Life here in Abu Dhabi seems to have settled into a routine. Pretty much like home really!
I'm also settling into the apartment and getting used to apartment living and the challenges it brings with it.
Work occupies most of my time. Just when I think I've got it sussed in the classroom, the roof lifts with off-the-wall behaviours. I'm beginning to see a pattern so am slowly putting strategies into place to reduce the blow-ups. Who knows? By the end of the term I may be able to work with these girls and get them to learn something.
Most of the girls have become used to me and my strange, foreign sounding English. They, and many of the Americans, have difficulty understanding me. Many of the girls have such poor English that I can understand the behaviour as they have no idea what they are being asked to do. Then there's the other ones who love me to bits and when they say my name they sound as if they have just stepped off the plane from New Zealand. Funny to think that we are all leaving such a legacy here.
I haven't managed to learn much Arabic myself, only greetings from the girls. I'd like to learn more but it is a very difficult language for kiwis to learn due to the gutteral sounds required. I notice the Arabs have difficulty making a 'G' sound so my name is usually spoken with a 'K'. I chuckle to myself when I see the resources I've brought over with me or look online at our spelling ones as I can't imagine myself using them in the classroom. These girls should be way past needing phonics training but they don't have the basics. Yet, others can read, write and speak English extremely well. These are usually girls from families who have come from Egypt, Lebanon or other Gulf countries.
Last Thursday (end of the week for us) our 4th Grade had a trip to one of the Malls. I'm not sure what it was about, just a fun day out I think. Us English teachers aren't even told about these trips much less asked to go. So I offered to go. The Vice Principal thought I was mad then even more so when the other 4th Grade English teacher said she'd go too.
What a day! We had to teach first period then at 9.30 we traisped outside into temperatures in the high 30s or early 40s while we waited for the bus driver to leave his little shelter and unlock the bus. You'd think he'd have done this before we walked outside as he is on the same premises as us. But no! We are cooking, literally, and all the girls are moaning about the heat. Then we board the bus. 3 classes of 24 girls each with 2 English teachers, 1 Arabic teacher and 2 bus monitors. Of course it would be too much to expect that the airconditioning was on, wouldn't it? So off we drive with hot air blowing out. I'm sweating and even the locals were commenting on the heat.
We arrive at the mall and the kids head to the playground. Well, I now know what they are talking about when they say they goto the mall to play. Inside the family playground is every imaginable ride or activity to keep the kids quiet. Well maybe not quiet. The noise was incredible. We were the first to arrive and had to wait for them to open up. There was a roller coaster, 4D cinema, bumper cars, ice-skating rink, bowling alleys, face painting, sand art, food & drink galore, machines to waste money on, other fairground rides and loud music. The girls went wild!
I managed to get some iceskates to fit and headed out onto the rink with my classes. The girls were impressed as I could skate even though I was pretty rusty to begin. The last time I had skates on was in London with Julz. I need some more practice to remaster the backwards skating so might have to hit the rink more often. Several of the malls have them so need to look good before I head to Europe for a winter Christmas.
Our apartment is stuck in the middle of nowhere and I'm finding living out here very different than being in town. I'm lucky as I get a ride to work with my HOF who lives in the next apartment but often taxi home. It is much more expensive as I'm way out of town now. So I'm thinking about getting a car but trying to hold off as long as possible. On main reason would be that it's sooooo hot when you leave the building and you have to walk quite a distance to hail a taxi or to the nearest bus stop. It's hard enough now in the heat and we've still got another 10 degrees to go, along with humidity that hasn't arrived yet.
I'm also finding it a challenge to carry shopping etc up to the apartment and lug it up from a taxi. Last night a man pushed my trolley from the nearby shopping centre (over 2 main roads, numerous curbs, paving stones, then finally he left the trolley and hoisted the boxes of water onto his shoulder while we went cross country over the sand to the apartment). I'm never sure how much to tip and either give way too much or not enough. Talking to locals it should only be 2 dirhams (70c NZ) for the trolley boys, 2-3 dihams (70-90c NZ) for a delivery boy to the apartment, and maybe 5 dirhams ($1.70 NZ) for a major delivery. I had another man carry home my purchases from the bathroom shop the other night. As we live in the middle of nowhere, I always feel a bit silly having this man following me home in the dark! I don't know what the doorman thinks... I often say, "No. I live in Danat B." But the shops insist and send the men running.
Today I've had all my bathroom fittings installed which gives me a lot more storage for towels. I can now hang up the handtowels, have a hook for my hairdryer, have two towel racks in the bathroom, a rail for the face clothes, and a soap dish. In the kitchen I got a double towel rail put up for a hand towel and teatowel. In the guest bathroom I got a towel rack installed which holds the hand towels and swimming towels. So now more things can get off the floor. Plus last night I scored three white coffee tables from then next apartment block.
I've also splurged on curtains for the apartment. There was one curtain rail so I bought two more then got the man to come and measure and quote for making curtains. They installed the rails onto the ceiling and the curtains are the most lavish I've ever owned. I may have to bring them home with me but then I'd have to build a new house to put them in as they are 3 metres long and nearly as wide so huge windows here. My room has a sky blue, my son chose black with a red stripe and for the lounge I've gone for an embossed gold fabric which looks luxurious. The style is very much in keeping with the lavishness of the Arab world. They were more expensive than buying ready mades but still reasonable compared to home. For black-out fabric the bedrooms were 600 dirham each ($200NZ), and the lounge were more expensive as I added a black-out lining, 900 dirham ($300 NZ).
See what you think. (pictures below)
The heat has been over 40 degrees all of last week so am beginning to stay inside the apartment during the day and venture out at night. We have a 24 hour supermarket over the major intersection plus lots of little shops backing onto our building site (which never sleeps). The noise never stops and they have been pouring concrete at night for the last 10 days or so. At times there are 10 concrete mixers lined up with flashing lights waiting to disgorge their loads into the concrete pump which then pumps it up to whatever floor they are laying. Several nights ago I was awoken by bright lights in my room and the floodlights from two cranes were shining in. The other day in our closest crane, two men were fixing something on the end of it within 2 metres of our bedroom windows. There were no safety harnesses or anything like that and at one stage one of the men slipped. I thought we were going to witness a fall of 8 stories! Heart stopping stuff.
Lounge curtains
Bedroom #2
Bedroom #1
I'm just heading out to watch the local touch rugby competition.
I'm also settling into the apartment and getting used to apartment living and the challenges it brings with it.
Work occupies most of my time. Just when I think I've got it sussed in the classroom, the roof lifts with off-the-wall behaviours. I'm beginning to see a pattern so am slowly putting strategies into place to reduce the blow-ups. Who knows? By the end of the term I may be able to work with these girls and get them to learn something.
Most of the girls have become used to me and my strange, foreign sounding English. They, and many of the Americans, have difficulty understanding me. Many of the girls have such poor English that I can understand the behaviour as they have no idea what they are being asked to do. Then there's the other ones who love me to bits and when they say my name they sound as if they have just stepped off the plane from New Zealand. Funny to think that we are all leaving such a legacy here.
I haven't managed to learn much Arabic myself, only greetings from the girls. I'd like to learn more but it is a very difficult language for kiwis to learn due to the gutteral sounds required. I notice the Arabs have difficulty making a 'G' sound so my name is usually spoken with a 'K'. I chuckle to myself when I see the resources I've brought over with me or look online at our spelling ones as I can't imagine myself using them in the classroom. These girls should be way past needing phonics training but they don't have the basics. Yet, others can read, write and speak English extremely well. These are usually girls from families who have come from Egypt, Lebanon or other Gulf countries.
Last Thursday (end of the week for us) our 4th Grade had a trip to one of the Malls. I'm not sure what it was about, just a fun day out I think. Us English teachers aren't even told about these trips much less asked to go. So I offered to go. The Vice Principal thought I was mad then even more so when the other 4th Grade English teacher said she'd go too.
What a day! We had to teach first period then at 9.30 we traisped outside into temperatures in the high 30s or early 40s while we waited for the bus driver to leave his little shelter and unlock the bus. You'd think he'd have done this before we walked outside as he is on the same premises as us. But no! We are cooking, literally, and all the girls are moaning about the heat. Then we board the bus. 3 classes of 24 girls each with 2 English teachers, 1 Arabic teacher and 2 bus monitors. Of course it would be too much to expect that the airconditioning was on, wouldn't it? So off we drive with hot air blowing out. I'm sweating and even the locals were commenting on the heat.
We arrive at the mall and the kids head to the playground. Well, I now know what they are talking about when they say they goto the mall to play. Inside the family playground is every imaginable ride or activity to keep the kids quiet. Well maybe not quiet. The noise was incredible. We were the first to arrive and had to wait for them to open up. There was a roller coaster, 4D cinema, bumper cars, ice-skating rink, bowling alleys, face painting, sand art, food & drink galore, machines to waste money on, other fairground rides and loud music. The girls went wild!
I managed to get some iceskates to fit and headed out onto the rink with my classes. The girls were impressed as I could skate even though I was pretty rusty to begin. The last time I had skates on was in London with Julz. I need some more practice to remaster the backwards skating so might have to hit the rink more often. Several of the malls have them so need to look good before I head to Europe for a winter Christmas.
Our apartment is stuck in the middle of nowhere and I'm finding living out here very different than being in town. I'm lucky as I get a ride to work with my HOF who lives in the next apartment but often taxi home. It is much more expensive as I'm way out of town now. So I'm thinking about getting a car but trying to hold off as long as possible. On main reason would be that it's sooooo hot when you leave the building and you have to walk quite a distance to hail a taxi or to the nearest bus stop. It's hard enough now in the heat and we've still got another 10 degrees to go, along with humidity that hasn't arrived yet.
I'm also finding it a challenge to carry shopping etc up to the apartment and lug it up from a taxi. Last night a man pushed my trolley from the nearby shopping centre (over 2 main roads, numerous curbs, paving stones, then finally he left the trolley and hoisted the boxes of water onto his shoulder while we went cross country over the sand to the apartment). I'm never sure how much to tip and either give way too much or not enough. Talking to locals it should only be 2 dirhams (70c NZ) for the trolley boys, 2-3 dihams (70-90c NZ) for a delivery boy to the apartment, and maybe 5 dirhams ($1.70 NZ) for a major delivery. I had another man carry home my purchases from the bathroom shop the other night. As we live in the middle of nowhere, I always feel a bit silly having this man following me home in the dark! I don't know what the doorman thinks... I often say, "No. I live in Danat B." But the shops insist and send the men running.
Today I've had all my bathroom fittings installed which gives me a lot more storage for towels. I can now hang up the handtowels, have a hook for my hairdryer, have two towel racks in the bathroom, a rail for the face clothes, and a soap dish. In the kitchen I got a double towel rail put up for a hand towel and teatowel. In the guest bathroom I got a towel rack installed which holds the hand towels and swimming towels. So now more things can get off the floor. Plus last night I scored three white coffee tables from then next apartment block.
I've also splurged on curtains for the apartment. There was one curtain rail so I bought two more then got the man to come and measure and quote for making curtains. They installed the rails onto the ceiling and the curtains are the most lavish I've ever owned. I may have to bring them home with me but then I'd have to build a new house to put them in as they are 3 metres long and nearly as wide so huge windows here. My room has a sky blue, my son chose black with a red stripe and for the lounge I've gone for an embossed gold fabric which looks luxurious. The style is very much in keeping with the lavishness of the Arab world. They were more expensive than buying ready mades but still reasonable compared to home. For black-out fabric the bedrooms were 600 dirham each ($200NZ), and the lounge were more expensive as I added a black-out lining, 900 dirham ($300 NZ).
See what you think. (pictures below)
The heat has been over 40 degrees all of last week so am beginning to stay inside the apartment during the day and venture out at night. We have a 24 hour supermarket over the major intersection plus lots of little shops backing onto our building site (which never sleeps). The noise never stops and they have been pouring concrete at night for the last 10 days or so. At times there are 10 concrete mixers lined up with flashing lights waiting to disgorge their loads into the concrete pump which then pumps it up to whatever floor they are laying. Several nights ago I was awoken by bright lights in my room and the floodlights from two cranes were shining in. The other day in our closest crane, two men were fixing something on the end of it within 2 metres of our bedroom windows. There were no safety harnesses or anything like that and at one stage one of the men slipped. I thought we were going to witness a fall of 8 stories! Heart stopping stuff.
Lounge curtains
Bedroom #2
Bedroom #1
I'm just heading out to watch the local touch rugby competition.
No comments:
Post a Comment