Sorry, friends, for keeping this from you for so long. I've been so busy living life that I forgot to document it! Fortunately, I've been keeping a journal and I've saved up some good stories for you!
First of all, I can't believe that I've been here for a month and a half already! Time has flown by! I've been able to connect with some of Carla's friends and I've made some of my own, and there is so much to do and see in this city! I feel very comfortable and peaceful here, and I am amazed at quickly I feel at home here. I've also been super blessed to connect with friends and family back home on a fairly regular basis, so I haven't felt to estranged from you all! I have been driving on a regular basis now, for about 4 weeks. I'm quite comfortable with it and have started to be able to figure out how to get places. Although I did have a fender bender with a Pakistani man early on, all was settled and it wasn't a big deal. (except that it was almost impossible to handle the situation because he didn't speak English and I in turn could not speak Urdu.)
AJ and I are making great progress. He has expressed a level of comfort with me that allows me to best help him through emotional difficulties and academic difficulties. He is such a wonderful child, and I love working with him. I've also been able to bond with Marya a bit more and she is much easier to read. We always have fun joking around and digging holes at the beach and going to the pool together.
AJs school had "international day" a couple of weeks ago. Because it's an IB school, it's population is more international than Carla's school, which has a lot of Emirati students. International Day is a celebration of the myriad of cultures in the school. All the students come to school wearing clothes that represent their country in some way. (I wore jeans, sneakers, and a Detroit Tigers t-shirt.) Leave it to the United States to start chanting "USA, USA, USA...." during the line-up. Every classroom represents a country or group of countries and their is food, information, trivia, and games for the kids. They spend the day going from country to country getting a "passport" stamp and learning about different cultures. It was beautiful and a lot of fun.
In other news, my good friend, Claire, who has been working with YWAM (in social justice) over the last few months was flying from Bangalore, India to Auckland, New Zealand and had a bit of a layover in Dubai. This is relevant because I drove to the airport to SEE HER!! It was brief but much anticipated and enjoyed :)
Culture Shock:
- Most students are picked up from school by their drivers or nannies, not their parents.
- Round-a-bouts are difficult to maneuver at first and have no traffic rules (although Carla says it's like "the flow of water," but once you get the hang of them, they're quite fun!
- Every Thursday, on the Catboy and Geordiebird Breakfast Show (our morning radio show) we get to hear "The Thursday Song," which is supposed to get us excited for the weekend. You can hear it here.
marhaba- hello
salaam alaykum- greetings
walaykama salaam- greeting response
ma salaama- goodbye
salaam- peace.
inshalah- God willing
al hum duleh la- Praise God
ana ismee...(Tami)...- I am ....(Tami...
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