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.
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.
My goodness! Those meetings and 'interesting' girls that you have in your classroom must be very challenging! I am sure you are being - what was it again -flexible and patient! hee hee. Keep looking forward towards that lovely holiday break!!
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