Heartstrings 46.0: thankfulness... part duece

Hiiiiiii... it's been ages and a day since I've actually been on my blog but I stumbled upon this entry I started last year and felt now was a good time to actually finish it as we've just celebrated another Thanksgiving. I had a really great Thanksgiving here in Chongqing this year. I was battling a bit of homesickness as I knew everyone back home was with family... but I had great people here who got to experience their first Thanksgiving. And then we had a big shin-dig on Saturday with a bunch'a people. Good turkey, potatoes, and lots of laughs. No pumpkin pie though so that was a bit of a bummer deal there.

Anyway, here's the list. Miss y'all back home. Wish I could with ya in person, but you'll have to settle for my thoughts instead.

November 16: I am thankful for the small things in life that can bring joy to someone.

November 17: I'm thankful to have a roof over my head and a bed to sleep in. Traveling really has opened my eyes to the hardships that many people in this world have to endure on a daily basis.

November 18: I'm thankful that I have people in my life who are genuinely good people. They continue to grow me as a person and challenge me to be a better person every day.

November 19: I'm thankful that God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He is the one constant thing in life and His word does not change.... ever.

November 20: I'm thankful for my health - even though sometimes I feel like I should be living in a bubble :)

November 21: I'm thankful for Diet DP... and can't wait until that glorious moment when I can drink one again!

November 22: I'm thankful for all the hardships I've faced in my life. If I hadn't experienced them, I wouldn't have learned the lessons I was meant to have learned from them.

November 23: I'm thankful for the many different ways in which I have grown since coming to Abu Dhabi and China. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined some of the experiences I've had here. Some of them I didn't even know existed!

November 24: How can you do a "thankful for" list in November and not include pumpkin pie?!? I am so thankful for the person that first made this wonderfully delicious dessert.

November 25: I am thankful for my little brother. He has gone through so much in his life and is someone I have always admired. I hope that one day you will be able to show the world all that you have to offer and really get to shine!

November 26: I'm thankful for laughter. It has to be one of the most beautiful sounds in the world.

November 27: Music. I am thankful for music and all the healing and joy it can make you feel while getting lost in the song.

November 28: I am thankful for my class this year. They are such a joy to get to spend the day with each and every day. Seriously. Couldn't have asked for better kids.

November 29: I am thankful for people who are placed in your life that bring out things in yourself you never thought you had or that you thought you had lost somewhere along the years.

November 30: I am thankful that after a whole year, I have finally finished my list of things that I am thankful for.

Heartstrings 45.0: Thankfulness... part uno

November to me is a month that signifies that another year is about to end. It's become a time where people take the time to reflect on the year that they have had and since Thanksgiving time is just around the corner; it's a time for people to share the things they are thankful for. I normally am not one to do the every day update on Facebook on what I'm thankful for that specific day; but I wanted to do something similar this year. So I've decided that I will list the things I am thankful for (one for every day of the month) and each day take the time to really reflect and focus on that specific thing I am thankful for. Here are the first 15 days... I will post the last 15

So here it goes:

November 1: I am thankful for the blessing to wake up every day.

November 2: I am thankful for a God that loves me unconditionally and teaches me this every single day of my life - even when I'm not willing to see it.

November 3: I am thankful for close friends who are more like family to me. The ones that always have your back no matter what and will listen to you talk about the smallest to the biggest things in life.

November 4: I'm thankful for my two favorite little people who make me smile every time I see them. (Issac/Adrianna) I miss our tickle-fests and running around before bedtime.

November 5: I'm thankful for my parents, brother, grandma, cousin, aunts, and uncles who always take the time out of their busy schedules to come see me. Without them, I wouldn't be the person I am today and the person I will be tomorrow.

November 6: I'm thankful for the opportunity to live out one of my dreams in teaching overseas. Although it's not always cookies and cream, I'm still appreciative of the opportunity.

November 5: I'm thankful for the ability to travel and see places and meet people from all over the world. It really makes you appreciate the world and different cultures.

November 6: I'm thankful for parents who wanted me to be something more in life. Who made me realize that education was important and should be pursued.

November 7: I'm thankful for a job that I actually love doing. Ever since I was a kid I wanted to do this job and I have loved every moment from the stressful situations to the laughter and everything in between.

November 8: I'm thankful for my friends over here on the side of the world that for this season of life that are making this experience memorable.

November 9: I'm thankful for all the men and women in the military - past and present. They are the true definition of hero. And to their families and friends who have sacrificed so much in order for their loved ones to serve. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

November 10: I'm thankful for the technology that exists today. If not for magic jack, Skype, email, Facebook, etc. I would not be able to keep in contact with the people I care about from back home. Makes this expat life a bit easier.

November 11: I'm thankful for some of my co-workers that are easy to work with.

November 12: I'm thankful for my old co-workers at HES who I have grown to appreciate each and every day away from them. You never know how special a work place is until you are away from it.

November 13: I'm thankful for an education system back home that despite it's flaws still has some organization, structure, goals, and professionalism in it.

November 14: I'm thankful for movies cause they are great ways to put your mind and body at rest for a few hours after a hard days work.

November 15: I'm thankful for blue skies and white puffy clouds; which I miss dearly.

heartstrings 44.0: the show must go onnnnn...

Hello out there in computer land!!! I am alive. Who would have thunk it? Sorry I've been MIA lately online but I've had a bit going on and then when I am at home I am just beat.

I am now in the middle of week three of school. I am teaching Grade 2 this year (so I do have a good chunk of kids from last year in my class this year.) I am enjoying things a bit more this year already (although the year is still early). It is nice to actually have students who can understand some english and communicate with me. They are actually quite cute when they are telling me their stories and see me in the mornings. Last year they were shy and would barely look at you, but this year, they can yell your name and tell you, "good morning," It's awesome.

Today we even had a little bit of p.e. in class as we counted to 100. I had a couple boys doing a set of 10 push ups (to die for funny as one just moved his bum up and down and the other just his head), they did some sit ups (ha-larious!), and jumping jacks they got a kick out of. Oh... and the arm wrestling. Amusing as all get out watching two alpha males try and be the best. Learned a few new arabic words (two of which I forgot already so I'll have to go back tomorrow and re-learn them). Emsa (yesterday) and bukarah (tomorrow). I forgot today (and it's so simple!) and sport. Tomorrow (or bukarah) I shall have this down.

Our school is going haywire trying to prepare for Irtiqa'a (think of this as a school-wide evaluation... so if the Superintendent walked in with 6 of his colleagues and went anywhere in the school unannounced for four straight days). Needless to say, it's a bit of chaos around the school now. They're running around trying to put on a great show for these guys and it's a little entertaining to watch because everything is lost in translation - if we're even lucky to have a translation provided to us! Good times, good times. I shall hopefully have an update of what this madness looked like next week - as for now, I have to learn a new lesson plan format (for Irtiqa'a) and come up with some 'skit' type performance for some our our kiddos to do at some point next week (for Irtiqa'a). Today I wracked my fried little brain to create 2 unit plans for english, math, and science (half of which I did not know what I was putting on the paper because we were never given proper instructions and didn't have the resource to finish the other half).

Should also be exciting times tomorrow morning when I walk into my classroom... tonight they are hanging two brand spankin' new bulletin boards on my walls (in which I had to take everything off the wall that I had put up two weeks ago) and hopefully my cabinets and all of their contents have been put back in their rightful place. 

Did I mention it was a show? If not, it is very much so.

heartstrings 43.0: the joys of Abu Dhabi life... except not

I've had a lot of time to think about the summer ahead and leaving the Doo-ville for 6 weeks. There are things that I will miss whilst away but there are definitely things I will not miss. At work last week, I compiled a list of things I will not be seeing in the US of A (or even the UK for that matter) and this weekend in Dubai, I added to that last. And on my way to work this morning... another addition.

So without further adieu, the top things I will not be seeing in the summer of 2013:

• stop signs being optional 
• crossing 4 lanes of traffic in a split second to make a left (or right) turn at an intersection
• driving against traffic down the wrong side of the road
• reversing in the middle of the road - or highway for that matter
• full stops in the middle of a busy road
• bump driving
• going 20 km/h over the speed limit so that you can stay alive
• flashing lights in your rear view mirror so the car behind you doesn't have to stop going a bizillion miles an hour
• hearing some impatient soul blow their horn the instant the light turns green
• drag race starts off of a green light so you don't get hit from behind (or beeped at)
• passing on the shoulder because people can't be bothered to put their foot on the break until you have time to get over 
• someone honking their horn for a Starbucks worker to come out to their car (that is parked in the middle of the street and behind parked cars) so they can have their order taken. 
• someone else pumping the petrol into your car or serving your coffee at the petrol station 
• refunds not being optional (you are lucky to get your money back in this country)
• when you use your turn signal it ensures the person behind you in the lane you would like to merge into will automatically speed up so you can not get over. 
• no car washes during your mall/grocery store excursions
• snapping of fingers to get service of any kind from people
• sun visors in the back windshield of someone's car
• honking of the horn for literally 30 seconds - 1 minute in a parking garage because someone is taking "too long" to get into their car/move their car
• children not wearing seat belts - anywhere and at any speed.
• looking back in your rear view mirror and spotting a toddler driving the car with daddy 
• waiting hours at the bank just to see the teller 
• nobody's job will be to bring/make tea for anyone at their job
• I will have to push my own elevator buttons
• preparing to turn at a light with two turning lanes and seeing a car/truck doing a u-turn from the outer turning lane (they should be u-turning from the inner lane) 
• a sweets/candy/ice cream shop everywhere you walk
• a phone/data refill card 
• SAND/sandstorms
• screaming children in malls/stores and their parents just walking away or ignoring them

Heartstrings 42.0: African celebrations!

Happy Monday, y'all! It's my last working Monday in the UAE... woo-hoo!

This past weekend I had my last trip to Dubai before heading back home to celebrate a friend's birthday... African style. After much teeter-tottering with what to wear to this themed birthday celebration, I finally found a maxi dress at New Look the day before the festivities.

Jo is a wonderful planner, I must say... everything from the invitation (which was laid out in three acts with descriptions) to the events and attire.

Act I: Tribes (African cuisine) located inside the Mall of the Emirates. It was hard to select a dish to devour in this place because everything sounded so wonderful. In the end, I decided upon the 1/2 Equatorial Chicken with herb roasted potatoes and it was ah-mazing! The flavors and tenderness of the meat were out of this world. I know everyone who ate was extremely satisfied with their meal - all 11 or 12 of us.

We arrived around 4:00 and didn't leave until 7:00... conversation was good amongst the mix of Jo's friends. After finishing up our eating, the restaurant had a little birthday celebration for Mama Afrika (as we called Jo). It was tons of fun! They beat the drums, yelled, and danced for several minutes (hope the video works below - it's about 2:30 minutes of awesomeness). They really got into it and it made Cathy and I really want to go to Africa - which I will one day.

They gave her a wonderful looking cake and after splitting the bill; we left to head over to the Madinat Jumeriah for an African music show. On our way back to my car, Jo turned a lot of heads... every step she took, her skirt would flow back and make it look like she was gliding on the floor. She literally was like an African Queen; so Cathy and I walked behind her and declared ourselves to be her royal subjects - or Princesses :)

having some H20 outside and enjoying the view of the Madinat Jumeriah and the Burj al Arab hotel (if you look closely, you can see the helicopter landing pad on the top of the hotel).

Act 2: Under African Skies located in the Madinat Jumeriah

This show was a wonderful mix of all the music South Africa has and mixed with the cultural/societal/political events that have occurred over the past 60-70 years. The performers seemed to really love what they were doing, which makes the experience even better. Their faces were full of delight and pride for their country as they danced and sung their hearts out. The faces and hand motions were such fun to watch... there is something really special and almost serene about watching these dancers perform. I learned a lot about their culture and hardships the country has faced throughout this narrated song and dance performance.

Interesting tidbit: did you know that the song, 'Wimoweh,' ('The Lion Sleeps Tonight' from the Lion King) was a huge hit back in the 40s - it sold around 100,000 copies and then the South African writer sold the rights for 10 shillings (which at the time was around $2.00). That's crazy to think about... $2 and look at how far it went!

After the cast performed their encore... we hit up Starbucks for a late night pick me up. The girls were heading on to Act 3 at the Media One hotel to dance the morning away to a DJ that was playing some African Beats... this gal was headed back to Abu Dhabi that night, so we parted ways. But before leaving the souk, we ran into the cast of Under African Skies as they were snacking on some ice cream. They were so gracious and nice, genuine people to stick around and talk to us and take pictures with us (as I'm sure they were exhausted... even though they said they weren't).

One thing's for certain after watching this performance, I realized how stuck we are in America of our own culture and interests that we don't take the time to really get to experience the joy that other countries have to offer. These people are enjoying their theater experience as they get to travel around the world and share their love and their country with other people. They're not in it for the fame and fortune, but for the sheer love of what they do and their country. I am very grateful for the opportunities I have been given while over here to really experience the world and the people in it.

Heartstrings 41.0: the key to every Texas girl's heart... meat and potatoes!

A post dedicated to the amazing food my body has taken in over the past week. As I've written before, work is quite slow nowadays. So basically, we come late and leave early to school and sit around chatting and watching movies. It's a hard life I live now... not quite as boring as I was expecting it to be, but there is still time for boredom to settle in.

One of our slow days, Rimi and I decided to leave early and go shopping. But first, we must eat. We found a new place in Al Wahda Mall called Paul's and decided to try it on for size. It's a little pricey, but it was our end of the week treat (and it wasn't too much longer before payday!)

I decided to go with a chicken dish (I really must start remembering the names of the food I try - or at least take a picture of it since I never can remember these fancy dish names). The chicken was breaded with almonds and was stuffed with a light creamy cheese sauce in the middle. It was served with a raspberry sauce (that I didn't try because I am not a fan of raspberries). The carrots, green beans, and mashed potatoes were delish... asparagus was a little juicy for eating and overcooked a tad. But all in all, the meal went over well with my taste buds.

The next day I almost entered a food coma from all the yummy goodness I inhaled at the Intercontinental Hotel. 

With most of us only having a few weeks left here in the UAE until we head our separate ways and travel home or explore the world; my friends and I met up for our first brunching experience in the UAE. Yep, that's right... first brunch. For those of you back home, a Friday brunch is how most people spend their weekends as you can get all you can eat/drink for 4 hours. If you drink, it's totally worth the price, I suppose. We arrived around noon and ate non stop until 4:30 pm. Oh my word, I have never in my life eaten so much food in one sitting! I will never attend another brunch other then the one at the Intercon. Here is a shot of the pasta station (on the left) where they will make risotto, spaghetti, pizza, or whatever your inner Italian is feeling at that moment. On the right is a portion of the Belgian Cafe menu featuring salmons, veggies, and things of that nature.

I decided on my first go, I would get my healthy foods in because I knew I wouldn't save room for later. So I made a mini spinach salad with corn and tomatoes, threw some strawberries and grapes on my plate, and then headed for the good stuff; Chamas' chicken and beef sirloin... Chamas is hands-down my favorite restaurant in Abu Dhabi Doo... it's a Brazilian place and the meat is to die for, melt in your mouth goodness.

After letting the sirloin settle in my tummy, I went across the way to the Yacht Club - which specializes in fancy seafood like sushi, oysters, clams, (none of which I'm too fond of). On the way I found my favorite station of the afternoon... the potato station. Where they serve any and all varieties/forms of potatoes from fries, wedges, scalloped, mashed, herb roasted, etc. On this plate, I decided to get some Asian chicken/noodle concoction, tried a pork rib (yes, they serve pork products at this brunch - unheard of here in the UAE), Belgium Cafe fries (best in AD as well), mashed potatoes, jumbo shrimp (that I ate almost all of while I waited behind the masses at the potato station), and to finish off, some German potato salad.  The chicken/noodle stuff was really good... didn't care for the pork rib (too tough for my liking but that could have something to do with my partiality for Chamas' beef), of course the potatoes were good, as was the shrimp.

Round Three took a little convincing myself to do... I knew I didn't have room if I wanted to maintain a level of comfort, but I decided that it didn't matter and went for it. I headed back to the wonderful potato station for some scalloped potatoes, snagged me a mini hamburger and grilled broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots, threw some grilled salmon and beef tips on my plate. Then went back to Chamas for some more beef tenderloin that was every Texans dream cut.

I finished the afternoon off with a little chocolate mousse cake (didn't take a picture of that cause it was off my plate as fast as it was put on there! lol). All in all, if you're ever in Abu Dhabi and need a good place to brunch, I highly recommend this place.

As the ladies and I concluded during our four hours of laughter and discussions, this was one of our favorite memories in Abu Dhabi... so thanks to Kalli, Cathy, and Jackie for the wonderful experience - can't wait to live lavishly with you ladies again!!! :)

Heartstrings 40.0: Welp, that's all folks...

As my first year has almost officially ended (aka... the kids have just stopped coming to school and I now spend my days sitting around chatting with the co-workers and watching movies/tv series) I thought I should post some moments from the last 2 weeks of school - bulleted of course, cause I can't be bothered to write complete sentences :)

• Reviewing rooms in the house, one boy yelled out, "CHICKEN," when I asked what the name of the kitchen was. 
• Got handed a note from sweet little Abdulla Tayef that said, "I love you," aww...
• Learned-ish the words for living room, kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom in Arabic.
• Got numerous, "thank you's," from the boys for downloading Ben 10 and Transformers to show in class (should be thanking THEM cause that allowed me to enter their grades instead of having to stay after school or work on them at home).
• Had about 6 boys from one class show up last Tuesday because they wanted to play and liked Ms. Krista
• Planned lots of my vacation whilst the boys worked/played/I had free periods off

Not too many things happened seeing as I had tonsillitis and missed 3 days one work week, then the next week had a sore throat from the same bacteria (which went into my eye this weekend! Can't get rid of this bugger, streptococcus!) That tonsillitis was a mess... haven't had it since I was younger and it's a pain. Spent most of my days/nights on my coach afraid to swallow and with a fever. Had to go to the hospital where they gave me an IV to reduce my fever and injected my first round of antibiotics (and 4 hours later, my fever was back). Got better that weekend and then BAM! Sore throat from the same stuff and was back to fearing the swallowing thing. Luckily, that only lasted a few days. Just had a few days left after that with the boys before they were off...

It's a very strange thought to be finished teaching the boys this year. Not a typical end of the school year here in the UAE as the boys just drop off like flies. I don't think I even got the chance to say goodbye to any of them or wish them a good holiday. You just never saw them again... and the boys didn't care to come say bye to you as it isn't in their culture to be "sentimental" that way. No end of the year party or activities set up by the school... No summer games played in the classroom or autograph/yearbook signing happening... No gifts from any of the kids... might have gotten 2-3 "thank you teacher," from the parents.

Our new official work week times are 8:00-12:30 every day... so basically, I will now be paid to sit around and catch up on Homeland and if there is anything else you feel I should be watching/catching up on; send me a message and let me know and I'll get right on it! Well, after Homeland :)

4 more weeks until I am Stateside! Very exciting!!!