Life in Dubai

I have been living in Dubai for seven months now. It is absolutely the most advanced, craziest city I've ever lived and I absolutely love it. I have always loved adventure and have traveled and lived in some interesting places, but this takes the cake. From the sand storms to the lavish malls to the sandy beaches, Dubai truly has it all.

There have been some things that have taken time to get used to here.

1. My Job
I have shifted from being a teacher to being an administrator and it has taken some time to shift into my new role. I have always been a teacher and I love being a teacher. I mean, I really love it. It drives me and helps me get up on all of those early mornings. Schools are alive with enthusiastic, curious students who will lead our world one day. They are my driving force. But being an administrator means you don't have that kind of one-on-one contact with them on a daily basis. No student is calling you his/her teacher. It is almost like a death of some sort. But that connection is replaced with hard-working, eager teachers. Teachers who work day and night to make sure that every single child is making progress in his/her class.

You also have to make hard decisions that sometimes affect many people or cause sadness, anger, or resentment. Change is hard for most people. There are some hard changes we have had to make this year in my school for various reasons and it has been difficult to say the least. But we are making progress as we get to know each other and work together for the same purpose.

Being an administrator does allow me to get out and see things that are happening around the school. For example, we had a Dr. Seuss day where reading was celebrated.

I often find various posters up around the school celebrating initiatives from the government, in science, math, etc.

I also witnessed and participated in an inspection process here in Dubai. My school is accredited through NEASC, but every single school here in Dubai has to go through an inspection process with KHDA (Knowledge and Human Development Authority), our local entity, where a team of inspectors comes for a week and observes, meets, and discusses your progress compared to the previous year. The team was predominately American and I really enjoyed talking with them and share experiences. What I anticipated as being a scary, stressful process ended up being collaborative and rewarding.

2. The driving

Holy God, the driving...it is absolutely insane. From the roundabouts to the tailgaters, to the luxury cars to the 10 lanes of highway, I have had to get used to the way things are done here on the roads. One of the great things about being in Dubai is that you get a brand new car when you rent for a year. So, I have a Nissan Sunny that I rented for about $300/month, all inclusive. I absolutely love it. But seriously, the other drivers can make/break your day. I live in the school's accommodation, so it is very close to my school. It takes me five minutes to get to work. The problem comes when I have to drive to other places. Cars will come up on your bumper and honk and/or flash their lights while maintaining a "safe" distance of an inch or two. It is madness. Often these cars are worth more than a house, but it doesn't matter. Sometimes it is the crappiest cars and don't get me started on the mini buses for workers. They are the absolute worst! There are speed cameras at nearly every mile of the highway, so you would think that makes a difference, but it doesn't seem to make a dent in the problem. Imagine if there were no cameras? OMG!

I also can't get used to the traffic circles/roundabouts here. I can't figure out which lane to use and when you ask people or look online, you get different answers. Last week, a guy missed me by INCHES when get cut in front of me to exit the roundabout. In my opinion, you need to be in the right lane if you are exiting. But everyone has to exit, so I feel more comfortable staying in the right lane, but then I block people from exiting. It is a nightmare.

3. The sandy weather 
I thought when I moved to Dubai, it was going to be luxury everything and lots of sun. I mean, I live a few minutes from the beach and it is always hot...or so I thought. The past few days we have had blinding sandstorms and then a deluge of rain. Once the rain comes, it seems to clear out all of the nasty, sandy weather. I have no lived in a desert before, naturally, so I didn't realize the amount of says. Sounds stupid, doesn't it...but I am serious. Dubai was built on a desert and I live in the middle of it. And as you can imagine sand gets on everything...balconies, inside windows, cars, eyes, etc. I had eye surgery last year to correct my vision and I still have some dryness here and there, but the desert has made it ten times worse. I use Visine quite often!

One of the local newspapers posted this worker trying to keep the sand out of his eyes and these guys crossing a bridge.

4. The diversity

The diversity is utterly amazing here. At last check, we had over 50 different countries represented in our school. The teachers in my school come from Lebanan, Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Ireland, Canada and the UK. It is the most diverse place I have every worked and it is glorious. One of the things I have learned is to ask a lot of questions instead of making an assumption. For example, if I see something at work with a teacher, I first ask about what is happening instead of assuming. I also have to be careful as I am the only U.S. trained teacher in my school and I need to learn more about how U.S. curriculum looks in our context within the mission and vision of our school. Honestly, it is about respecting one another and giving other the benefit of the doubt.

5. The services

I am not going to lie, I do have someone clean my house and do my laundry. I have someone wash my car. I have groceries delivered and sometimes meals. I have water delivered every week. I have someone do my nails and take care of my body (massage, etc.). I have a newspaper delivered every morning. Even my new car was delivered to me. I often have food delivered. We have tons of workers at school who immediately help with the call of a name. I seriously don't lift a finger. You can get anything delivered here including: laundry, groceries, spa services, Souq packages (like Amazon), and food from nearly every restaurant (including Dunkin Donuts and Cheesecake Factory!). If it deliverable, it can happen. 

6. Separation of genders, dress code 

My school is mixed, but the majority of schools have separate sections for boys and girls. Additionally, all of the government services here seem to be separated, especially if there is some sort of contact. Yesterday, I actually saw an ambulance especially for women with a female EMT. The gyms and beauty services are also mostly separated. My gym has a mixed area and an area for all females. I have to say, I love the all-female gym. It gives me some sort of power feeling to see a bunch of strong women working out. This has been especially important for me as I get back into shape. Even some of the taxis are by gender like this pink one in front of our school.

The dress code is also a bit different. I am amazed at the women who exercise completely covered because of the heat. I am always dying in my t-shirt and capris. You see a range of different types from completely covered to barely covered (at the beach), but for work, government and normal day-to-day activities, I try to keep my shoulders and legs/elbows covered. One of my favorite stories is Banana Republic and it is very different here. They have the same type of clothing you would see back home and then they have culturally appropriate clothing. I have bought several dresses for work from there.

Well, I guess that is for now. I will try to blog a bit more especially as I am leaving for spring break tonight to Vietnam/Cambodia. 

Cyprus and Amasra

Since I only have a few weeks left, I wanted to make sure I included Cyprus (the Turkish side) in my travels before heading back to the U.S. The flight is only about an hour, so I knew that I could do it in a weekend.

I booked a sea view at one of the hotels my colleagues recommended and asked for the highest floor. The hotel did not disappoint. They gave me the top floor and the hotel is located on a stunning piece of real estate with dramatic blue seas as far as the eye can see. I am fascinated by the water. I think it stems from the fact that I grew up in a land-locked state and I rarely saw the ocean. But the Mediterranean is my favorite. I can't get enough of the gorgeous, turquoise-blue water. It is just stunning and what I crave to be near when I am stressed or have too many plates spinning in the air. I don't even need to get in the sea, just being close to it is enough for me.

I had to change rooms after the first night because the bathroom was backed up and was leaking into my shower. So, they placed me on a lower floor with a gorgeous sea view. The pic to the left is that view.

The town of Girne is very small and easy to navigate. It was mostly tourists with a small harbor. People are very nice, but clearly rely on tourists for their income. I didn't venture out much except to the harbor and a few shops.

The sunsets are amazing from the balcony of my apartment, but they were even better here. I watched the sun set both nights and it was just glorious. I imagine I could just rent a place here for a month and spend my days swimming in the sea and reading in the afternoons.

I had a little work to finish, so I spent a few hours a day writing, but overall, it was very relaxing.

During my last full weekend here in Turkey, I decided to go to Amasra, a beautiful coastal city on the Black Sea about three and a half hours from Ankara by bus. The bus ride was fine, although not for the faint of heart because of the mountains.

How it all happened...

Many people have asked me about the new job in Dubai. I have to admit, I wasn't really looking. I love Turkey. I love Bilkent. The people here are sweet, passionate, and respectful. After finishing my degree last fall, I knew I wanted a leadership position in curriculum, instruction and/or assessment in a K-12 environment, but I thought I would stay here another year or two and see how things developed. As most of you know and have experienced, find a job in today's day and age takes time. So, I reorganized and updated my resume and started looking at some of the options on Linkedin. I clicked on a few jobs and uploaded my new resume. A week later I had an email request to complete some formal paperwork. I actually received the request when I was in Thailand and my computer was not working, so I had to complete it when I got back. So, I replied to the email and said I would submit later when I returned home. Once I returned home, I submitted the paperwork and received an email request for an interview with the principal. Then, I began to get nervous. Oh no, what happens if this actually goes through and I get hired? Oh crap, I need to get myself together and review some things before this interview. The secretary told me the interview would be via Facetime.

The interview went well and the principal said he would probably recommend me to the Chief Academic Officer (CAO) for an interview. So, a week later, I had an interview with her too. Our interview was mostly a conversation together, which was nice because I was able to explain my ideas and passion for K-12. This position is for a curriculum coordinator at one of the school systems managed by AMSI in Dubai. There are currently three school systems with a fourth one to open in the fall. The job is exactly what I want to do - supporting teachers, curriculum implementation, etc. and all with American curriculum. Hooray! After the interview, I received a contract a few days later. So, I had a tough decision to make - stay in Turkey or go to Dubai. I have been teaching for 18 years. I love, love, love teaching. It is truly my passion. But I am also ready to support teachers full time. I want this to be my primary focus at this time in my career. So, I accepted the job. Then, came the fun part - the PAPERWORK. The new job wanted two things attested. I had no idea what that meant, but I was soon to find out. 

Attested is basically like a glorified notary but with government officials. My highest diploma and a criminal record needed to be attested. For the diploma, it needed to receive approvals from the Secretary of State, Department of State, and the UAE embassy in the country in which the diploma was received. So, when is it all said and done, it cost me about $350 to get this done because I had to send my diploma to the U.S. and then pay a service to run it around for the approvals. This will take 4-5 weeks (but of course the new job wanted it in a week). 

Secondly, I had to get a criminal record attested from Turkey. This is where the problems began. I called the UAE embassy here in Ankara and they told me that I could print out my criminal record from the online system, take it to the ministry of foreign affairs, and then bring it to the UAE embassy for attestation. So, I went to the Post Office (twice) to get my password and then my colleague helped me to navigate the site (in Turkish). I printed my record and headed to the ministry. When I arrived to the ministry, I went through all of the security, walked to the building, and took my place in line. Nearly an hour later, my number was called. The guy took the paper and threw it back at me while muttering something in Turkish. I told him I don't understand. I also gave him a piece of paper that a colleague had written for me in Turkish requesting attestation. He repeated whatever he said and when I didn't understand, he wrote something on the paper. When I tried to use my phone to call a friend for help with the language, he said no. At this point, I was getting upset. I repeatedly told him I didn't understand while he proceeded to push the next number. I refused to move, so he told me to sit down next to the window. When the next person came up to the window, he asked him to translate for me. The guy was from Sudan and he translated that I needed to go to the governor's office and then back here. So, I called a friend (and maybe cussed a bit) and then got directions to the governor's office. When I arrived at the governor's office, she also threw my papers back at me and did not speak English. I asked her if I could use my phone and she said yes. When I called a friend, he translated for me and we talked back and forth. She said that I needed to get the record printed at another office and that foreign governments do not accept the online version. When I told her what the UAE embassy had told me, she told me they don't know Turkish law. Apparently, either does the ministry of foreign affairs. 

By that point, it was time for me to go back to work after roaming around the city for three hours. Essentially, I had started with steps three and four of this five step process. So, I headed back to work and vowed to start anew in the morning. This time a friend met me in the city to help me with all of the paperwork. First, we picked up the criminal report, which was easy, but took some time. Then, we went to the notary down the street. My friend was translating for me and come to find out, the notary spoke English! That was the only place that spoke English in this whole process except the UAE embassy. After the notary, we got the necessary stamp in the city and then headed to the foreign ministry for step four. My friend was not allowed in, even though I argued, so I struggled to get it done.

Finally, I was able to go the UAE embassy here in Ankara with all of the required docs. Not an easy task, but it is done. Geez!

10 days to go!

As I sit here on my balcony for the umpteenth time, listening to another storm roll  in on this beautiful summer night in Ankara, I am thankful. I am thankful for this experience of working here at Bilkent. It has finally hit me that I am leaving, so I am in a mad rush to get in one more trip, meet one more friend, go to my office one more time. There have been a lot of things going on, so I thought I would try to catch you up.

sunset from my balcony 

view from my balcony 

I will be leaving Turkey on July 22 flying through Germany and the East Coast to head to St. Louis for about a month. After a month of visiting friends and resting a bit, I will head over to Dubai some time mid-August. My hope is that I will receive all of my household goods during the week before orientation, so that I can unpack and get settled. I do much better when I am settled and everything is in its place. So, here is what has been happening over the last few weeks.



Holiday Time
At the end of Ramadan, we had a long weekend, so my partner and I headed to Bodrum to spend the holiday with his family. Bodrum is stunning. It is on the coast of the Mediterranean with bright blue seas. This was my third time to Bodrum, but the first time staying in a summer home. A lot of the people here seem to have summer homes that they can enjoy during the warm months. We stayed with my partner's family, which of course, made me miss my niece and nephew even more. I can hardly wait to see them. The family would go to the beach in the morning and the pool in the late afternoon. This was really smart so that everybody didn't get too much sun, but was always moving and enjoying vacation. The drive was the worst part as we drove through mountains and well, Turkish drives don't always obey the road rules. There were many times when I closed my eyes and maybe overcorrected my partner a bit too much. I had a hard time containing my control freak nature, but I tried. It was a lot to do in just four days, but I am so thankful for the experience.

huge pool at Can's family's place

love the yachts

the beach was pebbly and the water rough

cotton candy on the beach!

Black Sea
I went on a day trip to the Black Sea, specifically Filyos with one of the tourism agencies here. The trips that the tour guide plans are always fun with many different activities. This one was just a day at the beach, resting and relaxing. I had never been to the Black Sea and it was on my list, so I was really glad that I could fit it in. The day was bright and sunny, but turned cloudy and started raining as we left. On the way out. we stopped by some ruins and took stunning pictures in lookout area just above the beach. I try to take in these moments and burn them into my memory for when I am sweating in the desert this fall. Turkey is honestly one of the most beautiful countries in the world. From the seas to the mountains to the amazing food, it is just spectacular.

panoramic 

The ruins are also amazing here. There are ruins everywhere and in this case, they were trying to create and exhibit of them, so a guard was there protecting them. It was just breathtaking.

Car is Gone!
I have been walking to work the past week or so since I sold my car. My walk to work is gorgeous with tree-lined paths and stunning scenery. It is about two miles to work, so if I walk to and from, I get about 10,000 steps. I have also been walking to the gym, so the steps add up! But I definitely miss my baby car. She was very good to me and tolerant as I learned to drive a stick shift.

walk from my office to library

Dr. Akagun

Laser Eye Surgery
I had corrective eye surgery in early June and boy, was it an experience. I have been wearing contacts/glasses since I was ten years old. I knew several of the expats here had laser surgery, so I asked the expat community and they referred me to Dr. Akagun. Now, my prescription is high, so I knew it would be miracle if I could actually see without contacts/glasses. But it worked!! The first few days really, really sucked. I slept for like 48 hours and I could not deal with the sunlight. But about day 3 or 4, I turned the corner. I could see so clearly. It is still very weird for me to get up and not have to put on my glasses or take out my contacts at night. I still have to use drops during the day and an ointment at night, but my eyes feel really great. Hopefully, the dryness will disappear soon. The doctor was very sweet and I would recommend her to anyone. It was a bit difficult with the language (other than the doctor) in the clinic, but overall, it was a good experience.

after 

before

getting ready 

yeah, I rocked those glasses

Thailand!!

I travel alone. Well, most of the time. Sometimes there are people I meet at my destination, but I mostly travel alone. I am a serious traveler and when people hear that I travel, the most common question they ask is, "Do you really travel alone?" And then, of course, it is usually followed up with, "Aren't you scared? Isn't it lonely?" I guess sometimes it might be more interesting to travel with people, but traveling alone is empowering, dynamic, and enjoyable. I like the fact that I get to decide where I travel without consultation, whining, or negotiation. I get to decide. Maybe that is selfish or egocentric, but I don't care. Traveling is my passion and I love to be in a place that doesn't look like where I grew up with people I can't understand. Seriously. It is where I am at absolute peace and solitude. My greatest reflections and revelations come while I am traveling. From figuring out transportation to understanding food to trying a new activity, it renews me, it sustains me. 

Haad Tien Bay

Once we start the school year, I usually look at my holiday time and try to plan out where I can go. Bonus points if I can scratch off a new country on my cool world map. So, back in September or October, I decided to go to Thailand for my winter holiday. Ankara is normally cold and snowy during January so I decided that I wanted to go to a warm, humid place that required no sweaters, coats, thermal socks, or boots. My toes needed to breathe. My skin needed to feel that sticky, humid air. My nose needed to smell the ocean. I am a member of a Facebook girls travel group and I saw a suggestion for The Sanctuary in Koh Phangan (https://www.thesanctuarythailand.com/). There were various options including a spa and yoga package. I decided that I wanted to choose the "yoga holiday" which gave me: 

• 7 nights accommodation
• Welcoming meal
• 6 Yoga / Pilates classes
• 2 Private Yoga / Pilates sessions
• 1 Sanctuary therapy or healing session
• 5 Massage treatments (1 hour each)
• Daily Steam Room

I mean, they really had me with the pictures, but once I realized I could do yoga along with spa treatments, I was in! I emailed the resort and they responded immediately. I had a ton of questions and they answered all of them. I reserved my room and started looking for airfare. My biggest concern was with actually getting from the airport in Koh Samui to the next island where I could find the resort. There were many different ways to get there from a ferry to taxi boat to trunk, so I checked with the staff for the best way to get there. In the end, I actually took three flights, a taxi, a ferry, and a taxi boat. The island is only accessible by boat and after going through this experience, I think I should make this a requirement for all of my warm weather vacations. The island is isolated but spectacular. The resort is set into the jungle where you actually climb a mountain to get to your accommodation. It felt a bit like camp but in the middle of a rainforest. 

I arrived to the island in the middle of a rainstorm on a wooden boat. It was just me on the boat and I was a bit nervous but the driver got me there without incident. I wore tennis shoes but when I had to jump out of the boat, I second guessed my choice. I should've switched to flip flops at some point, but when I left Ankara, it was in the 20s. Now, I was jumping off a boat on an isolated island with temperatures in the mid-80s. Of course, my tennis shoes were full of water and I had to walk across the beach to the reception. 

the view from my balcony

 The first thing I noticed was a sign to take off my shoes so I gladly removed my wet tennis shoes and sand covered socks. As I walked through the door, I told the reception guy, "Either this was the best decision of my life or the stupidest decision of my life." He laughed and handed me a glass of cold ginger tea. We settled my account, he told me of all of the classes/activities, and then another person showed me to my room. We walked through the restaurant and again, I saw a "no shoes" sign. At that point, I didn't know it, but most of my vacation would be spent barefoot, which was glorious. 

My room was tastefully decorated with a large balcony and thatched shower/bathroom. I didn't realize my bathroom was a thatched hut until it rained and leaked into my bathroom. I was annoyed at first, but then this added to the ambience of the jungle. The balcony had a hammock and a little love seat couch that called my name most days. I spent so much time on that little couch thinking, reflecting, resting, and reading. The first night, I walked down the steps to the restaurant, ordered a delicious pad thai, and fell asleep around 9 p.m. I was exhausted after flying all night. 

the entrance to my accommodation

The hotel gave me all of these little tickets for each of the services. It was a bit complicated to book everything because you had to go to the individual places. The first day I was there, it rained most of the morning. Not just a little shower, but like monsoon type rain that turns the ocean brown next to the beach. After the rain stopped, I ventured out to find various things around the resort. It took me a while to find the spa and book my appointments. After the spa, I went to search for the Tea Temple to book my private yoga sessions and healing treatment. They told me to come back a few hours later so that I could attend the Sunday meeting and hear about all of their treatments. After the meeting, I decided to book two private yoga sessions with Johnny and acupuncture with Mark. Johnny was from the UK and not the typical thin yoga body. As soon as I heard his soothing voice, yet no-nonsense way, I knew he was for me. Mark was an Australian who had a friendly demeanor and who said he could help relieve my nasal congestion. At that point, I had a really bad cold and could barely talk. The cold started on my way there and got worse as time went on. 

friend from Germany

The next day, I got up and went to yoga at 10:30. I met Johnny and the first thing he said to me was about my hips. "Tightness in your hips indicates some sort of trauma you have not dealt with or something from your childhood." I was having a really hard time with my hips and I felt sore and could not stretch them well. I went right back to my room and journaled some of my feelings I had after that session. Without getting too personal, I saw patterns in my life that I had never seen before. I vowed from that day forward, I would take care of me. I would put my needs first. I would listen to my body and treat it well. 

entrance to one of the treatment rooms in the spa

The rest of the week went like that...yoga in the morning, spa treatment during the day, mediation in the early evening, and meet new friends at the restaurant every night. The first night, I was so nervous going to dinner alone, but as the week went on, I meet really cool people each night. The resort also had cool events like live music and karaoke during the week. It was small, intimate, and encouraging. 

live music

The spa treatments were fantastic. I had massages, a facial, mani/pedi, and a body polish. The most memorable services were the Thai massage and the body polish. The massage therapist was so excited when he found out he was doing a Thai massage that he made me giggle. He stretched and pulled me in ways I didn't even know were possible. The body polish was amazing. First, the lady covered my body with papaya - my entire body. I had disposable underwear on, but that was it (see pic). Everything was out for all to see, including the girls. After the polish, she rolled me up like a burrito and then massaged my head and feet. That was glorious. Then, I showered, while the therapist cleaned up the area. After I was finished, I came back to the table, this time buck naked and she spread and massaged lotion into my skin. Again, divine but a bit out of my comfort zone.  Overall, I was impressed with all of the spa services and felt appropriately pampered. 

granny panties for my body polish treatment

On Saturday, I had scheduled to take a speedboat directly to the airport and since there were five people going, it was actually cheaper than the taxi boat I took when I arrived. It was a bit rough getting on to the speedboat because you had to take a little inflatable boat our to the bigger boat, but then we were off at breakneck speed! About 15 minutes into our trip, the boat made a sound and the captain immediately stopped. He started the rutter again which caused the boat to make another sound and the guy started saying things in Thai to the co-captain. The owner was also on the boat, so he translated that the rutter needed to be changed. So, 10 minutes later we were on our way to the airport. 

When we arrived at the dock, there was a truck waiting to take us to the airport or into the town. This was definitely the easiest way to get back to the tiny island airport. Flights went well back to Turkey and classes started the next day. It was a rude awakening, but at least the weather was warm. Overall, I was really pleased with my first trip to Southeast Asia. I will be going back soon. 

refreshed after my vacation