So! I've officially made it through orientation week and am anxious to start school! The school is really engergized and a lot of the returning teachers are feeling beyond excited about the new Admin staff and the vision that they have for the school. I am definitely drinking the Kool-Aid and am loving the whole picture of this school and what potential the school has for being one of the top schools in the international setting. If you haven't already, check out the ASD website. I am also pretty much in debt to my team partners who are beyond wonderful and have shared everything and anything with me to get me going. It is nice to walk into a team that is organized and has clear objectives, but lets me take those objectives and adapt my own teaching style. I really couldn't ask for much more :) My department leader, Deb, lives on the Palm Jumeirah and I get to go hang out there soon. :)
Beyond school it is nice to meet some fresh faces, not only with returning staff, who are all welcoming and FUN, but also with meeting people in Motor City. We met a bunch of people who teach at the British Schools here and are super fun. We went out for a Ladie's night mixer with some of them, and drank champagne and reveled in being an Ex-Pat. It was 'quite smashing good' as most of them said towards the end of our evening. As the school year becomes closer there are British people everywhere.
The only down side to going out in the bars and clubs here is that they can still smoke inside. I hate it, and feel like a dirty ashtray the next morning. And they chain smoke. It is unreal how I feel like we have stepped back into the 1990's with some of the health things going on in this city. Like the fact that recycling is pretty much nonexistent here...? My shipment came in giant cardboard boxes, and I had to throw them in the trash... so strange.
The other exciting news is that I have a car!!! I rented a tiny little Toyota Yaris which I am very happy to have, so I don't have to pay tons of cab fares and I don't have to bum rides. I only rented for a month to see how much I like that, and then so I can have the ability to go check out cars for leasing or buying. I went exploring (and to IKEA- yet again) this morning, as Friday mornings are the best to learn the road here because it is Holy day. We got successfully lost and more lost and then found IKEA and from there it was good. I honestly cannot stand driving the car because it has no power, and being used to my V6 in the States, I feel like I am driving a wind up car. It is awesome because it is super maneuverable and great gas mileage, but here you really do need to accelerate quickly, and that is just not happening in the Yaris. *Sigh* But, I am mobile, so I can't complain. And I know Maddie Z loves the Yaris, so I hope you're proud girl.
I finally had Sushi at a decent place here too. It's called SUMO and it is super amazing. It is close to the school and apparently it delivers (as everything pretty much does). This could be very dangerous. I also found a golf course right next to my development, called Arabian Ranches. Very excited to play this.
Another dangerous thing that I have discovered is that on Thursdays our Middle School Principal and Associate Principal suggested we have Middle School Faculty Team Building activities. Sounds kind of lame at first, until I learned that these 'activities' take place at a certain PUB nearby. And the school pays. WHAT?!?! Life just gets more interesting the longer I am here.
Wish me luck in the first week. Hopefully all you other teacher pals have successful weeks as well.
Beyond school it is nice to meet some fresh faces, not only with returning staff, who are all welcoming and FUN, but also with meeting people in Motor City. We met a bunch of people who teach at the British Schools here and are super fun. We went out for a Ladie's night mixer with some of them, and drank champagne and reveled in being an Ex-Pat. It was 'quite smashing good' as most of them said towards the end of our evening. As the school year becomes closer there are British people everywhere.
The only down side to going out in the bars and clubs here is that they can still smoke inside. I hate it, and feel like a dirty ashtray the next morning. And they chain smoke. It is unreal how I feel like we have stepped back into the 1990's with some of the health things going on in this city. Like the fact that recycling is pretty much nonexistent here...? My shipment came in giant cardboard boxes, and I had to throw them in the trash... so strange.
The other exciting news is that I have a car!!! I rented a tiny little Toyota Yaris which I am very happy to have, so I don't have to pay tons of cab fares and I don't have to bum rides. I only rented for a month to see how much I like that, and then so I can have the ability to go check out cars for leasing or buying. I went exploring (and to IKEA- yet again) this morning, as Friday mornings are the best to learn the road here because it is Holy day. We got successfully lost and more lost and then found IKEA and from there it was good. I honestly cannot stand driving the car because it has no power, and being used to my V6 in the States, I feel like I am driving a wind up car. It is awesome because it is super maneuverable and great gas mileage, but here you really do need to accelerate quickly, and that is just not happening in the Yaris. *Sigh* But, I am mobile, so I can't complain. And I know Maddie Z loves the Yaris, so I hope you're proud girl.
I finally had Sushi at a decent place here too. It's called SUMO and it is super amazing. It is close to the school and apparently it delivers (as everything pretty much does). This could be very dangerous. I also found a golf course right next to my development, called Arabian Ranches. Very excited to play this.
Another dangerous thing that I have discovered is that on Thursdays our Middle School Principal and Associate Principal suggested we have Middle School Faculty Team Building activities. Sounds kind of lame at first, until I learned that these 'activities' take place at a certain PUB nearby. And the school pays. WHAT?!?! Life just gets more interesting the longer I am here.
Wish me luck in the first week. Hopefully all you other teacher pals have successful weeks as well.
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