Monotony at work ~ Madness at home

Another year almost complete.  I can’t believe how quickly 2 years in Abu Dhabi has flown by!  Actually, it’s only been about a 21 months, but I’m going to round up to 2 years because I feel I deserve to say I’ve been here 2 years. Yet again, same as last year, we have settled into the mindless monotony of the last few weeks of school.

Don’t even begin to ask me why the country I work for feels the need to keep teachers in school until July 9th, a full 3 weeks after practically all the students stop attending school, but they do.  It’s also Ramadan and it is frowned upon and illegal in some cases to eat and drink in public.  All of the non-Muslims are to stay in one designated room if we want to eat, drink, and listen to music.  I love the Ramadan season.  I love the reasoning behind it, the spirituality of it all, and the generosity that comes pouring out of people during this holy month.  Everything is very quiet during the day.  It’s very introspective and thoughtful.  I know a few non-Muslim friends who participate in the fasting during Ramadan to re-center their lives, connect with a higher power or their own god, and to identify with the Muslim masses that surround us here.  It’s really a beautiful time of year.

But, as we all sit around and twiddle our thumbs in this room for 5 hours every day I have to say, this is the worst part of the school year for me.  Our KG graduation was June 15th, and aside from cleaning out my classroom and organizing cabinets I’ve gotten quite a lot of painting and reading done in the past week and a half.  Only 2 more weeks to go. (“I think I can.  I think I can.”)

This term has been particularly rough for me personally.  My husband and I have been trying to get pregnant (quite unsuccessfully, I might add), so the stress of fertility appointments and being poked and prodded to figure out why my reproductive organs hate me has taken quite a toll.  As if hormones didn’t already govern much of my daily life, they’ve been off their rockers the past 2 months or so.  Couple that with end of term assessments, evaluations, graduation planning and practices that are absolutely the most unorganized and absurd waste of time and the sad news of my mother-in-law having breast cancer and we are all full up of crazy over here.

Now, as summer vacation approaches our baby plans have ground to a halt.  Summer dreaming seems a bit bittersweet  as we are making plans for My husband to fly home after our European vacation (a trip that was bought and paid for about a month before we learned of his mother’s illness) to take care of his mother.  With Stage 4 Advanced Metastatic Breast Cancer, the treatments are going to be pretty tough and for the first time since moving to Abu Dhabi Ben and I will be separated by 7700 miles.

When I moved here in September of 2013, Ben stayed behind in Orlando to work and tie up loose ends before joining me in the desert.  That month of separation was tough on us newlyweds.  However, I have to say that we have been so blessed to have been able to spend the first 2 years of our marriage here.  With my work schedule, Ben and I have been able to spend every afternoon and evening together.  We eat lunch and dinner together.  We binge watch whole TV series’ together.  We have traveled to Italy and Bali.  We’ve had adventures and lived quite a lovely lifestyle.  It’s almost like these past 21 months have been like a really long honeymoon, and it’s made us the best of friends.  It hasn’t been easy, but the ride has been great.  I guess all good things must come to an end.

I know that these 2 years together have made our marriage so strong.  We know each other’s quirks and moods.  We know how each other is feeling by the sound of our voice.  We anticipate each others needs and feelings.  We are by no means perfect at any of this, but I have to say we have a good start.  I know this will only help us make it through this undetermined amount of time apart as I stay behind in the Dhabi to work and support us both.  Me staying wasn’t an easy decision, but financially for us it makes the most sense.

I’ve been trying to think of the best way to help my mother-in-law and my husband in my absence and the only things I could come up with were to dedicate my yoga and meditation practices to Dianne (that’s my mother-in-law’s name), pray for her healing, be a silent listener and active support system for my husband, and create a donation website to help with the cost of her treatment.

I know you all have been affected by cancer.  You know someone who has battled or is battling with this horrible C word. Maybe you yourself have fought or are fighting to conquer this stupid illness.  It’s no secret that health insurance doesn’t necessarily help all of us (I won’t get into politics right now).  Dianne is a single and very hard working woman, but her job provides her with only enough money to pay necessary bills and buy food.  Like most middle-class Americans there isn’t much left over at the end of the month for anything extra, let alone the mounting doctor bills, medicine bills, radiation treatments, chemotherapy, and pending surgery.

In this season of Ramadan; a time for fasting, prayer, and generous giving, Ben, Dianne, and our entire family covets your prayers, positive energies, and well-wishes at this time.  It’s going to be a tough road ahead, but like Helen Keller said, “Alone we can do so little.  Together we can do so much.”  I know that with all our friends and even people we haven’t met uniting with us we can get through this.  I have started a “gofundme” website in Dianne’s honor.  If you at all feel led to help out financially you can click on this link and donate to help cover the cost of Dianne’s piling medical bills.  Please share the link with everyone you know on social media.  The more people we have gathered together, the stronger we all will be.

Ben and his Mom on her birthday 2 years ago.

The Practice of Patience. The Art of Letting Go.

Teaching abroad yields a plethora of life lessons and experiences.  However, I am learning that there is one particular lesson that the universe is definitely trying to teach me while I’m here.  Patience.  It’s a quality I just don’t have unless I’m dealing with a child under the age of 7…then, I have the patience of a saint.  I have very little patience for things that are frankly stupid, redundant, or results of poor administration and management.

It’s no secret that I have major control issues.  As an American, I’m used to working in a highly productive and efficient environment.  Things get done quickly and correctly and it just seems so much easier.  That just doesn’t exist over here.  They are working towards it, but they have a long way to go.  Also, being a woman, I feel like that’s just my nature to control the world around me for some semblance of peace and just to get things done.  Couple that with being a teacher at heart, an overachiever, a perfectionist, a “fixer”, and my own worst critic and I have control issues spitting out of my ears.  It causes my attitude to fluctuate erratically, my immune system to drop, and my anxiety to drive me to peel skin off parts of my hands for relief (I know…gross, right?).  It’s my greatest  strength and my biggest flaw.

Since moving here and working with ADEC I have never felt more out of control.  I have also never been so aware of my lack of patience with pretty much everyone over the age of 10, and every thing that I feel I could do better and more effectively (and trust me…there’s a LOT here that could be done better, more effectively, and more efficiently).  I have never had to exercise patience and letting go with such awareness.  I literally have to say out loud, “Just let it go.  It is what it is and it’s not mine to control.”  I feel so stupid saying that, but I have to verbally remind myself of this.

My 40 minute drive to and from work every day no longer is accompanied by the local EDM or popular music radio stations blasting Top 40 Hits to make my drive more pleasurable.  It’s filled with calming yoga music or classical masterpieces and me practicing the art of letting go; And it is an art that takes conscious practice.  As the serene music plays lightly in the background I meditate.  I imagine myself leaving a 50 kilometer trail from work to home of everything that happened and everything that was said that day.  I have to envision myself shedding my work self to reveal just me.

My 80 minutes of in car meditation is my sanity these days.  As the end of the year is approaching , the school day becomes even more unreliable.  I thrive on structure and consistency, and it’s hard for that to happen at all throughout the year here.  At the end of the year structure and consistency are words that get lost.  No 2 days are the same.  Our class schedules are interrupted by graduation practices and end of the year assessments and whatever else you could possibly imagine would interrupt learning time.  I love almost everything about living and working here except the inconsistency, disorganization, and lack of structure.  It makes it impossible to be perfect at anything (insert angry emoji here)!  I get so discouraged.

So, as I sit reflecting tonight after a hard workout, a yoga session, and a quiet Kundalini meditation I admit I am flawed.  However, if I come out of living and working here with a better awareness and better practice of how to let go I know that God / the universe brought me here to work on this very part of myself (and He knew it was going to be really hard for me so he threw in the perk of being able to travel in the meantime).  I’m a work in progress.

Beautiful Bali

Sunset at Uluwatu in Bali.

I’ve not been many places.  I’ve not seen many things.  It’s true that I’ve traveled quite a lot in the last year and a half when compared to most Americans.  However, in relation to the world in which I’ve not traveled, I’ve explored only a fraction of what it has to offer.  I hadn’t given much thought to this until my most recent trip to Bali.  This trip opened my eyes to just how adorably ignorant I am about the world around me.

It’s so easy as an American to be inadvertently trapped in the perfect little “American bubble.”  Before traveling outside of the U.S. I really had no idea what the rest of the world was like.  Like most Americans, I know what I’ve seen portrayed on the nightly news and infomercials imploring me to donate money to these impoverished children and nations.  However, actually experiencing all of these things; Seeing it with my eyes; Touching it with my hands; Smelling the smells and tasting the flavors…These experiences are what has begun to lift that delightful oblivious veil from my eyes and started to humble me.

Being the charmingly ignorant (I wanted to say stupid, but I’ll give myself the benefit of the doubt here) American world traveler who hadn’t really done her homework on Bali or even Indonesia for that matter, I had no idea what to expect when I arrived in Denpasar, Bali – Indonesia.  I take that back.  I know exactly what I was thinking.  I envisioned a gorgeous tropical setting with beautifully clean touristy streets lined with palm trees and beautiful boutique-like shops.  I saw Ben and I riding our scooter through well marked and perfectly paved roads to the beaches; relaxing with tropical drinks in hand on a comfy beach chair.

Now, I’m sure for the right price (i.e. More than we had to spend or wanted to spend) one could experience Bali exactly as I envisioned it.  However, on my fantastically meager teacher salary the majority of my money goes to paying off my student loans which double my yearly earnings so we see the world the frugal way.

Bali was NOT what I had envisioned.  It wasn’t bad, just different.  I don’t really know why I hadn’t taken into account that Indonesia is a third world country.  My loving husband laughed at me when I whispered into his ear as we were riding our scooter through the pot-holed streets lined with little shacks, “I didn’t think Bali would be so third world.”  Apparently, my cluelessness was funny.

These shacks doubled as homes and gas stations where locals were selling gasoline by the bottle…the Absolut vodka bottle.  Yes, that’s right.  They are experts at recycling.  Why throw away your liters of vodka when you could fill them with gasoline and charge the tourists by the bottle?  Ingenious.

Pick your bottle of gasoline.

I’m getting ahead of myself.  We were greeted at the airport by a young man sent from our villa to retrieve us.  He was very happy and polite even though he waited probably over an hour and half for us because our flight was late.  As we jetted out into the insane Balinese traffic towards Ungasan where our Villa was located, I could not believe how no one was getting into accidents.  There were scooters EVERYWHERE!!!  Some of them with full families of 5 riding on them.  The dad in the front, a child smushed behind him, but in front of mom, who had a baby strapped to her chest, and another kid behind the mom bouncing along on the tail end of the scooter.  All I could do was laugh because I’m over here thinking “That is the most dangerous thing I’ve ever seen.”  And they’re over there thinking, “Just a nice family drive to the local restaurant.”

We bumped and twisted and turned for about an hour through streets I could and would never be able to navigate on my own.  Finally, we turned on a brick lined street and pulled up next to an entry way lined on either side with scooters to Villa Santai.    We found Private Room B on AirBnB.  It’s owned by a couple of guys from Spain and is located in a quiet, and local area in the southern tip of Bali.  It couldn’t have been a more perfect spot.  Away from the crazy tourist areas, and a 10 minute scooter ride to pretty much everything: Jimbaran; where most of our guided tours picked up.  Uluwatu Temple; where the infamous sunset Kecak Dance is performed every night.  Local surfing beaches, a market, and several great restaurants are all just 10-15 minutes away.

A view of our Villa from the entry area.

Our “Private Room B”

Our bathroom area.

Front porch

Isn’t that roof awesome?!

Communal sitting area by the pool

Looking at the front entrance and the pool from the communal kitchen

Main Entryway to Villa Santai

A look at Villa Santai from the main entryway. (Sigh) Heaven!

We highly recommend asking German or David about the local Indonesian restaurant just a 2 minute scooter ride from the Villa.  German and some of his friends took us out to dinner there one night and it was SO GOOD and crazy cheap.  I ate my first bean curd ever there, and loved it.  It’s literally in the garage of some local people.  Eating local food at the places that look like you would never eat there in a million years because of health code violations are the way to go.  Sure, you’re risking food poisoning…but for the budget traveler the local “hole-in-the-wall” food is GOOD and cheap as hell.  Also, you get a chance to really experience another culture when you open yourself up to their food.  Just like music, people are connected through food.  I believe it unites us all internationally.  When you show people that you’re willing to try their food, they are more open to share with you about their life; their beliefs; their culture.

Other places we recommend, but are a little bit more pricey are Eddie’s for great burgers and fries, and Warung Guero (across the street from the Nirmala Supermarket) for pretty much the best Indonesian influenced Mexican food.  In Salt Café is great for a relaxing atmosphere and decent Indonesian food.  If you’re headed to Uluwatu, stop at Warung Ohana on the way back and wait for the traffic to die down.  While you’re there feast on some pretty amazing Mexican food.

Despite crashing our scooter, sliding across the pavement, and having open and pretty sore wounds the first day we pressed on.  A few dips in the Indian Ocean helped clean those wounds out, and we got to see some amazingly beautiful beaches.  The only annoying part of these idyllic picturesque beach locations were the people selling things and haggling you for their massages.  I literally had 4 sets of dirty gross hands come up and rub all over me on the beach trying to get me to buy a massage from them.  Even with my screams for them to stop it took someone coming over and yelling at them in Indonesian to get them off of me.  I have to say I wasn’t eager to go to any more beaches after that, and I kind of wanted to bathe in bleach.  But whatever.  I guess they’re just trying to make a buck.  I get it, but I’m pretty sure they’re advertising tactics are what’s keeping their sales low.

The bajillion steps down to Green Bowl Beach. I think this beach was my favorite. Even with the gross people trying to get me to buy their awful massages.

That water is sooo blue!

We took many tours and experienced many things I’ve never done before.  I felt pretty adventurous.  We climbed Mount Agung, Bali’s Holiest Mountain.  At 10,000 feet it should be pretty holy.  That thing was a beast to climb.  Don’t let those tour companies fool you.  That climb (I stress the word climb.  A practically vertical climb with no ropes or equipment.) was crazy difficult and very dangerous.  I had the bruises to prove it.

We went white water rafting with Bali Adventure Tours (highly recommend them too!) and got to pet and ride some elephants.  We walked through rice terraces and visited agro-farms.  We drank Luwak (poop) coffee.  We immersed ourselves in Hindu culture seeing their parades and celebrations for Galungan and Kuningan which just happened to fall on the dates we were visiting.  Visiting the temples during this time and seeing the people offering what they have, which isn’t much to their God was so moving.  Witnessing the ceremonies and songs and decorations with the immensely large families sharing in it all made me wish I had something so deeply rooted and shared amongst my family.

Decorations lining the street for Kuningan

A family bringing offerings to the temple for Kuningan.

The markets were the most crazy part of Bali.  Early in the morning as we’d be headed off to tour some part of Bali we’d have to pass through the early morning markets selling all the goods people would need for the day.  It’s like going to Walmart the day before Christmas but 100x worse!

What struck me most about Bali was that these people are genuinely happy.  They are rich in their Hindu religion which governs most of their daily life activities (Islam is more prevalent in Jakarta).  They are so thankful for what they have and are so eager to help and thankful to receive anything.  Their humility is earnest.  They are so open and accepting of everyone and everything.  They respect all walks of life.  For such a poor country, they are rich in love, peace, openness, and acceptance.

Overall, our trip was amazing.  We experienced so much, and met some really amazing people.  I would love to go to Bali and take it all in again.  It’s such a slower pace of life and living for the moment with what you have and what life has given you is cherished.  So long Bali.  We’ll see you again someday.

Sunset Kecak Dance at Uluwatu

I am so thankful for modern public toilets. After my 30th squat and hover I just started to hold it until we got back to our villa.

We walked through these rice terraces of Jatiluwih. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site.

 

Fall in the Dhabi

Fall has always been my favorite season.  Mostly, I think it’s because fall signifies change.  The leaves change color, the weather turns cooler, and everyone’s wardrobe transforms.  I’m big on change.  I think I’ve changed my hair color at least 30 times since I was 15, I’ve moved every two-three years since I was 13, and every few years or so I decide to change my handwriting just to stir things up a bit.  Fall in Abu Dhabi to me is the best part of living here.

Abu Dhabi comes alive with concerts, activities, sporting events, camping, and other various recreational activities to get people outside.  And why wouldn’t you want to be outside???  The weather is gorgeous!  With abundant sunshine, a light breeze, and temperatures topping out around 85 degrees F (29-30 C) I’d say the weather is idyllic for outdoor frolicking.

My husband and I find most of the hot months here boring and annoying.  We love being outside and doing active things, but frankly it’s just too hot to go outside and enjoy anything.  Even going on the 5 minute walk to the building next door is miserable when it’s 110 degrees outside with 80% humidity.  So, once the weather took a welcome change for the better, we jumped on the opportunity to get out and take part in some things that the city has to offer.

Last weekend, we celebrated 3 splendid years of knowing one another by waking up at 6:30 am to go kayaking in the Eastern Mangroves.  We’ve wanted to do this since we moved here, but money was tight our first year.  We grabbed our new hydration packs & looked through our handy Entertainment voucher book to see if there were any coupons we could use, and Noukhada offered a buy one/get one free Mangrove Tour.

Fancy hydration packs

Noukhada is an adventure tour company located here in Abu Dhabi that offers various outdoor activities such as camping, kayaking, and eco-tours.  I highly recommend them.  The guides were very knowledgeable about the UAE and it’s ecology, and extremely patient with those who needed some extra help on the kayaking end.  Our group actually split off because we were such superb kayakers (not that I’m bragging or anything), and other guides stayed behind to help the less experienced paddlers.

Our hour and a half jaunt through the manmade channel and smaller natural channels in densely thick mangroves was wonderful.  My husband and I were kind of sad that it wasn’t long enough.  We’re used to canoeing for 5-6 hours down the Wekiva River in Florida.  We could have stayed out in the Mangroves for hours exploring the different islands and habitats dwelling in them.  Purple crabs lined the mangrove trees and we learned how the Mangroves and the Purple Crabs have a symbiotic relationship (Yes, I paid attention).  And we got a lesson on how the seeds of these mangrove tress float on the surface of the water to start their root process.  The strongest roots will then go into the soil below and become a tree.  Oh!  And the salinity of the Arabian Gulf, as well as the water in the Mangrove channel is about 60-70% which is much higher than other bodies of salt water in the world because the water doesn’t flow like it does in an ocean.  It’s the same with the Dead Sea and the Red Sea.  They’re high in salinity due to the fact that they can’t flow.  (I was eating every fact our guide spouted.  He was an excellent teacher.)

You can eat these little plants. Our guide said that in the Phillipines they actually boil these plants in water and drink the broth to help with stomach issues. Ben and I ate some. It’s super salty, but didn’t taste bad at all.

My lover and I on Fox Island in the mangroves. Do you see the Reem Island skyline in the background?

Afterwards, we decided to head out to Al Maya Island for an afternoon of refreshing adult beverages, fun in the sun, and a dip or two in the pool and gulf water.  We love it out there.  It’s most definitely a party spot (21 and up age limit), but if you want a clean pool, and a nice sunbathing area it’s the place to go.  Catch the ferry to the island before 11:30 ladies are free and gents only pay 100 dirhams to get in.  For that price, you can’t beat it!  Regular hotel weekend rates for beach and pool use are outrageous.  This is the most bang for your buck, and you can even get a little crazy.  Actually, it almost feels like being at a beach back at home.  A very Spring Break-esque type of home, but home none-the-less.

I can’t believe I’ve known this guy for 3 wild and crazy years.

The Gulf

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This weekend we ventured to ‘Taste of Abu Dhabi’ thanks to a radio contest I won from Dubai 92.  Held at Du Arena, this huge festival invited dozens of booths loaded with give-aways and goodies,  and showcased local businesses as well as corporations.  Walking in, the aroma of several gourmet restaurant tents offering small portions of their delectable entrees and desserts made my stomach grumble.  McGettigan’s (a local bar), and Bacardi sponsored the 3 different bars set up around the field offering beer, wine, and liquor drinks to quench thirsty expats.  A stage was set up in the front for bands and DJ’s invited to set the sounds of the event.  And ‘Fat-Boy’ bean bags were set out for lounging around enjoying the sites, sounds, and scents.  The night we attended the cast of ‘Jersey Boys’ provided musical sets every hour or so with the greatest of the 50’s and 60’s rock-and-rock and du-wop classics.  Everywhere people were smiling, dancing, laughing, and interacting with each other.

At the McGettigan’s bar…where else?

Getting our picture taken in the French Alps with Evian.

With all the mess going on in the world: ISIS, war, hate, violence; It’s so heart-warming to see a group of collected individuals living in an Islamic governed country in peace.  Expats & Muslims co-existing in harmony.  This is the kind of world I want my children to grow up in.  I want them to see that we can live together peacefully, and that what is portrayed in the media isn’t always the norm.  I want my children to see us all doing this crazy thing called life together, in peace; Respect everyone’s opinions, points-of-view, and beliefs.  It’s all about respect, because in the end we all bleed the same color.

Anyways, enough with my “Give Peace a Chance” rant… On to our final activity for the weekend.

Last night, Ben and I ventured out to Saadiyat Island for the Abu Dhabi Art event.  ‘Seeing Through Light: Selections from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Collection’ on display at Manarat al Saadiyat.  This exhibit kicked off this weekend showcasing some pretty spectacular pieces of art all involving the use of light as a theme.  Manarat al Saadiyat is becoming my new favorite place to hang out.  Workshops and classes are offered at pretty decent prices, and you get to create something of your own by the end of the course.  This event was the 2nd we’ve attended out there and I have to say that it’s probably one of the most organized, and well put together events here.  If you get a chance visit the Saadiyat Cultural District’s website for more information and registration details.

All in all, it’s been a pretty swell couple of weeks here in the UAE.  We’ve got our expat Thanksgiving Gathering, the Color Run Dubai, and UAE National Day coming up so stay tuned for more ‘Fall in the Dhabi’ coming soon.

Celestial Light: My personal favorite

Transparent Light

LOVE this!!!

 

 

 

Brunching It Up

Brunch is an all day event here in the Dhabi.  A gluttonous, booze-induced good time that bleeds into a hot mess of an evening.  If you’re going to a brunch you better not have anything planned the next day because it’s a 2 day commitment:  1 day for the party and 1 day to recover.

Some of my best friends with whom I had the pleasure of arriving in this awesome city last year joined me in a celebratory brunch this past Friday to commemorate our first completed year here.  What made this celebration even more special is that my friend & fellow teacher Mandy who I have known for several years has finally arrived in our little playground sandbox for her teaching abroad adventure.  I can’t even tell you how excited I was to have a friend from back home experience this all with me.  AAANNNDD, she’s not just here for a visit.  She’s actually going to live and teach here just like me.  It was a celebration of old and new.  And celebrate we did.

We survived our first year teaching abroad after being brought into the country 5 weeks late, being thrown into classrooms without any curriculum, behavior managing kids who seem to have just been brought out of cages to attend school, and adapting to a new culture.  PHEW!  It has been QUITE a year.

A large table set for 15 people was held just for us at our old “home”, The Grand Millenium-Abu Dhabi.  Their restaurant, ‘Portobello’ holds quite a lovely brunch for a pretty decent price.  There’s more food than you could possibly eat in one day, and unlimited beer, mojitos, wine, and sparkling wine.  A feast fit for a King, but also for some very thirsty, energetic, and crazy teachers.

The food…Oh-Em-Gee, the. food.  Anything you could ever want is there.  Grilled lobster, shrimp, kebabs, corn on the cob, chicken, beef, and schwarma.  A pasta and brick-oven pizza section with fresh ingredients and chef who is willing to whip together some deliciously carb-filled meal exactly how you desire.  Sushi, salads, gazpacho, quesadillas, soups, freshly cooked fish, desserts, lions, tigers, and bears…OH MY!

They have a live band that plays some pretty decent music to keep the mood lively, and when they’re on break a swell Asian duo entertained the tables with guitar and cello renditions of oldies but goodies.  Let me just tell you that after 3 hours of “brunching” it is fun to sing to anything…even if you don’t know the words.

http://instagram.com/p/taHgq-FHzc/

As if that party wasn’t enough, we had to keep the ball rolling and head to the local teacher hangout, Cooper’s.  Yea.  Cooper’s always ends in ways I can’t quite remember.  (ehem…ehem)

We all had SO. MUCH. FUN!  One thing I love most about living here is that everyone else who is here is outgoing, adventurous, very social, and LOVES a good time.  Every person is living for the present; embracing the moment.  Moments like last Friday night are the kind that I cherish.  Good friends.  Good food.  Good drinks.  Good times.

The 2nd Time Around

It’s the third week into my 2nd year teaching here in Abu Dhabi.  I know this may not be the case for everyone here, but this year is starting out to be a pretty amazing one.

Three weeks ago I walked into the same school as last year a bit apprehensive.  I was scared I was going to be placed with another difficult co-teacher and feel as lost and clueless as I did at the beginning of last year.  However, I spent most of the summer speaking out into the universe, envisioning what I perceive in my minds eye to be a great year, and praying that I would be placed with an amazingly cooperative co-teacher and that I would feel like I could actually make a difference teaching here…and the universe/God/karma paid off!

I am working with a young Emirate woman who meshes so well with me.  It’s hard to describe when two people just click together, but we have.  We have similar teaching styles, behavior management styles, and our communication is pretty great.  I’m not saying there aren’t or won’t be difficulties trying to manage our classroom together, but compared to last year I have NO complaints!

Another positive for this year is that I don’t feel lost.  Anyone who knows me knows I have some major control issues.  I can’t stand not feeling in control of things for which I feel or know I’m being evaluated.  Teaching is my biggest control issue.  I like someone’s expectations of me to be explicitly laid out.  I guarantee that if I know what someone wants, I’ll do my best to meet and exceed every single expectation.  After arriving into the country 3 weeks into the school year I was hastily thrown into a classroom on my first day teaching with no curriculum, no class list, no class schedule…NOTHING.  And what’s worse is that I wasn’t ever given anything for weeks.  I was literally creating my own plans, materials, and didn’t even know what the curriculum was until my colleagues were like, “Oh, we’re going to use the ADEC Kit for the letter this week.”  My response: “Ummmm….what the hell is an ADEC Kit?”  “You don’t have an ADEC Kit yet?”

Seriously!?  It wasn’t like I was quiet about not having anything.  I asked several times, but “Inshallah” seems to bleed into every single situation here, including receiving materials for one’s job.

Despite a few questions and concerns that ADEC seems to just provide information about in the last minute, I feel like I have a good handle on this year.  I have my curriculum, my materials, and some semblance of understanding of what is expected of me.  I feel in control of this year and that’s always a good thing.

In other news, Ben has been accepted into a completely online program through Maricopa Community College with a direct transfer into Arizona State University for his Engineering Degree.  We just received his financial aid and we are both so excited for Ben to finally start his journey.  One of the main reasons we came here was for Ben to be able to go back to college and finish his degree.  It’s so amazing to see things finally come to fruition.

Also, after toying with the idea of going to Europe for the summer we decided it would be more financially feasible to travel to some countries in Southeast Asia this year.  Europe is hella expensive and it’s just not in the cards (or the bank account) for us to go there while we continue to pay off my student loans and other debts from the US.  So, we booked our Christmas and New Years holiday yesterday evening.  We’ll be spending 12 days in Bali, Indonesia! I am so excited I can hardly wait!  We are planning on taking a guided 6 hour night hike to the top of Mount Agung from Besakih Temple to watch the sunrise at the top.  We’re going to ride elephants, white water raft, hang around with some monkeys, lay by the pool, relax on the beach, celebrate Christmas, and ring in the New Year Balinese style.   98 days to go!!!!

We’ve been really focused on losing the nasty pounds we put on our first year here.  Seriously, it’s like the freshman 15, but the Abu Dhabi 15.  It’s so easy to eat here and be lazy.  It’s what everyone else does.  And it’s so ridiculously hot outside that being active is super difficult.  The heat sucks all the energy out of you.  But this year there’s no excuses.  We joined a gym over the summer and have been going 5-6 times a week.  It’s  2 months into our fitness routine and Ben has lost 20 pounds and I’ve lost 6 (of course he’d lose more.  I hate that).  Now, we have something to look forward to that will hopefully push us to step up the intensity of our workouts and drop some serious pounds.  The 3 B’s are driving me now:  Beach-Bali-Bathing Suit!

Life is looking up and that’s a good thing.  It’s not always easy to live so far away from “home.”  I’ve had 2 deaths in my family and I desperately wished I could have been with my family during those times.  Flying back to America is just so crazy expensive, and Ben and I would rather use what little travel expenses we have to see places we’ve never seen before we aren’t able to travel anymore.  I’ve definitely felt the homesickness in the past few months.  It wasn’t fun, but I see what we’re able to do now that we couldn’t afford to do before and I know that everything about our choice to move here was for good.  Every day I feel more and more blessed to have this opportunity to teach abroad, to travel, to meet new people, and pay off some debts that were the horrible pink elephant in the room for so long.

Life is good.

Gone Exploring

Ben and I are usually up for a good adventure.  We like to go off to places that offer great scenery, some exploring opportunities, hiking, swimming, etc…  It seems only fitting that we’d meet a few friends out here in the desert who feel as we do.

This past weekend, Ben and I took a little road trip with some great friends to the Hatta Pools and Wadi Madbah in Oman.

One of the best things about living here is how each new place you visit has a way of romancing you and making you fall even more in love.  The Middle East is well-known for so many negative things that some of the most gorgeous and geologically fascinating places go unknown.

Our first visit was to Hatta Pools.  We decided to take the long, 2 hour scenic way from Al Ain to Hatta because we’d heard that the border crossing there is free (and indeed it was).  A few of our friends were staying at the Hatta Fort Resort, just a short 25-30 minute drive to the Hatta Pools in Oman.  After a quick lunch, we headed out to the pools, excited to see this natural spring area.

Driving through the border into Oman we saw crumbling concrete houses and slum-like buildings with luxury SUV vehicles parked outside.  It’s a little confusing when these countries have more money than most any other countries in the world.  I guess the car is all that matters here.  The grey and brown rocky mountains jutting up around our very out-of-place paved highway provided some very welcomed scenery since Abu Dhabi doesn’t offer much except sand dunes.

After about 20 minutes of driving we found the sharp dirty road turn off that headed down towards Hatta Pools.  A white SUV pulled up as we slowed down and a helpful Omani man yelled to us, “Hatta Pools?  Yes?  Follow.  Please.”

After several bumps and dips that definitely were meant for off-roading vehicles we came to a makeshift parking lot.  Walking up, what you see seems like something from New Mexico or Arizona.  The rocks surrounding the natural pools tell the story of the thousands of years the water has been eroding them away.  We all couldn’t wait to jump in and feel the refreshing water provide some relief from the desert heat.

Hatta Pool

Hatta Pool

However, after closer inspection it became clear that other visitors to this amazing area definitely don’t have the same reverence for it as we do.  The amount of trash in the water was appalling.  The area was definitely in need of a severe clean up effort.  Some of the boys followed the wadi towards a waterfall and came across a recently slaughtered lamb and cook site left without being cleaned up.  It was so sad to see that even visitors, whether locals or not can’t even clean up after themselves.  I guess it’s a cultural thing because I have difficulty teaching my students to clean up after themselves too.  The complacency here is overwhelming.

Understandably, we didn’t stay long.  The water that we all had been swimming in grossed us out.  We all wanted to shower and wait to see if we died of Amoebas.  Such a shame that such a gorgeous area that could be such a treasure to this area has been left in such disarray.

After a lovely shower at the Hatta Fort Resort offered by our friends who had rented rooms for the night, we headed back to Al Ain.  We were a bit discouraged as we had heard such great things about Hatta before.  I would love to go back again when it’s cooler out and do some hiking though.  It looked like a nice place to explore with some pretty awesome photo opportunities.  The sunset on the way home ended our day on a happy note.

Our sunset drive home from Hatta.

The next morning we decided to visit a different “watering hole” of sorts.  It’s called Wadi Madbah and it’s actually past the real Omani Border station.  It cost us 85 dirhams each to stamp in and out of Oman, but it was SO worth it.  This location is about 40 minutes from Al Ain.

Again, the terrain is definitely not for our VW Polo.  It was driving through the rocks and bumps and dips towards the wadi that I wished we had ponied up and bought an SUV capable of off-roading.  However, the scenery is breath-taking.  Desolate land with side roads lined with trucks like ants hauling rocks from the many quarries hidden within the mountains.  Wild goats meandered around the land that they owned.  It’s hard to believe that “civilization” is only about 30 minutes from where we were.  It seems worlds away from anyone and anything modern.  It’s so odd to see land that is undisturbed by construction and modernization.

As we parked I was so excited to swim in this awesome place that I had heard so much about.  I won’t lie.  After the disappointment from the day before I was praying this experience would be different.  It was.

A 10 minute hike down some steep crags and around some amazingly white streams of water, and we were looking upon a clear pool of water with glimmering silver fish darting about.  A waterfall feeding the pool made the background noise.  No spa could have been more inviting and relaxing.  It didn’t take us long to strip down out of our sweaty clothes and dive in to the chilled fresh spring water.

The Wadi Madbah Pool with the waterfall in the background.

Alkaline water causing the minerals to build up make the milky looking water.

The milky water stream.

We noticed a bunch of frogs hiding in the cool cracks of the rocky waterfall.  At least twenty of them were piled into a tiny little area escaping the heat of the desert sun…and probably hiding from the humans who had invaded their wading pool.

Have you ever wanted to get a fish pedicure?  You know?  The one were hundreds of little Carp sucker fish eat the dead skin off your feet?  Well, it’s free here.  My friend and I sat and let these little ticklers feast on our feet for about 10 minutes.  It felt so weird.  It’s amazing what you can find in this great amusement park called nature.  The best part of it all?  It’s free!

As the day got a little too warm, we decided to head back to the car.  Across the divide between the rocks we saw a herd of goats walking along probably looking for food or some shade to wait out the remainder of the day.

What an amazing place we live in that we can take these adventures and see these amazing things.  I can’t wait to go exploring again!

Can you spot the little frogs?

Buongiorno Italia Part 4: Riomaggiore

Do you ever feel like what you’re experiencing can’t be real?  Like what you’re seeing or experiencing is the stuff of dreams or Hollywood fantasy?  Riomaggiore was that kind of a place for me.  Nestled along the coast of the Mediterranean lies Riomaggiore and 4 other villages connected by coastal and mountain hiking trails.  They call this area Cinque Terre.

As we made our way up and down the curvy (and sometimes pretty scary) mountain roads we came to the entrance of the little village of Riomaggiore.  There is no driving allowed past the parking garage so we parked our little Fiat Convertible, grabbed our luggage and carefully made our way down the steep street towards our little B&B.  Little shops adorned with handmade Cinque Terre trinkets, local Liguria wine, and local-made Limoncello lined the road.  Tiny restaurants boasting the best local seafood that Cinque Terre has to offer wafted an aroma that made us wish we didn’t have all our luggage with us so we could stop and satisfy our craving.  Every building was colored in bright yellows, pinks, reds, oranges, & browns and the sound of waves from the not so distant marina urged us to hurry up, drop our bags, and explore already!

We were warned ahead of time by many tourist sights that the stairs here are no joke.  I am here to confirm that the stairs here are indeed, no freaking joke.  After checking in to our cozy room, we were led by the manager up 6 flights of steep, narrow, and very difficult to manage with luggage stairs.  However, our room was perfect as it sat on top of the building with green shutters that opened to reveal the little neighborhood below and the church directly behind our building.  It was worth the gasps of air.

It took us all of 5 minutes to drop our things, maneuver our way down the challenging 6 flights of steps, and begin wandering the streets of our new city full of adventure.  We headed towards the marina where blue and white boats were lined up for day excursions to fish, or just spend a day rowing around the coastline.  Large rocks surrounded by beautiful blue water coaxed tourists out onto them for perfect photo opportunities.  Of course, we made our way out there too.  We dined atop a cliff that overlooked the little marina and the Mediterranean feasting on focaccia, flatbread, wine, and beer; The sun slowly setting into the sea.

It was then I had to pinch myself.  Is this for real?  Could any place on earth really be this beautiful?  Everything looks like a movie set.  I kept waiting for a director to come out and yell, “CUT!”  Only in my dreams has any place looked and felt this beautiful and perfect.

A few beers and many plates of delicious food later, we started the hike back up the hill towards our cute B&B and the 6 flight vertical climb to our room.

The next morning we woke up early to hike.  We stopped at a tiny Coop Market and bought some salami, focaccia bread, and a block of parmesan cheese for our lunch after hiking the trail.  However, for us amateur hikers, this was no ordinary hike.  The lady at the inquiries counter down by the train station said there were a few options for hiking that day.  Unfortunately, the coastal hiking paths that we’d hoped to take were shut down for repairs.  We could either take the train to Manarola (the next village over) and then hike back to Riomaggiore, OR we could hike from Riomaggiore up and around to Manarola and take the ferry back to the Riomaggiore marina.  We were concerned about the difficulty of the hike, but because we thought it would be cool to take a ferry back to town we decided to hike up from Riomaggiore to Manarola.  Besides, the sweet information lady said there would be “some stairs” to climb, but nothing that we couldn’t handle.  Either she mistook us for expert hikers, or she’s a very good liar…

There were like a bajillion steps.  Not only that, the trail of stairs winds up the mountain between vineyards and mountain roads so there’s no railing, or anything to help you along the way.  HO-LY- BUNK!  Just when I thought we’d reached the top, I’d look down the trail and see more stairs.  Stairs, stairs, stairs.  Like 3 kilometers of stairs up the 01 Trail to Sella la Croce.  My heart was pounding and my legs were burning worse than the hardest stairmaster workout I’ve ever had.  If I had to climb those stairs every day I would for real have the nicest ass.  I was NOT in a good mood on the way up that trail.  I said several four letter words along the way.  I won’t lie, I almost cried a few times because it was that difficult.

Looking down at just one set of stairs

It looks like it ends…but it doesn’t. That glorious heavenly glow is really just my hell…more stairs.

Finally, we came to the decent path that crossed the top of the mountain ridge towards Codeglia.  The tall trees, stripped of their leaves from the winter cold were just budding with tiny green sprouts.  The birds were singing and on either sides of the trail at different times you could see the steep plunge down into the forest below.  This trail was nice, flat, and manageable.  It had some great views out onto the Mediterranean.

And then we had to go down.  Down, down, down steep paths and guess what?!  More stairs!  Down the 02 trail to Manarola.  Dare I say, going down was a little bit harder than going up.  Maybe it’s because my legs were already worn out, or maybe it was just because there were stones and rocks along the stairs and trail that made it difficult to get my footing.  That trail was serious, and it seriously kicked my rear.  I only fell twice.

The serene trail along the mountain top.

A view from the top.

Taking a break on top of a boulder.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We made our way into Manarola, the tiniest of all the Cinque Terre villages.  After buying a few (i.e. 4 large) Peroni’s, we settled down by the marina and feasted on our much anticipated and well deserved salami, cheese, and focaccia bread.  It was the yummiest meal ever!  The ferry ride back to Riomaggiore was gorgeous.

The evening sun, cool breeze, salty sea air, immaculate view of Riomaggiore from the sea, and thirst quenching Peroni’s…it doesn’t get much better than that.  I felt so accomplished that day.  That was a trail made for expert hikers and we did it.  We ended the day with some new, and very amazing Australian friends who have invited us to stay with them when we visit sometime in the near future.  I think that’s what I love the most about traveling…meeting others with the same wanderlust as me.

(Sigh)…perfection

 

And so it begins

Well, it has come and gone.  I survived my first year teaching abroad.  To be honest, it flew by, and so starts our summer.  My husband and I are braving the summer here in the Dhabi.  In what I view as a very adult move on our part, we are avoiding more unnecessary debt and not jet setting to wild and exotic places we’ve never explored.  Anywhere we want to go (Europe) is too expensive this time of year, and all the other places we want to go (Southeast Asia/India) are hot and in monsoon season.  It sucks.

Yes, we’re being all grown up, responsible, and stuff and paying for Ben to go back to college in August, putting more money towards my student loan debt, AND putting money in savings.  Being responsible is not always fun.

However, I’ve decided to make the most of our short 6 weeks of boredom here.  Below is a list of how we plan to spend our time in the desert during this sweltering summer season.

1. Organize my closet and drawers.  I am the WORST with clothes.  I will do laundry, no problem.  However, I loathe…No, I mean I seriously HATE folding and putting clothes away.  My wardrobe looks like  it vomited clothing.  You can’t open it without an avalanche of t-shirts, bras, jeans, and skirts cascading onto your body.  Before I got married, my spare bedroom was my clothing pile room.  I would wash my clothes and throw them into that room.  Throughout the week I’d just pull what I needed to wear out of the pile.  No problem.  Apparently, it is a problem when you get married or share your house with anyone other than yourself.

Let me just say, in my defense, that this is just with clothing.  As a bachelorette, my kitchen was always spic-and-span.  My apartment was mopped and dusted by yours truly at least once every other week.  Bathrooms were scrubbed, and the fresh smell of lemon cleaning products filled the air.  My problem is just with clothes.

Ben has tried numerous times to help me get organized.  His wardrobe is OCD (my opinion).  It’s organized by article of clothing, and then by color.  His shoes are always neatly lined up and belts are rolled into manageable coils to place into drawers designated for such an item.  He keeps thinking that if he sets an example I’ll catch on.  Yesterday, he bought me drawer organizers.  We’ll see how that works out.  I’m supposed to start this project today and as you can see I’ve decided to procrastinate by blogging.

2. Get healthy.  Of course Ben and I would be housed in a building that has a filthy joke of a workout room, and a swimming pool that is always empty and being repaired.   Ben and I would love to spend our free time at the gym or relaxing by the pool since there is no end to the glorious sunny days here in Abu Dhabi.  Instead, we have spent on the couch catching up on the last 10 years of television we have missed (I blame Netflix).  We eat relatively healthy, but our activity level has plummeted.  We’ve both gained what I’m calling the “Dhabi 15”.  That’s stopping this summer.  We’re getting up and getting fit thanks to the access cards we acquired to a few friends apartment buildings to feed plants and animals this summer.  Hello nice gyms and resort style pools!

3.  Finishing our flat.  We’ve been waiting to complete our apartment because we wanted to make sure that what we bought is what we really wanted and needed.  For 8 months we’ve slowly been making our flat feel like home, but this summer we’ve decided to finish.  Ben’s building me a vanity (mostly because he hates that my makeup has commandeered our guest bathroom) complete with backstage like makeup mirrors and everything.  My compromise was that he gets to build a desk for the laptop, printer, and his school work.  I personally think that desks are for high school & college kids, but whatever.  I always just put the laptop on the dining room table and go to town.  No worries.  But a good wife compromises…so he gets a desk.

I’m sure we’ll do a few more things this summer.  Perhaps we’ll explore some of the U.A.E.’s 7 Emirates, or take a jaunt over to Oman.  You just never know.   I’ll keep you all updated about the wardrobe situation.  My goal is to get it organized and keep it organized, but that’s always my goal and I always fail.  We shall see.

 

Oh-Em-Gee, It’s HOT!

Can we just take a moment to talk about the heat?! Holy bunk! It is ferociously hot here. I knew it would get this way. I wasn’t naïve to the fact that I moved to the desert, but I don’t think I really understood what 120 degrees feels like to the human body.

Let me give you a little bit of insight on the weather in July so far in the great city of Abu Dhabi.

The wind is blowing just a little too much for my taste, and it’s kicking tons of dust and sand around. My allergies have been LOVING it and have decided to make me a snotty, stuffed up, sneezing, coughing, itchy, tired, hot mess for the past 3 weeks. The dust blows around you and cakes itself to your face, ears, everything. Bleck!

In addition to the dusty haze that has laid a blanket over the city, it’s humid. I’m from Florida. I know ALL about humidity. There’s rarely a summer day in Central Florida that doesn’t see at least 60% humidity in the forecast. However, 40% humidity when it’s 110 degrees Fahrenheit outside feels SO much worse than Florida’s 98 degrees and 60% humidity. That 40% makes it feel like you’re wearing a heated blanket draped over your body as you walk/race from the car to the next air conditioned building. The air is heavy. Have you ever boiled water and placed a blanket over your head to inhale the steam? It’s kind of like breathing that (However, I’ve had this perpetual sinus cold that has settled in my face so that may be the reason it’s hard for me to breathe).

It’s hot, friends. I mean walking into a sauna with all your clothes on type of hot. And whoever said to me before I moved here, “Oh, the abaya you’ll wear actually allows a breeze. You’ll feel cooler with it on.” was a liar. A LIAR! I miss wearing shorts and tank tops in public on days like these. Dressing for the weather is a luxury that I took for granted. I won’t ever take it for granted again, America. I promise.

The heat is like an energy sucking leech. Being outside for 30 minutes makes you want to go inside, strip off all your clothes, and pass out on the bed for hours. I can see why people from the desert are nocturnal creatures. That’s really the only time you can feel remotely okay being outside.

Is anyone else as HOT as I am? I need to go to the market next door so I can make something for dinner tonight and I just can’t make myself walk the less than 5 minutes to get there because it’s just too freaking hot. I’d rather spend three times the amount of money to order take out and have some poor soul brave the heat to deliver it to me.

I miss December through February here. It was gorgeous like that first taste of fall in Florida when the high is only about 80, and you can feel a light cool breeze in the air. (SIGH) Only 6 more months to go…