That's Funny Spanish!

...4 years later....

2017-01-05T13:01:00.001-06:00

We are four years into our UAE adventure, and are still loving it! Seriously, loving it. The people are great, the country is safe, Al Ain is awesome, and the expat community is very supportive.

We, like everyone else who comes here, only thought that we'd been here for the obligatory contract length of 2 years, but those two years have quickly turned into 4. If you're considering working here, I highly recommend it!

I am grateful to go back home every summer and see family and that we can pick up quickly like it hasn't been a year since we'd seen each other. I am grateful that Leslie, her dad, my mom and Jason's mom have come and visited us. I'm grateful for free medical insurance with ridiculously low copays, numerous public holidays, that 95% of the population speaks some variation of English, and for my friends and coworkers who are all in the same boat.

I'm grateful that living in another country gives me a worldly view of America and how it is perceived by people from 6 of the 7 continents. I'm grateful that I can celebrate American and Christian holidays openly with friends, and that my Muslim friends and students wish me Merry Christmas. I'm grateful that I can experience traditional Emirati culture and food, stroll through an oasis and souq, and walk among archaeological ruins dating back to the Bronze Age.

I'm grateful that I can see blockbuster movies on Thursdays in the cinema and purchase Bath and Body Works Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin candles. I'm grateful that Jason can watch the Cowboys play fairly easily (with the exception of the time difference- 5:30 am games are unpleasant).

Moving across the world was a great idea. Al Ain is a wonderful place to live, and if you're considering it, take the leap!

Our First House Guests

2014-10-10T17:01:00.000-05:00

Eid Mubarak!

Well, officially Eid is over, but we enjoyed it! We had our first (and potentially only) house guests come to visit us over the holiday. My wonderful friend Leslie and her dad Duane spent 10 days in the UAE with us, and it was great! Guests for that long...yikes! But, it worked out perfectly. Jason was a good tour guide, Duane was a good Papa to the girls, Leslie and I were able to hang out and talk, and we all sang along to some Garth Brooks in the van on the way to Dubai. I am not joking.

We were able to be tourists in our country of residence. When we first moved here, we visited places and saw things, but then got bogged down with the daily minutia of life and kinda stopped paying attention to the world around us. Leslie and Duane helped us go to places we hadn't been in a while and some places that we've never been before at all.

View from Jebel Hafeet at night

We went to Jebel Hafeet, which is the tallest mountain in the UAE. (Jebel = mountain in Arabic.) The picture above makes me think of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark for some reason.

Duane's cowboy hat was a hit everywhere we went. "Hey Cowboy!"

One of the Gold souqs

Guiness Book of World Record's biggest gold ring

Burj Al Arab at sunset

Jumeirah Beach at sunset

We went to Jumeirah Beach for the first time. We happened to get there at sunset, and were able to watch the sky turn beautiful shades of orange, purple and yellow. We'd never been to a beach in Dubai, and hadn't realized that the sand was perfect and the water warm. Leslie, the girls, and I put our feet in the water and watched a bunch of men in their whitey tighties get in the water before we were oogied out and had to leave. Yuck. Saggy, wet, whitey tighties are not attractive. But, the water was beautiful and calming despite the surrounding scenery.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi

Compulsory Abayas

We went to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi because everyone HAS to go to this place. It is amazingly beautiful. There is so much love and beauty built into every single detail. Granted, we were so hot that we may have, in our haste to cool off, not appreciated every single marble tile. As a matter of respect, they make all women wear abayas with their hair covered. It is amazing that with all the planning that went in to this beautiful structure, they didn't plan for the fact that every woman will have to be given and return an abaya. There was one room with one desk handing out abayas. It was hot, stinky, and overly crowded. To avoid the possibility that we would have to come back to get an abaya for Ava to cover her bare arms and shoulders, we got her one. She may or may not have needed it, but I was not standing in that line again. Ava said she felt like she was in Harry Potter and was going to see a quidditch match.

By the end, we were getting "Hangry" as Leslie put it. So hot and hungry that we were getting frustrated. We went to Cantina Laredo and had tableside guacamole with lunch. Tableside guacamole makes everyone happy.

Recharged, we went to the Abu Dhabi Corniche and took great pictures and absorbed the atmosphere.

Emirates Palace hotel on the left, and the Sheikh's Palace on the right

Our last few days together were spent on a desert safari and chilling at a UNESCO World Heritage site that also has a nice park. My desert safari pictures have yet to be uploaded, and I can't promise I'll remember to blog once they are. Just imagine a cowboy riding a camel, a provocative belly dancer, a full moon, and crazy driving over sand dunes. It was great.

I was very happy to be able to spend time with Leslie and Duane. I've known them both for so long that it was like family came to visit.

So...who's coming next?

Ma salamah!

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (and boats)

2014-09-19T04:44:00.000-05:00

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (and boats)

Kids were so excited to see Gas Monkey

I am not one of the fortunate souls whose employer pays for the entire family to fly back home once a year. However, I am very fortunate that they pay for private school tuition for my kids. I actually make out better this way, but it is damn inconvenient when it's summer vacation time. So, bearing in mind that we had to spend LOTS of money just to get anywhere for the summer, we went back to Texas. Awesome free family lodging, our cars are there (so no renting), and free entertainment in the form of sisters and cousins and relaxing on the back porch.

Carnival Sunshine Cruise

We had a cruise credit from Carnival Cruise lines from when our ship broke down in St. Maarten in March 2013, so we went on a brilliant 7 night cruise on the Carnival Sunshine. The thing Jason and I (and most parents) value most from a Carnival cruise is that you can ~~dump~~ drop your kids off in Camp Carnival where they are entertained and provided with age appropriate activities, leaving you with pina colada quiet time. BEST. THING. EVER.

Grand Turk

We went to Nassau, St. Thomas, Grand Turk and Puerto Rico, and took too many pictures. Beach time, exploring time, and relaxing time. Ahhhh.

Road Trip

Road Trip stop at the BlueBell Factory

On our road trip to Florida, we stopped in Brenham, Texas at the BlueBell Ice Cream Factory for a tour. After a BlueBell trivia game during the tour, I realized that I should be embarrassed by the amount of knowledge I have about BlueBell ice cream. The workers really can eat as much ice cream as they want. "We eat all we can, and we sell the rest." True. They have freezers stocked with ice cream in the break rooms. Ava changed her career plans that day.

We also stopped at the USS Alabama. We had fun exploring, but Jason was like a kid in a candy shop. A hot, humid candy shop, but a candy shop nonetheless. We all played shoot shoot bang bang with the mounted guns. It was a nice road break, and a good family road trip type place to stop.

ChiTown

We had a 10 hour layover in Chicago on our way from DFW to Abu Dhabi. Why? I don't know. Instead of sitting in the airport for 10 hours prior to a 15 hour flight, we decided to take the L train into downtown and walk around. It was kinda rainy, but tolerable without an umbrella, especially since we had spent 10 months with no rain. Walked to Millennium park, Theater district, ate lunch out on a patio, and had some Famous Garrett's popcorn, which coincidentally they have in Dubai Mall.

Although happy to go home to Texas for July, it is always nice to return to your own bed, your own house, your own place. I am extremely fortunate that my kids travel well. Alhamdulilah (Thank God)!

Ma Salama, Texas! See you in a year, Inshallah!

Reflections on our first school year in the Al Ain

2014-06-12T15:47:00.000-05:00

So, it is the end of the first school year here in the United Arab Emirates. I have learned a lot about myself, our family, and other people.

I am a very touchy person. I like to touch people. When I'm talking to you, I like to put my hand on your arm, smack you if you're being silly, goose you if I'm feeling sassy, or hug you because I want to. I have had to make a conscious effort here to not touch people when I am talking to them. It makes me kinda lonely in a strange way. I miss touching people.

I am a very flexible person. I can roll with the flow, even when it is illogical and a waste of time.

Jason, the girls and I are pretty rad people. We love each other (even when Ava is on my VERY last nerve and Landry is yelling). This adventure is bringing us closer together, and we can depend on each other. We've been able to ride camels, go dune bashing, visit the Grand Mosque and central souk in Abu Dhabi, Dubai Mall, ski Dubai, the Burj Khalifa fountain, Global Village, Gulf of Oman on the beach in Fujairah, watch a meteor shower in the desert, drive up Jebel Hafeet, see remains of a village from the Bronze Age at an official Unesco world Heritage site a few kilometers from our apartment, and go to an Easter sunrise service in many different languages with people from all over the world.

We're seeing new people, new places, new cultures, and some of it is good and some of it makes us appreciate the United States more. Talking to people from many different countries and hearing their stories and choices in life makes me see how fortunate we are. Watching the cleaners and nannies and service workers deal with disrespect and low wages and realizing that this is better than their situation in their home country is saddening. Almost every service worker or nanny that I have spoken with has a family in the Phillipines or Pakistan. Their low wages and disrespect here are still better than the money and conditions at home; so much so that they leave their children and send money home to them. Maybe people look at me that way.

I've met people with so many different accents and dialects of English that I am making a list of new English words that I've learned that are indigenous to other native English speaking countries. My top favorites are: rubbish, dodgy, fek, eejit, and keen.

There are more expats than Emiratis in the UAE, but Al Ain has a higher proportion of locals than other large cities like Abu Dhabi and Dubai. I have weekly conversations with a local mother of 5. We share a commonality in our children, and get along very well. I don't think that many expats make it a point to get to know locals.

We are fortunate and say a prayer of thanks daily for our blessings. Alhamdulillah!

Ma Salamah!

Wow, I am bad at this blogging thing.

2014-04-10T03:15:00.000-05:00

I don't understand how people can blog daily. I don't have enough universally appropriate things to say. That's what makes me wonderful. : ) Daily stuff is boring...as evidenced by the following:

We're officially into the routine of living here instead of just visiting.

Jason is very manly proud of the fact that he can get around Al Ain and Dubai without using the GPS. He takes it as a personal affront to his manhood when I plug in the GPS when he's driving. An insight into Jason's mind......

=

We still get looks wherever we go, but they're not bad looks. It's more what's up with those people? looks. Let me explain a few things. Women here speak in undertones. Or I am deaf. It could just be my perspective. I never hear women when I am out in public. I think it's for the same reason they wear the abayas and veils- to not draw attention to themselves. Just a thought.

Then there's us. I think we didn't get the memo about hushed undertones. I don't think it's possible for us. Have you heard me laugh? I think the world has heard me laugh. Our kids are the same. They think everyone needs to hear every conversation we have. When Ava sees people looking at her, she decides to put on a loud, obnoxious show for them.

The countdown is officially on until we go back to Texas for July.

11 weeks and counting!

I wouldn't exactly say I've been missing it, Bob.

2014-01-29T08:29:00.002-06:00

I find it strange that now that we live a bazillion miles away, I want to visit American landmarks. Ooh, maybe we can stop over in New York so the girls can see the Statue of Liberty, or DC so the girls can see where the president lives. OOOhhh, we still haven't visited the Grand Canyon.... We are sorely missing American Social studies and civics here- but thankfully also missing the crazy political crap that has been going on.

I've heard that there is some tax law that we can only be in the US for 30 days in a calendar year without having to pay taxes or some such. So, if we go home for 30 days in the summer, we can't go back again until the following summer? Something like that. Anywho, we have to make the most of our 30 day limit. Maybe stop off in another country- because we don't technically have to be back here until the middle of August.

So, we are looking for suggested itineraries for July into August. WWYD? What would you do? Please post your suggestions in the comments below- maybe a budget conscious one and an extravagant one??

And....GO!

Ma Salaamah

Ava's Blog Entry

2014-01-29T08:00:00.001-06:00

So, Ava really wanted to post a blog entry- I'm pretty sure because she watches waaaaay too much of the irritating show "Dog With a Blog" on Disney Channel.

I can tolerate some shows on Disney channel- Jessie- and even like some others- Good Luck Charlie- but I cannot handle Dog with a Blog or ANT Farm. Overacting and laugh tracks never bode well. But, I digress. Here is Ava's blog:

u.a.e trip.

I have some relatives coming to visit but not now.

My friends are kind but sometimes mean like Noah, Harrison, Mariam, Alyazia, Hessa ,Lydia, and Khalid.

I normally play with Noah, Khalid, Harrison, and Lydia.

They are some of my best friends.

But in my old school my best friend was Mari she was by best friend in the world and then I had to leave

her and come to the u.a.e.

Christmas Break

2013-12-16T03:43:00.002-06:00

We are fortunate enough to have 3 weeks off for Winter Break! This is awesome if you are travelling back home for Christmas. However, we would have to save every single extra dirham in order to fly back home (and as such, receive no presents), so we're staying here. It is mildly less awesome if you are staying here and have to find things to do for 3 weeks so you don't spend the three weeks crying because you're missing family Christmas.

Hili Archaeological Site Tombs

So, we've compiled a list of things to do over the break to entertain us.

1. Go play in the desert.

2. Go to Hili Archaeological site (it's a UNESCO World Heritage site that dates back to the Bronze Age), and is right next to #3.
3. Hili Fun City- an amusement park that someone gave us buy 1 get 1 coupons for. Woohoo!

Al Ain Palace Museum

4. Al Ain Palace Museum- the founding father of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed (may he rest in peace), lived in Al Ain, and since his death in 1994, his Palace has become a public museum. It's in the middle of the town center, and has an oasis within the compound.

Global Village

5. Global Village- There is a world's fair- type place in Dubai that is open October through March that has trinkets and handmade items and food from all over the world. We've heard that India's section is amazing.

Ski Dubai

6. SkiDubai- Indoor Ski slope. We have no confidence that our children would go down a ski slope, but they do have a Snow park to play in with snow and a toboggan hill. buy 1 get 1 coupon woohoo!

7. Al Ain Oasis- The reason that this city has been inhabited for thousands of years.

8. Watch a list of Christmas movies repeatedly. We've already watched Home Alone and The Santa Clause 1, 2, and 3 multiple times. Still to go: Elf, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, White Christmas, Polar Express, and Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer.

9. Maybe drive to Dubai to watch fireworks from the Burj Khalifa on New Years Eve. Maybe. It sounds trafficky.

If you've ever wanted to see what it's like to live here, this magazine that shows a snapshot of life in Al Ain. Oasis Living has good articles and lets you know about upcoming events. This link is for the entirety of December's magazine. Oasis Living Magazine December 2013

Merry Christmas!

Octoberpus

2013-10-30T12:00:00.000-05:00

A'salamulaikum!

We've had a busy Octoberpus!

Let me start out by explaining Octoberpus. I have to teach phonics to my students. Short O says AH like October and Octopus....you can see where this is going. One told me the month was Octoberpus, and so it stuck. Jason and I have now started calling October "Octoberpus."

First, we got a cat. She's beautiful and scared to death of Jason, scared slightly of me, and LOVES the girls. Sleeps with them, snuggles with them, meows at them, etc. Her favorite toys are velcro cable ties and bottle caps. At 3am. We spent two weeks officially deciding on a name for her- the choices varied from Alli (because we live in Al Ain), Molly (because we got her at a mall), LuLu (because that's the name of a supermarket here), and Phineas. The two finalist names were Rigby (from Regular Show) and Burj Katlifa (super jealous that Jason came up with that name instead of me). I voted for Burj Katlifa, but Rigby won out. So, here is a picture of beautiful Rigby being super pissed that an adult is near her.

We have been in the process of buying a car for the past three weeks. It really is easy once you make up your mind, but that was our problem. We couldn't make up our mind. Kept going back and forth- sensible, cheap, or what we want-

Finally decided on what we want. Fully Loaded 2014 Hyundai Veloster in Sonic Silver. I realized it was really fun to drive once I undid the emergency brake halfway home. D'Oh!!!!! I blame it on excitement. What's that burning smell? No more renting a Hyundai Accent for 2000 dirhams per month. WooHoo!

Also- went to the hospital. No, it's not what you think. Need to go to the dr? Just go to the hospital. That's where dr. offices are. Need a dentist? Go to the hospital.

Let me just say that it was amazing. I have never been happier to go to a medical professional in my life. I didn't need an appointment- just walked in at 9 pm, and was seen within 10 minutes. Nice hospital, awesome facilities. I didn't have an emergency- didn't need anything other than a prescription refill and answers to some questions. I left the patient room and went straight up to the dental clinic to schedule an appointment for my whole family, and a consultation with another doctor for me. I was home within 40 minutes, and only out $15 USD. Jason went to the dentist the next day, and in the same appointment had work done. He left after one hour with a prescription and major dental work done for a total of 98 dirhams. That's about $27 USD. A-MA-ZING.

We're going trick or treating tomorrow at a Western community area, then to the Rugby Club so we can watch the kids have fun as we sit back, relax, and have a cold one.

Happy Halloween!

Ded the shep

2013-10-11T15:33:00.002-05:00

That means Happy Eid-I think. Eid al Adha is a big deal here, and we get an entire week off of school. I don't know what it is, but it has something to do with the Hajj to Mecca and sheep. My students told me that they get money and presents and sweets and go to family gatherings. I had them write sentences and draw pictures about their favorite thing to do for Eid. I had many pictures of children killing animals, and a sentence that said "I ded the shep"- which I finally figured out meant that the girl's favorite thing to do for Eid was to "dead the sheep" or kill it. I'm glad a colleague told me that killing a sheep is part of the festivities, or I would have been calling several parent-teacher conferences.

Kandora and Abaya

We had an Eid celebration at school that consisted of kids dressing in Abayas and Kandoras and walking around a reproduction of Mecca. They also re-enacted something with a sheep, but everything was in Arabic, so I don't know what was going on. Not knowing what was being said, it was still neat to watch. I had my personal kids stay and watch and experience it, too. Most of the other expat kids were sent to the library, but I wanted mine to see it and ask questions. We have interesting discussions in the car- the most recent being "Why don't they have 'Mohammedmas' if we have Christmas" (well, they do celebrate Prophet's birthday, but Eid is more like Christmas, plus, Mohammed was a prophet, not God's son).

I joined several Facebook groups for ADEC (Abu Dhabi Education Council) and EMT (English Medium Teachers) 2013. They are very enlightening. Enlightening in that I appreciate where I work every day when people post the things they are dealing with and going through. Are there things I would change about my school? Of course- everything can be improved. But, I like it and I am happy both personally and professionally. My students and I are getting more and more used to each other- they know what to expect of me and know what my expectations are, too.

Road up Jebel Hafeet at night

Al Ain with Jabel Hafeet in the distance

We spent the evening tonight driving up Jebel Hafeet and hanging out at the top of the mountain. The weather was beautiful and windy- in the low 70s. The girls played, we chilled out, and then had ice cream and people watched. Jason loves driving the winding road up and down the mountain, and drives much slower for me than he would if he were by himself. I spent half the drive down with my eyes closed saying "I don't like it. I don't like it. I don't like it" while Jason laughed maniacally. In his mind, he was picturing himself in a Porsche, drifting on the tight corkscrew turns at 100 km an hour, while in fact, he was actually in a rented Hyndai Accent with no power going about 60 km down the mountain.

This week, we plan on visiting Dubai's Global Village, and many free Eid celebrations throughout the UAE. Circus shows, fireworks, and whatever else we find out about.

Ma:a Sala:amah!

God Bless America (in Arabic)

2013-09-23T11:31:00.000-05:00

Dubai Adventures

There were four things on our list of must dos when we took a weekend in Dubai-1. Burj Khalifa 2. IKEA 3. the Karama district and 4. Dubai Mall. I'm sure everyone is familiar with 1 and 2- we posted about a thousand pictures on Facebook of the Burj Khalifa, and Jason previously posted about it. Ikea is the same the world over, so I won't focus our Dubai story on something that you can experience in the US. What I am going to focus on is our adventure to the Karama district and Dubai Mall.

1. Dubai Mall

Dubai Mall is ginormous. We watched a Megastructures show on the Dubai Mall, and were amazed at the work and planning that went into such a huge undertaking. We didn't see 60% of the mall due to time constraints and its enormity, but what we did see was overwhelming. The first thing we had to do was eat. We were starving, and walked to the restaurant section- not the food court section- and found a Texas Roadhouse. Holy Crap! Texas Roadhouse in Dubai- yes! Absolutely. Unfortunately, we couldn't wait the hour to get a table, so we walked in to the next place that wasn't too nice for kids, which happened to be IHOP. We noticed that there was a balcony section, and being from Texas, decided to eat on the patio in the 96% humidity and 96 degree heat. We weren't skeered. We were rewarded with an amazing view of the Fountain show outside of the Mall. We sat, ate pancakes and beef bacon, and watched the fountains dance. It was awesome. I was so happy to experience that and share it with the kids. They thought it was the coolest thing ever!

The main atrium of the mall has Cartier, Tiffany, Rolex, and something else fancy schmancy on the first level. However, when you look up, you can see Victoria's Secret on the second level and Payless Shoe Store on the third level. The vast differences between floor one and three made me giggle.

The girls are an oddity here, well, they're an oddity anywhere, but they stand out with their blondish hair, blue eyes and fair skin. A few native ninjas asked to take their picture with the girls. The girls felt like celebrities.
There is a huge aquarium with a plexiglass tunnel that you can walk through, and it is located in the center of an atrium. You have great views of the aquarium from all three floors. The tank is stocked with sharks, sting rays, and schools of fish.

2. Karama

This is where our adventure turns into an actual adventure. We were told that there is a specific district of Dubai called Karama district that's like Chinatown in NYC. We drove around like tourists looking for some seedy shops that looked like they would sell fake handbags, watches, etc. I kind of expected someone to approach me and ask me if I was looking for handbags, but they didn't. We had researched the district as much as possible online, and kinda sorta knew what should be expected. Walk into a shop, ask if they have any OTHER handbags, and that's when the scary magic happens. It would have been scarier if we hadn't read a few posts about it, but I kept thinking that my mom would be pissed if she knew I was doing that. With my kids.
Once we asked about OTHER handbags, they called someone to come and get us and take us up to an apartment. Yep. Strange city, strange dude, strange apartment. We crowded into a very small elevator in a tenement building, and followed a man into a room with a lot of locks on the doors. Special knock, the door opens, and there are many shiny purses, wallets, watches, sunglasses, shoes, and jewelry. We spent an hour in that seedy tenement looking at purses that (if real) cost more than most people make in a month. We left because the guy wouldn't come down on his price to where we wanted. Disappointment.
We went into another seedy shop and repeated the process. This time, we were driven to an underground parking garage (true story) and went up to another apartment. But this one was amazing. Magical. It was a labrynth of many apartments that had been rented and doors had been cut into walls and secured with heavy duty magnet locks and video cameras. There was a Louis Vuitton room, a Prada room, a Chanel room, a Hermes room, a Chloe, Juicy, Jimmy Choo, Burberry, and a room of scarves and wallets. It was amazing. They even had professionally lit display cases. So there we were, locked inside a labrynth of apartments in Dubai with someone who deals in black market goods shopping for a handbag. I may or may not be the proud owner of a real or not real bag, wallet and purse. They gave us business cards with maps and phone numbers on it to bring our friends and family. It was a successful and safe adventure for the whole family.

I would love to post pictures, but my old phone is not cooperating. My next post on Abu Dhabi will be 98% pictures and very few words.

Oh, and the title of this post- "God Bless America (in Arabic)- Every morning at school, the kids line up like in the 80's movie Gung Ho and do calisthenics and sing the Emirati National Anthem. I saw Landry singing along one day and asked her about it. "Landry, what were you singing this morning?" "Oh, we sing God Bless America every morning in Arabic."

Masaa alkhair wa ma:a salaamah
Rachel

First venture into Dubai

2013-09-04T18:41:00.000-05:00

It's been awhile since our last post, so I'll try and bring everyone up to date on the recent Burgess activities. So....where do I begin? Let's see, among other things, we rented a car for a few days, went to Dubai, explored the tallest mountain in the UAE, the girls had their first day of school, and we enjoyed a fabulous dinner with some neighbors.

But it's late, and I don't want to bore you with a ridiculously long post, so I'll focus on our recent trip to Dubai tonight.

Let me just say, the renting of the car thing was so liberating I could hardly contain myself. You never realize how much you depend on a vehicle until you don't have one for a few weeks. We have a reliable taxi driver on speed dial, and it's inexpensive (DUH, gas is crazy cheap), but it's not the same. Once we were in the car (we're free!), we took off for a drive to Dubai to visit the Ikea store. It's about 140 kilometers away...isn't the metric system a pain in the but? Anyway, it's about an hour and fifteen minute drive, and is quite pleasurable. The amazing thing about the drive that kind of surprised me a bit was the beauty of it. The drive is mostly desert but the color of the sand is what struck me. It's not the khaki/beach color sand I was expecting. It was a beautiful reddish color that honestly reminded me a bit of good old red Texas clay. When the wind kicked up and moved the sand a bit, it had a beautiful wave that the sun reflected and was quite amazing.

Approaching Dubai

On our ride in we slowly started seeing the skyline of one of the most amazing cities in the world. Obviously it's dominated by the Burg Khalifa, the tallest building in the world at over 2700 feet! INSANE!

Another shot of the Burg Khalifa

Thankfully we had GPS in our rental and it led us directly to the Ikea store. Considering people rely more on landmarks as a general way of getting around, as opposed to the useful house/bldg number and street name, GPS is seriously the only way to go.

What we didn't know about the Ikea store in Dubai is that it's anchored to Festival City Mall which is CRAZY big. Apparently they don't know how to make a small mall in the UAE as even the 3 we have in Al Ain are massive. Anyway, we spent most of the evening browsing the store and picking up some home essentials we were desperately lacking.

We spent a few hours shopping in Ikea, followed by another couple of hours in the Festival City mall. I know we mention going to the mall quite often, but it literally is like the hub for everything in the UAE. Want a cell phone? Mall. Cable TV/Internet? Mall. Groceries? MALL. Sounds crazy, but it's pretty darn convenient, especially when you don't have a car!

We enjoyed some Falafel's for dinner at this awesome place in the foodcourt named Just Falafel. Those things were amazing! I'm still shocked that the girls ate them, and actually enjoyed them. We'll definitely go back again.

We had fun in Dubai and we can't wait to visit again soon! Hopefully we'll get more pics next time.

Stay tuned for more, including some videos!

Settling in

2013-08-29T03:36:00.001-05:00

I've been so busy and so exhausted when I get home that I haven't even thought about blogging! My classroom had more manipulatives in it than my entire elementary building last year. I spent the first 4 days in my room sorting and sending manipulatives and resources to storage. It was a little overwhelming.

The old teachers joined us newbies this week, and I was able to meet my teaching team. I think we're going to get along really well. There are 8 second grade teachers- 2 from South Africa, 2 from England, 1 Scottish, 1 Irish, 1 Canadian, and me. It takes me a few minutes every morning to muddle through the accents and understand what is being said. They like to socialize once a month and are very helpful in answering my questions. I am more fortunate than some of the other newbies whose teaching teams are not as open and welcoming.

The second grade team has a few nannies that help us out with little things- Laminating, copying, organizing, etc. It's basically a teacher assistant, but we all share them, and they don't spend time in the classroom. It's awesome!

The school schedule is RIDICULOUS. I am used to spending all day from 8-3 with my students with a 30 minute break once a day and an hour long break twice a week. Here, Arabic teachers come into the class and teach Arabic, Islamic studies and UAE history for 2-3 periods a day (out of 10 periods). I have that time out of my classroom to do whatever. Also, PE is once a week for 90 minutes- 45 minutes of swimming, 35ish minutes of running around PE. The kids also get a snack/run around time as well as a lunch time later. I don't have to stand out in the heat and load kids in the cars- AWESOME- their parents or nannies come into the classroom and pick them up at the end of the day!

It takes me 8 minutes on the teacher bus to get to and from school. It's amazing. I love it. At the end of the day, I am home by 3:45.

I am fortunate enough to live in a teacher compound with about 10 other teachers from the school. We all help each other out with things- rides, laundry, internet, etc. Last night, we went to dinner across the parking lot at a friend's apartment. I think we are actually going to be able to socialize more here than we did back home!

There are so many things to do before school starts next Tuesday!

Masaa Alkhair wa Ma:a Salaamah

Rachel

Tour of School

2013-08-19T07:56:00.001-05:00

Today, I had my first look around the campus. When I say campus, I mean bigger than some college campuses campus. It is 4 different schools in one. Primary School, consisting of grades 1-4, Girls' 5-12, Boys' 5-12, and Kindergarten (preK1, PreK2, and Kinder). It took three hours and two bus rides to tour the campus. It is ginormous! Each school has two indoor play areas, a gym, and a swimming pool!
I am so excited!

half of one of the indoor play areas

View from ENS parking lot

Approaching school

School entrance

First Day!

2013-08-18T12:05:00.002-05:00

Today was my first day of work! We have inservice for about three weeks before school starts on September 3. Today, the teacher bus picked us up and brought us into Abu Dhabi for orientation. Cultural awareness, dress code, etc. Most of it common sense, but I did learn a few interesting tidbits:
1. It is acceptable for men to hold hand in public, but not men and women.
2. It is acceptable for men to give each other eskimo kisses, but not men and women.
3. Zip means something inappropriate (I don't know what), so you should not tell the kids to zip it.
4. I apparently teach at a wealthy private school, not a public school with normal kids as I thought.

I was so excited to meet my colleagues today! I woke up an hour early and couldn't go back to sleep. I met many teachers from the States- Georgia, North Carolina, Arkansas, Florida, Jersey, etc., but I also met teachers from England, Cyprus, New Zealand, Canada, and Syria. They are all interesting people with great stories. One was in the Peace Corps, then taught in Antigua, and is now in the UAE. Another taught in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for 2 years, and another in China!
I'm excited for what tomorrow will bring!

Ma:a Salaamah!

Downright neighborly

2013-08-16T11:21:00.000-05:00

We met several of our neighbors today! Two were teachers, one a vice principal, all from the States. One of them is even from San Antonio! They were very friendly and gave us some tips. They all have been here for at least 4 years, so it's nice to know that they love it enough to stay. One even has a pug that the girls fell in love with. Awesome start! We were told that 5 more families are moving in in the next few days. We're all excited to see who they are and if there are any kids.

Our neighbors directed us to a market within walking distance, so we took an evening walk and came back with candy and a ball for the girls to play with. Its actually nice out tonight, so we played lazy soccer in the courtyard for a while when we got back.

It was a nice outing- exploring a small area and meeting neighbors.

Ma:a Salaamah!

Lady Ninjas

2013-08-14T14:09:00.001-05:00

We have arrived!

The girls did really well on the flights. I am very thankful that the flights were nice and the girls took everything in stride. Etihad is a great airline.

Upon arrival in Abu Dhabi, we obtained our bags and met our driver. About halfway to Al Ain, I started to get car sick. At this point in the retelling of my story, I want you to picture a .gif that just repeats me leaning my head out of the side of a van and vomiting as we go around a roundabout. I probably committed a very serious cultural faux pax, but all I can do now is giggle that I puked out the side of a van as we went in a circle around a roundabout. Seriously, I’m still laughing.

At the time, I was focused on laying down and not puking, so I didn’t really see where we lived, and didn’t notice anything about the apartment until I woke up the next morning. We are very happy with the apartment. 2 bedrooms, 2 baths. We have bidets, and the girls giggled A LOT when I told them their purpose. The girls share a king sized bed that they love. There is one wardrobe in the whole apartment that won’t even fit all of my clothes, so we’ll still be living out of our luggage until I get paid and we can make a trip to IKEA.

Al Jimi Mall is a $3 taxi ride away, and that is where the nearest grocery store is located. It’s called Carrefour, but we call it Walmarts. It has everything. We’ve been there for 3 days straight getting different household items and food. We checked out Al Ain mall which is nicer but a little further away. It is HUGE. And beautiful. And overwhelming. The calls to prayer are piped in everywhere in public, and the girls get it. We explained what it is, why it is, and we all think it’s kinda cool.

(This is the souq in Al Ain Mall)

Spice section at local market

We took the phone number of a taxi driver who knew exactly how to get to our complex so that we could call him when we needed a taxi. He’s become our driver that we call anytime we have to go somewhere. It’s nice not having to explain the Arabic location where we live in a Texan accent to someone who speaks English with a Pakistani accent.

A school driver brought another teacher and me to the Health Department to have a blood test and chest xray done for our residence visas. I had no idea what was going on. Thank God the other teacher spoke Arabic! I just followed her. Imagine the health department where every single person needing a visa in that city must go to get blood work and a chest xray. How packed and crowded it must be. (It was nice and clean, though.) Take a number, sit in this room with 100 other women, 4 hour wait. The other teacher, Dana, and I decided to pay the $35 to be fast-tracked, and just walked to the front and were done in 20 minutes.

Dana lost her receipt that we needed to give the school, so we had to go to the accounting/finance person to get a copy. Her office was behind the counter in the men’s visa area. We were directed into the front of the room where 400+ men were waiting to get their visas processed, and they all turned to stare at us. UNCOMFORTABLE. It all turned out well, and I told Dana about ten times how thankful I was that she was with me.

Jason:

One of the things I would like to add is how happy I am to know that almost every single person we have encountered has been very nice to us. From the people at the airport, to the drivers, to the mall employees. Admittedly I think many of us have a preconceived notion on how Americans are perceived and treated by the Arab people. I will admit that I was one of those, and am happy that I was wrong. Also, pretty much every single person we have met speaks English. Thank God! This has made things MUCH easier!!

So many observations so far in the 5 days we’ve been here, and we’ll be sharing more soon. OH, and yes, looking back it was pretty damn funny watching Rachel lean out the window in the van and puking in a roundabout. At the time, however, I felt terrible that I couldn’t do anything to help her.

And I know many of you mentioned the heat, and living in the dessert and how uncomfortable it must be. While it IS hot, it honestly doesn’t feel any hotter than Texas. In fact, in some ways it is more bearable because the lack of humidity. If anything it’s the sand that’ll take time getting used to. It’s everywhere. Today was the first day I actually felt it blowing around and I could kinda feel the grit on my face and mouth. Not a big deal, just something different. I’ll share more of my observations later.

Back to Rachel:

There’s so much I can say about our few days here so far, but I want to leave you with one of the funny things that has come out of Landry’s mouth.

“Mommy, why are there so many lady ninjas here?” Yep.

Peace Out!

Ma:a Salaamah

T-MINUS ONE WEEK!

2013-08-02T00:03:00.000-05:00

We are moving to the other side of the world in one week. A different hemisphere. A different continent. No family, no friends, no pre-existing knowledge of the city (other than what we have gleaned from the internets). A different type of curriculum, a different type of culture, a different language.

We are very excited, but I'd be lying if I said we weren't anxious.

Baggage fees are ridiculous and anger me. We're moving a family of four across the world, and we are allowed one free checked bag? $100 for the second and $200 for each bag thereafter? HOLY CRAP. I guess we won't be eating for a while when we get there! I requested a quote from UPS to ship one 15lb box, and it was $600!!

So, Jason and I are going to keep chanting "Stay Positive." We are all going to learn and experience and grow and enjoy.

I am very happy and excited that so many people are coming to our going away party! Wonderful people threw us a small going away party last weekend, and Jason and I are already feeling the love.

Jason's dad is still in ICU, but he's looking better and is communicating more every day. Jason had a wonderful visit with him today, and we are all going to visit tomorrow as well before we roll up our sleeves and get to work preparing for the 'Murica going away party.

Masaa alkhair wa ma:a Salaamah

5 more weeks!?

2013-07-08T22:30:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since we've posted, mainly because we've been in a holding pattern. We are thoroughly enjoying ourselves out here at the Spaulding compound with the chickens and donkey and cousins. The kids are swimming almost daily, I have invaded Becky's craft room, and poor Jason has been working. He tries not to get irritated when he comes home from a long day at work and we're lounging around drinking pina coladas and swimming in the pool.

We have checked off almost everything on our international To Do list- passports are done, international drivers license obtained, Texas and US document authentications are done, UAE document authentication is being processed. Still to do- background check and multiple passport-sized photos for each of us.

I still don't have my flight information, but have been assured and emailed that the information will be forthcoming in the coming weeks. I have to keep reminding myself that A.) It's Ramadan and B.) Things run slower over there. We're still hoping for flights around August 10th, and have been planning around that tentative date.

Along those lines, we have planned our big Burgess Going Away party for August 3!! It is going to be 'MURICA!!!! themed. Cheesy 'Murica clothing is a must! If you didn't yet receive the Evite, it's probably because I don't have your email address. Email me or comment so I can add you.

You guys really should check out visitabudhabi.com. It's really cool.

Peace out!

Recap

2013-06-02T23:10:00.001-05:00

It's been a while since the last blog. Let me recap for you what the last month has been like for the Burgess household.

We decided to move in with my sister and her family for the next few months to save up for the big move overseas. In order to do that, we had to pack and purge at the same time- sort, sort, sort, pack, pack pack, then clean clean clean. Every night we were packing, sorting or moving stuff to storage. No down time at all. Throw into the mix that I had to pack up and move and clean my classroom as well as prepare little gifts and whatnots and end of the year stuff for school, and I have been exhausted. I was moving at home and at school. WHEW.

So, we're now out at Beck's house out in the country. It's nice and quiet and peaceful. I'm looking forward to doing a lot of nothing out here but sitting on the back porch.

Unfortunately, I can't start my nothingness until after tomorrow. Tomorrow is a fun-filled day carting around my kids going to the passport office, post office, bank, etc. I look forward to the lazy days of summer.

UAE Resources

2013-05-02T20:38:00.000-05:00

Jason and I are fanatic in our research for information about our big move. In our fanaticism, we have come across a few websites that have great information about international moves, living abroad, and UAE specific sites.

Abu Dhabi This website has so much information about what you can do and see in Abu Dhabi. I spent hours on this site the other night. They are building a Guggenheim, a Louvre, and a national heritage museum on an island next to Ferrari World (the world's largest indoor theme park) and a large waterpark. On a more traditional note, they also have camel racing. (We will not be in Abu Dhabi, but 90 minutes away. These things are a great weekend trip ideas!)

EscapeArtist.com has a cool article about living in the UAE. It addresses some of the misconceptions about living in the Middle East.

Stages of Living Abroad One of my awesome co-workers taught in South Korea for a year, and introduced me to the 4 stages of living abroad. I had no clue what she was talking about, but this link talks about the psychology of being away from everything you know. Now I get it.

UAE Interact is a website that was sent to us by the director of the primary school in which I will be teaching. It is full of information about what is going on in the UAE, travel, events, and everything. Jason and I spent 2 hours going through this website and its links.

Masaa alkhair wa ma:a salaamah

Rachel

Things I will miss the most

2013-04-18T20:33:00.001-05:00

As I was walking back from the high school building yesterday, I stopped to take in the awesomeness that is my school. Treetops is a non-traditional charter school on a 22 acre campus. The K-3 buildings have the look and feel of a summer camp, with trees all over the place (never would have guessed, huh?), a pond with resident turtles (and snakes), a creek winding through the campus separating the 4-12 upper school from the K-3 lower school, and trails that are used as the track for PE, as backgrounds for Photography and Video class, as nature walks for elementary kids, and as a killer setting for capture the flag. There are wild daffodils and irises growing in the spring time right out my classroom window and greenery is everywhere.

My class only has 15 students of all makes and models, and their parents are actively involved in their education because they have chosen to send their child to Treetops. I'm going to miss this environment and the community spirit that inhabits the school. Hopefully I will be welcomed back into the fold upon our return from our family experiment/adventure, because it is an awesome place to be.

So, I will miss my school. Things I will also miss:
1. Big Red
2. QT Coffee
3. Starkhead
4. Chipotle
5. Baseball. They don't play baseball over there. At all.
6. Holiday decorations
7. Half Price Books

I will also miss people, but that will take a much longer blog, and I have 4 months to make that list and edit it.

Masaa al khair (good evening) wa (and) ma:a salaamah (goodbye)

Rachel

Let the games begin!

2013-04-16T20:51:00.000-05:00

I'm sure that in order to move to another country, most people have the same hoops to jump through- such as packing, sorting, garage sale-ing, etc. But because I am going to teach in another country, I have to have my documents attested.

What does this mean? It means redundant redundancy. It means getting 3 different agencies to authenticate the same important documents. Seekteachers told me they have an agent that can do it. Sweet! How much does it cost? 994 pounds. Putting that into the flux capacitor and carrying the 5, that comes out to $1,527.78.

Uh. Maybe I can just do it myself. So, I began researching the process.

Step 1: Get 2 of the 5 documents notarized. But I have to create an affidavit first. Thank God that I worked in the legal field for 8 years. Then get them notarized.

Step 2: Send all 5 original documents plus notarized affidavits, a $15 fee per document, a form for each document, and prepaid certified self addressed envelope to the Secretary of State of the State of Texas, Document Authentication Division. Be advised that there is a 10 day processing window.

($1,527.78 might be doable....)

Step 3: Send all 5 original documents plus notarized affidavits, certificates of authentication from the Secretary of State of the State of Texas, an $8 fee per document, a form for each document, and a prepaid certified self addressed envelope to the Secretary of State of the United States, Document Authentication Division. Be advised there is an 8 day processing window.

(I mean, 994 pounds isn't real money......)

Step 4: Send all 5 original documents plus notarized affidavits, certificates of authentication from the Secretary of State of the State of Texas, certificates of authentication from the Secretary of State of the United States, a $30 fee per document, a form for each document, and a prepaid certified self addressed envelope to the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Washington DC. Be advised there is a indeterminate processing window.

Ugh. GEEZ. I'm sure your brain is as fried by that thought as mine is. That $1,527.78 isn't looking too bad. But alas, I can't bring myself to pay that much money for something that I can do myself. By my calculation, it will be about $300, depending on how I ship the documents.

So, for the next few months, I will be waiting by the mailbox. I hope I don't die like George Costanza's fiance from licking the glue on too many envelopes.

Masaa alkhair wa ma:a salaamah

Rachel

Mid-Life Crisis?

2013-04-15T21:31:00.000-05:00

Jason and I have always been interested in other cultures and seeing the world. Appreciating different cultures is something that we've stressed with our kids. Jason grew up moving around and living in many different places as an Air Force brat, and then saw a lot of the world in the Navy. As one of my friends has so lovingly pointed out, I am as "white bread" as it comes. I have no culture to speak of. I never went anywhere growing up, never experienced anything other than what the booming metropolis of Azle, Texas had to offer. As a kid, I wanted to join the PeaceCorp to experience the world. Yeah, that didn't happen. Jason and I have just lived vicariously through the Amazing Race, House Hunters International, and NatGeo.

Last May, I signed up with an international teacher recruiting company called Seekteachers. There were job postings from all over the world- China, Thailand, Chile, Dubai, etc. Dubai caught my eye. Most people know about Dubai, or maybe I just assume that everyone watches as much House Hunters International and Build It Bigger Marathons as I do. Either way, Dubai stirred my interest. Can you imagine living in a place with so much affluence that it's disgusting? We knew that there was a large ex-patriot community there, and that even though the government is bound by Shariah, it was a very Westernized Arabic city. We began the process of applying and providing documents and Skype interviewing.

But alas, I did not hear anything. I had a few leads, a few bites- No, I can't move to the UAE in 4 days- No, I don't want to teach in Nigeria- and then I was offered an interview with a school director in Al Ain in March. A couple of phone calls to London from a broken down cruise ship in St. Maarten ensued, and I received a contract.

We are moving to Al Ain, United Arab Emirates in August. Where is Al Ain? Check out the link.

No, I don't have to wear a burka. I basically have to dress like I'm Pentacostal while at school (long hair and Keds not required), but can wear what I normally wear outside of school (with the addition of a few undershirts).

Jason and the girls are super excited. We're all moving over, the girls are coming to school with me, and Jason will probably play PS3 until he's able to get his work visa and get a job.

Why is your blog entitled That's Funny Spanish, you ask? Well, we've been listening to learn Arabic audiobooks in the car and at home. Landry told me, "Mommy, that's funny Spanish." "That's because it's not Spanish, it's Arabic." "Why are we learning Arabic? Are we moving to Arabic?" "Yes, honey. We are moving to Arabic."

And on that note, masaa al khair wa ma:a salaamah.

Rachel