Back to the sandbox and a short trip to Sri Lanka

As many of you know from the short time I spent with you this summer, I was feeling pretty bummed about having to return to the "sandbox" and get back to reality. I suppose 2 months of travelling does that to a person! I also was thinking back to the beginning of our first year here. New expectations, new environment, new people, new children, new, new, new...! I remember it being so overwhelming and hard. It didn't help matter that I was spending every day with familiar people that I love. I even found myself crying in the airport while we checked in to get our tickets. This resulted in some strange looks from the lady at the counter. A short 29 hours later, we arrived back to Madinat Zayed, moping and thinking about how long 10 months is. However, within minutes of being back in our home, things felt okay. Everything was just how we left it and it really did feel like "home" (in an away from home kinda way). We got to cuddle with Rocky, hang up all of our travel souvenirs, start exercising again, try our hand at fostering a dog and finally start eating home-cooked meals!

Starting school was a much smoother transition than the first year. We knew what to expect (chaos) and knew how to deal with it. We are trying a more relaxed approach this year. Email at 12 to get out newsletters, organize bus kids and send kids home early at 12:15 - no big deal. Email 3 days before our holiday to Sri Lanka telling us our holiday dates had been changed - no big deal. Child who draws on the table, rolls on the floor and pulls the curtains off the rod? - no big deal. New attitude aside, I adore my children this year. They are so smart and are making me so proud by reading already. Their English is great and they catch on to some of my little jokes already. 

Will ice melt faster in the sun or shade?

How does the earth rotate around the sun? 

It sure helped having a 5 day mini-vacation only 6 weeks into the school year. If you have not heard of skyscanner, it is magical. We typed in our departure airport, the dates, clicked "destination: anywhere" and choose our vacation based on the lowest prices that came up. Off to Sri Lanka we went. 

6 weeks down, time to party it up in Sri Lanka!

It was a beautiful choice. It was the perfect mix adventure, sight-seeing and pure relaxation. I'd say the most adventurous portion of the trip was sitting in a hot-tub. Sounds pretty uneventful to you I am sure. But this hot-tub was in the middle of the jungle. Surrounded by nothing but darkness. With sounds of the jungle coming alive all around us. I strategically sat near the middle of the hot-tub so I wouldn't be the first to go if a jungle monster arrived. 

This adventure was at our first stop, in a hillside hotel near the city of Kandy. Our next bit of adventure was our visit to the Elephant Freedom Project. I call this is an adventure due to the greedy and temperamental Watsu and due to the narrow escape of the large elephant turd floating down the river.

Itinerary:

6:30am Wake up, eat a quick breakfast and drive the 2 hours (40km)  to the sanctuary.

9:30am Arrive, late, to the sanctuary (After battling the traffic that generally reaches 30-40km/hr.

Chat with the co-founder, Tim, about his project.

10:00am Enjoy walking with the elephants through the streets, crossing traffic and watching the majouts battle with the elephants to keep them from taking down trees of neighbors to eat.

10:30am Realize we have been watching the elephants backsides for the past 30 minutes and try to walk faster to touch them as they walk. Fail. Return to watching their backsides.

11:00 Return to the house. Get served tea and coffee and chat with the other guests. 

11:30 Begin our cooking classes. Some make rice coconut wraps for the elephants while some prepare lunch for the group. We attempt to scrape the insides of the coconut out, it looks easy enough... Fail. Make a mental note to remember all of the spices to re-create this Sri-Lankan curry at home.

1:00 Group lunch. DELICIOUS.

1:30 Walk with the elephants, feeling excited to give them their homemade treats that took an hour to make. 30 seconds - gone. Matsu lets out a roar, indicating he wants more. Buy them at least 20 bananas. 30 seconds - gone. 

2:30 Walk to the river to help bathe the elephants. Use the inside of a coconut to brush the dirt out of their wrinkly skin. Narrowly escape a large elephant turd floating by our leg. 

2:30 Start the journey home.

Our sightseeing portion of the trip consisted of the Tooth Temple in Kandy. Well, we could also maybe include our drive from Kandy to Unawatuna as sight-seeing (oh yeah, we hired our own driver for the trip, Khamalis, who I believe probably saved our lives time and time again.) 

Now for my favourite part - the relaxing. Everything about Unawatuna was perfect. In fact, I believe I had a PERFECT day. It started with our check-in at our resort where we were greeted by so many friendly faces and a nice glass of freshly squeezed juice. (On a sidenote, the people in Sri Lanka are fabulous. They were kind, friendly and at no time did I feel pressured or ripped off). We then checked into our rooms with a great surprise of a private balcony with a wicker swing to view the ocean. After admiring the view we enjoyed an afternoon of mojitos, swimming and suntanning (or burning as we later realized). Later in the afternoon Maria and I walked to a nearby temple and met with a monk. He served us tea and chatting to us about the importance of being a kind and compassionate person. He took us into the temple and lead us through a metta meditation. It was a beautiful experience. I left feeling simply "lighter". Later in the evening Justin and I had an evening date and as we walked to the restaurant we were surrounded by quiet and fireflies. We finished the date by shopping at some local shops where I found a kind woman who agreed to custom make my beautiful duvet cover for me. For only $20. At that rate, I didn't even try to barter.

Sri Lanka is a beautiful country with kind people, a variety of spectacular scenery (from jungle to city to beach). As always when we travel to a new place, instead of checking something off the bucketlist, it only inspires us to want to return and see more of the country. We do hope that we see Sri Lanka again one day. 

TMB Trials and Tribulations

What started as a google search for “popular hikes around the world” put the wheels in motion for this trip. Pictures looked amazing and the blogs I read made it sound simple enough. I wish I could say that our hike was only full of beautiful scenery, blissful walks and joyful memories – but that would be too much of an embellishment! The truth is, we had some tough times. So, before I get into describing the beautiful scenery, blissful walks and joyful memories, let me tell you what we learnt from this:

1. Just because the TMB is described as a hike AROUND Mont du Blanc doesn’t mean it will be a flat walk around a mountain. 170km sounded like a long enough trail to walk when I thought it was a straight walk. BUT it wasn’t. Every day began with either a descent down a mountain or an ascent up a mountain. Had I done more research beyond “which refuges serve the best food” I would have known that there are countless mountains along the whole trail around Mont du Blanc!

first break 30 minutes into the first day

    2. One should not laugh at the thought of buying hiking poles and assume they are for the unfit or elderly. I’ll tell ya, the second day we were only ¼ done our hike and we still had more than 500m of climbing to do when I sat on the side of the mountain to catch my breath and muster up enough energy to keep going. I sure swallowed a lot of pride when I had to step over to the side and tell a group of middle-aged men to pass me. But, their response was a laugh and one of them said “oh no worries, we are going slowly too. You keep going and that way if we pass you later we will feel really good about ourselves.” Naturally my response to that was to speed along as fast as I could so that I wouldn’t have to feel the embarrassment of them ever passing me. Unfortunately, 10 minutes of this had me nearly gasping for breath, hunched over, faking a laugh (while silently cursing) as they made their jokes and passed by me on their way up.

The first stop the next day was to the local hiking store to buy ourselves some hiking poles.

Life's just better with poles

   3. Don’t even think about lugging along camping gear and sticking to a budget. For two reasons: One – to hike for 170km, even a little extra weight feels like you are carrying a horse. Two – after a long day of hiking (and often in the rain) it feels like you have just finished a marathon. And in my world, when one is finished a marathon they are ravishing, feeling starved to death. The last thing one cares about at this point is a budget. Instead, the comfort of stepping into a warm refuge, taking a shower (sometimes hot, sometimes ice cold) and having a home cooked meal is pure delight. Especially when that home cooked meal is accompanied by a large mug of hot chocolate… or more often than not, a soothing jug of wine.

    I’ll admit, this was a hard and expensive lesson for us as we ended up leaving 20lbs of excess weight at the second refuge – tent, sleeping bags, 2 books, a towel, pair of mitts and a bottle of shampoo.

    4.  Don’t always opt for the cheapest option when choosing your accommodations. Sometimes a difference of 10 euros can make the difference between sleeping in a comfortable and clean room or sleeping in a converted cow barn with 12 mattresses piled beside one another. With the second option one should not be surprised when they wake up to one of their fellow hikers running out the door after being woken up by a rat.

our GREAT room at Refuge Bonatti

our NOT GREAT room at Refuge Mottets

Now, lessons aside, obviously we had beautiful scenery, blissful walks and joyful memories. For those of you who don’t know, the TMB is a 170km hike around Mont du Blanc. It passes through Italy, France and Switzerland. We started in Courmayeur, Italy and walked counter-clockwise towards Switzerland and then France. Our first day was one of our favourites. We hiked 6.5 hours up to Walter Bonatti Refuge. Here we had an amazing view at the top of a mountain, looking right at Mont du Blanc. 

View from Refuge Bonatti

The refuge was a rustic mountain hut with beautiful wooden architecture. Although the beds were set right beside one another in a room of about 20 people, it didn’t feel cramped, it felt cozy. The main floor had a dining room and a bar. Everyone gathered in here and outside, enjoying conversations and planning the next day of hiking. Like every refuge we visited, at 7:00 pm they put place cards on the table and you find your name and wait for dinner to be served. 

Typical Dinner: 

1st course: Soup (often with cheese in it), 

2nd course salad or bread (with more cheese) 

3rd course: main course (quiche with cheese was a common theme with us vegetarians) 

Dessert: A platter of cheese 

Let’s just say it took us a few days to get used to all of this cheese, but we are now embracing this cheese way of life. (In fact, if we make it to lunch without some type of cheese it’s a rarity). It was on this first day that we made friends with an elderly couple from Australia. One of which was also a teacher. Early to bed and early to rise to start the next day of hiking was a common theme. We were often on the trails between 7-8:00am.

The second day is definitely worth mentioning. It was the day that broke us both... It began with a long descent, taking us down to the Ferret Valley. I was having such a wonderful time literally stopping to smell and photograph the flowers that Justin soon left me in the dust.

one of my many flower photos

I slowly hiked along, taking in every sight and smell that I could. (The views and the flowers were made so much more beautiful by the fact that our views at home consist of sand and more sand). Getting to the bottom, I was in for a rude awakening when I met up with Justin and got a view of the mountain we had to climb. Close to 1000m of ascending to tackle. After 300m and dozens of water breaks later, we made it to a refuge for a pit-stop. After catching my breath enough to muster a conversation, we ran into our friends, the elderly Australian couple who quickly exclaimed “Wow! What a magnificent view!”(Meanwhile, my thoughts were about how I would keep my breaths constant enough to speak). I was just about to congratulate us on making it to the top when I noticed the monstrous climb behind the refuge that still had to be done. Feeling deflated, I commented that it looked tough and rather than agree with me they enthusiastically replied “It will be great, see you later!”  and “Make sure you have the pie here, it was delicious!” (Pie? How did they beat us there AND have time for pie already?) After the monstrous climb, we hiked down into Switzerland, and after a “shortcut” that we took with some fellow hikers, we arrived at our refuge after 9.5 long hours of hiking. And by arrived, I mean crawled to our refuge. This day took such a toll on us. Justin ended the day with a rolled ankle and I ended the day with two sore knees and one bad hip! 

Some highlights from the rest of our trip were the Swiss lake town Champex, meeting an elderly couple from Israel (who who gave us some insight into what life is like for them and their family in Israel) and staying with a French teaching couple who live in a school in Chamonix, France. We also loved the variety of sights and challenges along the way. From standing beside waterfalls to crossing streams or glaciers to looking for marmots and birds.

Champex - a beautiful lake town hidden up in a mountain

We also really enjoyed spending a couple days with another older couple from Australia. They were fellow animal lovers at heart and I stayed up longer than any other night chatting with the woman about our shared views of life and the world. Justin spent the night chatting with her partner about his time in the Australian army, survival in the wild and different hikes and rock climbs.

One of my favourite days I had to hit the trails solo because Justin was still injured. It was pouring rain so the trails were empty for the first few hours. I remember standing still and not hearing a single sound other than the rain. It was a beautiful but slightly eerie feeling. 

my quiet solo hike

crossing one of the waterfalls

To sum it up, the trip was a mixture of rain, tough ascents, injuries, scenic views, delicious food and great conversations at refuges. We met a lot of like-minded people on this hike which at first seemed like a random coincidence. But after reflecting on that, I think it’s more than that. People who spend their lives appreciating nature and the world around us are likely to respect it more. They are likely to have similar views about protecting the world and the species that live in it. It is with people like this that I feel the most at home.

and this is the beauty of our world - please join our cause!

Amidst all of our failures and trials, I am surprised at how joyful the hike was. Maybe the feeling of accomplishment every day when we would make it to the top of a mountain was enough to keep us going. Or maybe it was the people we got to meet along the way. Or maybe it was the strength we felt knowing that we were hiking for a cause we are passionate about. I guess it is a combination of all of those things. But overall, the experience was such a positive one that we are already talking about our next hike. Any ideas?

feeling great after reaching the top of Col du Bonhomme

Two Terrific Weeks in Thailand

Spending two weeks in one country was just enough time to get a brief glimpse into different places within that country. It definitely isn’t enough time to truly immerse yourself into the culture and lifestyle. It’s a whirlwind of seeing sights, participating in activities and then packing up to move to the next spot. We spent a jam packed 14 days in 6 different cities!

Because of this I’ve learnt that rather than checking a country off my bucketlist when I travel to it, I’m continuing to add new things to the list. I've learnt that the first trip to a country seems to be simply a feeling out process so I know where I want to spend more time when I return there! More importantly, I’ve also learnt that no amount of Pad Thai will ever be enough and I’ve learnt that one should ever take for granted a 100 Baht massage (miss them already).

We started our trip in Bangkok – wow – words can’t describe the culture shock that occurs when you are coming from a conservative and strict Middle Eastern culture (I was feeling risqué simply showing my elbows and knees). In Bangkok I learnt that the “anything goes” attitude is apparently contagious and you may find yourself in shock as you watch your boyfriend and brother eat a scorpion. I’ve learnt that you may as well stop trying to figure out if you are talking to a lady with too much makeup or a man who is dressed as a lady. I learnt that the excitement of a 2$ meal quickly loses its appeal as you notice the rats, garbage and smells surrounding the vendors and you wonder “Was that really chicken that I just ate?” I learnt that it is possible to start shopping literally 1 minute after arriving at your destination – even if you haven’t slept in 24 hours, desperately need a shower and still have your luggage on your back. But who can really pass up a 3$ tshirt or a $5 dress?!

Next up was Chiang Mai. Leaving the hustle and bustle and craziness of Bangkok Chaing Mai felt like a breath of fresh air. It’s lush, green and smells worlds better than Bangkok. To say that the day we spent at Elephant Nature Park was my favourite day would be an understatement. The kindness and dedication that these people have should act as an inspiration to us all. We spent the day following 3 elephants. I learnt that these amazing animals are gracious, gentle, patient, strong, loyal, demanding and mischievous. We walked with them, we rubbed them affectionately, we got splashed with water, we chatted with them and we guarded our bananas as they were very sneaky and very demanding! We watched them interact with one another and their environment. Elephants are known to be strong-minded and patient animals. The abuse and trauma they endure as a result of humans is heart wrenching. Yet these animals rarely, if ever, retaliate even though one swipe of their trunk could send you flying. My favourite elephant was May Banyen. She was rescued 2 months prior to our visit from a life of tourism in Chiang Mai. The puncture wounds in her head and back were still visible and raw. I’ll admit that I was skeptical of approaching her after hearing her story. However, she quickly responded to my rubs and continued to following me around nudging me gently to ask for more bananas. The one word I can use to describe her is gentle. Another of the elephants rescued is blind due to abuse from her owner. She was forced to work for years in the logging industry. She was pushed to her limit and lost her newborn baby as she gave birth to her while working on a hill. Her baby fell to it’s death. Distraught and refusing to work – she was beaten and blinded. I tell you these stories so that you may make more informed choices when you are travelling or when you are given the opportunity to visit a circus of go for an elephant ride. Please do not support animal exploitation in the form of tourism or entertainment. It was a humbling and moving day that I will carry with me forever. Through this day I learnt that it is possible to be strong but also patient and gentle.

Next leg of our adventure was a flight south to Phuket. Although our first impressions were tainted by the smells and sights of Bangla Road, we persevered through and stayed for 3 days. Here I learnt that you should never book a hostel on Bangla Road!  I also learnt that there is a reason many tourists are walking around with scrapes and bruises – having a few mishaps ourselves and a couple members of our groups will now be sporting tough looking scars from a bike accident. Aside from the accident the day we rented bikes and cruised along the ocean was bliss. Wind in the hair, ocean breeze on the left, sun on the right. We arrived at a semi-secluded beach “Paradise Beach”. It was in that moment that I thought “now this is why I came to Thailand!” To get away from the crowds, to hear the ocean waves and to soak up the sun. Our last day in Phuket was a rainy one so we figured why not spend it visiting another animal rescue – pure heaven for this girl. We took a tuk-tuk to the jungle to see the Gibbon Rescue Centre. Read my animal blog for more info J

From Phuket we took a ferry to Koh Lanta. Koh Lanta ranked top 2 for me on this trip. Koh Lanta epitomizes the phrase “chilled out”. Our hotel balcony opened up onto the pool. The ocean was a minutes’ walk away. Here I learnt how to truly relax and just breathe. The beach was next to empty – with beachside restaurants, massages, yoga. The 3 days we spent in Koh Lanta were the most relaxed I felt on the whole trip. I loved the feeling of waking up with no plan, no alarm and just seeing where the day leads. In this place we went to visit the local Animal Rescue. We spent the day cuddling with kittens who needed love and walking 3 dogs who needed some attention. Elvis (who broke his pelvis) was the highlight of our day. Justin had the pleasure of walking this little fella who had just recovered from his injuries but has a permanent bowlegged walk. He was full of spunk and sped along with the rest of us, even though we knew it was tiresome for him! Our last day in Koh Lanta we braved the tiger cave. Headsets on our foreheads, non-english speaking guide to lead the way and we were off.  The 3 of us scrambled to keep up with our guide as we hiked the hour through the jungle. Arriving at the cave we found we had to climb up ladders made of merely sticks and logs and scale down a 10 foot rock cliff (with no harness). The worst of it was a bridge – just over a foot wide, made of two logs with sticks every few inches. I thought I was an adventurous soul but in that moment I learnt that I value my life too much and logic won over and I called it quits!

The next stop was simply a blur – we went to Koh Phangan for a brief stay – 1 night to be exact! We couldn’t miss the chance to attend a half moon party while we were in the country. All there is to say about this night is: buckets of bevies, neon paint and laughing gas.

Our last stop was in Koh Tao. Our “budget” trip turned into a bit of luxury, with a 5 star cottage on the hillside, overlooking the ocean. Just thinking about it soothes my soul. We spent 3 blissful days in Koh Tao (which ranked in my top 2 as well). We took a long-tail boat tour with just the 6 of us. We snorkeled all over the island, stopping along the way. Our last stop was “Shark Bay” so needless to say, I didn’t get into the water. Within 10 minutes Justin had spotted 2 sharks! The next day I worked up the nerve to kayak back to shark bay and try snorkeling. Half hour into the adventure I spotted a baby reef shark. Although small, that was enough for me and I was right back into the kayak. We paddled around for awhile after and spotted at least 5 more reef sharks. It was here that I learnt how one can be mesmerized and moved by these powerful animals. But a quick flap of their tail and they are off – blink and you miss them!

Thailand – I hope to see you again one day xoxo

Rocky - our little fighter

"I love cats because I enjoy my home and little by little, they become it's visible soul."

Rocky has been a little piece of joy in our lives. He added extra humor, laughter and love to our otherwise quiet home. He wasn't expected - or even wanted - he just happened. And he quickly won over our hearts - especially mine.

Here is Rocky's story
We returned home from our Christmas holidays and were moping about, sad at the thought of 3 long months until our next break. Weekdays consisted of: work-gym-sleep-repeat. While walking to the gym that first week back we saw a small ball of white fur curled up on road. After inspection and some prompting we realized he was un-responsive to our sounds or the sight of us - this cat was not moving at all - just sitting there staring straight ahead. Our initial concern was leaving him on the road to get hit by a car so we rounded up the help of our friend Emma and tried to coax him with some cat food. That didn't work. So we stood there in the road, debating if we should leave him or not. After much discussion, Justin was voted to try to pick him up to move him off the road. With two fingers - and scared of the cats reaction - Justin bent down to touch the cat. As he placed two fingers on the cat we watched nervously. That's when we heard the cat begin to purr. Needless to say, from that moment on, the cat was no longer a random stray - he was our Rocky.

We attempted to nurse him back to health but he was skin and bone and was not accepting any food or water. We visited a local Madinat Zayed vet - who spoke no english and made his first impression by jamming a thermometer into Rocky's behind. He handed us medicine proclaiming Laryngitis. After 2 days he was slowly slipping away from us. He refused food, could barely hold his head up and simply layed there.

 With the help of another good soul - Chelsea - we drove late into the night to the Vet Clinic in Abu Dhabi. He stayed until 10:00pm to see us - bless him. Rocky weighed in at 1.1 pound - the weight of his bones alone. He was 4 months old at the time. He was diagnosed with an ear infection that was so deep it was affecting his balance which is why he couldn't keep his head up. We received meds and some high fat food to boost his weight fast. Dr. Fadi encouraged me to be hopefully but said that unfortunately the infection was very deep.

But our Rocky is a fighter (that's why he was given his name, of course). In 1 day he was eating on his own (even though that meant resting his face right in the food as he licked up the food). In 2 days he was attempting to walk around - even though it always resulted in him falling over on his poor head. In 5 days he was walking without falling over. In one week he was scaling the couches, jumping on and off all by himself. In two weeks he was a playful kitten who loved following Justin around and jumping on my dresser while I got myself ready in the mornings.

He loved to cuddle and would nuzzle his way up into your neck if you picked him up - trying to kiss you face. He demanded attention and would climb his way up your body if you were ignoring him. He was most content when he was in the arms of Justin - he adores him. If Justin was walking to the kitchen, that's where Rocky went. If Justin was cooking eggs - Rocky was trying to climb on the stove. I do believe the love was equal both ways.

Sadly, Rocky only had a few normal and happy weeks as a happy little kitty. On Wednesday he started to have seizures. On Thursday he had another. With the kindness and the car of our friend Dan we drove into Abu Dhabi to Dr. Fadi. He was hopefully it was due to Rocky's prior infection and he sent us away with some meds. From Friday to Saturday Rocky had 2 more seizures. On Saturday night he began to have them very frequently - about 15 minutes apart. In total he had more than 10 in 2 hours. We woke up Dr. Fadi at 11pm, called him again at midnight and by 3am we were in his vet office in Abu Dhabi. Rocky was given meds to stop the seizures and was hooked up to an IV - spending the night at the vet. Dr. Fadi began bloodtests on Sunday, saying it was most probably epilepsy which is very treatable. Unfortunately he was wrong. Rocky has now tragically been diagnosed with FIP-the dry form. We picked him up Sunday from Abu Dhabi and he is home with us now. Based on what I have read, FIP is 95%-100% fatal in the first couple months. It can range from weeks to months, usually ending in euthanasia as the quality of life is just not acceptable. 

 Our affectionate, mischievous and affectionate cat is gone. He is not interested in playing. He is not climbing up to sneak kisses. He is not even interested in sitting outside and watching his reflection like he used to. He doesn't seem to want to be alone, clinging to Justin or I. But he is not cuddly, purring or happy. He is lethargic and sleepy. This could be due to his meds or a symptom of the progression of his FIP. Or it could be both.

I'm asking you today for your prayers for this guy. I'll be the first to admit, I haven't been much for prayers - but today I am. I am praying that Rocky has some fight left in him. I am praying that he is one of the rare and miraculous survivors of this virus. I am praying that his rescue wasn't in vain and that he will go on to live a long life - firstly, for my own selfish reasons and then to be an example of how we can help and change animals lives. How love and kindness to a helpless animal can be worth the burdens that come with it. The positives far outweigh the burdens. 

And so our adventuring begins...

One’s first impression of London is to be amazed and in awe of the old Victorian buildings amidst all of the modern day busy-ness. It is truly a thing of beauty to see. One’s impression of leaving London is “Wow I am broke, cold and impatient!” I can see how one would easily forget to “stop and smell the roses” while surrounded by such beauty. The fast paced, expensive and cold atmosphere doesn’t take long to wear on you! I did love the city and maybe it’s just that I’ve just adapted to the “smallness” of Madinat Zayed.

Highlights of London: We did a walking tour of the city at 6am on Christmas morning. Although I had to be dragged out of bed (with some not so nice pleasantries exchanged) it was lovely once we arrived. We got to soak up the sights of London, sharing the streets with only a handful of people (I recommend seeing Trafalgar Square, Oxford Street and St. James Park). I was able to take a photo of Westminster Abbey with not a soul in sight. We attended a Christmas morning church service in Westminster Abbey, which began my new minor obsession with Kate Middleton. Tried to sneak a photo and was lectured by my boyfriend, Mr. Bossy (or Lord Snow as he would now like to be referred to). 

We went to a changing of the guards ceremony at Buckingham Palace. Very “official” and very cool to see! With all of that security I find it shocking that the queen has woken up 3 different times with someone in her room! Windsor Palace is about an hour outside of London (this is where the queen spends her weekends). 

We were able to tour a part of the castle that she doesn’t use anymore. It was beyond extravagant and I truly can’t believe people live in that kind of luxury. (I think I’d prefer a small comfortable and cozy home!)
 I’d like to say that Stonehenge was captivating like I had imagined it would be – but the reality is that after battling uphill in the torrential downpour with wind that could blow a person over, the only thing on my mind was getting back to the bus! I’d say my favourite part of London was the “buzz” of people and things to do (that and the mulled wine everywhere mmmmmmm.) There is never a shortage of unique things to do! We went to the Nutcracker ballet one night. Almost had Justin convinced to go to the Dirty Dancing musical but he opted out of that!

Leaving England and arriving in Edinburgh, Scotland it felt peaceful and calm. The people were friendlier, the air was cleaner and the cabs were cheaper! Our accommodation was literally 2 minutes to the sea. We went for a walk along the promenade, listening to a man playing Celtic music and stopped in a pub with a view of the sea. Immediately Scotland became my favourite place of the trip. We walked up the Royal Mile, which leads up to Edinburgh Castle. The Royal Mile is a cobblestone street with blocks and blocks of shops and pubs.

I immediately searched for one with mulled wine of course. Celtic music was playing everywhere with kilts hung out to sell. It was lovely. The thing that drew us to Edinburgh over the holidays was their hogmanay festival. It is a 3 day New Years celebration with over 80,000 people attending. It started on the 30th at 7:00pm with fireworks and a torchlight procession throughout the city. On the 31st was a street party with stages of live music, amusement park rides and stalls set up all over one area of the city. People dancing, drinking, singing and some trying out the local tradition of wearing the kilt! On the 1st they do a “plunge” into the freezing sea!

My favourite day of all was our Highlands and Castles tour. We took a bus to see 4 castles, while driving through the Scottish Highlands. We learned about all of the fascinating history of the castles, kings, queens, Scottish clans, betrayals and battles. Fun fact: the Campbell Clan was a very shady and disliked clan (sorry Krista!) with the Scottish phrase being “Never trust a Campbell, let them in your house and they’ll stab you in the back). Google “The Massacre of Glenco for more info!) While we learned about this history we were driven through small villages, mountains (they call bens), valleys (glens) and lakes (lochs). I could have driven for days through the highlands. This was the captivation I was looking for when we went to Stonehenge! Although it was dreary and grey in the sky, the colours were so vibrant and bright. From maroon trees, to orange grass, to emerald and lime coloured trees.

On our last day we discovered Rose Street and I would recommend going there. I would also recommend walking along Princess Street, the Royal Mile and taking a hike up to Arthur’s Seat. Arthur’s Seat is the tallest hill in Edinburgh that takes about an hour to get to the top (if you are going slowly
and stopping for rock picking and photo taking like we were). It gives you a complete view of the city one side and a view of the sea on the other.

Despite the rain, cold and gloom our trip was an action packed adventure! It was also nice to be in an English speaking country where everyone understood everything we are saying. But, back in the desert now and truly enjoying the warmth, the rest and the familiarity of the people and our home:)

National Day

Nearing the end of 2013 with Christmas just around the corner. It doesn't feel like Christmas here (being in the 20's and all - sorry Saskatchewan folk!) When we go into the city some stores have decorations up and we even heard Christmas playing in one store! But without the cold and the snow it doesn't feel right. (Although Justin went snowboarding at the indoor ski hill in Dubai so he got a little taste of winter). We were shocked to find a Christmas tree up in the grocery store here! It is the first tree they have had up here. I think this really shows how the community is progressing in their views towards us from the Western world. They are becoming more tolerant of our views and even are kind enough to put up a tree! The nice man in the grocery store has been ordering imported foods from America with brands we recognize. It's such an exciting time when we discover new things in there (like whole wheat wraps and Prego pasta sauce!) All the little luxuries that were taken for granted back home! Makes us take delight in the small things.

National day has just passed. What an experience! I loved being part of such pride and love that they show for their country.  The UAE only became an independent country 42 years ago, 9 years after they first began to export oil. Looking at pictures of Dubai 20 years ago shows the incredible growth. They adore their president and cars get decorated with his face painted on them. They sell pins, stickers and balloons with his face. The cities light up with national colours - with lights, building sized flags and lazer beams. It is hard to describe the grandness of it all. A couple weeks ago at school I heard my students gasp as they looked out the door, saying "look look!" "miss come see!" They all ran to the door. I was intrigued wondering what incredibly exciting person was going to be in the hallway. I made my way to the door to look out and see a large heart shaped decoration hanging on the door of another class - with the Sheikh's faced right in the middle. I can only imagine the excitement if the real life Sheikh were to walk down that hallway!

National day celebrations at school were also a grand affair! Parents came in with mountains of food, cake and presents. The children wore traditional clothing. We had a whole day of special events - that included camel riding, henna painting, traditional foods and games and a lot of eating!

In other recent events, Justin and I were invited out to my student's camel farm by his father. Some of the local emirates really are thankful for us being here and want to teach us some of their local traditions and customs. He picked us up in the land rover, drove us past the streets right into the sand and kept going. It felt like a snow drift! We came up to the camel farm. It is basically a fenced in area with about 30 camels. There is also a small shack that a "camel-boy" lives in. He was an old man who stays and cares for the camels - with no electricity or modern-day luxuries - simply a wooden shack with a blanket/carpet on the floor. Aside from that sad sight, the visit was lovely. We were able to get up close to the camels, who were all very friendly, wanting to be pet. I do believe Justin even got his ear nibbled. The camel boy had just finished milking the camel and we were offered fresh camel milk (really not my thing but wanting to embrace the experience, gave it a shot). After meeting the camels, the father brought out a large carpet to lay out on the sand. He began bringing out trays of food and coffee. They served us some delicious food which was all shared and eaten with their hands. Again, wanting to embrace the experience I really wanted to join, but the thought of just finishing petting the camels deterred me... and I accepted the spoon from the bag. He served us coffee, serving Justin first and laughing that in this culture "men go first". (Another custom I am yet to embrace!) It was a strange sight for me to see a father serving the food and setting up the food - this is done by the nanny/maid or the mother. We stayed out until the sun set and had a lovely chat. I am grateful for the opportunity!

Chaos, Love and Laughter

 

 

It is difficult for us to paint a portrayal of what a day is like in our classrooms. When asked we will often say “the kids are crazy” or “the kids are wild but hilarious”. But no reply can really describe what it is like. I’ve been recording funny moments or daily happenings to give you all an idea of what a day (or 5 minutes) in the life of us is like!

Morning

“Miss, this for you” (gives me a flower). “I love for you too much miss.”
(aww)

English class

me: “What is your favourite animal and why? My favourite animal is a tiger because it is fast.”
Ali – laughing “no miss, no fast, tiger no fast. Rabbit fast, tiger no fast.”
me: “Ahmed, what is your favourite animal?”
Ahmed: “snake”
me: why?
Ahmed: “because him eat.”
me: “what does he eat?”
Ahmed? “miss amy”

(note the difference between the boys and girls in my class)

Lunch (5 minutes and  I couldn’t write fast enough!)
“Miss, Miss, Miss, Miss, Miss, Miss”

me: “My name is not miss”

(Zayed swinging between 2 desks)
“Miss. Amy, Miss. Amy, Miss. Amy, Miss. Amy”
me: “Yes?”
“How many minutes?”
me: “4”
“No miss, 5 minutes, 5 minutes”
(2 boys dancing in the corner; girl crawling on the desks)
“Miss, miss, miss, miss”
me: “mmhmm?”
“He say for me bad word.”
“miss, me go toilet.”
me “Fares, don’t say bad words, yes go to toilet”
“Miss, miss, MISS, MISS AMY!!”
me: “yes?”
“look, look, look miss” (eating noodles by the handful)
“miss, MISS, MISS, MISS AMY!!!! Salem take food”
(student picking through garbage looking for stickers that were thrown out)
“miss, me go home?”
me: “no, you just had lunch.”
“miss, miss, miss, MISS, MISS, MISS AMY, AMY, AMY, AMY!”
“miss, he say bad word for me.”
Me: “what did he say?”
“he say for me, I am his brother.”
Me: “That is not a bad word.”

Later in english

(amidst the loud chaos of my classroom all of a sudden it goes dead silent)
“eeeeeeeeew”
(whisper, whisper, whisper)
me: “What?”
(Rashed points to the screen – picture of a pig has come up in their phonics game for the letter i)
me: “click next, we don’t do that one at school”
Rashed (clicks next)whispers: “yuck, yuck, yuck”
(insert 26 disgusted, shocked little faces)

(FYI – pigs are “haram” in this culture – against their religion – look it up! My kids still are outraged that the alphabet book they got from the library has no letter P page in it)

Mid-day email from our principal

“Dear All,
 We have just been informed….yes…right now….that TOMORROW at NOON, we must have a FLAG DAY ceremony as it’s Flag Day in the UAE tomorrow. This is a notice received from the government so we want to make it nice, even though we only have short notice.”
(just another day in the UAE – if you thought I was laid back before, wait until I get back – deadline? What deadline? 2 days notice to have report cards done? No worries!)

 Science

“miss, miss, MISS, MISS AMY!”
me: “yes?”
“miss, umm you know Fares?”
me: “yes, I know Fares”
“he cut hair for her”  (they mix up their pronouns – Fares is a boy)
me: “what do you mean?”
“he cut hair for her. like this” (shows me cutting hair with hands)
me: “Fares, did you cut your hair?”
Fares: “no, no, not for me, me no do it” (with cut hair stuck to his lip)
Me: “Fares, go wash the hair out of your mouth. And give me your scissors”

Journal Writing

Me: “What are some things that move?”
“a truck”
“a car”
“a train”
“a bicycle”
Haind: “a banana”

Later in Social

Me: “How does your picture show you being kind to your friend?”
Ateej:“Him fall down. Him cry. Me go and say you no cry”
Danh:“Him eat ice cream and I eat ice cream”
Moza: “He say I don’t know and I go and I help him in him book”
Haind: “Banana”
 (I think this is her favourite word)

End of the Day

Another day down (including 4 preps) and I am exhausted. These kids are consuming of all of my energy. Leaning on the door as they are leaving for the day, wishing they would just be gone already so I can sit down and have a moment of peace and Rashed turns around and blows me a kiss, Sawada grabs my hand and kisses it and Maitha grabs my face- pulls it to hers and kisses my cheek while telling me she loves me. In that moment it is all worth it. Beyond the chaos and craziness these kids are full of enthusiasm and love. And then Salem karate chops my hand and runs out the door…