It's All Over

I walked into my classroom on Thursday and my assistant, bless her heart, had cleared it out. We still had 4.5 hours of school left and surely at least 10 of my students would show up, even though I had been telling them since graduation that I would not be offended if they called it quits early. I wanted to have more netflix and pillow fort days without them.
Anywho, this is what it looked like in my room

Not bad except for the fact that the children kept asking me what they were going to play with since all the toys had been packed up and it was way too hot to go outside. Kids these days just don't know about using your imagination! Or playing 7 Up, which we played for about half an hour before they got bored. During that time I got to thinking about how far I've come in the past year and some of the lessons I've learned during that time and thought it would make a good blog post, so here goes.

In no particular order, here are some of the lessons I've learned in my year of living and teaching abroad:

Don't sweat the small stuff
I can admit that I'm a perfectionist and a little OCD. I like having my stuff in order and being in control of the things that happen to and around me. Living abroad has taught me that you can't always control what happens, but you can control how you react to things. Things will make you upset undoubtedly, but you have to ask yourself if it's really all that big a deal in the grand scheme of things.

Kids are the same no matter where you go
And for the most part, so are their parents. They just want to feel valued and be happy, and in turn build relationships with you. I'm so thankful for the relationships that I've been able to build with my students and their parents. This year has been the perfect example of how teacher - student - parent relationships should go, even if some of the parents were a bit overly concerned about me making sure their child ate all of his/her lunch each day.

You'll never grow if you don't leap
Nothing great ever came from being afraid to take risks. There will be many times in your life that you have to choose between taking the safe path and venturing down the path to uncharted territory. In those times, pray and LISTEN and then follow your heart. Chances are, the uncharted path will lead to new experiences and growth and it will make you a better person.

Don't let anyone take advantage of you
Be knowledgeable and stand up for yourself. I always worry that when I'm traveling people will try to take advantage of me because either a) I'm a woman, b) I'm american, c) they think I'm stupid, or d) all of the above, so I try to be as prepared as possible, especially with money conversions and how much things are worth. When in doubt, wait it out has become my motto lately and it has served me well. There's never any harm in taking time to think things through or do a quick google search to get more information.

Sometimes you have to make your own rules

Do you see all those empty parking spaces, and this person just went and made his own space?! What creativity! How bold! I would have never thought of that, and if I did think to do it, the thought would have quickly been replaced by 'but I'll get a ticket. or towed'. Nope, not this guy, he saw an opportunity and he took it because, sometimes rules are merely suggestions. Now, I'm being funny here, but I find that in Abu Dhabi at least, especially when it comes to rules of the road, they really are just suggestions and people do what they want. Sometimes you have to take that approach with life. Take charge and make your own rules, be bold.

After all,

Ramadan Kareem!

Hello readers!

Today marks the 6th day since the start of the Holy Month of Ramadan. I thought a lot about how I wanted to use my time during Ramadan and whether or not I would participate in fasting over the week leading up to it. Part of my thinking process involved going to my favorite beach club with my floppy beach hat and my journal to rest and relax. Being at the beach with sand under my toes and the sound of the ocean waves always makes me feel so peaceful. Getting a super sweet tan and having a waiter bring me fresh watermelon juice and a club sandwich were added bonuses.

so peaceful :)

looks like heaven to me!

So, after a few hours of partaking in nature's beauty, I ultimately settled on setting aside a small amount of quiet time each day to read in my devotional and journal about 1 thing I'm thankful for, and fasting from 6am to noon. Our school hours have been reduced so we only have students from about 7:45 to noon (I still get 90 minutes of planning time a day) and work time until 1:30 now, which makes my two goals pretty easily achievable.

At school, there are designated areas for people who are not fasting to eat, the doors and windows are covered with black paper, and kids in kindergarten and first grade are still allowed to eat as usual. Older students have the option of choosing when they want to begin fasting but a lot start small by fasting for a short period of time during the day. A few of my students have come in and told me that they are starting to fast and have been very excited about it. I guess they are excited about being 'big boys' and starting to do what their dads and older brothers are doing.

One of the first things you notice about Ramadan is that you will see less people out and about during the day, and more out after dark. Getting to and from work has never been easier, and businesses open later and stay open until well after midnight. At the mall, restaurants are closed during the day and there's also no music playing in any of the stores. We went to the movies last night, and for once there were no lines (!) but the workers also wouldn't sell us any popcorn or drinks.

Jurassic World 4D was awesome by the way, even without popcorn! I can't wait to see Terminator in 4D.

Anyway, so far for myself, fasting hasn't been so bad once I got used to it. On the first day I was okay, but then we had the weekend so I was at home and able to eat when and how I wanted. The next day at school, I got busy and lazy (its amazing how they can both happen at the same time) and didn't eat anything or drink any water when I had the chance and in my excitement to get home at the end of the day I also didn't drink any water before leaving school to make the 25 minute drive home (drinking or eating in your car can get you pulled over with hefty fines or even jail time). I have never felt so sick in my life. It felt like my body was cooking from the inside out, I was dizzy and nauseous, and I kept dozing off, thank God I wasn't driving. Since then I've been more mindful about staying hydrated and make sure I eat a good breakfast and something substantial at noon after the kids go home.

I never really liked drinking water before, but it is so essential, especially when you live in the desert and it gets so hot. This afternoon before my friend and I left to head home, I found myself frantically running to the water cooler and chugging a bottle of water in the hallway (not a designated eating/drinking space) while anxiously looking around to make sure none of the muslim teachers saw me. Nothing makes you realize what a privilege it is to be able to eat and drink whenever/wherever you want like not being able to do it when and wherever you want. It is something that is very much taken for granted. Last night after the movie, we went to Shake Shack (yeah buddy!) for dinner and I absentmindedly started to walk out with my strawberry lemonade in hand before I realized that you can't just walk around the mall with a drink or have one as you drive home from a night out during Ramadan.

So, for my day 6 of Ramadan thankful thought, I am thankful for food and water and the ability to get it whenever I want or need it. I know that for many people in this world it is not a given and I am very thankful indeed. Alhamdulillah

Milestones You Don't Want to Reach

It has been one zero days since someone shat their pants in my classroom :(

I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

The End is Near

Last week was my student's graduation promotion ceremony. I'm not a fan of graduations for kindergartners but let's just say the parents at my school are very big fans of graduations for kindergartners, so we had one. And luckily, our parents were so committed they did a lot of the planning, organizing, and decorating so all I really had to do was show up with my 25 little munchkins in tow.

It was actually a really nice ceremony! The kids were so excited and adorable in their fancy clothes. They sang "First Grade, First Grade" and then we surprised them with a recording of us teachers dancing to "Uptown Funk". Each class also did the cute black and white pictures with each kid holding a chalkboard with what they want to be when they grow up that we posted in a gallery for parents to see. There were the typical doctors, teachers, and scientists, and then some kids really thought outside of the box and wanted to be things like ninjas. My favorites were: 'riding a horse', 'a first grader', and 'a pirate'. We also had each of the teachers take the same kind of picture, and I have to say their career choices were quite boring. A lot of mommies and boring desk jobs and one who just wanted to be taller. I think mine was the best, I'll post the actual picture later, but I don't want anyone trying to steal my future career.

I made each of my students a dvd with all of the pictures I had taken over the course of the year as a gift. I worked really hard on it and picked good songs that I thought went well with the theme of the whole thing, so I was really excited to give it to them. After graduation and gifts it was time for the parents to take their little graduates home, and for me to make a pillow fort in my classroom and watch netflix for approximately four hours. It was glorious and I think I'm ready to start a campaign for one day a week to be just like that.

Even though we had graduation last week, we still aren't finished with school yet. As of today we still have 13 days left, but many of my students have already left to go back to their home countries for the summer. Yesterday only 14 out of my 25 students showed up and it will probably only get worse as time goes on and Ramadan begins. With so few kids at school my classroom was noticeably more quiet and organized, which was nice. My students also noticed the difference and one special little one took the time to let me know. While coloring with his best friend, he said to me, "this feels like heaven to me Miss D, it's nice" and it really touched my heart that a six year old would even think of comparing something to heaven. Then he added, "when (absent classmate) is here it feels like hell to me". Outta the mouths of babes!

Brunching With Friends

This weekend marks the last weekend before the holy month Ramadan. This will be my first time really experiencing it, I'm sure it will be quite the learning experience. I've been trying to think about how I want to observe it. Although I'm not muslim I still think it will be a good opportunity for me to reflect and grow a little closer to God in my own way. That is, of course, a very personal journey so I don't know if I will make a post on it but be sure to check back for more updates on my Ramadan observations and my summer travels. Next travel destinations include Turkey and Bermuda ;)

Anywho, back to the brunching. Since Ramadan is right around the corner, people are preparing in many different ways. All of the stores are having sales on clothes, appliances, and food, I am trying to stay out of all of them. Mostly because I'm trying to cut back on my spending, but also because I'm losing patience for all of the crowds and chaos. Many expats leave for the summer so there have been a lot of going away parties and things of that nature happening over the past few weeks as well. I've seen a lot more people with the trademark opaque black bags that signify liquor purchases, so I assume people are stocking up in preparation for liquor stores closing. I really have no idea what to expect during Ramadan, but I'll only be here for about two weeks of it so I figure I'll just ride the wave and see what happens.

My last hurrah before Ramadan was brunch at the Hyatt Capital Gate, and it was absolutely fabulous. I didn't know it before arriving, but the hotel has the Guinness world record for being furthest leaning man made tower. The hotel itself is beautiful inside and out and the staff really take care of its guests. 

I always love the artwork in hotels here

We arrived on the 18th floor and were greeted with cocktails and shown to our table which overlooked the whole city. I got a couple pictures of the view, but I'll post them later. There was an outdoor deck too but it was way too hot to sit outside for any extended amount of time, I kept thinking how amazing it would be to sit out there at night in January when it's cool, but I digress. The brunch itself had carving stations with roast beef, chicken, and the biggest fish I've ever seen, along with pizza, blue crabs, shrimp, salads, and a table full of desserts. My favorite was the homemade ice cream and sorbet bar with 18 different flavors.

I loved every minute of this brunch, it was definitely my favorite one I've been to. Sadly, the time flew by and it was over before I knew it. I think my dessert plate and tea were the perfect way to end it :)

gotta love that view

After brunch, we headed over to the mall, of course. When the temperatures are above 100 every day there isn't much else to do. I've been going to the movies a lot lately and I must say, I really like it a lot. The theaters here have really got it figured out. They offer Imax, 3D, 4D and Gold experiences, which I had never heard of but makes sense given the extravagance that is the UAE. If you go with the gold experience you get to sit in an exclusive gold lounge while you wait to be allowed into your theater, kind of like the first class lounge in the airport. The seats in the theater fully recline and they give you a super soft chenille blanket to relax with, plus there are waitstaff to take orders and bring you food.

Speaking of food, the popcorn is the best I've ever had. They have regular butter popcorn, caramel corn, and cheese, but you can ask them to mix it and get all three. It sounds disgusting but it really is so good! Going to the movies is by far the best way to keep cool and entertained on a hot day.

More Kids Say the Darndest Things

Smooth Operator
I have this one little girl who is, shall we say a little bit fresh. I have to tell her all the time to keep her lips to herself because she's always kissing the little boys. Her best friend has an older brother who is about 16 years old. One day after the other little girl's brother dropped her off at school, I overhear her asking "So...does your brother have a girlfriend?"

It's Getting Hot in Here
The weather has been getting hotter here lately, temperatures have been above 100 for the past few weeks. One morning after recess my kids were complaining about how hot it was outside when one special friend declared that it "felt like hell"

A Bad, Bad Day
I like to incorporate music in my classroom. I also believe in accountability, so when kids misbehave I make them write an apology. This little fellow incorporated the chorus from Despicable Me into his apology to me. I'm not sure how sorry he actually was.

What's It Like to Live and Teach Abroad?

updated 5/21/15 to include information on how to find a job teaching abroad and clothing expectations.

I missed my six month anniversary but I'm just about to celebrate my nine month anniversary of being here in Abu Dhabi. I figured that now would be the perfect time to reflect on my time here so far and also have a written record of why I love it here so much (as I may need to look back at this at a later date to remind myself). If you're considering taking the leap and moving overseas, or if you just want to know what it's like to live and work in the middle east, read on.

On what to expect your first month here:
My first month here was undoubtedly the toughest. I was originally supposed to go to teach in Doha, Qatar, but was diverted to Abu Dhabi just a few days before I was supposed to leave. Everyone I've said that to since I've been here has said that I lucked out because in terms of social life there is a lot more to do here, but being diverted last minute meant I had no time to prepare for the change. I had absolutely no idea what to expect when I arrived, which can be a good and bad thing. I started with a clean slate of sorts, but I didn't have the time to research and prepare some of the things that my other coworkers did. If I had to describe my first month here in one word it would be: frustrating. It felt like being out in the world on my own for the first time again. I remember comparing it to being like college a lot. Figuring out how to get around a new city, set up phone and cable service, making new friends, decorating your apartment, and being homesick will probably be a major part of your life. Those things are all the more challenging when you're in a foreign country and not everyone speaks English. This is around the time when you will learn the word 'Insha'Allah'. For example, me:"So you'll come fix my air conditioning tomorrow at 3 pm?" worker:"...Insha'Allah" or 'I may or may not get there tomorrow and it may or may not be at 3 pm, but thank you for calling.'

I was/am part of a Facebook group of teachers who are living and teaching abroad and that helped tremendously. Your friends and family won't likely understand or be able to help with the frustrations you're experiencing so having other friends to vent to and ask questions of can be a big stress reliever. I also joined the Abu Dhabi Q&A group on Facebook, which is a place for people to ask and answer questions related to living here, such as what's the best hospital to go to or where to find cranberries for your Thanksgiving dinner. I also started reading blogs of other teachers who are living abroad to get an idea of what to expect. Two of my favorites are The Abu Dhabi Experience and Black Girl In Abu Dhabi.

On the weather and climate:
It's hot, plain and simple. But not forever :) When I arrived in August the heat was stifling. My air conditioning was also broken the first month I was here so that didn't help. It is hot and humid and you will smell lots of people's body odor, but around October the weather starts to cool down and is just beautiful with averages in the 80s. After a while you'll find yourself thinking that temperatures in the 60s feel as cold as you remember winter to be and you will see people in full on winter coats with hats and gloves.

On teaching abroad:
I can only offer my totally biased opinion on this since I have only worked at one school abroad. This is my first time working at a private, for profit school, all of my time teaching in the States was in Title 1 schools. Both have their pros and cons. I've experienced more parent involvement here, which again, has its pros and cons, and has taken some adjusting to. As far as the children, I love them all and would rather spend my days with kids over adults any day, that goes for American as well as international kids. My work commitments and working hours are a lot more here, we work from 7:30 to 3:30 and are required to do an after school activity for 18 weeks out of the year, but my take home pay is about two times what it was in the states. Most teaching contracts here are two years, so that allows you the potential to save (and spend) a lot of money.

On how to find a job abroad and what to expect if you're offered a contract:
So if you're thinking of teaching abroad you're probably wondering where and how to get started. My journey started after reading an article on pinterest about the top five places to teach abroad, which led me to Teach Away, an education placement company. Some of my friends have also used Search Associates to find other jobs abroad, but since I have no experience with them I can't elaborate on the experience. Setting up a profile with Teach Away is free (I've heard Search charges) and they have counselor who will interview you and help you by sending your resume out to schools that fit your interests. I was assigned a counselor named Una who helped me so much, especially during that stressful time when I was in limbo after I found out I would not be going to Qatar. She answered all of my questions, gave great advice, and has even checked in with me from time to time to make sure that I was/am doing well and happy with my decision. Aside from working with a placement agency, there are also job fairs specifically for teachers looking to work abroad, but they aren't really publicized and it helps to be working with an agency because they will be able to tell you exactly when and where the job fairs are. Most schools overseas begin their hiring process in early January and finish up around March, which is different than in the states, so be aware and plan your time accordingly.

After you interview and are hired by a school you will be offered a contract that will most likely include your salary, health insurance, annual flight home and housing accommodations. Some contracts also include signing bonuses as well as shipping allowances to help pay for moving your stuff from point a to point b, but it really depends on what school you're hired by and sometimes whether or not you ask for it. Most contracts have a clause that tells you not to speak about your salary with anyone else, so I won't give specifics, but if you want to know a ballpark range of what you should expect feel free to send me a private message.

Part of the hiring process will include an authentication of your documents, which is basically just you submitting paperwork to prove who you are and what your qualifications are. It will be extremely helpful and prevent a lot of stress if you have these documents authenticated sooner than later. The process varies by country, but I had to have my college transcripts, degrees, and teaching license verified before I could get my residence visa. I became intimately acquainted with my local post office and spent a ton of money getting it done, looking back I would advise you to save yourself the time and headache by using a courier service and having them do all the legwork for you.

On having a social life:
I'm an introvert by nature but I've challenged myself to get out and do and see more now that I'm here. Living abroad is the perfect excuse to try new things and reinvent yourself if you want to. Abu Dhabi has a huge expat community so there are always new people to meet and explore with. It's like you bond over being new in this foreign place and make friends much faster and easier than you normally would, like college. You can meet people from all over the world here, but what has been most surprising to me is how many people from close to home that I've met. There are so many things to see and do here, it is nearly impossible to be bored. From sports clubs and matches to clubs and bars to cultural events you could fill your calendar with things to do every day of the week, and yes, we do have most of the same restaurants and foods that you have in the states. We don't have Chick Fil-A but I've survived.

One thing I would suggest doing if social activities are important to you and you plan on moving abroad is to sign up for meetup.com and search for the city/country you plan on moving to. Meetup isn't a dating site, it just puts you in contact with other people who have similar interests to you. For example, if you're into dancing, there are meetup groups that plan or go to events around the city. You can talk to other members before going so you can get to know them so that you don't feel completely alone when you go to the event.

You can have an active social life whether you're single and looking to date, or you have a family and want to find other families to do things with. Dating in a muslim country is a little bit different because there are rules and laws against men approaching women to talk to them or ask for their phone numbers in public, and pda is frowned upon, so having a hobby or going out to try new activities will help you to meet people. I have three friends who have met guys and gotten engaged since being here, so the rules aren't that much of a barrier if you're really looking to date.

Maintaining relationships with friends and family can be a challenge when you're living abroad, you definitely need to have a plan for how you will keep in touch with loved ones. Thank God we're no longer in the times of having to buy and load calling cards! Once you get past the major headache of getting a SIM card for your cellphone, you can pretty much talk to your loved ones as often as you want. The only down side is that being halfway across the world means that I'm 8-9 hours ahead of my family on the east coast so when I'm going to bed they're waking up, so it makes finding a time to call a little bit of a challenge.

On how to dress in a muslim country:
No, I don't have to wear an abaya when I go out, and yes, we do have many of the same stores that are in the states. Abu Dhabi is actually pretty liberal when it comes to clothing, the only exception is during Ramadan and other holidays when you might be asked to leave public places if you're dressed in clothes that are too revealing. I would say that 99% of the time no one will look at you twice for wearing shorts or sleeveless tops, I have gone out in both and not had any problems. But I do try to make sure that if I'm wearing a sleeveless top I keep my legs covered or vice versa, and I always make sure to keep a scarf in my purse to cover my shoulders if I need to. Oddly enough, I have started to like dressing more conservatively. Maybe its totally a mental thing, but I feel like people look at me more respectfully when I do. I've even started covering my hair from time to time when I go out and have noticed the same.

On being a black woman and maintaining your hair abroad:
First things first, stock up on hair products and be prepared to purchase all new styling tools. My natural hair definitely went through a state of shock when I first moved here. The water is desalinated but still very salty and therefore drying to your hair and skin. Your skin and nails will inevitably peel, and your hair may shed or break more, so your first major purchase should be a shower filter. Even with that maintaining moisture will be a daily struggle and finding hair products will be next to impossible. This is where that facebook group will come in handy because sometimes people post products from home for sale or trade. Your other option is to have things shipped from home, but shipping is expensive and amazon does not deliver here. Thankfully, I had family come to visit and had them bring me hair supplies so I have a pretty good stash built up. Most people wait until they go home to the states and bring their hair products and other things they can't get here back with them. Another thing to keep in mind is that the outlets here are 220v which means your electronics will at the very least need an adapter to work properly. I have burnt out many appliances even with the adapter, so you're better off just buying blow dryers, flat irons, etc., here.

On living in the US vs living abroad:
While living close to home has its benefits (familiarity with your surroundings, being close to family), and living abroad has its risks (distance from family, potential safety concerns), for me the benefits of living abroad far outweigh the risks. I know that the media paints the picture of the middle east being undeveloped and scary, but those things couldn't be farther from the truth. Abu Dhabi is probably one of the safest places you could hope to live, crime is almost unheard of and the people are generally helpful and friendly. When I was living in the states I had to choose between the things I wanted to do and needed to do with my paycheck, but here I don't have to. I've been able to travel to other countries, shop and treat myself to bi-weekly mani/pedis (I'm trying to cut back but its hard, the struggle is real), and also save a lot of money and pay off several credit cards. I've had a more active social life than I ever did back home and I find myself happier on a day to day basis. I do miss my family and friends a lot, but with skype and facetime I can see and talk to them as often as I want. And I'm allowed to be in the states (for tax purposes) for 30 days per year so I get to see them about as often as I did when I was living in the states. So if I had to decide whether or not I'd extend my contract for another two years today, I would definitely be signing on that dotted line. I've got more places to see!