Harder Days

The next few days were about the same when I went to school. We would wake up on time and take a taxi together, getting to school a few minutes early. I kept to myself the awful experience I had with my teacher because I didn't want to complain to the others. I sucked up my thoughts and reassured myself that I am better than that and should know how to handle Saghriah. Upon entering the school for the rest of the week we noticed the same amount of traffic circulated the school. The cleaning ladies were busy keeping the school cleaning, barely any males were present in the school. The only men that came in were the students fathers. They always wore their Kandoras with dark shades and blue tooth earpieces or apple headphones.Since Saghriah is always messing with her sheila one of the Emirati fathers caught her off guard. She was so frantic looking for her sheila. She actually asked me to get it for her once she spotted it next to me. I just ignored her and pretended like I didn't know what she was talking about. She had to cover her face with her arm sleeve so the man wouldn't see her face. In  my opinion, it was so ridiculous to have to go through that hassle. This happened on several occasions. One time, there was some Pakistani carpenters who needed to come in and add locks to the doors and would randomly come in and fix things. She got so aggravated at times with them that she told  them to leave and come back after school. I would watch her put it on then off. Toss it to the side then wrap it around her neck. She was doing the equivalent of some women who have really long hair that play with it all the time by twirling it in their fingers or constantly pushing their hair to the back.

Things with my teacher wasn't getting better. She would repeatedly ask me to grab her purse or throw away garbage or take a student to the bathroom and I had to deal with Salem. She treated me like a cleaner or maid more than a colleague. Salem too was still giving me trouble. I was determined to have him be happy and like being in school. His will was so strong! Every time his mother left, it was a battle fest. Sometimes she'd stay outside and peek to check on him. Man oh man was that a bad idea. The minute he caught a glimpse of her he'd start crying again and head straight for the door.The guys weren't able to change the lock so I was on my own with Salem. I eventually asked Saghriah to tell his mother not to stay because it tortured him so much. I tried singing with him, giving him toys but he'd just throw them in my direction. After the first day of him spitting at me, I raised my voice firmly and gave him the mommy don't you ever do that again look so he stopped trying to hit me. I struggled with him because by the end of the week  he started to get more comfortable so he'd climb the shelving and tried to hit the other kids. He refused to listen to Saghriah or myself. I kept him  next to me at all times. I learned how to say Halas (stop/enough) and La (no) really quickly. The four hour school days couldn't go by fast enough. I also had to deal with Saghriah being very rude and uncooperative. I went to the library to get some books for the classroom since we had no text books. She felt it was too early to start teaching and the students still were not coming to class so i thought books could help pass the time. I met the wonderful librarian pictured above. I can't remember her name but she was very helpful. She helped me choose some large books and borrow some puppets to use. The library was also still a work in progress. The books were on shelves but there was no real check out system. I just wrote down on a sheet of paper what I took. I tried reading the story five little ducks one day to the class. I pointed to the pictures and read it over once. The second time I sang it with a duck puppet. I was already used to Saghriah walking out of the room at any time without telling me. She would leave for twenty minutes at a time and not tell me where she's going or what to do. I realized that it was a problem that us expat teachers were having with the Emirati teachers. I wasn't the only one, some teachers had it harder than others. It's like they were punishing  us and they didn't want us around. They felt like we were gonna take over if we let them but they weren't seeing the overall vision is for the children to learn English and their way wasn't working. So while I was singing the song to the students she walked in  and sat down next to me. She pulled out of her pockets some balloons. The students started paying attention to her and not listening to me. She got up and grabbed a pump and started blowing up balloons for the students.  At that time, the students were not paying any attention to me at all and moved over to her side. I just put my book away and let her finish what she wanted to do. A whole week passed by and the students didn't get to learn a thing. I felt like each day counts and we were not off to a good start.
 

FIRST day of school

I woke up on time to meet a few other teachers so we can carpool. We grabbed some water and fruit from the lobby and headed outside. It only took about five minutes before we flagged a taxi down. A typical taxi driver is from Pakistan or Bangladesh.  Our driver was professional and helpful. We told him we needed to go to Al Sarooj repeatedly but he wasn't sure where we were talking about. One of the teachers said it's in the new school district which then helped him remember the location.The drive was about twenty minutes which isn't a bad commute at all. Some teachers will have to drive two hours to get to their schools. When we arrived, I noticed the parking lot was rather empty! I thought there would be lots of parents, buses and people moving around.  We had to be there at 07:30 to meet with the other teachers and staff so I guess we were just early since we arrived fifteen minutes early. 

Upon entering the school, a wave of excitement hit me. I was hoping to be friends with one of the emirate teachers. I really wanted to know more of their culture, religion and how they felt about the abayas.

 

While we walked up to the front desk in the lobby of the school, we met an american teacher who arrived in the group before ours. She was happy to see us and directed us to the teacher conference room. We were early enough to drink coffee and walk around the school.

                                  (classroom)                                                           (prism tent)

                                   (main indoor playground)                     (baby room for teachers)

I was so happy to get a tour of the school because it helped calm my nerves.  It helped to take away my feelings of anxiety  not knowing how long we'd be staying at the hotel. The schools layout and furniture was very different from the style and architecture of a school in the U.S. They were very risky in the design as well. The chairs and desks were very nice and kid friendly.

After the tour we met up with the other expat teachers to discuss the schedule for the day. I was happy to learn that we'd be leaving by 13:00. I went into my classroom around 08:00 and met my Emerati teacher Saghriah and boy oh boy was she a piece of work. I was expecting her to welcome me with open arms. Instead she was constantly and thoroughly analyzing me with her eyes in a polite way. She asked my name and pronounced it well. I asked her name and was able to get it right the third time. She was about five foot seven and walked with such class. she had very thick eye brows that were connected together. She kept messing with her sheila on her head by taking it off and placing it on her head. She reminded me of a floating graceful grim reaper. She had such an arrogant disposition. We spoke very briefly to each other. I learned that she two kids and lived only twenty minutes away from the school as well. She was transferred to this new school and had six years teaching experience. I showed her my supplies, banners and ideas for the classroom. She looked at me like why I was in such a rush. She kept saying it was just the first day. I just said okay and put my things away.  I guess I had the new teacher excitement bug! While we had our small talks a few students would come in one at a time. The total number of children that came for the whole day was four out of twenty. I was so surprised by the head count. The first student to come in was Hamed with his nanny. She looked like she was from the Philippines. She was very nice nodded her head and went out to the main play area to wait until he got out. I also noticed the schools cleaning crew were from Somalia and Ethiopia. Two of the women looked at me strange like how am I teacher or maybe because I just look different. Another student Naser came in with his mother who is a teacher at the school as well. The only girl that came in was Nwal. She was the cutest girl I've ever seen. She was chubby and had such personality! She was definitely a girl with attitude. She kept waving her hands and putting her hands on her hips to speak. I could tell she would be fun to teach because she wasn't shy at all. A little boy named Salem was dropped off by his mother. He was the cutest thing ever but was a pure horror. He cried non stop!! He kicked and punched and screamed!! He spit at me, tried to kick me and slapped Saghriah. Every time we turned our heads to direct the other children he was trying to escape by opening the door and looking for his mom. When I went outside I realized the other american teachers were going through the same thing! We realized it was the first time these children were away from home. They didn't have preschools in the UAE. It was their first time being out of their comfort zones without their parents or nannies. Keeping up with Salem was such a mission! I literally walked (sorry ran) outside three times to get him back in the classroom. I then made up my mind that i'd focus on Salem alone and keep him inside. I had to stand at the door and hold it shut as it had no lock. He drained all of my happy essence away. I started to think what did I get myself into and how will I be able to last the rest of the day??

Saghriah directed me to do everything. She started to treat me like I wasn't her equal very fast. It really started to bother me I just kept saying okay because everything was in Arabic and the directors coming in would speak in Arabic so I trusted her to let me know what was going on. Even the parents and nannies looked and spoke to her like she was the only teacher. 

The students had breakfast around 09:30 and brought their own food. They all had a piece of bread shaped like a mini hoagie bun filled with either chocolate or buttery spices. They had juice boxes made of nectar and more chocolates. I thought it was a bit unhealthy and unbalanced but like Saghriah said it was just the first day.

No other students came in so Saghriah let them play all day. I thought we should have gone over rules, greetings and give the students a tour of the school and our classroom but she didn't agree with me at all. I knew it was going to be a difficult journey teaching with Mrs.Saghriah.

Nonetheless, I was head strong and adamant that I was going to be positive and teach these children how to speak and write in English. I wasn't going to let one rough day spoil my goals. At the end of the day most of the parents and nannies came to the classroom to pick up their children. As soon as all the students were gone Saghriah asked me to help her clean up and immediately left barely saying good bye. I didn't care either so i gathered my suitcase of supplies and went to meet up with the other teachers. We had a short meeting with the assistant direct Mrs. Sharina she was a wonderful breath of fresh air. She was very welcoming and gave us teas, cakes and breads to try. She explained to us that we had no principal as of yet and no curriculum. She told us to use our own materials because there was no textbooks yet and they hope the ones they ordered would arrive in a month or so. I was in shock that a school would be open and running without the necessary things to make it rum smoothly. I later thought to myself a true teacher doesn't need a curriculum. I already started formulating in my head what I want to teach the students. The basic alphabets, coloring, how to hold a crayon, read stories etc. I had plenty to teach them. It didn't bother me as much when I really thought about it. I smiled while Sharina spoke because she made small girly jokes that all us women could understand. Her English was perfect. She wanted us to all work with each other and have patience with all the adversities we were facing. We were released around noon which was way earlier than we expected. I caught a taxi with the same teachers as the morning and headed home to call my family and tell them of what a day I had.

Etisalat

My experience with Etisalat at The Marina Mall in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates was an interesting one. Honestly, they did not give off a good first impression. I must explain that it's not the company Etisalat or the service of the phone provider but the workers mind state. I went with my friend Lorna to the counter to get more minutes on my prepaid phone. As you can see from the picture above they have a kiosk at the mall where you can do anything from purchase a phone to getting cable service or put minutes on your phone.

On two separate occasions, I went to put minutes on my phone and noticed a few things. The Emirates are so arrogant and rude! On one occasion, I waited in line for about twenty five minutes only to be next and have the kiosk close shop on me.  They didn't even tell us they were closing down to technical difficulties. It would have been nice of them to be so courteous and let us know they had to close because they were having internet connection problems. The messed up part about it too is some Emirate teenagers kept walking up to the kiosk and ask questions without waiting in line. I thought that was very rude of them to keep doing it.
The second time visiting the Etisalat kiosk, while waiting in line an Emirate women walked straight to the front of the counter. No one said anything which was a small bother to me. I wondered to myself why isn't anyone saying anything? If that happened in the United States everyone would try to chop her head off and tell her to get in the  back of the line. I found out later that day the Emirates feel they have priority over everyone else. They usually walk in front of people and get served first before others. Their mentality is they are like royalty and should be treated that way. That was a big issue and bothered me. If I were to stay in the country, I would have to deal with the rudeness on the daily. I had a few teachers explained that I am not here to change them but to make my money and leave when my contract is done. Many teachers had the nonchalant demeanor but it was very hard for me to accept certain things that was going on in this country.

Carrefour

I wanted to write a whole entry on my experience going to the markets in the United Arab Emirates. They are totally and utterly amazing! If you thought Walmart and Publix was great you would be in pure heaven going to Carrefour. The Carrefour that I went to was inside of  Al Jimi Mall, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. The mall itself is immaculate, it's filled with high end stores for crazy affordable prices. To put the icing on the cake the country is doing so well they don't tax their citizens and expats. The country has no sales tax or income tax! They do tax people on Alcohol and Cigarettes because it's not really allowed there but is offered for expats in secret stores and at the hotels.

As you can see with the picture on the right the supermarket is already in the mall. It's always clean with not a drop of dust or garbage anywhere. They have anything you could possibly need just like Walmart. I had an issue with my electrical cord and was able to find a converter to use. In the United Arab Emirates they use the European system so their outlets look the picture here. They have three holes instead of two like we have in the United States.

To get back to talking about this market, they have a variety of beans and vegetables that look freshly picked and smell so good. The only bad thing is since everything is so fresh.... the meat section is very pungent. They also have a deli/cooked food section that I went to a lot for their shawarmas. They are to die for! It comes with a drink and the sandwich consisted of chicken, tomatoes, lettuce a mayonnaise yogurt spread and hummus. My mouth is dripping just remembering about it.

I want to stray for a moment to tell you all a funny yet embarrassing thing that happened at the Carrefour in Abu Dhabi. This store was a mega Carrefour and consisted of two floors.

The embarrassing event didn't happen to me but to an Emirate woman. As you readers should know by now the Emirate women wear the grim reaper outfits (no offense) formally called Abayas. So, as I was entering the store, I saw this lady get the tail of her dress got caught in the vertical flat escalator (The picture below shows their escalators).  I was petrified for her. Her male companion (could have been her husband, brother etc) was tugging so hard at the dress I was waiting to see it rip off! Other spectators called security to shut the escalator off so whatever was left of her dignity could be salvaged. I didn't stay to see what happened but I felt so bad for her. In my opinion, the Abayas are way too long. The women sweat bullets in them and they can only wear them in black. What an experience just to go food shopping.












Overall, the grocery shopping in the United Arab Emirates is great, healthy and enjoyable. I was ready and happy to go shipping on the regular. Their produce and products are way better than the United States.

Al Massa Hotel, Al Ain, UAE

We arrived at the Al Massa Hotel, where we are supposed to stay until our permanent housing is ready. I found out through word of mouth that our apartments are in the final stages of being completed. There's a whole area filled with apartment complexes for the teachers. I thought that was a great idea to help us cope with being so far away. We could be close to each other for support and other things. The hotel was no aloft hotel but it was very nice as we entered it. I noticed it was a two star hotel but that didn't bother me a bit but the other teachers were not impressed. The lobby was very clean and filled with beautiful flower arrangements. The floor was made up of marble tiling. All of the teachers waited for instructions and found out this hotel didn't know we were coming. They had to prepare and make sure enough rooms were vacant for so many of us. The hotel didn't so some teachers were sent to two other hotels.

We were given our room cards and told we had to pay for wifi again. It was 20 AED per hour which is only $5 USD. Not one teacher was happy because it really adds up and most teachers were on a budget. We really need wifi to connect our magic jacks and use skype etc to contact our families. It was very stressful having to pay. I linked up with my friend and found out where her room was located. Luckily we were on the same floor. We decided to go to the nearest Lulus supermarket which her sister recommended we go to do our shopping.

As we went outside, I noticed a bunch of teachers dressed like they were back home. I was in shock!! We were highly pushed to cover up when we were outside. One male teacher, who was about six foot two was dressed in some boxing shorts with a wife beater on showing all of his native tattoos. His disposition was like I'm not from here and no one can tell me how to dress. Also, a few women were dressed in spaghetti straps showing plenty of cleavage and shorts. I was thinking to myself boy are they asking for it. Overall, the teachers were dressed like we were suggested to which was the women wear long skirts and love sleeve shirts and the men wear long pants and short/long sleeve shirts.


We waited for a taxi and split the fare to get to the supermarket.

The market was very nice! It was like Walmart mixed with a flea market but way cleaner and fancy.The cashiers were all women from the Philippines. I kept noticing how the emirates don't work. The only jobs I've seen them have so far is the women working at the bank and teaching. I made sure to stock up on snacks, juice and detergent as I didn't know where a laundromat was and the hotel didn't provide laundry service. The market had so much fresh produce. I saw dates for the first time. There was all types of nuts, rice and fruits I've never seen before. The meat section had whole chicken and I was surprised to see how small it was realizing that's the right size a chicken is supposed to be. After shopping at the market I made plans with my friend and some other teachers to carpool as we had to go to our schools the next day. We already missed orientation and training.