Former Expat Teacher Acclimating to the American Way!

I lost my voice this week. That also means I did not meet my deadline for testing. Que scary music. My name must be on so me list now. Common sense would say that I am excused for lack of a voice but who knows. I came home today and enjoyed my family along with some good food. Work can and will wait until tomorrow. Is it sad that my daydreams consist of being in pre-k since I know they are still developmentally appropriate?

I have so many posts in my head. I still remember the day I got off the plane and went looking for a car because it was Sunday and I didn't want to be bothered with sales people...It's only been about 3 months-I should remember everything. The problem is that I'm SO BUSY. Half the time I feel like I am chasing my tail. I go from worry to doubt and frustration and a bit of anger. Once, I sat down to do my weekend work and cried before my piles of paper. Shortly after, I pulled myself together and got on with my work. I worry because for the past 7 years I have been teaching ESL students with little to no English language. It was an adjustment but I ended up doing really well. Here, I feel like I've stepped on a bullet train and I'm not used to going this fast. Meanwhile, I know that there is no time for me to pull it together and get in the groove. Sometimes, I go to sleep thinking about how I'm letting my kids down and how I will look terrible, and how they

You have options. All of which probably suck for different reasons. While driving my car, I prayed she would be ok until the end. With great purpose, I bought a very affordable (AKA cheap) car and enjoyed many years of having no car payment. That is another post for another day (probably not). So  yeah, this cheap car had 164,000 miles on her when the time came. Add to that, it was a small hatchback with some cosmetic issues. Knowing these things I priced her low. Not low enough to not be low balled even further. I found this random site and posted the car with pictures. Calls started pouring in around 8 pm and didn't stop til after midnight. I. Kid. You. Not. Offers were thousands lower than I asked, people called who couldn't speak English, and I was growing weary of answering my phone after the second day of this. As with moving out of your apartment, you have options. Sites like  Dubizzle , Facebook, or sellanycar.com  can work for you. I didn't want to pay for Dub

Brace yourself. It's coming. Piles of things with nowhere to go and an impending deadline. You have a million things to do so you begin the arduous task of figuring out what to keep and what to let go of. In the beginning, it seems easy enough. Maybe you don't have lots of things. In which case, the above picture will never be you. In most cases, however, just get your tissue ready. Or your bottle of libation. Whichever suits your fancy. Let me start with the process of letting things go. Because I am so smart, I began paring down months ago. It felt good and I was so proud of myself for being on top of things. After that, I began to walk around my house and think about what I would post things for when the time came. I decided I didn't want the hassle of bargaining so I would post things for a ridiculous price. Satisfied that I had time, I continued on with daily life. Fast forward some months and we get the paper work. It is so confusing that I set it aside a

Last week I turned the key and entered my home from a vacation for the last time. I realized that I will miss my apartment. Who wouldn't? We have an amazing place when you think about it. Even if I dont use all the amenities, it is nice to have and I enjoy looking out the window each and every day! Going home was a success. Taking things home will,no doubt, reduce the stress of packing in the coming months. A RT ticket for 365 was a steal to say the least. Worth such a quick turnaround! Now comes the last term. It will be over before we blink an eye as Ramadan comes earlier each year. We are trying our best to condense the learning outcomes and lessons so we impart upon their little brains the basics and pray they retain it over the summer! Ive been here so long Im not even concerned about selling all our things. Im sure some of them will sell but everything else will be donated. I dont have the propensity to concern myself with it. I only wish it was easier to find someone

As I try to prepare for my impending return home, I find that I am more nervous than when I left. Not because of any political issues that are going on at home-not that those things help the situation. I feel it is because so much has changed in the world of education. Even when I was at home, I was in a Pre-K program and under a different set of rules. Stringent nonetheless I might add.  Being that I left before moving up, I am afraid I am at a disadvantage. I talk to other teachers who point out some of my strengths. It makes me feel better and I am reminded that I shouldn't sell myself short. It is a very bad habit I have yet to leave behind. It takes a lot of a person to stay here for 7 years and to actually work and make a difference. I can honestly say that I haven't had a year where I didn't do either of those things and for that I am proud. It takes skill to get children with little to no English to be able to work in a classroom setting and be successful and exc

I was thinking of my kids this year and am just so appreciative of the children the parents nurtured and sent to us this cohort. I just might cry this graduation, rotfl. Not sure if I wrote of the embarrassment that was my very first graduation. Im sure that I did! That was a result of all the hard work I put in to make that class manageable with no prior school, A co-teacher for a few months before she left, and maybe 5 Arabic words WITH 25 kids in a barren room. I wish I had pictures and video from that year! But this? This is the exact opposite. These kids came in with curiosity. They went to centers from day one with little direction from us AND they didn't destroy them. With the help of my amazing co-teacher, we have an amazing class. I am thoroughly enjoying their level of comprehension, their ability to laugh and talk with me even if we aren't speaking the same language, and the fact that they have a good grasp on the language to the point where their simple English m