A Nebraskan Teacher in Kuwait

A Nebraskan Teacher in Kuwait

Was planning to write another post about teacher stuff(this post) and I thought maybe my blog should be called Nebraskan Teacher in Kuwait but when I said it in my head, it sounded like a personal ad.  Which reminded me of Haiti and THIS.

Adjective practice in Beginner's English last summer, in Haiti.

The 3 Little Fishes

Working on irregular plurals in class.  The ones that don't change they found hilarious. "5 sheep?!," one said. Another guessed, "wolfs," when I asked for the plural. Person to people befuddled them and when I went over fish some thought I was lying. That is the reason we spent a week going over how to make plural nouns. My students are adapting classic fairy tales and a couple changed the classic The 3 Little Pigs to The 3 Little Fishes. 

Some of the nouns I picked are rare like oxen, cacti and di (I think I learned the singular form of dice only a few years ago) but I need to stump some of my higher kids sometimes and unbeknownst to them they are being prepped for an I Have Who has activity. 

#IHaveWhoHasLove 

After School Club

We met 7 times. Twice all 4 boys showed up. Twice only 1 student attended. The other three times, 3 came. Low turn out, but I loved Math Game Club.  I hope to do it again next year. It was a great way to learn some new games I can use in class, get to know my students in a different environment and make a little extra cash.  We had our final meeting last week, so I brought out a few of their favorites and this new one. 

Fraction Bump. We used a paperclip/ pencil spinner.

We always play for points and the winner gets to pick the Go Noodle brain break, at the end. You'd think it was a jumbo candy bar they get so excited.  It saves me the money and time of having to buy a prize.

Dominoes War.  We did the addition and subtraction editions.

My least favorite game, Multiplication Twister.  They like it though.

Math Jenga.

Miss Macgyver

Just call me Super Teacher.  My student raised his open hand up to me and looked expectantly at me. Inside was his broken eye glasses. They were missing the pin that holds them together.  I said "George, (names changed to protect the identity of those involved) I don't think I can..." "...just give me a minute." And before students had unpacked their bags and shuffled to Morning Meeting, I had strung a paper clip through, twisted, clipped and yanked out an eraser to safety-fy the sharp ends. Ta-da! All in a day's work of Super Teacher. 

He went the whole day like this.

Super Hero Stance
We actually did just finish up a 3 week "Super Reader" challenge. So we have been doing this attention grabber in class where I yell out, "Super...!" and they respond, "Reader!" and give me a super hero stance.  Then I repeat and they repeat and they change their stance.  Good times.

One lucky Super Reader in every class received a "Super Reader" cape.

The countdowns are on.

It's E Break

Language Learning

I started a Primer Arabic class. It's the class before Beginners. Lol. So, I got my first back to front book, wrote my notes from right to left, learned 5 letters and 2 phrases including their appropriate replies. I'm taking the classes at the AWARE, Advocates for Western Arab Relations, center. I also picked up this watercolor, on a whim.

#firstdaymomento

We meet once a week for 6 weeks, but not this week. 

Staycation

It's E break or Eid. There are a few Eids, this one is Eid Al-Adha and it is a remembering/ celebrating of Abraham's willingness to, and God's provision of, a sacrifice.  I hear, it's one of the most important religious holidays.

 

I'm still feeling good about not going anywhere for break. I didn't feel like going anywhere else right now. I'm tired and I already booked my Budapest and Prague trip for December. Most of the other new teachers are having fun in Dubai, right now, though.

New Things

Food

Halloumi, cheese you can grill, is awesome. Halloumi, hummus and falafel are on my current food favs list. Yogurt, too. Thick, plain yogurt is common and inexpensive here. Tried Hawala, but it is not on that list.

Sometimes I just buy things because they seem weird. 

Hair

I got my first hair cut in Kuwait. It's hard for me to say what I want ina  hair cut anywhere, so to someone who speaks broken English, or probably more accurately just English from an Asian country, it's even more difficult. Long story short, it's fine, it's just hair.  

There is an upscale salon close to our apartment that is 20 KD for a haircut, which is 70 dollars. Most of the new teachers have just went there. Many have said that's about what they pay in the states. Well, I go to the cheap haircutting chains and pay around 15 dollars, so to me it seems steep to spend that much on my hair.  I went somewhere else and paid 3 KD. Though I paid 2 KD for a taxi ride and 1 KD for a tip.  All and all, I paid 6 KD, or 21 dollars (each Kuwaiti Dinar is worth $3.50). 

Recycling

It's ironic because I don't know of anywhere I can take things to be recycled, but I visited this park made of recycled stuff.

Tree love. My hometown is the Sandhill crane capital of the world, says one sign.
But, maybe this is a flamingo. Which would make more sense, for Kuwait.

Movie theater, mini soda cans, and a Toll House cafe.

Things I miss

Walking

Before I came, I was worried of feeling isolated because the norm for me is to go places alone and to walk outside... alone. Well I can go places alone and I don't feel too isolated because I can schedule a driver, or call one and they'll pick me up in 20 minutes. But, I do miss my walks! It's not like you can't walk to places but, you walk on garbage sprinkled sand (there are no sidewalks in our neighborhood), I get stared at and undoubtedly one of the many clusters of foreign men will try to talk to me. I've also been hearing safety warnings from different taxi drivers. Not to mention it is still over 100 degrees every day. :(

Maybe I'll get a treadmill. It won't be the same, but it would be something. If I wait, I can buy a cheap one from a teacher who is leaving. 

Fall

I miss trees and grass and fresh cool air. And I know it's fall, my favorite time of the year, in much of the world right now. Technically it is fall here, too.

Fall in Kuwait does not look like this.

Or this.

These sum up my fall, so far.

School

School has been in session for 23 days. 

After break, there will be 47.5 more school days until Christmas break (minus an in-service and parent teacher conferences). Kind of wish I hadn't figured that out. Those are kind of depressing numbers.

We Like Each Other

I still spend too much time waiting for my class to get quiet, but we like each other, we have fun and we learn stuff.

We Come from 6 Nations, We are Loud and We Talk a Lot.

Goals

I haven't been doing too well on my blog announced goals.  Visit 360 mall, Walk to the gulf from my apartment, and Workout 3 times a week- are still unmet. 

This week I have an excuse. Progress Reports happened. Friday was not a weekend day here, this week, either.

I did go to Marina mall and I watched the Giver. 

Did my grocery shopping at a grocery store within an even different new-to-me mall.

Felt strange taking my shopping cart up in the elevator.

Want to make pumpkin and leaf shaped sugar cookies for my class.
This new cookie sheet it too big for my oven, though.

Juice. It's cheap and there are so many varieties.

I got my passport back so I could travel during the upcoming break. So happy to have that option, but I don't think I'm going anywhere. I'd be going just to go, not because I feel like a new adventure yet.  

Things I've noticed
-No recycling options available. I've yet to hear of any place where I can take recycling. So I'm throwing away tin cans and plastic bottles and bags like its the 50's. It feels very wrong. 

- Golden Raisins are made from green grapes and they taste a little like crasins. My package says 'Fancy'.

-In Kuwait we use tissue as napkins. Like literally. The first day of school meetings, we used a box of tissue for napkins, at lunch, and I thought that is resourceful.  But it's normal.

A Small World

A student in the class next to me is from Nebraska. 

I ran into a Hungarian family on my Grand mosque tour last week.

Oh and for a tie in- As a Nebraskan drank her coffee at Kuwait's Marina mall Starbucks, she heard the song Budapest by George Ezra.

Coolest Starbucks wall. Ever.

School Stuff
I still get up work days at 3:10am and catch the 5:10am bus. I usually return home around 4pm.

Snapped this as I was waiting for the bus to leave in the morning.

We have two maids on our floor at school. They are there to clean the bathrooms and classrooms, as needed. They're wonderful. I find it interesting though that they douse the whole bathroom in water every morning. Then they squeegee it up.

People wear sunglasses here even inside. This makes it even harder to remember who is whose parent. Head coverings and sunglasses.

Broken Record

My kids are constantly starting their notebooks from the back.

Me- "When we are working in English, we start our notebooks from this side.(showing)"

I sound a bit like a broken record on many topics.

Me- "When you want to get the teacher's attention calmly raise your hands and...."  

Me- "1, 2, 3 eyes on me..." (Students-"1,2 eyes on you")

Daily Reflections

Sunday

Students- "It's picture day today? What!?" 

11 of them didn't realize it was picture day. Hmm. Is anybody reading my weekly newsletters?

Monday 

All 24 of my students have finally arrived back from summer break. We come from 6 nations, we are loud and we like to talk. A lot. 

At the end of the day, I have a throbbing so-tired-of-hearing-my-own-nagging headache. I decide I give this 2 years, and then I'll switch to learning support (aka smaller groups). 

Tuesday

Me- "It's a very exciting day today." drumroll... "It's the first day of fall!"- audible groans. They thought bobbing for apples sounded fun, though.

Wednesday

Me - "This is the best day ever, I love my job; my kids are angels and I got a new classroom rug(I'll have to take a picture)!" I decide I would do this for free.

Upcoming
No new goals for this week. Today, I am starting Arabic lessons. 

A Nebraskan in Kuwait

Well, I'm not there yet. I'm preparing to go to Kuwait.

I will be teaching 3rd grade next year at an American school in Kuwait.

So how did you get a job like this? Well, since you asked, (or rather since many people have asked)- I attended an international job fair.

I knew I wanted to teach elementary school overseas. So, when I saw there was going to be a job fair in a neighboring state, I signed myself up. Fortunately, a fellow recent graduate asked to join me.  We packed 3 interview outfits and headed to Iowa. Around 600 teachers attended the fair, along with representatives from 125 International Schools.

Long story short, I was offered a position at, what seems like a good, school in Kuwait. Kuwait was not in my top 10 initial choices, so I knew little about it before I began prepping for my interview.

It was one of those times when you just know. I had many incredible encounters with superintendents and principals from other schools, but this one just felt right. I believe moving to the Middle East to teach is the right thing for me, right now.