New School Year

It seems an age since I last posted although I know it isn't.  After the excitement of the holidays life is settling back into an everyday routine.  That is if you can call living here everyday.

I am still amazed that I am actually living here.  When I awoke this morning and looked out the window at the awesome view I could see where the place gets it nickname from, "The Sandpit".  The sky is hazy and everywhere I look are patches of sand with nothing on them.  It is as if someone has come along and dropped down 50 huge sandpits onto our island.  'The Sandpit' refers to the whole of Abu Dhabi and the Western Regions in particular and can be used affectionately or not.  The buildings merge with the grey sky so that the whole view becomes a murky, sandy vista.

School started three weeks ago with a massive Badeya which was mandatory attendance by all staff.  This was held over two days at a huge venue and all the big wigs were there.  After the vision was shared we had a wonderful lunch then went home ready to start the next day at school.  The conference centre had many displays and I managed to get a photo with a falcon.

After the first week with no students the girls have arrived in force.  My year has begun well with two small classes of Grade 4 girls.  One class has dropped down to 15 students!  Let's hope it stays at that number.  The other class has 19 so both very manageable.  I feel I will be able to 'teach' them this year rather than just manage them to survive the day as I did last year.  Our teaching workload is heavier this year as we are one teacher down so have six periods of teaching each day without a break between the two classes.  So I'm finding it tiring.  Last year we had 4th period free so you could prepare for the next class and take a breather.  We do get lunch but have duty and it's only 30mins so by the time you get a drink and grab a bite, it's over.  We also had an extra 5 free periods last year over the week which we don't have this year.

Of course nothing is guaranteed here.  We have already lost one of our new English teachers plus another Arabic teacher this week.  So easy come, easy go.  All the good Arabic staff are being transferred out to a new model school.  We've decided they hire on looks as well as ability as the staff are constantly in the spotlight.  The powers that be just email you and say you are being transferred so here's hoping I stay where I am.

I am loving living in our new apartment out here on Al Reem Island.  It is so close to my work and only costs 13 AED in a taxi ($4 NZ) plus there are three others from work who live in the same building so I can catch rides usually.

The down side is that now I am a lot further from my UAE family in our old apartment and find I am missing them a lot.  Even though we were all busy we caught up regularly.  So to combat that I'm having a party this week and inviting them all here.  I'm not sure how I'll get them all through security and down into the pool area but will be creative about it.  You are allowed a couple of visitors but I don't know if 20 sort of fits into their idea of a couple.  You know what we kiwis are like!  Invite one, invite them all.  Plus it is the teenagers birthday so having a bit of a bash.  He laughed when I said I was inviting all my friends, some things never change!  I think fondly of all those kids birthday parties I've had over the years (and my sisters too) when all our friends and their kids come over for food and drinks.  I smile as I recall some great ones in Richmond Street with the neighbours and close friends.  I think some of the kids parents wondered what sort of people we were when they came to pick up their kids.  And all those sleepovers!  I think the teenager had one every  year for many years.  So why change a good thing, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

Now for some exciting news.  I've had a breakthrough (not breakdown) in the education field and found a school for the said teenager.  Finally!  What a mission.  He starts Sunday and luckily the bus comes onto the Island and will pick him up at the door.  I've yet to find out what time but imagine it will be early, around 7am.  That will be a shock to his system!!!   All I have to do is find the money to pay the fees and the bus.  We 'popped' out to the school yesterday to pay the 2500AED deposit.  When I say 'popped' I mean journeyed as it is a 30 minute drive in a taxi so expensive to get out there.  Plus it's in the middle of nowhere so difficult to find a taxi back.  We were supposed to buy uniforms but funnily enough they didn't have any big enough so have ordered them to be made.  It is the Canadian International School and they are very relaxed and friendly compared to every other school I've been to.

So to celebrate I took myself off for a mani/pedi and had my nails done along with a parrafin treatment and a 15 minute neck and shoulder massage.  The masseuse had wonderfully strong hands and I think I may have found my massage place.  The woman that did my nails is married to a kiwi and has visited NZ extensively.  Her husband and son live there but she can't get a visitors visa to visit any more.  She is Phillipino.  I thought this sounded a bit strange but know nothing of our visiting system so couldn't comment.  Sounded more like the hubby is stringing her along after 20 years of marriage.  This morning I'm off for some waxing (not waning) and a Morrocan Bath and a hair wash.  All these treatments were purchased using Groupon vouchers so have got them at a good price.  You never know what you'll get until you arrive.  My other massage place was closed when I arrived due to the power being disconnected so that was money down the drain.  It pays to check the places out before you buy as some are sleazy but others are great deals.

I was so excited last week when my F1 tickets arrived by courier at school.  What a package of goodies.  The ticket presentation was amazing with a gold pouch enclosing them.  The four tickets are in a box with a lanyard for each ticket.  Wow!  I can't wait for November to arrive.  Our tickets include entrance to the three concerts, Kylie Minogue, Nickelback & Eminem with some free tickets for our friends thrown in. Apparently there are free concerts around town and it's a huge weekend.  I'll leave you with some pictures of my goodies...

 

Rome - Final Day

Rome – Final Day

Today we have an early breakfast then head downstairs in the quaint lift for the short walk to the train station.  

There is a much cheaper bus to the airport but it leaves 20 minutes later and takes a bit longer, leaving us only 2 hours before the flight.  We opt for the more expensive train leaving shortly.

The crowd grows as we wait for the train to arrive and when it does it’s a mad rush to get our bags and ourselves on.  We grab seats and leave our bags sitting in the aisle.  Once again, mine rolls around on its four wheels.  Someone needs to put brakes on these cases!

Fumicino airport is huge and it takes us at least 10 minutes of wandering around aimlessly to find our check in.  Being early has its perks and there are only about 8 people in front of us.  Half an hour later, there are still 8 people in front of us and many behind us and a staff member decides to leave - it seems the conveyor belt isn’t working, although the airline next door seems to be checking people in.  After about an hour we are finally checked through and proceed through to the departure lounge.  Well, I’ve never seen so many people trying to get through the checkpoints to the departure lounges!  The queues were huge and very slow moving.  Lucky we came early, although the plane is now due to leave in 30 minutes.  I don’t know how the rest of the people will be here in time as it is now time to board. 

We arrive at the lounge to find no plane or no staff to process the boarding.  Talk about inefficient!  And this is the same Gulf Air that we flew on the way over.  So after another ½ hour or so we finally go down to a bus and head out to the plane.  Not a good start, being an hour late and we have a connecting flight with two hours between them.

However, the hostess from Australia welcomes us back on board and stops to chat to us, remembering us from the previous flight.  Very impressive!

We arrive back in Bahrain and head through the same large queues to the transit lounge then onto our much smaller plane for the final flight home.  Once again the plane is late boarding then when we are onboard they tell us there is a problem and we won’t be leaving until the engineers have been and okayed it.  It is stinking hot so we ask for water and get a small drink.  Eventually we take off and arrive home to a hot, humid 39 degrees at 10.30pm.

We catch a taxi home only to have the teenager leave his wallet in the taxi with 700 AED in it as we’d changed all our money back at the airport!  Not a great end to an otherwise wonderful trip.

Our new apartment looks wonderful and my own bed beckons…

Rome is but a fleeting memory as normality returns.  I have to admit to being disappointed in Rome.  Now, don’t get me wrong.  I loved the ruins and the history and the food (although after a week I think this would fade) but I didn’t love Rome.   I had this romantic vision of Rome and instead I found it dirty, sleazy and overbearingly hot & crowded.

The streets were filthy and everything was covered in graffiti.  American’s on the cruise with us thought it was the worst in the world along with Athens.  The ‘men’ were sleazy and I don’t mean the Italians, I mean all the imports who frequented the area we were in and did business touting their wares on the streets or off their backs.  I think our hotel experience also added to the overall atmosphere as once we were back inside our room there was nothing to do but lie on our hard bed and watch TV.  There was no lounge or anywhere you could go and sit in the hotel and outside you had to pay dearly to sit at a restaurant table.  Personal safety was the other big issue for me and having to be constantly alert to being robbed detracted from enjoying Rome and made me uneasy about venturing out at night.   Chow!  Welcome back to Abu Dhabi, The Sandpit.

Rome - Day 3

Rome – Day 3

Today we are off on a tour chosen by the teenager based on the book & movie ‘Angels and Demons’, The Path of the Illumination.  I would have to say this was the best tour of our trip!  Our guide was entertaining and full of interesting snippets of information, imparted with humour which made it an enjoyable day.

We started off by catching the metro to the appointed church, Santa Maria del Popolo where we met our guide and group.  Most had read the book or seen the movie but I hadn’t done either.    Once inside we looked at the opening of the devils mouth, a tomb deep down under the floor.  The side chapel we had come to see was undergoing restoration so we only had glimpses of it.  Death was an accepted part of life, one of two certainties in this life.  

Outside we looked at the obelisk and considered the purpose of it while admiring the construction adorned with ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.  We learnt that there are only 13 obelisks left in the world with 7 in Rome.  We admired the huge entranceway and remains of the old town wall and found out that this was once the first view of Rome and the entry point to the city for visitors coming from the North.

We had a puzzle to solve based on the book so off we set to catch a bus to take us over to the West side of Rome to the Vatican.  We were dropped off and given a set time to find out what was different with the West wind in St Peter’s square.  Of course, no-one managed to solve this as it was too obvious.  Once again we admired another obelisk before resuming our bus trip to the next stop.

We headed East right across town to the Santa Maria della Vittoria.  This church looked droll outside and like many others in Rome was undergoing restoration.  A beggar woman met us at the door, hand outstretched for coins but I don’t think she got any from us.  The inside of this church was mind-blowing.  Built in the Baroque period with Bellini as the architect it was dripping with gold and treasures.  We found our next clue along with hidden windows shining sun on statues and left this magnificent building.  Not before saying a prayer though!

Next stop is the Piazza Navona but before we head into the scorching heat on foot we stop for a cold drink and gelato.  The Piazza Navona is a lovely area full of fountains, statues, eating places, stalls and lots of tourists.  Here we stop by a fountain to hear the tales from the book while nearby is another obelisk.  There seems to be a pattern here with the obelisk showing the way to go before most were literate.

We walk a long way in the heat up and down back alleys to the final stop.  The Castel Sant’ Angelo is a castle close to the Vatican.  In fact, it has secret passageways that the Pope and Cardinals would use to escape the Vatican if it was under siege and move to the Castle for protection.  We were glad to get out of the heat into the underground passages in the Castle.  Here we traipsed tunnels and stairs while the story unfolded until, finally, it reached the end.

We wandered up another few flights of steps to the top of the Castel to be rewarded with a magnificent view of the city.

A quick walk to the bus stop and a local bus back to the hotel brought us to the end of another day’s sightseeing in Rome.  But I still had two places to see before I left and I was determined to get there.  So off I set again to the metro and head to the Spanish Steps.  While here I viewed an obelisk so was able to get my bearings and realise how close I was to the entrance to Rome!  The Spanish Steps were full of tourists, filling water bottles from the fountains, taking photos on the steps and just generally milling about.  The Polizia were everywhere.  Expensive boutiques lined the roadside, obviously this is a good place for the ‘names’ to have their stores.  Not so good for the photography!

Orientating myself with my well-thumbed map, I decided to walk down to the Trevi Fountain.  This was even busier than the steps and you could hardly get close enough to throw your coin in.  Which I did making a wish…

Then I caught the metro back to the station, picked up some more pizza and headed back to the hotel for our final night in Rome.

Rome - Day 2

Rome – Day 2

Today I had booked a tour at the Vatican Museum.  Once again the queues were unbelievable standing out in the heat.  The water vendor charged double for a bottle of frozen water but I suppose he had a monopoly and the old adage of supply and demand stood true.

Even with a tour guide we waited to enter the museum then waited to use the ‘tour guide’ information boards before entering.  Our guide was great with good English and an informative manner.

We began with viewing the Papal gardens and Basilica dome.  Only a small portion of the gardens were available to view from our vantage point but like most things you can make a booking to view the extensive gardens, although I don't imagine you'd get to wander where the Pope does!

Then it's into the museum itself.  The museum was amazing but due to the huge crowds we were shepherded through the exhibits at a fast clip, barely allowing time to photograph anything.  

The expensive red marble stood out which was a feat in all this majesty.

The sculptures were amazing and the legends behind them intriguing, such as Diana and her bull testicles surrounding her breast to promote fertility.

Lapis lazuli was the most expensive dye available made by grinding down a block of gemstone.

The ornate ceilings had me craning my neck to get a better view.

I loved the old tapestries from the Flemish weavers.  The biblical tales they told were amazing as well as horrific.  I appreciated the level of skill involved in weaving these.  One side of the hall was covered with tapestries depicting the Old Testament while the other side had New Testament stories.

Next it was into another chapel to view the ceiling.  This is considered to be more spectacular that the Sistene Chapel.  I'd have to agree!

Stopping to admire works by Raphael you couldn’t help but wonder at the talent of these artists plus the money that was spent in decorating these premises.  How the other half live.

It was interesting to hear how Raphael 'added' Michelangelo to this picture.  The story is he did this because he respected the work he was doing.  This portrait was believed to be added later because it used different techniques.

We stop to admire more artworks.

Sistene Chapel was everything I’ve ever heard and more.  But full of people, and the guards yelling at us to keep moving and not take photos.  I half expected them to start shooting!  Mind you I managed to get a couple of snaps off myself.

Looking at Michelangelo’s work was awe inspiring.  I was lucky to find a seat to sit and admire the artworks on the roof.  Hearing the stories behind the art was helpful to me and helped put it in perspective.  I was intrigued to learn that he had painted all the figures naked but that offended the Pope so they were ‘clothed’ by another artist later.

Hence the reason all the statues have no penis or else they wear a fig leaf!  Another religious cover-up?

I posted my cards purchasing much nicer stamps with the Pope on them from another post office.  You’d think they would all be the same, wouldn’t you?

Back to the hotel for a rest then out to dinner at a local restaurant with a glass of wine.  While eating we watch a ‘cat fight’ between the local prostitutes over turf!