Friday, October 23, 2015

Where to purchase Gerber Products in Abu Dhabi?

I have been searching high and low for Gerber products for my daughter. Although I breastfeed her, I like to have on-the-go meals and snacks for her in case we are out late or I do not cook. I packed my Gerber products when we moved from Atlanta, but Maddy went through them quicker than I expected. They have baby food here, but I wanted a brand that I knew and trusted. My BBF Shaun offered to send Maddy her favorite food and snacks. I feel bad because after a month I still have yet to receive them and she paid $90 in shipping cost. I purchased a blender/puree and began to make Maddy's food, which I prefer. But when we are out late, the Gerber products are convenient.

My husband and I visited a Lulu's hypermarket and a ray of sunshine came from the baby aisle. Gerber!!! I was super excited. The had an assortment of foods, snacks, and juices. I feel so relieved to finally have found what I've been searching for.




For all you Gerber moms out there in Abu Dhabi visit Lulu's (Mushrif Mall).


Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Africa Day!!!!


So the students have been studying the continent of Africa and Tuesday was the day of celebration for the students and the PARENTS! What I love is that the teachers always plan programs for the students to demonstrate their learning. Here are a few pics from the celebration:

One of our parents had this mural made for the celebration!

STUDENT PROJECTS!
       






STUDENT COSTUMES!




AFRICAN FOOD








AFRICAN CLOTHES MAKING




           

Monday, October 19, 2015

Find Your Joys!!!!

My wife a few weeks back during one of my venting sessions sent me a passage about Joy! I have shared it with a few people, but for some reason I didn’t want to tell a lot of people about it. Not sure why, other than I think the devil knew how powerful this message was and wanted to keep it quiet. However, I started thinking about all the people who are probably facing some of the same challenges I am daily and how many WILL face these challenges when they arrive, so I thought I would share it with whomever reads and subscribes to this blog.


The irony, even moving half way around the world, is that even though I am in a different land with different people, some of the same frustrations and joys are the same. Many administrators will agree with me on this point….in the states, I found that my biggest headaches often involved people who were old enough to drive…”GROWN FOLK”! My greatest joys came from the students! Students have a way of saying the right thing at the right time, bringing a sense of innocence and clarity to a situation in only the way a kid can. I worked in elementary schools mostly in the states, so those that understand, know that a hug at just the right moment can make a day go from gray to sunny.

THE SAME IS TRUE HERE! As I have stated that this job will leave you frustrated, conflicted, confused, and even angry at times…but there are some things that make it all better. These are those things:

 Sherrica and Maddy
  


This experience is fun most of the time! From getting lost, to going to the wrong buildings, trying to learn broken parts of a new language, driving, to waiting, to shopping.. this experience would not be the same without family. For others, it may be friends that they have met here and bonded with quickly, but for me it’s mostly my family! My only wish is that all my children (It sounds like I have a bunch rightJ were here to enjoy it or old enough to appreciate it…I guess I’ll just have to stay awhile until all of them canJ

 New Experiences 

Ski Dubai inside of Emirates Mall in Dubai
125 Floors up from the Burj Khalifa


Water Show at the Dubai Mall
Water Show at the Dubai Mall


Boat Ride in front of the Burj Khalifa
The opportunities are amazing and I haven’t even begun to travel yet. I OFTEN sit back and pinch myself and ask, “Am I really in Abu Dhabi?” This is crazy right?….NO, this is my life!

The KIDDOS!

Don’t get me wrong, we have our fair share of  “mushkila” (problem) with a few students, but overall, they are a DELIGHT to work with! They have SOOOOO much personality and most are quite funny. They are no different than many of the students that I have experienced back home.
 
The kids celebrating healthy food week!
The kids doing a military skit!
Student presentations on Africa Unit
African money
                   
Shopping


Honestly, outside of home goods, we haven’t done much personal shopping….BUT IN DUE TIME!!!! It is fun however to visit the different malls and souks. I am still amazed at the three and four level malls, with marble on the floors,  and all the stores from Rodeo Drive mixed in with the more affordable brands here. 

Food from home
Many people often ask what do we eat? Many people expect that the only food available would resemble this:
Traditional Meal
Yes, I have eaten more traditional meals at school, but when  I come home or we go out, we often seek comforts from home. We are not that ambitious yet with our palatesJ YES, they have everything you can imagine at home….

 









 AND EVEN (wait for it)……..


But when I do decide to show my culinary skills.....know that a brother has skills!!!
Grilled prawns (shrimp) on top of cheese grits and bacon sprinkles!

As I close, I need some help. We are still car shopping. I’m an stuck between these two. Which one should I get:
Red Ferrari


White Porche

Saturday, October 17, 2015

New Lessons.....New Experiences!!!

Yes, it has been about three weeks since I have had the opportunity to share my new reality. Even though times are less stressful for the most part, the days seem to pass by pretty quickly. Before I start, an online experience last week left a really bad taste in my mouth and I want to share my thoughts before I move on to the events of the past week or so.

For ANYONE that is thinking about taking this leap of faith and seeking advice or insight from those of us inside the “bubble”, please understand that each of us have or are having our own experience and much of our perceptions and attitudes are shaped by our individual experiences. Even I understand that because my experience is wonderful, does not mean that each person here is having the same thoughts or feels the same way. So much of this experience depends on these factors:

1  First and foremost, your school placement.  I am so lucky that I was placed where I was. YES, I have heard about other placements and the experiences that go with being certain places. This country is no different than the U.S. in some regards. Some schools and neighborhoods are better than others.

Your ability to let go.  “Stuff” happens for no rhyme or reason and you HAVE to roll with the punches. There are some that have been transferred 3-4 times. Others have had different issues with a number of things from plumbing, deliveries, to not so up front business dealings. This is not America and you have to understand when to “push” softly and when to “push” more assertively.

You will see things done in schools that make you scratch your head. Again, this is a different world and they do things differently. You must keep things in context. This is not your HOUSE. You may let your dogs lie on the furniture or get in the bed with you (on a personal level, that’s gross), but when you bring your dogs (attitudes and perceptions) to someone else’s house, you may in fact have to leave them in the car or outside on the porch…Their house, their rules!

Have an open mind. Most of us are 20 hours from home and multiple time zones and in that change, the world becomes completely different. Yes, there are so many amenities that remind us of home, but there are many things that do not and your ability to accept, adapt, and then appreciate those differences will have a significant impact on how you few your experience in the U.A.E.

   Be Sociable! Being far from home you need to make some friends! LOL Most are quite good at this bonding during the interview phase, or the waiting phase, and/or the orientation phase. There are many groups on Facebook and many other events. The quicker one has others to share this experience with, the better.

This job IS NOT for the faint of heart. I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH. Yes, the American Public Education System and probably some countries are broken and some might argue irotrevably. But there are systems, mindsets, procedures, but mostly importantly CONSEQUENCES if jobs, schools, teachers, and organizations do not perform at acceptable levels. Notice, I used the word acceptable and not exceptional. From my short time here I have experienced, as well as other collegues, a certain amount of frustration and that varies from place to place. To give you some context, I am at a good school, in a good neighborhood and there are still daily frustrations. So I can only imagine what others might have to experience or endure at other schools that are not so good or are not in great neighborhoods. This is a huge job and a herculean climb with EMTs doing a great deal of the heavy lifting by design. Which means, a great deal of the issues and problems must be solved by the people doing most of the living.

I can only give you my experience through my lens. I have been accepted and welcomed by all. Ironically, the only negative experiences that I have had, that were not self-inflicted (more about those later), have been with ex-pats who were not of this country. To see the Muslim faith up close is humbling and truly an eye opening experience. The reverence that Emiratis have for their God and their leader is truly inspiring.  Again, others will give you a different opinion, but I am here to tell you this is as close to heaven on earth....for me. If you can deal with the heat, the laissez faire culture, and camels riding in the back of trucks down the rode, then this is an opportunity I would recommend. Now off my soap-box and on to the last few weeks.


How did I go from a Ford Explorer to a candy-apple red Hyundai Elantra?



So this story actually begins before "we" even left the states. Part of the reason for this move was to provide us with more financial freedom. To be honest, I do not know what "I" got in such a rush to get a car. Long story short, as I mentioned in my last post, we went to purchase a car with some friends. They began the process before we did and during the process, there were a few surprises that came up with regard to the bank assessing fees. The fees weren't necessarily high, it was just the fact that the banker was not transparent. It is so important to find a banker that you are comfortable with and who is HONEST. Even though people have an account at a particular bank, different bankers from the same bank, but different branches will call you and tell you not to deal with any of the other bankers. It is truly a crab in the bucket mentality. When I arrived, I was introduced to a great banker, but he was not the one that was handling the financing at this particular dealership. After thinking about it more, examining our "true" needs, and reflecting on our initial goals, we decided that this was not the best time to purchase......which brings us to our new red cadillac:) I was driving a different rental but it had absolutely no power so I took it back and got a better car and guess what.....IT WAS CHEAPER!!! That was confirmation for me that we had made, not the best decision, but the right decision. 

Church in Dubai!!!

We had an amazing time last Friday at church in Dubai. We drove up with our friends the Carters (Shout out to Renee, Bobby, and Carter). It was amazing to see so many different nationalities worshiping together. The pastor was from India. Praise and worship was different as the band played mostly contemporary Christian music. The people were extremely welcoming and we will definitely be attending again. After church we decided to "visit" the Dubai Mall. LAWD HAVE MERCY! It was big and nice! I'm not really a mall person, but this one was really nice. We had a great time walking and talking with the Carters:) Check out just a few of our pics:
Huge waterfall
Indoor Aquarium
Aquarium view from the second view

An Octopus holding nothing but credit cards!!! LOL
Ice Skating Ring
So the only thing left for us to do in Abu Dhabi was to finally get the rest of our furniture. On tehe scheduled delivery day, Sherrica and I waited, and waited, and waited, and waited. My mind kept telling me to call during the delivery window but I didn't. So after the window had passed, I called only to find out that they had been calling the wrong number. What further made me mad was that they never even attempted to deliver the furniture. When I talked to the driver, he kept repeating the same thing over and over and then he refused to come back and re-deliver. Of course I was furious so Sherrica and I decided to take the 30 minute drive back to the store. Before we arrived, she asked me to allow her to "handle the situation."

I must say that she did just that, even though I interjected a few times:) I have to admit that it was ALL my fault. I had given the wrong phone number and they had been trying to contact me but couldn't. I could only be so mad:) Oddly enough as we were trying to reschedule a new delivery date, the delivery men, called and said they were waiting...HUH??? After all that arguing back and forth, they came back and delivered the furniture anyway. In the end, it all worked out!!!

Lesson: MAKE SURE YOU KNOW YOUR PHONE NUMBER!!!!!