but moving very slowly) and ran to the office.  I got there at 11:01 and the doors were locked.  I waited for someone to come out and I snuck in the door.  I went to the window and begged the lady to PLEASE take me.  And guess what - she DID!  It restored my faith in the human population.  So then we took my documents to The UAE Embassy, dropped them off, and came on home.  All this on one of the hottest days of the year in LONG SLEEVES.  I know, I know, "it's gonna be a lot hotter where you're going!" 

Getting Ready

I find myself packing a "practice" suitcase.  I leave it for a few days and then open it up to see what I've packed.  Every time I end up taking half the stuff out and asking myself, "Is this something I'll really use?"  Here are some examples:
Candles- my dad once told me I had a candle fettish - I think he's right.
Teaching books - I've decided to spend some extra time at school scanning and putting the ideas on my flash drive.
Children's books
yarn and stuff for my favorite crafts
post it notes *
sharpies*
dry erase markers*      (*these items are supposedly not available there?)
I'm sure I'll get this all figured out in the next month!

School is Done!

School is done, my room is vacated, and my resignation is submitted.  I have Camp Invention to finish up, then three weeks of summer school and  a few weeks to spend with the family and then I'm off to start my big adventure.  I've found a bunch of people who are also going over in August on Facebook.  I keep up with them almost every day, and I find that they have the same questions and concerns that I do. 

My friend Cindy M. has found 4 large suitcases for me at the Opp Shop!  $2 each really beats $70 brand new.  So, my question now is how do I fit my whole life into 2 large suitcases, a carry on and a purse?