Sunday, December 6, 2009
RAIN
You will not believe it but I am curled up in bed right now listening to the RAIN falling outside!!! I never thought I would say that in Bahrain!! It's been cloudy and a little bit drizzly all day, but now it is actually RAINING! And the forecast has rain for the next 5 days!!!!! AMAZING!
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Eid Mubarak!
Well, it's time for the second Eid of the year, so we have six days off of school again. The first Eid occurs at the end of Ramadan in celebration of the end of the month of fasting. During the second Eid, many Muslims remember the sacrafice that Abraham was willing to make with his son Isaac. It is tradition that on the first day of Eid, Muslims will slaughter their own lamb early in the morning and then eat it later in the day with family. Although I knew this, I was still a little shocked to step out of my apartment on Friday morning and see a pool of blood in the street. One of the neighbors was cleaning blood and entrails off his front step and the remants were pooling outside my building. Lovely.
It is also during this Eid that many Muslims make a trip to Mecca. I saw on the news that Saudi was getting hit with rain, so all the Muslims in Mecca were getting poured on. I was quite excited about the prospect of rain, and we did enjoy a lovely five minute rain yesterday evening. Unfortunately, before I could get my shoes on and go to the roof to enjoy it, it was over.
The rain has brought in some cooler temperatures, so it seems that winter is drawing near. In the last week I have seen people sporting jackets, snow hats, and even scarves; all necessary in these chilly 75* days. :)
It is also during this Eid that many Muslims make a trip to Mecca. I saw on the news that Saudi was getting hit with rain, so all the Muslims in Mecca were getting poured on. I was quite excited about the prospect of rain, and we did enjoy a lovely five minute rain yesterday evening. Unfortunately, before I could get my shoes on and go to the roof to enjoy it, it was over.
The rain has brought in some cooler temperatures, so it seems that winter is drawing near. In the last week I have seen people sporting jackets, snow hats, and even scarves; all necessary in these chilly 75* days. :)
Thursday, November 5, 2009
what are they thinking?
One of my better students was studiously bent over his desk working on his math assignment. As I walked closer, I looked at his hand. "What is that?" I asked, to which he enthusiastically replied, "It's my pencil, Miss. I've had it since last year!"
morning surprise
after a rather unsettling few days at school, I was treated to an unusual surprise one morning. Upon meeting my class in the courtyard, one of my more disruptive and generally rebellious children walks up to me and hands me a small purple box. "From my mother, " he says.
Hmmm...a nice gesture or a bribe??? I'm not sure yet...
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
welcome back to school
Just thought I would give you a little update on the happenings of MKS. We've only been back in school for three days, but from what I can tell, most classes are pretty chaotic. I think it's just because the kids have been out of school so long; they can't sit still, can't concentrate, and won't stop talking. That seems to be pretty consistent all across the board. It's like they've forgotten everything completely. Here are just a few examples from the last two days:
1. I was on duty in the cafeteria and right in front of my a little fourth grader punches another boy right in the face. Then he ran away laughing. I caught him by the arm and asked him why he did that and he said, "It's ok; he's my cousin." I took him to the principal.
2. On the second day I called my first parent. This kid is one of two extremes. He is either completely spaced out, like he's on a different planet or he's talking non stop about anything and everything. In either case, he does absolutely nothing in class.
3. At the end of the day yesterday, we were wrapping up our lesson when suddenly one kid says something to another one, which causes him to jump out of his chair and push the first kid up against the wall like he's ready to fight. I wrote a note to send them both to the school counselor, and one of them refused to leave claiming he did nothing wrong. Then the other one also refused to leave. So I said I would keep them after school then, which made the defiant one put his head on his desk and start crying. I took them both to the office after school.
4. One of the kids from number 3 (not the crier, the other one) has decided he is not going to do anything in class. He doesnt' bring his books and he just sits there. Today they were supposed to be working on their vocabulary and writing sentences. He ripped a giant hole in the middle of his paper and wouldn't write anything. When I asked him why, he said he was sick. I told him if he was sick he should take his paper and go to the office. he refused to leave or do his work, so I sent another student to get the counselor. She talked to him for about 15 minutes and called his parents.
5. And this one takes the cake! At the end of the day we usually play hangman while the bus kids are leaving. There is one kid, the spaced out talker from number 2, who sits right in the front so I can keep an eye on him. Well, while we were playing, he was messing around with his water bottle. It has a long shoulder strap which he took off the bottle and was playing with. I didn't mind because he was quiet and not bothering anyone. Well, in the span on a minute, and I kid you not, it was that fast, he had made a loop with the strap, put it around his neck, and tied the other end to the leg of his chair. By the time I turned to look at him, he was on the floor on all fours howling and barking and jumping around like a dog. My jaw dropped, and I literally stood there with my mouth hanging open. Then I called his name and asked him to sit down, so he quickly scrambled into his seat and is frantically aplogizing while still wearing the dog collar and leash. I just started laughing because at that point, there was nothing else I could do.
The life of a school teacher...
1. I was on duty in the cafeteria and right in front of my a little fourth grader punches another boy right in the face. Then he ran away laughing. I caught him by the arm and asked him why he did that and he said, "It's ok; he's my cousin." I took him to the principal.
2. On the second day I called my first parent. This kid is one of two extremes. He is either completely spaced out, like he's on a different planet or he's talking non stop about anything and everything. In either case, he does absolutely nothing in class.
3. At the end of the day yesterday, we were wrapping up our lesson when suddenly one kid says something to another one, which causes him to jump out of his chair and push the first kid up against the wall like he's ready to fight. I wrote a note to send them both to the school counselor, and one of them refused to leave claiming he did nothing wrong. Then the other one also refused to leave. So I said I would keep them after school then, which made the defiant one put his head on his desk and start crying. I took them both to the office after school.
4. One of the kids from number 3 (not the crier, the other one) has decided he is not going to do anything in class. He doesnt' bring his books and he just sits there. Today they were supposed to be working on their vocabulary and writing sentences. He ripped a giant hole in the middle of his paper and wouldn't write anything. When I asked him why, he said he was sick. I told him if he was sick he should take his paper and go to the office. he refused to leave or do his work, so I sent another student to get the counselor. She talked to him for about 15 minutes and called his parents.
5. And this one takes the cake! At the end of the day we usually play hangman while the bus kids are leaving. There is one kid, the spaced out talker from number 2, who sits right in the front so I can keep an eye on him. Well, while we were playing, he was messing around with his water bottle. It has a long shoulder strap which he took off the bottle and was playing with. I didn't mind because he was quiet and not bothering anyone. Well, in the span on a minute, and I kid you not, it was that fast, he had made a loop with the strap, put it around his neck, and tied the other end to the leg of his chair. By the time I turned to look at him, he was on the floor on all fours howling and barking and jumping around like a dog. My jaw dropped, and I literally stood there with my mouth hanging open. Then I called his name and asked him to sit down, so he quickly scrambled into his seat and is frantically aplogizing while still wearing the dog collar and leash. I just started laughing because at that point, there was nothing else I could do.
The life of a school teacher...
Thursday, October 1, 2009
virtual shower
This summer my aunts threw me a wonderful wedding shower. Due to my unusual circumstances, they made it a virtual shower where all the guests wrapped up pictures of what they wanted to give me and enclosed the monetary amount to make that purchase once I returned to Bahrain. Well, I've moved into my new apartment and have begun the shopping! Actually, many people generously donated dishes, kitchen appliances, towels, and sheets, so I've only purchased a few things. Here are some pics of the new items...
my favorite...a must have for those who don't enjoy cooking...a crock pot!
apartment pictures coming soon!
my favorite...a must have for those who don't enjoy cooking...a crock pot!
hanging by the front door...these colors match my tan furniture and yellow table cloth
this is the green color I'm going to use in the bedroom
kitchen supplies...
I have this interesting gray/white/black squared tile ffloor to ceiling in the kitchen. with bright yellow cabinets
this is the green color I'm going to use in the bedroomkitchen supplies...I have this interesting gray/white/black squared tile ffloor to ceiling in the kitchen. with bright yellow cabinetsapartment pictures coming soon!
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