Me on the way to work; the mosque near my school--
we here the calls to prayer during the day
(mosques are everywhere--like Baptist churches in Alabama);
and yes, camels--on the way to work riding in the back of a truck and walking around the town where I work - Al Shwaib ( I actually work in New Shwaib which has finer, newer homes. This picture is from the neighborhood where the boys school is). There's a camel farm I can see from the road to school and near Al Shwaib is a wildlife reserve, so camels walk freely around the town. I actually saw three of them that day just eating weeds and walking around like stray dogs.

The view from my hotel - "aloft" - in Abu Dhabi.

That's me, Sandy and Leah. We became friend right away after landing in Abu Dhabi.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

This is my first entry on my blog which chronicles my time spent in the UAE (United Arab Emirates). I’ll start at the beginning—a very good place to start.

I applied for overseas employment early in the 2009 school year. I have always wanted to teach abroad, but the timing was never right. Looks like the stars were perfectly aligned or perhaps it was God’s will, or maybe I just pushed it through this year, but it happened. I sought a position to teach in Dubai or Abu Dhabi in the UAE. After two successful interviews with an education consultant company, I was on my way.

During the months that followed (June – August) I spent my time completing forms, getting documents authenticated and arranging for my flight and life abroad for the next two years. It was, to say the least, quite challenging, but it was nothing compared to the past few weeks that I have spent here in the UAE.

The United Arab Emirates is a small unified nation—similar to the U.S. in that is has states. There are seven and they are, like all Arab nations, under Islamic law. Some areas or more lenient than others—namely Dubai and Abu Dhabi. I live in Al Ain (but I’m jumping ahead).

I flew out of Atlanta to Chicago on Sept. 9 and had a four hour lay-over. I left Chicago for Abu Dhabi on Etihad Airways—a top-notch airline. All the stewardesses looked like beauty queens and their uniforms, which they changed often, were very elegant. They were from all over the world. One was from Australia, one from the Philippines, one from Ireland, one from India—you get the picture. When I walked onto the plane I saw a sea of brown skin in various shades. It was a beautiful sight to me. Many travelers were from India, some from the UAE, and some from Pakistan. In the area of the plane where most of the teachers from my travel group (travel group 4) there were people from all over the U.S. and Canada. I sat next to a charming, well-bred southern lady who taught art in North Carolina and was going over to teach kindergarten.

The flight was grueling. It took about 13 ½ hours to get to Abu Dhabi and it seemed as though there was a crying baby or small child in every fourth row. The seating was pleasant, the food was good, and the entertainment was varied and extensive—I watched the new Karate Kid movie, listened to some music, talked, read and slept very little. There was one child that was clearly very miserable because he cried almost half of the flight—seriously. Fortunately, the airline provided earplugs, so I was able to get a couple of hours of sleep.

When we arrived at the airport on Friday, Sep 10, there was a team of people from ADEC—Abu Dhabi Education Council—who greeted us with signs, checked us off a list, and guided us through the airport checkpoints and onto a bus. When I stepped outside of the airport my glasses fogged up immediately and I had to gasp because of the heat. It was around 7:30 pm and it was dark, but my Lord, it sho’ was hot—about 98 degrees, and because Abu Dhabi is so close to the sea, the humidity is almost unbearable.

We arrived at our hotel—aloft—and after submitting our passports we were checked off another list and assigned our rooms. The hotel was fabulous. 4.5 stars I’d say (though they say it’s a 5 star hotel, but they didn’t provide the robes and slippers, so I don’t think it tops out at 5). It did, however, have a beautiful view of a grand mosque—which was lit up at night, and the MOST comfortable bed I have ever slept in. When my head hit the pillow, I literally moaned and was out cold until the next morning.

Abu Dhabi is a very international city. There are many ex-pats living there from India, Pakistan, Australia, Egypt, Europe, Portugal, and other Arab nations. The Emirati— the people native to the UAE—are actually a minority in their own country. They are easy to spot, however, because many of them where the national dress. White robes for the men with red checkered head scarves, and black for the ladies—from the top of their heads to the ground—often covering their faces.

Our travel group stayed at the hotel and attended 2 days of orientation until we received our assignments. Mine was in a smaller city called Al Ain—which means the spring. It is an oasis in the desert. It’s greener and has more palm trees than most of the UAE and the temperatures are milder and the air is dry.

After a 2 hour bus ride, we arrived in Al Ain and were dispersed into various hotels—where most of us are still living. We haven’t received our housing yet, but that could all change within one week—or it could even take up to 2 months.

I’m assigned to a small school in Shwaib called Al Maseera Primary Secondary School. It is a girls school which goes from K-1 (pre-K) to grade 12. I teach 12^th grade English==or at least I’m supposed to be teaching 12^th grade English, but there was a glitch in the matrix. It seems that another teacher was transferred into my slot before I arrived (she came in on travel group 1). Apparently the system thought I was a no-show because our group didn’t even arrive until a few days before school started. So, when I got to my job site, I was told that someone else had taken that position and then I was asked to teach 3^rd grade instead. I’m not certified to teach below the 6^th and when I informed them of this they decided to let me float around until ADEC decided what to do about my situation. I learned today that the other 12^th grade teacher may take a transfer to Al Gharbia—which is even more remote than Al Ain, but offers more pay. If she doesn’t get that position then one of the school’s English teachers (a wonderful lady from Egypt) may lose her 11^th grade position and either I or the other 12^th grade teacher will take that slot. I don’t want this to happen of course, and I intend to do what I can to prevent it.

There is so much more to tell of my experience in the short time I have been here—the food, the driving, the people, the children, etc., and I will, I will. But not tonight. Tonight I will stare at the moon from my hotel balcony and wonder how my family and friends are doing and pray for God to bless them.