Boat Ride/City Scape

It's Almost Christmas

Life is in fast-forward now, as school is gearing up for the upcoming Christmas holiday. I am helping put on a Winter Concert, which is obligatory for every music teacher working in an elementary school. I'm directing a 2nd grade choir, and held my first auditions for a solo! It was so cute hearing 7 and 8 year-olds sing one-by-one and hear their enthusiasm for singing.
It looks like I'll finally get my visa as well, right in time for the holiday-woohoo! This will make life so much better, as I will finally be able to have internet at home and will be able to chat with all of you lovelies at my leisure, instead of the odd moment here and there at school.
I am also really looking forward to getting a car, and having some freedom to come and go as I please.
It's work hard/play hard here in Dubai. I've been meeting people on the weekends from all over the world, touring around the city, going on boat rides, taking a safari desert ride for some dune-bashing fun, and basically just keeping myself busy when I'm not stuck in my classroom.

I am missing singing, and have been thinking about trying to get a gig singing on the weekend. My friend Nate (who I traveled to Sri Lanka with, and is the Middle School band director) plays saxophone a couple nights a week and makes a great income on the side. Of course, it's a lot more time and effort, but I'm thinking it would be a good thing for me to work towards, if I could find the right venue. I'm sure it wouldn't be classical, but even just a few lounge songs here and there...I don't know, we'll see :)
I'm going to post some random photos of life here, and am still working on getting my entire Sri Lanka trip online. One of these months it will happen!
I can't wait to take off for the holidays, just 16 days...I am so ready for a break!

Sri Lanka!

Hard to believe it's already November. It certainly doesn't feel like it in the land of eternal sunshine. We celebrated Halloween this past week at school, and there was not even a slight tinge of Fall in the air....but I am in the Middle East after all, so I couldn't expect the usual foliage and cider by a warm fire.
My trip to Sri Lanka last month was amazing, and way too short. It was so lush and green, everything was dirt cheap, and the people were open and friendly. I traveled with eight other teachers, although we split into smaller groups after the first day, because people wanted to do different things. We arrived at 5am Sri Lanka time, and hired a van to drive us 3 hours to Kandy, which is a large town in the mountains which is famous for the "sacred tooth relic" which apparently is all that remains of the Buddha after he was cremated. I didn't go to see the sacred tooth, but instead walked around the slightly dirty down, with my two music teacher friends, and spotted about 80 monkeys crossing the road! But first let me mention the driving experience....the roads in Sri Lanka are absolutely crazy. I think the only reason that there aren't more fatalities is because everyone drives slowly because of the conditions. How it works is people pass each other constantly and use the middle of the road as a passing lane, going in both directions. It's very frightening when you're in the passing lane and you see another car coming directly towards you. Will you make it? Luckily, we did every time, usually getting out of the way very, very quickly.
Sri Lanka is a developing country and everything feels a few decades behind the rest of the modern world. All of the cars run on throat-gagging diesel fumes, and three hours into our bumpy, frightening ride, I had a ponding headache. We made it to Kandy and passed out at The Queen Hotel, an old English hotel that had seen better days, but nevertheless still retained some charm.
One of the best parts about the trip was riding in the tuk-tuks, the little 3-wheelers that are all over the country. It's basically like riding on the back of a glorified motorcycle, with a soft top overhead. The sides are open, and it's this tiny little car that zips all over the towns.
Day two I took a train ride with my two companions, Nate and Tom, for 3 hours through the countryside. It was highlight of the trip. We hung out the doorway (which everyone did) and watched the beautiful scenery slip past us. We wound through hills and tunnels, saw various tea plantations, met friendly travelers, and sang songs at the top of our lungs (being dorky musicians) before finally arriving in our destination town, Nuwara Eliya. It was a gorgeous, pristine place, and probably my favorite, for it's natural beauty. It was cool and misty, and we found a wonderful beer bar, which served up a lovely dark frothy, homemade brew. I also bought a Northface backpack for about $55. I believe it's a fake, because it's already ripped on the inside, but it was nice to think that I was getting a bargain at the time (!)
We were pretty beat that night, and after drinking our beer and eating a strange meal in an empty restaurant (everything was very under-occupied, people were really hurting for business there, it was during the off-season), we headed to our empty guest-house and passed out.
The next morning we hired a driver and took an 8 hour journey down to the beach, stopping in the little town of Ella for some fresh tea, and then to a gigantic waterfall for some rock-scrambling fun, before enduring the next several hours in the car. We ate a very good meal in the middle of our journey served by a smiling woman in the middle of absolute nowhere, and despite there being 30 million flies in the place, the food was fantastic. Sri Lankan food is very similar to Indian food. Lots of curries, and the dessert was my favorite; it was a curd, which was basically the smoothest, creamiest yogurt served with sweet syrup, that I've ever tasted.
We finally made it to the beach town of Unawatuna, and stayed at the Full Moon resort, a little spot right on the beach, for $8 a night (shared). The beach was lovely, and we finally had a chance to relax for two days. The rest of the DAA group was just down the beach at an all-inclusive resort (breakfast and dinner with lodging for $23 a night). We had a wonderful time there; drinks were between $1.50-$3.00 and we ate, drank, and danced in the pouring rain at a disco tech on the beach our last night. I wish I could've stayed there for a week or more. I visited Galle fort the day before I left, which is an old Dutch fortress built right on the coast, surrounded by high walls. The streets were narrow and rutted, with European style buildings and flowers falling from 2nd-story balconies. I loved it, and wished I'd had more time there.
I also met a really nice Sri Lankan man who had a house right on Unawatuna beach, and told me and my travel companions about the tsunami experience, and how he and his mother and brother had to flee to the mountains for 3 weeks, and when they came back, there was standing water for weeks and weeks, and bodies caught in barbed wire. It was chilling and sad to hear his story.
I left on the 6th day and headed to Colombo, the capital city, for some quick shopping and eating, before heading to the airport at midnight. I went to a place called Odel, which has namebrand stuff (labels taken off) that is a fraction of the normal nprice. I wish I'd had more time there as well, because I have never seen stuff so cheap. Pants and shirts for $5-7!!
It was very hard to leave. Our flight didn't take off until 5:45 in the morning, and when I got into my seat on the plane, I found that my chair didn't recline. It was a hellish experience coming back, but definitely worth the pain for such an amazing trip. My last glimpse out the airplane window was watching dawn break over the island, which was a deep, rich green, covered with mist. It was breathtaking.

Eid is almost here...

Jumeirah beach at sunset, Burj-al-arab on left side

I'm days away from my 10 day holiday, and it can't come soon enough. School has been going well, but it is very tiring work, and unfortunately I've been sick twice now, and have finally resorted to antibiotics to kick it's butt...
I'm heading to Sri Lanka on Friday for a week with some other teachers. Tickets from here are extremely cheap, a couple hundred for a 4 hour plane ride. I land in Columbo (the main city) at 3 am and will be hiring a driver for the trip to Kandy. Will post after the trip of course, with all of the details!!
Eid-al-fitr marks the end of Ramadan (this Friday), which in my opinion can't come soon enough. The dinners at iftar are lovely, big buffet spreads with dates, juice, fish, chicken, curries, salads, and all-you-can-eat for a very reasonable price, but not being able to eat in public in the middle of the day is really a drag. I haven't ventured out on the weekends very much this past month, because it's too much of a hassle. Mostly, it's been parties in the evening, or Barasti Bar, the favorite ex-pat hangout, or the beach at sunset.
I still haven't been taken to get my blood test, step one in the process of acquiring the all-important residency card. They are taking the teachers in groups, and I'm in the second lot, because I was hired later. So it's still going to be a while until I can have internet at home, can open a bank account, get a liquor license (you can't buy alcohol without one here, but you can still buy alcohol at the bars), buy a car...
I think getting all of these things taken care of will make me feel like more of a human. It's funny how reliant you become on your "necessities" as a privileged American. What's the most challenging is not being able to talk to all of you, who are reading this (hint, hint). Phone calls are very much appreciated!! :)

Snapshots

Ski Dubai, taken from inside the mall

Souk Alleyway

More Photos! (of and from my domicile)

My Apartment and lovely views from my apartment!

Ramadan has begun

Water Taxi

Various Views of the CreekRamadan began this past week, which in the Muslim world means no eating, drinking or smoking from sun up to sun down for a month. Schools and businesses have shorter hours, and we work from 8:30-2pm until October. Everything really slows down. Shops are closed during the afternoon, and re-open in the evening. Iftar is the breaking of the fast, when everyone sits down and eats a big meal together. Traditionally, milk and dates are the first things one eats, followed by a buffet, followed by shisha (huka).

I made the mistake of going out on Saturday afternoon to the creek, and nearly passed out from the heat and lack of fluids. Luckily, a quick trip to a bathroom stall for a sip of water kept me going until I got back to my flat!

The creek is a good 20 minute drive away from where I live, and is much more established than my construction zone neighborhood. There are still lots of cranes around, but they're less noticeable. I didn't get to visit the souks, because they were mostly closed at 4pm, but walking down the streets and seeing dirty buildings was comforting in a strange way. It finally felt real; I could've been in Eastern Europe, or somewhere else with a bit of history.

I took a water taxi across the creek (closest thing I can compare the area to is Venice) for a dirham (approx. 33 cents) and noticed that my two companions and I were the only women aboard the boat, not to mention the only Westerners in sight. We then continued on to the cool air conditioning of the malls and grocery shopping, before heading home, feeling totally wiped out.

It is still quite warm here, although it's finally starting to cool down a bit in the mornings and evenings. The afternoons are the most intense, after the sun has been baking the place all day. I haven't been able to see the horizon since I arrived, and it's rare to see blue in the sky. I'm guessing it's a combination of heat, sand and pollution.

This really is a city made for cars, and without one I feel a little stranded, especially if I sit in my apartment all weekend. I've been trying not to do that, and have been socializing with the other new teachers, going out to eat, and trying out the various hot spot bars. I found a great one right on the water called Barasti bar, full of more expats. Even though Ramadan prohibits music and dancing, they still managed to play St. Germain, which, while lounging on a white couch under a bamboo roof, brought a smile to my face.

One week down, 34 more to go!

The magnificent Burj hotel at night, near the club where we went dancing.

Amber and Carrie celebrate the end of their first week!

Well I've survived my first week of school, and it was tiring, to say the least! Up at 6am every day (and you all know that I'm not exactly a morning person) and at school by 7:30. I teach on average 5 classes a day, and the toughest day of the week is when all of those classes happen to be kindergarten....phew! I love the little ones, but 20 of them at the same time leaves me feeling a little frayed at the edges.
The children are really sweet, for the most part. They come from all over the world, with each class representing at least 7-10 different nationalities. There are a lot of names to remember (approx 400, I believe, although I have yet to do that math) and so it will be some time before I remember every face.

My typical day goes like this:
6am-wake up
7:00-catch a ride to school with Tom, another music teacher
7:25-meet and greet children arriving in the parking lot (3x a week, we're a for-profit school)
8:00-classes start, mine vary, depending on the day, with the earliest being at 8:50
2:45-school over
4:00-catch the bus home
4:30-relax in the pool, or go grocery shopping, or pass out from exhaustion in my apartment
5-7ish-dinner time
8-10-read, bathe, socialize with friends, lesson planning, etc etc.

Last night a large group of teachers went out for end of the week happy hour at "Apres" (where I'm photographed in my first post, with Ski Dubai behind me) and then continued on to a really cheesy restaurant/ bar with Philippino karaoke singers, and then finally on to dance at a club called Jhambay, where there was a live band and tons of expats schmoozing and boozing and smoking. It's going to take me a while to get used to the smoky bar scenes again!

Tonight I've been invited to dinner by a nice American couple who live in Dubai Marina. They were a contact given to me by someone I briefly met right before leaving DC. I'm excited to expand my social circle and see more of this strange, cosmopolitan place!

More photos of the land....

This is the view from outside my apartment building, my neighborhood!

First week in Dubai

I am 8 days into my adventure in the U.A.E., in ever-expanding Dubai land! It has been a pretty easy landing, because everything is in English as well as Arabic, and there are signs of home everywhere...for example, where I'm writing this from: the familiar leather chairs of Caribou Coffee (aka Starbucks).
I'm living on the 13th floor of an apartment building called "Greenview" although the view is anything but green! I look out on a big traffic intersection, with dust and construction everywhere.
The apartment is great, all modern furniture provided by the school (think Crate and Barrel suede couches and low glass coffee table, dark wood bedroom furniture, a huge closet, etc.)
My school is about a 10 minute drive away, and so far the new hires have been transported by small school vans. This will stop once we all get our visas and residency cards, and then we're on our own. The only bum deal is that most of the other new hires live across the street, and thus have the ease and accessibility to school that I just don't have. But such is life.
Dubai American Academy is a VERY well-funded school. The school is growing nearly as fast as the city, and there are 1,300 kids in the elementary school this year! We start classes this Sunday (week runs Sunday-Thursday with Friday and Saturday as the weekend, this is everywhere here) and my first class will be the 4th grade. The most exciting thing is, I have my own room! Yes, I am a real teacher now, with my name outside the door and everything. I'm teaching 28 classes a week, of Kindergarten, 3rd and 4th grade. There are 3 other music teachers, and we are splitting the huge load among us. There is so much for me to learn here, and right now I feel completely daunted by the upcoming year, but also excited to grow and work with kids again.
I love the expat community here. Everyone's from everywhere, and it really makes the world feel smaller, instead of the other way around. I am getting giddy about the thought of traveling during the holidays. I've been told that I must do a safari in Tanzania, and that the beaches of Oman are not to be missed. Then there's India, Nepal, the Far East, etc...
Here are some photos of my first week here. For those who didn't know, Dubai is the land of giant malls and an an indoor ski slope. I haven't yet tried it out, but it is pretty bizarre to witness!