Archives for March 2010

Wild card.

Wednesdays are usually pretty good days. I have my girls in the morning and we can often plow through our lessons without too much strife. See the behavior chart:

This day we used the vocabulary from earlier in the week and made city maps. The girls had to include a cinema, supermarket, school, park, restaurant, and a mall. I was very pleased with their focus and the results of their efforts.

Would you be surprised to know that I wore a long skirt and a cardigan?

After school I raced back to my very large and comfortable bed. I’ve come accustomed to long and lovely naps in the afternoon. At first I would have a quick doze on the couch… until I learned that if I get into bed I’ll fall into a deep sleep for at least an hour and often longer. I usually wake up feeling groggy but pleased and I can always fall fast asleep at my proper bedtime.

Originally I had plans to meet a friend for dinner. She makes the savory main meal and I make the sweet dessert. We moved the Wednesday night dinner to Thursday afternoon, but I still needed to make up my dessert. This is why I was baking test batches of cookies earlier in the week. Now I was ready to perfect them.

The evening ended with a quick run to the supermarket to pick up a few items for the weekend.

Hump Day!

Tuesdays are always a bit rough. I teach in the afternoon when the girls are buzzing and wild.

This Tuesday was off to a good start when a student brought me a few roses.

It didn’t last long. Take a look at our behavior chart today! Tuesday our school has “special schedule.” This means that we skip our morning assembly (except we still have it?), add a special activity class, and tag on 20 minutes to the day. Lucky me, the girls arrive in my room directly after their special activity… it’s nutso!

I usually teach 3 40 minute periods a day. For whatever reason, an extra class was added onto my schedule this day… and oh my goodness we needed it. Some days we get nothing done because the concept of “If I’m talking… you’re NOT talking!” is too difficult to grasp. I lost track of time and you can see that the girls exited my room in a hectic fashion as the end of the day bell clanged on. (The bell rings at least 7 times on Tuesdays…)

My naughtiest (and favorite) student and I wore our hair in the same style. I love it when that happens. We point at each other’s hair and say “Same same!” with big smiles. It’s pretty adorable.

Here I am posing with the Tree of Shapes. This arrived one day in the middle of class. It’s hard to know how to react when a wooden tree is delivered to your doorstep. I think I said something along the lines of… “Wow… look at that!”

After school Sarah came over to sort out a problem with her sewing machine. After a lot of tinkering, it was a pretty simple fix. We stopped at a restaurant across the street for some hummus and enjoyed some complimentary falafel while we waited.

Tuesday nights my friends and I celebrate Hump Day by hosting dinner for each other. Every fifth week it’s my turn. This week was at Hannah’s house. She always cooks up something tasty. This time it was Korean food.

The evening usually includes some gaming… if they can sucker me in. I’m not so much one for board games (“bored” games… I love that Mol!).

That’s Tuesday!

xo, jill

With Milad!

Monday morning starts much like Sunday morning but maybe a smidge less harsh. Check out that outfit… long skirt and a cardigan! However, there’s a special feature this day. One of my lovely Emirati co-workers gifted me this scarf. I needed something to wear with it so I pulled this black skirt out of retirement. Can you believe that I stopped wearing it because it’s too short?!? I don’t feel comfortable at school if my ankles are exposed… sounds silly, I know! (In the photo it’s pulled down as far as possible. In real life it’s about 2 inches shorter.)

Welcome to Grade 2!

On Mondays I teach in the morning when the students are much better behaved. Look at our discipline chart for the day… not bad.

We were learning vocabulary from the community like school, cinema, supermarket… etc. The girls picked it up really fast. They always impress me with their ability to memorize new words.

I finally felt comfortable giving my girls more responsibility in the classroom. I probably should have done it long ago… but their behavior in the beginning was so atrocious I was scared to relax a bit. Now five girls a week have jobs… so far, so good.

And here’s the pretty tree outside my door. The maid responsible for my room sweeps up the tiny green leaves from the ground every morning.

After school I baked a practice round or two of cookies for a dinner later in the week. It’s a good thing I did. Take a look at the first attempt:

I think I made a decent recovery on the next batch (new recipe).

Monday nights I sit on this beautiful salmon colored couch…

… and enjoy the ultimate in comedy experiences, Extras…

…with my friend Milad!

Monday usually closes with conversation about the peculiarities of science and life, and then a quick dash home.

xo, jill

In the studio.

I thought that (some of) you might like to see a bit more of what daily life is like here in Abu Dhabi. I tried to document a typical week… except, you know, there is no such thing as a typical week in Abu Dhabi!

Here we go…

Sunday starts off the week bright and early with my alarm snapping at me at 5:20am. I typically think something along these lines… “What should I wear? … 5 more minutes … Oh I know, how about an ankle length skirt and cardigan!”

Usually I’m out the door by 6:30am and ready to make my 45 minute drive to work, but not on this Sunday. This Sunday my co-workers and I were scheduled to observe a model school in the city. We were lucky enough to watch one of our friends teach a kindergarten lesson, then we toured the school. After the tour we were gifted a rose… Emirati hospitality.

As an extra special treat Sarah and I were not made to drive all the way out to school after the observation. We spent our extra spare time having lunch at the nearby mall and shopping for gifts for our local co-workers.

During the evenings on Sundays I’m in the pottery studio learning how to manipulate clay into prettiness. My pottery instructor is very talented and entertaining to be around. She clearly loves her craft and her students. The class is small with about 3 or 4 other students attending each week. Everyone moves at their own pace and I am certainly the novice in the bunch. This night I made a coil mug… my least favorite project. My first pot was actually quite impressive… the second not bad… but this… meh.

The week improves…

xo, jill