So for the past few days, things have been pretty much the same: Wake up early, go to meetings all day, then find something fun to do in the evenings.
Yesterday, about 6 of us went to the Marina mall after meetings, where we spent about 3 hours at Ikea. I got most of the kitchen/household items I've been missing, but mostly just had fun goofing around with all of the weird and interesting stuff they have there. After that, the guys and I hit up the gym to get (more) buff.
For dinner, we went to an Indian restaurant, where I felt adventurous and tried some squid and biyirani rice. I was expecting something pretty exotic, so when the squid came out pretty much whole, I wasn't really that surprised. It was pretty spicy and pretty delicious.
After that, we headed over to Chi Chi's to grab a much deserved margarita. We ended up staying there until 1 in the morning sharing stories.
This morning, 7:30 came awfully early but I managed to stay nice and chipper through all of my meetings. Go me.
After meetings, we headed to the mall to go . . . where else, Ikea! I didn't really need anything but it was fun to just chill out in the nice air-conditioned mall. We also ended up going to a place called Carrefour (pretty much like Wal-mart). I got some laundry detergent so I can actually clean my clothes, and Jeff and I got a football to throw around when we go to the beach.
Speaking of which . . . Jeff, Erin, and I went to the beach this evening. We felt like we had worn out our welcome at the Meridien hotel for a while, so we decided to sneak into the Beach Rotana, a five-star hotel near the mall. This place is ridiculously nice on the inside, and also pretty nice on the beach side too. They had 2 swimming pools, one with palm trees coming out of it. Pretty cool.
We swam around for a bit in the pools, then we went to the beach where Jeff and I played some good old-fashioned catch with the football. Then we went back to the pools to watch the sunset.
Afterward, we went to the mall to grab dinner in the food court. I had my first Abu Dhabi McDonalds experience, at which I tried the McArabia sandwich. It was basically a slice of flatbread with some lettuce, tomato, and 2 beef (well, "beef") patties on it.
Tonight, the 2nd wave of teachers arrived at the hotel so we felt like it would be nice for them to have some of us who have been here a week to greet them (in English) and help them get their suitcases up to their rooms, things we wish we would've had when we first got here.
After that, Jeff, Andrew, Erin, and Kate came up to my place to get our Wii on. We played about 6 games of Wii tennis before we all decided it was time to get some rest.
Tommorow is our last day of meetings with everybody, and from here on out any meetings I have will be at my school at the southeast end of town with just the other people who will be working there. I'm not sure how many people will be at my school, but I know that Andrew will actually be teaching there with me so that should be fun.
Goodnight from Abu Dhabi,
Matt
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
The Daily Grind
This morning was pretty much the same as yesterday morning, with the exception that our bus left without about 12 (out of 23) of us. We were supposed to come down for the bus at 8:00, which we did, but apparently since we were not actually ON the bus at 8:00, we were late. It is funny that we have waited for nearly an hour for our busdriver to get to our hotel, but he would not wait even 1 extra minute for us. Oh well. We caught a taxi and got there about 15 seconds after the bus did anyway.
The meetings this morning were fairly boring, so I won't go into much detail about those. After lunch, some parents from Abu Dhabi came to discuss what they would like to see from us as new teachers in Abu Dhabi. As we are really here to serve them and their children, I thought it was great to actually get input from these people.
For our last hour, we split back up into small groups and discussed in a bit more depth what our role will be in the Abu Dhabi schools and how we will mesh with the "native" teachers. Unfortunately, our facilitator was being very vague and wishy-washy and so currently I still am not exactly sure what my role will be. But I guess since my principal and colleagues will be unique and have their own set of expectations (as each school does), I suppose I will have to wait and see for myself anyway.
After an unusually long bus ride home (our bus driver took a major detour at one point, I think because somebody cut him off before he could get over), some of the guys decided to go join a gym near our hotel and work out for a bit. The gym is about a 3 minute walk from our hotel, and while by no means is it fancy, it's got everything I need to get back into decent shape: treadmills, bikes, rowing machines, free weights, and all the typical weight machines. I just got a 1 month membership just in case I decide I don't like it or if I find something better in the next few weeks.
After running about 3 miles on treadmill and lifting some weights, I felt a lot better. It has been about 3 weeks since I've had a chance to really work out (and they've been a little bit stressful), so I was starting to have a lot of energy pent up inside of me.
When we got back from the gym, Jeff, Andrew, Graem, and I walked to the mall to grab some food and hang out at the pool hall for a while. At an Arabic restaurant in the food court, I got some lamb kabobs and flat bread, which was pretty good for food court food.
On the way back from the mall, I stopped off at the hypermarket to grab some random household items and groceries.
At the end of the day, I look back and think that this is probably what a typical day in my life will look like for the next month or so (at least). While it was pretty exhausting, it was also pretty fun.
Goodnight from Abu Dhabi,
Matt
The meetings this morning were fairly boring, so I won't go into much detail about those. After lunch, some parents from Abu Dhabi came to discuss what they would like to see from us as new teachers in Abu Dhabi. As we are really here to serve them and their children, I thought it was great to actually get input from these people.
For our last hour, we split back up into small groups and discussed in a bit more depth what our role will be in the Abu Dhabi schools and how we will mesh with the "native" teachers. Unfortunately, our facilitator was being very vague and wishy-washy and so currently I still am not exactly sure what my role will be. But I guess since my principal and colleagues will be unique and have their own set of expectations (as each school does), I suppose I will have to wait and see for myself anyway.
After an unusually long bus ride home (our bus driver took a major detour at one point, I think because somebody cut him off before he could get over), some of the guys decided to go join a gym near our hotel and work out for a bit. The gym is about a 3 minute walk from our hotel, and while by no means is it fancy, it's got everything I need to get back into decent shape: treadmills, bikes, rowing machines, free weights, and all the typical weight machines. I just got a 1 month membership just in case I decide I don't like it or if I find something better in the next few weeks.
After running about 3 miles on treadmill and lifting some weights, I felt a lot better. It has been about 3 weeks since I've had a chance to really work out (and they've been a little bit stressful), so I was starting to have a lot of energy pent up inside of me.
When we got back from the gym, Jeff, Andrew, Graem, and I walked to the mall to grab some food and hang out at the pool hall for a while. At an Arabic restaurant in the food court, I got some lamb kabobs and flat bread, which was pretty good for food court food.
On the way back from the mall, I stopped off at the hypermarket to grab some random household items and groceries.
At the end of the day, I look back and think that this is probably what a typical day in my life will look like for the next month or so (at least). While it was pretty exhausting, it was also pretty fun.
Goodnight from Abu Dhabi,
Matt
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Work Day #1
After getting an unexpected wakeup call at 6:30 this morning (my alarm was set for 7:15), I decided since I was already up that I should go try to find a local bakery to eat at. I found a place around the corner that was serving chocolate croissants for 3 dirhams (roughly 75 cents) each, so I ordered a couple of those. They were quite delicious, making the early wake-up worth it.
At 8:00, we caught the bus to the school where our meetings were at. When we got their, the Minister of Education (comparable to the U.S. Secretary of Education) was there to greet us. They gave us a big packet of resources and a travel guide to the city of Abu Dhabi, as well as an agenda for the day.
First, the Minister of Education and some of his staff spoke to us about the educational history in Abu Dhabi and the UAE in general, and also about which direction they are hoping education to go in the next 10 years or so.
Next, some principals from various schools in Abu Dhabi spoke to us about the school system infrastructure, and how there are various private-public charter schools in the area as well as government-run public schools. From what I have heard, I will be teaching in a government school, and rumor has it that some of the class sizes in these particular schools can reach 35 students or more. Seems a little daunting, but we'll see what happens.
After a short tea/coffee break, we returned to listen to a man who owns a business called Embrace Arabia. Basically his job is to travel all over the world and give seminars regarding the Arabian culture to people who, like us, will be doing some sort of work in an Arab nation. He was a great speaker and pretty funny, but his presentation was just too long (nearly 2 hours) for me to sit still. Apparently I was not the only one who was getting restless.
They served us a quick lunch, then it was back to more meetings. We split up into groups of 6 or 7 for some Q & A time with some school administrators. They further explained the school system from a more Western point of view (the 2 facilitators from my group were both Canadians). They also gave us some insight into the curriculum we will be using and also warned us about the lack of materials the schools give their teachers. Since I handmade most of the classroom decorations, resources, and school work I had for my students last year anyway, this was not that big of a deal to me, but it was pretty bad news for some who were under the impression that we would be provided all of those things.
For our final meeting of the day, we had some teachers who have been in our shoes for the last 2 years give us their perspective on coming from abroad to teach in Abu Dhabi. It seems as though they were much less prepared for their teaching jobs over here than we have been, so it made me feel a bit grateful that so much information has been given to us about what to expect before we got over here.
After this last meeting was over with, just a little past 3, we took the bus back to our hotel. When we got back, we decided it would be a good idea to grab some ice cream since it was so hot, so about 8 of us walked over to the mall and went to Coldstone. I got some coffee ice ceam with chocolate chips, and when I tipped them, they started singing a very goofy song that I think was supposed to be a spin-off of Mary Had a Little Lamb. By the end of it, I almost regretted giving them the tip, but they were all grins so I guess it was worth it.
After ice cream, we walked down to the supermarket, where I grabbed some steaks and chicken for my grill, as well as some fresh veggies and some spices. My friends Kate, Erin, and I went back up to my apartment to make dinner. I grilled the chicken, Erin was in charge of the baked potatos, and Kate really didn't do much of anything except for go down and get some butter and salt when we realized we didn't want to eat our potatos plain. I thought it was pretty fun starting up my charcoal grill right in the middle of the city, 15 stories up. Once we got things started, we played some tennis and bowling on the Wii. They were pretty awful (not that I'm great). I was trying to let them win and I still won. But it was fun anyway.
Dinner took a while, mostly because the chicken took forever over the charcoal grill. But we eventually got to eat and I'd say it was pretty delicious. Since they more well-travelled than me, I asked them about some good places to go for trips. I think as of right now, my top 3 places I want to go on my long weekends are (in no particular order):
1) Egypt (I've always been fascinated by the history and pyramids and such, and it's only about three hours away so I pretty much have to go)
2) Turkey (I've heard nothing but great things about Istanbul especially, and I know the girls aren't bad looking there either) :)
3) Greece (who doesn't want to go there?)
Well, it is time for me to start thinking about going to bed and getting well-rested for another long day tomorrow.
Good night from Abu-Dhabi,
Matt
At 8:00, we caught the bus to the school where our meetings were at. When we got their, the Minister of Education (comparable to the U.S. Secretary of Education) was there to greet us. They gave us a big packet of resources and a travel guide to the city of Abu Dhabi, as well as an agenda for the day.
First, the Minister of Education and some of his staff spoke to us about the educational history in Abu Dhabi and the UAE in general, and also about which direction they are hoping education to go in the next 10 years or so.
Next, some principals from various schools in Abu Dhabi spoke to us about the school system infrastructure, and how there are various private-public charter schools in the area as well as government-run public schools. From what I have heard, I will be teaching in a government school, and rumor has it that some of the class sizes in these particular schools can reach 35 students or more. Seems a little daunting, but we'll see what happens.
After a short tea/coffee break, we returned to listen to a man who owns a business called Embrace Arabia. Basically his job is to travel all over the world and give seminars regarding the Arabian culture to people who, like us, will be doing some sort of work in an Arab nation. He was a great speaker and pretty funny, but his presentation was just too long (nearly 2 hours) for me to sit still. Apparently I was not the only one who was getting restless.
They served us a quick lunch, then it was back to more meetings. We split up into groups of 6 or 7 for some Q & A time with some school administrators. They further explained the school system from a more Western point of view (the 2 facilitators from my group were both Canadians). They also gave us some insight into the curriculum we will be using and also warned us about the lack of materials the schools give their teachers. Since I handmade most of the classroom decorations, resources, and school work I had for my students last year anyway, this was not that big of a deal to me, but it was pretty bad news for some who were under the impression that we would be provided all of those things.
For our final meeting of the day, we had some teachers who have been in our shoes for the last 2 years give us their perspective on coming from abroad to teach in Abu Dhabi. It seems as though they were much less prepared for their teaching jobs over here than we have been, so it made me feel a bit grateful that so much information has been given to us about what to expect before we got over here.
After this last meeting was over with, just a little past 3, we took the bus back to our hotel. When we got back, we decided it would be a good idea to grab some ice cream since it was so hot, so about 8 of us walked over to the mall and went to Coldstone. I got some coffee ice ceam with chocolate chips, and when I tipped them, they started singing a very goofy song that I think was supposed to be a spin-off of Mary Had a Little Lamb. By the end of it, I almost regretted giving them the tip, but they were all grins so I guess it was worth it.
After ice cream, we walked down to the supermarket, where I grabbed some steaks and chicken for my grill, as well as some fresh veggies and some spices. My friends Kate, Erin, and I went back up to my apartment to make dinner. I grilled the chicken, Erin was in charge of the baked potatos, and Kate really didn't do much of anything except for go down and get some butter and salt when we realized we didn't want to eat our potatos plain. I thought it was pretty fun starting up my charcoal grill right in the middle of the city, 15 stories up. Once we got things started, we played some tennis and bowling on the Wii. They were pretty awful (not that I'm great). I was trying to let them win and I still won. But it was fun anyway.
Dinner took a while, mostly because the chicken took forever over the charcoal grill. But we eventually got to eat and I'd say it was pretty delicious. Since they more well-travelled than me, I asked them about some good places to go for trips. I think as of right now, my top 3 places I want to go on my long weekends are (in no particular order):
1) Egypt (I've always been fascinated by the history and pyramids and such, and it's only about three hours away so I pretty much have to go)
2) Turkey (I've heard nothing but great things about Istanbul especially, and I know the girls aren't bad looking there either) :)
3) Greece (who doesn't want to go there?)
Well, it is time for me to start thinking about going to bed and getting well-rested for another long day tomorrow.
Good night from Abu-Dhabi,
Matt
Saturday, August 8, 2009
A Productive and Satisfying Day
From the moment I woke up, I just had a feeling that today was going to be a good day.
First of all, I woke up with the desire to clean my place up (which hardly ever happens), so before I even showered or anything I got right to tidying things up around my apartment. Then I headed over to the mall to grab some coffee and get some household shopping done. I ended up going to the hypermart (similar to our Walmarts) and getting kitchen utensils, some supplies to make my own Turkish coffee, and a grill. I think I am now basically set as far as having things to cook with, now I just need to go to the grocery store to buy some things to cook!
When I got back from the mall, I got started on putting my grill together. I don't have any tools, so getting some of the screws in all the way was a bit of a challenge. However, I am now the proud owner of a functional grill and I have already had about a dozen people ask if I was planning on having a 15th-floor BBQ anytime soon. I'm thinking next weekend I will have my cohort of teachers over for some beef and lamb kabobs, along with some sweet Wii action.
Just as I was finishing cleaning up after my grill-putting-together and putting all my kitchen utensils away, Jeff called and asked me if I wanted to go bowling. He and I had met this local girl at one of our meetings last week, and so she invited us to go with her and her sister. We met up with them at the Marina Mall and had fun hearing about their perspective on the city and what kinds of things they recommended we do for fun. After we bowled a game, we walked around the mall for a while and grabbed some coffee.
After a while, we had to get back to our hotel because the owner of our hotel invited us all to eat at his 5-star Lebonese restaraunt tonight. I was expecting pretty good food, but when we got there, we were all amazed at how far they had gone out of their way to treat us like royalty. The entire table was filled with food (more than we could ever have finished), and all of it tasted great. We were really appreciative of all the food they gave us, and then we found out that that had only been the appetizer. They then brought out several different kinds of meat, all of which were delicious (I had chicken, lamb, beef sausages, and veal). Every time our plates started to get empty, they would come by and offer us more. Also, they would never let my wine glass get empty before they would swing by and top it off again. I don't think I've ever felt so tended to in my life!
After our main course was served, a belly dancer came out and performed for us. She did a variety of different dances for us, then had some people come up and dance with her in front of everybody. Of course, she picked me to come up there and I shimeyed with her for a few minutes. Not my cup of tea, but I couldn't be the one to disappoint a crowd!
At the end of dinner, the owner of the restaurant informed us that not only would this extravant meal be on him tonight, but also that we are welcome to such treatment once a month so long as we continue living in his hotel. Believe you me, I am not moving anywhere anytime soon . . .
Finally, we came back to our hotel. Some people came up to my apartment to see the grill, then we wished each other a good night's sleep. We have to meet at 7:30 in the morning to catch the bus for our full day of meetings tomorrow. Ugh.
Goodnight from Abu Dhabi,
Matt
First of all, I woke up with the desire to clean my place up (which hardly ever happens), so before I even showered or anything I got right to tidying things up around my apartment. Then I headed over to the mall to grab some coffee and get some household shopping done. I ended up going to the hypermart (similar to our Walmarts) and getting kitchen utensils, some supplies to make my own Turkish coffee, and a grill. I think I am now basically set as far as having things to cook with, now I just need to go to the grocery store to buy some things to cook!
When I got back from the mall, I got started on putting my grill together. I don't have any tools, so getting some of the screws in all the way was a bit of a challenge. However, I am now the proud owner of a functional grill and I have already had about a dozen people ask if I was planning on having a 15th-floor BBQ anytime soon. I'm thinking next weekend I will have my cohort of teachers over for some beef and lamb kabobs, along with some sweet Wii action.
Just as I was finishing cleaning up after my grill-putting-together and putting all my kitchen utensils away, Jeff called and asked me if I wanted to go bowling. He and I had met this local girl at one of our meetings last week, and so she invited us to go with her and her sister. We met up with them at the Marina Mall and had fun hearing about their perspective on the city and what kinds of things they recommended we do for fun. After we bowled a game, we walked around the mall for a while and grabbed some coffee.
After a while, we had to get back to our hotel because the owner of our hotel invited us all to eat at his 5-star Lebonese restaraunt tonight. I was expecting pretty good food, but when we got there, we were all amazed at how far they had gone out of their way to treat us like royalty. The entire table was filled with food (more than we could ever have finished), and all of it tasted great. We were really appreciative of all the food they gave us, and then we found out that that had only been the appetizer. They then brought out several different kinds of meat, all of which were delicious (I had chicken, lamb, beef sausages, and veal). Every time our plates started to get empty, they would come by and offer us more. Also, they would never let my wine glass get empty before they would swing by and top it off again. I don't think I've ever felt so tended to in my life!
After our main course was served, a belly dancer came out and performed for us. She did a variety of different dances for us, then had some people come up and dance with her in front of everybody. Of course, she picked me to come up there and I shimeyed with her for a few minutes. Not my cup of tea, but I couldn't be the one to disappoint a crowd!
At the end of dinner, the owner of the restaurant informed us that not only would this extravant meal be on him tonight, but also that we are welcome to such treatment once a month so long as we continue living in his hotel. Believe you me, I am not moving anywhere anytime soon . . .
Finally, we came back to our hotel. Some people came up to my apartment to see the grill, then we wished each other a good night's sleep. We have to meet at 7:30 in the morning to catch the bus for our full day of meetings tomorrow. Ugh.
Goodnight from Abu Dhabi,
Matt
Friday, August 7, 2009
Getting Settled In
Yesterday was a good day. I woke up at about 7:00, got some coffee downstairs in the cafe, then had to catch our bus to go to the Hilton for some more meetings. When we got there, they had free breakfast and coffee waiting for us, which was awesome.
The 1st meeting was pretty dramatic due to the fact that several people were pretty unhappy about not getting the roughly $6000 furniture allowance we were supposed to get since our apartments are already furnished. I don't really care since my furniture is pretty nice and now I don't have to spend a whole lot of time picking out and arranging new furniture. There was also a group of people that are living in a different hotel and think ours is better, so they threw quite a fit about that. At this meeting, we also found out that our internet and utilities will be paid for by the hotel, so now the only expenses I will have while I am here are my phone bill and food.
After the 1st meeting, they provided us with lunch (and more coffee) while they were getting things ready for the 2nd meeting. At this meeting, we met some of the administrators from the Abu Dhabi Education Council (essentially, our bosses). Of the four that we met, one was American, one was Canadian, one was Scottish, and one was Australian. They mostly just introduced themselves to us, gave us a few practical pointers about living here in Abu Dhabi, and then gave us a preview of all the different curriculum and professional development seminars we will be attending next week.
Since we are going to be "working" for 8+ hours each day next week, we decided that we should do something fun after our meetings. So we went back, changed into our swim suits real quick, then left to go to the beach/spa. We sat on the beach and swam in the ocean for a few hours, then we went inside to sit in the steam room and hot tubs for a little bit.
For dinner, one of the girls had organized a birthday dinner for one of the other girls at a Mexican restaurant. The food was pretty good, but it was funny because they put BBQ sauce on a lot of their dishes. Now I'm curious to know how much we back in the US "misinterpret" other cultures foods and make it likeable for us.
Finally, some of us went out to a place called Trader Vic's, where they were playing live music. We all danced for a while then headed back to our hotel.
Today, we didn't have anything planned for the day since Friday is the holy day here and therefore the 1st day of the weekend. I didn't set my alarm clock and I ended up sleeping in until 11 o'clock. It was great.
Shortly after I woke up, I could hear the super-long special holy day prayers that are played over the loudspeakers at the mosque. This lasted for about 30 or so minutes.
After getting ready, I wandered downstairs to the internet cafe (since our internet still hasn't been connected properly) and ran into my friend Andrew. After a bit, we decided to head over to the Marina Mall to do some exploring/shopping. We got a cab, and we headed through town to the marina. On the way, we saw lots of cool buildings, including the royal palace.
At the mall, we grabbed lunch. I got Sbarro (Italian food), and once again they had a unique Italian dish I had never seen before: rice with meatballs. After lunch, we headed to Ikea to look at home furnishings. I didn't really buy much since I wasn't totally sure about what I did and did not need for my apartment, but it was nice to get some ideas for some things. I had never been in an Ikea, but Andrew said that it was almost exactly the same as the one he goes to in Toronto.
On the 5 minute drive back to our hotel, we probably saw 9 or 10 Porsches and lots of other really fancy cars (mind you, brand new BMWs and VWs are very average here). You can get a pretty good idea of how wealthy (or not) the people in a particular place are by the kinds of cars you see. It is pretty obvious that this is one of the wealthiest places on earth.
This afternoon, I used the day off as a chance to relax and get a few things done. I finished unpacking all of my things. I also rearranged some of my furniture in my apartment the way I want it. Then I played Wii Golf for a bit.
Overall, I'd say I am feeling a lot more settled in and comfortable here in Abu Dhabi now.
The 1st meeting was pretty dramatic due to the fact that several people were pretty unhappy about not getting the roughly $6000 furniture allowance we were supposed to get since our apartments are already furnished. I don't really care since my furniture is pretty nice and now I don't have to spend a whole lot of time picking out and arranging new furniture. There was also a group of people that are living in a different hotel and think ours is better, so they threw quite a fit about that. At this meeting, we also found out that our internet and utilities will be paid for by the hotel, so now the only expenses I will have while I am here are my phone bill and food.
After the 1st meeting, they provided us with lunch (and more coffee) while they were getting things ready for the 2nd meeting. At this meeting, we met some of the administrators from the Abu Dhabi Education Council (essentially, our bosses). Of the four that we met, one was American, one was Canadian, one was Scottish, and one was Australian. They mostly just introduced themselves to us, gave us a few practical pointers about living here in Abu Dhabi, and then gave us a preview of all the different curriculum and professional development seminars we will be attending next week.
Since we are going to be "working" for 8+ hours each day next week, we decided that we should do something fun after our meetings. So we went back, changed into our swim suits real quick, then left to go to the beach/spa. We sat on the beach and swam in the ocean for a few hours, then we went inside to sit in the steam room and hot tubs for a little bit.
For dinner, one of the girls had organized a birthday dinner for one of the other girls at a Mexican restaurant. The food was pretty good, but it was funny because they put BBQ sauce on a lot of their dishes. Now I'm curious to know how much we back in the US "misinterpret" other cultures foods and make it likeable for us.
Finally, some of us went out to a place called Trader Vic's, where they were playing live music. We all danced for a while then headed back to our hotel.
Today, we didn't have anything planned for the day since Friday is the holy day here and therefore the 1st day of the weekend. I didn't set my alarm clock and I ended up sleeping in until 11 o'clock. It was great.
Shortly after I woke up, I could hear the super-long special holy day prayers that are played over the loudspeakers at the mosque. This lasted for about 30 or so minutes.
After getting ready, I wandered downstairs to the internet cafe (since our internet still hasn't been connected properly) and ran into my friend Andrew. After a bit, we decided to head over to the Marina Mall to do some exploring/shopping. We got a cab, and we headed through town to the marina. On the way, we saw lots of cool buildings, including the royal palace.
At the mall, we grabbed lunch. I got Sbarro (Italian food), and once again they had a unique Italian dish I had never seen before: rice with meatballs. After lunch, we headed to Ikea to look at home furnishings. I didn't really buy much since I wasn't totally sure about what I did and did not need for my apartment, but it was nice to get some ideas for some things. I had never been in an Ikea, but Andrew said that it was almost exactly the same as the one he goes to in Toronto.
On the 5 minute drive back to our hotel, we probably saw 9 or 10 Porsches and lots of other really fancy cars (mind you, brand new BMWs and VWs are very average here). You can get a pretty good idea of how wealthy (or not) the people in a particular place are by the kinds of cars you see. It is pretty obvious that this is one of the wealthiest places on earth.
This afternoon, I used the day off as a chance to relax and get a few things done. I finished unpacking all of my things. I also rearranged some of my furniture in my apartment the way I want it. Then I played Wii Golf for a bit.
Overall, I'd say I am feeling a lot more settled in and comfortable here in Abu Dhabi now.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Blah Day
So I woke up this morning when the prayer siren went off at 4:40, and I couldn't go back to bed afterward. Not the best start.
We were supposed to get our health/police checks today. But when the time came for us to all meet down in the lobby, I found out that they had somehow forgotten to bring my residency visa (they had everybody elses). So I had to stay here by myself while everybody else went and got theirs done. I have to do mine tomorrow now, and hopefully I don't have to go by myself!
While everybody else was getting that done, I did a little shopping. I walked to the phone company's office to get a phone, but since you have to have your passport AND your residency visa to get a phone plan, I couldn't get one. But while I was there, I found out that most people just get pre-paid plans here anyway, so I walked to the mall and got this phone there. I haven't really tried calling or texting anybody with it yet, but it seems pretty cool.
After that, I had some time to kill before the time the other people were supposed to get back. So I walked around the mall, ended up in an electronics store, and bought a Wii. It came with Wii Sports, but I also got Mario Kart, Mario Party, and Punchout.
After that, I went back to my apartment and got my phone all set up. Then I set up my Wii and played it for a few minutes. I suspected that my group was going to get back soon, so I stopped and went downstairs. But they were running way behind so I had to wait for a bit.
By the time they got back, I had laid down to take a quick nap. Turns out my cat nap actually lasted 5 hours. Haha. By the time I was up, I had pretty much missed out on anything fun that I could have done today. So I went and grabbed a quick bite to eat for dinner, and that is pretty much all I did today.
Goodnight from Abu Dhabi,
Matt
We were supposed to get our health/police checks today. But when the time came for us to all meet down in the lobby, I found out that they had somehow forgotten to bring my residency visa (they had everybody elses). So I had to stay here by myself while everybody else went and got theirs done. I have to do mine tomorrow now, and hopefully I don't have to go by myself!
While everybody else was getting that done, I did a little shopping. I walked to the phone company's office to get a phone, but since you have to have your passport AND your residency visa to get a phone plan, I couldn't get one. But while I was there, I found out that most people just get pre-paid plans here anyway, so I walked to the mall and got this phone there. I haven't really tried calling or texting anybody with it yet, but it seems pretty cool.
After that, I had some time to kill before the time the other people were supposed to get back. So I walked around the mall, ended up in an electronics store, and bought a Wii. It came with Wii Sports, but I also got Mario Kart, Mario Party, and Punchout.
After that, I went back to my apartment and got my phone all set up. Then I set up my Wii and played it for a few minutes. I suspected that my group was going to get back soon, so I stopped and went downstairs. But they were running way behind so I had to wait for a bit.
By the time they got back, I had laid down to take a quick nap. Turns out my cat nap actually lasted 5 hours. Haha. By the time I was up, I had pretty much missed out on anything fun that I could have done today. So I went and grabbed a quick bite to eat for dinner, and that is pretty much all I did today.
Goodnight from Abu Dhabi,
Matt
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Our First Orientation Day
Wow. What a long day.
Today I was awakened at about 7:30 when my phone started ringing. It was my friend Jeff. Jeff had an allergic reaction to some food he ate last night. Jeff needed to go to the hospital. Matt was tired. Matt had no idea how to get to the hospital. But Matt took Jeff to the hospital anyway.
When we got to the hospital, we found the emergency room. They took him right in since he was about to pass out, and the nurse and I helped him get onto the bed. They kept bombarding me with questions about his insurance, phone number, address, and so on (all in very broken English, mind you). I had to explain that we just arrived here 2 days ago and I met Jeff after we got here, and that basically I knew nothing about anything! But we were able to communicate the necessary information eventually, and since Jeff was passed out by then, I had to sign my consent for them to care for him. Yikes.
Since we had an orientation later today that I needed to be at if at all possible, I called our employer to tell them about our little situation. It took about 20 minutes to get the right phone number since the person at the front desk didn't know very much English either, but eventually I got ahold of them and they gave me permission to leave the hospital so I could go get ready for the meeting. I was a little nervous leaving Jeff there by himself, but they said they would have somebody check in on him if necessary.
There's nothing like making an emergency room visit to break the ice in a new city . . .
But anyway, I took a cab back to our hotel and got ready to go to our meeting, which was at a hotel conference center across town. We were told to be downstairs in the lobby at 11:00 to catch the bus. I was down there at 11:00 sharp. The bus rolled in at about 11:50. Kind of frustrating, but I am learning quickly that timeframes in Abu Dhabi are very casual and that nothing ever happens on time. In a way, this is kind of a relief, because usually I have difficulties with being on time too.
We all got on the bus and drove across town. This was the first time I'd seen most of the city in daylight, and I have to say that the city is very beautiful. There is a ton of construction going on right now, but there are also a lot of fountains and cool-looking buildings.
When we got to the Hilton (which was gorgeous by the way), they led us up to this big conference room. They were serving sandwiches, chicken, and an assortment of other things, as well as juice and coffee. I was pretty tired but wanted to stay awake during the presentation so I had 4 cups of coffee. It was amazing.
The presentation started after a while (about 15 minutes late, of course), and the HR director of the Abu Dhabi Education Council talked to us for a while about a variety of different things. I will try to summarize this presentation as best as I can:
1. We will not moving out of this hotel anytime this year. Since there are apparently no apartments available in the entire city (I think there are actually waiting lists for most places, which is crazy), we will just stay put where we're at. This part is okay with me, since my hotel room is pretty much an furnished apartment anyway. What is not okay with me is that because our places are already furnished, they probably won't give us the $6000 they told us we'd get for buying furniture and what not. We all threw a big fit about this since it was in our contracts, and I believe there is a petition in the works regarding this matter. We'll see.
(The nice thing about living in a hotel is that they still clean my apartment every day for free. I got back this afternoon and my bed was made, they had cleaned my dishes, and they had folded some of my clothes that I had thrown on the floor. I'm pretty sure this is going to spoil me. Forever.)
(The second nice thing about this is that basically the entire hotel will be occupied by the teachers who I will be working with in Abu Dhabi. It'll be 70 teachers living in one building!)
2. We have to complete a physical and police check tomorrow. Since I don't have any contagious diseases and I'm not pregnant outside of wedlock, I'm pretty sure I'll be ok. We'll see though.
3. We got our phone SIM cards that treat international calls as local calls, which is great. Now all I need to do is go buy a phone, and I'll be in business. The calling-my-family-from-Abu-Dhabi business.
4. They are setting up bank accounts for us and we will be able to access those in the next few days. Since they are not paying us until the end of the month, there was nothing really that exciting about this . . .
5. We'll have our next orientation meeting, at which we will find out who will be working at which schools, next week sometime.
After we got back from the meeting, we showed some girls who are going to be living at another hotel our rooms. They liked ours way better than theirs, and now they want to switch to our hotel. They're pretty cool, so I wouldn't mind if they switched either.
We all went to dinner at the mall this evening. I got Greek food. I can't remember the name of the dish I had, but it was good!
Then we walked around the mall some more, but we were all getting tired so we we went back to our hotel/new home after about 15 minutes. We are hoping to make tomorrow another "sneaky spa day." That would be nice after today.
Goodnight from Abu Dhabi,
Matt
Today I was awakened at about 7:30 when my phone started ringing. It was my friend Jeff. Jeff had an allergic reaction to some food he ate last night. Jeff needed to go to the hospital. Matt was tired. Matt had no idea how to get to the hospital. But Matt took Jeff to the hospital anyway.
When we got to the hospital, we found the emergency room. They took him right in since he was about to pass out, and the nurse and I helped him get onto the bed. They kept bombarding me with questions about his insurance, phone number, address, and so on (all in very broken English, mind you). I had to explain that we just arrived here 2 days ago and I met Jeff after we got here, and that basically I knew nothing about anything! But we were able to communicate the necessary information eventually, and since Jeff was passed out by then, I had to sign my consent for them to care for him. Yikes.
Since we had an orientation later today that I needed to be at if at all possible, I called our employer to tell them about our little situation. It took about 20 minutes to get the right phone number since the person at the front desk didn't know very much English either, but eventually I got ahold of them and they gave me permission to leave the hospital so I could go get ready for the meeting. I was a little nervous leaving Jeff there by himself, but they said they would have somebody check in on him if necessary.
There's nothing like making an emergency room visit to break the ice in a new city . . .
But anyway, I took a cab back to our hotel and got ready to go to our meeting, which was at a hotel conference center across town. We were told to be downstairs in the lobby at 11:00 to catch the bus. I was down there at 11:00 sharp. The bus rolled in at about 11:50. Kind of frustrating, but I am learning quickly that timeframes in Abu Dhabi are very casual and that nothing ever happens on time. In a way, this is kind of a relief, because usually I have difficulties with being on time too.
We all got on the bus and drove across town. This was the first time I'd seen most of the city in daylight, and I have to say that the city is very beautiful. There is a ton of construction going on right now, but there are also a lot of fountains and cool-looking buildings.
When we got to the Hilton (which was gorgeous by the way), they led us up to this big conference room. They were serving sandwiches, chicken, and an assortment of other things, as well as juice and coffee. I was pretty tired but wanted to stay awake during the presentation so I had 4 cups of coffee. It was amazing.
The presentation started after a while (about 15 minutes late, of course), and the HR director of the Abu Dhabi Education Council talked to us for a while about a variety of different things. I will try to summarize this presentation as best as I can:
1. We will not moving out of this hotel anytime this year. Since there are apparently no apartments available in the entire city (I think there are actually waiting lists for most places, which is crazy), we will just stay put where we're at. This part is okay with me, since my hotel room is pretty much an furnished apartment anyway. What is not okay with me is that because our places are already furnished, they probably won't give us the $6000 they told us we'd get for buying furniture and what not. We all threw a big fit about this since it was in our contracts, and I believe there is a petition in the works regarding this matter. We'll see.
(The nice thing about living in a hotel is that they still clean my apartment every day for free. I got back this afternoon and my bed was made, they had cleaned my dishes, and they had folded some of my clothes that I had thrown on the floor. I'm pretty sure this is going to spoil me. Forever.)
(The second nice thing about this is that basically the entire hotel will be occupied by the teachers who I will be working with in Abu Dhabi. It'll be 70 teachers living in one building!)
2. We have to complete a physical and police check tomorrow. Since I don't have any contagious diseases and I'm not pregnant outside of wedlock, I'm pretty sure I'll be ok. We'll see though.
3. We got our phone SIM cards that treat international calls as local calls, which is great. Now all I need to do is go buy a phone, and I'll be in business. The calling-my-family-from-Abu-Dhabi business.
4. They are setting up bank accounts for us and we will be able to access those in the next few days. Since they are not paying us until the end of the month, there was nothing really that exciting about this . . .
5. We'll have our next orientation meeting, at which we will find out who will be working at which schools, next week sometime.
After we got back from the meeting, we showed some girls who are going to be living at another hotel our rooms. They liked ours way better than theirs, and now they want to switch to our hotel. They're pretty cool, so I wouldn't mind if they switched either.
We all went to dinner at the mall this evening. I got Greek food. I can't remember the name of the dish I had, but it was good!
Then we walked around the mall some more, but we were all getting tired so we we went back to our hotel/new home after about 15 minutes. We are hoping to make tomorrow another "sneaky spa day." That would be nice after today.
Goodnight from Abu Dhabi,
Matt
Monday, August 3, 2009
My 1st Full Day
After our long flight over here, they decided to give us the day off today before we get down to business. I'd say I took advantage of the opportunity.
This morning, I went down to the coffee shop in our hotel to try some Arabian-style coffee. It was definitely a bit stronger than what I'm used to but it also had a good flavor to it. I will have to go get an ibrik and coffee grinder so I can start making my own coffee.
After that, I met up with my friends Chris, Jeff, and Andrew to go to the mall to exchange my U.S. dollars for dirhams (the currency they use here). We walked around the mall for a while, just to see what kind of stores they have. There were a ton of jewelry and watch stores but otherwise it looked like an American mall. For lunch we decided to stay in our comfort zones and ate at a Subway, which was also pretty much the same. Finally, we went down to the grocery store to get some snacks to munch on. I got some "French cheese" flavored Lays potato chips, some flat bread, and water and juice.
This afternoon Jeff, Andrew, and I decided we wanted to go to the beach. When we got to the ocean front, we asked this man at the hotel how to get to the beach. He pointed us towards their hotel's private beach, and they also had a health spa back there as well. We hung out on the beach for awhile, then went and sat in this steam room that smelled like mints (and made us smell minty too). Then we started talking to these (cute) German girls in the hot tub and found out they teachers too (just visiting for their summer vacation though). They also informed us that they had to pay $30 to be at the spa for the day, so I guess you could say we accidently snuck in. Oh well.
For dinner we went to a Lebanese bakery. We had flat bread and hummus for an appetizer, then for my meal I got a flatbread that had meat and cheese baked into it. It was pretty tasty, and really inexpensive too! I think I am going to like the food here!
Sorry I didn't get pictures up, my internet service was not functional again today so I had to use the hotels computers. But don't worry, I'm trying to take lots of pictures to share!
Goodnight from Abu Dhabi,
Matt
This morning, I went down to the coffee shop in our hotel to try some Arabian-style coffee. It was definitely a bit stronger than what I'm used to but it also had a good flavor to it. I will have to go get an ibrik and coffee grinder so I can start making my own coffee.
After that, I met up with my friends Chris, Jeff, and Andrew to go to the mall to exchange my U.S. dollars for dirhams (the currency they use here). We walked around the mall for a while, just to see what kind of stores they have. There were a ton of jewelry and watch stores but otherwise it looked like an American mall. For lunch we decided to stay in our comfort zones and ate at a Subway, which was also pretty much the same. Finally, we went down to the grocery store to get some snacks to munch on. I got some "French cheese" flavored Lays potato chips, some flat bread, and water and juice.
This afternoon Jeff, Andrew, and I decided we wanted to go to the beach. When we got to the ocean front, we asked this man at the hotel how to get to the beach. He pointed us towards their hotel's private beach, and they also had a health spa back there as well. We hung out on the beach for awhile, then went and sat in this steam room that smelled like mints (and made us smell minty too). Then we started talking to these (cute) German girls in the hot tub and found out they teachers too (just visiting for their summer vacation though). They also informed us that they had to pay $30 to be at the spa for the day, so I guess you could say we accidently snuck in. Oh well.
For dinner we went to a Lebanese bakery. We had flat bread and hummus for an appetizer, then for my meal I got a flatbread that had meat and cheese baked into it. It was pretty tasty, and really inexpensive too! I think I am going to like the food here!
Sorry I didn't get pictures up, my internet service was not functional again today so I had to use the hotels computers. But don't worry, I'm trying to take lots of pictures to share!
Goodnight from Abu Dhabi,
Matt
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Arriving in Abu Dhabi
Well after nearly 24 hours of airports/airplane, I finally arrived at the Abu Dhabi International Airport at about 7:30 Abu Dhabi time. I got my bags, went through customs, then went outside to catch the bus to our hotel. It was so hot and humid outside, even after sundown that peoples' glasses were fogging up! Also, it's been really windy here the last 3 days, which means this place has been sandstorm central, which means visibility and air quality aren't the greatest.
On the way to our hotel, which is in downtown Abu Dhabi, we passed lots of cool buildings including the mosque in the picture above. It is more huge and magnificent in real life than it looks in the picture.
When we got to our hotel, we had to wait awhile because they had to make a copy of all of our passport pictures (I think for security reasons). My room is on the 15th floor here and though not the nicest hotel room I've ever had, it is probably the biggest. It has a kitchen, a big living room, a pretty big bedroom, then of course a bathroom. I have a balcony off of the living room, which gives a decent view of the surrounding neighborhood. I took pictures of all this stuff, so I will put them up tomorrow (hopefully) when I am using my own computer and not this hotel's slow computer.
Look for more details tomorrow when I'm not feeling so tired and cranky. :)
Goodnight from Abu Dhabi,
Matt
On the way to our hotel, which is in downtown Abu Dhabi, we passed lots of cool buildings including the mosque in the picture above. It is more huge and magnificent in real life than it looks in the picture.
When we got to our hotel, we had to wait awhile because they had to make a copy of all of our passport pictures (I think for security reasons). My room is on the 15th floor here and though not the nicest hotel room I've ever had, it is probably the biggest. It has a kitchen, a big living room, a pretty big bedroom, then of course a bathroom. I have a balcony off of the living room, which gives a decent view of the surrounding neighborhood. I took pictures of all this stuff, so I will put them up tomorrow (hopefully) when I am using my own computer and not this hotel's slow computer.
Look for more details tomorrow when I'm not feeling so tired and cranky. :)
Goodnight from Abu Dhabi,
Matt
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Lasts
Whenever you knowingly experience the "last" of something, even the most ordinary things suddenly seem extraordinary.
Take this couch I'm sitting on right now. I don't know when or even if I'll sit on this couch again. I bought it 4 years ago from my neighbors before they moved to Minnesota. I don't remember that there was anything that really stood out to me about the couch, other than the price tag: it's a plain beige couch that's good (not great) for sitting on, and they were practically giving it away because they just didn't have a need for it any more. So for the last 3 years of college, it became a reliable fixture in my living room--it was always there, and therefore I always used it when I needed a place to sit. Not a single day has passed in the last 4 years when I have put any more thought into this couch than that.
But tonight, being perhaps the last time I will ever sit on this couch, I have recalled some of the memorable life events I've experienced while sitting on it. I realize now, this isn't just a couch. Though there were probably hundreds or even thousands of couches that were made just like it, they aren't just couches either--not once they left the furniture store. From that moment on, rather, a unique story begins to be embedded within each one. And just like a photo album or diary or video tape does, each couch alone has the ability (when coupled with a night like tonight at least) to trigger dozens of memories that might otherwise have been forgotten.
And the couch isn't the only thing that has morphed from mediocre to magnificent tonight. The the sound of crickets, which I've always thought to be a little annoying, has suddenly become music to my ears on my last night here. I don't know if they have crickets in Abu Dhabi or not, but even so, I won't be able to hear their monotonous melody in the big city. And night time just won't be the same without them.
I'm also going to miss those wretched flower pots sitting out on my deck. My sister ambitiously decided to start a small "garden" this summer, to add a bit of life to our deck I suppose. For a while--about 10 days--it really was something. The blossoming flowers brought a lot of color and a nice aroma out there. But Andrea, being Andrea, seemed to forget that, much like all other living things, a flower doesn't stop needing food and water once it becomes fully grown. So our little garden turned into a plant cemetary (may they rest in peace), reminding all who went out there of death and darkness. And though they've been dead for nearly 2 months now, because somebody still hasn't bothered to remove them, I realize tonight that I wouldn't have it any other way.
I could go on and on with a list of other things that I might not see ever again, or at least for a really long time. But I'm getting tired now and I need to get a good night's sleep before my big day of traveling tomorrow (later today really). Even though this will not be the last goodnight I ever say to the Kansas City night sky, the changes that I am about to experience in my life just became very, very real for the first time.
Take this couch I'm sitting on right now. I don't know when or even if I'll sit on this couch again. I bought it 4 years ago from my neighbors before they moved to Minnesota. I don't remember that there was anything that really stood out to me about the couch, other than the price tag: it's a plain beige couch that's good (not great) for sitting on, and they were practically giving it away because they just didn't have a need for it any more. So for the last 3 years of college, it became a reliable fixture in my living room--it was always there, and therefore I always used it when I needed a place to sit. Not a single day has passed in the last 4 years when I have put any more thought into this couch than that.
But tonight, being perhaps the last time I will ever sit on this couch, I have recalled some of the memorable life events I've experienced while sitting on it. I realize now, this isn't just a couch. Though there were probably hundreds or even thousands of couches that were made just like it, they aren't just couches either--not once they left the furniture store. From that moment on, rather, a unique story begins to be embedded within each one. And just like a photo album or diary or video tape does, each couch alone has the ability (when coupled with a night like tonight at least) to trigger dozens of memories that might otherwise have been forgotten.
And the couch isn't the only thing that has morphed from mediocre to magnificent tonight. The the sound of crickets, which I've always thought to be a little annoying, has suddenly become music to my ears on my last night here. I don't know if they have crickets in Abu Dhabi or not, but even so, I won't be able to hear their monotonous melody in the big city. And night time just won't be the same without them.
I'm also going to miss those wretched flower pots sitting out on my deck. My sister ambitiously decided to start a small "garden" this summer, to add a bit of life to our deck I suppose. For a while--about 10 days--it really was something. The blossoming flowers brought a lot of color and a nice aroma out there. But Andrea, being Andrea, seemed to forget that, much like all other living things, a flower doesn't stop needing food and water once it becomes fully grown. So our little garden turned into a plant cemetary (may they rest in peace), reminding all who went out there of death and darkness. And though they've been dead for nearly 2 months now, because somebody still hasn't bothered to remove them, I realize tonight that I wouldn't have it any other way.
I could go on and on with a list of other things that I might not see ever again, or at least for a really long time. But I'm getting tired now and I need to get a good night's sleep before my big day of traveling tomorrow (later today really). Even though this will not be the last goodnight I ever say to the Kansas City night sky, the changes that I am about to experience in my life just became very, very real for the first time.
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