EID holiday!

Eid al adha 

From this Friday to Tuesday is the Eid al Adha holiday. I am so thankful to get to take part in the celebrations and have time to prepare mentally for my first day of school which will be this coming Wednesday.
I have now been here for one full week and so much has happened in such a short time frame it is important to step back, reflect and breathe at the end of each day. Here is a recap of my week:

Tuesday was our first orientation and it was a FULL day. It began at the Grand Millenium Hotel and we were given information about the teaching reform and had a Q & A session. We also were able to sign up for our bank account and my that was a process of confusion. The interesting part was when they began handing out apartment keys to about 10 people. I did not receive my keys but I do know that I will be getting them very soon!! Insha'allah! After that we were bused to the medical centre for a medical check up. We got our work visas and then went home to the hotel! 

Wednesday was the 2nd day of orientation and it was very well organized and and well presented. We all learned so much about the cultural customs and expectations and were able to ask many questions of our own. Many of us were in for a shock when we received our placements but we are trying our best to stay positive! The buffet lunch was wonderful and it was a nice time to bond with more teaching friends. At the end of the day, our minds were on information overload. Lindsay and Joe (my new Canadian friends) invited me for a delicious spaghetti supper and then a group of us went out for a few drinks at a swanky hotel and it was fun except for all the smoking going on which made my throat sore and want to go home early! The perk was that is was ladies night so free drinks!!!

Thursday was another adventure on the bus to the Marina Mall for window shopping and lunch. I was sooooooooooooooooo excited to go to Marks and Spencer because I think it may just be my favorite store on earth! I love their clothes and their food. Their is only a small selection of food at the Abu dhabi M & S but they say they will expand it soon. The mall is lovely and includes a movie theatre and skating rink. I have a feeling I will be more wowed by the malls in Dubai but I can't complain. After bonding and shopping with the ladies we all came back to the hotel exhausted and I decided to go for a swim and chill out.

Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday have flown by and now it's Tuesday Morning. Tomorrow I start school and still have no clue what grade I will be teaching! Luckily I am sharing a cab with my friend Mandy who will also be teaching at my school. I sure hope we don't get lost! We could be teaching any grade from 1-5 in an all Boys school!!!!!
 This reminds me so much of my first year if teaching because I had not even been to the school and only knew I was teaching French. Then I got to school and found out it was not only teaching French but prep for JK,SK as well as physical.Ed and Drama. So BRING IT ON!