Term 3!

Term 3…

Well looking back at term 3 it for sure flew by.  i actually never thought the day would come that we would be out of school for the summer that term 2 was so long!  This term brought many exciting new things though!  At school we continued to work away to ensure we could get through the rest of the curriculum needed for the girls to succeed to go to Grade 6, we went on three field trips!, and many other things I will get to in this post.

So when I got back from Thailand I was refreshed and ready to get back to school yet exhausted at the same time!  i don't think that looking daily at my countdowns helped too much!  However, the week after we got back from spring holiday- I took my girls on a trip to the eastern mangroves at yas beach- here we got to kayak to the mangroves (slightly entertaining watching 5th grade girls attempt to kayak- but they did it :)) and then learn about the mangroves!  it was really fun going on a trip with the girls!  The next exciting thing that I did at school was help with our Grade 11 fashion show- what happens is two teachers from the secondary school have an after school club for the grade 11's- in this club throughout the year the girls raise money as well as design their own dresses to be modeled at a fashion show.  The girls do an incredible job with this event to say the least!  They put on a huge water carnival to raise money and do other various things.  Then the fashion show is amazing- they transform our theatre into a true fashion show spot!  They have the run way and all!  The girls then model their own dresses for this show for their moms, aunts, cousins, etc.  These girls are some of the prettiest people i have ever seen and they are quite talented as well!  Helping with the fashion show was a really neat way to be able to meet some of the students from our secondary school as well.  Back to 5th grade---the next exciting thing we did was go to Dubai to the 360 planetarium.  And wow- road trippin with 20 10-11 year olds----whaaaat a ride!  We had an absolute blast though!  We were able to lay our huge bean bags and watch imax movies while learn about the solar system!  Way better than listening to me i am sure!  Our third and final field trip I took 1/4 of the students to Emirates Palace (please google this place!!) and we were able to meet an artist and participate in a workshop.  In this workshop we learned about Arabic Calligraphy.  We were each given our own styrofoam board and were given 2 different pastels- with these pastels we all wrote Allah in Arabic (meaning god).  At the end all of the pieces were put together to make a even bigger Allah (see picture!!).  This was a really neat thing to be able to do with the girls as well!  With this term being so short my girls had kept a huge secret with me and we had to prepare for our Poetry party for our parents a bit early since they knew i was taking off to the states for the weekend for Meg's graduation!  Our poetry party was absolutely great!  The girls decorated our classroom, all wore tea party dresses, memorized poems, and set up a actual tea party for their parents!  They also learned a song and even made a dance to go with it!  This was our end of the year celebration and the girls did such a wonderful job with it!  

On a social aspect….Yacht Party, Justin Timberlake, Shaggy, Monday Trivia, Paintball, Go-karts, Archery, Brunches, Al maya island!, Yas Waterworld and finally my first Iftar! I don't think my life was too lame this last term either.  One of the girls and her husband rented a huge yacht for the day and we all went out and swam in the arabian gulf!  During this time we also were jumping from the 3rd floor of this yacht, tubing, and just swimming and partying the day away.  Not a bad way to spend a friday!  Justin Timberlake came to Yas Island- need I say more?!  AMAZING!  Shaggy came to emirates palace!  Monday Trivia became a weekly event in our lives as well- we would go to the good old Park Rotana- Coopers! to play trivia/pub quiz night each week.  Our teams varied in size but usually we had 5 of us consistently there- and two weeks we were even the champs so we were able to eat dinner for free the next week!  I can not wait to get back for this however, will certainly be missing two of our team members that have retired and moved back to the UK :(.  We went paint balling at a sports complex one night for two of the girls birthdays that was also super fun! We had to wear jumpsuits and all!  Go-Karts and archery were at the same place a couple months later.  Brunches for birthdays!  Al Maya island is this island that takes about 30 minutes on a ferry to get there from Abu Dhabi- we went out here for another one of the girls birthdays and there is a huge pool, pool bar, beach, dj, etc and we just spent the day out there- it was a greaaaat day!  Our last weekend in Abu Dhabi a group of us went out to Yas Waterworld for the day-this is a huge watermark in AD that was just a good way to spend a day!  And thank goodness it wasn't too hot!  The last thing that I did that i found to be interesting enough to write about was I went to my first iftar meal.  So as you all know the UAE is a Muslim country- so during the holy month of Ramadan the people fast.  This means from sun up to sun down they do not eat anything or drink anything including water- as a non-muslim they do not make me follow these guidelines however- out of respect there are no restaurants open and you are not to eat or drink in public.  We had secured areas where we could go to eat and we also had certain places that would deliver to us.  But at sun down- "the breaking of the fast" they have what is called their Iftar meal- this basically is the time where they eat and drink and just sit with family and friends after the day of fasting.  I went with a few people I work with to a hotel and had my first Iftar meal- it was a  really cool thing to be part of!  After this year I don't think I could ever say I lacked a social life as many people thought may happen when I moved over here.   

The things that i have learned in just one year of teaching abroad is absolutely amazing.  I really do have to thank everyone in my life for all of the support i was given throughout this year.  It would not of been possible to have done this without everyone.  I would say that overall this year was extremely stressful, not easy, at times downright sucked, but looking back it really blew by and the bad memories are hard to explain to someone.  So I guess seeing it that way I have been blessed beyond believe and have had a fantastic year.  I know each year i get attached to a new group of kids but these girls that brought me in from the first of the year and taught me so much are always going to have a special place in my heart.  From me not having luggage, to knowing no arabic, to being completely new to a culture and place- these girls and their families have brought me in and welcomed me- taught me things i need to know, have cared and loved me back.  I will never be able to forgot nor thank my class enough for the things they taught me this year and can't wait to see what my next group of kids teaches me!  

i am staying in Grade 5 next year and am excited to see what another year in the UAE brings!  But first…onto my summer Europe trip through Italy (Rome, Florence, Pisa, and Venice), onto France (Paris), and finally the Uk (London) before heading back to the states for a month of fun! :)

Thailand! Spring break 2014 :)

Thailand...

For spring break this year we had two weeks off of school.  I decided that I was going to travel to Thailand for the holiday (no one over here says they are going on vacation- you are going on 'holiday').  We got out of school on Thursday and had a 5:40am flight out of Abu Dhabi. After packing my backpack and trying to jam as much as it possibly could into a backpack & after a sleepless night we were dropped off at the airport.  For those of you that read my blog about Germany and Austria we knew a tad more about our plans in Thailand seeing we wanted to see so much of the country in such a short amount of time.  We flew out of Abu Dhabi and had a couple hour layover in Oman..there were two other girls we work with in Oman so we decided to all sit just together and try to stay awake so we could sleep on the flight (thank goodness for diary queen!) we finally made it to Bangkok around 5pm- went through passport control and found our luggage (everything made it!).  Then Thailand has a super cool travels sim that we all got since our phones are unlocked and meant we were able to have data on our phone and some credit to call and text for less then $15 for the whole two weeks!  As we were standing in the line to get our sims another girl walked up to us and asked if we were going to Khaosan Road (there is a very populated road in Thailand for travelers)- we told her yes and decided to all share a taxi. During the taxi ride Belinda and I found out this girls name is Zoe and she is from the UK. After our taxi ride we decided we would meet up after we checked in and got settled a bit.  That night we explored Khaosan Road a bit- got dinner- tried our first Changs and took our first ride on a tuk tuk (these are the taxi-ish things all over Thailand). Bangkok is truly a city that doesn't sleep the first night we were up until after 4am! The next day we met up with another girl from our school and got our first Thai massages (hour and a half massages for about $10!), then had dinner with two others girls from school.  We had a great day just taking it easy and exploring with friends from the UAE.  Later that night we met back up with Zoe and a group of people from Canada who had been living in Australia (it is amazing how some people truly just pick their lives up and travel for 6 months no questions asked!). Our next day in Bangkok we decided to go explore the floating markets and more of Bangkok with Zoe- basically we were in our own boat and we got a water tour of Bangkok and stopped by people in tinnnnnyyyyy canoe looking boats and they are filled with things they are selling. After that we made a deal with a tuk tuk driver and he took us to the big Buddha, the grand palace, a suit store (huge in Thailand), a market area and then a jewelry-ish store where you can watch them make things- all of this was 60 baht for the three of us which is like $3 so pretty good deal for us! That night we decided to go and watch a cabaret show (lady boys...) which was a fun change of scenery! After that we rode what was the equivalent to the Bangkok eye and got to take a higher look at Bangkok. We then found a local area called RCA and hung out there for a bit before heading back to Khaosan being full of people! The next morning we had to journey around to find our train tickets and then just had a relaxing day before taking the overnight train to Chiang Mai which is in Northern Thailand.  The overnight train there was about a 13 hour ride.  We got two bunks on the train.  When we got onto the train we had fairly comfortable seats and lots of room.  Around 8pm the train attendants start coming around to lay beds down.  As we are watching them lay the beds down the top one is looking rather scary. We made it through the night on the train however not so well rested! But we were lucky enough that our hotel let us check in early for a little nap! In Chiang Mai we stayed rather busy! We went ziplining, to an elephant farm, tiger kingdom, explored the city (we had our own tour guide to all the temples!), and even had a fish foot massage (they eat at your feet...grosssss)! Chiang Mai was a beautiful place! After we stayed here for a couple of days we flew back to Bangkok for a quick night at the airport hotel and off to ko samui we went! We stayed at a resort right on the beach here! In ko samui we finally got to just lay around and enjoy the beach. Our resort overlooked mountains and some beautiful Thailand water! In ko samui I even went to my first ice bar...however it was more like a food freezer decorated! Seeing the beaches and just relaxing was a great part of the vacation! However, our next stop was even more amazing- koh phangan! This is a veryyyy small island about an hour ferry ride from ko samui- here we stayed in our very own beach front bungalow! Our friend from the UK that we met in Bangkok also decided to join us here which made it even better! We also met two boys from Minnesota and so the 5 of us went exploring together! We layed by the pool and beach all day! Very quiet resort and we had a hammock on our balcony and all! Also on this island is where they do the big moon festivals- they are kinda like a techno rave- they go throughout the whole night! All five of us went to the half moon festival and w even ran into people we met at the ice bar! It was an awesome festival and you get body neon paint there! It was nice to then go back to our quiet area and just enjoy the last few days of vacation! After that we had one last night on Khaosan road before ending back to Abu Dhabi! Thailand was an amazing place and somewhere I would loveeeee to go back to!  I will update my next entry with an overview of term 3! :)))

Pictures to come!!

oooopssss...finally blogging!

So 2014 I am going to get back to my blog!  School got pretty crazy with inspections and then conferences and report cards I couldn’t keep up with it all!  And the one time I did try and keep up I lost my blog.

So I am going to give an overview of the past couple of months and all the things I have done!  I feel that I am really adjusting to the country and beginning to know where things are.  I do still have a hard time understanding what people are saying sometimes but I am getting a tad better (or at least like to think I am).  We have traveled to Al Ain and Dubai in the Emirates a couple of times and they are also great places.  I have explored multiples malls in Abu Dhabi as well as Dubai.  School was like the end of any 1^st quarter back in the states- testing, report cards, conferences, the whole nine yards.  The new thing for me this year was the inspection process.  The word is so intimidating!  People come in and observe each teacher to create a review of the school.  I was totally relieved when that was over!  But two more to go this year…

During the time I was not blogging ( L ) it was the 42^nd National Day in the UAE.  This is the time 42 years ago the Emirates united.  This is a huge deal here!  It is kind of like our 4^th of July.  The kids all bring in items to decorate the classroom we plan a huge celebration at school!  Our celebration was set to be the Thursday before National Day since everything closes so people can celebrate.  However….Wednesday night Dubai won Expo 2020 so it was declared a National Holiday!  I will never complain about a day off that I don’t have to make up!  So we were lucky to have a 5 day weekend just a couple of days before a 3 week vacation!  The celebration was the following week.  It is so neat to see all the students dressed up in their National Dress and the staff even joins them!  I got a new THOBE for the celebration!  Being full immersed in this culture is so eye opening!  So we had a great time seeing performances, having camels and falcons at school, traditional food and so much more!  The kids are so proud of their country it’s amazing to be a part of!

During the long weekend Belinda and I traveled to Dubai to find her a jacket for our trip to Germany and Austria.  When we were there we decided we wanted to go to Outback for dinner (have to get that American food in J).  When we went over to the Dubai Mall (the biggest mall in the world) it was SLAMMED!  We were totally not thinking everyone would be there to watch fireworks at the Burj and watch the dancing fountains!  So we decided well we are all the way up here we might as well join!  The burj was lit up with the colors of the UAE and we were able to see both fireworks and the dancing fountains!  So of you got videos from me- so neat! 

When school wrapped up Belinda and I began our journey a few short hours later to head to Austria.  We left from the Dubai airport so we have to drive up to Dubai and head out.  We took an overnight flight to Austria.  Talk about EXHAUSTION!  We both woke up halfway through the flight and truly thought we were not going to survive having to stay awake!  Lucky us—it was only halfway through the trip!

Vienna, Austria

We landed in Austria and really did not plan how we were going to get to our hostel other than we knew we would take the train.  So thank goodness for iphones and wifi- we found the route that we needed to take and the trains that would lead us there.  We changed our clothes in the airport since it was about 7am and walked out into the cold.  The desert has reallllyy spoiled me and I am a complete wimp now when it comes to the cold!  Anyhow- we began train ride and we were very confident that we knew what we were doing.  We dragged our suitcases down the road and found Wombats (the hostel we were staying in)---however- jokes on us- they had 3 hostels in Vienna and of course we didn’t pay attention to that!  Details and I don’t always seem to get along so OOPS!  Sorry Belinda!  But the people there were super friendly and we just had to drag our suitcases back down the road and then hop back on a train- all while freezing- no big deal! Austria was beautiful though!  We went to multiple Christmas markets, ate lots of pretzels, had some hot wine, enjoyed being in a snowy environment and had my first hostel experience!  The hostel was great!  We stayed in a room with 2 other girls who were super nice but we all were hardly in the room together just really for sleeping! During our time here, we met up with a couple of other girls that we work with and saw some beautiful markets and even experienced a bit of the night life in Vienna!  We took the train one day to find beautiful hills and scenery in Vienna and then somehow ended up at an amusement park!  We only stayed a few days in Vienna and then took the train to Munich, Germany.

 vienna!

 beautiful!

 amusement park!

 our first christmas market!

The train ride is only about 4 hours long- however…for those of you that know me- I do NOT sit still very well.  And again…poor Belinda needs to stop listening to me- I see the train-perfect ok lets get on- however, on the train tickets there are lots of different numbers but the problem is they are all in German and I speak ZERO German.  So I have us hop right on (with our 50 pound suitcases)- and come to find out---WRONG CART! We only had to drag them through 3 carts/push through people/lift them up to put them up..yikes.  Well after that the train ride begins- we pass where the Sound of Music was filmed and it really was a nice ride just soooo boring.  I had to get up quick a few times just to walk around! 

Munich, Germany

We get to Munich and the train station we stop at is only a block from the hostel- no worries- it was the RIGHT hostel this time!  We met up with another girl we work with who was going to finish the trip with us in Munich.  In Munich- we continued our Christmas market adventures, the pretzels, and the hot wine.  Here we also went to castles in the Bavarian Villages, went to Olympic village, saw the Alps, hiked up 300 steps to look over Munich, and saw lots of snow!  We also went to beer gardens which is a really neat experience.  You basically walk into a huge restaurant- find a couple open seats at picnic tables and join the fun!  The first night we went we were looking around and I found a table that had quite a few seats with some younger guys so we sat down.  We began talking to them and they were from Switzerland.  While we are here enjoying some German folk dancing and music I get up to go to the bathroom and somehow end up trying to learn a new game with a bunch of old German guys.  I however, am TERRIBLE at the “flipping the coaster” game- so I bring the non-English speaking people to Belinda who challenges them to the game!  She of course is good at this game!

 <3 beer garden!

 300 steps later a look over munich!

 alps!

 olympic pool <3

 Olympic field

 touring the castles!

The Hostel Experience…

So, during our time in Munich we stayed in another hostel.  The type of hostels we were staying was from the Wombat family.  Great reviews, great locations, great staff- everything!  Welllll- at this hostel we stayed in a room of 6 (Belinda, Charlotte and myself) and 3 others.  One morning when we were getting up we were showering and such- I had just gotten out of bed and Belinda was going to get in the shower.  I was deciding what I was going to wear that day and such.  Belinda goes in to begin getting ready and a minute later- she comes flyinggggg out of the bathroom clearly NOT happy!  Well, I guess not everyone what knows what is and isn’t appropriate for people to share- one of the girls used her loofas…so gross! But looking back- I still find this story quite funny- however do not be alarmed- Belinda DID throw the loofa AWAY!  So FYI- don’t ever leave your things out to dry even under your towel! :)

Mulhall’s arrive!

We had no problems getting home and got back into Dubai and headed back to Abu Dhabi- exhausted but now thrilled for our families’ visits!  As we were leaving Dubai our families had both arrived at JFK to begin their trip to the UAE!  Luckily, our families were on the same flight!  So the Mulhall’s (gracefully, of course) met up with Belinda’s mom to begin the introductions.  Well, since all of you reading this probably know me- when came my family go ANYWEHRE without causing some sort of episode?!  I arrived at the airport around 8pm seeing their flight was supposed to land at 7:30- I was giving them some time to go through passport control, etc.  Well Belinda and I are waiting at the airport all excited- and let me give you a visual of the Abu Dhabi airport- you do not have a regular baggage claim where people meet you- you get your bags and a cart (which you have to hold to handles together to move- which is quite funny to watch people try and figure out) but then you roll down a hallway and there are big glass doors- past the doors you have a wall that people stand behind SO excited to greet their visitors!  So Belinda and I are making our way closer and closer so they can see us right when they walk out!  Welllll….most of you heard that John had a pretty rough trip over to the UAE- after standing and waiting for about an hour and a half I hate to say the excitement was beginning to wear off a tad bit!  Well finally I get an imessage from my mom that they are having to wait at the clinic for John to see some doctors to get checked out.  Well I wont go into that long story because this blog is already going to be long enough- however, a bit later they come out and we are on our way!  Even though it took hours we were still thrilled to see them!  And yall remember my funnnnn trip to the UAE and not having any bags well guess whatttt- ETIHAD struck again!  NO BAGS FOR JOHN!  At least him and dad wear the same size!

During their visit here I kept them quite busy- from trips to the Grand Mosque, to the hop on hop off bus tours of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Ski Dubai, various Souqs, world’s largest firework display in Dubai for new year’s, Al Ain, desert safaris, camel rides, dune bashing, visiting my school, walking the Corniche, a dhow river cruise, and a Christmas brunch I know it wasn’t too relaxing but they got some great exposure to the UAE!  I absolutely loved having them all here and we even all survived two weeks in my apartment together!  Good thing we kept busy and out a lot :)

 brunchin with the Hilliard's on Christmas!

 tallest building in the world!

 yup, thats a camel with us!

 they really got into the culture!

 john and i riding 4wheelers!

 dhow river cruise in dubai! burj in the background!

 desert safari!

 merry christmas from the mulhall's!

 family from the grand mosque in abu dhabi!

 typical family photo! i make them so proud! :)

 worlds fastest roller coaster

My New Year’s Eve Experience…

Can you say Ice Ice Baby!  That’s right- Vanilla Ice at the Atlantis on the Palm in Dubai (with the attempt for the World’s Largest Firework Display) for NYE!  So this is another great story of the UAE and how things can never just work out correctly!  So we first get to Dubai- Belinda, Laura and I- we have a hotel and plan to get ready and be super on time for this event!  Well- our hotel SUCKED (sorry mom no better way to put it) and we had to change hotels.  Awful AWFUL AWFUL!  So we got a new hotel0 got ready and headed out. We then got stuck in awful traffic- and I won’t embarrass Belinda on the internet but remind me when I talk to you personally or I see you to tell you her taxi story! We then get up to the palm and our taxi driver tells us the tram is the fastest way and from what we had read we agreed so we paid him hopped out of the taxi and headed to the tram.  Again- jokes on us.  Tram is closed.  The police officer looks at us and points 8km and points- 8kms= 5 miles! Hahahaha what a jokeeeeee. Thank goodness I don’t wear heals sorry Laura and Belinda! So we get up to the part of the palm where you go underwater and you are in a tunnel (I will add a picture of the palm below so you can get a visual).  Well the police are telling us we HAVE to be in a car to go through the tunnel- talk about some ANGRY people!  There was a huge concert festival going on as well so no joke THOUSANDS of screaming people!  Well anyhow- I think there is a riot about to happen!  People screaming running others other, police officers screaming in Arabic---scarrrrry!  Well we start to go to a place where we could at least see the fireworks if we were not going to be able to get to the Palm- but then I spot a taxi and take off!  Me and another girl get to the taxi and we share the taxi and get to the palm by 11!  So after a 4 hour adventure we made it and got to meet Vanilla Ice and he took my phone and took a picture with us!  Even though he has like 2 songs we know it was a blast! And the fireworks were AMAZING!

 worlds largest firework display

 atlantis in dubai on the palm!

 a view of the palm from above!

 Vanilla Ice!

  

Term Two

Since being back from the holiday and my families visit school has been in full swing.  We have hardly had any time off I have gotten so wrapped up with school I never got the chance to blog correctly!  We had inspections this term as well as another set of report cards and we are just finishing up parent teacher conferences.  It has come to the point I am really feeling settled in the UAE.  It is beginning to feel like my home.  I have continue to make friends from all over the world!  Such an awesome thing to say I have friends from all over :) 

This term I did lose my grandfather, Pop.  Being away from family in a time such as this was not easy but I am so thankful for the people in my life who were there for me here!

This term has brought…brunches, holi festival, weekends in Dubai, Ferrari world, red bull air show, global village, St. Patricks day with the Irish!, and many random happenings in the UAE!  Also, a great birthday celebration with all of our friends here in the UAE! I have a birthday twin over here so we really had some fun! And one of the best tasks has been planning the trip to Thailand!  A two week trip in Thailand including Bangkok, Chiang-Mai and Koh Samui!  I am so excited for this trip to begin in just 2 days!

 red bull air show on the corniche!

 a night at the beach club!

 brunchin with the girls!

 brunch with the view of the Grand Mosque

 a night time walk around the marina in dubai!

 birthday cake :) y'all have snow...i have the beachhh :)

So for now…this is it…I will blog after Thailand!! :)

How blessed am I?!

So there were a few things that I forgot to blog about the last time I wrote.  So here are some more interesting facts about Abu Dhabi and my experiences here so far..

The students here do not call me Miss Mulhall- they call me Miss Alyssa.  I have been told by other teachers that they do this so they are calling you by your name and not your fathers name.  Very interesting!

I also went to Dubai this weekend with a bunch of the new teachers at my school.  It is about an hour away driving.  Not bad at all!  I was able to see Ski Dubai and the tallest building in the world (pictures of both in this entry).  We ate at the cheesecake factory and Ihop!  So truly I haven't branched out too much with my food choices!  We also had a Friday brunch!  As we were pulling into Dubai it was like a reality check- like how lucky am I to be living where I am just go to Dubai for the weekend!?  It still is unreal at times!  I know I have written a lot about the things I have been doing and not much about school yet so that entry will come this week!

But here are some pictures!

 This is the door to my apartment!

 A view from my window in the living room- notice the sand that covers the windows!  Remember I live in the desert!

 My living room!

 Usually I probably would of lived out of my suitcases for months but I was SO happy to get all of my stuff I unpacked it all!!

 Looking at Abu Dhabi from the apartment!

 My students taught me how to write my name in Arabic!  I am hoping to learn way more!!

 Just a typical day in Abu Dhabi- notice what it feels like- HOTTTTTT!

 View of the Grand Mosque from dinner one night!

 What a longgggg journey- I think I looked at this on the TV screen on the plane every 10 minutes towards the end I wanted to get off the plane!

 Looking towards the corniche from the Marina Mall

 Tallest building in the world! Burj Khalifa in Dubai!

 Dubai!

Ski Dubai! Indoor ski slope in the mall!

I am also super excited that my family has been working on all getting their passports and tickets for winter break!  They will be here for 2 weeks!  We are working on our schedules matching up so we are able to have times we talk on Skype and we have done pretty well so far with it!  And luckily we all have Iphones has well so we can IMessage!  

I do miss home but feel so lucky to have this opportunity.  

Well thats all for now! 

<3 A

I MADE IT!

So I know that I have not yet blogged since I have been here but what a couple of weeks I have had!  I will start from the beginning...

The flight…

On Sept 5th my family dropped me off at the airport at 12:30ish- we had a really fun game of weighing my bags and moving luggage around to make sure that everything could fit!  I was able to bring 3 bags- a 50 pound bag and two 70 pound bags.  My bags weighed 69.5, 69.5 and 50 pounds.  I was most certainly cutting it close!  Then my carry on was only supposed to be 14 pounds and veryyyy small (has to fit in a box for the Etihad airlines).  My poor brother was taking my bags back and forth from the scale to weigh my bags.  Thankfully it all worked and I was able to bring all the things I had packed.  So after my bags were checked I headed through security.  Of courseeee- I get stopped to be searched and then they had to go through both of my carry ons.  I made it to my gate with a couple of minutes to spare and as I am sitting there I am wondering why my flight is not boarding.  My flight was supposed to leave Charlotte at 1:55 and land in Chicago at 2:55 (an hour behind NC) and then I would have a direct flight to Abu Dhabi leaving at 8:30pm.  So I was not really stressing that my flight was not boarding yet seeing I was going to have 5 hours to kill in the Chicago airport.  I am just sitting at my gate texting away enjoying my last few hours of my USA number!  However, the next thing I know I look up and it says my flight is delayed until 8pm!  I go literally running up to the gate to try and beat the rush- clearly I would not be able to leave Charlotte at 8 and then be on my flight to Abu Dhabi at 8:30.  So as I go up to the counter the poor people working there had not even been informed yet that the flight was changed.  I was probably the 5^th person in line hoping they could get me to Chicago ASAP!  However, they tell me they are going to send me on a Delta flight (I was supposed to be on American) to JFK and then I would have a direct flight from JFK to Abu Dhabi- however now I have 5 hours to kill in Charlotte and an hour and 45 minute layover in JFK.  At this point I asked if that would be enough time for me to get to an international flight and if I needed to do anything else with my luggage since I was no longer flying American.  The response I get is of course it’s enough time and no we will handle your bags.  So now I am all sorts of stressed out seeing I just wanted to be able to be on the flight and to begin this insanely long journey.  I then thought I would find the currency counter and change some money so I would have dirhams to use when I landed- granted I had no idea what was what or how much it was worth- but I had dirhams! After that I decided I needed to try and eat dinner there since I would no longer have my time in Chicago to eat.   So I sat and ate dinner and wasted time until my JFK flight.  I then had to be on a tinnyyyyy plane to JFK which I was not thrilled about.  But I made it to JFK safely- they then tell me I have to ride a shuttle to get to my gate.  So I am fine with all of this- ride the shuttle and get to my gate and have about an hour and a half to spare at this point.  I go up to the gate and explain I need a new ticket since I was sent on a Delta flight rather than an American and my flight to Abu Dhabi is now from here and not Chicago.  Here comes the start of my awful flight- I was told I had to go completely out of the secured TSA area and go through the Etihad line to get my ticket.  When I get to the line- the line is SO LONG- the stress begins.  I am just looking at my watch and watching the time go by that I have to make my flight.  I am in tears now that I am going to miss my flight.  I finally get to the counter and show them my tickets from the Charlotte airport and my baggage confirmation.  They then tell me I have NO bags and they cannot locate them (realize I have packed 80% of all my things/clothes).  At this point I am at about 30 minutes to get back to my gate and on the plane.  Let’s talk about the waterworks beginning.  I am completely exhausted as well seeing the nerves of it all I couldn’t sleep the night before and got up at 6am to finish packing and its now 10pm.  I am calling home saying I am not going- telling my mom I am getting on a plane back to Charlotte- calling Jackie in tears- needless to say- I was a MESS!  Well I run over to Delta and ask them if they have my bags and they were totallllyyyyy unhelpful and had no clue what I was talking about- telling me I could go down to baggage claim to look for them- with 30 minutes to make an international flight- how would that work?!  I am just looking at the security line now and really getting stressed!  So my mom then tells me she is going to start calling the airlines to figure it out.  At this point I feel I could bet my life that all of my bags are lost and I am going to have nothing when I reach Abu Dhabi.  But there I was running through the airport to get on the plane- I was literally one of the last 5 people on the plane.  I then lost my aisle seat due to the fact that I was thrown onto a new flight and now I am stuck in the middle of people- and all of you that know me well- that’s not a great place for me to be!  I move way too much to be stuck in between people! The people around me were probably wondering- what is wrong with this crazy girl?! Why is she crying and saying she is not going anymore?! However I was on the flight and decided to start flipping through movies.  Throughout this whole flight they gave us 2 full meals, popcorn, ice cream, pretzels, and drinks like every hour.  They certainly do treat you well on the plane.  I could not sleep at all now because I was so past the level of exhaustion and I was just stressed.  About 8 hours into the flight I decided to buy the internet package for an hour- I then texted home and asked if they had heard anything about my luggage- my mom texted me back saying that they said all of my bags were on the flight- however I was not so hopeful seeing they told me the opposite.  But that was probably the fastest hour of my flight and well worth the 12 dollars- next time I will for sure be paying the 24 dollars for 24 hours.  So I finally land in Abu Dhabi after 23 hours of being dropped off at the airport.  My first thought off the plane- holy humidity- were people not kidding when that’s what they write online! I had to go through an eye scan and then through customs & get my visa stamped and off I walked towards baggage claim.  I am waiting for the bags to start coming around- fingers crossed the whole time that I am going to see two lovely blue bags and one purple bag come around.  During this time I am pulling up my wifi to let my family know I have arrived and to be in touch with them!  However, after about 20 minutes I come to the realization that I need to head over to claims and file a report for my bags.  So I walk up to claims and I am trying my hardest to hold it together- they ask me to describe my bags and what not- no big deal.  Then the questions start- what’s your PO box? What’s your UAE number? The water works are back.  Literally I have been in this whole new country for the FIRST time ever for 45 minutes and they are asking me all sorts of questions I do not know the answers to.  I then think to go through my emails to find the principals number and tell them that’s all the information I have and also the name of my school and tower I will be living in but no PO box numbers.  I then am super stressed and upset as they are telling me it may be 3-4 to 5-7 days for my bags to get.  So literally a brand new country and the only things I have are my electronics and a small bag of toiletries.  At this point I realize there is nothing else I can do today about it and I know my principal is waiting for me outside the baggage area and I have to go find her.  What a FABULOUS first impression to make with someone- face completely red and trying to hold back the tears! Well I went out to try and figure out where my principal would be standing and luckily I spotted the head of the school and head of elementary holding signs with our schools name on them right away.  So that was a relief!  When I introduced myself to them they asked where my bags were and such and it took almost everything I had in me but I only got teary eyed. 

To the apartment we went…

So then we were off to the apartments.  Let me tell you something about Abu Dhabi driving that I learned real quick- there are no rules.  People squeeze in the tiniest of spaces, cut people off, make 3 lane wide u-turns, CRAZY!  Also there are cameras everywhereeee to catch people speeding.  The head of my school explained to me that if you drive in the UAE you will most likely get fined.  However, unlike the states you only have to pay all your fees once a year when you go to get your new registration.  So as we are driving from the airport I was able to see the Grand Mosque all lit up since it was night time and so many neat looking buildings that fill the skyline of Abu Dhabi.  My principal shared very interesting facts with me about Abu Dhabi- places to see, things to do, and just basic general knowledge- but that’s to come with my own stories to tell about what I learn!  So we finally make it to my apartment about 2 hours or more after my flight landed.  I had been in touch with another teacher and told her about my bags- she came down when I was dropped off and gave me a couple of things to help me survive until I could get to the mall and such.  Luckily, our apartments are completely furnished and even the bed was made so that was a huge relief- because lets be real- if the bed wasn’t made with how tired I was I do not know if it would have been made that night (sorry mom and dad but that’s the sad truth!). 

The first day…

Anyhow, I made it through the night and the next day went to tour the school and work in my classroom to get to know everything and meet my team.  My team is wonderful!  There are two ladies from Canada and 1 teacher from Charleston!  They were all at the school last year so it was super great to have people to go to with questions and just to gain basic knowledge of the school and the culture.  The school is also across the street from the palace!  How crazy is that to hear?! I work across the street from the palace!  Anyhow- I am teaching Grade 5 at the school and have an all girls class.  The girls and boys separate around grade 4 and 5 into different classes.  It has also been a huge adjustment for me to say grade 5 students and not fifth graders.  But I got a lot done that needed to be done at school that day!  I then got VERY specific instructions from a fellow teacher on how to get to the mall.  I had two priorities that day then- CLOTHES/ETC. & A SIM CARD! I know, I know- why would a SIM card be needed right away- well being so far from home in a foreign country I did not want to get stuck somewhere and have no idea where I am and then on top of that not have a phone!  So I luckily was able to find my way around the mall and get a phone- so I was able to get in touch with another teacher and we decided to grab dinner in the food court.  And this food court consists of: McDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Popeyes, Fudruckers, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, TGI Fridays, KFC, Dunkin Donuts, Baskin Robbins, Coldstone, and Tim Horton- just to name a few!  So for all of you worried I wouldn’t find anything to eat for the next two years- American-ish food is everywhere & I hope to get brave enough here soon to try some new foods!  Anyhow- we ate dinner and then shared a taxi home.  When you walk out of the mall there are huge lines of taxis and people standing in lines to get into the taxis.  It is actually a fairly organized process!  I was sooooo happy just to get home that night and lay down!

The apartment…

So I live in a tower that is on an island that is up and coming.  There are about 25 teachers that live in this tower just from our school.  There are also tons of other teachers that work in other schools as well.  I have a one bedroom-1.5 bath apartment as I have wrote about before.  The apartments are super nice and HUGE!  I had to move some furniture around to make it feel a bit smaller!  And thank goodness- in the bedroom there are blackout curtains because the sun is up super early here!  Jackie- if we would have had to try to hang these curtains we would have had more holes in the walls than ever before.  The apartment has 24 hour security and if you have any guests you have to sign them in and out.  It’s really nice to feel so safe!  We also have a nice pool, gym, and spa area.  The island really is still being built up so we are constantly having to explain to drivers how to get there but it’s getting easier!  There is also a British grocery store within a 10 minute walk of the apartment that we can get mainly everything we need- it’s just a tad more expensive but it is convenient.   The girls that live in the apartment with me are great and I have made some really great friends already!  We all joke and say that this is college but with money and the chance to travel the world!

How we get around…

CABS, CABS, AND MORE CABS!  The taxis here are all over the place and fairly inexpensive when you are sharing it will a couple other girls.  It is a rare occasion that you go somewhere by yourself.  We have a shuttle that takes us to school every morning but we have to find our own way home.  To get home from our school it is about 25 dirhams for a 20ish minute ride which is about 7 US dollars.  If only they were that cheap in Charlotte!  They also don’t peg us with the fee for each person over 2 that is oh so lovely at home!  So the fact that we are usually sharing taxis makes it not so bad to look at the overall cost!

Interesting Phrases/Things…

-As I said earlier- Grade 5 now- no more 5^th graders.

-Take Away= To go

-Lemon in diet cokes- and sometimes they pile the ice on top of it! I need to remember to ask for no lemon! (Mom and Jackie would you like this!?)

-Inshallah= God willing- if things don’t happen or don’t happen on time- inshallah- no big deal it’s the UAE

Other…

The number of expats over here is crazy!  I have already met two people from Charlotte!  So funny!  I have had the chance to meet people from all over the world and I cannot wait to continue this!  It is so cool to hear about parts of the world I know very little about!  It is still super hot and humid here so we really have not gotten out to explore too much and with school starting that’s been hard to do but we have had lots of nights with the girls and explored the malls and stores a bit so we know where to find things.  But this weekend we have plans to go to Dubai!  I cannot wait!  My principal told me in the car that a phrase that is used around here is “Dubai has the flash but Abu Dhabi has the cash”.  SO excited to see the flash of the UAE!  Greece is also in the plans for a week in October!  Then to the desert for a weekend of camel riding (SALLY THE CAMEL! Jack & Nic!!) & dune bashing!  Also, Rihanna in October!  Can’t at all complain about my life over here yet!  Everything has been wonderful and I cannot wait to see what this adventure has in store for me!

Well- that’s all for now and I will be very impressed to anyone who made it through this whole post- and you will also know I wrote this exactly how I would tell you about this in person! :)

More to come after Dubai with pictures included!

OHHHH!and my bags came!!! one bag came after my 4th full day here and the other two after my 6th.  What a pain!!! But at least they are here!

<3 A

ABU DHABI!

I have officially decided- I will be leaving for Abu Dhabi on Sept 6th to begin my adventure!  The long flight will take place from Chicago (13 hours and 55 minutes!!)!  I could not be more excited yet nervous to begin this adventure.  I am so beyond lucky and blessed to have had the support of my whole family and friends throughout this time.  The stress and the paperwork of it all has hit me at all different times in all different ways.  I try and put on a brave face and act like I am not scared about this adventure but I really am.  As I have told my parents and many of my friends...its crazy to think I am basically packing up my life into a few suitcases and moving halfway around the world.  I have to always keep reminding myself that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and that I am going to be able to see so much of the world.  Leaving a fabulous school & my precious Vikings is going to be very hard this year but I know its all part of the experience but I will miss it all so much. Life is full of experiences and taking chances and I know I am embarking on a great and wonderful journey.

So, the questions that people keep asking me- Is it safe?, Why did you decide to do this?, How long will you be gone?, Will you come home at all during your time over there?, What will you be teaching?, Do people speak english?, What is the weather like? Where will you be living?, Do you share an apartment?- these are just a few of the questions i get when I begin to tell people about this journey.  So I figured I would answer them on here..

1. Is it safe?  From the research I have done and talking to people who have visited to UAE (United Arab Emirates) it is a very safe location. There is very little crime.  Obviously, it is not recommended for me to travel around by myself in the beginning when I will have no idea where I am but crime is very low.

2. Why did you decide to do this? Well, when I was in college I always wanted to study abroad.  However, with the way Appalachian has there teaching program set up it would of put me behind with graduation if I would of studied abroad.  After my first year of teaching I went to Costa Rica for 10 days and worked in various school communities and lived with a family.  Throughout this experience I was able to talk to other teachers who have taught abroad.  They all raved about the experiences they had.  I knew that this was the time in my life I could be a little more selfish and just go.  So I finally decided- why not- you are only young once and this is my chance to see the world!

3. What will you be teaching?  I am so lucky that I will still be teaching 5th grade in Abu Dhabi.  Crazy enough- halfway around the world they are using the same curriculum we are using over here!  So I REALLY lucked out with that.

4 Do people speak english?  English is a very common in the UAE.  There are many expats over there many people do speak english.  

5..What is the weather like?  The UAE is technically in the desert.  I can not to see what people are talking about with how amazing it is on the flight over- you are flying over deserts and then all of a sudden you are in a huge city.  I think this will be incredible to see.  But thinking it is a desert the weather tends to be very hot.  Daily I look at my weather channel app on my phone and I do not think I have seen a day that the temperature is under 93 degrees.  But I guess I may get use of the beach!

6. Where will you be living?/ Do you share an apartment?  I will be living on Al Reem Island- this appears to be right over the bridge from the city.  I will have my own one bedroom apartment that they fully furnish for us.  So luckily I have more room to pack clothes and other things that I do not have to worry about apartment things!  But do not worry- they have an IKEA in Abu Dhabi so I will be making a trip there to make it feel a little more like home!

it is crazy to think how quickly the time is approaching to leave.  I am in my last round (fingers crossed) of paperwork and then I believe I should be receiving my visa.   Receiving the email that my flight was officially booked made this so real.  I have been so lucky this summer to be able to take a trip with two of my best friends to the Bahamas and then able to spend a week with my whole family at the beach in Rhode Island.  Saying bye to people has not been an easy process during this but I have to keep reminding myself that this is not a good-bye its a see ya later.  I want to take full advantage of this opportunity and really hope to grow from this all not just as a teacher but as a person.  I know I will be able to bring back things and make connections I would of never have been able to make before so staying positive is going to be ideal in these coming up weeks no matter how stressed out and overwhelmed I may get.  

Well i am landing back in Charlotte from my great week at the beach so this is all for now...hopefully by the end of the week I will have my paperwork back from the embassy and I will be all out of my apartment and continuing to prepare!  More to come when I get more information! :)

The decisions & processing...

Where do I even begin?! A couple of months ago this all started as something so unreal to me but now these unreal thoughts could be changing into my new reality.  After having a phone interview in march I was skeptical to this whole teaching overseas thing.  The main reason being it was a two year thing. I thought one year I can do anything for but that second year would be a long time and far from home and I felt I would be missing so much. After the phone interview I was told the location of the in person interviews was likely to be in New York, San Fran, Denver or Chicago.  After hearing those things I thought maybe I need to really think this over more...do I want to invest the money to fly somewhere for a weekend when I am not even sure if I would be able to go for two years. So my mind was tossing and turning but I decided I was not going to think about it until I heard where the in person interviews would be..well then go figure..I get lucky enough that my in person interview was scheduled to be in Charlotte (literally a mile from my apartment).  So i decided to take the interview and see what happened.  Meeting different teachers and then interviewing with a man from Australia and then another from the UAE was an experience I could never get back.  The interview went well and I was told I would be hearing things within a couple of days but that they would like to move forward with the hiring process!  I could not believe it!  But after long conversations with my parents, friends, and co-workers I decided to really pursue trying to get a position in a private school.  The advantages to the private school were I know the school, where the school would be located, and the school community would only be responsible for the teachers at the school rather than being 1 of the 1000's of teachers that teach in the public schools.  So after talking with my rep I was offered an interview with a private school in Abu Dhabi.  The first round of the interview was scheduled for a Sunday morning at 7am NC  time...I was up and ready sitting on Skype just waiting for the phone call that never came through...stressed to the max I emailed my rep and explained I never received a call.  The next day when I got to work I had an email from the principal telling me she wasn't able to make the interview due to internet issues and not receiving the confirmation from my rep in time and we were able to reschedule.  We rescheduled for a couple days from then.  I again had my interview at 7am (seeing its an 8 hour time difference it is 3pm their time).  The interview went well and we were able to have great conversations about teaching and I was able to learn so much about their school.  At the end of the interview I was offered a 5th grade teaching position (how lucky is that I can continue with a curriculum I know!).  I was so excited to hear I was being offered a position and would know I would be in Abu Dhabi.  The principal told me that she would have HR get in touch with me for the contract and details the next week since their weekend was beginning.  After that another waiting game began to receive the contracts and be able to look through the details of it all and make sure it was something I was comfortable doing for the next 2 years.  At this point this is where I am...going back and forth with emails with the help from my parents we are in the processing of making sure this is a good fit and I will be safe and understand my job responsibilities.  More to come when the discussion comes...