Omani Top 10

I visited Oman, country number 3-0, a couple of weeks ago. 

Oman in Arabic.

10 Highlights From my Omani Trip
1. The people

2. The swimming

At Wadi Shab. 

This is a sink hole.

3. The mountains

4. The beauty

At Wadi Shab.

5. The hiking

6. The culture

They wear these traditional hats.

A church. Okay, the expat culture, mainly.

A beautiful Mosque

7. The architecture 

8. The beach

9. The sunsets

10. The jumping

I totally jumped this.
No, I don't have a picture of it.
I was terrified. It was fun.

Meanwhile in Kuwait...

-I didn't see the extravagant firework show, but the iconic Kuwait towers finally reopened after 5 years. 

A depiction of the towers.

-I was impressed, and then a bit exhausted, by Kuwaiti pride during National and Liberation Day.

Me and some of my colleagues.
Wearing traditional clothing.

-I visited a quaint, garish, one-of-a-kind village in the middle of the desert. Located only 8 minutes from the Saudi Arabian border. 

Traditional dances and music.

Hanging out in a Bedouin tent.

-My students are overly dramatic, loud and needy. I am an enthusiastic, grumpy(it's cyclical), worn out, energetic(and again, it's a cycle) teacher. And despite all of this, we are still learning and, somehow, most days we really like each other.

-I'm still taking Arabic lessons, still running, still in graduate school and still moving to China.

CONTEST, COMPETITIONS, CONCERTS AND CLUBS, OH MY! Almost All Things School

Justifying My Spending.

I have been justifying my spending quite a bit, but there is a legitamate reason for all of it. I need to spend 75 dollars to go to the beach. There are no clean public beaches, but I live on the Persian Gulf so I have to go to the beach somehow. Also on a public beach I can't wear a tank top and shorts or heavens-for-bid a swimming suit. There is likewise a perfectly legitimate reason why I need to spend 22 dollars for my delivered-to-my-door dinner. If I took a taxi to the restaurant, it would cost 7 dollars and then I would have to wait there (and surely my time is worth something) so I would have to pay the taxi driver to wait for me which would cost another 3.5 USD. Also Tikka Paneer. Do I need to say more?

Arabic Again, but No. 

I signed up to take another Saturday morning class, but I must have been one of only a few interested parties. I'm totally bummed about this and I hope the next time around, the class will be able to run.

Ticket Buying Spree.

Honestly it's pretty insane the amount of plane tickets I have in my name. The list is comprised of the following: India, Hungary, Rome, Athens, Santorini, San Fransisco and Nebraska. Pretty ridiculous, I know.

Math Club. 

There are free after school clubs available to our students. Teachers offer up an idea and if enough students sign up for their club they get paid to lead a weekly hour length club of 12 students. Since I haven't given in to the many tutoring requests and I passed on leading a club last semester, I signed up for one this go around. Well, actually I signed up to lead 3 clubs. Each club meets for 7 weeks. Only one of my clubs got enough registered students to run though. Normally it is required that at least 12 students register but since my club is academic only 7 were obligatory. 8 students signed up it. It's been fun and it's giving me more bait for my teaching tool box. Though it was open to 2nd- 5th graders, only grade 3 students attend. Also I have never had more than 4 students come in the 3 weeks we have been convening. Two of the students are from my class and all 4 of them are third graders. They are also all energetic, chatter box boys. Remember my class of 25 has 16 such boys, as well. #thestoryofthisyear

We interrupt this blog to bring you a picture break.

A fancy abaya.

An example of how a cubbie should NOT look. A true story.

Our tree is now covered in equivalent fraction flowers. No one noticed the un-equivalent mistake in my example flower.

Our read alouds from this year.

My dinner. I currently, basically eat this every night.

A friend took this picture of our neighborhood.

Avacado and chocolate hummus. I tried the avacado. It was good, but I'll stick with the normal kind from now on.

The Road of the School Year is Curved.

I spent quarter 1 and 2 getting acclamated to teaching and then quarter 3 and 4 come along. 

To end our Science unit on flight and design, Grade 3 competed in an airplane contest. My students were disappointed because their planes weren't awesome. Sorry 3A, I will improve my airplane making skills. If only you also knew how little I knew about flight or design before we began this unit. #storyofmyfirstyearteaching

Last month we had Student Led Conferences. The way it works results is I actually only have to have one official meeting with the parents a year, unless the parents request to meet more. Parent Teacher Conferences are in the fall and Student Led Conferences happen in the spring.  They were a pretty good experience.  I set up 3 or 4 conferences to happen at the same time in our room.  They were completely student led. Of course, prepping them was time and energy intensive. 

Last week there was a student music concert I had to attend.  I knew I was expected to attend it, because I was told so, but when I arrived the other teachers were with their classes. I am still not sure if I was suppose to be there as a teacher or an attendee, I spend the next 35 minutes trying to quietly keep my class quiet, but not overstep the role of any parents who were present. The awkwardness of not knowing what is expected of me. #storyofmyfirstyearteaching

This week my students delivered the persuasive papers they turned into speeches and condensed to index cards. Traumatically, for ME, I had to pick 5 semi-finalists and then I brought in another teacher to help me pick my class finalist. The results were impressive actually. I did not give speeches when I was in third grade. But also, there was bitter disappointment and even tears as the result of my decisions. Broke my heart. 

Today we had Sports Day. I refereed a 15 minute soccer match. That was beyond ridiculous. I had to ask the 8 year olds how a soccer game starts. I had to ignore and placate claims of fouls. "I didn't see it." "We only have a short time." "Lets just keep playing." Seriously it was humiliating. 

We also have a business fair coming up next month where my students will create a business plan and design and create a product to sell (for fake money).

NEXT INSTALLMENT: NO THINGS SCHOOL. T.G.I.S.B.

Habits I Gained When I Moved to Kuwait.

1.) Consumer 'O Garbage.

I throw all of my garbage in the garbage can, which adds up at an alarming rate with the thick packaging they use at grocery stores and the fancy to-go containers I get with all my food deliveries. I always said recycling is something you can do for no cost and with minimal effort, but which feels so rewarding. There is nowhere to recycle in Kuwait, that I know of, so I've gotten where I don't even feel too guilty about it. I used to be such a sorter of trash and advocate of recycling.

2.) Food Delivery Orderer.

The first habit leads quite nicely into my next new practice. I regularly order food. It is fairly reasonably priced and simple to do. Maybe too simple, because the cost and the calories still add up. With a few taps on my iPad I can place my order and charge my credit card. One element of effort has recently been added to the mix. I now have to go downstairs to the front of my apartment to pick up my food order. This added security measure, calls for enough added exertion of energy that it has deter me from ordering a couple of times.

3.) Couch Potato.

I now lay comatose on the couch much more than pre-Kuwait. I am currently feeling lost as all the CIA shows I can stream, have been viewed. I rarely watched any TV before the move to Kuwait. The change is in part because this is teaching year number 1. Period. But additionally, my limited introvert's energy is depleted by the end of the day. I spend my words for the day on my students which leaves me a drained zombie. Nevertheless, I miss that self-righteous feeling I got from not having television as my norm.

Urban dictionary says a couch potato is a lazy person who does nothing but sit on the couch and watch television (see also sofa spud)

4.) I'm a Shut-In.  

shut-in
        noun:  1. One confined to one's home, as from illness.
Yep.

I'm allergic to stares and garbage.

I am being a bit dramatic, but even though the weather is at a near perfect 70 degrees fahrenheit this time of the year in Kuwait, I don't go outside. I don't want to revisit my walking woes but I'm thankful for my lifesaver-of-a treadmill. I made a point of getting out all most year-round in the (sometimes bitterly cold) Midwest, so making a habitual practice of staying inside is no small thing. I crave nature (Cottonwoods and sunsets) even tame nature (paved paths, flower gardens- any greenery!), but... My allergies are intense. 

Late Night Society.

People here go out at night. I can't tell you first hand that even children are still out at 11pm because I have not adopted this habit, but I hear things. Still a morning person here! On the weekend, in the mornings the malls are deserted, but watch out! by 4 pm everything is packed and the traffic is jammed. 
So, if Kuwait is a late night society. Why do we start school at 7 am? Very. Good. Question. (Yes, my students are often sleepy.)

Power Outages. 

Last Saturday night, the power went out in 80% of Kuwait for a couple of hours. The Kuwait Times reported the outage, "disrupted traffic, left people stuck in elevators and on Ferris wheels". I was at home and thought briefly about weather my food would defrost before falling to sleep. Thankfully, it was back on when I woke up, and my food was frozen solid. Oddly enough, the power went out country wide almost exactly a year prior, which makes my mind scramble for some sort of conspiracy theory. Hmm...?

Friendship Day. 

Valentine's Day is taboo here. Actually to be specific it is banned due to its non-Muslim roots. Though most don't- Think. Saint .Valentine. You know, the Roman priest who fought for the common people's right to be married- way back when. Valentine's Day has almost entirely lost its religious implications in this modern day though. So maybe they are actually banning the celebration of romantic love. Either way, we are not allowed to celebrate it at school. We had "Friendship Day". There were not any Valentines passed out. We celebrated Friendship Day by wearing red and pink and the student council sold roses. Insert shoulder shrug. Oddly, we can celebrate Christmas in Kuwait and in our classrooms.  

Sandstorm.

My experience in dust storms, thus far on this middle eastern journey, had been more of a dust fog; a recess cancelling, hair and skin coating rare occurrence. It had definitely been more mild than I expected. This past weekend though, there was an actual sandstorm. I was safely tucked away inside, but the videos and images I have seen, are awesome. Er... I mean scary.

National Day. 

"No other country is obsessed with their flag, like America." A foreign friend told me that many years ago, and it has always stayed with me. The idea was confirmed by others over the years. I believe they found this to be prideful and presumptuous of America. And I can understand that view. But those people have not been to Kuwait. This country is flag happy year round. And next weekend is their National holiday! So... wow. I love that they are proud of their country. The amount of flashy black, red, green and white gear currently in stores is impressive. I have my I love Kuwait baseball hat ready to wear to school and my classroom is boldly laced with mini flags (a student brought in some decorations).

Speechless

The time has come. I don't have anything to say. I could tell you about the operatic Verdi Requiem I went to where I almost dozed off in the second row, since it started at my usual bedtime. And how I sat right behind the Danish ambassador. But as much as I know it was good quality, I still don't care for opera, so I can't gush about it. It was pretty cool to see the symphony up close like that though.

I could go on about how I'm really into this Iranian chicken at the moment. How that and my falafel pita sandwiches are just amazing. 

How I spent a lazy Saturday on the beach, reading in the sun. 

How as I write this, I am here and this is happening (I'm actually too lazy today to post the video but the fountain is synchronized to music.)

How I did find a beautiful place to walk that is 40 minutes one way. Now that is actually noteworthy. 

But none of it feels too exciting and all I really do is work, talk about work, think about work and dream about work.

Until next week. Hope everyone is having a wonderful week.