The Zoo and Stuff...

So we had off three days for Eid Al Adha and the rumors of having the entire week off were nothing but FALSE!!!  So we went to work Wednesday and Thursday. And technically the students also had school.  Jennifer had like 9 or 10 kids out of 37 and I only saw one kid I knew.  Our students hung around outside and never went to class or anything so I guess the buses just came back, picked them up, and took them home.  We never left our English Dept office. Jennifer had her kids for a short while until they sent them all home. What a waste to get up early, bring the kids to a neighbor who was watching them, and then home in 4 hours.  Thursday - no kids showed up.  We stayed and got some work done and left by 11.  Back to the normal grind Sunday though - assuming the kids will actually come to school that day! 

 Cole decided that he was ready to try to ride his bike with no training wheels.  I attempted to teach him earlier last week but he was terrified. Then the other day he decided he was ready to try.  So of course when Caralyn saw him getting his training wheels off, she wanted hers off.  He did great, he did get frustrated at one point but kept going and believe it or not - he did really well on his own!  Caralyn on the other hand, was a hot mess after about 10 minutes of trying.  She threw all kinds of fits, fell out on the sidewalk, and then after sometime inside when she calmed down, she was ready to try again.  She did really well. 

Every week our English department orders what they call breakfast even though it's at 10:00.  So during our break we found where it was and picked up lunch.  They have the best zattar and pizza!  The kids liked it too - although they wouldn't try the zattar!  When you order you can watch them cook your food right off the sidewalk in the brick oven.  It was fascinating!

Did I already post the picture above? I figured out how to make the images on my camera black and white and thought this one looked good. This is Yolanda, Angela, and Jennifer. 

The Al Ain city bus.  They are Mercedes Benz buses.

They are very proud of their founders and the current Royal family.   We see their pictures everywhere - and typically every business/store has their pictures framed.  Even the UPS store has a set on the wall.  And we figured out that all these lights we've seen them putting up everywhere are for National Day which is December 1st or 2nd.  We've been told it's a BIG deal - with parades, celebrations, and everyone goes all out! So we can't wait to experience that.  And this one is even bigger because it's the 40th anniversary of the UAE!  We've been to two bookshops and they have a HUGE section with all kinds of UAE memorabilia - from hats, to necklaces, pins with various things with the Sheikh's pictures on them! 

Over the Eid Al Adha break - we visited the Al Ain Zoo.  We were very impressed.  Here are some photos from the zoo visit. 

The zoo here is rather cheap.  It cost an adult $15 AED which is about $4 USD.  And the food was quite cheap too.  Lots of folks were there - especially the labor people.  They were out enjoying their holiday too!

African wild dogs 

 Alligators - we were waiting for him to eat the meat on the side....never did see it.

 No comment needed...

 The baboon

Finally a trip to the zoo and we see something like this...A chimp tight roping it...

 The flamingos

 The giraffe....and we saw him drinking water...we've never seen a giraffe drink water.  AWKWARD!

The meerkats...adorable!

 As with anything in the Middle East - there is a mosque everywhere - even at the zoo!

 Is this picture not perfect...the penguins were very active and cooperated with the camera!  It was like a desert scene with some water.

 The rhinos...there were 3 of them.  Two were being mean to the third one.  They were probably three females...you know how it is when there are more than two females...

 So the camel experience...the kids were excited to finally ride a camel in the UAE!  So we pay, get in the line, and when it is time to get on, Cole jumps on and then Caralyn wouldn't move!  She went straight to the scream like someone was murdering her!  I'm sure we had everyone staring at us!  Then after a minute or so, Cole fires up and screams and cries too!  It was crazy!  So I was the only one who rode the camel.  Cole said he didn't want to ride it because when they rode one at the Rodeo - they just walked up a platform and got on, the camel didn't lay down.  Never mind that he was already on the camel and ready! 

 What an awesome camel photo!!!

Not sure if we wrote about this or not - but Jennifer says this is something she will never get used to.  We always see men holding hands.

We're officially on the countdown to come home for the holidays!  Today marks 35 days until we board a plane bound for Houston!  We are excited to see our friends and family and hopefully experience some nice cold weather!  Can't wait!!!! It's interesting that our kids haven't really said anything about going back home, or not liking it here, or even that they are excited about going to Texas.  We're glad they enjoy it here!

Stay Tuned...