The Verows @ UAE!: Week 2 ...

Well we’re deep into week 2 at school and it is quite interesting. I’m beginning to feel like this blog is my therapy! Not that this whole situation is so chaotic and out of control that I really need therapy but it gives me a place to vent and tell my story. Sort of like coming home and comparing our days with other LT’s and their schools. Sometimes this makes me appreciate my school even though there are quite a few things that I wish I could change. Therapy I tell you!

So life outside of teaching is normal and routine. Our kids are enjoying it quite a bit! They love all their new friends and want nothing more than going outside and running around and playing. But of course when all good things come to an end – and we have to come inside at night (after the streetlights come on mind you!) to bathe and get ready for bed – it’s sometimes hysteria! It typically can go one of three ways. 1) They stop playing – clean up any toys if there are any and walk home with us. 2) They all of a sudden lose their hearing at the exact time they hear us tell them it’s time to go home and just keep on going with what they were doing. 3) Something overcomes them and they remember what a 2 yr old acts like and they fall out and can’t seem to do anything but whine! And I’m sure you can guess what number we see most! It’s actually a combo of 2 and 3! But it’s V-E-R-Y comforting to know that here were have moved 8,200 miles from home and our children have LOTS of kids to play with and enjoy the friends they have made here. It’s going to be hard for them to leave them when our journey is complete – but we’ll worry about that later!

Now life inside of teaching – is more interesting than I could have imagined! There is one class where a few students are STILL talking about my lenses as if my eyes are not real! One student even brought his own “fake” lenses to show me that you can get fake blue ones – as if mine are actually not real. I think (through some very rough speaking) that they think I wear my glasses just to cover up the fact that I wear contact lenses! Hilarious!

Attendance – it’s crazy. There’s always students absent and what is even more hilarious is one period I’ll have all 28 kids and then the next period I have them – in the same day mind you – there’s only 22 of them. And if I have them say 2^nd period – only 25 will be there but then when I have the same class at 4^th period there’s 28 of them. I asked a few today when we couldn’t ever get quiet enough to actually listen why attendance is such a problem. They said, “Teacher – it’s hard to be at school and stay all 9 periods.” Nuts!

Teaching here has its challenges – and it’s one of those things you just have to experience! We had our rough days in Alief for sure but nothing like this. When you start fussing at kids about their behavior they immediately start just talking Arabic and claim they don’t know any English. But I learned how to say trouble in Arabic Moshkila (moosh-ka-la). And if they’re “really” bad you just say Moshkila Gabir (Ga-beer). So this morning I pulled out kid out of class and was fussing at him and used my new Arabic phrase and told him he was going to report to the social worker at the start of 2^nd period and he immediately started his “sorry teacher – no more – hallas” and wanted to shake my hand. And sure enough (not sure he ever did see the social worker) he was fine when I had my class later. Same class – different kid – called him out after class and when they heard me calling his name they all went silent. So I feel like they know I’m serious! But time will tell!

I have had several moments where I just shake my head and laugh. Yesterday I walked into class during the prayer break and there were a group of kids playing poker or spades – never did find the truth out. And when the break was over and class was ready to start one of the card players asked me if he could go pray. I was like wait – you played cards when it was time for you to pray and now you want to skip class to go and pray. He just said “you’re right” and went back to his seat.

Today the seniors had a break from working and after they taught me some Arabic one kids was asking me what’s the word in English for close and he mentioned like he was zipping up a jacket. I knew he was just trying to get me to say ZIP! I didn’t fall for it but later realized that my zipper was down – and he was probably just trying to tell me to zip my pants! HA HA HA!

And another kid was asking me today about prom. He knew so many stereotypical things about prom like getting dressed up, going with a girl (they wanted a HUGE discussion on this!), and riding in a limousine. I asked if they had that here which I knew they didn’t. He just said, “OH –NO – NO WAY!” I asked him where he heard so many things about prom and he said movies and TV shows. Then he added “and isn’t that where most kids lose their virginity!” This was where I used the infamous phrase we were told so many times to use from current LT’s, “that is not an appropriate thing to talk about.”

The kids line up every morning for assembly where they sing the national anthem, recite the Qaran, and some other things which I don't know since it's all in Arabic!

One of my classes!

Rubbage - they call it rubbage, we call it garbage! Old furniture and such. We have new desks this year!

Jennifer’s enjoying her school and she really likes her co-workers. She also likes her Arabic partner which is awesome here. We know LT’s who have Arabic partners who want nothing to do with them so she’s thankful for that!

Cole & Caralyn are doing good in school. It’s funny that we’re not spending time at home practicing our spelling words for the week’s test! They are enjoying spelling them correctly! Soon they will be sad that their parents are teachers and push school sooooo much! Cole has had an issue or two – nothing extremely serious – not sitting in his seat and cutting his pants. He even tried to use his backpack to cover it up as if his parents would never find out! Luckily another staff member mentioned it to Jennifer. Caralyn has had some days where she gets upset in class. And she’s good at the sympathy card. When we asked her at home about it she said that her teacher yells a lot in class. Definitely not a good thing for her – so she’s being moved to another class tomorrow. And not Cole’s class! I think she’d rather be in his class but that is not happening! We’re actually excited for her to be in the new class.

There are several things that always happen here that just irritate us! Like how Emirati people can’t wait in a line like the rest of us! At the kids’ school there was a line of probably 10 parents paying for the uniform and books and this one woman and her four kids just walked right in the room and sat down like she was “entitled” to just cut the line! But we’re only here to change the schools not the culture! And yesterday we stopped at the book store and were in line to pay when a young kid, probably 15 or 16, comes in to buy more minutes for his mobile phone (lots of pre-paid phones here!) and just went right to the cashier and EVEN MADE EYE CONTACT WITH US! When the person in front of us left we put our stuff down and the other guy already started talking to her as if we weren’t there. The cashier even looked at us and said, “Is it okay that I do his first”. We just told her “well we were here first”. She did his anyway. I’m guessing she was intimidated by him. And this is why we have to cut people off at grocery stores and barge our way through too! Our kids will come back to America and forget what it was like to wait in a line! But it also matches with the way they drive double the speed limit and flash their lights for you go get over so they can have the lane. They even cut the line at the copier at the school! I sort of am experiencing what it’s like to feel 2^nd class! But nothing like today in my meeting when I asked if we needed more chairs for the table and another teacher said, “we need 2 but he’ll get them – pointing to the maintenance worker”. REALLY? Are you serious? Really?

Here are some new Arabic words. The senior group (my favorite ones!) love teaching me new words and I even created a t-chart with the English word and the Arabic word spelled in English. They have a hard time but it also gives them some phonics practice!

WHY – lesh or laish

TOUBLE – moshkila

EXPLAIN – yashrah

STAND – oaf

GOOD AFTERNOON – sabh al ker

SLEEP – nome (rhymes with home!)

TWIN – twam

ONE – wahed

TWO – etneen

THREE – talata

FOUR – arbaa

FIVE – khamsa