Tomorrow I finish my first week of school in Kuwait. I really love it here. A lot of it is exactly what I expected, but a lot of it is totally different. I'm still trying to figure everything out, but that will take a while. I haven't had much direction with anything. I actually got in trouble today for not getting my classes books yet. I'm use to getting books the second week of school due to schedule changes and such. I say I got on trouble, they just came in and told me I had to get them today no matter what. A lot of the school is ran like this. I was never told that books needed to be checked out by Wednesday. A lot of the procedures are assumed to be understood.
I love the girls. They are so eager to learn and they are so interested in knowing all about me. I think it would be really interesting to grow up in a school where each teacher is from somewhere new. They want to know our stories and they really hold us in high regards since we are from America and Canada. They have all been to America. One girl today said, "I love America, you have everything there! Every type of pen, pencil, sock, cheese, everything is there!" It was weird that those are the things that she used for examples, but I think she was trying to make the point that even trivial things have varieties. They listen to everything I say. I never have to repeat myself, and when I assign in class work, 100% are on task. There aren't any lazy workers or anyone trying to hide their cell phones under their desks while they text. They really are engaged, and its great! It's amazing how much more motivated I am to explain things until they all understand when they are all so eager. I had a girl do a test run on her email the second day to make sure she could contact me when she needed to.
Today I guess I was still half asleep when I was making my lunch, or maybe it was because I was preoccupied skyping. I accidentally stuck my cheese container in my backpack instead of my lunch. I told my kids that I was certain that their brains have reached capacity this week, because mine has. I couldn't even pack my lunch correctly! One of my sweet 9th graders came in my room right when lunch started and offered me a pear, cookies and juice. I told her I wouldn't take her food, but I really appreciate the gesture. She left it on the table and said she wouldn't leave the room with it, so she was leaving it there. It's a very generous culture here, and they take a lot of offense if you don't accept the gifts they give, so I took it. That really touched my heart. It's only been 4 days of school and these girls are already teaching me lessons.
We started writing mock lab reports yesterday. They were all about them. When I gave them an in-class assignment with 5 minutes left of class, they all worked straight through the bell - every single class. When I told them on day one that I dismiss them, not the bell, they listened. I had to actually tell them to stop working and that we would finish them next class. It might just be that its the first week of school and they're all trying to really stay engaged, but I really hope I can keep their attention this much through the entire year. They were telling us in orientation that its extremely competitive at the school because they're all competing for scholarships to go to America for college. Only a certain amount can go, and they can only go to certain schools, mainly Ivy League. Their school is paid for and they also get a ridiculous monthly allowance while they're in America. Grade 9 is when GPA starts counting, so they're jumping in full force. I really hope they are all successful.
My routine has drastically changed here. In the states, my day started no earlier than 7:30am. I would get to school around 9am and I'd have my planning period until almost 10. I'd teach 3 classes, have an hour lunch, and teach three more classes. I'd go through the starbucks drive-thru in the morning and maybe get a bite to eat. I never even thought about lunch in the mornings because I could go drive somewhere and pick something up. Dinner was always with friends somewhere in Dallas, and I was normally playing kickball or working the league. I NEVER cooked at home. My weekends consisted of extreme social time. Brunches, nights out, dinners, pool time, concerts and whatever else we could find to entertain us. It's completely different here. The sun is up at 4:30am, and I'm up by 5:30am to catch the 6:30am bus with 25 other teachers. I get to school around 6:45 with my backpack full of everything I need for the day that was packed the night before, my french pressed coffee in hand, and wide awake ready for the day. I drop off anything that I need copied (someone else does all the copying...that's an entire other blog entry in itself), and I head to my classroom. My daily schedule is different everyday. I have all of my classes on Sunday and Monday (5 each day), but not at the same times. Tuesday and Wednesday, I teach 4 classes, and Thursday I only teach 3. I have a ton of planning time, which is great. I only have a 30 minute lunch, which is more than enough time since I have to pack my lunch. I think I'm allowed to walk across the street to the Bakala if I need to, but I still have to sign out with security at the front. I'm done at 2:30, on the bus at 3:15, and back home by 3:30. I've been taking about an hour nap when I get home, then visit with people here for a bit. I normally just leave my door open and my new friends come and grade papers (or as my Canadian friends call it, mark papers) and talk about our days here. Sometimes we'll order food, which is always entertaining. Our building is really hard to find considering there aren't street names here. Trying to tell someone how to get here who doesn't speak English is sometimes a huge failure. I've had to carry my phone down to my heiress or security guard to help get the delivery guy to the right place. I shower at night, which I never did in the past, and I'm in bed by 9:30-10ish. I'm still getting use to having my weekends on Friday and Saturday, but I like it! Who wants to work on Friday anyway?
All in all, it was a great week, considering the circumstances. I walked in my classroom on Sunday morning and my dry erase board was back off the wall, I had a smartboard with no power supplies or anything else, I had a computer with no cables, and a projector that worked, but no computer to hook it to. Luckily I brought my lap top and was able to connect the projector to it and throw together a power point presentation as a back-up plan. I haven't been able to make copies at all, so we've been creative with nothing but a projector. We've made it work, so its all good. I talked to my principal today about some of the things that need to get worked out. Hopefully it gets all put together soon.
The rumor on the street is that when they offer new contracts in January, you have to sign for 2 more years. I really like it here, but I'm not sure if I can do 3 years. I needed to get out of Dallas, and I'm so glad this is where I ended up. I love the culture, the people, my colleagues, the travel opportunities, the sunrises, my sweet girls and definitely the food, but Dallas is my home and its irreplaceable. I wanted to travel, and I wanted to experience living on this side of the world, and that's exactly what I'm doing. I am 100% overly satisfied with my decision. Nothing can replace the friendships I made in Dallas and the people in the states who were a huge influence on how I became who I am today. They're my family and I miss all of them. I have a lot of thinking and praying to do the next few months to figure out which paper I'll sign in January. I wouldn't mind a few prayers sent my way. :) The group of friends I've made here have already decided that we are all going to sit down and make a group decision. If we stay, we want as many of us to stay together as possible. I think it's a good idea.
I have so many pictures to share, but my internet is still very slow here at the apartment. My wireless card works extremely well at school, so maybe I'll be able to upload some tomorrow while I'm planning.
I love the girls. They are so eager to learn and they are so interested in knowing all about me. I think it would be really interesting to grow up in a school where each teacher is from somewhere new. They want to know our stories and they really hold us in high regards since we are from America and Canada. They have all been to America. One girl today said, "I love America, you have everything there! Every type of pen, pencil, sock, cheese, everything is there!" It was weird that those are the things that she used for examples, but I think she was trying to make the point that even trivial things have varieties. They listen to everything I say. I never have to repeat myself, and when I assign in class work, 100% are on task. There aren't any lazy workers or anyone trying to hide their cell phones under their desks while they text. They really are engaged, and its great! It's amazing how much more motivated I am to explain things until they all understand when they are all so eager. I had a girl do a test run on her email the second day to make sure she could contact me when she needed to.
Today I guess I was still half asleep when I was making my lunch, or maybe it was because I was preoccupied skyping. I accidentally stuck my cheese container in my backpack instead of my lunch. I told my kids that I was certain that their brains have reached capacity this week, because mine has. I couldn't even pack my lunch correctly! One of my sweet 9th graders came in my room right when lunch started and offered me a pear, cookies and juice. I told her I wouldn't take her food, but I really appreciate the gesture. She left it on the table and said she wouldn't leave the room with it, so she was leaving it there. It's a very generous culture here, and they take a lot of offense if you don't accept the gifts they give, so I took it. That really touched my heart. It's only been 4 days of school and these girls are already teaching me lessons.
We started writing mock lab reports yesterday. They were all about them. When I gave them an in-class assignment with 5 minutes left of class, they all worked straight through the bell - every single class. When I told them on day one that I dismiss them, not the bell, they listened. I had to actually tell them to stop working and that we would finish them next class. It might just be that its the first week of school and they're all trying to really stay engaged, but I really hope I can keep their attention this much through the entire year. They were telling us in orientation that its extremely competitive at the school because they're all competing for scholarships to go to America for college. Only a certain amount can go, and they can only go to certain schools, mainly Ivy League. Their school is paid for and they also get a ridiculous monthly allowance while they're in America. Grade 9 is when GPA starts counting, so they're jumping in full force. I really hope they are all successful.
My routine has drastically changed here. In the states, my day started no earlier than 7:30am. I would get to school around 9am and I'd have my planning period until almost 10. I'd teach 3 classes, have an hour lunch, and teach three more classes. I'd go through the starbucks drive-thru in the morning and maybe get a bite to eat. I never even thought about lunch in the mornings because I could go drive somewhere and pick something up. Dinner was always with friends somewhere in Dallas, and I was normally playing kickball or working the league. I NEVER cooked at home. My weekends consisted of extreme social time. Brunches, nights out, dinners, pool time, concerts and whatever else we could find to entertain us. It's completely different here. The sun is up at 4:30am, and I'm up by 5:30am to catch the 6:30am bus with 25 other teachers. I get to school around 6:45 with my backpack full of everything I need for the day that was packed the night before, my french pressed coffee in hand, and wide awake ready for the day. I drop off anything that I need copied (someone else does all the copying...that's an entire other blog entry in itself), and I head to my classroom. My daily schedule is different everyday. I have all of my classes on Sunday and Monday (5 each day), but not at the same times. Tuesday and Wednesday, I teach 4 classes, and Thursday I only teach 3. I have a ton of planning time, which is great. I only have a 30 minute lunch, which is more than enough time since I have to pack my lunch. I think I'm allowed to walk across the street to the Bakala if I need to, but I still have to sign out with security at the front. I'm done at 2:30, on the bus at 3:15, and back home by 3:30. I've been taking about an hour nap when I get home, then visit with people here for a bit. I normally just leave my door open and my new friends come and grade papers (or as my Canadian friends call it, mark papers) and talk about our days here. Sometimes we'll order food, which is always entertaining. Our building is really hard to find considering there aren't street names here. Trying to tell someone how to get here who doesn't speak English is sometimes a huge failure. I've had to carry my phone down to my heiress or security guard to help get the delivery guy to the right place. I shower at night, which I never did in the past, and I'm in bed by 9:30-10ish. I'm still getting use to having my weekends on Friday and Saturday, but I like it! Who wants to work on Friday anyway?
All in all, it was a great week, considering the circumstances. I walked in my classroom on Sunday morning and my dry erase board was back off the wall, I had a smartboard with no power supplies or anything else, I had a computer with no cables, and a projector that worked, but no computer to hook it to. Luckily I brought my lap top and was able to connect the projector to it and throw together a power point presentation as a back-up plan. I haven't been able to make copies at all, so we've been creative with nothing but a projector. We've made it work, so its all good. I talked to my principal today about some of the things that need to get worked out. Hopefully it gets all put together soon.
The rumor on the street is that when they offer new contracts in January, you have to sign for 2 more years. I really like it here, but I'm not sure if I can do 3 years. I needed to get out of Dallas, and I'm so glad this is where I ended up. I love the culture, the people, my colleagues, the travel opportunities, the sunrises, my sweet girls and definitely the food, but Dallas is my home and its irreplaceable. I wanted to travel, and I wanted to experience living on this side of the world, and that's exactly what I'm doing. I am 100% overly satisfied with my decision. Nothing can replace the friendships I made in Dallas and the people in the states who were a huge influence on how I became who I am today. They're my family and I miss all of them. I have a lot of thinking and praying to do the next few months to figure out which paper I'll sign in January. I wouldn't mind a few prayers sent my way. :) The group of friends I've made here have already decided that we are all going to sit down and make a group decision. If we stay, we want as many of us to stay together as possible. I think it's a good idea.
I have so many pictures to share, but my internet is still very slow here at the apartment. My wireless card works extremely well at school, so maybe I'll be able to upload some tomorrow while I'm planning.
This is at the dock at the Marina Mall. That's the Kuwait City skyline in the far background. It was beautiful, but the water's pretty gross. Look how big the sun is! Sunsets and sunrises are beautiful here. I am on the 9th floor, so I can see the sun hitting the endless amount of white buildings in the morning all across the flat land. It makes me smile knowing I get to wake up to this view.
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