Twilight Zone

Last week was crazy.  It has been cold the entire week.  And not only was the weather off, but so were the kids...straight Twilight Zone all week.

Sunday - The children found new energy.  They were all over the place.  But, my motto is, "If you can't beat them, join them."  I let them jump up and down and run all over the room, threw in a few educational songs and called it a lesson.  They're 4,5, and possibly 6 years old (birthdays aren't celebrating much so I am not sure that me nor them actually know their ages).

Monday - It rained soooo hard.  In the dessert, rain means citywide shut down.  Schools in Madinat Zayed where I live released the children before the day even started.  They put them right back on the bus.  However, not only did I drive an hour in the pouring rain, but my principal also did not get the close school and send kids home memo.  Additionally, whereas most classes had 5 or 6 children, I had 16 to show up.  I swear my kids will swim to school if they had to.  I average 21 kids per day.  I have 23 on my roster.  Other classes might have 23 on the roster, but only see about 15-18 of them per day.  My children must really love my coteacher.  Geesh.

Tuesday -  The only thing I remember about this day is how the children behaved...HORRIBLY.  I really have to find some new behavior management strategies for pre-k students.  That color chart only works for so long.  The only thing that calmed them down were the pineapples we ate to celebrate the letter P and Dora and Mickey Mouse stickers.  (Sidenote - If anyone from the states wants to send me a care package, please include some Dollar Tree stickers.  These kids love stickers for some reason)

Wednesday - Another rough day with the kids.  Next week I will stop letting them win InshaAllah.  "I am the adult."  At least that is what everyone claims.  But anyway, Wednesday night is line dancing night.  It is a night in which some of the ladies out here meet up, fellowship over food and beverage, and learn new line dances.  I can do everything but the line dancing part.  They are working on something called "Bring in the Cats" which is some Baltimore dance.  Way too many moves for my two left feet.  But I have fun watching and yelling out some of the moves.  See, I may not be able to display the moves, but they are all in my head.

Thursday - The kids wore their own clothes to school rather than the uniform as a part of the "All About Me" unit.  It was kinda funny to see them in jeans and t-shirts like the kids back home.  Normally if they are not in uniform, they are in traditional garb.  We had an impromptu field trip to the park.  It is my philosophy that children at this age should only learn through exploration and play.  I can sit in the classroom and teach them all day, but true assessment data comes from when they play.  At the playground, they showed me every shape and color they know without me asking.  When they wanted me to do something, they formulated sentences or phrases in English.  Quiet as kept, in the classroom our center time is mostly play (whiteboards, play dough, sorting, blocks, painting, etc.)  It is amazing what kids will show you through playing.  The park was fun.  I vote that we have more days at the park but no one asked for my vote.

On the way out of school, we were handed new schedules.  It is February and they are changing the children's schedule.  If you have or have ever come into contact with a small child, you know that the one thing they need is structure.  This is the third schedule change we have had since I started at this school.  It makes no sense.  Consistency is the key to success with little ones and people like me.  The good thing is that I have a defiant coteacher that is willing to go against the grain for the benefit of the children just like me.  I am sure we will find a way to keep our same schedule until scheduled observation days.  *shrugs* I see no valid reason to disrupt the structure in my classroom.  We have enough struggles (i.e. sitting still for more than 2 minutes) without creating a new one.

After school was a relief.  Although we ended on a good note, this was not a good week.  The kids wore me out.  I have never been so happy to see the weekend.  Thursday, I did nothing but stay in the villas and watch TV.  It takes a lot for me to want to stay out here in the dessert on the weekend, so you know those kids must have had my mind gone.

Friday - We played our first kickball game.  We lost.  We looked nothing like we look in practice out there.  End of story.

Someone saw my kickball name and told me I was such a Georgia girl.  Best compliment ever!  Hardly home but always reppin.  I loooove my state.  Sidenote: How bout those Hawks?

Dear same friend that will put stickers in a care package, can I also get some baby blue socks (preferably Nike Elite) and some new black tights.  I'll handle the shoes.  Why not go for most fashionable player?

After kickball, we went to eat and then attended a Glow party at Aloft Hotel.  DJ Allad played everything from "Tootsie Roll" to "Im in Love with the CoCo."  Fun Times!

This is the only pic of me I liked from the party.  I have some ab work to do.  But don't worry, a guy named BJ runs our dessert bootcamps, is our kickball coach, and is going to have me right really soon.

Saturday - I went to the dentist for the first time since I have been here.  He told me he knew I had orthodontic work but it didn't quite work in the front.  He was referring to my crooked tooth that shifted as a result of me NOT wearing my retainer.  Geesh, don't hold back Doc.  LOL.  Despite his bluntness, I like the dentist and my experience wasn't bad.  People are often weary about going to doctors in other countries, but half of my doctors in the US were from other countries.  So far, I am in safe hands with the doctors I have seen here.  Thinking about going to see the orthodontist about my crooked tooth as well, not because the dentist pointed it out, but because orthodontics is cheaper here so it might be worth it to fix my tooth.  I might only need a retainer to do so.

Travel Updates: I never made it to Qatar and now my cousin is leaving me in the dessert to return home.  However, I have a friend that just started teaching in Qatar, so the trip is still on the list.  Other possible trips include Bali for spring break and Morocco right before I come to the US for the summer.  I'm excited.  I better start planning.

I am back to the wild wild west now.  A new week starts tomorrow.  Let's see what's in store.

About Winter Break

So, I took a long break from everything including this blog.  A lot happened over the break.  I should have taken notes because I probably can't remember most of it.  But, here goes my attempt:


Before the Break
One thing I have learned about this country is that they love to celebrate and have gatherings.  I am not sure what we were celebrating, but before the break began we had a school wide "tenting" event.  I know what you are thinking, "what is tenting?"  Well, we took all of the children in the school to the beach.  While at the beach, we set up tents...hence, tenting.  The children were given opportunities to visit various activity stations that were set up (sports, sand art, searching for seashells, etc).  Additionally, teachers and parents grilled corn, chestnuts, and potatoes while children ate sacked lunches and fruit laced with chocolate from a chocolate fountain.  Needless to say, these four and five year olds had a blast.  Their parents seemed to have fun too.  At the end of the day, the children were given gifts of coloring books, crayons, and some other age appropriate objects.  Like I said, I don't know what we were celebrating but this was clearly some sort of celebration.

Some of the English teachers

Visiting America
In a nutshell, going home to America was overwhelming.  I forgot my mother moved from Georgia to South Carolina.  Plus I still have family in Savannah and Claxton that I wanted to visit and a plethora of friends in Atlanta that I wanted to see.  When I arrived in Atlanta it was the last day of school at my former place of employment.  I went to visit the kids for a little while and then went to see my hair dresser and get this hair back on track.  Then, I left Atlanta and went to Savannah where I visited a few family members and picked up my car to head back to Atlanta.  While in Atlanta I Christmas shopped (so last minute), got necessary work done on my car, paid some necessary bills, and met up with a few friends.  I missed a lot of them because before I knew it, it was Christmas Eve and time to head to South Carolina with my family.  I spent Christmas Eve and a few more days in South Carolina, and was then driven back to Atlanta so that I could catch a flight to Barcelona.  Like I said, OVERWHELMING.  I enjoyed my time at home but being there and seeing my job reassured me that I made the right decision coming over here.  I miss people, but other than that I am not missing anything at home.

I took very few pictures while in America.  Ooops.

Former Co-Workers and some friends made sure they saw me while I was at home.  

Look at Lyric taking over the pic with all that cuteness.

Barcelona
I think I am in love.  Barcelona was amazing.  It was also amazingly cold! (I have been living in a desert, lol).  But, the architecture, the history of the place, the shopping, the paella, the flamenco dancers, and everything else was just amazing.  NYE was so much fun.  I met people from all over.  And can you believe that across the world, they were screaming the song, "I'm in Love with the CoCo."  I didn't know whether to be embarrassed or impressed.

Quick nerdy fact: The language of Barcelona is Catalan.  It is a dialect of Spanish, but not exactly like the Spanish I learned in high school (as if I actually learned Spanish anyway).  Also, Barcelona is discussing separating from Spain and establishing themselves as their own country called Catalunya.

Cathedral.....pics don't do it any justice

Going to see the Flamenco Dancers

An Italian friend on NYE.  I knew not a word he said and he knew nothing that was coming out of my mouth. But, fun is universal.

I forgot where this guy was from.

My Dutch friend.  He worked at the Go Car Tours place and we ran into him at the club on NYE.

I'm sorta internationally known now.  My new friends from Manchester, England.

Go Car Tour!

This is a Go Car.  We rode this around Barcelona on a long GPS guided tour.  This is probably more fun in warmth!

Eric and I on the Go Car Tour

I can see myself living in Barcelona

Gaudi is my new favorite architect.  Love his story.  Love the mysteriousness and uniqueness of his work.

These Flamenco dancers were not playing with anyone.  LOL

Returning "Home" to Abu Dhabi
My mother always told me, "you get what you pay for."  I bought a cheap flight on Pegasus Airlines to Dubai.  Epic fail.  Have you ever heard of a flight that has no complimentary food or snacks on the plane.  Not even a glass of water unless you pay for it.  The flight was so cheap because they nickel and dime you in every way possible.  Between my baggage fees and paying other little fees that came up, I could've flown on a real airline.  Lesson learned!

Then, we come back to Abu Dhabi for a Professional Development week.  This is common for teachers, so no big deal.  Day 1 we discussed some strategies for teaching, Day 2 we built a bridge from paper.  Day 3, we built a tower using straws, Day 4 was foggy so I didn't go, Day 5 we met back at our school to plan and discuss what we learned.  I will let you read over those four days and figure out how I felt about this Professional Development week.  Last year, teachers were given three weeks off with the children.  This year, we came back a week early for Professional Development.  No further comments.

When the Kids Came Back
I missed my kids!  It actually felt good to hear "Ms. LaTwonya" again.  But boy they came back on GO.  No, "I'm tired from the break."  No, "I'm not used to waking up."  Go mode!  It has been three days and I need another break.  Too bad there are no more breaks until spring break in April.  I'm thinking Bali around that time, but we will see.

Ok God, I Hear You

I'm baaaaack!  I swear when I break from work, I break from everything...


Last night I went to bed with something on my mind.  I swear God sent me the answers through Bishop TD Jakes today.  For the first time, I watched The Potter's House with some of my desert friends.  These were the points that hit home for me:

-You can't expect progress without respecting the process.  This goes with every aspect of life, including marriage.  Last night I was browsing Instagram (social media isn't good for you sometimes) and thinking about all of my friends that have families, and how at 32 I am so far behind.  I was forgetting that I have to learn to be content with where I am before I can get to where I am going.  Bishop Jakes preached that so many people are concerned with tomorrow that they forget about today.  I have to learn to be content with my today so that I am ready for my tomorrow.

-We are made in the likeness of God, and God is what he is today, yesterday, and forevermore.  So whatever you are is always in you.  If you were creative before, you are still creative.  If you were supportive before, you are supportive today.  It's always in you.  At times I feel like I changed so much over the years and have lost parts of who I am.  But if I am made in the image of God, those things are not lost, I have just lost sight of them.  I am who I am today, yesterday, and forevermore.

-Your future and your past are related (or "kin" as Bishop Jakes put it).  What you will be in the future is directly linked to what you are today.

-You can be a great you or a poor someone else.  You can't be a great someone else.  To me that said, "Stay out of people's lives on Instagram.  Let those people be great.  It's not your turn to shine in that way."

Not to sound like a sinner, but I rarely go to church and definitely have never watched church.  Today, I was in the right place at the right time.  I needed a word.  I was slowly sliding into a place that I didn't want to be.



I am sleepy tonight, but America and Barcelona pictures and updates will be in the next post.  Then, I will get this thing back on track.....until the next break!