I think I am starting to get a sense of the routine of the days here, which is something I wanted. I want to go beyond the newness and get to the normal work day. From there I can really know what I have because this will be my experience for the rest of the year. I may not be all the way there yet but I am pretty close. It is already beginning with my students. The novelty of me being the only black male teacher in the school is wearing off and some students are starting to rebel against the work. They have accurately assessed that we write alot in my class and work ethic is not in abundance particularly at this school but also everywhere in the U.A.E. So I kind of have an uphill climb. I am constantly searching for ways to motivate them to do work, which is my biggest challenge, making it matter to them. I am setting up a very basic reward system where on Thursdays, the students that I saw do their work will get reward with candy and a chance to relax, while those that didn't will have to complete their work while they watch their more studious counterparts consume candy. I think I still need something else though.
As of now, I have only talked about one student, "Bob," a.k.a ET (Emirati Tupac), and I do have an update on him, but I will take a moment to briefly discuss a couple of others that stood out to me. I have three black students, two of them are Sudanese (Sudan, Africa). These students are the brightest I have in all of my classes. One of them is smart but excels in creativity. His name card looked like he went out and hired someone to illustrate it for him. I walked by impressed with what he did with pencil so I handed him a pack of colored pencils to enhance it. Ten minutes later he hands me this masterpiece of a name card. He is brilliant with color, and not just fill in the space with red or blue or whatever. He really worked with the colors, like a professional, using blends and color combinations that someone who has not been trained would not know how to do. For example, he went over a simple line with a yellow pencil, but he used a combination of other very similar colors (a bit of yellow, maybe some orange), on the tips either side of the line to give the impression that the line glowed at the ends. It was done well; very subtle, very polished. Either he is crazy talented or he has had classes, or probably both. He does well on his writings too. He understands English enough to hold a basic conversation and gets through his work quickly. He would do fine my Early College classes I taught in Jacksonville.
The other one does not have the creative skills, he is just smart. He is even smarter than the other, which is an accomplishment. He is noticeably smarter than an already very smart student. He is by far the best student academically I have. He has already pointed out a small mistake I made in spelling when writing on the board (that's funny because I didn't think I would have to deal with that here). He is the student that after class takes out a small notebook of words that he just randomly collects and studies as he hears them. He asked me today about several words including the difference between alias and nickname, variety and diversity, etc. Who does that? According to his interview exercise I had the class do the other day (which for the other students was a paragraph, but for him, after he requested, it ended up being the whole page), he explained he wants to be a doctor. I almost would let him operate on me right now and feel okay about it.
I mentioned this to some other teachers about these African phenoms in my class and they informed me that this is to be expected. Apparently, Sudan has an exception education program in their country. One of my other colleagues said he has a Sudanese student as well and is having the same results. This surprised me because when I think of Sudan, I think of genocide (Darfur) and not ridiculously gifted students that finish an hours worth of work in 20 minutes. This is just one of the many experiences here in Abu Dhabi where I find that I only have limited knowledge of a people or place (usually provided by the news media) and don't know the full reality, or at the very least other aspects them.
As for Abu Dhabi Thug Life, he is still entertaining. I caught him yesterday in the halls beating on a shelf in the hallway creating beats for the other students to bob their heads and dance to, which by the way is exactly what my students back in Jacksonville would do. It even sounded the same, the same hip hop beat you would hear in the States. I broke it up and discovered him at the center of the four or five boys. They followed me back to my nearby room just laughing and smiling with me. I looked around to make sure no one official was around and dropped a quick beat on my desk similar to the one they were just doing. They were impressed and kinda nodded their heads smiling. So now I'm in with the Emirati Thugs at the school here, which can't be a bad thing.
I also have another gem from Bob. Shortly after I finished my beat they were talking in Arabic to each other and I noticed they started pointing at each others skin still laughing and smiling. One of the boys said about Bob to me, "He likes your skin color." I briefly got flashbacks to the taxicab awhile back. Then Bob says to me, without laughing now, in a rather prophetic way: "This color here," he pointed at his friend who was darker than him lighter than me, and then to my skin, "this is the color of kings where I come from." I'm starting to like this kid. Also, I have another quick note worth mentioning about Bob. He is in ROTC and has to wear his uniform. He wears the cap cocked to the side or backwards, and pops his collar up. I asked him about it today his reply was: "I told you, I am gangsta." I couldn't take it anymore I finally decided to ask him about how the hell can you call yourself a gangsta from the streets if you live in the richest city in the world. I believe I phrased it "I didn't think there was hard places to live in Abu Dhabi." There are hard places, he said, and named some town. He said he grew up there until he was six years old and a lot of black people lived there and he was down "ofcourse." Unfortunately I am starting to see that Bob as a less legitimate thug, as one of the requirements is that you have to have been forged in the streets of a tough neighborhood recently. He hasn't been there since he was six years old. Yeah, I may have to collect his Gangsta card.
That's it for now.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Thursday is the new Friday!
TGIT! Well one week at our first school is in the books. It had its ups and downs, but mostly ups. I have to say that I am pretty pleased overall.
The first couple of days were beautiful, maybe the best I have ever had on the first day. The classes were extremely small because most didn't show. The second day many of those that didn't come before came this day, which was still okay. By the end of the week the classes were full (30 students) which would normally be a nightmare for me, but with these kids I don't see it being a huge issue. I did kind of hit a hiccup by midweek, Tuesday for me. I felt I was starting to lose control of the class in one of my classes. I did manage to get it back the next day, mostly through having structured activities involving writing instead of interaction with me at the board, in which the students just have conversations amongst themselves as I am talking. They are getting better at not doing this. I do think I accomplished my mission of making my presence felt in the classroom. I feel the kids respect me and like me. I have managed to get a bit of both. I emphasize my firmness with them while still being respectful. In fact on the way out today one of my students said to me: "Good class. Good class and good teacher." I am sure there will be a confrontation down the line that will show me exactly where I am with the class, but for now I think I am on solid ground.
I have a couple of notes of interest. First is that when school lets out, it lets out. I experienced this all this week but none more prevalent than today. School is over at 2:40pm. The school is deserted by 2:45pm. Deserted. No one, no students, no teachers, no one. The janitor, I think sticks around, and maybe one or two staff that have to stay late for whatever reason. If not for that reason, they would be gone too. We, the other 5 LT's that work with me, have not seen anything like it anywhere. We walk down the hallways of a completely empty school every afternoon on our way out. I don't even know how the buses are able to leave within that time frame, but they are gone. There are 700 students at this school and there is not a single student on campus after 2:45pm (today we actually timed it at 2:44pm), not to talk, not to hang out with friends, not to stay after school, no students. Its almost eerie, as if everyone knows some fatal gas is let loose in the school at that time except us. A couple of days ago, we actually got locked in the school at 2:55! Luckily the janitor was hanging around and let us out. We marvel at it everyday because we think it may be the most efficient and organized thing we have seen done in the entire country since we have been here. That may sound harsh but it is pretty accurate.
Another note, and I suppose we can chalk this one up as a cultural difference, is that sometimes the students snap their fingers at you when they are trying to get your attention or your "service." I actually was ready for this one, as I had spoken with a teacher back in the States who had once been in Saudi Arabia and he mentioned this. The idea being that the students are used to having servants or maids serve them and this is how they get their attention. This is what the kids know, so when they need the teacher to answer a question, this is what they do. Well as you might expect we put an end to this quick, fast, and in a hurry. Again firm but respectful, I didn't go off on the kid. Just let everyone know that we will not snap at Mr. Ray, ever, ever, ever, ever again. (And yes, I am Mr. Ray here, first names are used).
Another note, perhaps related to the previous one, is that the students have no concept of waiting. Its almost unbelievable because certain things are obvious, such as I am speaking with one student and there are other students after him, then I get to you. Or maybe, I am in a conversation, explaining something, please wait. Literally they will shout "Teacher. Teacher. Teacher. Teacher..." until I tell them the same thing over and over, "Wait." So, another student will watch all of this and start up right after him "Teacher, teacher, teacher..." on top of that they are very annoyed that you did not completely abandon your current conversation and rush to their desks so that they can hand you a wordsearch that you could care less about. Are you serious? They are apparently. The spoiled child factor is starting to rear its ugly head in the classroom.
The last and most important note is a more personal one. Yesterday, I found myself really getting into the educator role more than I have ever before. I mean I was actually looking forward doing things in the classroom and still am. For the first time in my life, I don't feel like I should be doing something else. It was the most exuberant feeling I have had in a while, very freeing really. I don't mind going to work, I even like it I think. I am sure the exotic location helps, and also all the new things I have to about where I am, the people, etc. The kids probably play a big role as well because I think overall they are genuinely good-hearted kids, all of them. Mischievous and perhaps a bit spoiled, yes, but good-hearted.
That's all for now. I will be attending my first Football match (soccer) tonight with the guys at work. I will report how it goes. One week down. TGIT! Or, in showing respect to the region, as one of my colleagues put it, TAIT. Some of you will get that, for the rest of you...
The first couple of days were beautiful, maybe the best I have ever had on the first day. The classes were extremely small because most didn't show. The second day many of those that didn't come before came this day, which was still okay. By the end of the week the classes were full (30 students) which would normally be a nightmare for me, but with these kids I don't see it being a huge issue. I did kind of hit a hiccup by midweek, Tuesday for me. I felt I was starting to lose control of the class in one of my classes. I did manage to get it back the next day, mostly through having structured activities involving writing instead of interaction with me at the board, in which the students just have conversations amongst themselves as I am talking. They are getting better at not doing this. I do think I accomplished my mission of making my presence felt in the classroom. I feel the kids respect me and like me. I have managed to get a bit of both. I emphasize my firmness with them while still being respectful. In fact on the way out today one of my students said to me: "Good class. Good class and good teacher." I am sure there will be a confrontation down the line that will show me exactly where I am with the class, but for now I think I am on solid ground.
I have a couple of notes of interest. First is that when school lets out, it lets out. I experienced this all this week but none more prevalent than today. School is over at 2:40pm. The school is deserted by 2:45pm. Deserted. No one, no students, no teachers, no one. The janitor, I think sticks around, and maybe one or two staff that have to stay late for whatever reason. If not for that reason, they would be gone too. We, the other 5 LT's that work with me, have not seen anything like it anywhere. We walk down the hallways of a completely empty school every afternoon on our way out. I don't even know how the buses are able to leave within that time frame, but they are gone. There are 700 students at this school and there is not a single student on campus after 2:45pm (today we actually timed it at 2:44pm), not to talk, not to hang out with friends, not to stay after school, no students. Its almost eerie, as if everyone knows some fatal gas is let loose in the school at that time except us. A couple of days ago, we actually got locked in the school at 2:55! Luckily the janitor was hanging around and let us out. We marvel at it everyday because we think it may be the most efficient and organized thing we have seen done in the entire country since we have been here. That may sound harsh but it is pretty accurate.
Another note, and I suppose we can chalk this one up as a cultural difference, is that sometimes the students snap their fingers at you when they are trying to get your attention or your "service." I actually was ready for this one, as I had spoken with a teacher back in the States who had once been in Saudi Arabia and he mentioned this. The idea being that the students are used to having servants or maids serve them and this is how they get their attention. This is what the kids know, so when they need the teacher to answer a question, this is what they do. Well as you might expect we put an end to this quick, fast, and in a hurry. Again firm but respectful, I didn't go off on the kid. Just let everyone know that we will not snap at Mr. Ray, ever, ever, ever, ever again. (And yes, I am Mr. Ray here, first names are used).
Another note, perhaps related to the previous one, is that the students have no concept of waiting. Its almost unbelievable because certain things are obvious, such as I am speaking with one student and there are other students after him, then I get to you. Or maybe, I am in a conversation, explaining something, please wait. Literally they will shout "Teacher. Teacher. Teacher. Teacher..." until I tell them the same thing over and over, "Wait." So, another student will watch all of this and start up right after him "Teacher, teacher, teacher..." on top of that they are very annoyed that you did not completely abandon your current conversation and rush to their desks so that they can hand you a wordsearch that you could care less about. Are you serious? They are apparently. The spoiled child factor is starting to rear its ugly head in the classroom.
The last and most important note is a more personal one. Yesterday, I found myself really getting into the educator role more than I have ever before. I mean I was actually looking forward doing things in the classroom and still am. For the first time in my life, I don't feel like I should be doing something else. It was the most exuberant feeling I have had in a while, very freeing really. I don't mind going to work, I even like it I think. I am sure the exotic location helps, and also all the new things I have to about where I am, the people, etc. The kids probably play a big role as well because I think overall they are genuinely good-hearted kids, all of them. Mischievous and perhaps a bit spoiled, yes, but good-hearted.
That's all for now. I will be attending my first Football match (soccer) tonight with the guys at work. I will report how it goes. One week down. TGIT! Or, in showing respect to the region, as one of my colleagues put it, TAIT. Some of you will get that, for the rest of you...
Sunday, September 11, 2011
First day of school
Well its finally over. The waiting, the wondering, the jitters, the questions, all of it done because I finally got my feet wet today after completing my first day of school. There are some factors that prevent me from being totally convinced I am familiar with my situation, one of which being that only half my class showed for most of my classes. And the kids that did show were the ones that will be my better kids because they thought enough to show on the first day. In other words I have yet to meet my boneheads that will more than likely emerge later in the week. However, I am satisfied with what I experienced today and am happy with everything.
I will start with the students. I don't think I have ever met as genuinely happy and playful bunch of teenagers in my life. Nothing malicious, mean, or disrespectful. Just kids being kids and having fun, saying hello, to everyone, laughing, random students in the hall just saying hello and shaking my hand. They all had good spirits about them, innocent really, compared to the states. I learned today from other LT's that the kids don't steal here, at all. I can see that in there personalities, nothing "evil" in them, just too much playfulness. Its what you would expect to see in very young kids in the states, but I suppose they are able to hold onto it through their teenage years. It is impossible not to smile when they approach you.
The problem I did have with the students was their inability to stay out of my class while I am teaching. Literally, every 5 to 10 minutes random groups of students would come into the class (yes open my door without knocking) and walk into the classroom and not just say "hi" to their friends but hold full blown Arabic conversations. It would completely disrupt what I am doing, take me about a minute or two to corale the intruders and send them on their way. That happened all day, though it died down toward the end of school. First order of business tomorrow is to find a key to lock the door.
Aside from these interruptions, class went well. I went through a lesson, the students did some writing, and we talked a bit. That was it. Not bad at all. As I expected I have students on both ends of the spectrum: some at near fluency and others can't understand a word I say. Overall, most were average, maybe 4th or 5th grade level, which isn't terrible because at least they can follow along. We spent most of the period answering 5 questions about who they were: how many brothers and sisters do you have? What do you what to do after school? and so on...
While I'm on the subject of the students, I will take this opportunity to insert another episode of WTH! In this episode we find ourselves doing a name card activity with the students. The students are to write their name in English on the card and draw symbols that represent who they are on the card. Most symbols chosen included things like soccer balls to show that they like "football" as it is called over there, McDonald's arch to symbolize they like McDonalds, etc. I floated around the room taking a look at everyone's name cards, observing them commenting on their symbols. I come upon one young man, we will call him "Bob." Bob came in a little late and actually missed me explaining how to do the activity so I explained to him he needed to draw symbols that represented him. I should have known I would get some interesting pictures when his response was, in excellent English mind you, "Anything?" He saw my apprehensive hesitation and made a facial expression with gestures suggesting that he understood my fear but would not draw anything inappropriate. A little later I come back to see some pretty good art work. He had a picture of a car in good detail, and a picture of a plane, as it is his dream to become a pilot. Then there were more interesting pictures. There were two that stood out, the first was a woman. I thought it interesting that he would even put that on his name card. When pointed to it to explain it made gestures that are hard to describe but probably best interpreted as "Women, they are okay to me, but you how it is with them." But the most intriguing picture was one of a street. An actual two lane street with streetlights and everything. When asked about it he said something that I don't think I will ever forget, mostly because I just wasn't expecting it. He said, in excellent English, and I quote: "It is the streets. I live by the streets and I die by the streets." His expression revealed he meant every word. Wow. Interesting thing about him, he is one of the most fluent students in the class. He is bright too, like most street smart kids that I have had before back in the States. I will have to keep an eye on him though. He looks like if he and I disagree he could be very difficult to deal with. I guess I didn't expect to have a Emirati Tupac in my class, but I am happy he is there. He was very good to talk to.
Everything else was fine. The schedule varies from day to day as far as when I see the students but I always get a couple of hours planning everyday, which is more than I can say I had back home. I will go ahead and say I anticipate a good year here. Albeit the first day of school and there is so much more to come, good and bad I am sure, I do anticipate an overall good year this year.
I will start with the students. I don't think I have ever met as genuinely happy and playful bunch of teenagers in my life. Nothing malicious, mean, or disrespectful. Just kids being kids and having fun, saying hello, to everyone, laughing, random students in the hall just saying hello and shaking my hand. They all had good spirits about them, innocent really, compared to the states. I learned today from other LT's that the kids don't steal here, at all. I can see that in there personalities, nothing "evil" in them, just too much playfulness. Its what you would expect to see in very young kids in the states, but I suppose they are able to hold onto it through their teenage years. It is impossible not to smile when they approach you.
The problem I did have with the students was their inability to stay out of my class while I am teaching. Literally, every 5 to 10 minutes random groups of students would come into the class (yes open my door without knocking) and walk into the classroom and not just say "hi" to their friends but hold full blown Arabic conversations. It would completely disrupt what I am doing, take me about a minute or two to corale the intruders and send them on their way. That happened all day, though it died down toward the end of school. First order of business tomorrow is to find a key to lock the door.
Aside from these interruptions, class went well. I went through a lesson, the students did some writing, and we talked a bit. That was it. Not bad at all. As I expected I have students on both ends of the spectrum: some at near fluency and others can't understand a word I say. Overall, most were average, maybe 4th or 5th grade level, which isn't terrible because at least they can follow along. We spent most of the period answering 5 questions about who they were: how many brothers and sisters do you have? What do you what to do after school? and so on...
While I'm on the subject of the students, I will take this opportunity to insert another episode of WTH! In this episode we find ourselves doing a name card activity with the students. The students are to write their name in English on the card and draw symbols that represent who they are on the card. Most symbols chosen included things like soccer balls to show that they like "football" as it is called over there, McDonald's arch to symbolize they like McDonalds, etc. I floated around the room taking a look at everyone's name cards, observing them commenting on their symbols. I come upon one young man, we will call him "Bob." Bob came in a little late and actually missed me explaining how to do the activity so I explained to him he needed to draw symbols that represented him. I should have known I would get some interesting pictures when his response was, in excellent English mind you, "Anything?" He saw my apprehensive hesitation and made a facial expression with gestures suggesting that he understood my fear but would not draw anything inappropriate. A little later I come back to see some pretty good art work. He had a picture of a car in good detail, and a picture of a plane, as it is his dream to become a pilot. Then there were more interesting pictures. There were two that stood out, the first was a woman. I thought it interesting that he would even put that on his name card. When pointed to it to explain it made gestures that are hard to describe but probably best interpreted as "Women, they are okay to me, but you how it is with them." But the most intriguing picture was one of a street. An actual two lane street with streetlights and everything. When asked about it he said something that I don't think I will ever forget, mostly because I just wasn't expecting it. He said, in excellent English, and I quote: "It is the streets. I live by the streets and I die by the streets." His expression revealed he meant every word. Wow. Interesting thing about him, he is one of the most fluent students in the class. He is bright too, like most street smart kids that I have had before back in the States. I will have to keep an eye on him though. He looks like if he and I disagree he could be very difficult to deal with. I guess I didn't expect to have a Emirati Tupac in my class, but I am happy he is there. He was very good to talk to.
Everything else was fine. The schedule varies from day to day as far as when I see the students but I always get a couple of hours planning everyday, which is more than I can say I had back home. I will go ahead and say I anticipate a good year here. Albeit the first day of school and there is so much more to come, good and bad I am sure, I do anticipate an overall good year this year.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Preparing for school start
Tomorrow marks the first day of me teaching here in Abu Dhabi. Not really as nervous as I probably should be. I will prepare the best I can, but really my objective tomorrow is to establish a presence in my classroom, one that the students will respect. It helps being really tall and have an athletic build. My first goal is to have complete control of my classroom. They don't have to understand all the words I am saying to understand that I won't tolerate nonsense in my class. The thing that makes this first day hard is just not having much experience with these kids. This will be my first time with Emirate students so there are some cultural differences and other things I have to understand. I am, however, going by the theory that at the core of it all, kids are kids. They are going to be feeling me out at the very beginning to figure out what they can get away with, and what they can't. And since they may not understand everything I am saying they will primarily be basing this information on my demeanor and personality. I usually project a loose easy going personality to get my students relaxed followed by communicating what is acceptable in the class and what is not. I try not to be the traditional my hard nose, you do what I say or else, teacher because I found that the students respond better to a less militaristic approach. Beside, back in the States I was trying to encourage the kids to think and explore ideas, and pressuring them to think is like trying to force someone to be happy and carefree by threatening to kill them if they don't cooperate.
Here, however, I believe that that hard nose strict approach is what they are used to. One teacher that taught last year described the class room in a way that I thought was helpful. The teacher is like the sheik of the classroom. Here, the sheiks are the rulers and they have all the say. This is a community that is used to "what I say goes." They are not used to the democracy of having a say, but assume that the Westerners will let them. But unfortunately, like all kids, they take advantage of this and will take whatever the teacher is willing to give. Before long they could be running all over teacher, teacher loses respect and more than likely will not gain it back. I don't plan on revolutionizing the politics of the U.A.E.in my classroom, so I will make sure to establish myself as the sheik with authority, not so much that it turns off the students, but enough to show that I am in control. This is the plan; we'll see how it goes.
Here, however, I believe that that hard nose strict approach is what they are used to. One teacher that taught last year described the class room in a way that I thought was helpful. The teacher is like the sheik of the classroom. Here, the sheiks are the rulers and they have all the say. This is a community that is used to "what I say goes." They are not used to the democracy of having a say, but assume that the Westerners will let them. But unfortunately, like all kids, they take advantage of this and will take whatever the teacher is willing to give. Before long they could be running all over teacher, teacher loses respect and more than likely will not gain it back. I don't plan on revolutionizing the politics of the U.A.E.in my classroom, so I will make sure to establish myself as the sheik with authority, not so much that it turns off the students, but enough to show that I am in control. This is the plan; we'll see how it goes.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Reporting to School
Over the last couple of days all of us teachers have been going through the process of finding and settling into our assigned schools.
The first step was to report to the ADEC, located downtown, on Sunday for our super official document that we would receive from them then take to our principals to show that we are assigned to their school (and by the way I did say Sunday; the work week here is Sunday through Thursday, so our Thursday is your Friday). Apparently the most efficient way to do this is to just tell all 1000+ LT's that they need to be there that day. No time, no specifics, just show. Naturally the majority showed up early in the morning between 8-10, where we found that their method of taking LT's was pulling a ticket and sitting down in the lobby and waiting for your ticket to be called. Mike, fellow LT that will be working at the same school as me, and I got there about 10. The lobby was, as you would expect, packed to the hilt, lots of conversations, perceived chaos, etc. We pulled our ticket which read 029 and 030. I look on the big digital board and the current number is 135. Apparently it seemed that we had to wait until the numbers rolled over again and started back at 1, then up to 29 and 30. Luckily someone told me that it rolls back over at 600. We wait. A couple of hours later we are only at 300 and an hour after that 400. Anyway, some nice lady that didn't need her ticket anymore for whatever reason gave us hers. Number 419! So we are able to be seen (We talk the lady at the desk into seeing both of us on one ticket). We get our paper work and are pretty much set to go to our schools. We had heard that we are supposed to go right after we get our paper, but it was early afternoon and we had also heard that the school is only open until noon today anyway, of which it was already past (notice I reference most things as "I heard that..." 95% percent of any information we get about what's going on actually comes from other LT's /unconfirmed rumors. It sounds ridiculous and I would normally stay away from any of this, but it is literally the only info you get. Let's just say ADEC isn't going to win any awards for communicating with its people. I am forced to stay in the loop, now. The rumor mill has about a 70% accuracy rate, though, which isn't too bad.)
The next day we set out at 6:45am to the Abdul Qadar al Jazeira School, Cycle 3, which means grades 10-12. The taxi ride was a mini adventure because though our taxi driver knew the area, Al Shahama, he did not know of the school. So when we do reach Al Shahama we search around for about 30 minutes looking for this school. We went up to two Cycle 1 schools, elementary, thinking that it was where we needed be but only to be disappointed when we would see the sign in front of the school. We ask a couple of people and we finally find our way.
The school building was satisfactory, large and unassuming structure, with light yellow/tan exterior. Not sure what I expected but it had a similar architectural style as most other homes and buildings in the surrounding neighborhood and all over Abu Dhabi. We walk up and are immediately met by an Australian or New Zealand guy (its hard to tell the difference between these two accents, and actually the British accent can be included in this group as well). He greets us with smiles and handshakes, talks with us a bit and leads us into what I can only guess was the principal's secretary office. The secretary, a guy from Egypt he mentions later, takes our super official document and goes to typing on the computer silently for about 10 minutes (I am keep saying that about the the paper because the document we received from downtown had about 20 words on it, consisting of my name, the name of my school, the phone number to the school, and my "level" which someone told me just meant what level of kids I will be teaching, i.e. cycle 3. That was it, nothing more). We were later led up to the library, a very small and limited library as far as resources go I might add, where we met the other "newbie" teachers in our same boat. There were 5 of us total, two Justins, two Mikes, and me, Ray. Then we met Rich.
I have to give Rich credit, because before he started talking to us, he did say that he has a unique perspective, so I guess was warned. But Rich walked into the room shortly after I had just met my newbie colleagues. Rich has been in Abu Dhabi for a few years, two at another school, and one at this one. I could tell he was one of those quirky unique teachers; he was an older white guy, with a less formal British or Australian accent, kind of had a messy or wild look about him overall. Naturally we want to hear all about him and his experience. He starts by telling us his background as a hostage negotiator, weapons instructor, with a specialty in swords. Then Rich proceeds to talk about the job in terms of combat. In my head I am thinking this is not a good sign. I actually felt like I was at a brief at HQ back with the Marines. Here are a few gems from Rich's conversation:
"We have to stick together"
"You gotta let them know, you mess with one of us you mess with all of us..."
"This is our turf....."
"You let them know that you are a man and they are men and we have to do what we have to do..."
"Don't back down..."
"This lounge area is our safe zone guys..."
"The kids respect that this is our turf..."
"This is a tribal environment....."
After listening to Rich for about fifteen minutes or so you pretty much had to make a decision. Either you could take everything he says to heart and quite literally enter you classroom like the kids are the enemy, the "many will enter, but only one will leave" type of mentality. Or you could take what Rich says with a grain of salt and understand that Rich does have a unique perspective of things that might not translate well into your own teaching style (If I came in like Ray Rambo, the kids would see through it, because that is not my style. Though I can be strict and firm, I never try to be hardcore). Anyway, the latter began to emerge as the consensus because other teachers, more normal, came in and spoke with us and gave more conventional, but good, advice on teaching at the school. We also met our Provider, Martyn. From what I understand, the provider is kind of our boss, but he also is there to assist us in what we need to accomplish our goals as teachers. His company was hired by ADEC to help implement the new school plans and reforms across the Emirate. Martyn was a nice enough guy; a round white man in a nice suit with a New Zealand accent, he told us later. He kind of gave us the run down, very professionally of course. In laymen's terms he basically said that we will have more things to teach than we will have time to teach it. The vocabulary alone consists of over 2000 words, and keep in mind these are not native English speakers. There is a reading program that will needed to be implemented, along with basic speech. He also informed us that we will probably only have limited opportunities to make this happen as there are several interruptions such as there might be a huge birthday party in the gym, or shopping day, or grenade training (yes, both of those days were specifically mentioned by Martyn and they are exactly what they sound like. I, however, can not explain why just yet, gimme a few days). And then there is just the whole attendance issue, which I had heard about previously anyway. Martyn mentioned that on days that I give an assessment I may have only a third of the class come that day, and I will have to give the test gradually over the week and some of next as kids trickle in. He says it may take around 8 school days to complete any given test.
Martyn definitely put it into perspective. Most of the kids at the school are just intent on getting through school so they can work as military or the police. Its hard to blame them. Once they graduate they are given a house and/or land, a lump sum of money (can't remember how much its substantial), free health care, and a government job. At that point all their needs are taken care of and they are set to take care of their wives and families once that comes along. Not a bad gig really. So they aren't exactly trying to bust there butts to be overachievers in the classroom. They do I have heard really want good marks, but ironically won't put in the necessary work unless you find a way to motivate them. I suppose this is with all students really, but more so here.
It also seems that we have nowhere to go but up. There is a test that the Seniors take that is important for those few that are going to University. It is a test to assess if the student will need to take English classes in college or not. Lately the government has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the four or five classes that the student has to take at the university if they don't pass this assessment out of high school. Last year, Martyn told us, around 300 students took the test...3 passed. That's where we come in. Though it is something that the school is trying to improve, it does not seem detrimental because of the intentions of most of the students that I just explained.
The last thing I will mentioned is that it is highly frowned upon for me to fail a student. Even if I did give him an" F", it will be reviewed by some board and more than likely adjusted. Martyn basically said he hasn't seen anyone fail yet. Even if they don't do a single thing. He mentioned plagiarism as blatant as printing off an article from a new journal, scratching out the author's name and writing his name above it. You may fail him, but it will be reviewed and he as not seen an F stick yet.
With that said, I will do my job to the best of my abilities. I am not going to be the morality police as far as grading and demand fairness and all that. I will trying to teach them something in between the breaks, absences, and make shift holidays. I teach, I go home and enjoy Abu Dhabi. That's how it works, and I am fine with that.
The first step was to report to the ADEC, located downtown, on Sunday for our super official document that we would receive from them then take to our principals to show that we are assigned to their school (and by the way I did say Sunday; the work week here is Sunday through Thursday, so our Thursday is your Friday). Apparently the most efficient way to do this is to just tell all 1000+ LT's that they need to be there that day. No time, no specifics, just show. Naturally the majority showed up early in the morning between 8-10, where we found that their method of taking LT's was pulling a ticket and sitting down in the lobby and waiting for your ticket to be called. Mike, fellow LT that will be working at the same school as me, and I got there about 10. The lobby was, as you would expect, packed to the hilt, lots of conversations, perceived chaos, etc. We pulled our ticket which read 029 and 030. I look on the big digital board and the current number is 135. Apparently it seemed that we had to wait until the numbers rolled over again and started back at 1, then up to 29 and 30. Luckily someone told me that it rolls back over at 600. We wait. A couple of hours later we are only at 300 and an hour after that 400. Anyway, some nice lady that didn't need her ticket anymore for whatever reason gave us hers. Number 419! So we are able to be seen (We talk the lady at the desk into seeing both of us on one ticket). We get our paper work and are pretty much set to go to our schools. We had heard that we are supposed to go right after we get our paper, but it was early afternoon and we had also heard that the school is only open until noon today anyway, of which it was already past (notice I reference most things as "I heard that..." 95% percent of any information we get about what's going on actually comes from other LT's /unconfirmed rumors. It sounds ridiculous and I would normally stay away from any of this, but it is literally the only info you get. Let's just say ADEC isn't going to win any awards for communicating with its people. I am forced to stay in the loop, now. The rumor mill has about a 70% accuracy rate, though, which isn't too bad.)
The next day we set out at 6:45am to the Abdul Qadar al Jazeira School, Cycle 3, which means grades 10-12. The taxi ride was a mini adventure because though our taxi driver knew the area, Al Shahama, he did not know of the school. So when we do reach Al Shahama we search around for about 30 minutes looking for this school. We went up to two Cycle 1 schools, elementary, thinking that it was where we needed be but only to be disappointed when we would see the sign in front of the school. We ask a couple of people and we finally find our way.
The school building was satisfactory, large and unassuming structure, with light yellow/tan exterior. Not sure what I expected but it had a similar architectural style as most other homes and buildings in the surrounding neighborhood and all over Abu Dhabi. We walk up and are immediately met by an Australian or New Zealand guy (its hard to tell the difference between these two accents, and actually the British accent can be included in this group as well). He greets us with smiles and handshakes, talks with us a bit and leads us into what I can only guess was the principal's secretary office. The secretary, a guy from Egypt he mentions later, takes our super official document and goes to typing on the computer silently for about 10 minutes (I am keep saying that about the the paper because the document we received from downtown had about 20 words on it, consisting of my name, the name of my school, the phone number to the school, and my "level" which someone told me just meant what level of kids I will be teaching, i.e. cycle 3. That was it, nothing more). We were later led up to the library, a very small and limited library as far as resources go I might add, where we met the other "newbie" teachers in our same boat. There were 5 of us total, two Justins, two Mikes, and me, Ray. Then we met Rich.
I have to give Rich credit, because before he started talking to us, he did say that he has a unique perspective, so I guess was warned. But Rich walked into the room shortly after I had just met my newbie colleagues. Rich has been in Abu Dhabi for a few years, two at another school, and one at this one. I could tell he was one of those quirky unique teachers; he was an older white guy, with a less formal British or Australian accent, kind of had a messy or wild look about him overall. Naturally we want to hear all about him and his experience. He starts by telling us his background as a hostage negotiator, weapons instructor, with a specialty in swords. Then Rich proceeds to talk about the job in terms of combat. In my head I am thinking this is not a good sign. I actually felt like I was at a brief at HQ back with the Marines. Here are a few gems from Rich's conversation:
"We have to stick together"
"You gotta let them know, you mess with one of us you mess with all of us..."
"This is our turf....."
"You let them know that you are a man and they are men and we have to do what we have to do..."
"Don't back down..."
"This lounge area is our safe zone guys..."
"The kids respect that this is our turf..."
"This is a tribal environment....."
After listening to Rich for about fifteen minutes or so you pretty much had to make a decision. Either you could take everything he says to heart and quite literally enter you classroom like the kids are the enemy, the "many will enter, but only one will leave" type of mentality. Or you could take what Rich says with a grain of salt and understand that Rich does have a unique perspective of things that might not translate well into your own teaching style (If I came in like Ray Rambo, the kids would see through it, because that is not my style. Though I can be strict and firm, I never try to be hardcore). Anyway, the latter began to emerge as the consensus because other teachers, more normal, came in and spoke with us and gave more conventional, but good, advice on teaching at the school. We also met our Provider, Martyn. From what I understand, the provider is kind of our boss, but he also is there to assist us in what we need to accomplish our goals as teachers. His company was hired by ADEC to help implement the new school plans and reforms across the Emirate. Martyn was a nice enough guy; a round white man in a nice suit with a New Zealand accent, he told us later. He kind of gave us the run down, very professionally of course. In laymen's terms he basically said that we will have more things to teach than we will have time to teach it. The vocabulary alone consists of over 2000 words, and keep in mind these are not native English speakers. There is a reading program that will needed to be implemented, along with basic speech. He also informed us that we will probably only have limited opportunities to make this happen as there are several interruptions such as there might be a huge birthday party in the gym, or shopping day, or grenade training (yes, both of those days were specifically mentioned by Martyn and they are exactly what they sound like. I, however, can not explain why just yet, gimme a few days). And then there is just the whole attendance issue, which I had heard about previously anyway. Martyn mentioned that on days that I give an assessment I may have only a third of the class come that day, and I will have to give the test gradually over the week and some of next as kids trickle in. He says it may take around 8 school days to complete any given test.
Martyn definitely put it into perspective. Most of the kids at the school are just intent on getting through school so they can work as military or the police. Its hard to blame them. Once they graduate they are given a house and/or land, a lump sum of money (can't remember how much its substantial), free health care, and a government job. At that point all their needs are taken care of and they are set to take care of their wives and families once that comes along. Not a bad gig really. So they aren't exactly trying to bust there butts to be overachievers in the classroom. They do I have heard really want good marks, but ironically won't put in the necessary work unless you find a way to motivate them. I suppose this is with all students really, but more so here.
It also seems that we have nowhere to go but up. There is a test that the Seniors take that is important for those few that are going to University. It is a test to assess if the student will need to take English classes in college or not. Lately the government has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the four or five classes that the student has to take at the university if they don't pass this assessment out of high school. Last year, Martyn told us, around 300 students took the test...3 passed. That's where we come in. Though it is something that the school is trying to improve, it does not seem detrimental because of the intentions of most of the students that I just explained.
The last thing I will mentioned is that it is highly frowned upon for me to fail a student. Even if I did give him an" F", it will be reviewed by some board and more than likely adjusted. Martyn basically said he hasn't seen anyone fail yet. Even if they don't do a single thing. He mentioned plagiarism as blatant as printing off an article from a new journal, scratching out the author's name and writing his name above it. You may fail him, but it will be reviewed and he as not seen an F stick yet.
With that said, I will do my job to the best of my abilities. I am not going to be the morality police as far as grading and demand fairness and all that. I will trying to teach them something in between the breaks, absences, and make shift holidays. I teach, I go home and enjoy Abu Dhabi. That's how it works, and I am fine with that.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Abu Dhabi Nightlife
I recently got a chance to experience some of the nightlife here in Abu Dhabi.
I'll start with a quick mention on how the social scene between the LT's here at the hotel (there are about 120 of us) has turned into one that's very similar to how it is in high school. Though, you may meet new people everyday, you generally hang out with the same one or two groups of people on a daily (or cliques, as it is usually called in high school). Especially on trips out in town like to the mall, store, etc. I have two groups that I primarily hang out with, group #1, as I will refer us, consist of 4 people including me, majority male with just one female. The other group, group #2, consist of 5 or 6 people, all women except me, the lone guy in this group. Now you must think that I would feel out of place in this group, me being the only guy and all (and heterosexual). Being a male teacher has kind of taken the awkwardness out of situations like this because my profession is dominated by women, so whenever I have professional development trainings and we are grouped, I will more than likely be the only guy in the group. There may be one other guy but its not something you can count on. (By the way, quick side note, in a group professional group when projects need to get done and the number of women dominate the group, they will usually dominate the task itself, particularly with brainstorming, creativity, and strategy, ironically all things I consider myself pretty good at. They have the lowest expectations of men both as far as intelligent input and work ethic, which I assume has been conditioned from their previous professional, and probably personal, interaction with men, and understandably so. Its just funny how any valid suggestion I make is an unexpected bonus that endears me to the group. I have experienced this dynamic in almost every collaborative group that I have been apart of even in my college days at FAMU, a historically Black college. I have seen other guys, no matter their race, treated same way. It just further lets me know that women, in general, initially think that guys are lazy idiots by default until its proven otherwise. Its like reverse sexism. Just saying.)
Anyway, I thought it was important for me to mention some of the social dynamic information because someone reading this might think why is a married guy hanging out with all of these women. The day before, I hung out with group one and the next day I got together with group two for a birthday celebration. Luckily I have the greatest wife in the world (she will be coming to Abu Dhabi in October) so she understands and is okay with me going out with both groups. She trusts me and knows that I am not interested in doing anything that would disrespect her or our marriage. And of course its the same the other way around. Besides I like to play the silly, funny, brother role in situations like this. Its what I'm used to and is more fun.
As I mentioned before, one of the ladies in group two had a birthday. Yeah you can see where this going. We started out in one of the restaurants in the hotel, Coopers. We all met up, birthday girl came, the cake was there waiting for her, happy birthday song all around, drinks to follow. I believe the most important piece of information I learned tonight is that being a girl on ladies night leaves you never wanting for drinks. I may or may not have been the beneficiary of these free beverages a time or two via one of the ladies in the group.
So after a about an hour, we head out and plunged ourselves into the Abu Dhabi night scene. Apparently all of the clubs are in hotels, and we went to the Intercontinental Hotel. I have heard this was a pretty lavish hotel because some of our LT's are staying there, and it did live up to the billing. Very nice place. We headed to the club downstairs either in basement or first floor, I'm not sure. In getting out of the elevator and turning to enter the club, you kind of had your typical menacing muscle bound bouncers in suits on either side of the club entrance, with a red velvet rope hung across blocking your way in. And just like in the movies, one of my group members threw out a "they're with me," and lo and behold the rope is up and we are inside. Not sure if there was a cover, for girls I know there wasn't because it was ladies night apparently here too, but for guys there may have been.
In looking around the club I decided it is pretty much exactly what you would see in the states. DJ on a elevated platform against the wall doing his thing, house music booming, hypnotic blue light draped the room, several people hanging out at the bar, the bartender making drinks, tables set up across the club, most of which had people sitting in them sipping drinks, girls with typical club clothing or perhaps better put lack of clothing, depends on how you look at it, the same that you would expect to see in any club in the U.S. (but on the more upscale side though, nobody looked too cheap or unclassy). There was a good vibe overall. We stayed for a while, sat, danced (no touching), laughed, and then I was informed that we are going to make our exit from this here to head over to the Emirates Palace.
I had been wanting to make it over to the Emirates Palace for a little while now, so this was good to hear. The Emirates Palace is a huge and beautiful landmark here in Abu Dhabi. Some have declared it the most extravagant and luxurious hotel in the world. At night it is lit up with soft white lighting and the hotel itself is massive and ornate, so it is like this huge, gorgeous building perched prominently on the coastline (or corniche, as it is called here, which as far as I can tell is like a boardwalk along the beach). The hotel is breathtaking at night, and almost looks like it is not real when you pass it because of its size and beauty.
We hop in a car of some friends of one of the girls in the group, and when we pull up, one of the first things I start to notice is that the Kelley Blue Book value of the cars here at this hotel has significantly increased in comparison to the ones at the other hotel. I'm no car expert but I can kinda tell when a car costs twice my salary, or as much as a my house (if I had one). I saw much more of this one the way out as the valet brought the cars around for departing patrons, but I'll get to that. So we walk through the lobby to get to the club and wish I could tell you more about it but to be honest, I can't recall the specifics that I would like to recount here, and for those that may go out much more than me, you probably understand why, with it being much later in the night at this point. Fret not however, I will eventually make a trip later where I can more vividly describe the hotel, the pictures I have seen are immaculate.
We enter the club and it was a similar scene to the entrance at the other hotel. As we step inside, I immediately notice this club is a lot more focused on dancing. The Intercontinental had several tables around the club, constricting the dance floor. Not the case here. However, I also thought that the club was smaller than what I expected. The may have more than one club there, I don't know, but I was expecting a grand hall of some sort, but the place was about the size of the Intercontinental's club. The girls seemed to disperse, most talking with guys at a table or bar (they would introduce me to these guys they meet as their big brother- which I would expect probably confused that heck out of these Emirati guys because all the girls in the group are white; most of the guys were really cool and friendly to talk to, though needless to say, we were probably all a little more relaxed than we normally are). I danced by myself just enjoying the music and the ambiance. You had people from all over and they were really dancing, it was fun. I saw a girl with a Phillie's hat and sneakers, and some other guy with a Yankee's cap. They danced like they were from the states, more urban and....on beat. Anyway, I'm not sure how long we were there but the club eventually began to shut down and ushered everyone out to the front. So we waited a while, just hanging out in the front, talking and laughing with a couple of the guys the girls met. I noticed the valet pulling the shiny cars around: flashy sports car here, Bentley there, car name I can't pronounce and have never even heard of here. To be fair, I only truly remember seeing one Bentley, but again I may not have been the most astute observer at this point. In fact, I was later told that a pretty important person was at the club the whole time we were there (of whose specific name or position I will refrain from mentioning because I kind of work for them now, but think royal). I can't imagine how I didn't notice that... Anyway, we all made it back to the hotel safely (taxis) and that was it. Great night. Good times.
I'll start with a quick mention on how the social scene between the LT's here at the hotel (there are about 120 of us) has turned into one that's very similar to how it is in high school. Though, you may meet new people everyday, you generally hang out with the same one or two groups of people on a daily (or cliques, as it is usually called in high school). Especially on trips out in town like to the mall, store, etc. I have two groups that I primarily hang out with, group #1, as I will refer us, consist of 4 people including me, majority male with just one female. The other group, group #2, consist of 5 or 6 people, all women except me, the lone guy in this group. Now you must think that I would feel out of place in this group, me being the only guy and all (and heterosexual). Being a male teacher has kind of taken the awkwardness out of situations like this because my profession is dominated by women, so whenever I have professional development trainings and we are grouped, I will more than likely be the only guy in the group. There may be one other guy but its not something you can count on. (By the way, quick side note, in a group professional group when projects need to get done and the number of women dominate the group, they will usually dominate the task itself, particularly with brainstorming, creativity, and strategy, ironically all things I consider myself pretty good at. They have the lowest expectations of men both as far as intelligent input and work ethic, which I assume has been conditioned from their previous professional, and probably personal, interaction with men, and understandably so. Its just funny how any valid suggestion I make is an unexpected bonus that endears me to the group. I have experienced this dynamic in almost every collaborative group that I have been apart of even in my college days at FAMU, a historically Black college. I have seen other guys, no matter their race, treated same way. It just further lets me know that women, in general, initially think that guys are lazy idiots by default until its proven otherwise. Its like reverse sexism. Just saying.)
Anyway, I thought it was important for me to mention some of the social dynamic information because someone reading this might think why is a married guy hanging out with all of these women. The day before, I hung out with group one and the next day I got together with group two for a birthday celebration. Luckily I have the greatest wife in the world (she will be coming to Abu Dhabi in October) so she understands and is okay with me going out with both groups. She trusts me and knows that I am not interested in doing anything that would disrespect her or our marriage. And of course its the same the other way around. Besides I like to play the silly, funny, brother role in situations like this. Its what I'm used to and is more fun.
As I mentioned before, one of the ladies in group two had a birthday. Yeah you can see where this going. We started out in one of the restaurants in the hotel, Coopers. We all met up, birthday girl came, the cake was there waiting for her, happy birthday song all around, drinks to follow. I believe the most important piece of information I learned tonight is that being a girl on ladies night leaves you never wanting for drinks. I may or may not have been the beneficiary of these free beverages a time or two via one of the ladies in the group.
So after a about an hour, we head out and plunged ourselves into the Abu Dhabi night scene. Apparently all of the clubs are in hotels, and we went to the Intercontinental Hotel. I have heard this was a pretty lavish hotel because some of our LT's are staying there, and it did live up to the billing. Very nice place. We headed to the club downstairs either in basement or first floor, I'm not sure. In getting out of the elevator and turning to enter the club, you kind of had your typical menacing muscle bound bouncers in suits on either side of the club entrance, with a red velvet rope hung across blocking your way in. And just like in the movies, one of my group members threw out a "they're with me," and lo and behold the rope is up and we are inside. Not sure if there was a cover, for girls I know there wasn't because it was ladies night apparently here too, but for guys there may have been.
In looking around the club I decided it is pretty much exactly what you would see in the states. DJ on a elevated platform against the wall doing his thing, house music booming, hypnotic blue light draped the room, several people hanging out at the bar, the bartender making drinks, tables set up across the club, most of which had people sitting in them sipping drinks, girls with typical club clothing or perhaps better put lack of clothing, depends on how you look at it, the same that you would expect to see in any club in the U.S. (but on the more upscale side though, nobody looked too cheap or unclassy). There was a good vibe overall. We stayed for a while, sat, danced (no touching), laughed, and then I was informed that we are going to make our exit from this here to head over to the Emirates Palace.
I had been wanting to make it over to the Emirates Palace for a little while now, so this was good to hear. The Emirates Palace is a huge and beautiful landmark here in Abu Dhabi. Some have declared it the most extravagant and luxurious hotel in the world. At night it is lit up with soft white lighting and the hotel itself is massive and ornate, so it is like this huge, gorgeous building perched prominently on the coastline (or corniche, as it is called here, which as far as I can tell is like a boardwalk along the beach). The hotel is breathtaking at night, and almost looks like it is not real when you pass it because of its size and beauty.
We hop in a car of some friends of one of the girls in the group, and when we pull up, one of the first things I start to notice is that the Kelley Blue Book value of the cars here at this hotel has significantly increased in comparison to the ones at the other hotel. I'm no car expert but I can kinda tell when a car costs twice my salary, or as much as a my house (if I had one). I saw much more of this one the way out as the valet brought the cars around for departing patrons, but I'll get to that. So we walk through the lobby to get to the club and wish I could tell you more about it but to be honest, I can't recall the specifics that I would like to recount here, and for those that may go out much more than me, you probably understand why, with it being much later in the night at this point. Fret not however, I will eventually make a trip later where I can more vividly describe the hotel, the pictures I have seen are immaculate.
We enter the club and it was a similar scene to the entrance at the other hotel. As we step inside, I immediately notice this club is a lot more focused on dancing. The Intercontinental had several tables around the club, constricting the dance floor. Not the case here. However, I also thought that the club was smaller than what I expected. The may have more than one club there, I don't know, but I was expecting a grand hall of some sort, but the place was about the size of the Intercontinental's club. The girls seemed to disperse, most talking with guys at a table or bar (they would introduce me to these guys they meet as their big brother- which I would expect probably confused that heck out of these Emirati guys because all the girls in the group are white; most of the guys were really cool and friendly to talk to, though needless to say, we were probably all a little more relaxed than we normally are). I danced by myself just enjoying the music and the ambiance. You had people from all over and they were really dancing, it was fun. I saw a girl with a Phillie's hat and sneakers, and some other guy with a Yankee's cap. They danced like they were from the states, more urban and....on beat. Anyway, I'm not sure how long we were there but the club eventually began to shut down and ushered everyone out to the front. So we waited a while, just hanging out in the front, talking and laughing with a couple of the guys the girls met. I noticed the valet pulling the shiny cars around: flashy sports car here, Bentley there, car name I can't pronounce and have never even heard of here. To be fair, I only truly remember seeing one Bentley, but again I may not have been the most astute observer at this point. In fact, I was later told that a pretty important person was at the club the whole time we were there (of whose specific name or position I will refrain from mentioning because I kind of work for them now, but think royal). I can't imagine how I didn't notice that... Anyway, we all made it back to the hotel safely (taxis) and that was it. Great night. Good times.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Grand Mosque trip completed!
So I finally get into the Grand Mosque. After two failed attempts I finally make it in on the third.
There are several, no let me rephrase that, there are tons of mosques throughout the city. I see them all the time and am interested to know what they look like inside. The exterior, as you tell from the pictures, is very distinctive to the Middle Eastern culture. When I notice them around town, it really gives me a feeling that I am in a foreign country. Besides the shape of the buildings, the thing I like best about the mosques is that at night they all have beautiful glowing green lights illuminating the towers (think of the movie Green Lantern, that color). I have not found out what this color is or represents just yet, but I know that all the mosques do this. But you can imagine how this color sprinkled across the city enhances and all ready colorful and vibrant skyline.
So anyway I was really looking forward to the inside of any mosque, just to see the architecture. There was no better mosque to visit for that than the Grand Mosque. The detail put into the place is amazing. As Juan, a colleague, and I went on the tour, we learned how patterns on the floor correspond with patterns on the ceilings (related to the idea of "so it is on Earth so shall it be in Heaven"), and how the flowers painted on the walls in the northern part of the mosque are flowers from the northern part of the world and the ones painted in the southern part of the mosque are flowers from the southern part of the world. We also learned that whereas all the other mosques are just lit green at night, the Grand Mosque is lit varying colors based on the moon cycle, from dark blue to white. So whenever you see the mosque, it can be any color on that color progression. These are just a few of the things they told us, I wish I remembered everything.
Since I was wearing shorts, I had to wear a Khadora to enter the mosque. I asked my tour guide, officials from the Grand Mosque itself, about the khadora and if it was okay for just anyone to wear it or if you have to be Muslim or from a Middle Eastern culture. When I asked the question he had everyone sit down as he was getting ready for a long explanation. Most of what made it long however, was in discussing the woman's abaya. He addressed the concerns most people had about the women being forced to wear an abaya, which apparently is not true. The women have the option to wear it, but most do because they have grown up wearing it. I get the sense though that women probably didn't have to wear it but weren't looked upon as well as those that did. As for guys, the khadoras are strictly fashion and I can wear it whenever I please. I got the go ahead from someone from the Grand Mosque! I'll be picking one up soon.
Overall the place was beautiful. I will have to go back because I had my fellow LT with me, so we came did the tour, and eventually left. I would like to go back and move through more slowly with my camera. There were so many picturesque views that I left on the table, so I would like to go back and get them.
There are several, no let me rephrase that, there are tons of mosques throughout the city. I see them all the time and am interested to know what they look like inside. The exterior, as you tell from the pictures, is very distinctive to the Middle Eastern culture. When I notice them around town, it really gives me a feeling that I am in a foreign country. Besides the shape of the buildings, the thing I like best about the mosques is that at night they all have beautiful glowing green lights illuminating the towers (think of the movie Green Lantern, that color). I have not found out what this color is or represents just yet, but I know that all the mosques do this. But you can imagine how this color sprinkled across the city enhances and all ready colorful and vibrant skyline.
So anyway I was really looking forward to the inside of any mosque, just to see the architecture. There was no better mosque to visit for that than the Grand Mosque. The detail put into the place is amazing. As Juan, a colleague, and I went on the tour, we learned how patterns on the floor correspond with patterns on the ceilings (related to the idea of "so it is on Earth so shall it be in Heaven"), and how the flowers painted on the walls in the northern part of the mosque are flowers from the northern part of the world and the ones painted in the southern part of the mosque are flowers from the southern part of the world. We also learned that whereas all the other mosques are just lit green at night, the Grand Mosque is lit varying colors based on the moon cycle, from dark blue to white. So whenever you see the mosque, it can be any color on that color progression. These are just a few of the things they told us, I wish I remembered everything.
Since I was wearing shorts, I had to wear a Khadora to enter the mosque. I asked my tour guide, officials from the Grand Mosque itself, about the khadora and if it was okay for just anyone to wear it or if you have to be Muslim or from a Middle Eastern culture. When I asked the question he had everyone sit down as he was getting ready for a long explanation. Most of what made it long however, was in discussing the woman's abaya. He addressed the concerns most people had about the women being forced to wear an abaya, which apparently is not true. The women have the option to wear it, but most do because they have grown up wearing it. I get the sense though that women probably didn't have to wear it but weren't looked upon as well as those that did. As for guys, the khadoras are strictly fashion and I can wear it whenever I please. I got the go ahead from someone from the Grand Mosque! I'll be picking one up soon.
Overall the place was beautiful. I will have to go back because I had my fellow LT with me, so we came did the tour, and eventually left. I would like to go back and move through more slowly with my camera. There were so many picturesque views that I left on the table, so I would like to go back and get them.
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