From Novice To Master in 6 Weeks

~Let The Light In~

Salam! As-salām 'alaykum!

I am 6 weeks into this journey of discovery, and I feel as if I have had my head cut open and new knowledge has just poured in! It has been fast and furious. It has been exciting and scary (not in a safety scary way). It has been black and white (literally - there are Abayas and Dishdashas everywhere) to what I am accustomed to. Seeing a new way of life, a new way of living, a new lens on how society works has completely changed me already! I find myself constantly comparing the US to the UAE. I feel like I need to make a huge Venn Diagram on my wall just to document everything! There are many things that I miss from home...the ease of processes being one of the top issues. Even though we complain about jumping through hoops in America in order to get things done; that is NOTHING compared to getting something done around here! I definitely took that for granted. However, on the other hand, over here, people are much more accepting of other cultures and differences. Even though the Emirati people ask for respect for their way of life, they still have open arms and acceptance for all of us expats. I could go on and on with my list of similarities and differences, but I'll save that for another post! As for now...

TOP 10 THINGS I AM NOW A MASTER OF

1. Navigating a city with few street names and absolutely no addresses. We live in districts and use landmarks as reference points as to where the buildings are actually located – I’m in a brand new complex called Nail Saif opposite the big mosque in the construction area next to Al Muwaiji Village complex in Al Muwaiji District. Map skills have come in handy more than ever, too! Thank goodness for social studies in my formative years!

 Signs, signs, everywhere signs…

It is amazing how much I have become dependent upon visual literacy around here. They are quite interesting and make for a nice chuckle every now and again (I even have an exit sign inside my flat above my front door – it makes for a good nightlight, oh and guidance in case I can’t find my way out ;-)

This one for the bathroom is my favorite!

  

 2. Following the rules of roundabout traffic. Wait, what's a roundabout you might ask?! Basically, a great way to keep traffic flowing without the use of lights! Whoo hoo! But who knew the inside left lane had the right of way?! At first, this is a scary encounter. Cars do not stop. People honk nonstop if you do not know your place. You might go around and around a couple of times before you know how to exit properly (or have a chance to exit!) My best advice is to just "gun it!" Now, I actually prefer roundabouts, unless people are randomly stopped on the turn to meet up with another car – which does happen!

 

3. Simulating race-car-like driving. If you’re not speeding, centimeters from somebody’s bumper, hopping and parking on curbs and sidewalks, or driving through stop signs, you’re going to get honked at or lights flashed at like YOU ARE THE CRAZY ONE! Haha! There are seemingly no rules to driving, except for the fact that you can go 20 km/hr over the posted limit without getting a ticket, unless there is a sign saying there is a maximum speed (only on the major highways!) The maximum is 120 km/hr and cars have sensors in them that beep incessantly if you go over 120 even by 1. And you thought the seatbelt dinging was annoying…
 

Roads are monitored by camera and radar technology. There are no speed traps or cops just cruising the area waiting to give tickets. If you are speeding (more than 20 km/hr above the posted limit) or are on your phone while driving on the streets with cameras, you automatically get a ticket via sensor. You won’t know it though until you try and go set up or pay for a service somewhere! Who knows what my fines look like at this point! What an awesome advancement though! I’ll go ahead and mention here how I am now a master with the metric system! Ok, maybe not a master, but all those years of teaching science has definitely paid off in most instances when asked to apply metric knowledge! 

Wait, is there an app for that?! 

 

4. Learning how to differentiate students’ names that are very similar and constantly spelled differently. People here have anywhere from 3 to 5 family (a.k.a. last) names. Well, many of their first names are the same, so my girls are referred to by their first name and their first family name. However, some girls I have to go two last names deep with! I am always checking my official roster with my seating chart against the way they write their names on their papers, as they never match (they like to add in letters or go with their very last family name at times!) Also, they do not alphabetize the way we do...which can drive some teachers a little crazy ;-)

5. Reading from the right to left. I have now adjusted to writing the date "incorrectly" by American terms, and when I see a bell schedule or list of hotel rooms listed backwards, it actually makes sense to me! I also have to constantly flip books over because my girls have the tendency to want to write from the back to the front as they do in Arabic.

 

 

I am also amazed at how fluid non-English natives can switch back and forth when writing. I was at the bank yesterday, and the woman helping me was Emirati, and just watching her hand movements as she would write left to right in English for my W-9 form and then ever so smoothly switch to writing right to left in Arabic without hesitation just astounds me! I wish I had that ability! Soon, inshallah!

6. Choosing which toilet option is best for the occasion…pick one, any one!

As well as how to work the electrical outlets, heaters, and lights, oh my!


 

And I am slowly adjusting to the fact that having a dryer here is practically unheard of (but I will get one soon, inshallah!)

Also, all of the appliances here are much smaller than in the U.S., therefore, I do less laundry more frequently, and we can stock the fridge for just a few hundred dirhams, but it’s emptied pretty quickly with the kids around and the fact that there are no preservatives in the food, so spoilage happens at a faster rate.

Laundry, laundry, laundry all the time :-/

 Also, no hook-ups for dishwashers in most homes (including mine). It's old school style hand-washing all the way! I am marveled by the how advanced this culture is in some regards, but how primitive in other areas.

7. Reading body language and listening to tone of voice. When you are the minority in the crowd, watching and listening are the most important skills. I now know which girls are friends and which have issues without even knowing a word they are ever saying to each other! I also have come to appreciate this language in general because it really is so beautiful. I am in awe of my girls that sing the national anthem every morning at assembly. I feel so boring when I speak! There are so many different nationalities here that have interesting accents that are so much fun to listen to! I don’t even mind some of the Arabic radio stations as there is only 1 static prone English speaking station. I cannot post any pictures of my students, but here is my school. (Al Foaa, or sometimes spelled, Al Foah - depending on the sign and person!)

8. The absolute fundamental breakdown of both the English and Arabic languages. Wow! No two could ever be more different. I admire my students for how hard they try to write and spell English words. That task is probably incredibly daunting as I still can’t memorize how to write my name in Arabic! Oh, yes, we go by first names here! That took some getting used to for sure!

Every day the girls have difficulty naming simple objects due to the language barrier. We had a good laugh over the word "baggie" one day when I asked for them to bring some in. They had no idea what I was talking about! The word "paperclip" is another they couldn't comprehend without seeing it.
Each girl is on a different level of reading, writing, speaking, and listening to English; just as our Spanish speaking students in Texas. The sections (classes) are grouped by these abilities for differentiation purposes.

Sample from a higher student:

 Sample from a lower student:

9. Lying about having a husband back in the states that will soon be joining me. Apparently, being single here is a magnet for unwanted male attention, as well as women probing as to why you are not married. I even was told by an old camel trainer that I was a bad person for divorcing my husband :-/ Family and marriage is of utmost importance. Although many marriages are arranged; many are to family members (cousins); and men are allowed up to four wives?! So I can see why it might be looked down upon, or why I might be questioned about not having a husband, especially since I have children. I was forewarned about the men being quite abrasive, in which they are. It could be that they can actually see our (Westerners) faces and bodies! However, I do have to be firm (by using the phrase, "Haram" - an Arabic term meaning sinful or forbidden by Islamic law) and telling a little white lie about having a husband doesn’t hurt either!

P.S. I am now accepting applications for anyone interested in being my pseudo-husband for the month of October! I can photoshop your face where the guy in white is ;-)

10. Taking all of my struggles in stride and remembering that no matter how difficult this may be at the moment, when I look out my bedroom window, I am reminded that my life could be much worse. My heart goes out to all of the workers in this country. I live on a construction site and there are probably 50+ workers bussed here every day. However, some live on the construction site. They use a tank outside to shower with, wash their outfit and drink from. I am thankful this country employs so many workers, even though they do not earn hardly anything. It seems to be an unbalanced symbiotic relationship, but without the UAE willing to employ them, who knows what their lives or their families' lives back home would be like. There are workers absolutely everywhere! This country is spotless. I never pump gas; I never carry out groceries; I am not allowed to throw away my own trash in the food court at the mall; I am served water bottles on an actual silver platter at school and in the majority of establishments; I can have my house cleaned for next to nothing; there are security guards at the gates of every school and every building, not really for safety concerns, but rather for employment opportunities. I look around and see a country of extremes. You are either Emirati or you are not. You are either extremely rich or you are not. Your family name determines everything. When looking at cultural anthropology, this is a culture of honor and shame, not guilt and innocence like America. Everything is viewed through that lens. It changes the dynamics of everything known to a Westerner. It is so important to have cultural awareness and understanding in order to lead a fulfilling life embedded within that society.

   

And one to grow on…
 

Patience…with everything! I always thought of myself as a patient person, but this is a true test. I have my moments of utter breakdown. I have my moments of frustration and tears. I have my moments of anger. I have my moments of wanting to come back home. I have my moments of loneliness. BUT we made it here, and I have experienced moments of joy, happiness, gratefulness, and peace of mind. Taking it one day at a time is key. I am fascinated by how the Emirati culture functions. Processes are long and messy (this is where patience comes in). Napping and praying are of necessity for the people - they even close businesses in the middle of the day to honor these acts. Everything is ‘Inshallah’/'Insha'Allah' – "God willing" or "if Allah wills," and I mean absolutely everything! So, I must choose to embrace my decision to become a resident, with faith that we will come out in the end more wise, more aware, more sensitive, and more changed...inshallah ;-)

Aa'a as-salāmah!

"Without Courage Your Life Will Never Change" ~Me