Where have I been?

Recently I was catching up with a friend at home through email and he said to me, "send me the link to your blog" so he could catch up in greater detail on what's been happening with me here on the other side of the world. I have yet to respond to that email. See, I nearly forgot that I have a blog. It's not that I have been too busy, or had a bad experience, or anything of the sort. I guess I just kind of lost interest. And it's too bad, because I know of at least three people who actually read this thing. Plus, I enjoy writing. So I opened my blog today and realized my last post was in mid-Novemeber. Yes, it's June now and I haven't had a single update in 2012. I guess I have some work to do. So sit back and grab a cup of Joe...Where to begin?

In November I notified my family that I would not be coming  home for Christmas and that I was going to Oman to go diving instead. Little did they know, with the exception of my brother Dan and his wife Jami, that I was coming home to surprise them. So we made a plan. Jami's brother would be flying in to Chicago from London for Christmas. So Dan told our mom that they would be over for Christmas dinner just after picking up Jami's brother from O'Hare. They walked in the front door while I waited behind and said "you'll never guess who we saw at the airport!". Then, I walked in the door. It actually worked! To everyone's surprise, there I was the day before Christmas with a bag full of half opened presents. Yes, half opened. Apparently it's a bad idea to travel through the Middle East with a bag full of wrapped Christmas presents. In Jordan, where I had a layover, security screened my carry-on bag of wrapped gifts and kept saying "What's this?" as they tore open each gift. Each tare of a gift was like taring a piece of my sanity away. As you know, wrapping lots of gifts is a fairly arduous and time consuming process. I thought all of efforts would be in vain. Finally, the screener's boss came over, checked my passport, saw that I was American, told the guy to stop, and they let me through. The next day I showed up at my dad's house unannounced as well. They were all equally surprised to see me walk through the door. I'll never forget the look on my sister-in-law Jami's face as I walked into the kitchen (different Jami, same spelling, "same same but different" as the Emirati's would say). My time at home was nice. I was able to catch up with family and friends. I went to a Bulls game, and ate all the local food not available in Abu Dhabi, or really anywhere else for that matter. I even saw some snow.

In March we were fortunate to receive two weeks for Spring break. The time off here for a teacher works out to be about the same as at home. However, all of our vacation time is lumped together. Rather than getting several three day weekends, with a day off for Memorial Day, for example, our vacations are extended periods. So we got three weeks at Christmas rather than the normal two, and two weeks in March rather than the typical one week. This structure is nice when the time comes, though, I realize how nice those 3 day weekends are when I really could use one. But again, the amount of time works out to be same same, but different.

The first week of Spring break I spent in Italy. There I met some friends who had left immediately after school got out. As for me, I needed a day or two to unwind before heading out traveling. I took a redeye flight and landed at about 8 a.m. After arriving at Fumicino airport, I took a bus to Termini Station and walked to my hotel from there. Before leaving I had read that Rome was the second worst international city for pick-pockets and other petty crime, next to Barcelona. So I was constantly on guard. Walking around with my big backpack made me feel like I had a big target on me, but I never had any problems. That first day I walked to the Coliseum before checking in at my hotel. The Coliseum is one of those places that I had always wanted to see and I was not let down by it's magnificence. I found a nice place to rest just outside the gates and sat and stared, like a manikin in a window, for what seemed like hours. After a bit, I snapped up a few photos and got on my way.

Later that day I met up with my friends for dinner and some sight-seeing. We went to the Spanish Steps and Trevi fountain. We ate pizza, drank wine, and had some gelato.

The following day I had scheduled a tour of the Coliseum and the Roman Forum. It was a guided tour that allowed us to skip the lines. I did a similar tour for the Vatican and would highly recommend it. The information from the guide was very insightful and skipping the long lines was a huge benefit. I even picked up a phrase from the guide that I use with my students nearly everyday: andiamo!, which translates to English as "let's go".  My day provided an amazing lesson in antiquity and Roman life. The Coliseum is nearly 2,000 years old and parts of the Forum are even older. What the Romans were able to accomplish, and how advanced their way of life was for the time, is truly stunning to observe.

 The next day I did a guided tour of The Vatican. I was especially happy to skip the lines here since the cue stretched down the entire block and even around the corner of the next street. I couldn't help but think "Suckers!" as I walked right in past all those people (I know, how awful!). Our tour began with the Vatican museum. It was filled with all sorts of sculptures, paintings, and ornamental tapestries. The next stop of the tour took us to the Raphael rooms. These rooms were once used to house the Popes. The Sistine Chapel gets all of the fanfare, but these rooms were absolutely stunning. Raphael painted both the ceilings and the walls, hence the name Raphael Rooms:

The tour concluded with stops at the Sistine Chapel, St.Peter's Basilica, and St.Peter's Square. I had, all my life, seen videos on Christmas of the basilica filled with patrons, and the Pope addressing the crowds from his apartment window. It was a bit surreal to be standing there myself in the place where I had seen those images from for so many years.

The next day I had an off day with not a whole lot planned. So I decided to spend the morning at the Vittoriano Complex. This museum had some amazing artifacts, but what interested me most was the Salvador Dali exhibit. I spent the entire morning gazing at not only original paintings, but at photography, sculptures and even a video collaboration he had done with Walt Disney. That afternoon I walked the city and made it to several other destinations including the Pantheon. The next day, my last full day in Italy, I took a tour bus down to Naples and Pompeii. The ride was beautiful as it traversed the Italian countryside and it's vineyards in full spring bloom. On the way to to Naples we stopped in Monte Casino. Monte Casino was the location of several major World War II battles. It was where the German army defended Rome and nearly 105,000 Allies lost their lives. The views in Naples were stunning, but beyond that, I wasn't totally enamored with the city. It was amazing, too, how different the people there were compared to the people in Rome. Then again, you can travel three blocks in Chicago and enter what seems like a different world, so I'm not sure why I was surprised. Pompeii fascinated me for a variety of reasons. First is obviously it's dramatic plight of sudden devastation. Pompeii was one day a thriving metropolis, and the next, a city lost and buried by the ash and plumage of Mt. Vesuvius. It was buried and lost for nearly 1700 years! Also, Pink Floyd recorded a concert there in it's amphitheater, with no crowd to watch it. That always provided me with a drawing interest too.

  After arriving back in Abu Dhabi I had one day to prepare for the arrival of my brothers-in-law Keith, Chris, and Todd. All the next day I checked the airline website to make sure they would be on time. On-time status was all I saw each time I checked. I thought I'd leave early for the airport though just to be sure I was there waiting for them as I had promised. Well, little did I know, they arrived very early and were left waiting for me. I'm sure they were a bit nervous being in a place like this, not knowing anyone, and not knowing where to go. We came back to my apartment, dropped off their bags and headed out for a nice dinner at the Meat Co. and afterwards, drinks and Shisha at the Hubbly Bubbly. (I'm getting a bit tired of writing, and you're probably getting tired of reading, so I'm gonna cut the chatter). We visited the Grand Mosque the next day. Then, we did an overnight desert safari that included dune bashing, camel rides, a traditional meal, and camping in the desert. We also spent two days in Dubai. We stayed at the Intercontinental and were upgraded to a Presidential suite. This hotel room was by the far biggest I've ever stayed in. It had a kitchen, two bedrooms, three bathrooms and a humongous family room. It was probably twice as big as my apartment! While In Dubai we went to the observation deck of the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building. We also had dinner at the Burj Al Arab, a seven-star, sail shaped hotel. The following day we did an Abu Dhabi must, the brunch. It's unlimited food and adult drinks for about four hours. After which, we went and visited a few of the local watering holes. The next day, while Keith and Todd drove F1 cars at the Yas Marina Circuit, Chris and I went kayaking in the mangroves. And finally, their last day here, we went to the Emirates Palace for a nice dinner.

The weekend of June 14th I have plans to got to Muscat, Oman for the weekend. This same day is the anticipated last day of school for students. I say anticipated because there doesn't seem to be a planned last day of school. Slowly the kids stop coming.....don't ask. All teachers, however, are required to stay until July 12. Not sure why, again, don't ask. I am, however, getting out of here on that same day. Currently, the temperatures are reaching as high as 110F, so I'm bailing ASAP. I am flying to Switzerland with some friends and spending four days in Interlaken, then two days in Zurich. Then, I will be flying home from Zurich on July 18th. I look forward to a great summer and will update my blog when I get home.

Last, my blog would not be complete without a little local knowledge:
1) The water consumption rate here is 3x the consumption rate of England, mostly due to daily car washing. Seriously. Yet, there is no fresh water here. Fresh water is produced through a desalination process that is among the least environmentally friendly in the world, due to the high amounts of energy used to complete the process.

2) The child mortality rate in auto accidents here is 3x the rate of the western world. It's common to see children sitting on laps, or dash boards, on highways where people are regularly traveling 85mph+. A recent report stated that 98% of children here are not strapped in. Yet, there is a safety seat law. Unfortunately, however, the police are too preoccupied to enforce it. Worse yet, this mind set transfers to buses, where on a field trip, students think you're absolutely nuts telling them to sit down.

3) Last, the gov't recently forgave the debt of any citizen who owes up to $1.4 million USD. This is the second time this year this has happened. Moreover, this happened after local banks were loaning up to 50x a person's monthly salary. It's funny how all of the locals say, "oh, isn't our ruler so great", and all of the westerners say "what is this teaching the people and how is this behavior sustainable?"

See you in July!

Travel!

The last few weeks have been very exciting for me! I've been able to do a little bit of traveling to Dubai and Amsterdam. In turn, I figured it would be a great time to update my blog (especially since I haven't done so since mid-September!)

Dubai is an easy drive from Abu Dhabi. It's only about an hour and a half away, so it makes for an easy day trip. A couple friends of mine and I decided to go for the weekend, though, and we rented a hotel room. I was a bit surprised when entering Dubai (from the west), because I did not immediately see the Burj Khalifa, the worlds tallest building. It turns out that Dubai really has two different skylines. There is a western skyline you travel through first, and then another central(or eastern) skyline. The two skylines are separated by several kilometers (yes, I said kilometers) of low-rise buildings.

Dubai and Abu Dhabi, though they are part of the same country, contrast greatly, and in many ways. The first thing I noticed is that most of the structures are much newer in Dubai than in Abu Dhabi. As most everyone knows, Dubai went construction crazy for several years and over-developed the country. Now, with the realities of today's economic climate hitting hard, many of these structures are vacant, or even unfinished. The tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa, located in Dubai, was formerly named the Burj Dubai. When the economy stumbled, the ruler of Dubai needed to borrow $10 Billion from Abu Dhabi. The ruler in Abu Dhabi agreed to loan the money, contingent that the world's tallest building would be renamed the Burj Khalifa (Khalifa is the Abu Dhabi rulers name).  In addition to the world's tallest building, Dubai has also created several man-made islands. One island is called The World, because from an Aerial view it looks like the globe. The Palm Jumeirah, shaped like a Palm tree, is probably the most famous of the islands. On the island is an abundance of housing, as well as the Atlantis resort and the Aquaventure waterpark. We visited the island, but did not enter either Atlantis or Aquaventure. The 7-star hotel, Burj Al Arabia, is also visible from the Palm Jumeirah. The closest thing Abu Dhabi has to any of this is the Palace Emirates Hotel. Also, Abu Dhabi does have some man-made islands, but they are not extravagantly shaped.

Dubai is also different because it is much more diverse. I could not help but notice a larger population of Westerners. I even saw a guy wearing a Bears jersey that I yelled to from the car as we were passing! In addition to Westerners, I also noticed a larger middle-to-upper class Indian population. There is a fairly large Indian population in Abu Dhabi, but most of them you don't see on the street. They are mostly workers, that many deem to be working for slave wages (that's a whole 'nother blog that might get me deported).

In general, Dubai is much more liberal than Abu Dhabi. For example, in Abu Dhabi you can't get pork products at any restaurant due to Muslim practices. However, in Dubai I was able to order a ham sandwich at the first sandwich shop we visited. That was a welcome relief because I miss my pork products!!

While In Dubai, we visited the Dubai Mall, which I was told is the second largest mall in the world next to the Mall of America. The mall has an enormous aquarium, it's own gold souk, and even a Pizzeria Uno!! It is through the mall that you can reach the top of the Burj Khalifa, though we did not go to the top because the line was long and the price was not friendly. We also did a boat cruise on Dubai Creek, which is more like a salt water river running in from the Arabian Gulf, than an actual creek.

Pictured below: Burj Khlifa, Dubai Aquarium.

Last week we left our desert paradise for a reality check, and a return to western life by visiting Amsterdam. We were able to leave due to the Eid Al Adha Muslim holiday. Three friends and I departed from Abu Dhabi on a red eye 1:00 A.M. flight, flew through Frankfurt, Germany and arrived in Amsterdam at about 8 A.M. The cool temperatures and fall colors were a welcome relief from the relentless desert sun. We took a train from Schipol airport to Amsterdam's Central Station and were on our way. We rented an apartment, two blocks from city center, for a very reasonable price.

Our first day there was a beautiful, sunny day, filled with lots of fall colors in Vondel Park. While there, we walked nearly everywhere. Most people there either walk or ride bikes virtually everywhere, too. It's no wonder that it's among the healthiest countries in the entire world. The park was beautiful and we were able to sit at an outdoor cafe, enjoy a local beverage, and do lots of people watching. I remember feeling the most relaxed I had felt since leaving The States. It really felt like home even though I was nowhere close to home! 

Our visit to Amsterdam included stops at the Van Gogh museum, the Anne Frank House, a canal cruise, a stroll (or two) through the Red Light district, and yes, a visit to a coffee shop. There were lots of street performers putting on incredible displays too. The highlight for me was probably the Anne Frank House. It was incredible to see, still preserved in glass, the actual pictures she had posted on the wall in her bedroom. That really struck a deep chord for me to walk where she had walked, written, and lived during such a horrible time for humanity.

Pictured below: Swan in Vondel Park, Museumplein, Dam Square, Anne Frank House, Mother teaching daughter to ride a bike, and canal cruise.

Back to school

Last Sunday marked the beginning of the the new school year here in Abu Dhabi. I was notified the previous Thursday that I'd be moving from fourth grade to second grade. Normally, a change like that on such short notice would cause feelings of panic and disillusion. Things here in the desert work a little differently, though. I have two classes of second graders. One group I have in the morning, and the other in the afternoon. When the students are not with me, they are learning Arabic, the Koran, or participating in specials like P.E. or Art. We were instructed to use the first week as a week of community building and to not give any assessment. This made the transition between grades a little bit easier.

School begins for students at 7:15 with a daily assembly in the courtyard. During this time students line up in classes, hear announcements, sing the national anthem, and enjoy selected parts of the Koran. Nearly all of it is done in Arabic, so I have very little idea what is taking place! Overall, the school structure is fairly different than at home. There is no cafeteria. Since there is such little precipitation that kids just eat outside. There are large water troughs available for the kids, but no regular drinking fountains. The school is more like an outdoor mall. All doors lead outside, including from my classroom. The library is small, and inadequate (in my opinion). There is a computer room available for weekly usage. Fundamentally, the school system here is undergoing some dramatic changes. Currently, with the exception of a few model schools, the schools are separated by gender. I am a male teacher working at an all boys school. There are no female teachers at my school. Conversely, there are mostly all girls schools, with all female teachers. Recently, schools have started to blend sexes in the classroom, but on a very limited, trial basis. Oddly enough, part of their long-term plan is to feminize the elementary schools, meaning that all elementary teachers will be female for both boys and girls. This seems like quite a contradiction to me, and worries me a bit. I don't plan on teaching middle school or high school! If the country truly wants to be a global leader, gender bias is going to have to be removed. Understandably, it is the culture here.

Throughout the course of the first week I had several surprises. The first, and most apparent, is that the students understand very little English. Identifying single digit numbers, letters, colors, and shapes in English is very difficult for them. Moreover, they don't understand the instructions that I give to them!!! I find myself now as an ESL teacher, teaching English, Math, and Science to kids who don't know what I'm saying. The scope of this challenge, while not entirely overwhelming, is immense. A popular local saying is Insha' Allah, meaning "God willing". These kids will learn, and I will survive, Insha' Allah!!

The other thing that really stood out to me is the behavior of the kids. They are a rambunctious crew. The kids are very physical, often hitting, kicking, and pushing each other. They love wrestling, both doing it and watching it. So I've been milking the fact that I have the same name as a pro wrestler, John Sena. Teachers are addressed by first name, so I am Mr. Jon. The kids get a kick out of that. But, I think that most of their physical behavior is learned; the local teachers are allowed to be physical with the students, something that would get you fired in a second back in the States. Also, they are very talkative. Classroom management is going to be challenge, especially since they don't understand me! In reality, it has to be as equally, or nearly equally, frustrating for them as it is for me with the communication barrier. This week we will begin baseline assessments to measure student growth. It will be a challenge to teach to them, but should be interesting, and I'm excited to see their growth!

My apartment is nearly complete. I have all of my furniture finally. I also have TV and internet installed. Below I have uploaded some pictures of my classroom, which is still a work in progress, and pictures of my furnishings.

Lastly, I recently began reading a book entitled A Diamond in the Desert. It is the story of a man who spent several years of his youth in Abu Dhabi and recently returned to witness the dramatic changes that have taken place over the past forty years. It chronicles the dramatic rise of wealth, business, culture, and ultimately, change. The attempt to blend tradition with modernization is really interesting. It is a really good read if you're looking for something new to pick up.

Hoping all is well, Insha' Allah!!!

Emirates Palace/ Apartment

Ramadan is over!! All of a sudden there is music everywhere, stores are open, and people are out and about. Ramadan concludes with the Eid celebration, which lasts several days and marks the end of the fast.

This weekend I went to the Emirates Palace Hotel for the first time. It is an amazing place that recently hosted the likes of Hillary Clinton and Tony Blair. The hotel is massive, with several wings, shops, restaurants, gardens, beaches, and an oppulent entrance of fountains. The dome ceiling in the center of the hotel is a must see. There is even a vending machine where you can get gold!!!!

The Seventh and top floor of the hotel is only available to rulers in the Gulf region. The sixth floor of the hotel is only available to international diplomats. I don't know what it costs to stay there, and really don't want to know!!!

My life of luxury at the Intercontinental Hotel is slowly coming to a close. It will be tough to leave the spoiled life, but I am ready for my own place. I received the keys to my apartment a few days ago and went there today to clean. My building is called the Al Yaqut Tower (which I was told means "of gold") and is very nice. It has a workout room, underground parking, and a rooftop pool!! The bathroom is a lot of fun because it has a bidet, and also what's become known as a bum gun. I used it today and must say, it's time for America to get on board with the bum gun! I'm going to save so much on TP!! My balcony has a view of The Grand Mosque, many other amazing architectural sites, as well as new construction too. I currently have no furniture, but just received a generous allowance to furnish my place. I did go to IKEA the other day to get all of my kitchen stuff, but will be looking elsewhere for furniture items. I dread shopping (sorry to my Sister, Mom and Aunts), but it will be fun to get some new stuff. Here are some pics:

  For more pics, check my facebook page. I hope everyone is well back home! I miss you all!

Post 2: 8/20/2011

What an amazing week it has been! I've had the opportunity to get to know the area, experience Ramadan, eat a variety of foods, and safari in the desert.

Ramadan is a truely interesting religious holiday for the Muslim world. To start, everyone fasts from sun up to sun down. This includes food, water, smoking, and all other consumables. To be respectful, it is expected that all foreign nationals respect the holiday and don't partake in food or drink in public. Well, this is awfully difficult at times, especially not drinking water outside when it is 110 degrees out!! If caught, you can incur severe fines. Moreover, nearly everything is closed during the day time. The shopping malls are grand here. There is even an indoor ice rink at the mall down the street. However, you can't really go there during the day because nothing is open until 8:00 pm. When they do open their doors, it is a hustling and bustling place fillled with families and expats searching for food and other needs. In turn, your schedule gets thrown off a bit because you end up being out until a late hour, just in search of food or other minimal items. Being a part of Ramadan can be quite an inconvenience (for nonmuslims, of course) at times, but it has been a wonderful thing to experience!!!

Experiencing the food here has also been an adventure. It's not as different as some might think. You can get a burger or pizza if you want to, but who really wants to eat the same old food I've been eating my whole life when there are endless new opportunities? I have eaten plenty of sea food while here, including lots of shrimp, that hasn't been deshelled (i.e. Red Lobster style). Recently several companions and I went to the Lebanese Flower, a local restaurant specializing in, you guessed it, Lebanese food. We ate shrimp, steak, chicken, humus, dates, in a family style setting. It was exceptional, and dirt cheap too!! Last night I participated in an Iftar, a celebration ending the days fast. The food was delicious and included more meats, rice, humus, salad, and fruits. The food here is nearly all fresh and without preservatives. It's amazing to eat an apple that isn't covered in wax!!!

Yesterday we traveled about an hour outside of the city to the desert for a safari. We took a bus to the desert where we were greeted by camels ready to give us a ride. The rides didn't last long but it was still an enjoyable experience. Afterwards, we went to one of the dunes and did some sandboarding. Essentially it is snowboarding but on sand. Of course I've snowboarded exactly once in my life (I'm a skier!!) and wiped out my first time down. I managed to hang on and make it to the bottom the second time. Next, we climbed some dunes and I even did some dune jumping, reminiscent of the dune jumping I've done every summer for years in Michigan. Soon we were summoned to the SUVs to go offroading through the desert. At first we were riding comfortably along some pretty flat terrain. This soon changed though! We were the third car in a line of about 6 or 7 SUVs. The sand dunes are huge and you would watch the car in front of you go up the side of a dune and then just disappear over the top of it. We were hauling at times (over 100 KPH), getting sideways, and even feeling like we were going to tip at times. It felt like a rollercoaster, and I too was feeling the effects. Several people reported feeling nauseated (?) for up to an hour afterwards. But it was so worth it. Out entire ride lasted at least a half hour and was one of the most exciting things I've done in quite some time. It beats Six Flags any day! After the ride we sat down for our Iftar, the fast breaking meal at the end of the day and followed that up with a sheesha session. We made it back to the hotel by a reasonablle time but I think I'll be shaking sand out of my stuff for weeks. Somehow my camera survived!

Post 1 8/15/2011

I have never used a blog before. Nor have I read many blogs. So, I'm just going to wing it and write rough drafts of whatever comes to mind. My arrival in Abu Dhabi was an exciting one. After landing I was informed that they did not have my visa (even though it was issued and I even had a copy of it!). So, I was required to wait it out in the airport until the original was found. This worked out ok because they ended up putting me in a private lounge that had a buffet of local food and a fully stocked bar. Additionally they did the favor of fetching me my bags while I waited. So while all the other teachers on my flight were busy tracking down their baggage and cramming into shuttles, I was sitting in the lounge chowing on some local food and enjoying a tonic beveridge! I wasn't complaining, especially after nearly 19 hours of travel, including a two and a half layover in Amman, Jordan.

There are many differences in the UAE compared to the U.S. that are immediately obvious. First is the weather. It is hot and humid more so than I have ever experienced anywhere. It's been the norm to shower at least 2 to 3 times a day. Also, I arrived in midst of Rammadan, a month long Muslim holiday. During the Holiday the Islamic people fast all day, generally from first prayer (usually around 4:30 A.M., and there is a minimum of 5 prayer times a day) until sunset, around 8:00 P.M. The fast includes food, water, tobacco, etc... To be respectful of the culture, it is expected that nonmuslims do not partake in food/drink consumption in public. Another major change is the conversion to the metric system. I still have no idea how fast I'm going (in mph) in cars! They also use Celcius instead of Farebheit. I have no idea what the relative temperature is, except HOT!