Weekend

I've had a busy and relaxing weekend if you can have the same in one weekend. 

Thursday night my friend drove in from the Western Region and we met up at our favourite hairdresser in the Rotana Hotel down on the Corniche.  I had a colour, cut and condition treatment so feel like a million dollars again.  I forwent the blowdry as it is another 100AED and I didn't feel it was worth it.

Once again I had my Lebanase hairdresser who informed me that it was lucky that I went in then as he was off on holiday for the next six weeks during Ramadam.  He is heading back to Lebanon so no haircuts then.  I was also, again, impressed with the beauty and elegance of the women in the salon who left looking like a million dollars.  Most have long tresses which get blowdryed to perfection with loose curls.  The odd short haired woman leaves with a flouncy hairdo which wouldn't be out of place on the red carpet.  Note that these aren't Emirate women, mostly Egyptian and other Middle East countries.

While my friend was finishing off her session I sat in the hotel lobby and read the newspaper, pretending for all the world that I had pots of money and fitted right in at the luxurious hotel.  The obvious wealth here never fails to intrigue me and I find I love sitting on the sidelines and feeling as if I was 'to the Manor born'.  I was about to order a hot chocolate when my friend finished so I set off for home, forgoing the nail session this time.

A bottle of wine and lots of catching up later I head to bed after midnight.  At six the alarm goes and up I get, eat a sustaining bowl of porridge with brown sugar, shower and dress in my shorts and togs.

At seven we head off over to the Holiday Inn, our neighbouring hotel, to get picked up by another friend for a morning's kayaking in the Mangroves close to my apartment.  Check out www.noukhada.ae for the company we used and also to see a photo of me.  You  probably won't recognise me as I am well covered up from the sun, unlike the others here.  I'm wearing my long sleeved Kathmandu 100+ UV protection shirt, shorts, and wide-brimmed sunhat.  No-one else seems to cover up although one young girl did use lots of sunscreen on the trip.

We kayaked for an  hour and a half out into the mangroves and had a wonderful time on the peaceful water.  The two guides were reasonably informative although most of the time was quiet apart from the chatting between kayaks.  We saw a small heron, then a larger one around the corner, small black crabs, a few fish, and lots of mangroves.  Apparently the ones here are the same as the ones in NZ, although whether he knew there were a few kiwis in the party I'm not sure.

We stopped for a swim and the water was beautiful.  It will be very hard to ever get back into the sea in New Zealand after being spoilt by the temperature here.  It wasn't too warm which was good.  I continue to be amazed by the amount of salt in the water and the buoyancy of my body, meaning you can just float for hours.  Putting your head underwater left a mouth full of salt and wasn't repeated by me.

While paddling I chatted to a kiwi family who had their two kids in double kayaks.  They had an older couple with them from Gisborne (Aunty and Uncle) who were right at home on the water.  It was good to get another kiwi perspective on life here and once again I gleaned lots of useful information.  Apparently camping in the desert in the winter is what I need to be doing.

The Aunt and Uncle were heading for a prolonged tour of Turkey and Europe and wished they had arranged another stopover on the way home as they were loving it here.  They didn't even mind the heat.

Before leaving we found out that we are now able to hire just the kayaks for 4 hours for 150AED (under $40 NZD) which is what we paid for the day's trip.  So a good option when it's a bit cooler.  We were back home by 9am, showered and headed out for a days shopping and other pursuits.

My main success was finding out where my local booze shop is and going there and buying some supplies.  So when I got invited up to the 20th floor for drinks I had a bottle of wine to take.  Not Marlborough wine though as way too expensive here. 

All this activity makes me want a car so I can easily get around and get out and about doing the many activities on offer here.  So something to ponder and decide on.  I may have to forgo a trip to buy one.

I am pleased to say that I now have a single housing allowance plus I got paid for one airfare home so still have a few trips into the office to make to sort things out.  As one woman in the office said when I mentioned that they don't seem to know my son is here, "He is hard to miss."

Yet, they do know as all the paperwork is on my file and all in order.  They had the audacity to tell me that I hadn't filled in the form and had sent it back blank with his details for his airfare!  I know I didn't as I was the first to do it at my work, then they changed where they wanted it to go so probably never got it.  Fancy telling me that!  So now I play the waiting game again.

I'm also looking at changing apartments but am finding it such a hassle that I think I'll just go back in this week and say I'll stay where I am.  The noise from the generators drives me nuts but the location is good, if you like living on a building site.  Dust and sand everywhere with windows you can barely see out of.  Also I've just got my three wardrobes installed and they won't move easily plus I had all my bathroom fittings installed and if I remove them, they'll leave holes in the tiles which may be difficult to repair.  They sure make normal things difficult here.

Today my friend left early and I relaxed around the apartment.  I skyped a few people then read a book, had a nap, then headed down to the mall to visit the bank and pay my phone a/c.  Home to cook dinner (yes, cook!) now I'm catching up on the computer before heading to bed ready for work tomorrow.

On Wednesday several of our staff at school got emails to say DCM (Don't come Monday) or the Arab equivalent.  They were all Egyptian, Lebanese, Jordanian etc.  They are trying to replace these teachers with Emirate teachers but it will be a long process as there aren't enough qualified and also why would you work when you are kept so well?  Other Arabic teachers of English, Science and Maths (what we Western teachers teach) were 'offered' the choice of a paid year at Zayed University then coming back as EMT (English medium teachers - which is what we are) or moving to a middle school.  The middle schools have not been part of the New School Model yet so don't have the English teachers.  Funny how they started with Y1 & Y12 then are working to meet in the middle.  This year sees Grade 5 having English teachers for the first time.

With the war in Syria and the elections and new government in Egypt you can't help but wonder how political some of these decisions are.  I keep a close eye on world news here especially when neighbouring countries start shooting down planes of other countries! 
Many of the Middle Eastern teachers at school aren't even going 'home' as it is too dangerous.

On Thursday I mapped out the years G4 maths plan and will need to cross reference it to the text books we use on Sunday.  No sitting around for us at our school!  But we Kiwi Teachers are loving the fact that we have time to plan and organise for next year with no kids at school.  Such heaven.  Why do we not do this in NZ?  Even a week at the end of the year would be brilliant.  Most teachers fly out on the day we finish then in early morning the day we start.  As we have no kids for the first week back perhaps this works.  None of this coming in for two weeks before school starts like we do at home.

I wonder what this week holds?

Bonus day off!

Today, being Tuesday, we went into work as normal only to find out that there was no electricity.  Hence the AC’s were not working.  Neither were we!

I’m sure it was 40 odd degrees outside and hotter inside the school where my HOF, myself, 2 other English teachers & one bus monitor waited.  Outside many men had their heads inside the switchboard room.  Big problem!

The HOF phoned the Assistant Principal, Wakila in Arabic (not so sure of the spelling but you’ll get the correct pronunciation from my phonetic spelling) to inform her of this terrible occurrence.

15 minutes later she arrives.  No sign of any Arabic teachers during this time which is surprising as we had all had a directive to be at work by 8.30am.  Obviously we were the only ones paying any attention to this.

The cleaner (lovely lady who speaks the best English out of the four cleaners we have) brought out two woven fans with long handles which Wakila (Ms Umna) later told me that her grandparents used them to keep themselves cool before ACs.

The men said, ‘Big problem.’  Parts or men were coming from Dubai.  Maybe two days with no power. 

Oh!  So sad to hear that…

Wakila tells us to go home so we get ready.  Meanwhile she phones our Cluster Manager to inform her of the situation who tells her to sit tight, someone will be down soon.  Oops, mistake there.  Suddenly we think we may have to stay or be sent to another school for the day.  CRAZY!  So we all take off home without a second glance at her.

I will have to wait and see what tomorrow brings.

I walk out and get a taxi to the Post Office to check out the mail situation.  I manage to wave down a new taxi driver who doesn’t even know where the PO is, one block over from where I am standing.  I normally walk over there but it is too hot now and I hadn’t taken my umbrella.  Bad mistake.  The taxi driver nearly gets me killed as he pulls in front of a huge SUV and only misses it by inches from where I am sitting.  Lots of tooting and gesturing occurs which my driver appears oblivious to.  But I am not.  I was glad to get out of that cab.

No mail, so I head to the nearest bus stop trying to save my 25AED for another day, being only 1AED on the bus.  The busy bus stop still has no AC (air conditioning) and hasn’t had for the last month!  I feel an email or phone call coming on as I get a bus from there at least once a week.  I wait behind the shelter in the shade for a short time then get the bus.  I am lucky to get a seat after two stops so can take a swig of my water which I never leave home without, usually accompanied by my umbrella, which I regret later.

I get off at my normal stop and walk over the road to take the short cut through the wasteland only to find that some person has put the fence back up.  What?????  I can’t believe this!  Here I am, sweating profusely in the heat and humidity, without an umbrella and facing a walk round the block to the nearest entrance to our building site.  I’d wiped my makeup and sunscreen off back at work with a wet wipe so am feeling exposed.  Me, who never leaves home without a hat!   I walk to the end of the fence looking for a gap and find a ragged hole so lift my dress and scramble through into a worse wasteland than before.  I am snagged by wire and dried bushes as I make my way towards the beaten path and over to our apartment.

Boy, am I glad to get inside the cool building?  Yes, I am.  I share my woes with the doorman who looks at me blankly as I don’t think he understands a word I am saying.

Once inside I strip off my soaking dress and jump into the shower.  Feeling much cooler I now have a bonus day at home.  What to do?  Perhaps some housework?  This having no work to do around the property sure is different and takes some getting used to.  I never thought I’d say this but I miss my garden and being able to get outside in it.                                       

Health Care

I mentioned in my last post that I'd had a quiet weekend.  This was partly due to me not feeling well.

Not wanting anyone at home to worry unnecessarily, I didn't mention it earlier but I had two days of stomach pains, on lower left side, which had me worried enough to seek medical care.

With our family history of appendix and peritinitis I was quick to get up to the  hospital at the first sign of pain.  After getting a range of tests done, including bloods, I was sent home with a plethora of medicine.  Have I  mentioned that they like dishing out tablets here?  I also dropped off a form for an ultrasound but they had to get my health insurance approval.

The pain continued overnight but wasn't severe enough to call an ambulance.  It was one of those pains that you think is going to get worse and I kept waking during the night, whether this was to check that I was ok or because of the pain I'm not sure.   Of course this may be partly due to us having it drummed into us all our lives about the dangers of appendicitis.  My family will relate to that comment and understand what I am talking about here. 

So not taking any chance,s the next morning I stayed home from work and headed back up to the hospital.  I got to see the same Dr, remembering the system here is so different from home and you take a number then sit and wait in a room like A&E.   I had asked for a female Dr the day before as I'd been in two weeks ago with a similar complaint and the male Dr had hardly touched my stomach.  So knowing it was going to need a good poke and prod I got a lady Dr.  She assured me that my blood results were fine and she didn't think it was appendix, more likely interitis (gastro?). 

At that stage I mentioned the pain had moved and was now also in the lower back.  Thinking it may be gynacological she rang to see if they had any walk-in appointments available that day.  Imagine that, walk-in appointments!  (I know my mum & sisters will be having a fit at this news.)  They had a clinic later that afternoon so I went home to rest and returned back to the hospital a few hours later.  All this in a taxi.  Lucky the hospital is reasonably close to where we live.

So around 1.30pm I head back up for registration at 2pm.  I am third in line.  I asked how it worked as I wasn't sure if there were women with appointments ahead of me but the receptionists (6 lovely Phillipino girls) assured me I was third and would be seen third.  So I drink my 1.5 litres of water ready for a scan to check things out.  3pm comes and goes, 3.30, 4pm, 4.30pm and I'm bursting to go to the loo.  With my Woolworths bladder I was getting very uncomfortable and wasn't looking forward to standing up!  (That will get another laugh from my mum & sisters.)  Finally I'm called and have to walk the gauntlet through the gyne ward full of very pregnant women to the Dr's office.  A lovely man saw me and performed a scan.  He didn't think it was anything gynacological but thought he'd play it safe and sent me for an urgent ultrasound.  While I was in the waiting room I'd had a call from ultrasound to say my health insurance had approved an adominal scan and I had an appointment for the next day.  But no, in I go immediately, still with my full bladder.  I felt like one of the heavily pregnant woman as I waddled over to the radiology unit.  A not so nice man thoroughly scanned my abdomin and sent a report back to the gyne Dr, who wasn't even my Dr.  So back I go to him, with a bathroom stop on the way, to be told they couldn't see anything wrong but couldn't see the appendix. 

Just to be safe, I'm referred to see a surgeon.  So off I walk with my form to general surgery department and wait to see a surgeon.  He thoroughly checks me out and declares it is colitis and dishes me up another prescription. 

Each Dr cost me 30AED which you pay before you get your medical card back.  So 90AED for the day's visits which equates to $30 NZD.  For the numerous prescriptions the most expensive was 17.50 AED which is about $6 NZD.  One lot of tablets were priced at 127 AED!  So health care is very cheap, provided your insurer covers it.  All this is paid by our employer so we are lucky.

To top it off, yes it gets better, I asked the surgeon about my varicous veins.  Those of you who know me may know that I first visited the specialist at Palmerston North Hospital at the tender age of 17 to get them looked at.  I remember him laughing at me and telling me to come back when they were worse.  Which I've done many times over the following years.  Subsequently, I was on the waiting list at Wairau Hosptial for 6 years to get them done before they removed me as not being urgent enough.  Spending so much time in togs here I'd like them done.

I walked down one corridor and into a busy waiting room, up to reception and ask to make an appointment to see the vascular surgeon.  Sorry, but it will be a month before I can see him due to Ramadam about to start.  A month, I say?  So now I have an appointment to see about getting my veins done in a month.  No idea what it entails but will find out then make a decision.  And I didn't need a referral or anything, just made the appointment myself.

By 7pm I'm back home and ready for a good nights sleep, doped up on my new medication.  I was up at 6.30am and off to work by 8.30am.  Late start but we have to stay until 2pm this week.  Why?  No-body knows.

You'll be pleased to know that I'm in good hands over here.  New Zealand hospitals could take a leaf out of their books.  Well some aspects of health care anyway. 

Short and sweet

There doesn't seem to be a lot to write about this week.  Partly due to the fact that it was a shorter working week and also because I've had a quiet weekend at home.

On a positive note, I finished entering all my student data into the student management system so it can spit out reports for the kids later this week.  It sounds like the parents call into school to collect the reports.

Work has been very quiet with no students.  Most teachers arrive much later than I do but as we haven't been told anything about our working hours I continue to arrive at the same time.  We have been allowed to leave at 1pm which is a refreshing change.  However, from tomorrow we need to be at work from 8.30am to 2pm so our day has been extended.  No idea why and no explanation given.  Also a directive to 'not discuss this with management'!

Communication, or lack of it, continues to be an issue for me as you never know what is happening or what is expected of you.  With four Western teachers leaving next month there is an air of them wishing they were someplace else.  It must be difficult to keep enthused when planning for next year doesn't have any interest for them.  The Arabic teachers appear to be hardly ever there and when they are they sit around talking and eating and drinking coffee.

We continue with Professional Development training and I will be interested to see what the remaining three weeks hold for us. 

The weather is very warm most days and I try to stay inside during the afternoons, often having a nap so I can stay up much later. 

I spent two days down at ADEC housing department trying to organise to change apartments.  I would like to get one with a balcony if possible as I find not being able to go outside (even if it is only a postage stamp size balcony) annoying.  I think that is a bit of our kiwi heritage being in the outdoors.  Not that the outdoors here is anything like home.  I thought I'd managed to secure the one apartment in the building with a huge balcony but the landlord had promised it to someone else.  So a wasted effort.

It gave me an opportunity to, once again, experience first hand the unorganised beauracracy of the organisation.  I had no housing allowance showing on my personal file.  To change apartments it is now all done online through your file.  So I email then call into housing.  3 hours later I am told I need to go to HR.  Which is where I thought I was!  There were at least 30 people waiting by the time I got served.  I was third in the office but there was no-one there to serve for 2 hours.  Would you believe that?  All in a meeting...  'Patience and flexibility!'

Especially as this is the busiest time of the year for housing as any teacher leaving has to go through many hoops and an incredible amount of paperwork.  The funny (or not) part is that no-one seems able to sign or authorise anything.  But everyone remains waiting paitently as they fear for their jobs and bonuses.

So I go next door to the other building to be told that the person who can help isn't there today.  I leave a message and return the next day.  I am impressed as they have actually actioned something.  Or sent an email to housing (yes, where I started yesterday) to tell them to do it as they can't.

So back to housing.  To find they have instituted a system whereby you now have to fill in a long form explaining what you are there for.  A system?????  Perhaps.  But still no system as to who gets seen first.  Anyway the nice new man from yesterday sees me and waves me over.  He gets my form and asks the lady who I needed to see for help.  No way!  She marches over and rudely asks me what I am there for and I explain.  But I've ticked the wrong box on the form and she makes a fuss about that and writes the 'correct' thing in.  Finally they ask the Indian technician to enter my housing allowance.  I sit and wait.  Action at last.  Once he is finished I go to the computer to action my request. 

Can it be that easy?  Of course not.  The amount is wrong.  He has entered 100000 and my allowance is 140000 as I have a family.  But the input man will not budge.  Twice he says, "But it says you are divorced."  Obviously that is a no-no.  I explained that I have a child with me and 100000 will only get me a one bedroom apartment.  He would not budge.  I asked him to phone the lady next door at HR to get confirmation but he tells me he doesn't work for ADEC and can't.  So I ask the man who asks him to change it.  He is standing two feet away from me and refuses to do it.  Only the rude lady can authorise it but will she do this.  No!  Unbelievable.  So now I still have the wrong allowance which will necessitate another visit to housing.  Yay...

The word lazy springs to mind.  Why do anything if someone else can do it?  The woman are the worst.  No stress in any of their jobs I can tell you.  We could take a leaf out of their books.  No wonder they hire Phillipinos in service positions such as restaurants, hotels & beauty parlours. 

Another day when I need to remind myself, "Why am I here?"  Professionally to model good teaching practice; personally to travel.

Long weekend getaway

What a lot you can accomplish in a short time!  Sunday was a religious holiday but for some reason our school didn't confirm it with the staff until the last minute, then I decided to book a trip to Oman.

I arrived at school at 8am on Thursday and by 8.30am I had flights with British Airways leaving at 8.30pm that same night and hotel bookings at the Intercontinental Muscat.   I raced home from work and rang my friend to say we we're off and she'd better get in her car and start driving into Abu Dhabi.  She lives about 2 hours out in the Western Regions.  I told my son to pack and we all met at the airport in plenty of time for the flight.  It was such short notice that I hadn't even received the e-ticket via email to print and had to phone India to get it sorted.

You are never sure what you are getting when booking online and so take a giant leap of faith giving out our credit card details to a firm we know nothing about.  Let the buyer beware they always say but, luckily, I didn't strike any problems using "Make my Trip".

So with one of my new gold credit cards loaded up with airfares I jump on the plane.  Less than an hour later we touch down in Muscat, Oman.  A bus meets us on the tarmac as we disembark from our plane and slowly crawls the distance to the Muscat International Airport.  It's probably on par with Hamilton in terms of size and had three counters open to deal with at least two flights.  We jump in the queue then realise that everyone else is lining up at another counter and paying for an entry visa.  Now, we know that Oman has a special deal with Kiwis and we don't have to pay so we dither between one queue and the other and try to find someone to help.  Lochie eventually finds a man in an office and after the regulatory greeting, handshake and warm welcome we get in the correct line without paying a cent.  Or rial (currency of Oman).

We are warmly welcomed by native Omani men at Immigration and even stop to buy a bottle of wine each.  As we exit the terminal the heat envelopes us although it isn't as suffocating as Abu Dhabi.  I pre-pay for a taxi to the hotel which is about 20 minutes away and off we go.  Another first!  Our taxi is driven by an Omani man.  They are the only ones allowed to drive taxis there.  What a change to find the locals working and enjoying it.  'Same, same' at the hotel where we are greeted by several Omani men in traditional dress who check us in.  The warmth of the welcome and friendliness of the men there surprised us all and continued to do so for the length of our stay.

The contrast between where I live in Abu Dhabi and Oman was startling. 

First, the landscape.  Even though Muscat is a port city spread along an inviting waterfront (Gulf of Oman) there were hills.  Okay, they were brown and dusty - reminiscent of the Wither Hills in Marlborough.  The ground was very rocky and buildings and forts appear hewn out of the landscape. 

Second, the buildings.  Whereas in Abu Dhabi the building is non-stop and seemingly random, in Oman it appeared to be planned and measured.  Skyscrapers adorn our skyline but in Oman the building are only several stories high and of a traditional square style.  There was a feel of history as if the buildings have stood the test of time and I'm sure many of them had.   Oman has an interesting history which I want to find out more about before a return visit.

Thirdly, the people.  The warmth and friendliness was amazing.  In Abu Dhabi an Emirate man wouldn't normally speak to you but there they smiled and spoke and even stranger, served you in shops and restaurants.  Here the workforce is imported, there the locals are valued workers.  We saw many Indians arriving so presumably they do have an immigrant workforce but not obvious like ours.  The woman didn't have their faces covered as they do here even though they wore abaya and shala (head covering).  The men carried the babies while we were shopping at the Souk and the children were under control at all times.  NOT LIKE HERE!!!  In Abu Dhabi the nannies or maids look after the children while the parents shop and there are no boundaries or discipline as the nannies don't have any authority.

Each afternoon the beach filled with literally hundreds of young men running in teams and playing soccer.  Whereas in Abu Dhabi cricket is the game, here it was soccer.  These were young, black Omani's wearing labelled clothing in the form of soccer shirts, basketball singlets and upmarket shorts.  A few pervy workers would amble along and sit alongside our towels on the beach awaiting our exit from the water.  Probably the only flesh they see!

Fourthly, the water.  During my many swims in the Gulf of Oman I was constantly amazed at the temperature of the water.  Here it is warm, too warm in the summer.  In Oman it was much cooler.  When I was the lone swimmer at 7am the temperature was lovely.  I stayed in for about an hour each time, just drifting on top of the water, often with my feet up and using my arms to tread water every now and then.  It made me think of the Dead Sea and how you can float there but every now and then I'd try to just stay on top but eventually I'd have to use my arms again to keep afloat.  By the time I returned for my afternoon swim around 5pm the water was many degrees warmer.  The top 18 inches (can't convert that quickly) was as warm as bathwater but underneath it was cooler.  Every now and then you'd hit a 'hot spot' where it was warm down to your toes, or a cooler section as the current dragged in cooler water from the Indian Ocean.  The water was clear and as I entered it each day I strode through schools of fish ranging in size from minature to about 8 inches long.  My favourite activity was to walk out far enough that I could just touch the bottom with my toes then just float above the bottom with the barest of movement required to keep me there.   The smallest of swells helped keep me afloat.

As I gazed out towards the horizon a couple of oil tankers appeared suspended as they barely moved towards the Strait of Hormez, the vital entrance to the Arabian Gulf (the one that America vows to keep open and Iraq keeps threatening to close).  I felt as if I could swim to India and imagined the darker smudge on the horizon was India itself.  The sea merged into the sky in a blue  haze although the water around my was green and clear.  No bright blue sky there or anywhere in the Arab Nations.

The hotel was 5 star!  Wow, who'd have imagined I'd be doing this when I left Riverlands School for my big OE?  Check it out online - http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/intercontinental/en/gb/locations/overview/mscha

I'd booked two rooms, one twin which my friend and I shared and one double that my son had.  They upgraded to a king for him which was great but even though we got the cheap rooms it was still very expensive.  Once in a lifetime, well maybe not as I plan to return.  We managed to keep the cost down by asking the nice service men to give us extra water.  One 500ml bottle each was no way near enough as we all found it very dry there.  We ended up with about 8 bottles each stashed in our wee fridge.

Our days were spent lazing around the fabulous pool area which included a family friendly pool and a very deep lap pool.  Then the beach was just beyond the landscaped grounds.  4 squash courts, six tennis courts, a basketball court, a fitness centre, lovely boutique shops, a cafe, a bar, a nightclub, and several restaurants completed the picture.  Nearby was a buzzing shopping centre which appeared to be the hangout for the local lads, especially on the Thursday night we arrived.  Boy racers even.  The nightclub had groups of scantily clad women in short black dresses with the obligatory high heels while an Omani wedding reception took place in the ballroom with the obligatory red-carpet dresses dripping with blink.

We splurged on the Friday brunch which was amazing.  I'm not sure how many lobster halves made it to our table, along with crab, salmon, lightly seared tuna slices and every dish you could imagine.  Only thing missing was oysters.  There was even roast pork, although you had to slice your own.  Another favourite at our table.  As the brunch lasted 3 hours I think we got our monies worth.

I'd thoroughly recommend the hotel as a chill-out place and feel sure I'll return again.  Next time I'll be hiring a car and taking in the turtle sanctuary to watch the egg laying and hatching.  Plus there is an amazing goat market in an inland town that is a must see and I'd love to visit one of the many wadi that look like the Pelorus River.  A visit when it isn't summer would be ideal to do these things.

I met up with my sister's friend who lives there and had coffee.  She gave us great information about what to do but it is a destination that requires a vehicle to get around.

The Arab world was sent into mourning while we were there with the death of the Saudi Prince.  We travelled back on the plane with several Saudi's returning home.  I'm not sure how the politics, loyalties work here but Jordan had a public day of mourning.  We didn't.

Speaking of Jordan, that was my first choice for the weekend's trip.  I'm very keen to get to Petra especially with the situation in Syria spilling over into Jordan, travelling there may become a thing of the past.  Even the travel agent said that.  They have great deals at the moment but it's too hot to be out on a donkey in 50 degrees. 

So after 3 days and nights of luxury we head back out to the airport for a midnight flight.  40 minutes later we touch down in Abu Dhabi.  After a bit of excitement upon disembarking with some Saudi passengers and additional security we enter the terminal to find it packed with people!  This is 1am on a work day.  What are they all doing there and where are they going?  Obviously 2am flights are normal here.  It's hard to believe you can be in another country that is so different in such a short space of time.  This traveller will certainly return.  But normality crept in at 5.50am when the alarm sounded and another day of work dawned.  Thankfully there are no students now until we finish on July 12th.  So a restful day of entering student scores into the database for producing reports.  Our school day finished at 1pm so I was home early enough to update my blog and relax.

An afterthought if you are thinking about travelling to Oman.  We found it very expensive compared to Abu Dhabi.  The prices appear low but the currency is worth 1/10 of ours here.  Food and clothing was expensive.  Having said that I did manage to splurge on a pashmina.  We had a lesson on how to tell the real thing and now consider ourselves 'expert' enough to tell a real from a fake.  Who knows what we've bought but we were happy with our purchases and prices paid.  A wooden camel with attachments now sports pride of place in our lounge while I await cooler weather to wrap up in my pashmina.  An evening at the Muttrah Souk was an experience not for the faint hearted, especially as it is off season 'too hot' with not many tourists so we were swamped by vendors touting their wares.  My new favourite saying after 'same, same' is 'special price for you, first customer of the day!'  Put that on a Tui add.  Yeah right!


Photos of the trip.

Arabian tent within the hotel.

Looking down to the cafe seating from our hotel floor.  Each floor had an internal balcony with the rooms set back from the corridor.  The lights hanging down are just that, hanging lights.

The beach to myself each morning.

Night view from our hotel room.  We had the 'hill' view for cheaper rooms.  The ring of lights is a fort.

Day view from our hotel room.  Notice the flat, square buildings and the hills behind.

Looking back at the hotel from the pool area.

Iced tea at the hotel cafe.  Our cooked breakfast at a nearby cafe cost the same as one drink here. 2.400 rials or 23 AED or $7.88 NZD.  (Love the XE app on my phone to convert the currency.   And you thought I was doing the math!)

Poised and posing.  Note the short skirts and sleeveless tops.  Much more relaxed dress code there.

Kiwi tart

What a week!  It's been full on and busy.  Both at work and home.

After spending most of my weekend booking hotels online for next year in Switzerland, it began with the normal day at school on Sunday.  Our Principal dug her toes in and made us all stay until 3pm which is our normal finishing time.  The Arabic teachers were fuming and pacing the corriders waiting to leave.  Now that we are winding down (the students finish on the 21st June) the teachers are trying to leave earlier and earlier.  Not us of course as we still have a full teaching workload.  Compare our 30 periods per week with their lesser workload of between 6 & 15 periods.  Then I keep getting extra periods to cover due to the absence of Arabic teachers.  When I brought it up with my HOF I was told, Just remember where you are!  So, like the Phillipinos, we are at the beck and call of the Arabic staff.

Monday was the usual mix of success and madness.  As my class is so low academically and the expectations so high I've again had the 'normal' response to testing which includes many tears, tests ripped up, Arabic mutterings (or shoutings) at me and parents popping in or writing me lovely notes to ask me to let their child retake the test and get a better grade.  Grades are everything here and anything less than 100% for many children is traumatic.  How they ever got that defies me as their English and maths is very low.

Tuesday we had a lunch after school which involved end of year presents and certificates for staff, supposedly gifts for those leaving, and a farewell for our Principal who is heading to England early for a holiday.  All the staff received lovely thank you certificates from the school and a pendulum clock with the school engraved on it.  We had been asked to contribute 100AED towards this which I did but most of the western teachers didn't.  There hasn't been much thawing of them and us.
Out of six western teachers, 4 are leaving.  2 have just  handed in their notice this week which is very late so we will have an influx of new teachers come September.  There are various reasons for leaving and several Arabic staff have gone also.  Most aren't happy with the results of the evaluation process that we have to go through with several staff leaving immediately, or in the case of the westerners, handing in their notice immediately.

Our evaluation involves complying an indepth portfolio showcasing how we have achieved each of the outcomes required by ADEC.  It isn't enough just to do it, we have to prove it.  Then the Principal, who speaks very little English, and the HOF come into your room and give you points for each outcome.  The total of the points determines where you sit on a 5-point scale from Pre-Foundation through to Established.  I had completed my portfolio as directed but the result was predetermined before the interview and it wasn't looked at.  My result was that I was deemed to be Foundation (2) for one of the four areas and Emergent (3) for the other three.  As an experienced teacher this can be hard to take but as it's part of the experience here I wasn't going to let it upset me.  Remind me of that at the end of next year if it's still the same!  As long as it isn't performance based pay I'm okay with it.

The spread of food was amazing with a huge table laden with Arabic dishes.  I sampled many of the dishes although at times I was unsure of what they were.  This lunch gave me the opportunity to see how the Arabic staff relate to each other which is quite different from the haughty facade we see.  As there was so much food the Arabic teachers left with laden trays of food.  We weren't invited to take a dish home but I took a small plate full home for my son for his dinner.  The food was delicious (or so I thought).

That evening my son had his touch rugby finals so we headed off early to the park for that.  I am pleased to say they won both games, the second in an extra time knockout against a team from the grade above.  So great excitement after a nail-biting 1/2 hour.  Being their main supporter, only one I think, I was warmly thanked and joined the team photos.  They were the only team out of three from their club that won.  We adjourned to the clubrooms for a beer or two and medal ceremony.  One kiwi had brought along his guitar so we ended the night with a singsong.  Naturally we were the last to leave.

I'm not sure if it was the beers or the Arabic food but I wasn't too well during the night and ended up sitting on the loo.  I was unable to go to work as I couldn't leave the loo the next morning so rung in sick.  This in itself was an experience that you wouldn't want to repeat too often.  Several hours later when it felt safe to leave the house, I headed up to the hospital in a taxi to see a GP.  To have a day off and get paid you have to have a medical certifiate so this was duly dispensed along with five lots of medication.  One day only.  If I was still 'unwell' I had to return the next day and repeat the experience.  If  you can imagine a taxi ride while not well, sitting at an A&E department for several hours, queuing for your prescriptions, then a taxi ride home again, you'd understand why being sick isn't worth it.  Never mind the cost!

So Thursday I head back to work feeling like crap.  Somehow I manage to muddle through a horrible day and get home in one piece.  While I was away no-one covered my classes and the girls were left on their own with worksheets.  Funny how I have to cover for all the Arabic teachers!

Friday is my catch up day with home so after Skyping 4 family and friends and phoning my son (who has been off work due to snow and was heading away to the opening of Mt Hutt skifield while we swelter in over 40 degrees) we had a brunch at the 'Park Rotana' Hotel Khalifa Park for the touch club.    The menu was vastly different from my last bruch but greatly appreciated by most of the males there.  There was a much smaller selection of food, perhaps because we were in a pub, Coopers.  It was more of an all you can eat roast to me.  There were two meats at the carvery, beef & chicken.  Then huge dishes of mashed spuds, roast spuds, vegetables, spaghetti, sausages, fish, soup and a roll, a small salad bar and only four deserts.  The portion size of the deserts here is tiny, just a sample really so I don't know how many times they had to replenish the carrot cake.  What a great day!   I had thought twice about going as I hadn't been eating but am glad I did.  The social interaction and kiwi atmosphere was worth while.  I met some fabulous people, mostly kiwis.  The UAE seems to be very good to Maori males and they appear to be in great demand in good jobs here, especially in the education system.  Not many are mere teachers like me and most don't work for ADEC but other providers in higher paid positions.

One negative was the temperature in the hotel.  It was too hot to sit outside as the heat reflects off the concrete tiles outside, even beside the pool.  But inside it was so cold that our hands were frozen.  By the time we took food from the buffet to our table and began to eat, it was cold!  No-one understands why it has to be so cold inside.  As the mercury rises outside, the air con gets colder inside with the malls often so cold that carrying a cardi is a must at all times.

I also sat and ate my lunch with the New Zealand ambassador!  I didn't realise who he was as we sat talking and still didn't when he said he worked at the embassy.  So I have a direct line to help if I should get myself arrested!  What a lovely family.  I've been invited to pop in to the embassy for a brew.  His wife has been responsible for organising the touch all season and has been emailing me every week.


Did I mention that I've another son?  No?  Well I am now addressed as his 2nd mum.  Another kiwi, a red-headed Maori from Wairoa, thought he'd discovered a new brother and mum at touch.  He's chuffed with us and is always coming over for a kiss and hug.  Funny thing about the NZ culture, the hugging and kissing is alive and well here.  Our English & American friends find it a bit unusual but they are both very pleased they are in with 'our' group and have met all these wonderful people through touch.  Of course, they both enjoy the social atmosphere and having a beer alongside us. 

So my group of contacts is expanding all the time, helped along by connecting with some of my sister's friends over here.  People are very generous both with time and money.  It makes me proud to be an ex-pat kiwi.


Coopers Bar at Park Rotana Hotel Abu Dhabi.  This is what too much JD does to you!

Checking the ornate mirror out.

Bathroom splendour at the hotel.

Check out the kiwi tart!

Boxed tarts from the bakery over the road.

These were my hostess gift for lunch today but sadly I had to eat them as we didn't go.

They are as tiny as they look and have custard fillings with syrup & fruit on top. 

Toppings included: kiwi; grape; plum & strawberry.

Cost: 4AED each so expensive by standards here. ($1.25 each so probably not dear)

Quiet week

It's been a quiet week here.  By that I mean that it's been all work and not much play.  I am definately settling into a routine.  I find that I am tired after work and think I'll probably adopt the custom of eating a meal after work then having a sleep then getting up again in the evening.  Especially as the days get hotter.  This is what the locals do and explains why the children are so tired during the school day as they are up and out till midnight then have an early start on the school bus, especially the boys who start school at 7am.

We've had a mild week weather wise.  It has only been in the 30's with 35-38 average.  I find it hard to believe that I'm saying that it is a nice temperature.  Today is lovely, currently 36 degrees, and I have my window wide open to enjoy the warmth.

School is up and down.  Win some days and lose others!  Both my two classes have two girls that I haven't managed to get under control and who rule the roost and set the behaviour standards for the rest of the class.  Mornings are much better than afternoons as the kids eat junk food like you wouldn't believe then are hyped up and unmanageable in the afternoons.  As I have them for three periods straight it gets very trying and tiring by the end of the day.  I just think I have them sorted then all hell erupts.  The culture here is to shout at everything, including each other.  Once they start in Arabic I don't have much hope in getting any order back.  So lots of worksheets and games of bingo as I am in control and they have to listen to the numbers so they can win.  If they win they get 10 group points plus they are allowed to call the numbers.  Their spoken English is improving and I laugh somedays when now a couple of the girls sound exactly like me!   So they are learning something!

School is winding down for the end of the year.  It is very different to NZ in that the kids finish way before the staff.  The hope is that we have about two weeks left of class then the kids stop coming.  Officially the kids finish on June 21st.  Apparently it has been brought forward by a week.  I'm never sure what is happening as communication is poor, even with an English HOF.  Then we finish on July 12th.

This allows us time to enter marks onto the report database, complete student portfolios, attend never-ending meetings (4 this week), have PD sessions and plan for the following year.  From what I hear our days are shortened due to the heat but time drags.

One training session this week went like this.  At 2pm a note comes around that we have an 'Emergency Meeting' after school.  As there has been talk of our school closing I assume it is to do with this so head off in anticipation of finding out our plans for next year.  Or that should be trepidation as I had been told we were closing and being sent to a boys school which was being feminised (sacking the male teachers and putting in an all female staff, which would be very difficult for us as these boys would not have been taught by a woman before and behaviour would be terrible).

So off we rush to our second meeting this week.  We arrive to find all the staff there and an Arabic woman running the show.  No English interpreter!  All in Arabic.  Then the power point goes on and we are asked to write down our goals from this session?  What session???  We know nothing about what is going on.  So there are mutters from our table, quietly of course as both the Principal and Vice Principal are there which is unusual in itself.  One lady translates at our table for us so we come up with something.  It turns out the meeting is about 'Self-confidence'.  A condensed version for an hour!  Over two days!!! 

At 3pm (which is our normal leaving time) two Western teachers stand up and leave as they had previous appointments.  Remembering we only had 1/2 hrs notice of this meeting.  Well the presenter hits the roof, in Arabic of course, and tells us that we don't have to be there.  Like we had any choice!  Then she wastes about 15minutes going on and on while we sit and fume...

At 3.30pm my HOF and I stand up as she had to pick up her daughter and I travel with her and we are immediately followed by about 5 Arabic staff.  I hate to think what was said then. 

Next day the second session takes place at lunch time and we aren't even told about it but have to cover 4th period when it drags on.  Then to top it off we had another meeting the following day.  So four out of five days we met.  Most of it is management ticking boxes for things they haven't done this year.

I am pleased that I have nothing on today and can just relax and peruse airline bookings and destinations for my break.  Nothing is confirmed yet and it is a luxury to have the option of choosing where I will go.  I will keep you updated as I book.  The two local airlines, Emirates & Etihad, are beginning to bring out their deals so I am looking daily.  I did book two tickets to the Formula 1 in November late last night.  They  had 20% discount until 31st May so I only just got in around 11.45pm.  The two tickets cost more than a return flight to England!  What continues to amaze me is that after only three months I have the money to do these things and pay cash.

So I was busy on the computer until after midnight.  I also had to resend some documents for ADEC to get our travel allowance for the holidays.  What a fiasco!  I am continually dumbfounded by the lack of systems here.  First we get an email on Sunday with a detailed list of what we have to do to get cash in lieu of airfares.  So all Western teachers are frantically copying passports and visas, getting documents stamped and signed by Principals, scanning contracts and attaching to emails by a deadline of Thursday.  Not a lot of time to get it all sorted.  I got mine done quickly and sent them from home Monday.  Tuesday we (well some of the others) get three more emails to say, "Don't attach to this email, send them somewhere else."  Of course, not everyone gets the same emails.  And did I mention that our group doesn't have contracts?  Nothing is ever straighforward.  Also everything has to be sent using Internet Explorer and lots of us don't have that.  So I reply and ask what to do as I've already sent them.  No response.  So late last night I decided I'd better attach and resend the documents to the new email using Internet Explorer.  Of course they won't send will they so I keep on trying.  Only to find out much later that I've now sent them three times!  Why doesn't that surprise me?   Apparently this is a new procedure this year and no-one has done it before.

The reason for this, once again, seems to be because so many teacher rip-off ADEC by 'running' or claiming falsely for spouses & dependants that they have made it difficult for following groups.

We finished the week off nicely last night with a BBQ upstairs by the pool.  Well we, the women, sat by the pool and spa.  We've been told that we can't have a BBQ up there and as neither me nor the other couple in our building have balconies they decided to get inventive.  There are four of us from our original group in three buildings within our building site so the couple from my building bought a small charcoal BBQ.  Someone else knew where there was an opening onto the roof so the guys set up the BBQ there.  Being kiwis we invited all our friends to join us so we had a group of 10 adults and four little kids.  The men BBQ'd up on the roof while the women sat around the pool with the kids and swam.  We were there until the security man came up to lock up and we stayed another half an hour.  They shut the pool and gym at 10pm which seems very early in the heat.  Plus you aren't allowed any alcohol up there. 

The view from the roof was amazing and I didn't realise you could even go up there.  I don't think we are supposed to be there but as a group we've decided to buy a table and take our own chairs up and make it our space.  You look back over the city and all the lights plus there was a lovely breeze which was missing at the pool.

The view from the pool was interesting too.  The gym was very busy as was the pool.  Mind you, our group seemed to scare off some of the swimmers as we had taken over the two tables and most of the chairs.  We sat and watched the men posing during their workouts.  As ours is a mixed gym, men from other buildings came to workout.  I know this because the guys with us from the other buildings know where they live and workout with them in the same gym.  So the place to be on a Thursday night is the gym!

Pork chops was the order of the day with vege kebabs and asparagus.  Of course you can't readily buy pork as it is a Muslim country.  I made a few salads and took breads and hummus and baba gabosh (an eggplant dip which was very popular).  I now know for next time that it's not a salad culture and finger food is what is needed so won't bother with salads or plates again.  My fridge is overflowing today and I seemed to bring back more food than I took.  I brought a doggie bag for my son who was out playing rugby league against Dubai and arrived home at midnight (8.30pm game due to the heat).  So it'll be leftovers for the weekend.

Sadly, I didn't take any photos as I left my phone in the apartment as I was going swimming.  I'll know for next time so you can enjoy my experiences.