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?
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?
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