Just sitting on the couch on a Monday night…
It’s 8 p.m., and I just said bye to Shannan. The next time I’ll see her we’ll be in Germany (she’s meeting up with Joe and me for Christmas). Cannot flipping tell all of you how excited I am right now.
Before she left my place, we chatted about our next trip (Bahrain in February) and googled images of where we think we’ll go for spring break (Spain), and basically made a New Year’s Resolution we think we can keep: Never go on a trip before booking the one after that. At the rate we’re going, we’ll have as many trips in a year as we do months. I’m good with that.
Since I’ll be busy the next few days finishing things up here, I wanted to pop in and wish all of you Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and all the good stuff in between. I doubt I’ll get a chance to write much while vacationing, so I wanted to make sure my friends and family back ‘home’ know how much I love and miss them, and that despite how happy I am I do so, so, so miss all of you and wish we could do all of this traveling together. Sadly, the dirhams do not stretch indefinitely.
Later this week I’ll be with my man, then we’ll visit my sister, do some touristy stuff, spend Christmas with my relatives in Wedel, then hop on a train (that will also hop on a ferry) and spend New Year’s in Copenhagen, and then we will cry as we head back to our real worlds, which aren’t bad at all; they’re just so far apart. But, I’ll worry about that in January and February — good news is Spring Break is in March, so the time should go by quickly. And then summer break will be right around the corner, and I’ll be back home hugging everyone.
Until then, though, Happy Holidays! And may the new year bring even more love and joy into our lives.
Jambo!
Yesterday morning my cab dodged Dalla Dallas (local busses that sort of look like an old trolley glued to the back of a rusty pickup), donkey carts, rickety bicycles (some loaded with firewood), pedestrians on their way to work, school or prayer, oxen, and, sadly, one too-slow chicken who scrambled its own eggs on her way out of this world. Today, it was my little Hyundai zooming past camels and construction trucks (while SUVs zoomed past me) on my way to work. Oh how quickly my world changes.
Zanzibar, one of the spice islands off the coast of Tanzania, is an amazing place to visit. Yes it’s a poor country, and, yes, not everything is pretty, but oh my goodness what the people lack in currency they have in abundance with the natural wonders of their island — including themselves. This is my second time visiting a coastal region of Africa, and I’m in awe, once again, of what little I was lucky enough to see.
In just four days I swam in warm, turquoise water, fed tortoises, flirted with Red Colobus monkeys, which exist no where else in the world (except maybe zoos), learned a little Swahili from the locals, walked through ancient alleyways constructed out of coral stone, slept soundly tucked under the veil of a mosquito net, as well as all the other vacationy stuff I like to do — especially when lounging on a surprisingly comfortable chair made out of rope. Ooooh, and I learned a new way to steep hibiscus tea — my friends are in for a treat the next time they visit (if I find hibiscus tea bags).
I have so much more to share about the island, but I think pictures will tell the story better than I can, so here you go. Do know that I am now on a mission to visit as many African countries as I can while living so close to this part of the world — while also fitting in my Asian and European adventures. Aaargh there’s so much world, so little time.
And a few more to leave you with.
In this lil corner of the globe…
We’re all stuffed and thankful for another year of bonding with folk from all over the world. My lovely neighbors and I had our second Thanksgiving party where we all share a little bit of where we come from while thanking the powers that be for our time here. Our Thanksgiving buffet included all the normal stuff (except cranberry sauce — we forgot about that one) plus European, Asian, Indian, and Arabic foods. Above is just one of the tables of food in the hallway — there were four, plus all the stuff we had in our apartments.
The weekend prior we threw a baby shower for a friend, and the weekend after next we’ll celebrate Ashley’s birthday. At all of these events you’ll see people from different faiths and cultures laughing, dancing and loving life together. When we talk politics it isn’t about this politician versus that politician; it’s about how we move on from the nastiness that takes place within all of our borders, and how we wish normal folk were running the world, so there’d be more people breaking bread than ruining lives.
Random party shot in Ashley’s living room; women bonding over crafts and chocolate in my living room — kitchens and living rooms are totally where global decisions should be made.
We’re all also extra cheery right now because this is the time of year where everything gets just a little bit easier. Many of us are traveling next week since we get 5 days off for National Day, and then two weeks after that we teachers are on a two-week Winter Break.
Our students have finished off their trimester projects and wowed us with their presentations. Mine held a career fair, and I was so very proud of each and every one of them. Teenagers — everywhere — continue to give me hope … even when they’re driving me crazy.
It’s now dinner time on my version of a Sunday, so time for me to warm up some leftovers and watch the moon rise from my balcony — oh AND appreciate all the National Day lights and decorations. The medical center right next to my balcony has blinged out with a humungous flag and star lights: makes sipping tea or grape juice even more fun.
Until the next time, sending you lots of love and warm wishes from my laptop to yours.
Aaargh was getting ready to go to pool, and then I read something that ticked me off…
I’d be lying if I typed that I’m not paying attention to the news, or not worried about this latest rash of terrorist attacks. Of course I’m bothered by it all, and of course I worry about where this will all lead. This time next week I’ll be packing my suitcase for another trip into another predominantly Muslim area, and while I’m not losing sleep over whether or not my friends and I might be targets, I am losing sleep over the state of our world and its bigotry/idiocracy.
I’m outraged by any human being who thinks it’s okay to slaughter other human beings in the name of their perceived God or higher calling; I’m sickened by those who pontificate the same sort of shit from their keyboards or political platforms. An American-Muslim friend of mine said she doesn’t consider ISIS (or better yet let’s get that whole Islamic State out of their name and call them douche — I like it better than daesh) Muslim. They are not what her faith or her people represent. I say the same for any authority figure —— politician, businessman, clergyman —- in America who spews anti-people vitriol. They are not America. They do not represent what my country’s doctrine represents. Deep within my heart of hearts I have to believe that the majority of Americans do not think this way. I have to hold on to hope that the majority of the world does not think this way. Because if they do, then the terrorists aren’t who we should fear.
I cannot believe I live in a time where I can watch movies on my phone and have my car tell me where to go, only to scan headlines where alleged leaders cater to a twisted version of playground politics. Sticks and stones may hurt my bones, but words will never hurt me. That’s the lie: its our words that are killing us. They lead to more fear and more hate, which feeds into “their” (insert enemy of choice here) fear and hate. Can’t we do better than this?
I’m not naive. I know wars need to be fought. I know, unfortunately, bloodshed will need to happen to prevent more bloodshed. I know more of our young people around the world will have to do the very adult thing of fighting these wars. I don’t know what to do about the Syrian refuge crisis. Of course there are douches imbedded with some of these camps, but oh my goodness so are countless good human souls. There are douches of all sorts imbedded in all forms of our societies. Do we give up on the good just because of the few, or do we use our damned intellect and figure a way to weed out who needs to be weeded —- and do we figure out how to do that without giving in to our prejudices?
I don’t know how we afford to feed and house and provide some sort of peace for so many who can no longer go home —- and not just Syrians, but so many others who also face a violence and fear most of us, thankfully (and hopefully), will never know. Some of those people are our own living and dying within our own borders.
There’s so much I don’t know, but what I do know is the older I get the more primitive my world seems to become. Or, maybe it’s just my country’s handling of it. Forgive me for connecting my world view with my country view —- I am American after all, and we sometimes do that. But, that’s also not always a bad thing. We have so much good to offer as well —- seriously, I know many of you in other parts of the world may not see this, but we are also a giving and loving people. Why oh why are we letting our uglies get center stage?
I try very hard to not publicly post political comments because the dialogue that tends to take place usually doesn’t solve anything, but today I’m posting my version of a war. It’s my war against hateful words. We can’t stop the media from focusing on the bullshit, but we can stop ourselves. Let’s not give credence to the fools who say hateful things that pull us back. Instead, let’s start posting our solutions or sharing things that might make sense —- even if they don’t align with our normal political or religious affiliations. If we take out our own biases we might just come up with something that works versus tearing us apart. Yeah, I know haters are still gonna hate, BUT WE don’t have to.
Happy Flag Day, Birthdays and halloween!
Yesterday was a big day for the UAE. Flag Day kicks off the countdown to National Day, so throughout the next few weeks patriotic decorations will be popping up all over the place. It’s a festive time where Emirates can show off their pride. My school purchased a boatload of cakes and arranged them in flag formation. We also had a variety of celebrations throughout the day. Needless to say the girls had fun, and it was an easy day. I always love watching kids be kids — regardless of how old they are. My girls blew up a bunch of balloons and then released them. It was beautiful — if only my phone could’ve captured it on time.
To see cool pics about Flag Day throughout the country, click here
Today is my daughter’s birthday, and in a few hours she and the rest of my family (Kyle is in town since his birthday was on Tuesday) will get together for a nice family dinner. Of course I wish I was there, but I’m glad they’re celebrating together like they should. It makes me proud of who they are, and I know they’ll have a great time. In another year or so I’ll be back to celebrating holidays alongside them again — and we may just have to buy a whole bunch of cakes too!
Last week I had fun in Abu Dhabi with friends. We dressed up and did halloween our way, which can only mean a good time. The weekend before that Abu Dhabi friends came to Al Ain where another good time was had. Basically, we’re all keeping each other happy and busy so that none of us gets too homesick, especially now that it’s fall. Luckily, we can also get our pumpkin spice fix at Starbucks, so all is right with the world.
Work will be winding down soon as well. I have another two weeks of actual teaching, and then it’s just review and presentation time. We get 5 days off first week of December, so a beach trip on an African island is booked. I’ll surprise you all with photos when we get there. I’m so excited about this.
Two weeks after our little beach trip, and I’m on my way to Germany to bring in the holidays.
Oh and before that we have a baby shower planned and our apartment complex’s Thanksgiving dinner. Whoop! whoop.
I wish I had more to share with all of you, but it’s pretty much the same. I work during the week, walk or go to the gym at night, sometimes read, sometimes chill with friends, sometimes with netflix or HBO (OMG The Leftovers is fantastic this season), and live the life with friends on the weekends. I’m still missing my family, but also still loving the time I have here.
Next time around I’ll find an Al Ain snippet to share with you. Don’t know what it is yet, but I’ll give you some sort of glimpse into life in the Oasis. Until then, hope all of you back home are doing well.
Grading/grating…
So, I’m sitting here with my latte grading papers (okay taking a break from it now) and stressing over work-related things while missing home terribly. Homesickness, for me, hits harder the second year around. I guess it makes sense since the newness of here has worn off. Don’t feel sorry for me because it’s not all that tough. Yesterday, I had the day off and ate breakfast at Shannan’s, hung out at the pool and ate a Caribbean dinner feast. Today, it’s paper grading, some pool and gym time, more grading/planning and then something yummy for dinner.
I don’t mind spending the weekend home working. I’ve been blessed with many a fun weekends away. Last weekend I got to go to the Dave Mathews concert and then a wine tasting the next day. In between was some pool and chat time with friends. I had a fantastic time. Something tells me next weekend will also be a fun time.
Work has been overwhelming because I had so many classes. I just did not have time during the day to do all that I needed to do. I’d run from one pod to another, losing stuff along the way while papers piled up on my desk. Notice I’m writing this in past tense. Humdullah! A new teacher arrived last week. She’s taking one of my classes, so starting next week I’ll be down to two sections to teach, which means I’ll have only 4 (versus 6) classes a day, minus 31 students to assess. This is the first time since I’ve been here that I’ll have a more manageable load. So, while I’m working hard this weekend catching up on grading and creating better lessons, I’m also excited because I’ll finally have time during the week to focus on what I need to be focusing on. Don’t get me wrong the pressure is still very much on, but now I feel like I can do it without losing my sanity in the process.
That said it is hard not having my family here. I have a lovely group of friends who I love spending time with, and I’m so grateful to have them in my life. But, I’m greedy. I want Joe and the kids here too. Luckily, I get to see them again soon.
Living in two countries is a wonderful experience, and one I wouldn’t change for anything, but it does come at a cost. Time away from family is very, very hard — despite all the amazing, fun things you get to do without them. Luckily, the benefits seem to outweigh that for now — when they no longer do that is when it’ll be time for me to go home. Because of this I can also offer them more than I could before, and the kids are getting their time to grow with mom far away. Mom does her growing here while they do their’s there. It’s a good deal.
I have no idea what the future holds, but I do know that when I move back home I’m going to spend the first few months just inhaling all of it and savoring every moment. You all need to remind me of this when I complain about whatever it is I’ll end up complaining about. Of course as I’ve mentioned in other posts, I’ll also really miss here.
Okay time for me to go back to work, so I can relax at the pool. Hope you folks back home are having a lovely fall. It’s still quite warm over here, but that’s okay because I’ll freeze my bottom off in Germany this Christmas.
Work is work…
It’s early Monday morning, and I’m up so that I can print out my daily lesson plan just in case an administrator comes into my room and asks for it again. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to print out this week’s plans yesterday, and of course I had a pop in. I had a good lesson and resources prepared and the girls and I were doing what we needed to be doing, but that one little mistake made me nervous and I stressed over it throughout the rest of the day (even though I really didn’t need to). So, despite my lovely life I still stress over paperwork and whatnot. Later, on the same day, a parent came to ask about her daughter and emphasize how important the child’s grades were. She was a kind and lovely woman, and I’m glad she stopped by, but I’m also even more stressed because what if I don’t have enough time with her daughter before the big exam in December? I care as much about her marks as she does.
Last week I wrote an advice piece for TeachUAE (I’ll share when it’s published), and I wrote something along the lines of delete “it’s unfair” from your way of thinking. And, ever since I typed those words I find myself reminding inner me to stop whining. I’m stressed because I want to do a good job, I want to help my kids get to where they need to go, but sometimes I feel like I’m getting pulled in a million different directions. There’s not enough time in the day; there’s too much paperwork; there’s too much to teach in too short of a time, etc., etc. I want to throw my lil temper tantrum and yell It’s Not Fair! I’m only human.
Sounds like I’m back at home, doesn’t it? Thing is the hard stuff doesn’t go away just because I’m on another continent, living the life. The job is still difficult because it matters, and darn it all I — like everyone else involved — still care about those kids.
Then when I come home there’s no Joe to rub my tired feet, no Kaylene to discuss the innards of life with, no Aaron or Kyle to tease about whatever odd thing they’ve done that day, no Meiko or Badger to drool on my lap. Of course I do still chat with all of them, but it’s not the same. I miss my family.
I miss autumn in the states as well. Even in Phoenix it’s getting cooler (although not by much). I’d be making stews and planning for birthdays, halloween and the upcoming holidays. Fire pit season begins soon as well — oh how I miss sitting under the stars laughing through the craziness that is our lives.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m still LOVING my life here, and I have a wonderful network of friends I laugh with here (sometimes at a shisha place, which has become my new version of the fire pit). I cannot believe how lucky I am to have had the chance to do this, and it’s paying back in ways I didn’t expect. I am not complaining about my life here at all. I just wanted to share that it’s not all beach time and parties. I stress, I worry, I miss, I wish for more just like I did when I lived on my own soil. Apparently, those things never go away.
That said I have a fun weekend coming up. I’m going to the Dave Mathews Band concert — woo hoo! Cannot wait! And then I have a 5-course tasting event at the St. Regis on Saadiyat. Plus, we have an extra day off next week, so I’ll have time to catch up on rest and grading.
And when I do go back home, I will miss all that I have here. So, basically, I think I’ve set myself up for a life of missing ‘home.’
Vacay time again…
So, I’ve been back and working for the past 4 weeks, and I haven’t even popped in to let you all know how it’s going. As of now it’s super great since I’m on another mini vacation, but I’m saving money for some expensive upcoming trips so it’s just going to be time on the beaches in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. I know poor me.
I’m teaching 12th grade now, and one of my students (hey there Miss M!) googled me and has been reading my blog. Turns out I wrote about her last year. She’s the girl I didn’t know who’d randomly find me to tell me jokes. So, lucky me I now have instant access to Emirati humor. I’m really pleased with all of my classes, and I’m enjoying working with them. I guess it’s a combo of me having a better grip on what I should be doing and they being a bit more mature that’s making this work. Something tells me it’s going to be an even better year than last year, and I’m really going to miss these girls when they graduate in May.
As for life outside of work, it’s been great too. I’ve pretty much spent the weekends in Abu Dhabi or Dubai enjoying all those cities have to offer. It’s great to come back here and not have to learn how to do everything. This is my other home now, and I love navigating my way through life here. [here’s a link to a blog I wrote about this for Teach UAE ] I cannot wait to share it with Joe when he arrives in 2017, which sounds so far off but isn’t.
For the most part I’m really content and at ease with who I am, where I am, what I’m doing and not worrying too much about all the whys that surround me. That said I’m also looking forward to all the good stuff that’s being planned for this year.
First week of December I’m going somewhere during our next mini vacation — don’t know where yet, BUT somewhere new to me and cheap. A few weeks later I’m back to Germany to celebrate Christmas with my family there, and then I’m off to Copenhagen for New Years. A few months after it’s Spring break, a month after that it’s Kaylene’s graduation, and then it’s summer time and all our big plans for that.
Basically, my life revolves around vacations, and the work part in between isn’t (so far) nearly as tough as it was last year — although it is STILL work, and I do still get stressed. Trust me there is also plenty of crazy going on too, but it all manages to work itself out, which is part of the gift of being asked to live here. You really do discover that, yep, no matter how insane or illogical something may seem to you, it will eventually make sense in its own way — and you’re good with that. I wish I learned this lesson sooner in life — might not have as many gray hairs right now had I done so.
Oh, and a former co-worker from Phoenix is now here too. I introduced him to some of my Abu Dhabi pals, and he’s settling into his new digs on Reem island (lucky B-word — um, trying to watch my language, let’s see how long it lasts). He’s going to have a tough year — we all do at first; there’s a lot of adjusting to do — but I’m also excited for him. It’ll be fun showing off the weekends.
We also have new people moving into my complex, and I just sigh for them. It’s only been a year, but me oh my what a difference it all makes. So if any newbies are reading this, I promise you will get past the newbie phase.
And, that’s about all I have for you now. I’m going to Shannan’s place for a girls night tonight and tomorrow we’re off to Saadiyat beach, so maybe I’ll go take a nap to rest up for all the fun that’s coming my way these next few days. I’ll try to write something less “yay vacay time” next time around.
To learn more about why I’m off these next few days, check out my friend’s blog.
Arizona, Arizona … alles klar in Arizona
When we were in Germany my uncle kept playing a German country song that praised the state where my house and family still reside. I’ve been ‘home’ for almost three weeks now and cherishing every second of it. In some ways it’s odd to be back because it feels like I never left, but of course I have and there’s another life added to my layers.
I need to apologize to many of my Arizona friends for not making plans to meet up. It’s not that I didn’t want to see any of you. I had just a few weeks and really wanted to spend as much time with Joe and the kids as I could, and I’m so glad I did. Joe I’ll see again during Christmas break, but the kids won’t see me again until July 2016, so this trip was all about doing the little family things we love to do. Next summer, however, I’ll be home for all of my vacation, so I promise to make some time then to meet up with more friends.
Plus, next summer is a big one since Joe and I will finally tie the knot, and then he will join me in Abu Dhabi February/March 2017. The kids have been helping me plan for it, and it’s pretty darn priceless googling wedding dresses with my 20-something sons, who actually have good taste when it comes to lace. who knew?
But for now, we’re living our Arizona/Abu Dhabi lives and that’s good too. We’re all happy moving along our own little paths while staying connected the way we do.
I fly back on Thursday, which will be hard, but I’m also looking forward to reconnecting with my UAE buds and students. Besides, Winter break will be here before I know it.
Until then, though, here are some photos of my lovely home state: Arizona.
life after forest fires… and those poor free-range cattle are living the life, until, um, they aren’t.
Ah the things you see on a hiking trip in the northern rim area of the Grand Canyon.
my kids in the kitchen.. 
sitting on a park bench in Prescott … and totally loving the breeze!
our favorite saloon in Jerome, Arizona
best baked beans ever (eaten in Sedona), which, of course, came with a sloppy rack of ribs.
the only copper mug at our favorite saloon for the yummiest Moscow Mule. Perfect thing to sip while listening to a guitar player sing the blues and watching a thunder storm outside.
I’d post more pics, but it seems I’m out of free space. I deleted a bunch of old pictures from my media file, which sadly also deleted them from older posts — oh well. I’ll upgrade after my next paycheck…
Family and Friends…
I’m a lousy blogger in that when I had down time I didn’t spend it writing about my wonderful vacation. I did, however, use that time to sleep, shower, and thank the powers that be for the people in my life.
The last time I posted we had just arrived in Rothenburg om der Taube (or something like that), and oh what an adorable little town that was. At night we walked the wall that surrounds it. Call us Game of Thrones freaks, but we kept chiming “You Know Nothing Jon Snow.” Then we cruised on to Herrenberg to spend time with my niece and her beautiful family. Her girls are just way too adorable, and she should be proud of the love that obviously surrounds her and her little ones. We also got to spend the night in a tiny, tiny town where the church bells became hells bells for us during the 6 a.m. ring-forever chime. After that it was on to Cologne where we had a lovely hotel room, which felt like an apartment and where we enjoyed way too much German hospitality — thanks to the best waitress on earth. Cologne (Koln) is such a beautiful city, and my advice is to not miss it if you ever get to tour Germany.
Berlin after that, which was also a great time — with more food and drink (see a pattern here). And, then, finally on to my family in Wedel, near Hamburg. I’m a lucky girl who gets to travel all over the place, but nothing feeds the soul more than hanging with family. And, I get to do it again when I visit in December. I am sooo, soooo grateful for this.
I’m also lucky to have friends who’ve also become family, so seriously just go ahead and hate me now because yeah I’m that lucky. I know I should tell you some of our stories — we have plenty of them — but I’m now back in Phoenix waiting for my daughter to wake up, so that we can go out to breakfast. So, instead I’ll just blast you with some of our photos, which are all about family and friends.
My cousin Yvonne and her two balls of energy. I had so much fun playing with these two.
Charles, her husband, made us some braziian drinks — let’s just call it happy hour for now.
Lilly, my cousin Nicole’s, lil princess.
My aunt Birget, Lilly and Nicole. we don’t look related at all, do we…. (why do I have the potato head?)
My uncle Michael and Ericka.
Shannan and me eating our gazzionth wurst on this trip
Birget serving my favorite German dish, Rolladen! Jana’s boyfriend cooked us Polish ghoulash, Michelle’s fiance cooked us a roast pork with dumplings, Yvonne and hubby cooked us the German version of collard greens and ham, and oh my goodness were we fed and fed and fed by my family. It all tasted so darned good.
Michael in his man cave
bike riding in Berlin
Pimp daddy Derek!
Warning sign on tour bus in Cologne
My niece Jana and her oldest
Good God that’s just too much cuteness to handle
the wall by day
the wall with night walkers — before I took this pic with flash we couldn’t see them hiding there. Almost gave me a heart attack.
Schmetterling! hahahaha that and WonderBra! became our chant.
we did a lot of this …. A LOT
My cousin Michelle is a tattoo artist. I’m not a tattoo person, but I couldn’t resist being her canvas. Me before tattoo — really, really nervous about it.
And very, very happy about it later. It’s a beautiful piece of work, and I will treasure it always.
And, Kaylene is awake!!! Time to go get some grub. I’ll try to do a better job of posting something or other while I’m in Phoenix, but of course I am also so very happy to be home with my kiddoes, man and dogs again.
bettina without borders 