Back to School

A new year, a new school.  That's how we roll around here.  I've had a week at my new school, without students so it has been rather relaxed.  Tomorrow sees the return of the students so I will be better informed and able to comment then.

The school is situated very close to my last one, around 45 minutes drive from home (on a good day), and is just across the main highway.  So I expect it to take around an hour.  Mind you, I've been getting home in 30 minutes all week which is amazing for me.  The traffic is less because students haven't started back and school buses and school mums are not yet on the road.  So tomorrow morning will be the real test.

With the opening of the new Gate Tower apartment complex next to us the amount of traffic on the island has substantially increased, making getting off our island onto the main thoroughfare take more than the normal 10 minutes.  I am watching and waiting for the road below me to open which should increase traffic flow.  From my apartment complex I have 5 sets of traffic lights before I reach the bridge off the island, then another two sets of lights before I am on the main route out of the city (white knuckle driving).  The five lane road below me has only two lanes open so traffic flow is impeded and slow with everyone vying for position at the lights to get a fast getaway so they can get to the one turn first.  It is crazy and you need to have  your wits about you at all times.  There is driving etiquette but with so many newbies to the city, many do not know the 'rules' and accidents are commonplace.  Three lanes of traffic merging into one free turn makes for frustrated drivers and horns are honked repeatedly.

The school is different in that it is smaller.  I have 7 teachers, well only 5 as of 2pm Thursday, but here's hoping that two more turn up 8am Sunday.  Previously I had 19 EMTS (English Medium Teachers).  One major change is that the new school is  Cycle 1 & Cycle 2 so there will be older students there.  Cycle 1 runs from Grade 1-Grade 5, Cycle 2 Grade 6-Grade 9.  I am not responsible for the Cycle 2 teachers.  We have a Western Academic Vice Principal so all the work I did at my previous school is completed by  her!

As you can  imagine I arrived with all the necessary paperwork for the first day and all I did was sit around and drink real coffee from a cart with uniformed ladies serving, and eat cake.  Literally eat cake!

Getting my office into working order has been the major task of the week.  The A/C does not work and it has been around 45 degrees in there hence no work has taken place.  No-one seems to care as they are not working in there so it doesn't affect them.  Then my computer didn't work but it was fixed by a visit from my old IT man so had that by the last day of the week.  Now any emailed documents won't open so that is my next task to get that sorted.  The printer didn't work (I have two) so the IT lady on site fixed it but they both need new ink.  Yes, sounds simple but it took me till 12noon on Thursday to get the secretary to walk 6 steps to unlock the cupboard and give me some!  And the second batch is on order from the shop around the corner which should take 2 hours maximum.  Still waiting!  And as for getting a key to my office...

All I can say is watch this space.  As you can imagine not much has been happening.

The positives are is that it is a girls school and secondly there is an AVP.  She is due to have a baby in a few weeks but at least the year is set to go.  Simple things like distributing text books to the teachers only required me on a roster (made by her) for an hour.  Wow.  Last year I distributed over 10,000 books by myself.  So it is very different.  Organised!  And I have yet to sit in the Principal's office or meet with her for more than a few minutes.

Thursday night, being the end of the first week back, I had decided to have a small relaxed get together for my core group of friends who came in with me.  I thought we should be celebrating the fact that we have made it through 2 1/2 years and have returned for more.  There were times at the end of last year when many of us were dubious, especially with no contracts or airfares paid.  Yet here we are again, all with new events happening in their lives.  Some are having babies, others have had interviews to leave for new countries, others in new relationships, new regions, new schools, new apartments, etc.  So it was wonderful to catch up, as always.  As one put it, "Gaylene, it is your parties that keeps us here and together."  Well said.

It was an early night as the teenager was flying in from Istanbul so I had to go and meet him at the airport.  In typical style his 8:10 arrival turned out to be 9:15pm then he was only getting through immigration at around 11pm!  Talk about busy at the airport.  One friend had commented earlier that they would fly through Dubai from now on as there are cheaper airlines available plus the airport is much more user friendly.  Abu Dhabi airport is undergoing extensive rebuilding so it can be a challenge.  As for getting a taxi!  It is easier to pay the 300 dirhams from Dubai to get back here.

Needless to say my peace has been shattered and the tidy house is a thing of the past.  He has been away for six weeks (3 in Canada, 3 in Turkey) so washing will take priority for him before school starts tomorrow morning.  But in typical teenage fashion, meeting up with friends seems to be more important and we have already had a few over before they all went out.  He is on a strict budget this year.  Once his allowance runs out, there will be NO more!  We will see...

Anyway I got some lovely gifts from Turkey.  He knows me well and chose wisely.

 Fridge magnets. Love the jandal bottle opener.

 Evil eye to ward off danger.  I have this hanging by the front door.

Love this set of spice.  I have already been on the internet finding out what to do with Saffron (too expensive to use in NZ) and sumac.  So I will be rekindling my love of cooking that the teenager reminded me of.

I'm going to have to cut this short as my friend has just phoned and we are off for an early morning walk.  I discovered a 'boardwalk' around some of our island right beside the water so it is lovely for walking.  Have a great week.

Last week day of holidays!

The holidays have flown by and now it is the last day, minus the weekend.

I have a list of tasks to complete and I'm still nowhere near finishing.  Take yesterday for example:

I had a double appointment for a massage - 2 hours of bliss.  Well you wouldn't think that if you had been to this particular Filipino woman.  She has been doing massage for 20 years, 13 in the UAE and she knows her stuff.  Advertised as Shiastu or Reflexology massage she used a combination along with relaxing techniques.  She got into every little nook and cranny and a few muscles I didn't know existed.  However, I must say that I felt amazing when I came out of there.

The salon itself leaves a lot to be desired but it was another Groupon cheapo and I badly needed some TLC after my holiday.  I usually buy one to try them out before purchasing another.  So I had waxing last week -useless, then a massage.  I raced home and bought 3 more massage coupons, especially after she suggested having a double session.  Heaven.  So now I have one up my sleeve for when I need it.

I had a facial which 'made me look years younger' according to the woman doing it!  Of course they would say that as they need you to come back.

This morning I had a few jobs to do but decided to get on the right track and visit an old acquantaince of mine, Gym!  Now I don't much like this guy but spent and hour in his company, first walking, then on the rowing maching then a few weights to finish off.  Not sure how long this new relationship will last but I will keep you informed.

I'm sure I should be a writer as that is what I seem to spend most of my time doing.  I've been trying to pop in a wee bit of work for school that begins on Sunday and offered to put new learning outcomes into a spreadsheet.  If several of us do a grade each then it makes the job much easier.

Yesterday was also punctuated with the annoying sound of my kitchen smoke alarm beeping repeatedly.  Usually this would mean changing the battery but it's not a job for the home owner here.  So when I returned home and it was still going I phoned up the maintenance company but it was too late for anyone to come.  However, they phoned me back to inform me it was the gas detector and I duly phoned the gas company who had someone here within half an hour.  Of course it wasn't the gas detector!  I felt pretty foolish but was only following their instructions.  It's reassuring to know that someone will come promptly, even at night, if it's for gas.  So the smoke alarm men will be arriving shortly to replace the battery.

To celebrate the end of the holidays, I'm off out down to the beer garden tonight with my friend.  Hopefully it will be a quieter night than earlier in the week...

Sista Time - Day 5, Buffet lunch, Abu Dhabi. June 2014

Today is the final full day with my sister.  Unfortunately I am still working, although we have no students.  So while I head out to work the visitors make the most of the last day to do some shopping.  The teenager is brought into action for an early start and the morning was spent down at the local shopping centre purchasing the men kandoras.  As both are big boys they were lucky to find some to fit and the shopping involved a few laughs.

I finish early and head back into town to meet everyone for a buffet lunch at the 5 star Jumeirah Hotel at Etihad Towers.  Earlier in the week I had dispatched the visitors to High Tea on the Observation Deck (74th floor) which they had loved.  This hotel was one of the few that I could find that served food during Ramadan hence the second visit.

Imagine my surprise when I turned up at lunch to see two Arabic men sitting at a table eating during Ramadan!  Upon a second look I realised they were my son and brother in law!  Wow!  What a transformation.  With their red and white ghutra correctly wound around their head and their perfectly detailed Arabic shave with wonderfully smooth skin due to recent facials they could have been Arab. Unfortunately I didn't get any photos of them.  I think the other diners in the restaurant were a little shocked to see them but the guys made sure they enjoyed the wonderful food on offer.

In my opinion the food was the best I have eaten in Abu Dhabi however it was the first time I've had a buffet with no drinks - not even soft drinks.  With so many cooking stations and a variety of cuisines on offer it was difficult to know where to start.  I enjoyed the Indian and heard they apparently have the best Indian chef in Abu Dhabi.  The lamb received acolades from our table with two saying it was the best lamb either of them had ever tasted!  High praise indeed and the three of them made short work of making sure there was none left.  Self carving meant huge slabs returned to the table on their plates.  Bread and butter pudding was popular for dessert as was the fresh fruit dipped under the chocolate fountain.

 Diane suitably dressed for lunch in Abu Dhabi in the exquisite Moroccon dress she received as a gift.

 I arrived straight from work.

 Ramadan decorations in one of the Malls.

 Glitz & glamour of the bathrooms at Jumierah.

 Love the basins.

 Beautiful orchids.

 Another picture just in case I put these in my home.

 Quality hand wash and hand cream.

 Even the loo paper is wrapped in gold.

 Marble floors.

A last opportunity to enjoy the wealth that Abu Dhabi displays before heading away early in the morning to the next destination of Switzerland for the Junior World Rowing then onto the Greek Islands where I will meet up with them for my summer vacation.  

As always, the time here is too short.  Most people underestimate what there will be to do plus the heat puts people off.  Sure it was hot - unbearably so at times but everywhere is air conditioned and my complex has wonderful pools to cool off in.  I am sad to see them leave but what a wonderful visit!

Sista Time - Day 4, Eating out, Abu Dhabi. June 2014

Dropping the visitors off at 8.45am at the Grand Mosque during Ramadan isn't the best idea especially when the security guard will not even let you inside the grounds until 9am.  So after driving around and around the area and not knowing how to get back to the mosque side, I drop them off on the opposite side of the road and they have to brave the heat and labourers to walk across an overbridge.  As with anyone who visits here, they were overawed by the splendour and glamour of the Grand Mosque.  I manage to get totally lost from then on and end up driving half way to the desert before finding a turn off and the road back to work, arriving an hour or so late!

Our outing tonight takes us to visit the recently opened Almaz by Momo Moroccon restaurant in Galleria Mall on Marayah Island, just next to Reem Island.  This restaurant has a special interest to Diane and Lua due to connections in London so we booked a table and dressed up to go out.

The teenager thought it was time Mother tried shisha so after a feeble attempt while the niece was here, tonight was the real McCoy.

Ok Aunty, this is how it's done!

 Intense concentration.

 Wait!

Maybe this isn't for me!  

A lot of laughs at my expense.

We had booked for the Iftar buffet and the food was delicious.  As with most local restaurants, the desserts offer a snapshot taste of so many different flavours and you have to taste many to find one that you truly enjoy.

Unable to decide which dessert to try.

Selection of sweets.

My favourite dish was the fish cooked in the terrine.  Talk about melt in the mouth.  Delicious.

Our original table was directly inside the door, not a nice setting so we opted to move to a table in the smoking area.  This meant we could partake of shisha during our meal.  I spent the whole time taking care not to knock over the shisha pipe and cause a fire.  The men rushing by with hot coals have a full time job and the regular customers were noticable by the undivided attention they received.

Shisha pipe.

 Nephew & Aunty bonding.

 Gaylene & Lua.

 Lochie & Aunty Diane.

 Lua.

 Coffee time!

 Shocking photographer but you can see we are all dressed up for our night out.

Sista Time - Day 3, Abu Dhabi. June 2014

Today is a relaxing day with time to visit the Mall.  My sister is keen to view a spice market, although I am yet to find one myself in Abu Dhabi.  Knowing that most supermarkets have a bulk spice section, I head towards my favourite mall, Mushrif.

An enticing selection of spices.

 The aroma had us lifting scoopfuls.

 Nose tingling and eye watering.

 Even the walls looked edible.

Ramadan display in the mall.

Hanging decorations.

Diane and I had been invited to a local Emirate family after Iftar so before arriving at 10pm we met up with a friend of hers at Emirates Palace for the obligatory signature coffee.

Emirates Palace signature gold leaf coffee.

 Camel milk coffee.

 Camel coffee on silver tray with biscuits. 

 Indian chai.

Chai on silver tray with biscuits.

Upon arrival at our hostesses we were greeted like family and sat down to an array of food all prepared for us by the family.  We had the most memorable evening and only left well after midnight.  The gifts Diane brought from New Zealand were eagerly accepted by the children although I am unsure if taking gifts to an Emirate home is the correct protocol.  All I can say is that we left with many more gifts than we took!

It is an experience neither of us will ever forget, both for the generosity and the warm hospitality.

Selection of sweet treats for us to eat.  The multi coloured mini macarrons were delicious. 

Traditional Arabic food. 

  

 Colourful terrines for serving.

Real Turkish delight to go with our real Turkish coffee.  Yum!

I needed the sweetness to take away the bitterness.  I didn't realise that is what the Turkish delight is for.

 Pleasing to the eye.  I'm not so sure about the taste of the Turkish coffee.

 Beautifully presented coffee.

 After drinking our coffee, our grinds were read.  If the cup sticks to the plate, your husband will love you.

Individual coffee cups with lids to keep them warm.

We can only hope that one day we get the opportunity to repay the kindness with the same in New Zealand, showcasing our culture and hospitality.