Life in a Box :)

Many of you who know me know that I became a teacher because of some innate need I seem to have to help people.  It is why I went to college originally to become a doctor and why I decided that I could help people, kids, just as much by becoming a teacher.  So students like me, shy and awkward, and students like some of the kids I knew in high school, would have someone who was willing to listen and willing to go the extra mile to get them to succeed and want to succeed.  When I first realized teaching was a possibility for me, I had no idea if I would make a good teacher.  Sure I liked kids and I liked tutoring when I was in high school, but did that make a good teacher?  I still remember the conversation I had with John Welckle, the Ed. Psych professor, when I was hoping he would let me into the interim study program in the cities, even though I was late signing up and very late entering the Education program, as it was my Junior year.  I remember going into the office with no idea what questions he would ask or how I would answer...which really isn't like me.  I remember when he asked me what makes me passionate...I explained my feeling of wanting to help and then I talked about my passion for literature and how it was a release for me when I was younger.  I felt like I was babbling, but he must have seen something in me because he allowed me into the program and I never looked back.  I was known for thinking outside the box and having a lot of energy when I taught both in school, student teaching, and my first job.  So when I was offered the job here and told I would get many opportunities to do the same, I was psyched.  But when I got here...it wasn't exactly what I expected.

Living in Abu Dhabi is great for the single person.  Lots to do: Desert Safari, Beaches, Beach Parties, mor shopping malls then Paris Hilton could want (by the way there is a Paris Hilton store in the Marina Mall here...wow), pubs, brunches, water sports, sports clubs, and the list goes on.  It is a never ending party here in Abu Dhabi.  I was a bit surprised at the amount of teachers who I saw out on the weekends though, teachers who had been here more then a year.  Now I realize why.  Because of reasons I am not allowed to explain, we teachers struggle to fulfill our dreams of truly helping and teaching our students English.  Instead we have to try to find small triumphs in our day...when a student finally gets a concept or is able to get out a whole greeting in English without mishap.  I wish I could say it was the culture or the students...however, as in Morocco, I find the culture and the people intriguing and lovely as a whole.  You get one or two who are Nosy Rosies, but on the whole my fellow Arabic teachers are lovely ladies and, other then the lack of repercussion, which I found to be similar in the states, the girls misbehavior is mostly harmless chatter or being late to class.  So then where is the problem...well many of you can hopefully figure that out on your own.  Needless to say, the honeymoon period on this job is way over and I am not sure I am not liking what I see with the veil lifted.

On happier notes, I absolutely love rugby and what it has done for my figure.  I have lost ten pounds and gained muscle.  I can run long distances without getting winded and I have gained loads of confidence...which kinda happens when you tackle people to the ground.  The girls I play with are mostly British and Irish with a few Americans and such thrown in.  They are all extremely nice and fun to hang out with, and always have your back.  I am currently fostering a kitten...Leo as I have named him.  He purrs louder then most cats twice his size and when he sleeps he either sleeps on top of me or behind my head and has to have his head resting on my neck or face...which can cause for me to almost crush him at times in bed.  Typically he will paw at me until I move and then get up and readjust, he is adorable.  I am looking forward to Eid break, which is a week from Friday.  I am excited to get away from Abu and see a bit of the sights.

I have found that while I enjoy cooking for myself, I enjoy cooking for others way more...which is a problem when you live alone and have no dining room table, instead I make things to take for my coworkers.  One of my coworkers, Stacy, has become my chill buddy.  We ride to work daily and she has a worse Minnesotan accent then I do.  She is from Colorado, but has lived in Alaska and Canada.

I had my first haircut since I left for Abu Dhabi tonight.  My stylist, an Arabic man with ATTITUDE, flourished the scissors after every cut as if he were twirling a pistol in a stand off.  When he finished cutting a bit of hair he would toss it aside like it had insulted him.  If he needed something moved or retrieved he would summon the hair washer with a snap of his fingers.  If the hair cut wasn't worth the money, the show definitely was.  I struggled to keep a straight face.  The experience wouldn't have been perfect, however, if he hadn't spent as long cutting my hair as he did styling it into what he called "50/80's chic" as he fluffed it while adding more hairspray.  Luckily, I know the cut will look nice when I add my own touches and my students will fawn over it in the mornings saying things like "ohhhh miss miss, so beau-ti-fulll!"  Definitely almost worth the money.

Well that's all for now, Leo is wanting to cuddle and is making it hard for me to see what I am typing as he insists on laying his head on my mouth.  So until next time, night.

Whew!

It has been a while since I last wrote, for several reasons.  I started at my school on September 4^th, and have not stopped moving since.  My lack of time increased when I got my keys for my apartment the same day the students started at my school.  Thus between rugby, outfitting my apartment in three days and teaching, I have not stopped moving from 6am to 11pm since September 11th.  Today I move out of my hotel and into my apartment with only some pillows, towels and blankets to sleep on as my bed and couch won’t be delivered till Monday…inshallah.  I will most likely need to sleep on a pile of towels tonight and tomorrow so I can ride with my co-teacher to work and save money on cab fare. 

My kitchen will be finished today and I will hopefully be able to start cooking for myself, which will save money.  From my apartment, on the 19^th floor, I have a view of the Embassy, Exhibition Center, Grand Mosque and the water front.  It is beautiful both during the day and at night, though a bit higher up then I am used to.  I was lucky enough to get a two bedroom apartment with a balcony, one and a half bath, large living area and a kitchen with counter space and dishwasher and washing machine hook up.  There are high ceilings with beautiful crown molding and all the counter tops are marble.  The tile floors are easy to clean and the air conditioning is a dream.    At least the wait for the apartment was worth it!

Rugby is going well, this last week was exhausting, with all the running around I have been doing it is understandable.  We had a scrimmage Wednesday night and by the end I was more spent then every other practice.  Last night we had three games, I played in two of them.  In the first I attempted to tackle a girl twice my size.  I didn't get her down and smashed my nose in the process, but she had to let go of the ball.  I got tackled twice, both times I stayed up for a while and it took a couple girls to take me down.  The second time I got tackled I went down pretty hard and then got kicked in the back of the head.  Needless to say, I was sore after that one.  The coaches were happy I kept playing and so was I.  I feel great overall though, losing 12 pounds and gaining muscle does wonders for the health and physique.  I am hungry even more often now then I was in the past, which can often be a problem, especially when I am at school.  I will be happy when I can bring leftovers for lunch and not snacks. 

My students are doing well, but I still only have about half of my students in two of my classes and about two-thirds in the third class.  Apparently students are allowed not to come to school if they are sick.  I have also had a student faint.  I have learned that many students have problems with diabetes, blood pressure and sensitivity to heat, so the girls are often going to the nurse, more often than in the U.S. anyway.  I am just happy that all my students know the alphabet, can speak a little English and are willing to ask for help…I am one of the lucky teachers (no joke).  The girls are sweet and good listeners.  I am very pleased with my school and my classes. 

There are a few things I have noticed about life in Abu Dhabi… not all the taxi cabs know where things are, even some of the most well-known monuments.  Luckily, I am learning my way around...my maps app on my iphone helps loads with that though...especially with all the weird turns and lights here.  There are several malls, all huge, all filled with people.  I am in shoe heaven, which isn't a good thing.  The women here wear designer high heeled shoes, purses, and clothing…all the time.  They also walk very slowly, everywhere.  You will randomly see people out walking in the middle of nowhere.  You can be on a road almost in the desert and you will see some random guy or a couple of people just standing or walking around...no buildings or cars in sight...just walking.  Another thing…they really like their lights here in Abu Dhabi, especially multi-colored lights.  They are on everything from the whole sides of buildings, to bridges and inside malls and hotels.  There are normal cabs here, which have a yellow stripe and yellow top light.  Then there are cabs with a pink top light and stripe with flowers that is driven by women for women.  They are rare to find but they are there.  

Well that is all for now.  I am doing well overall, just a bit overwhelmed as of late, but soon things will slow down a bit.  P.S. Thank you to all who are reading my blog it means a lot :) Until next time…

Being involved was never so exhausting....

So anyone who knows me knows that I tend to be somewhat of a loner and a hermit, yes me the person who moved to another country on her own is independent...shocker!  Since moving to Abu Dhabi, I have been making a vested effort to make friends and actually hang out with them on a regular basis...I didn't realize how tiring it can be to be so social. Eileen, one of my girls here, knew a girl through a friend of hers and that girl has lots of friends so initially we were invited along and now we are starting to become a fixture in the group, which is great...it can just be hard to remember so many peoples names at times.  Then we have met other people through going out and such...needless to say now we get invited to things and my week fills up. I somehow got roped into playing rugby...no that isn't a typo.  We have a coach and a captain and practice twice a week.  Practice is like any intense hour and a half conditioning practice, but add to that intense heat, humidity, and the air is very different then it is in Minnesota.  So if you haven't drank enough water during the day, be ready to get dizzy and maybe have tunnel vision.  You sweat so quickly you have a thin sheen of water constantly on your skin, luckily practice is at night and its a bit cooler then.  The ball handling stuff was a lot of fun and I look forward to doing more and getting in shape.  Plus all the girls on the team are very nice and supportive to a green player like myself.  I have also learned about these things called brunches.  They start mid-day, you pay a base fee, and you get prettymuch all the food and drink (wine, beer, etc) you could want.  You basically eat all afternoon and then try to stay awake long enough to go out in the evening.  I have my first brunch this Friday and from what I hear they can be awesome and a bit crazy...my life is very interesting right now.  Still no apartment, but I know I am teaching at a high school near the downtown area of Abu Dhabi and that I will get my keys in the next two weeks here so I will make sure to keep you updated.  Have to go get ready for rugby practice, say a little prayer that I make it through alright!

LOOONNNNNGGGGGGG Week

Last time I checked in I was going to be waking up early for three days to go to orientation.  We had to get up by 6ish so we could get down to eat before 7:30, which was the time that we had to be in the lobby to get on the buses for the trip to orientation.  Then the trip to the Paris-Sorbonne University took about 30 crowed minutes on the bus.  Some buses even got the privilege of waiting outside the University complex for thirty minutes while they made sure we were safe...so you got to know your neighbors a bit better during those times.  Then once in the complex we had to sign in, get a name tag, and figure out where our "break-out" classrooms were.  Then we were shepherded into the auditorium for a couple hours of speakers telling us about the vision of Abu Dhabi and what we can expect in the coming weeks and such.  By about half way through the speeches I was giving thanks that the chairs weren't very comfortable because it meant that I couldn't easily give into the sleep that pulled at me as speaker after speaker stood behind a podium and delivered their power-point accompanied speeches.  Only three of the speakers really made an impact and that was because they moved around and included humor in their speeches, which was much needed by 12:30pm.  We got a half hour break at about 11 where we were again shepherded into a screened off room where we could have a snack, now what no one realized was that we were supposed to bring our own snack, which made for some grumpier people when the speeches resumed.  Then we went to "break-out" sessions where we talked about our thoughts about the program so far...or at least we were supposed to...my group decided to ask some unrelated questions and then got bogged down talking about the price of renting vs buying a car in Abu Dhabi.  I can tell you it was incredibly awe inspiring discussion...  The next day, Wednesday, was a bit different in that the secondary teachers were taken to a high school in Abu Dhabi to discuss curriculum and the other teachers went to the University again.  It was a lot more interactive the second day and we got a lot of information on the curriculum...but we were given it during the meetings and didn't have much time to read through it, so when question time came, there were a lot of questions being asked that could have been answered by reading the packets of information.  Day three was a bit like day one, but longer and more interactive.  By the time we got back to the hotel at around 3 or so all the teachers were starving and sleepy, where as I was about bouncing off the walls.  Now we come to the weekend.  I have learned that we are a bit spoiled in Minnesota as people cannot smoke inside places anymore.  There was a beer pong tournament at P.J. Riley's Pub which meant a lot of people smoking in an enclosed space...after a couple hours my eyes were burning and the sleepiness I had not felt earlier hit me like a wall.  Mix that with the frustration of getting hit on by very inebriated guys my dad's age it is understandable that I left before the normal 3am closing time.  The next night was much better as we got to go to a late brunch at Bamboo restaurant which meant that you paid 200dhs and received all the food and drink you wanted.  It was the best Chinese food I had had in a long time and eating with about fifteen other wonderful people, my night started well.  We then went to the house of a friend I had made the week before and commenced in chatting and dancing and all around fun.  If I wasn't tired by the end of that night, last night must have exhausted me as I was taken to an amazing Italian restaurant in the Fairmont Hotel and wined and dined better then I ever have before courtesy of one of my new friends.  Needless to say I slept in until past 11am today and plan on a relaxing afternoon.  Now I must head to the pool and to see my friends who are no doubt worrying that I have lapsed into a coma.  Until next time...

Fun, Sun and Abu Dhabi

I have been here a little over a week and am realizing a couple major things about life in Abu Dhabi.  1.) It is hot in the summer here, really hot, almost suffocating at times. 2.) Hotel life of sleep, pool and food is only fun for about a week then you are wanting to get into your own apartment. 3.) There isn't much going on during Ramadan.  Knowing those three things, it is understandable that this past weekend I have done everything possible to get out and see Abu Dhabi outside of the hotel.  I went to a party at the Marine House Bar called Chesty's, I played beer pong at an Irish Pub downtown, and went on a half-priced Desert Safari complete with Dune Smashing, Sand Surfing, Camel Riding, Iftar and Hookah.  At the Marine House party I met some really nice people and made some friends, I was able to hang out with some of those friends at the Pub, and dune smashing is always a favorite of mine.  I still haven't been placed in an apartment yet so that makes looking for and buying furniture for the apartment difficult...as does the fact that they have yet to put the funds into our accounts for buying furniture...interesting.  In addition we are supposed to have orientation Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week but we don't know for sure how long or at what exact time we leave in the morning. Oh well, shway shway and inshallah every thing will end up all right and I will be in an apartment before school starts...hopefully.  That is all for now, more will come when I can finally begin preparing for my first place on my own.     

People Need to Relax

Okay so yesterday and the day before were two very good examples of what to expect from living in this culture..and that is that things tend to take a while and aren't always well organized.  Sunday night was our first orientation night.  We were supposed to be there at 5pm for registration (none of us knew what we had to register for or what we needed to bring, so that was the beginning of the confusion) and it said that orientation would end at 11pm.  So we all go down to the meeting room, as we get there we see people in copier lines.  We ask them what they are making copies of and why and miraculously no one seems to know.  I laughed and shook my head, there have been several rumors flying around about what is going on and what we need to do, all of which somehow contradict each other.  My new friends and I take a seat, arriving at a little before 5pm.  At about 5:30 a woman comes in to tell us that we don't actually need to be there until between 6:30 and 7pm and that now is simply for making copies.  We find out that we need to make copies of both our stamped passport and visa, for something we need to do later, by word of mouth.  I was about falling asleep on my feet so one of my friends was nice enough to copy my visa for me while I went to take a catnap.  I came back down at about 6:30 to mass chaos in the area outside the meeting room.  There were four tables and, by talking to my friend Ilene, I found out that each table had two lists with names on them and I had to find which list/table had my name so I could get my back account oped at the National Bank of Abu Dhabi.  This seemed simple enough except that teachers kept taking the lists from the table and not putting them back, so instead you had to find the people holding the lists and figure out which table they went to.  Now this would have been bad enough without the 200+ teachers all cramming into a space meant for about 50 or so.  Needless to say, tempers were high and hysterics were beginning.  I was in a perfectly good mood having taken a nap and the sun was setting right outside the window so I calmly found my table, happened to get the third place in line and prepared to wait.  I stood with a smile on my face both due to the beauty of the sunset and the hilarity of the people around me.  People were crying, yelling, swearing, and overall having hysterics.  I got to the hot seat quickly and it was a manner of minutes till I had my bank account open and was again free to do as I pleased until 8:30 when our bosses would actually arrive and orientation would commence.  I was lucky enough to get my account before the bank tellers left for a brief Iftar meal, which I thought was well deserved with how hard they had been working and the fact that they hadn't eaten since 4:30am.  However, I was a little miffed to hear some of the teachers complaining saying "how dare they take a break to eat, we need to get our accounts." After some gentle reminding that they had not been able to eat for over fifteen hours, such teachers learned to keep their comments to themselves.  Having nothing to do and being a bit hungry ourselves, my friends and I went to my room, brought some food, and had a little snack of our own.  We had a great time laughing at the attitudes downstairs and then went down a bit before 8:30 to be ready for orientation.  Orientation started ON TIME yet many teachers were rudely outside getting their accounts open or chatting while we were getting information inside the meeting room.  Therefore, when it came time for the question and answer period people were coming and going or simply not listening and therefore many questions were repeated.  Therefore the orientation that could have taken a half hour took almost two hours.  Oh did I mention that before orientation we were each given a bag that had information for us and a zip drive.  The information packet had a most asked questions part...that answered almost all the questions asked during the Q & A...funny.  Due to the idiocy of many others and the very funny answers by the host of orientation, Ilene, Mary Beth, and I were almost rolling with laughter.  After orientation finished, we all had to get in a line based on our group number...mine was 7...and hand in our Visa, Passport and Copies in order to get our residency and work Visas.  That went relatively quickly and then a bunch of us went upstairs to have a well deserved glass of wine.  I ended the day with fun conversation and by meeting three very nice Italian men.  Yesterday was a bit better...a bit.  We had our medical checks and each group had a time that they needed to be ready to go to the bus.  Some people expected to get in and out while I expected the whole thing to take at least three hours.  It turned out I was right.  I was the last group to go and I was supposed to leave the hotel at noon, we didn't end up leaving until 1:30.  It was about a 45 minute drive to the hospital and then we went up to the 15th floor on a less then completely sturdy elevator.  We sat in chairs and got a number.  Our numbers got called to go to a desk and give them our information.  Then we were pushed through to get our blood pressure and weighed.  Then we had to have a seat until we had a skin test, which consisted of lifting up our shirts and turning around so they could check for leprosy. Then we had to wait again till we could get our blood tests, the people taking my blood laughed when I said my name because apparently when you say my name out loud it means "my dog" in Arabic.  Then we had to wait to have an x-ray to look for TB.  The longest waits were for the skin tests and x-ray.  Knowing it would take a while, I had brought my kindle.  The hospital was clean, air conditioned and the chairs were decently comfortable...I was a happy camper.  Others were not as positive.  Some women rudely asked the helpers if there was a way to speed things up, complaining that they had been waiting for too long, others would get up in a huff to go somewhere else rather then wait with nothing to do, thus making the helpers have to search for them and thereby prolonging the wait of others.  The whole process in the hospital took about 3 hours and I was back at the hotel by 5:30.  I had a two hour nap, went to dinner at the Arabic restaurant in the hotel and then went back to my room hoping to get more sleep then I had the past couple days...I ended up getting 6 hours, one more then normal.  Today, I had a wonderful breakfast and am looking forward to hanging out at the pool and then going to my 5pm aroma therapy massage so until next time, Ramadam Kareem!

I have arrived!

So Thursday I left Minneapolis, MN to fly to Chicago and then on to Abu Dhabi.  Saying goodbye to my family was difficult, but surreal.  It feels more like I am going on a long vacation then moving to another country for a couple years.  The trip from Minneapolis to Chicago was booked to the brim and I had to put my not so small carry-on under the seat in front of me, making the already my already sparse space even more cramped.  However, my discomfort was made instantly better by the tv show, Big Bang Theory, that they had on for us to watch during the flight.  Then my only worry was that I wasn't laughing to much and making a spectacle of myself.  Arriving in Chicago, I had to walk down to the opposite end of the terminal, leave the terminal, walk across an overpass to the transit that I would be taking to International Terminal 5 to check into my flight...I would just like to note that in Minneapolis, when checking my bags, I was told I would just have to get off the plane and there would be a transit right there for a quick trip...no one said anything about all the ups, downs and arounds that you have to go to make it to the international terminal.  I, happily, arrived at the terminal to find that there was a long line of other teachers and nationals also checking into the Etihad flight.  I met a few other teachers who were also on the Minneapolis flight, they were all very nice and as clueless of what was expected of us when we arrived in Abu Dhabi as I was, which made me feel loads better.  I got checked in, finding out from the helpful woman that I didn't have a very good seat, and went on through the gate.  My carry-on was not weighed like so many others.  I got lucky as a few of the other teachers had lighter bags then me and still had to pay fees as high as around $100.  Also, they don't tell you that if you want to get a real food you need to get it in the fast food restaurants that come before the security check otherwise you can either get some snacks (chips and candy and such) near the gate, or go back out and have to go through the security check a second time.  I luckily had some trail mix to enjoy to tide me over.  There were many other teachers and I was fortunate to sit with and get to know a few of them as we waited.  Getting onto the plane was a long process and my seat was on the side in the middle of two people, but the people were nice and it was near the front.  I sat next to a woman who was teaching in Saudi Arabia and a man originally from Abu Dhabi.  The first thing he asked me upon sitting down was if I was Arabic, saying I looked Lebanese (you called it Laya).  I guess I may fit in a bit better then I thought.  The flight was long and I only slept a few hours, but there were plenty of good movies, tv shows and games to keep me busy...also, they constantly feed you so you never really get hungry and the food is really quite good.  Upon getting to Abu Dhabi I could see the water and sand dunes, it was amazing.  Getting off the plane all we followed the tunnel and at the end of the tunnel was a wonderful woman holding a sign for ADEC Teachers, which they call adeck.  We then got our visas and eventually went to get our eyes scanned and to go on through customs...the lines were long and it was quite warm in the terminal.  Then we were directed to baggage claim where we, along with the teachers from Dublin and Toronto, collected our luggage, put it on a cart and went on a long trip to where our buses were waiting for us.  It was warm and humid outside but our bags were put in a big truck and we were all brought to our hotel.  The airport is huge and the roads are very nice.  Upon seeing the Yas Hotel and realizing that was where we were staying made everyone in the bus start chattering with excitement.  To get to the then glowing bluish-purple hotel we had to go over a beautiful bridge, which passed over the Yas Marina Circuit.  Arriving at the hotel we were immediately directed to get our room keys, which they gave with the accompaniment of a wonderful glass of cranberry or orange juice.  We had to give them our passports for some information, but most of us got our passports back that night, I will have to get it this morning.  Then we went back to the lobby, told the nice hotel men which was our luggage and what room to bring it to.  I looked at my wonderful room, showered and dressed for some late dinner as I was then starving.  Because it is Ramadan we only have a limited menu at certain times.  After dinner in the hotels club, I went to my room and looked out at my balcony.  It was wonderful, but then I couldn't close the sliding door and had to call the desk to have them send someone up to close it for me.  I then got dressed and had a blissful 6 hours of sleep, I have a feeling I will need a short nap this afternoon.  As it is I need to get dressed and go eat breakfast before it closes at 9:30.  Then I may try a half priced back massage or mani/pedi that the hotel is offering to the ADEC teachers as today is our free day.  Ramadam Kareem!  Oh and Ferrari World themepark is only a 10minute transit ride away :)

Soon On My Way!!!

I just received my departure date a couple days ago.  I am going to preface telling you the date by telling of an email I received near the beginning of the summer.  The email had a list of dates that people interviewed for jobs and corresponding times that people would be flying out.  Because of the day I interviewed, I was supposed to be leaving mid to late August.  Therefore, with about a month to go before I left, my mom started planning a going away/birthday party for my dad's 50th.  We figured we should play it safe and have the party the first weekend of August, so we decided to have the party on Saturday, August 6th.  I spent days creating an amazing e-invite and preparing a list of people/email addresses that my dad and I were hoping to come to join us for a evening of fun and excitement in the great town of Dover, MN.  (Note: for those of you not from south-east Minnesota, Dover has just over 500 people, two bars, a post office, a hair studio, and our very own fire station.)  So, we got the e-mail addresses and sent out the invites.  Thus I went up to visit friends in the Twin Cities this past Wednesday, fully confident in the fact that I had more then enough time to enjoy the company of friends and family before my departure.  Thursday morning dawned bright and cheery, I looked forward to a night of theatre and good company.  It was then, biting into my wonderfully delicious bagel at Bruegger's Bagels, that I put their glorious gift of free wi-fy to great use.  I was sitting with my friend's cousin and his two friends, all of whom I had met the day before, as I began looking at my emails.  Chatter ceased as I, dumbfounded, exclaimed, "No way, no no no!" as well as some other choice phrases that I will not repeat in this public forum.  My three new buddies sat quietly waiting for me to explain.  As I explained that I had received my departure date, they understood my excitement, but not my duel expression of dismay.  It was then that I explained that my departure date was not mid-late August, as I expected, but August 4th, two weeks from that very day and two days before my dad's and mine much anticipated party!  I felt as if my heart had stopped as the enormity of my situation crashed in on me.  This weekend was the last that my family would all be home before I left, yet I wanted to make sure I saw all my friends before I left.  Therefore, I decided to go home early, while still being able to see all my friends.  I called my mom first, knowing the response I would get and hoping that I could make her feel somewhat better.  My mom being my mom, got on re-emailing the invites to our invite list, getting together my paperwork, and making a list of things I still needed to get/do before departure.  Needless to say it has been an interesting few days.  Tomorrow I begin packing and putting my stuff into storage that I am not taking with me.  We are also going to be cleaning to prepare for the party.  With this sudden change in my plans of when I was leaving, and the amount of time I "lost" with friends and family, overwhelmed and stressed me.  However, it was also a reminder of the new life I would be entering in which Insh'Allah (Allah willing) and shway shway (slowly/wait) would be my two new phrases to live by.  I think I will learn to let things happen more at their own pace, which can't be a bad thing.  I will keep you updated as the days get closer as to packing processes and actual leave time.  If you want to have an idea of what my flight will be like you can follow the link to Etihad, UAE's Airline (http://www.etihadairways.com/sites/etihad/ae/en/experienceetihad/Pages/ourguestzones.aspx).  The Economy class is as nice or nicer then most first class seats in U.S. flights, I am psyched!  Until next time!
Kelby

Baggage and Such... the stressful beginning

Hello again,

A couple new updates to awe and inspire you...okay maybe not inspire as much as confound and frustrate you, like they have me, but its okay.  So, I got some nice emails detailing what I needed to fill out in order to get tickets for my move, what I need to have authenticated in order to move, and other information.  Can I just say that, at my age, the emails were daunting and word filled.  It was obvious to me that the person writing them was probably a businessperson or politician type and not a writer.  The language was, as I said before, confounding and frustrating.  I am lucky that I have my Mother Teresa, reader of difficult documents and explainer of complicated writing, to go over all the emails with me to write a list of things I needed to do in order to be able to go on my marvelous adventure.  The list is four pages long...on note paper, which on normal paper is about two pages.  The list includes authenticating my degree and teaching license (which is a pain and a half) as well as my power of attorney and possibly my will (we aren't quite sure on the last one yet).  It also includes having a medical check, complete with physical, blood work, and any vaccines that I need updated.  I also have to look into adding my parents onto my account and figuring out how to send money from my account in Abu Dhabi, when I get one, to my account in the U.S. in order to pay my numerous student loans and to avoid the most costs.  I am also getting an international driver's license, through AAA, so I can drive poorly in another country.  I have to register with the U.S. state department and the U.S. embassy in the UAE.  It is a lengthy process that I suggest you get on right away.  It hasn't been the easiest thing to stay on top of right now, what with the end of the school year and such, but I am doing my best.  I also made a will, health care directive, and power of attorney.  I downloaded the Quicken WillMaker, which is a much cheaper and easier way of making these three documents then going to a lawyer.  Anyway, I am paying a company to authenticate the necessary documents, which saves me a butt load of time and stress, for an small, worthy price.  This way I can continue to do the other things I need without having to worry about when documents are getting sent to which places and how quickly those documents can get back to me so that I can send them to the next place and....well you get the idea.  Anyone who is reading this to get some idea of what to expect for your own adventure...I hope this helps.  Now on to WAY more interesting information...

MY PARENTS GOT ME NEW LUGGAGE!!!! It is beautiful, I call it Sherlock chic.  I cannot explain how beautious it is without showing a picture, so look at that.  They are the London Fog Chelsea Lites luggage and I got the 29" and 25" suitcases, like the big one in the photo, and the 20" Rolling Club Bag, also in the photo.  I am pretty positive that my little sister could fit comfortably in the big suitcase.  They expand wider and the suitcases have 360 degree rolling capabilities and they are super easy to maneuver.  I think I am in love with my luggage.

I have already started to alter my wardrobe with clothing that won't kill me in the 100+ weather I expect to encounter when I get to Abu Dhabi in August.  I went to my favorite store, New York and Company, to buy three shirts and a pair of pants, all of which were light weight cotton or linen and loose fitting.  I have already worn one shirt to work and my students approved, so I must have some fashion sense yet.  I also bought four new pairs of shoes, which would have made my total shoe count 26 pairs, but then I got rid of six pair that I don't wear anymore, thus making my total a solid 20 (for those of you who have trouble in the math department).  It is not surprising to me that it has been somewhat difficult to find this lightweight clothing in Minnesota, the land of frigid winters, but I thought I would have a bit more luck in the pants department then I have.  I may have to make some pants and skirts this summer to make up for the lack of suitable/cheap linen pants in the area.

Something to note: when leaving ones family completely for two years for the first time ever, really, you are likely to become nostalgic and/or saddened.  Everything makes you tear up: talking to your brother about him being a senior next year, seeing your sister looking beautiful in her choir concert, reading to your littlest brother and overall realizing how much all three will change by the time you return in the summer next year.  My siblings and I are extremely close and I will miss them dearly, thank the heavens for Skype and Magic Jack so I can see and talk to my family on a regular basis while in Abu Dhabi.

Sitting here typing this, I wonder if people are able to own pet in the Abu Dhabi appartments....

Until next time,

Kelby

Signed On and Moving Forward

I am starting my blog with the signing of my contract.  It may not seem like an interesting step in my adventure beyond the ocean, but I can tell you it was one of the most crucial and stress inducing aspects of this whole thing.  For all those who have decided to follow my sometimes interesting and at other times rambling blog, I suspect that this will be like many relationships.  I may forget to write some days, or stretches of days at a time.  However, just know that I will return with ample stories and excuses for why I abandoned you for the short, or possibly long, stint.  I also want to take this time to say that, although I am A English teacher (that one was for you mom, te he), I do not plan to edit every post and will probably have grammar and/or punctuation issues at times, and you will just have to deal with that sad, but irreversible, fact.  (For those of you who do care...if you try to tell me of any corrections I should make I will probably stop speaking to you for a bit...you have been warned.)  Now back to the signing of my contract...stressful.  Upon learning I was going to receive the job I had dreamed about, the biggest thought in my mind was "OH MY LADY GAGA! HOLY HANNAH!" or something of the like.  Something you have to understand about me is that I have wanted to travel since I can remember.  Therefore, getting a job doing what I love, in an amazing part of the world, was literally a dream come true.  At twenty-three years old, I was living out my dream.  Now while all those thoughts were going through my mind, the thoughts of what I was going to have to do to prepare for signing the contract did not.  Anyone who gets a job in another country do two things: 1) get most the check-listed items done, before the interview, to their specifications and 2) make sure you have someone that can explain everything on the contract to you, including the stuff written in the other language.  Other then that, enjoy the happy feelings.  I may not write for a while, there are things that I am waiting to hear such as when I'm flying out, what I can take, etc.  As soon as those other things are learned I will talk more about my dealings in the whole situation, so until then, chao.