While I was sitting on the plane flying back to Canada for the summer, I started to wonder if would feel reverse culture shock or not. It was something I had read about about in a book that outlined the several stages of acculturation and also was told to prepare for during an orientation session with teach away.
Well, I don't think I was shocked too much by anything, but I did find myself doing a few odd things that I never anticipated. I noticed that when I went to pay for an item at a store, I was converting the item from dollars to Dirhams. Other times, I found myself missing the call to prayer which occurs in Abu Dhabi 5 times a day. finally, I discovered that I have a serious addiction to shopping at dollar stores!
This summer was not an easy one as I had to face reality and some unresolved issues in my personal life. I am still working through some major changes but could not believe the support and faith my family and friends have in me....I also have learned that with change comes a lot of emotions. I dealt with my emotions but struggle with the reality that I cannot control those of others. I have always had this unexplained need to have others 'like' me and fear of disappointing others even if it means suffering and putting aside my own feelings to do so. Reality has now been faced and I understand that not everyone is going to be my BFF. I have difficulty accepting that but I am so very grateful to the kind souls that just accept me.... my flaws and all.
The last week of summer vacation flew by and of course ended with the lovely diagnosis of strep throat! I am excited to be back for my second year in the middle east. It's hard to believe that this will be my 8th year of teaching. I can still remember the first day and my first year when I taught French 'a la carte'-- rushing to be at each class on time. I am thrilled to be returning to work at the same boys school as last year. This year I will be teaching first grade which is not a grade I have taught before but am very eager to be immersed in. I have more confidence and have enjoyed meeting the new students. We are lucky to have 4 new female English teachers at our school so now there are 6 of us! Go girl power!
One idea I am really excited about trying out this year was shared on Facebook by a friend of mine in Iowa. She is homeschooling her daughter this year and asked friends and family from around the world to send a postcard from their home state/province/country to her daughter so that she can learn about various cultures and regions around the world.
So fellow bloggers, friends and those that might be reading this.......will you send a postcard to me that I can share with my class this year? If you would be willing to participate send me an e-mail and I will forward you my p.o. box info here in Abu Dhabi. I will also have the students send a postcard in return from Abu Dhabi! My email address is: skylargray@hotmail.com
Thank for reading! Shukran as they say in Arabic:)
No comments:
Post a Comment