Christmas in the USA

Well, its been quite a while since the last time I posted anything, and I do apologize.  I have had Internet issues in the UAE that have prevented me from being able to upload pictures and have a consistently reliable connection.  However, it is my New Year's Resolution to post more often, even if you don't always get pictures to go along with it. 

Anyway, here I sit at home in the US on Christmas morning to about 6 inches of snow outside!  This is something I can only get at home.  I also got to spend a terrific evening last night with my family-grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, husband, and kids-enjoying good food and the ever popular "Rob Your Neighbor" gift exchange. 

So, with just a few more days left before heading back to the UAE, I will be spending it doing some shopping, laundry, and packing for another long flight on Tuesday.  Hopefully I'll recover from the trip back in time to ring in the New Year right with some friends on Friday night before heading back to school on Sunday!

A Desert Safari

Wow!  This weekend was by far the best I have had since I’ve arrived in the UAE. 

On Friday, I went on a desert safari with several other teacher friends.  We were picked up in Al Ain and driven to the desert outside of Dubai.  The highlight of the entire trip was the fantastic dune bashing.  Driving up, down and sliding around on the dunes in the Pathfinder was like being on a rollercoaster ride!  It was so exciting to fly up one side and crash down the other side of the sand dunes.  At one point we took a break and stopped at a camel farm and were welcomed by the several camels who wanted to get to know us better.  They came right up to us to get their picture taken and to get rubbed on their noses and necks.  They were such curious and calm creatures.  We then continued with more careening through the desert until we came to a coral bed in the middle of nowhere to see the sunset.  When that was done, we headed to an Arabic camp for dinner, henna painting, and belly dancing to end the evening.  It was a great way to spend my birthday!

On Saturday, I spent much of the day at my new apartment getting things ready so that I can move in this week.  I have to say that after more than 7 weeks in a hotel, I am ready to clean, do laundry, cook, and live normal routine again in my own space.  I especially can’t wait to have a meal that I have prepared myself-perhaps Spaghetti, Black Bean Soup, Chicken Tarragon, or even real bacon and eggs for breakfast.

Anyway-here are some pictures of the safari. Enjoy and stay tuned...

New Apartment

Finally got the keys to my new apartment!  It is a cute little two bedroom, two bath place with a large kitchen, storage area, and living room area.  I have ordered furniture and appliances, and they will be arriving this week. 

For the meantime, I have left teh Hilton and am not staying at the Grand Mercure on Jebel Hafeet.  The views are fantastic!  the drive up the mountain reminds me a lot of driving through the canyon areas on Utah.

I wish I could upload my photos, but for some reason, that is not working right now.  So, they will be coming soon!

The First Days of School

What could be better than getting going early with a great “Breakfast Box” each day while staying at the Hilton?  They pack plenty of food to cover breakfast, lunch and a couple of snacks for the drive to Al Wagan-about one hour away.  Thankfully the drive is fairly nice.  The sand dunes are a beautiful red color, the camels are roaming, Oman is in sight, and the Mountain Jabel Hafeet, lets you know Al Ain is getting close.  The only things to watch out for are the speed “humps” along the highway as you near towns along the way and the surprisingly thick fog that slows you down.

This weeks was the first week of school for the students at Al Saad.  This year, I am lucky enough to work with nine LTs and their Arab counterparts.  It really looks like we have a great group of teachers and I can’t wait to get to know all of them better. 

I find it amazingly refreshing to see how eager my LTs are to learn from their partner teachers and share their ideas as well.  The same can also be said for the Arab teachers who come from Jordan, Syria, Sudan, and the UAE.  Everyone is so friendly and welcoming.  In fact, in the mornings, there is much hugging and kissing as they greet each other and us, too!  I am being made to feel very welcome at my school.  As I have said before, Saad means happiness, and it appears that is very much the case. 

On another note, we were told that we should be getting keys to our apartments this weekend.  So, as soon as those are in hand I will be taking a little trip and taking plenty of pictures of my new digs.  I imagine the next week being very busy getting household items and furniture together so I can move in as soon as possible.

Stay tuned...

Picture Time!

Here are some promised photos-These are from my trip to the Sheikh Zayed Mosque:

These are pictures from the Fairmont Hotel-5 Stars are well earned!

The Road to Al Ain

I finally made it to Al Ain today!!!  The road from Abu Dhabi is a pretty good highway-3 lanes in each direction.  Some of the sights included camels, goats in the back of trucks and plenty of sand.  One thing that was quite interesting was the rest/service areas along the highway.  Our bus stopped at one and nearly hit several cars more than once.  There was a lot of inching the bus forwards and backwards until he was finally able to gas up.  However, the most interesting sight was the mosques at the service/rest areas.  In fact, our bus driver even took a break to run in and pray!  It if fascinating how their religion is so closely tied to their everyday lives. 

Sheikh Zayed Mosque

Today was a big day. We began the day with a “Field Trip” to the Sheikh Zayed Mosque. During the bus ride over to the mosque, I was in awe of all the construction going on around Abu Dhabi. It made me think that it was much like living in a house while the builders are still constructing it around you. I have never seen so much construction in one place.


The Mosque itself was amazing! Building began in 1996 and is still going on as they continue to expand. It was quite a beautiful, holy place. The columns, domes, glass, chandeliers, and tiles are all very grand. Here are several facts about it:  It contains the world’s largest chandelier, the world’s largest dome in a mosque, and it is the third largest mosque in the world.  I also had to dress in an abaya (black dress) and shayla (head scarf). This was required before we could enter the main prayers area.  Picture will be posted soon.

Afterwards, I found out my actual school assignment. I will be at an Al Saad, an all girl’s school in Al Wagan. It is south of Al Ain, and a bus will take me to/from school every day. By the Way-I was told that Saad means Happiness. I am sure it will be that way if it is anything like what I have experienced so far here in Abu Dhabi.

Tomorrow looks as if it will be the big day-the day I finally go to Al Ain. I will be staying in a hotel there for a few days, then back to Abu Dhabi next week for some more training and then into my apartment by the end of next week-Insalla (God willing)!

The First Week

Well, it has been a rather slow week. Here is a quick rundown of the events:


Sunday morning began with a brief orientation. Part of this included getting bank accounts set up and photos for our ADEC identification cards.

Monday was a day off for Al Ain teachers (myself included) since ADEC was showing Abu Dhabi teachers accommodations around the city.

Tuesday was our medical exam day. Within an hour of arriving at the hospital, I was done! This included giving my medical history, blood drawn and chest x-ray. They sure were fast! And, everything seemed to be very modern, much like the States.

Wednesday, we had our visit to the police to have our fingerprints taken and photos for our IDs. This was not until late at night, so I ventured around the mall-again.

Thursday, we supposed to travel to Al Ain to see where we’ll be living for the next two years. Unfortunately, this trip was canceled and we ended up with another day off. The highlight was dinner at a little Lebanese restaurant. The manager (from Jerusalem) and the chef (from Jordan) treated us to a number of dishes in addition to our meal-it was really great food and we had a nice conversation with them as well.

Friday, in the Muslim culture, is a Holy Day. As a result most everything was be closed until late in the day. Over here, Friday and Saturday are the weekend-not Saturday and Sunday like in the States. However, the IKEA was open so we took the afternoon to shop and get a better idea of what items to order for our apartments.

Today, is another day off, so I spent some time down by the pool, getting cool in the water and soaking up the rays. Tonight, we are planning to go to the Iranian Market and do some shopping. I am told that here we will see sellers pulling things off the boats and selling just about anything. We’ll see how accurate that is.

In the mean time, School Orientation starts up tomorrow and from what I hear, it will be a much busier week.

First Days in Abu Dhabi

Well, I’m finally here in Abu Dhabi. The flight from Chicago was a long, 14 hours but Etihad provided some great service. There was plenty of food including 2 hot seafood meals, Klondike bars, and caramel corn, and drinks. The only downside for me was that my headphones didn’t work, so there were no movies on the flight for me.


When we arrived, Nirvana Travel met us and led us through Customs very smoothly. They did a retina scan on us as well as part of the processing. After claiming our bags, we were given roses, left the airport, and went to our hotel. I am staying at the Beach Rotana (5 Stars)! It has been very nice. There is fresh fruit and bottled water in our rooms each day. The only down side is no free wi-fi. The room though, is serviced 3 times a day! In fact, here is a picture of my room:

Yesterday, I went to the Marina Mall with some other teachers and we visited the Carrfour-think Wal-Mart on steroids. The food selection is tremendous, including fresh fish, spices and produce from around the world. There is everything I could get in the US and more! After that, we went to visit the Emirate Palace (a 7 Star Hotel). WOW! It sure was beautiful and grand. We also stopped and visited their Embroidery Exhibit. It was amazing.

Finally, last evening, I met up with several other teachers and we went next door to the Abu Dhabi Mall and had dinner. Since Ramadan is going on right now, we had to wait until 8 PM to eat (it is illegal to eat or drink anything in public during the daylight hours). By the time I got back to the room for bed it was 11 PM. I will have to learn to become a Night Owl and take naps during the day to keep up with everyone!

Anyway, I have to run now to get off to my orientation. I will try to post again in a couple of days. Bye, for now!

Travel Day

Today is the day I travel half way around the world.  My bags are packed and now I'm just waiting for my husband to return from running some errands before we head off in a bit to have lunch with my mom before heading to the airport.  My flight leaves St. Louis at 4 PM and then I leave from Chicago at 8:30 PM.  It will be Friday at 7:30 PM in Abu Dhabi when I arrive.  Keep in mind there is a 9 hour time difference.

Anyway, saying my goodbyes to my kiddos this morning went much better than I thought it would go-mo major tears.  I am hoping for the same when I have to say goodbye to Curt at the airport later.  This trip is going to be a test of just how independent I can be and how great a father Curt can be.   I know that we will both succeed and grow as a result of the challenges that will be ahead.

Finally, thanks to everyone for their prayers!  I love you all and will miss everyone, but will keep in contact as much as possible.  In fact, my next post will be from Abu Dhabi and will include pictures, too!  I can't wait to get there and see what awaits.

Packing for the Journey

In just five short days I will be boarding my flight in St. Louis, head to Chicago, and then make my connection to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.  Then, the adventure will truly begin.  I'll be teaching Kindergarten and living in a foreign country for the next two years.

As a result, much of this afternoon was spent packing one of two suitcase I can take on the long flight to Abu Dhabi.  Going through all of my belongings and trying to decide what to take, what not to take, and staying within the limits of my suitcases and the airline weight limits sure is a challenge.  Luckily, after about 4 hours, I have one bag packed and am well on my way to filling up the second.  I do have to give a shout out to my daughter, Abra, for helping me make some crucial decisions about what to take and how to pack it-You Rock, Girl!

Anyway, be sure to check back often and see my progress!  I promise to post often and tell the story of my adventures here.